Beautiful and Broken

22.

"Do you all see now why it is crucial that both of you are unharmed and cooperate on your own free will?" I saw Alina tightening her hands into fists. But she didn't say a thing, just nodded. The one who finally said it was Nikolai.

"You're saying we're simply meant to forgive him for everything he's done? Let bygones be bygones? He's decimated an entire city, murdered dozens of Grisha, killed my brother..."

Aleksander stirred, withdrawing his hand from mine, leaning towards Nikolai with both of his hands on the table. "Contest my methods all you want, but whatever I did, I did it for this land. I did it for Ravka."

Nikolai opened his mouth to say something, but I interrupted. This needed to stop before it got worse. "You highness. My condolences for Prince Vasily."

"He was an idiot," Aleksander muttered. "Shut up," I muttered back.

"You highness, I'm not contesting the justice of the punishment you would impart on Aleksander. I would only like to remind you that his actions are a consequence of a very long chain of unfortunate events. Is there a punishment for the Grisha who invented the notion of merzost, breaking the magic of this land as a consequence? Is there one for Ilya Morozova, for refusing to love his daughter, causing her a suffering that turned her bitter? Is there one for all the people who hunted and killed Grisha for hundreds of years? Are you going to punish one man for the mistakes of countless others?"

A silence engulfed us all. Aleksander reached out for my hand, with an endless warmth in his eyes.

Nikolai took a deep breath and looked at me. "I can't argue with you on this one, Altair. So tell us what needs to be done."

"The Fold must be destroyed. By the Sun Summoner and the Darkling. Together."

"Can it be done?" Alina asked. "It's not a question if it's possible. But are you both willing to do it?" I answered. Alina nodded firmly. I turned to Aleksander. He fixed his gaze into mine. "I will do what you require of me." I would have preferred him to do it not only for my sake, but because he accepted it was right. But I had to work with the hand I was dealt.

We agreed to leave to the Fold in a few days. Aleksander stopped me on the way out, his hands on my upper arms, turning me towards him.

"You've defended me in there," he told me quietly.

"Where you expecting anything less of me?"

"It's just that nobody else has ever done this for me before." The implications of what he's said sent a sharp pain through my chest. For all my life, I've been surrounded by family, friends, lovers. There was always someone there for me in time of need. What would I have become in lack of it, with nobody to stand up for me, left to face every hardship alone?

I threw my arms around him, holding him as tight as I could.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Before we left, there was a visit I wanted to make. Aleksander has shown me the way to her mother's residence, offering to come with me, but I preferred to do this alone. By the time I got there, I've only found a ragged little hut. Sure there must be a mistake, I thought, while knocking. "Go away," someone yelled from the inside. I entered. There was only a small fire lighting the room, it was hard to see more than the outlines of the woman huddled in an armchair.

"The witch of Atlantis. I've heard of your beautiful speech. Are you here to pity me?" Baghra obviously didn't think much of greetings, introductions and other such useless formalities.

"You're in no need of anyone's pity," I offered. I wasn't flattering her: even without her sight and the weight of her years taking a toll on her body, the woman's demeanour was still majestic. It was a waste that she never ruled a country, or at least commanded an army – she would have been the right fit for either.

"They say my son has taken a liking to you," she said, while getting up from her armchair. I let her reach out for me, touching my hair, mapping my face with her fingers, humming indecipherable words in the process. "Open your mouth," she commanded.

"What?"

"Just gonna check your teeth, girl."

"The hell you won't," I've objected, gently, but firmly removing her fingers. "You seem to mistake me for a horse. But it's forgivable, given your old age." I couldn't help smirking, even though she couldn't see it.

"Hmph. Looks like you're not an entirely lost case."

We've stood there in silence for a few moments.

"That theory of yours, about how I am some magical creature. It's of course complete horseshit, but I'll take it, if it helps to finally get rid of the Fold."

"It's not horseshit, and you know it. I'm quite sure you've known everything I've told them for a while." I was of course bluffing, only trying to draw her out from behind her shield of denial. It didn't seem to work out.

"Just who do you think you are, waltzing in here and expecting all of Ravka to obey to your whims? Where is that Atlantis of yours? Just a name taken out of old fairy tales, might as well be a lie."

I took her hand, and reached deep, drawing her with me, the same way I did just a few days ago, only now with more certainty, as I already knew the way. I let the deep, ancient power reach toward her through me, probing her the same way it did with me. Only this time a slight tremble followed from deep down, one that I might as well have interpreted as a sign of surprise. Baghra teared her hand out of mine, severing the connection.

"You know what that was, Baghra. And you know it recognised you."

She grunted. "You really are strong enough to stand against him, aren't you. Good. Now get out of here. I had enough of you for one day."

I laughed as I stepped out from the hut into the sunlight. I was starting to like the old woman.