Rani is going back to her room. It's morning, barely, and when she opened her eyes this morning Nikolai was gone. So She's going to take a hot bath and think about nothing before she has to go to any meetings and think about everything.
And see Nikolai.
Who left.
Not that she cares.
Saints, she's becoming a cliche. She doesn't care, because caring about the King of Ravka, wanting the King of Ravka for herself, would be a colossal mistake.
She's already made enough of those for her lifetime, enough for multiple people's lifetimes.
At this point, it seems like she's falling into them headfirst.
"Tara."
Rani jumps out of her thoughts. Her hand goes to Tamar's blade hidden at her waist, but she drops it immediately. She's seen these two before. One is the Durast she yelled in the library - David? Maybe that was his name - and the other is the girl who hugged her the first day she came to the palace.
Her face crumbles as she looks over Rani. Her lips quiver for a moment, before she simply says, "Oh."
The word is filled with more sorrow than Rani can comprehend.
The other girl backs away quickly before turning around and fleeing down the hall, leaving her companion alone.
"Saints," Rani curses.
She didn't need to be reminded that she was the shadow to her sisters sun, not today.
Every time this girl sees her, she looks like she's seen a ghost. That couldn't be helped at first, but she knows Rani's here. It shouldn't shatter her world every time Rani crosses her path.
"She just needs time," David doesn't meet her eyes, almost speaking more to himself, "Having you around, when you look like you do, when she and Tara... It's hard."
Rani waits impatiently, but there's no more. So she presses, "She and Tara were... what?"
"Elise and Tara, they were together. I thought someone would have told you."
"No."
No wonder she looked shell-shocked every time Rani crosses her path. Thinking your girlfriend came back only to realize she hadn't. Every day. Rani would have stayed away from her if she had known, but she's seen her almost every day since...
Rani pushes David aside as she breaks into a run. The path is familiar to her now, and it only takes moments before she's in front of the King's office. He, however, is not there.
Letting out another few curses she starts running again.
Rani knew that Li's threat was empty, that she couldn't do anything to Tara. But there was someone who didn't.
Maybe she wasn't the only one who Li threatened. Maybe someone else took her deal, thinking they were ensuring Tara's return. A desperate girlfriend who was in denial about her partner's death. Who was looking for her around every corner, who had access to almost everything here, since she grew up in the Little Palace and stood by the Royals through the Civil War.
Elise is the informant.
Elise doesn't want to betray her country, she just wants her lover back.
Rani's never been in Nikolai's rooms before, but she knows where they are based solely on where the twins never allowed her to go. She doesn't give herself time to hesitate. Barely registering that the doors are already cracked open before she races in.
Zoya spins around, hissing angrily as she hears Rani enter.
That's the least of her worries.
The creature of Nightmare is crouched in the corner, trying to lose itself in the only shadows the room provides. It's not enough. For once Rani can see more than just flashes of darkness and talons and wings. More than fear and fury.
It's not a demon that's crawled out of the fold, or maybe it is, but it's also Nikolai -with eyes of onyx and hands curled into dark claws - but it's his face.
Zoya looks like she might send Rani to the Saints right there. Before she gets the chance the creature that is Nikolai swipes at her. The Grisha could have handled it, had her back not been turned, and the strike throws her into the far wall.
Rani moves at the same moment the creature does, jumping in front of Zoya. Then, with the measly knife Tamar gave her, she faces Nikolai. He shifts, the dark wings flaring behind him, but that tiny blade seems to give him pause.
Rani takes a nervous step back, "Is that really him?"
"You can see him, can't you?"
Those black eyes dart to Zoya, narrowing in a way that makes true fear roll through Rani's gut.
"What do we do?"
Zoya actually laughs, pushing herself back to her feet, swiping blood from the corner of her mouth, "You leave. You forgot you saw this or the next person putting a knife in your side will be me."
The eyes narrow further.
"Shut up, Zoya," Rani begs, tightening her grip on the knife.
"The only reason I'm not letting him tear you to pieces is because I don't want to go find someone to clean up the blood."
Claws come at them and Rani and Zoya both duck. Rani rolls to the side while the Grisha throws up her hands, carrying Nikolai over her in a gust of wind. He hits the same wall Zoya did moments before, crashing onto the floor, wings crumpling beneath him.
Zoya is there in a moment, wrapping chains that Rani hadn't seen around his wrists and arms.
"Put that down!" Zoya levels a glare at the knife in Rani's hand. She darts back. A frantic energy has started at the base of her spine, creeping its way up until it tickles the base of her skull.
Rani tries to pull something from the cloud of adrenaline buzzing around her. It might be seconds or minutes before she can finally manage, "What is going on in this Saints forsaken place?"
Zoya's lips curl further, "As if I would tell you."
"Ladies, again with the fighting."
Rani steps back as Zoya steps toward Nikolai. The wings and talons have disappeared leaving dark, winding streaks in their place, like veins of shadow. Even those begin to fade as Rani watches.
His hazel eyes are back and full of pain. He tips his chin up slightly, looking past Zoya as if she's not there, his eyes fastened on her.
"Hi, love."
His voice is light like he's been pleasantly surprised by her appearance in the hall, not wrapped in chains after turning back from the creature that's been haunting her nightmares.
"I would love to explain this, but if I'm honest now isn't the best time for me."
Obviously.
Rani has the urge to chuck the knife as far from her as possible. She's worried what she'll do.
Frenzied energy is whipping through her. Her palm is slick against the blade's hilt. The urge to fight pounding like a drumbeat in her head. Moments before she had been defending herself. Her body doesn't understand that the threat is gone. Saints, her mind barely understands that.
"You know where to find me."
Rani measures each step she takes out of that room. She won't run from this, from him. She won't let herself, especially not in front of Zoya.
Her hands don't start to shake until the door closes behind her.
And they don't stop.
YOU ARE READING
heartless | nikolai lantsov
Fanfiction"You enjoy knowing someone in your palace would as soon have a knife to your throat as help you?" "Oh, I count on it, keeps my wits sharp." \\ Kidnapping the King of Ravka was easy. Until it wasn't. When her plan goes awry, Rani is given two choi...
