"Together, we can put an end to all of it." The Darkling said to Alina, and her eyes flickered to where Mal was standing, covered in blood. "Just- just take my hand Alina." Alina could hear his voice quavering under the mask of evil he hid behind. S...
The next morning goes by in a blur. Aleksander and I met with a group of Aleksander's soldiers, sharing reports on the drüskelle and missing Grisha.
We ate lunch in a private little patio, where I provided him little comfort, my efforts in making him feel better doing nothing.
He gave me a kiss on the temple and pulled his cool and serious mask over him, spending the rest of the day in the war room.
After we departed, I went to the tailors office, which I was surprised it even existed.
As I walked in, I was immediately greeted by Genya.
"Alina!" She squealed as she gave me a hug. "Oh- am I allowed to do that since you're the queen?"
I laugh and lean into her hug, "Of course you are. Queen or not."
"Are you okay? Did you end up going to the-" Genya trails off, not wanting the other tailors to hear.
"Yes, I did. I'll tell you later though."
She nods in agreement and leads me over to a bunch of mannequins.
"Woah-" I gasp. "Did you make all of these?"
Genya nods proudly. "These are all my designs. But I think you'll like this one the best." She leads me over to the last mannequin, wearing a beautiful white dress with gold lace.
A/n: this dress is kinda how i imagined it
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"Saints." I breathe as I gently touch the fabric, trailing over all the intricate designs. "I can't believe you made this."
Genya smiled sadly, "Anything to make you happy."
"Thank you." I say, engulfing her in a hug.
"You're the one who's going to be freeing us from the Darkling. I should be thanking you." Genya whispers, and I stare at her scars, feeling guilty. "Try it on."
As the servants help me fit the dress, I can't stop but thinking about the Darkling.
Would I be able to kill him? What's stopping me?
I felt guilty for even feeling this way, for feeling like I could change him.
But it was possible. I could change him and I wouldn't have to kill him. There was another way.
"You look beautiful." Genya says, admiring me from the front. She guided me to the mirror and let me admire myself.
I say nothing. I look like royalty, someone I would've never imagined myself being.
Genya grabbed my hand and stared at the mirror. "Smile, Alina. Smile."
---
The rest of the week went by fast. Aleksander had sent a group of Grisha and regular otkazat'sya soldiers to take down any drüskelle they could find. King Grimjer and his wife were both invited to our wedding, so we wouldn't reveal what we knew on that night, but the day after.
