━━━ ❝ I pity the fool who wants to be a God. ❞
&
━━━ There is enough fire inside you to put
all of Hell to shame, but you are
pretending to be water, for someone
who is too afrai...
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CHAPTER VII. the valentines
The journey to Fjerda was unnecessarily long. Being surrounded by so much water was suffocating. Or maybe it was just Matthias' company. Leia made a conscious effort to avoid him as much as she could, but the schooner was only that big.
"Maiden of Myth?" Jesper mumbled beside her. His fingers looped around the triggers of his prized revolvers, twirling it around recklessly. Anxiety radiated off him, never one to keep his emotions at bay.
His room was closest to the upper deck. So he heard the altercations before anyone—specifically Kaz, could. He arrived in time to see Matthias dominating the brawl, his large hands choked around Leia's neck. Matthias' eyes burned brighter than any light they'd seen.
In all his grogginess, Jesper knocked the Fjerdan with the butt of his revolver, sending him to sleep. When Nina shrieked at the bruise on Matthias' head, they kept quiet.
When light came, Jesper found her on the edge of the ship. Leaning on the damp ledge, head in the sea breeze, she felt his question before he asked. "Were you ever going to tell us... tell me?"
"No," Leia replied with all honesty. "Because it isn't who I am."
Jesper was furiously shaking his legs now, exasperated. "There's about a million things that could go wrong in the Ice Court! You really think we didn't need to know that we are serving you to the Fjerdans on a silver platter?"
"Gold is more my colour," she flatly stated, but Jesper sent her a look daring her to try him. "The Maiden of Myth will not be at the Ice Court," Leia rubbed her face distressingly, detesting the ridiculous moniker. "We'll fake my identity, tailor my face."
"Nina is a subpar Tailor, at best," Jesper said. "If anyone recognises you–"
"I fled Ravka when I was just a kid," the words were pricked with more poison than she intended. "No one believes I am alive. Why do you think they only whisper my name?"
"The Bride of Darkness killed Alina Starkov, they'll remember."
Leia sunk her teeth down her lips. She raised an elegant finger and streaks of water followed suit. Her secret as an Inferni and Tidemaker was out, and as exhausting as it felt, she was more grateful than she thought.
"So Ravka wants your head and Fjerda wants your powers?" Inej had said early that morning at breakfast, shooting daggers at Kaz.
"Who do you think is turning the Ice Court into a puddle?" Kaz crossed his arm. Leia caught him zeroing in on the bruised ring around her neck before she pulled her coat tighter. There was a brief alarm in his eyes before Wylan had interrupted with something that earned a slap on his head.
"Melting the Ice Court? Is that the plan?" Jesper sighed, now tapping the metal railings to destress.
