Sun Queen

♛ Seventy-Two ♛

                             ♛ Alina POV ♛

The treaty was obviously a creature of war. It is hastily drawn up. The ink is still drying as one of the Shu ambassadors rolls it up, immediately after I finish signing my name. Finality strikes through me. We've actually done it. In the span of two days, Ravka has created an alliance with Shu Han.

Like a last hammer to a nail, the man rolling up the treaty gives us all grave eyes. "It is done."

Although hurriedly made, the treaty was well thought through for the most part. On the Ravkan part of the deal, we promise to lift the Fold from the Shu borders. As for the Shu Han, they will provide troops for the war against Fjerda. And both counties would strive for a trade route between the mountains when the war was over.

It was strange, allying with one country who hates and experiments on Grisha to destroy another. I won't pretend to ignore the truth of the Shu Han, but the treaty outlines peace between us. I can only hope it will extend to the Ravkan Grisha.

Both parties begin to disperse, my war council heading back with caution, their minds no doubt rethinking the entire meeting. The Shu ambassadors start to exit their green tent as well, except for one.

It's one of the female ambassadors, her face the sharpest of them all. She sits with a tight kind of grace, only two chairs away, staring at me.

Aleksander brushes my shoulder, as he passes behind my chair, waiting for me to rise. His face is blank, his once bemused expression was beat down after the torrent of looks and comments from the Shu, turning him cold and expressionless. The hatred is mutual on both sides, believe me.

"Darkling," the female ambassador speaks without looking towards him, "Would you give your queen and I a moment?"

My head tilts a little to the side, curiosity hanging it there as I look for an answer on the ambassador's face. Her high, cleanly cut cheekbones and dark yellow eyes offer nothing.

Aleksander's hand on the back of my chair tightens. "And what is it you want with her?"

Before the woman can speak, I crane my head towards Aleksander. "Give us a minute, I'll be quick. I promise."

To seal his doubts, I bring a kiss to his hand on my chair. I can see his body smoothen with my affection and his fingers trace the bow of my lips in response. Aleksander then slowly exits the tent, his eyes trained on me and the ambassador until the green velvet curtain shuts him away.

I turn back to face the woman and a wave of pain crashes against me. I wince as I pretend to ignore it. I've tried to be careful to ration the jurda parem in these last two days, not wanting to finish it too quickly. But a few times a day I'll open the drawer just to grab a pinch of it between my fingers, my tongue begging for the rush of the drug.

The jurda parem's affect on my body has not been kind or easy to hide. My bones peek out from sandpaper skin and the dryness of my lips has returned. Not to mention the sudden aches of pain, shivering through me from my feet to my head.

My wince brings me back from the pulling tide of pain and I focus on the woman. "I'll admit I have the same question, what is it you want with me?"

The woman folds her white gloved hands in her lap, left over right. "I only want you to listen."

"Go ahead."

"I want to clear the name of Shu Han, to reveal the truth we've kept from Ravka."

This has me interested. I can sense the slowness of her words produced by her reluctance.