𝑫𝑹𝑰𝑭𝑻 [currently being edited]

chapter 13 - beautiful

Aleksander had centuries to plan, centuries to build up a wall of shadows around his heart and centuries to perfect a mask. He was a man, but no mere otkazat'sya, a man with an agenda.

And more centuries his plan worked seemly, fooling Kings and making a mockery of the rulers of the land he loved so much.

What he did not plan was for someone to match the wall of shadows around his heart, unconsciously or not, Aruna had done that.

Maybe it was because she needed the dark as much as he needed her, maybe it was because she had such a kind heart, maybe it was seeing her as the sun retired for the day and casting it's faithful goodbye on Aruna's skin.

So while he had not planned falling for Aruna, tearing away his mask for her, as he had seen so many other 'fools in love' do before him. Because that was what he was, a fool in love.

However, as much as he loved the dark he still needed the sun as much as he needed air to breathe. He just didn't know where the sun was meant to fit in his plans now that he loved the moon too much for the sun to out shine it.

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Aruna remembered what it was like to be new, most grisha were discovered by the age of ten, it was rare to be found any later. However Aruna came at thirteen.

A sickly, thin, starved, beaten and bruised thirteen year old who had left her small village for the first time and was then forced to survive on the streets until someone sold her to the Little Palace.

Aruna adored her friends but not everyone makes a great first impression. Once it was discovered that Aruna was not just a tidemaker her and Genya bonded over there lack of colour on their keftas, Arunas being black and Genya's being white.

Only later did Feydor talk to Aruna one afternoon after their lessons, then introducing her to his crush, Ivan.

So while now she had the best friends in the world, life was not always like that and Aruna wanted to make sure Alina did not suffer the same fate.

So as she woke up in an empty bed with a note on the pillow stating Aleksanders apologies for not being there when she woke up, ignoring the conflicting emotions of being replaced or treasured, Aruna made her way to where Alina was staying.

On her way there Aruna saw Genya and her group of the Queen's servants. Aruna's face broke out in her first genuine smile for the last couple of days at the sight of Genya.

Genya's reaction to seeing the moon summoner and her ethereal smile made her slightly jealous of the General, like any grisha or person residing in the Little Palace. "So I assume you are here to greet the sun summoner with me"

Looping Genya's arm with hers, Aruna stated "Of course as much as I love your company, your beauty is honestly overwhelming to us commoners". The girl's laughter broke the tense silence throughout the vase hallways.

"Oh how I missed your lovely compliments"

"Well you deserve every last one, you really are the beautiful person I have ever seen. And yes I am here to greet Alina, I thought I would offer so company to her to make her feel more welcomed"

Genya didn't need to know about how awful Aruna's first months were at the Little Palace. There was never any silence in her room at night, instead her mothers words would echo across the fine materials and the smell of salt permanently ingrained, the smell never leaving her hands, no matter how much she scrubbed her hands raw the feeling of those tight tunnels and the feeling of the crushed salt on her body never left.

Sometimes she still felt the salt on her body, weighing her down.

And she did not want Alina to be weighed down by any salt.

Aruna and Genya arrived, followed by the Queen's servants at Alina's quarters. The sun summoner was part Shu, that much obvious, as obvious as Aruna's half Suli heritage.

The poor girl looked as if she had been through hell, and survived. After the bath and Aruna's kind words and Genya's not so gentle rushing around they were content in conversation, Aruna loved Alina's curiosity.

She understood, she hadn't known grisha were even a thing till she was dropped off at the Little Palace, nor how to read or write. Some kids grew up with pens and paper in their hands and Aruna grew up with piles of salt on her back and salt in her hands.

So after her teachers put in so much effort into helping this curious and strong willed girl to educate her, she loved educating back. If she was not a grisha she would be a teacher.

She had told Aleksander that, he replied by offering a job to teach the younger grisha, maybe it was time to accept.

Aruna tried to have as little hate in heart as she could, but no one was perfect and Aruna hated three people in her life, her mother, the King and the Queen of Ravka. After knowing Genya, how could she not and Alina was about to walk into the lion's den.