RAYA ~ SHADOW AND BONE

05 | change the future

Raya messed with the now broken button on her kefta, turning to the Darkling beside her as they waited in the great hall for Alina.

"You owe me a new kefta," she said to the shadow summoner beside her.

"I'll buy you a new one," he promised, raising their interlaced hands to lovingly kiss the back of hers. "Besides, it was completely worth it." Raya caught his smirk and reached out to hut his arm with her free hand. "What? You disagree?" He asked.

"Well, no..."

"So worth it," he reiterated, a wide smile on his face. It quickly turned serious when he caught sight of the sun summoner walking towards them, Genya by her side.

"Oh, my—" Raya started, and she would've broken out into a fit of giggles had the General not wrapped his arm around her shoulder, hand coming up to cup her mouth.

"Raya, be nice," he said softly, watching the girl tune down her giggling until she had it under control. "Good girl."

"Bite me," she lightheartedly stated, biting his finger before pulling his hand away from her mouth. When Alina walked up to them, Raya still had a mischievous smile on her face.

"I look ridiculous," Alina groaned from underneath her golden-stitched veil.

General kirigan nudged Raya's side, forcing the girl to cough out the frog in her throat and offer Alina a wholesome smile. "You look fine. I just... wasn't expecting this. I thought you might be wearing a kefta."

Alina turned towards Genya, exclaiming. "That's what I said!"

"The king excepts to see a humble girl plucked from the ranks of his army," Genya explained. "He'll want to take the credit for you."

From beside Raya, the Darkling spoke. "Genya's right. You'll get a kefta once king Pyotr has witnessed your power."

"Right," Alina frowned, suddenly under pressure. "My power."

Raya reached her free hand out to squeeze Alina's. "You're going to do amazing. Now, come along." She dropped her hand, pulling the General along as the four made their way to the courtyard, towards the Grand palace.

"Oh, saints," Alina gasped, taking in the view and the grandeur of the building.

"I think the Grand palace is the ugliest building I've ever seen," General kirigan stated bluntly, making Raya chuckle.

"I think the people inside make it uglier," she mumbled before turning to Alina. "How do you feel? Are you ready?"

One look at the girl's queasy face and Raya could tell what the answer was. "You're asking me to do something I didn't even know I could do three days ago."

The General's hand slipped from Raya's as he stepped in front of Alina. "Do you believe I brought you here to make a fool of you? To make a fool of the both of us?" Raya cleared her throat. "Of all of us?"

"You'll be fine, Alina," Raya promised the girl, catching her attention away from the Darkling. "Once the king sees what you can do, he'll give you his blessing and you can start training. "It's fun... when you're not getting your ass kicked."

General kirigan smirked then, retaking his place beside Raya as the four walked to the Grand Palace, a group of guards and the rest of the little palace Grisha following behind them.

They walked into the Grand Hall, seeing rows of Grisha lined on either side of them and king Pyotr and Queen Tatiana sat in their thrones front and center. Raya stepped back from the General and Alina and stood beside Genya; she hated when she received any amount of attention from the king. He was a foul and crude man who had no limits on his power. She preferred staying under his radar.

She watched on as Alina removed her veil and locked eyes with the king, who snorted. "I thought she'd be taller."

"I thought she'd be Shu." The Queen inputted before adding, "well, I suppose she's Shu enough."

The Darkling turned back to catch Raya's eyes. If anything anyone said today would get to her, make her act out, this would be it. She herself was Suli and hearing anyone speak of others based on their skin tones or facial features never sat right with her; she always did something about it. This time, she tried to control her uneven breathing, her fingers curling into fists, nails digging into her skin to keep from saying something she might later regret.

She subtly nodded once at the Darkling, letting him know she had it under control, and watched him turn back to the rulers.

"This is Alina starkov, the Sun Summoner, moya tsaritsa. She will change the future. Starting now." General Kirigan rose his hand and soon the entire hall was encompassed on the darkness.

He stepped in front of Alina, grasping her wrist. Just as it had in the tent at Kribirsk, light flooded the room instantaneously, nearly blinding everyone. Alina cast a dome of it around herself and the Darkling, and that light bounced off every reflective surface to light up the entire room.

When he let go of his grasp on her, the light disappeared, as did the shadows and left nothing to see but the king, now stood and clapping for Alina. "How long will she need?" He asked.

"Destroying the fold is no easy feat. She alone may not be able to do it. She will remain with me at the little palace... undisturbed."

Raya could tell the General's last word got on the king's nerves. "Then train her quickly," he commanded.

The Darkling nodded once, bowing to the royalty before him. "Moi tsar," before both he and the king turned away from one another.

"You did so well!" Raya squealed once the pair had reached her and they started walking back to the little palace. The General took her hand in his once more as they walked away, letting the swarm of Grisha surround Alina. After seeing her power, everyone that occupied the little palace now wanted to introduce themselves to the Sun Summoner.

Once back to the little palace, General kirigan led Raya to the training grounds for her lesson with Botkin. She groaned the entire way there. "But I don't want to," she whined, trying to pull him to the other side, towards the West wing. "Why can't we just go spent some time in the library? Or strategise for battle? Or... we can preoccupy ourselves with the large, empty bed in your suite."

He smiled, shaking his head at her as he led her the exact opposite direction she hoped he would. "Tempting," he hummed, "but you need practice, especially if there is another ambush like we had with the Drüskelle."

"I had that covered," Raya defended.

"Of course you did," the Darkling chuckled, pressing another kiss to her hand as the stood by the training grounds. He had already turned he back to her, walking inside, when he stated, "Go train."

And, for the next few hours, Raya could only grumble at the fact that she was out here getting her ass kicked by Botkin whilst Aleksander was probably in his study, peacefully reading as Callus kept him company. Lucky bastard, she thought.