Call me : Darkness

The alliance

Aurora wasn't allowed to Little palace, at least not until she met the king and queen.

The Darkling was furious about the whole ordeal, swearing in languages Alina didn't even know he knew, all the while doing his very best at pretending that he didn't care about the girl.
He wasn't doing a very good job at it, considering Aurora was basically crushed in his hold.
Any effort Alina did to get Aurora off him went completely in vain.

"She needs to eat, Aleksander," Alina scowled. Aleksander gave her a very betrayed look and Alina almost scoffed, almost.

As if to prove her mother's point, Aurora babbled on, "Ungry-ungry. Mommay, ungry."

Begrudgingly, Aleksander gave the little toddler over to her mother, all the while glaring at every other grisha present as if challenging them to laugh.

"Oh, stop it," Alina chastised, "You've lost your big bad general image a while ago."

"Ya-ya-ya."

"Why are you taking her side!?" Aleksander shrieked, resisting the urge to do his little baby language.

"Mommay!" Aurora tucked her head underneath Alina's chin and gave the darkling the smuggest look a child can perform.

Aleksander opened his mouth in order to address the said smug look, but a bright chirpy voice beat him to it.

"Alina! Oh, my god, it's you!"

A mop of red hair pushed pass every collected grisha and rushed towards Alina.

"Genya," Alina whispered and automatically walked towards the tailor with shaking feet.
Genya pulled her into a crushing hug, somehow completely ignoring the toddler in between the two women.

"Oh Alina, I've missed you," Genya confessed in a hushed whisper and Alina gave a soft 'I know'.

Aurora chose that blessed moment to cry out in outrage.

"Uh crusin me!" She wailed and everybody pretended to ignore The Darkling taking a step towards her direction before stopping himself.

Genya moved back in surprise, almost as if she literally hadn't noticed the large toddler.

"And who do we have here!?" Genya cooed and pulled a strand of Aurora's hair behind her ear.

"Rora," Aurora replied giddily.

"Wait hang on..." Genya took a closer look towards Aurora, mainly her eyes. Then her eyes widened and she stepped back, bowing, "Moi soverennyi."

Alina wrinkled her nose and gave Genya a light shove, "Maybe don't do that."

Aurora screeched some words in over excitement before wiggling away from Alina's hold and running towards the darkling. She pointed at his face and stared back at Genya with large doe eyes as if urging her to understand.

The red head blinked, once, twice, before turning towards Alina, "I haven't had any encounters with children...?"
Aurora started babbling again, and aggressively poked a finger in the darkling's kefta.

"What the fuck," The darkling whispered softly but with feelings.

The toddler gasped extremely loud and stared up at the darkling with a mocked feared look. "Don sa tha'. Issa bad word," She clarified.
"Why're you teaching her that?" Alina folded her arms over her chest, raising a brow.

Aurora somehow copied the exact same  posture except made it look extremely cold and casual at the same time.
The darkling silently vowed to never fold his arms in that way again.

Genya thinned her lips and gave the darkling a curt bow with flourish.

Aurora tilted her head to the side, staring at the tailor with the wide eyes of a curious child.
Then she stepped before the darkling and bowed as well.

Aleksander almost clutched her to his chest again, he almost ran out to his quarters, he almost tore away his kefta of fame.
Perhaps for a small moment he had forgotten, forgotten that he was still the cold blooded killer the world had made him.

And before he could say anything, do anything, the kingdom gateway opened and an Otkazat'sya existed, motioning for the girl to enter.

_________________

"I still don't understand," The queen lamented, "if Alina was expecting a child why did she leave?"

Alina clenched her fists and tried to keep a straight face as she answered, "I was confused, Moi Tsaritsa."
There were no better words for it.

"How do we know if the child is really yours?" The priest next to the king questioned, his yellow teeth glinting.

"She's still young," The darkling spoke this time, "but she had summoned on our way here. I'm sure she will be able to -"

"Aren't you an amplifier?"

Aleksander thinned his lips, glaring down at the ground in rage before blowing out an irritated breath, turning back to the priest, "It's harmful for children."
It wasn't his best excuse but maybe everyone would buy it.

It was obvious how no one bought his act. Each one of them was staring at him with something akin to doubt in their eyes.
But they let it pass - until Aurora stepped towards the king and stopped a few paces before.

And perhaps the child understood exactly what the problem was because her eyes glowed in an ominous black before she started glowing.

Each time the darkling witnessed her like this he found it hard to believe.
The only good thing he might ever have done was before him and he couldn't lose her.

"Sankta," A chorus rang out and some grishas fell to their knees, whispering prayers.

"Amazing," The king murmured, staring at Aurora in awe.

After the initial shock subsided, the king raised one hand, something glinting in his eyes.

"She will stay, but on one condition."

The darkling clenched his fists behind his back, the shadows already darkening in the room.

"She will be the key to the alliance between the first and second army."

Silence followed.