"Go. Flee. Go west.
Wait for the King to die.
Then return with a new name.
A nobleman's name.
Bide your time until there's a problem only Grisha can solve.
Then the King must embrace us"
Aleksander had been in exile for too long, following his moth...
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The General's room felt too small with those people standing around the large bed in the middle of that long, cold night. Alyssa surveyed them as they nervously waited for the King. Although they looked sleepy, knowing that they were up to something big and dangerous made them wary. Lara wasn't able to take her eyes off of the old man laying comatose on the large bed. Ronan and the Bishop stood silently by the edge of the bed, while Alyssa stood between the Grisha healer and Kiril. Some noises in the hall warned of an upcoming visit. Alyssa held her breath, for a moment panicking, if someone else was coming instead of the King, if they were caught plotting, if Hector had somehow been warned of what was going on...
But the door opened and the King halted at the sight of the group of people waiting for him around General Rostov. Alyssa spotted the Princess behind him and nodded faintly with gratitude at her, before the King closed the door behind him and the guards outside locked it. "What's the meaning of this?" King Melech asked coldly. He had barely taken the time to put on a heavy coat, and ignored the ruffled greying hair, that made him look like any common man. Alyssa turned her eyes to Ronan, who stepped forward to explain. "This girl has your protection. But Hector sent the druskelle after her. Here, in the city". The King peered at the Grisha girl, who bowed so deeply that her trembling body risked to lose balance and make her fall against the man. "The Grisha healer, right?" The King asked after a moment of disorientation, glancing at Alyssa for confirmation. She nodded and reminded her name "Lara". "And she's keeping Rostov alive" The King added. "Yes" Ronan confirmed, then glanced at all the silent witnesses to get the approval before adding "She came back tonight to warn us and we decided to try to wake Rostov and hear if he might remember what truly happened to him". Alyssa didn't dare to check the King's reaction and kept her gaze low to the floor, but her hand moved shyly to find Kiril's and squeeze it. "I've been told that waking him up meant killing him" the King said sternly. "The girl can't stay. He's dying anyway" Ronan whispered with sorrow. The King sighed and his cold mask faltered, revealing the real pain behind it. Alyssa's heart ached at that view. Long before Melech was crowned King, he was a commander who fought many battles next to Rostov. Brothers in army.
"Let's do it, then" The King said, sharing the same torment of the other people standing around him, torn between the need to see the General waking from his long coma and the sadness, knowing that they were going to see Rostov die. Lara looked at Alyssa, who pressed a hand on her shoulder to encourage her. The healer kneeled next to the old man on the bed and took his wrinkled hand into hers, closing her eyes and resting her forehead on his skin. The others watched, holding their breaths. Alyssa prayed mentally. Her plan could end tragically there, with the General being dead before he could speak and help her. The Bishop was murmuring prayers as he watched pitifully for any sign of a miracle. Lara breathed heavily, like she was silently struggling with her powers, then suddenly Rostov winced. He had been still for long weeks, since he had been carried back from the last brutal battle. And suddenly he winced. And slowly he opened his eyes, meeting the teary stares of his friends around him.
