No Winter Can Last Forever (O.C x The Darkling)

t h i r t e e n

"YOU KNOW..." Amadora sighed, averting her eyes from her reflection in front of her, "I've never left the Little Palace since coming here." As the fall season shed, replaced by the crisp winter months, Amadora couldn't help but reflect on how long she'd remained inside. Not quite trapped but not quite free. There was no discernible cause for her solemn feelings, Amadora had chalked it up to the wintering air.

Genya delicately twisted her hair around, pinning into place, "If it's any comfort, neither have I," She said quietly.

Amadora nodded softly, trying to find comfort in her words, "The General was always worried about what might happen to me if I were to leave, the Druskelle have had a bounty on my head since the moment I was picked up," She pulled her knees up to her chest, wishing to rest her chin but wanting to avoid the irritation of Genya, "Sometimes I wish I could go back." Her words came to a surprise to herself, not sure where they came from. Amadora hadn't taken a moment to think about, how her time at the Little Palace truly had affected her. As much as she loved the lavish Grisha lifestyle, it had become a bit stifling.

"To the Isle?"

Amadora shook her head, prompting a light smack from Genya encouraging her to stay still, "To Novyi Zem, I really liked it there," She smiled sadly, "My mother was treated like a Saint, I finally felt safe there."

"You don't feel safe here?" Genya asked innocently.

"It's a different kind of safe-- In Novyi Zem, it was a comfortable type safe. But here in Ravka, I know that the second I step outside these walls, there's a target and a bounty waiting to be cashed." Amadora whispered, "This is my home now, but I wish that it were safer... for all of us." She met Genya's eyes in the mirror and gave her a sad smile, "I am safe as long as I remain here, but, what happens when I no longer wish to stay here?"

"Have you ever thought about what it would be like if you weren't Grisha?" Genya asked, her fingers so softly touching the nape of Amadora's neck it made her shiver.

She paused for a beat, thinking back to a time when she did, "I used too. Back when I first arrived, I used to pray to the Saints that it would all turn out to be a misunderstanding and I could go back to my old life." Amadora couldn't stop the smile from wiping it's way across her cheeks as she let out a breathy chuckle, "There was this old farmhouse that I used to pass on my way to the school I worked with, it was abandoned decades ago but for some reason it stuck out to me... If I could go back, I'd go to that house."

"I'd like to see my sister again." Genya said so quietly, Amadora had almost not heard her.

Their eyes met in the mirror, "I didn't know you had a sister..."

She nodded her head, a sad smile covering her face, "Her name is Zofia, I think she would be about 16 now?"

"That's a beautiful name." Amadora smiled, bigger this time, trying to bring a comfort to Genya who's face was numb but the passion and hurt laid only in her eyes, that were glossy with tears. She could only nod her head and step back from her superior's hair.

Amadora turned around, placing a bare hand to Genya's cheek, "You will see her again one day my dear, that I promise you." She had been practicing forcing emotion out rather than internalizing it in hopes that she could rid herself of the gloves that trapped her.

Genya remained stoic but Amadora could still feel the stifled emotion that held her body rigid and cold, "Once you and the General complete your plan, I will shed this disgusting Ivory kefta and wear the red one."

"The one you were always meant to wear." Amadora shared a knowing nod with her fellow redhead and glanced at herself in the mirror, admiring the intricate and detailed design Genya had created, "You never cease to amaze me Genya."