Shadow and Light: A Darklina Romance

Chapter 19

A/N: This is the LAST chapter! I was going to divide this in two parts, but decided to leave it together! I know these last couple chapters are a little rushed, but I'm just in a busy season and don't have the time to draw them out. This was originally going to be a much shorter story. I didn't expect to spend so much time on this project so I had to rush a bit at the end. I hope you all still enjoy it! :)

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Aleksander smiled, feeling genuinely happy for the first time in ages. He had always said happiness was an overrated emotion, but at the moment it was a pleasant feeling. Alina, his beloved Sun Summoner, would be his queen. They could protect the grisha together and he wouldn't be alone. He hated admitting to himself that the loneliness ate away at his humanity, at times it seemed almost as much as the Merzost did.

He wasn't a naive fool. He knew he would fight with Alina frequently. He didn't plan on letting her have as much say in ruling as she would like, but he would indulge her when he could. If anyone could convince him to show mercy at times, it would be Alina. She was his balance. And finally tonight she would be fully his.

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Alina walked down the long hallway in the Little Palace going to her fitting with Genya. Walking by herself felt strange as she was used to having guards in the Little Palace, and soon she would be queen of Ravka and married to Aleksander. She still felt in shock over how quickly things had progressed.

The Apparat was forcing them to act quickly, but she wasn't regretting having to marry Aleksander. It did make her stomach flutter to think of being with him, in his chambers tonight, but she was mostly looking forward to it. She blushed as she thought of finally being alone with him without interruptions.

Being queen was another matter. She didn't feel prepared for such a position, and although the Darkling had agreed to her ruling with him, she did not doubt he would take advantage of her ignorance and make decisions behind her back. It would take time to get him to fully listen, but she was willing to fight for it, to fight for them. She knew her light could balance his darkness, and once the fold was down and the Merzost removed she could have hope for the future. Did Aleksander want children? She pictures a little toddler Darkling running around and grinned.

Suddenly Alina had the feeling that she was being watched. She tried to subtly look around the long deserted hallway, but she did not see anything out of place. Her senses heightened, she heard a faint noise to her left, and spun around just as a man stepped out from behind a pillar and grabbed her. She was prepared and used her momentum forward to duck under him and flip him over her back. She got lucky and his head collided with the pillar. Botkin would be proud.

Alina straightened her kefta and continued walking down the hall. She would not be an easy victim for the Apparat again. She was feeling more confident in her ability to be queen after the encounter and smiled broadly.

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Mal sat in his chair, glaring at the Apparat. He had been heading back to his unit as Alina had asked, when the Apparat found him again. Not wanting to be used again, he sat in stony silence. The Apparat just stared at him smugly for a few minutes; which was quite unnerving.

"Tracker, the Darkling is taking Alina as his wife and queen. How do you feel about that? How do you feel about her sharing his bed and being his pet?" the Apparat asked.

Mal stood up, walked over to the Apparat and tried to hit him. One of the Apparat's men stepped in and grabbed his wrist before he could, twisting it painfully.