Alina's POV
"Or swear to never leave with him again." he said, a darkness settling and burning behind that silver gaze.
My heart pounded in my throat, with every beat threatening to come out of my mouth. I knew my answer, I knew it before he had even said it. But I still felt guilty, still felt like somehow I could do better.
"... fine", I whispered, my voice not reaching past Alexander to anyone but him. "I'll stay with you in the little palace, I won't run, I won't hide. But" I stopped, squaring my shoulder and locking my eyes to his.
"Mal is not to be touched, not to be sought out. If he breaks into the little palace you send him back, unharmed, to wherever he came from. Understood." I let my voice ring clear through the empty meadow.
The darkling stood there for a moment, not moving, his gaze never once wavering. Before he nodded, butterfly's danced in my stomach as he once again met my stare. He slowly moved forward, his steps calculated and precise like a cat approaching a mouse.
Slowly, as if scared to spook me, he slipped his hand behind my back his other hand steadying my shoulder, he led me toward his horse he had rode in on. I let my head hang low, I blocked out the noise, the world. Mals voice continued to attempt to break my trance like walk, screaming and shouting for me to fight him. That I can't do this again, that I couldn't just go with him again.
But that was the thing. I could. I had every right to go back to the little palace, I had every right to choose whether I fought back or not. And so far, Mal's fighting has only caused worse pain for everyone around us. Maybe the orphanage would still have children running rapidly through the halls instead of ghosts chasing cats in a graveyard.
"Please! Alina! You can't! You can't choose him over me!!!" Mal's voice rang over everyone, the birds fell silent, the sparrows stooped there chanting and the wild life froze as the booming voice bounced from canon to cranny.
Alina turned, the warm yet cool pressure of Alexanders hand still pressed to her lower back did not leave but she could feel a quick twitch of his fingers. She looked at Mal, all of him, from his close shaved hair to his dark sun kissed skin, the clothes he wore were wrinkled and clung to him with dampness from the lake.
"yes. yes, Mal. I could," she paused watching his face crumble then reform with anger, his lips opened to reprimand her but she spoke first, "but I'm not. I'm not choosing you, I'm not choosing him, or Genya, or Ravka or my sun soldiers. " inhaling sharply she said the thing that had been playing in her head for months.
The thing she had longed to do but had felt too selfish to every say, she had feared that if she dared to utter it the world would turn it back to her and show her no kindness. Now, Alina no longer feared that, or no longer let that fear keep her from what she wanted.
"I'm choosing myself."
With that she turned her heel, mounting silently on the darklings horse. She let her head float away, let her mind play only in the peace that surrounded her. And for what felt like centuries, she embraced the sun on her skin. And she was happy.
~~~
They rode for hours, she had let her consciousness leave her a few times and sleep washed over her body. The darklings body was a comforting chill on her back. He had not said anything, no one spoke a word.
No one wanted to break the temporary peace that had settled over them in the quiet of the forest.
She let her head rest back on Alexander's shoulder, his shoulder rising slightly with every breath. After a bit longer they came to a clear running creak. All anonymously agreeing to rest here, the sun had begun to set.
It wasn't much of a clearing, would they ride for a few more hours after this? Alina pondered, still saying nothing. The group had begun to quietly chat among one another, the group being Genya, David, Ivan, Feydor, Alex's and herself.
Genya was speaking to Feydor and David about what they should prepare for dinner since they would most likely be stopping for the night before reaching the little palace.
Ivan and the Darkling, spoke in hush tones about safety protocol for when they returned to the palace. Talking of the younger grisha that had just been recruited from a nearby town. Alina rested her thighs from sitting , soaking her feet in the nearby freezing water.
They had packed up and were ready to set off again, Alina had noticed Genya lingering in the corner of her vision. She wanted to talk but her head hurt too much to start the conversation she was putting off.
Climbing on to the horse again, Alexander shifted in behind her. He had taken the responsibility to ride in the back, watching for anything that fell off the horse or anyone taking the wrong route. It was also the coldest place to be.
She shivered, moving centimeters by centimeters closer to him, her arms tight against her breasts and her hands tucked in between her thighs. She focused on the cold hair blowing into her face, but she could only distract herself so much from the different kind of throbbing in-between her legs.
And she knew the pooling warmth was not from actual heat. She shifted from left to right, she tried to keep a modest distance between them but with all the bumps the horse was making she kept sliding back into him.
This went on for a good hour before Alexander spoke, "alina" he spoke softly but there was a dark heat coming from his voice. She muttered a hmm, and what. Trying to ignore heat that was now seeping past her core and into her panties.
He held onto the rains with one hand, his other hand rested on her thigh now. She kept her hands tucked close to her thighs, blocking the wetness. God what if he felt it, what if he already knew? What was wrong with her?
Alina's face was heated with embarrassment and she turned her head away from his hand. The only reply his hand gave was snaking in-between her legs so his skin brushed her hand.
And he squeezed, she clenched her eyes shut and she bit the inside of her bottom lip. Squirming every so slightly, her hands moved every so slightly. That was when he pounced.
Authors Note
Hehe- cliff hanger, don't worry I'm prob gonna update early cuz I'm horny af. The next chapter is steamy but sadly not smut, like no member in pussy kinda thing. Srry srry. Love u all, stay hydrated <3
YOU ARE READING
If the Stars Would Meet for Us
Fanfiction"Don't let me be alone," he murmured. His head dripping heavy into the weight of my lap. For the first time Alina felt like she saw him. Not the darkling, or the black heretic. Not the roles he had forced him self to play, not the narrative that ha...
