ARSONIST'S LULLABY ¹ | shadow & bone [ON HOLD]

ELEVEN

( 𝗔𝗥𝗦𝗢𝗡𝗜𝗦𝗧'𝗦
𝗟𝗨𝗟𝗟𝗔𝗕𝗬 )

KATERINA HAD PARTED WITH Alina and Genya after the Tailor had deemed the Sun Summoner eligible enough, with hair bound in intricate waves and face painted in beautiful shades of gold and cream. The duo had headed to Alina's dressing room and she left to look around the halls, double checking on the preparations.

She ran in Fedyor a mere quarter of an hour into it, the man frantically walking around. As far as she remembered, Fedyor had been charged with what Aleksander called 'crowd control', in case anyone of the guests got too lost in their wiles. He had also been asked to look out for any troubles the staff or even the troupers got into.

The Heartrender had spotted her as soon as she entered the main halls, and rushed towards her like she held the last  dessert in the entire event inside her hands and wasn't planning to share. And she was indeed holding onto a blueberry tart between her fingers.

"Have you seen Genya and Miss Starkov?" Fedyor grabbed her by her shoulders, shaking her with every word.

"Saints, calm down. They were headed to dress Alina," Katerina tried to get Fedyor's bear grip to loosen, taking another bite from the delicacy gripped between her index and thumb.

"No, they didn't make it there,"

"What do you mean they didn't make it there, where are the guards?" Katerina grabbed his arm and pulled him along the hallway towards the dressing room Alina was assigned.

"I ran into her guards, lounging around, she was nowhere to be seen, and neither was Genya!"

"They're probably exploring around. The girl probably felt too suffocated by the constant crowd of guards around her," Katerina sighed, stopping in front of the doors that led to the field— the official title given by the palace was yard, but she digressed, — the troupes had been given to settle on.

I know I would, she thought with indignation.

"Go on, then." Fedyor was walking out before she had managed pushed him towards the outdoors.

She pursed her now faintly stained lips when her eyes found meticulously lined stalls of exotic foods and finds. Or so the King called them. Anything he hadn't ever tried was exotic to him. She rolled her eyes.

A stage had been set up in the middle of the yard, with an actors troupe reenacting what could have been how Alina had saved them all in the Fold but Katerina couldn't tell. And it was certainly hilarious that the actress playing Alina looked more Fjerdan than Ravkan, let alone Shu.

A body bumped into her from behind and before she could crash into the mud riddled ground in front of her, a pair of thin arms caught her and pulled her back.