Sea and Stars - a Nikolai Lantsov x OC fan fiction

BEFORE

SAILORS USED THE STARS to navigate. At least, that was what the privateer had garnered from his studies. He was still learning, after all.

He had, however, enough knowledge to know that the damage the storm caused to the ship was reparable. He just needed to make it to shore. That's what the stars were for.

He loved watching the stars twinkling in one at a time as the sky grew darker. Each little light gave the world hope. They helped to spread a message. That darkness could not persist--darkness could not win--as long as there was light.

"Captain." One of the female sailors in his crew came up to him. Natalya.

She was a new recruit. He didn't know how well he could trust her, so naturally she had no insight of his grand secret. Who the privateer really was and all.

"I've got word from the Capitol," she said. "They've found the Sun Summoner."

"Great. We'll set--"

"There's more."

"What is it?"

The privateer had decided that Natalya was pulling her weight well in these first few weeks, but now he only feared what she could possibly say. They found her...and what? She was dead? She was evil? She had a horn coming out of her forehead?

"The general has her."

Oh.

The general of the Second Army, otherwise known as the Darkling, had the king of Ravka entirely under his thumb, and thus he had Ravka under his thumb. He would stop at nothing to claim the power he so thinks he deserved.

But the captain had to admit that the Darkling had a way with words. And a particularly charming persona.

Or put more precisely, there were certain characteristics one must display if he wished to be a leader, and the shadow summoner seemed to master them all.

But that didn't mean the privateer had to trust him.

The king was no better than a puppet-ruler. He let the Darkling more or less take over, doing nothing but bending to the general's will. The king only cared about whatever pretense of power he held on his throne. He cared about his prestige, his wealth, and the position of power he held over his people.

The privateer had other values. Like the well-being and success of his country, for one.

"Leave it to me."

Feigning confidence was a strength he was glad to have built up. It proved helpful in many scenarios, particularly when he had to relieve his people of stress. He was a leader, and he took advantage of every opportunity to appear as one.

"But what if--"

"Relax, Natalya. I have a plan."

The privateer did not, in fact, have a plan.

But for the well-being of Ravka, of his home, he would make one. And if he could make ships fly, he could protect his country.

Of course, it wasn't like he'd been too successful in the former. His frequent attempts have almost landed him some casualties, but he was as determined as the fabrikator he worked with to finally figure it out. One of the best fabrikators he or anyone knew.

Perhaps solving that problem would be exactly what he needed to do to solve his other problem. Perhaps he would find a way to use his successful flying ships to rescue the sun summoner and therefore save Ravka from the power-hungry hands of its dark general.

If that was the case, he needed to get to work.

Now the privateer had a plan.

Or, the beginnings of a plan.

°         °         °

Hi!! <3

I hope you little Grishas enjoy the prologue of my story. We're jumping into my OC protagonist's POV next. Don't be shy-- share what you thought! I'd love to hear it, and I'm totally open to feedback.

If you feel like it, comment your grisha order. I'm a Materialki Durast, and I think that fits me quite well.

I'll try to update every week/ every two weeks. Fingers crossed.