Sword & Succession - A Darklina AU Fanfic

Chapter 9

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ℝ𝕖𝕒𝕘𝕒𝕟 𝕊𝕥𝕒𝕣𝕜𝕠𝕧

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To say that my first official day at the Little Palace was a disaster would be the biggest understatement of the year!

As soon as I woke that morning, my mind was in a whole other place and not where I needed it to be. In my head.

Genya, thankfully, noticed this and ordered my breakfast to be brought to my room after she finished touching me up. But along with my meal, Tony came with his dashing smile and bubbly energy that no one should have in the morning.

He spoke all through my breakfast, while I chewed absentmindedly on a piece of plain bread. It wasn't until I finally pulled on my kefta and followed Tony outside for training that I finally realised what was wrong.

I was homesick.

Everything was too lush and bright at the Little Palace. Sure, it had been and still was breathtaking. But I missed the dark, lamplit streets of Ketterdam. The dirty, uneven paths filled with people selling their wares. I missed the smell of bitter coffee, mud and pipe smoke that would greet me every morning. I missed the noise of carts, the shouts coming from neighbouring bars, the jingling of coins and flick of cards from within gambling houses and the sound of nearby scuffles taking place.

The Little Palace was too quiet. The only sound was that of the calm, present breeze and the soft grunts of Grisha training. The training grounds were big and filled with maybe thirty-ish Grisha, all fighting an opponent. The ground beneath them was dusty, the grass has not survived the years of boots and bodies hitting the ground.

I recognised a few Grisha who'd been in West Ravka and had survived the trip across the Fold.

"Come on," Tony said, pushing me forward. A tall woman stood in the centre of the throng of scuffling bodies. Her hands were held behind her straight back and she strode with a warrior's grace, her eyes examining everyone one by one. 

"Who's that?"

"That's Vix, she's our combat instructor. She teaches us to fight without using our Grisha abilities." Tony explained.

Vix suddenly shouted causing even Tony to jump beside me. "Xavier!" She screeched, her voice croaky like an old bird. She pointed a long finger at the boy lying, panting in the dust. "If I have to tell you to straighten your stance one more time-" Her hand came smacking down on Xavier's leg and he was back on his feet in seconds.

I swallowed a bit. "She seems a little... intimidating."

Tony gave a nervous laugh. "Oh, you have no idea." I saw him massage his shoulder. "Botkin was so much nicer than this."

"Who's Botkin?"

"Hm? Oh, he was our old trainer. He was strict too, but not nearly as... slappy."

"You!" My head turned so quickly I got whiplash. Vix had her long finger pointing at me and with it, the heads of just about everyone swung in my direction. I bit my lip. "You took your time to get here."

"Sorry," My voice cracked. "I was just-"

"Just what? I hope what you're about to say is more important than training," she hissed, eyes sharp like a vicious snake's. "Were you in an important war meeting?"

"Ugh... No."

"Were you under attack?"

"No."