.・゜゜・☼・゜゜・．

She was glaring forwards as she rode a horse to saints knows where. Nikolai sometimes glanced at her from her side but she did not even turned to look at him.

"My jaw feels much better now, thank you for asking" he said besides her finally breaking the silence.

"You can tell everyone you were punched by a volcra, be the least of the lies you've told" she said still looking forward, she k re she was being a hypocrite hiding so many things but she felt betrayed.

"I thought we were making progress in this relationship, my sun"

"Relationship? You are crazy, Princeling" she scoffed. "And even if we were, partners don't hide who they are from each other"

"You make it sound so simple" he said all humor from his voice gone. "You do what you have to protect the people you love, I expect you have some experience with that"

"All the people I once loved are long dead"

"I'm sorry for your loss" he said with sorry in his voice. "But you did once, and as Nikolai Lantsov royal spare to the throne, there was nothing I could do for the people I love. People of my impoverished war-ravaged country, Sturmhond, on the other hand-"

"How is that any more helpful than a prince?" She asked.

"A prince is a songbird in a golden cage. A privateer has freedom to cultivate alliances, develop technologies, gather intelligence, would you have attacked my ship if there was a Lantsov flag?"

"Probably, like every other bloody pirate in the sea"

He only laughed at her answer and her lip twitched up but she managed to pull it down.

"Im glad you attacked my ship, though, if you wouldn't then I would've never seen your beautiful face, but if you knew I was Nikolai from the beginning you would've never taken on the job, you trusted Sturmhond more"

"Well now i don't trust either of them"

"Oh, come on" he grinned at her. "I think that punch was enough to gain your trust back"

"Barely" she huffed with a smile, the road finally ended and giving sight to a beautiful building, that looked to be carved from the mountain itself.

"It's my invention workshop, it has become somewhat of a refugee for Grisha" he explained and a Grisha wearing blue came out of the doors running at Alina. Everyone else except for Alina and the Grisha woman moved into the building.

"It's beautiful" she muttered looking at the crystal dome ceiling. She was gaining a lot of eyes, one because of her sunburnt skin and clothes gave away that she was clearly a pirate and word had come out that she was Malsagov and that she was clearly close to the prince who followed her like a lost puppy.

"Come I'll show you to your room" Nikolai grabbed her arm and pulled her with him to the halls and away from the staring Grisha.

They walked through the halls, Nikolai being silent letting her absorb the beauty of the place. They finally reach her room and he opened the door.

It was big, well bigger than the jer room in the ship, the only room she had lived in for years.

"It's marvelous" she muttered as she looked around the lavish room, she did not fit at all with it, her clothes were dirty and her hair was tangled and greasy. This room was meant for someone else not her. "Are you sure it's mine?"

"As sure as I can be, I chose it myself" he closed the door behind him watching with a twinkle in his eye as she was happy by only a room. "If I knew a room will make you this happy, I would've given you one a long time ago"

"It's not the room itself really, it's just, the feeling, you know?" And he saw her really smile for the first time since he met her. All because of a room.

When she becomes his wife, he'll let her redecorate every room in the damn castle if she wants it. Because the smile she just made, was enough to take his breath away and send his heart out of orbit.

.・゜゜・☼・゜゜・．

"We've received accounts of First Army units found massacred, here, here and here" he pointed at different points in the map in front of them.

"Too far to be the Shu incursions" Malsagov said with crossed arms, she had bathed and changed into clean clothes, finally.

"Or Fjerdan" Alina added.

"There's cold evidence these units were holding Grisha captive. Some reports say soldiers were mutilated" the blonde man told them. "Some cut in half"

"Saints" the pirate muttered.

"It's Kirigan, isn't it?" Alina asked with a worried frown.

"We haven't been able to find his base camp-"

"No say he survived the fold" Mal interrupted Nikolai.

"He survived it before" Alina said with her gaze lost in the space. "Besides, he's the only one who can do the cut. Baghra, yes, but this is him. If he's alive, word will reach him about your attempt in the fold"

"Attempt?" Alina asked with an offended look.

"No disrespect meant" Nikolai added.

"No you're right" Alina nodded resigned. "That's what it was. An attempt. You three saw my light. It was strong and angry and dangerously off-kilter. I can train to master what I have but I'm afraid it won't be enough"

"We need to find the the third amplifier" Mal spoke.

"The firebird?" The blonde woman asked with furrowed brows, she had done her own research on amplifiers thinking them only a myth until not so long ago.

"The more we search for it, we are at the mercy of your protection in this country" the raven haired girl explained look at Nikolai who walked to the railing of the balcony only to turn around again.

"Well, until then, a proposal" he started. "We can try to stop this country from falling apart and tell the Fjerdans to shove their bounty up their ass in the process"

"How do you propose we do that?" Alina asked him crossing her arms. Nikolai looked at Malsagov for a moment with a weird look before looking back at the sun summoner.

"I bring you under the wing of the Royal Family, my name become a shelter to you and a banner under which we can enact change" he said and the Pirate's heart dropped to her feet. It was an unpleasant feeling

"Your name?" Mal asked and he seemed to have the same reaction the Captain had.

"Wait..." Alina muttered. "This is a 'proposal' proposal. You are suggesting marriage"

"I'm not proposing a love match, saints knows we both love different people" he clarified. "Just a political alliance of Grisha and otkazat'sya"

"Well, that's just what royal marriages are, aren't they? Strategy" Mal interjected and Malsagov stayed silent staring at one point in the wall, wanting the unknown and unwanted feeling of pinching in her heart to go away.

"Precisely" Nikolai nodded at Mal's words and looked at his sun who did not turn to look at him. "Maybe we never get to marriage. An engagement signals a strong commitment to cooperation and it will allow us to enact meaningful change for Grisha and Ravka" he tried to fix his statement only to have the blonde woman and Alina scoff at the same time. "I've seen what you both mean to each other, and I understand if you decline but I hope you weigh the options and consider the benefits"

Malsagov couldn't hear anymore and she muttered an 'excuse me' before leaving the room, seconds later she heard steps behind her.

She walked all the way to her new room and tried to close the door behind her only to be stopped by a foot.

"My sun" he said and entered the room closing the door behind her. "What are you doing?"

"I really don't think, I belong here Nikolai, specially with your new engagement" she grabbed her famous coat that was now washed too.

"I hired you for a job-"

"A job? You consider this a job? You want to be with me and then you get engaged, all men are the same" she muttered the last sentence as she tried to leave.

"I don't understand you" he said to her stopping her by grabbing her wrist. "You act like you hate me but get mad when I get engaged, I have been forward with my feelings since the day I met you, I'm not the problem here-"

"Not all people are like you, Nikolai" she tried to get out of his grip but he wouldn't let go. "Not all people have it easy to show their feelings, and not a lot of people can afford showing them as easily as you do"

"What are you so afraid of?" He asked as she managed to free from his grip and was about to leave the room until something or rather someone trapped her between him and the door. "What is holding you from feeling anything?"

He looked into her eyes and thought he saw the answer somewhere, she had such curious golden eyes, the first ones he had ever seen, he thought he had read once that they originate from somewhere, but he couldn't quite remember.

"It's not any of your damn business" she got out of his hold once again and he seemed saddened by her hurtful words. "Now please, I wish to be alone"

"Tell me, you will at least stay for the banquet"

"Of course, your highness" there was no mocking nickname or passive aggressive comment from her part. And nodding he left her rooms hopping that he made the right decision.

.・゜゜・☼・゜゜・．
She speaks!
✨angst✨