Her Balance | Nikolai x Reader x Darkling

~ Chapter 9 ~

Haven't updated this one in a while, so here ya go!

Let's get into it.

First Person - Y/n

Something about the words Sun Summoner felt like I was lying to everyone, because if I was being honest I was. The only people in the world to know about the two sides was the Darkling, and technically Alina and Mal. It was what I was needed to be, but not what I wanted to be.

A rush of murmurs came from the crowd. I looked over at the Darkling trying to ask with my eyes if I should bow or curtsy, since every time I had met the king I curtsied but it was different now. He just blinked slowly. 

What the hell does that even mean, I thought to myself as Ana Kuya's instructions echoed in my head. 

"You must curtsy to Duke's noble guests, show respect and poise."

Ana Kuya had insisted that all the orphans know how to greet the Duke's few noble guests, but somehow, it didn't feel right to curtsy in these dressed-up army trousers. 

The King saved me from making a blunder when he waved us forward impatiently, "Come, come! Bring her to me."

The Darkling and I walked to the base of the dais.

The King scrutinized me. He smiled, and his lower lip jutted out slightly. "She's very beautiful, and a General nonetheless. Very nice."

The King's compliments would've been the highlight of anyone else's life, but to me all it felt was uncomfortable. 

"Show me," the King commanded.

My stomach turned. I looked at the Darkling. This was it. 

He nodded at me and spread his arms wide. A silence descended as his hands filled with strips of blackness that gushed into the air. He brought his hands together with a resounding crack. Nervous cries burst from the crowd as darkness blanketed the room. 

My own experiences with the shadows allowed me to know where things were, including the Darkling, and almost instinctively, I reached out for his hand. 

The Darkling sensed my arm and his bare hand slid into mine. I felt that same powerful certainty wash through me and then the Darkling's call, pure and compelling, demanding an answer. With a mixture of panic and relief, I felt something rising up inside me. This time, I didn't try to fight it, instead, I told the darkness to let the light have its way.

Light flooded the throne room, immersing everyone and everything in warmth and shattering the darkness like glass. The court exploded into applause, and people were crying and hugging one another. The King was applauding excessively, rising from his throne, his expression triumphant.

The Darkling let go of my hand and the light faded.

"Brilliant!" the King shouted. "A miracle!" 

He descended the steps of the dais, the bearded priest gliding silently behind him, and took my hand in his own, raising it to his wet lips. 

"What a beauty," he said. "What a beauty!" 

I thought of what Genya had said about the King's attention and felt my skin crawl, but I didn't dare pull my hand away. Soon, though, he had released me and was clapping the Darkling on the back.

"Miraculous, simply miraculous," he effused. "Come, we must make plans immediately."

As the King and the Darkling stepped away to talk, the priest drifted forward.