For Grisha, for Ravka (a Darkling prequel)

Chapter 17 - The End

For a moment Alyssa believed she just woke up from a long, ugly nightmare.
Embraced by arms that were her home.
But just movement recalled she was lying on rocks, her room was just a cave, and outside sunlight started to filter through the trees, not through windows.
Birds were singing lively and happily like her heart was.
Aleksander pulled himself up on his elbow "Good morning. Althought it's not worthy for a lady like you".
She beamed at him "It's been so long that I didn't feel so alive".
He mirrored her smile "Same for me, Alyssa. Same for me".
He jumped up catching his clothes, then offered her a hand to stand up "Ready to meet our new home?".
"With you, I'm ready for anything" she said heartfelt.

After packing, they refused their journey.
Alyssa felt free to enjoy how good it was riding a horse embraced by her man.
"I don't regret what we had. But a bath would have helped. Isn't it creepy?" he talked to her ear and scowled at the dry blood that was still covering them.
She couldn't disagree, but she didn't care about the blood anymore.
"Who cares? In the dark all I felt was you".
He kissed her forehead "We'll get a warm bath. Then we'll make it better".
She laughed, but it was alright.
Few things she could still ask from her life, anything else didn't matter.
After some hours, she saw something shining on the horizon and her heart heated faster.
She turned to him "Are we reaching the shore and take a ship to another country?".
"I'm not planning on leaving Ravka" he announced "We should get a house from which you can see the sea. If that's what you like".
She smiled "Yes. I'd like that".

They crossed some farms, until Aleksander stopped by the edge of a wood.
"Finally an inviting pond" he said with relief, pulling her towards clean water.
She tilted her head "Does your power work also into water?".
"Do you mean the Cut?" his face darkened "Yes, it does. But now the only thing I want to cut is your dress".
She grinned back and followed him, until a dark figure cut their way.
They halted in front of the hooded figure, that uncovered her head, revealing a mature woman with a stern face.
Baghra.
"Was your reunion that violent?" she asked peering with disapproval at their look.
Alyssa stared at her bewildered.
Aleksander scoffed and walked past his mother to reach the pond "We were ambushed by some brigands".
"This girl blinds you too much, son. You've never been an easy prey for criminals".
He shrugged and removed his clothes, not bothered to be seen naked also by his mother, then he walked into the water to wash himself.
"Alyssa, you should join me".
Alyssa was petrified, offended by the old woman, shocked by how he undressed so easily in the open air.
"Go on" Baghra challenged her "Careful not to drown".
"Leave her alone" her son barked, then used a softer tone for Alyssa "I don't want you to smell of those brutes anymore".
"Wash away also that stink of Fjerda" Baghra added.
Alyssa stammered away from her, reaching Aleksander's welcoming arms, although she didn't dare to undress herself.
Aleksander helped her to brush away the blood, ignoring his mother's unforgiving stare.
"So is the house decent?" he asked her.
Baghra narrowed her eyes "Get out and see it yourself".
Alyssa was speechless, but glanced between the two of them, dreading the idea of moving to live with her.
Aleksander took his time into the water to piss off his mother, then marched out of the water keeping Alyssa next to him and handed the reins of the horse to his mother, who glared at him, but accepted to lead the horse until they reached the house.

Alyssa stared shyly at the cottage that was waiting to them.
They didn't have neighbors, but she saw a village nearby.
She couldn't imagine Aleksander run a farm, yet an old image of him returned to her mind. When she had no idea of who he truly was and imagined he was just a peasant boy, chopping his own food for the fireplace and in the cold winter sitting by the fire.
"What do you think?" Aleksander asked, staring at her face.
She took her eyes from their new house and looked at him.
"It's lovely".
"Then welcome home" he bowed, then took her hand and ran with her inside the cottage.
"What about you? Do you like it?" she asked, gaping at the polished rooms they visited.
"It's far better than the awful palace I've lived in recently" he chuckled.
Baghra snorted, wasting a little the merriness.
"Do you really need a servant to live with you?".
Aleksander turned to her with a harsh glare "She's not a servant. She's my wife".
He raised his hand, showing his ring, again resting on his finger.
Alyssa felt proud on him and hugged him, staring at the older woman, who just scoffed at them.
"Why don't you make us supper?" Aleksander teased, but got a vulgar gesture from his mother.