"Crowns topple easily. Thrones crumble like dust. Hearts cease to beat. Thorns draw blood."
In a country torn into two, there should have been no room for mistakes. Especially not at the very core of the royal family. That was what she was. Yes, a...
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Irina was seated in Aleksander's chambers, her red cloak thrown into the fireplace, leaving her in her simple white gown, its hems covered in red droplets.
Her hands were stained with dried blood, the burgundy remaining on her like paint on a canvas, littering her pale skin with red art.
She was looking down at the long ivory fangs in her hold, wondering to herself if that pair of teeth was worth the price of an innocent creature's life.
Saints, how did any Grisha ever do this? Kill an animal for its power? She could barely even fathom what she had done in the past hour, her heart feeling heavy.
She shifted in front of the fire, nearing the warmth of the flame.
"Here," Aleksander knelt in front of her, handing her a small cup. "It's tea."
Irina gratefully accepted the cup, placing the fangs down beside her. She took a sip of the warm liquid, slightly burning her tongue. She turned to look at him. "How did you know I was there? In the palace zoo?"
"I didn't." He said, taking a seat beside her. "I had heard about the lion getting put down in the morning. I was going to set it free."
"Oh," She put down the cup, raising a brow at him. "Why on earth would you do that?"
"The lion is your amplifier. I wouldn't let anyone take that from you." He replied, tone dripping in honesty and sincerity.
She picked up the fangs, staring at them before looking up at him. "I just-I don't understand. How could Grisha willingly kill for this? For pieces of bone and teeth? How could any being agree or even consider doing such a horrendous act for a small object?"
"When I was younger, I had two friends. Grisha. We played by the river every day and we never spent a moment apart." He said, wistfully staring at the flame, the events of his past and its effects reflecting in his eyes. "When they found out I was an amplifier, they tried to drown me at the very river we played in. People do awful things for amplifiers."
"They tried to kill you? For power?" Irina asked, shocked. There she was, feeling awfully guilty for taking an animal's life when someone had attempted to take his life for his bones, teeth, and nails.
Just the thought of Aleksander getting hurt and killed by two people he trusted was enough for her guilt to dissipate slightly, being replaced by sadness for him. How long had he spent his life alone and outcasted from his peers?
"Yes, for power." Aleksander nodded, going on to continue. "But that amplifier chose you, Irina. It is yours, rightfully given. It gave its life for you. That is nothing to feel guilty over, trust me."
"Do you really believe that?" She asked, blue eyes wide.
"I do." He answered, before holding out his hand to her, gesturing to the lion's fangs. "May I?"
