his flower queen (nikolai lantsov)

The Royal Family

They finally arrived to Os Alta after having met Vasily, Nikolai's brother on the way there. 

They crossed the wide canal and left the noise and tumult of the lower town behind them. The broad boulevard were spotless and serene, the stately homes carefully maintained. They passed a park where fashionably turned out men and women strolled the manicure paths or took the air in open carriages. Children played at babki, watched over by their nannies, and a boy in a straw hat rode by on a pony with ribbons in its braided mane, the reins held by a uniformed servant. 

They all turned to look as the two princes passed, lifting their hats, whispering behind their hands, bowing and curtsying. 

Are they really as calm and free of worry as they seem? 

It was hard to fathom that they could be so oblivious to the danger threatening Ravka or the turmoil on the other side of the bridge, but it was even harder for Kaida to believe they trusted their King to keep them safe. He was a lazy lump who couldn't do anything for himself before and now that he's been poisoned, how could he possibly protect them? Would he even want to? 

Eventually, they reached the golden gates of the Grand Palace. Kaida briefly scanned the entrance and was disgusted by how ugly it was. Rich people have no taste. 

Alina and Mal's nervousness started to rub onto Kaida. Their lives were at high stakes. There was no escape from the thick walls of the Grand Palace. 

Nikolai squared his shoulders. "Keep quiet and try to look penitent," he muttered Alina, Mal and Kaida. Then he bounded up the staircase to join his brother. The three of them tentatively followed, leaving the rest of the party behind at the double eagle fountain. 

Inside, the halls of the palace were silent as they passed from room to glittering room. Their footfalls echoed on the polished parquet, and Kaida's anxiety grew with every step. There was going to be a lot of important people in the room, and if any of them knew Him, then she was screwed. 

At the doors to the throne room, Kaida saw Nikolai take a deep breath, glimpsing at her for a brief second. His uniform was immaculate, his handsome face cut in the lines of a fairy tale prince. Kaida replayed the events of yesterday and shook her thoughts away from the prince. 

The doors were thrown open and the footman declared, "Tsesarevich Vasily Lanstov and Grand Duke Nikolai Lantsov." 

Nikolai had told Kaida that the three wouldn't be announced but that they should follow behind him and Vasily. With hesitating steps, the three complied, keeping a respectful distance from the princes. 

A long, pale blue carpet stretched the length of the room. At the end of it, a group of elegantly dressed courtiers and advisers milled around a raised dais. Above them all sat the King and Queen of Ravka, on matching golden thrones. 

Although Kaida wanted Nikolai to tell her he was his queen last night, she was grateful now that he didn't. The thought of it disgusted her. Why in the world would I want to be a queen? 

The Queen's deep furrows were beginning to form around her nose and mouth, her hair greying, and her irises were a dull blue. 

The King was very frail and weak. His narrow chest looked like it had caved in on itself, and his dropping mustache was shot through with grey. 

When they reached the base of the dais, Nikolai bowed deeply. "Moi tsar," he said. "Moya tsaritsa." 

For a long, anxious moment, the King and Queen gazed down at their son. Then some fragile thing seemed to snap in the Queen. She sprang from her throne and bounded down the steps in a flurry of silk and pearls.