Baddie Alina and slightly better Darkling?
What if Alina and stayed the night of the winter fete instead of running away? What if she had chosen the Darkling over Mal? What if the Malina ship sank fast and the Darklina ship sailed?
All these charact...
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Just like Alina had said, the two guards came in, gave me two minutes to get myself together, and then promptly escorted me through the palace. Every hallway seemed more extravagant than the last. We walked past tapestries that were ornately inlaid with gold, vases filled with exotic foreign flowers, and tables covered in the finest fruits and other assorted foods. Multiple times, I tried to map out the palace in my head, but each time I failed. I had no idea how anyone could find their way around this place.
After many, many twists and turns, we finally arrived at the end of a hall. We stood before giant golden double doors, carved with symbols and pictures I didn't understand. The two guards took their places on either side of the doors and motioned for me to go in.
Numbly, I pushed open the door on the right, walked in, and shut the door behind me. Turning around to glance around the room, I stopped in shock, choking on the next breath I took. If I didn't already have enough proof that Alina and General Kirigan were a lot more than friends, I did now.
General Kirigan had Alina up against a wall and they were making out like the world was ending. She had one leg hooked around him and his hands were all over her.
Clearing my throat loudly, I looked away. Hearing them separate and make their way toward me, I turned back around. "I was escorted here like you said." Sarcastically, I added, "So sorry to have interrupted. I had no intention of being an intrusion."
Alina gave me a look like daggers. "Sorry to have made you jealous, boo." Something about the way she said 'boo' made me feel small and intrusive, like a fly that keeps flying into a window.
She would have continued, but the General stepped in between us. "Li, why don't you go wait in your room? You can work on summoning or something. I'll be right there, okay?" She nodded and quickly left, not giving me another glance as she gracefully stepped out the door, keeping her head high the entire time.
Both the General and I watched Alina as she walked out, and when we saw each other watching her, we glared at each other. Well, I was glaring at him, and he was looking at me as if I was a puzzle and he couldn't find the last piece.
Finally, he spoke. "Tell me something. How can you have lived alongside Alina for so long and yet still not realize how incredible she is? You still can't accept her for who she is. Why is that?"
I shrugged nonchalantly. "I know exactly how incredible she is. And I love her more than anything. The difference between us is that you love her for her power. For her fame, for her looks. I don't think you know who she is, though. You might know the Sun Summoner, but I know Alina, which is something that you'll never understand. I know how she struggled with being an orphan. I was there for her when people bullied her. I was there when she would cry herself to sleep because she felt overwhelmed. You might have fooled her for now, but Alina and I share something more than what you have. We have memories. Alina won't fall for this act for much longer, shadow man."
To my surprise, he chuckled. "First of all, I do know Alina. In a way that I know for a fact that you don't." I could feel my face turn bright red with anger as I heard the implication of his words. Smirking, he continued. "In your mind, you are still separating Alina from the Sun Summoner. She is both. She is the Sun Summoner, Sankta Alina, the Sun Saint, and hopefully very soon, Sol Koroleva." My face twisted in confusion when he said that soon Alina would be the Sun Queen. As far as I knew, the King and Queen of Ravka were in good health, and even if they weren't, they had two heirs. They would all have to abdicate or die before someone out of their bloodline would obtain the throne. Plus, even if they did die, the Darkling was next in line, not Alina.
"She is all of those. She has titles, fame, beauty, everything. But I also know Alina, not just who she is as the Sun Summoner. Alina is brave. She stood up to two Fjerdan assassins, one of whom had a knife at her throat. She is strong. She has been able to withstand all the pressure put on her by the public. The responsibilities of the Sun Summoner are many. She has put up with Baghra, who is not someone most people can tolerate for very long. Alina is kind. I have seen her go to the school here and mingle with the younger Grisha. She has made sure the First Army has been getting more supplies than they usually do. She is gentle. She has treated all the servants here with compassion and grace. She has looked after children. Alina is loving. She loves me, even though I have not given her any reason to. Probably because there aren't many. She treats everyone with love. She is never mean, or short-tempered. I've seen her at her worst, dressed in rags with blood and dirt covering her face, and I thought she was gorgeous. She is protective of those she loves and compassionate to those in need, the exact opposite of me in every aspect. She hasn't fallen for an act at all. She knows I love her. She also knows that she only has one equal. There will never be another like us. Never. So, pretend that she does go crawling back to you with her tail between her legs. I highly doubt that this will ever happen, because she knows who she is and that woman never, ever crawls. She can never forget that. Even if she did, we will live much longer than any mere soldier. Say she ends up marrying you. You will grow old. Your hair will gray... and she will remain ageless. Like me. I'm not going to kill you, Mal. I don't need to. Time will do it for me. Will she still love you? Even though she will go on with timeless beauty? Even though she will be young and you will be old? After you die, she will come back to me with her head raised high. To her one, true equal. Because for her, there will never be another."
I didn't say anything to that. I couldn't. He had just destroyed my entire career.
"I'm curious - did it ever occur to you that she has always been better than you? Or have you always just assumed that she is weak and helpless, unable to protect herself?"
"Maybe that's because she is. She was never able to defend herself in a fight. I always had to jump in and intervene so she didn't get herself killed." I was grateful to have something to say and would have continued, but General Kirigan raised a hand to stop me.
"Do you think that, of the two of you, you are the better fighter?"
Taken aback, I nodded.
"If the two of you, say, got into a fight, would you win?"
I nodded again.
"By a lot?"
"Yes! I told you, she can't fight. At all." I didn't know where he was going with this, but I wasn't sure that I liked it.
"Perfect. Alina will thank me for this. Now, mark the map and we'll go."
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