RAYA ~ SHADOW AND BONE

06 | morozova's stag

When Raya sat down at the dinner table that night, her muscles were aching and sore. She had a particularly brutal training session today.

"Alright there, Raya?" Marie asked her friend when she sat down beside her. Raya nodded her way, smiling.

"Is that from training today? Or is it General just doing his job that well?" Genya whispered in Raya's ear, earning a chuckle from the girl.

She ignored the blush adorning her cheeks and turned to Alina, trying to change the subject. "I heard you trained with Baghra today," she started. "How was it?"

"It was... a promising start," Alina tried.

"Tormented you that bad, huh?" Raya's snorted.

"She absolutely whaled on me," Alina revealed, frown set on her face.

Raya shrugged. "Happens to the best of us."

"You will needed help tapping into your powers too?" Each girl nodded.

"She fed me psychedelics and gave me waking nightmares for days until I learned to control the people in them," Raya revealed, hoping it would make Alina feels less alone in her experience.

After dinner, Alina and Raya made their way into the former's suite, continuing their conversation from dinner.

"What do you think is stopping you from tapping into your powers?" Raya curiously asked.

Alina shrugged, taking a seat at the edge of her bed. "I don't know... lack of sleep, maybe?"

"Yeah, I remember that. Adjusting to the little palace isn't easy. I laid awake in bed night after night for a month before sleep even found me."

Alina shook her head. "No, it's not that. I've been sleeping but... I have nightmares. Or, dreams that jolt me awake suddenly... I've been dreaming of a stag."

Now, that caught Raya's attention. "Really?"

Alina nodded. "A great white stag, twice the size of any I've seen. And it's antlers—"

"Connect at the top... like a collar?"

Alina's eyes widened, nodding her head. "How did you know?!"

"Morozova's stag," Raya explained. "You're dreaming of Morozova's stag." When Alina gave her an oblivious look, Raya went on. "It's a children's story about an ancient, magical white stag who could talk and grant wishes to its captor." She caught the Sun Summoner's brows furrowing in worry. "From the pages of Istorii sankt'ya."

"That book with stories about Ravka's thirteen saints?" Raya nodded. "The apparat trapped me in the library yesterday... and he gave me that book." She rushed off the bed and towards her desk, rummaging through the drawers until she pulled out the little red book lined with gold detailing. She sat back down on the bed beside her friend, flipping through the pages until she found a sketch of the stag. "This is the same one from my dream," Alina breathed out, quickly taking her journal out to show Raya the drawing she'd done of the stag from her dreams.

Raya frowned, reaching out to grab Alina's hand as she mumbled, "Don't pay any mind to what the apparat does or says. He likes to think he has power when he's just the king's pawn." Seeing her friend stress out over the contents of the book, Raya softly grabbed it from Alina's hands, already seeing the Sun Summoner relaxing when she pulled it away from her. "Besides, these are just children's stories. They don't mean anything."

Alina nodded her head, agreeing with Raya. "I suppose you're right."

"Try taking a warm bath before bed. It always calms my nerves and helps me sleep better," Raya suggested.

Alina smiled softly. "You know, until i got to the little Palace, I didn't even think I could take daily baths, let alone with warm water and rose petals on it."

Raya smiled wide then, standing up from Alina's bed. "It never gets old," she winked at the girl before her. "Always take advantage of it, Alina."

"I absolutely will," the Sun Summoner grinned back at her.

Raya left Alina's room shortly, after, clutching the istorii sankt'ya in her hand and quickly making her way into the Darkling's quarters.

From his place at his desk, he smiled upon seeing her enter. She didn't match his lighthearted attitude.

"She's dreaming of Morozova's stag," Raya stated bluntly.

The General's eyes widened then. "What?"

"Morozova's stag." She waved the children's book in front of him. "She's drew it in her journal. It's the same sketch. How can she dream of something she didn't even know existed?"

The General thought for a moment before waving it off. "Many children dream of creatures from the stories in that book. It doesn't mean anything."

"But... she can't sleep."

"She's been here not even a week, dorogaya," he rationalised. "Do you remember how long it took you to settle in?" Raya did. "Months."

She rolled her eyes, playfully shoving him away when he made his way over to her. "I know. You don't have to remind me."

"Maybe you could give Alina some advice on how to adjust?"

"Well, I can't exactly tell her, 'Oh, you know what worked for me?" Sleeping with General kirigan."

He rolled his eyes, a smile present on his lips as his hands found their way to her waist. "I mean..."

"Not funny," she mumbled, pushing him away again. "I told her to take a hot bath. Saints, I should take my own advice," she noted when she felt her exhaustion catch up to her.

"You're only here for my bathtub," the General accused.

"Not true!" Raya protested, making her way into his bedroom with him only steps behind. "I'm here for moi sobachka," she cooed, finding Callus sitting on the bed and pulling him towards her so she could cuddle the canine.

"Why don't we go take a hot bath together before getting into bed. And you may squeeze Callus as much as you like then," the Darkling offered, tempting Raya until she was the one putting the pup back down and taking the General's hand to lead him to the bath.

"I think I can get behind that plan, General," she purred, pressing soft kisses down his neck. She slipped his kefta off his shoulders, hearing it fall to the ground with a small thud, before her own followed suit.