Shadow And Bone Fanfiction - Tumblr Posts

make every moment count

​​Tamar x f!Reader

A/N: Full nsfw version is here :)

Word count: ~2.8k

Summary: Tamar tries to defend your honor on a night away from the Volkvolny. 

Warnings: Attempted SA, slightly NSFW, slight violence, power dynamics.

She’s standing up at the bar, it’s crowded, several ships have pulled in within the last few days and it always makes for a busy night. She is well aware of Tamar’s eyes on her back, watching her every move. It’s protective in a cute way, she knows y/n can handle her own, but still likes to keep an eye out, ‘just in case’. She’s waiting patiently for her turn, she’s already had a few drinks and doesn’t mind waiting a few extra minutes. A shoulder roughly pushes her to the side, shoving her further away from the barkeep. 

“Hey!” she protests, turning to look at the person. The man in question is obviously Fjerdan, would be considered mildly attractive - if she was into men. But, he reeks of beer and fish that’s been left out a few days too long, his teeth are slightly yellowed as he smiles. 

“Girls don’t need drinks.” His words come out in broken kerch, a Fjerdan accent. She rolls her eyes and ignores his comment, shoving him back out of her way with surprising strength, and takes her previous position. His frustrated grunt sounds behind her, and she ignores it. She’s dealt with his type before, Fjerdan deckhands on their first few trips who haven’t learned their place yet. Most of them have never seen a woman carry a weapon, let alone try and order their drinks in a bar. Saints forbid she carry a weapon and order her own drinks. Her knowledge of Fjerda is unfortunately skewed and limited to what she’s seen from Fjerdan sailors. Maybe one day she’ll visit, if they ever stop burning and executing people like her.

She freezes when she feels his hand harshly make contact with her ass. It’s obviously intentional and she’s filled with fury. It’s one thing to shove her out of the way for drinks, but another completely to try and grope her. It won’t end well for him, especially with Tamar watching her like a hawk. Maybe her senses are slowed by the alcohol but a few seconds pass before she turns around, arm pulled back - ready to break his nose, but he’s already being dragged out. Tamar had gotten there first. The entire room has gone silent, all eyes watching the Shu girl drag a tall, well built, sailor outside like he’s a doll. 

“Saints” y/n curses under her breath before following them outside. It’s approaching winter in Ketterdam, and the air is growing crisp again. Not enough to need a jacket, but not enough to be comfortable in short sleeves. Not for the first time, she wishes for the mild falls and winters of Novyi Zem, her favorite place to dock. Weddle is beautiful - clear seas, bright skies, full of colors and the smells of different spices. Ketterdam smells like fish and waste - to her at least, some people love it here, but she’d rather be almost anywhere else. 

A small crowd gathers as Tamar pushes the man out the door, into the open space in front of the pub. Y/n smiles as she watches her punch him in the face, something flushes inside her, something she needs to ignore right now, it’s not the time and definitely not the place. Her smile drops as he calls her foul names. Her eyes narrow and she stalks up behind him, bending to grab a small stone off the floor. 

“Hey idiot.” She launches the stone at the back of his head, and it meets his target. His face turns back to her, he looks oafish, and she can see the purple bruise already forming on his cheek. He’s caught off-guard enough that he misses the kick she lands right to his groin. He’s not as phased as she would’ve hoped but she dodges his weak attempt to fight back. A large figure steps in front of her, and shoves him back - he tumbles several feet away into the dirt. It’s Tolya. Y/n tries to dodge past him after the man, but Tolya throws her over his shoulder. She grumbles, pounding weakly into his back. 

“I had him.” 

“I know. We’re getting out of here before the two of you get us in any more trouble.” 

Y/n just huffs, but doesn’t argue with him. She notices Tamar following them a few paces behind, another crewmate by her side, evidently trying to keep her from turning around. She stills hears Tamar still cursing obscenities at him over her shoulder. Now that y/n’s being dragged away, she knows Tamar won’t stick around any longer. The man’s crewmates are holding him back, keeping him from trying to retaliate further - a smart move. 

A few streets down, Tolya finally lets y/n down. Tamar’s caught up, and was walking right beside them - but didn’t do anything to get Tolya to let y/n down. 

“Traitor” she mutters once her feet are back on solid ground. Tamar just winks and wraps an arm around her shoulder. 

“We can’t take you two anywhere.” Tolya grunts. His voice sounds disappointed, but she can see the amusement in his eyes. 

“What do you mean?” Y/n says. “We’re a great source of entertainment.” 

“More like trouble. Can’t go more than three visits without one of you starting something.”

Her eyes narrow. “He started it.” 

“You’re right.” He sighs.  

They all laugh, and split up for the night. Tolya and the other crewmate head back to the ship, but they’d opted to stay at an inn, taking a break from the Volkvolny for a night. Getting some time and space alone may have been a big motivating factor. As far as the crew officially knows, they are just platonic friends, but y/n knows they aren’t fooling anyone - but they have so far refused to officially tell anyone. In the name of professionalism - as much as you can get in a pack of rogues and mercenaries, they keep it to themselves. Tolya knows, of course, Tamar can’t keep anything from him.

Y/n links her arm through Tamar’s, drawing her as close as she can while walking. “You know it’s incredibly attractive when you try to protect my honor.” 

“Try?” She said, turning to face her. “I’m pretty sure I did, there wasn’t any try there.” 

“I’m certain that was me.” There’s a small smile on her face, the mischievous kind. She knows what kind of argument she’s starting. 

“Who’s the one who threw the first punch?” 

“Who’s the one who threw the last?” 

“Technically that was Tolya.” They reached their destination for the night, an inn well known to them, and luckily there’s a room available. Y/n hands over some Kruge in exchange for a key - attached to a chicken bone, and thanks the innkeeper before letting Tamar take her hand again, following her upstairs.  

“Still, I won.” Y/n continues their argument from before. 

“This is a competition now?” Her tone is light, and there’s amusement in her eyes. 

“Isn’t everything?” 

“That’s one way to look at things.” Tamar keeps a firm grip on her hand, tugging her with more urgency up the stairs towards their room. She counts the numbers on the doors. 

“You’re absolutely ridiculous” she says to her back, barely keeping up. 

“You love it.” she says without turning around. 

“It’s possible.” 

“Probable.” This time she does turn around, and her grin is infectious. Y/n can’t help but smile back. 

She groans anyway, “please don’t start talking like him.” They’ve reached their door now and y/n steps in front to unlock the door, her fingers fumbling slightly with the key - maybe from nerves, maybe from mead. Tamar wraps her arms around her and plucks the key out of her hands, unlocking the door with a wink that makes her roll her eyes. She gives her a gentle shove inside and follows her, closing the door behind them.  

As soon as the door is locked, her back is pressed up against it. Not too roughly, but not gentle either. Tamar’s body follows, notching perfectly into hers. She loves the feeling of the soft leathers pressed up against her chest, the hilt of the knife strapped to Tamar digging into her stomach. 

Tamar’s forearms are braced on either side of her head, and her forehead presses against y/n’s. “I love seeing you punch someone.” she says, her voice low and breathy. 

“That’s probably a bad thing.” y/n replies, but can’t help the pink flush that slowly fills her cheeks at the praise. The corners of Tamar’s lips turn up, and y/n’s eyes narrow, knowing she can sense her blood flow. It’s an unfair advantage, she knows exactly what each word and action does to her, and no matter how much she denies it, Tamar can tell if she’s lying or not. 

“Depends who you’re punching.” 

“Maybe i’ll make it a habit.” 

“Slow down.” She laughs, “as much as I like it you probably shouldn’t go around punching people because of that.” 

“You probably shouldn’t try to tell me what to do.” Y/n’s eyebrows raise slightly. Her hands pushing at Tamar’s shoulders so she can take in her whole expression. She creates enough space between them that she can cross her arms and tilt her head slightly. It’s a challenge, and Tamar takes it. 

Quicker than she can blink, her hands grasp y/n’s wrists, and pin them above her head with one hand. The other comes to press two fingers up under her chin, tilting her chin up so she can meet her eyes. The expression in the other girl’s gaze sends goosebumps down y/n’s spine, and her blood rushing straight down. 

“I remember quite clearly you like being told what to do.” Her breath catches, she searches for words, something to respond with, another sarcastic remark, but she can’t find any. The winning smirk on Tamar’s face makes her eyes narrow. She’s not backing down, not yet at least. Tamar’s grip on her wrists is light, and she yanks her arms down, flipping their positions so she’s pressed against the door instead. 

A slight look of shock passes across Tamar’s face, and y/n takes the chance to slide one hand up her body to rest on her throat. A smile crosses Tamar’s face, and it infuriates her. Her hand follows hers, covering the hand on her throat and pressing firmer. “You have to actually mean it.” Somehow she’s the one pinned to the wall, but still in control of the whole situation. 

Y/n’s jaw drops. Tamar moves her hand off her throat, and leans down to grip underneath both of her thighs. Moving on instinct and muscle memory rather than conscious thought, y/n jumps, wrapping her legs around her waist, and her arms around her neck. 

Tamar’s lips graze across her ear, “good girl” and her entire face flushes, she’s certain her skin is completely red now. She walks them over to the bed, her eyes focused on hers, and gently throws her down.

Y/n’s brows furrow when Tamar doesn’t follow her on the bed, she reaches up to tug her down. 

Tamar sighs, eyes looking down to gaze at her. “Weapons.” 

“What?” 

“We need to take our weapons off.” 

Y/n laughs, and takes the hand Tamar offers. She follows her over to the dresser, and between the two of them they leave a small armory behind, kicking their shoes and throwing their holsters off at the same time. She doesn’t waste any time getting her launched back onto the bed, practically throwing her from halfway across the room. Y/n bounces on the bed with a laugh, hands grasping at the sheets to keep herself from falling off. 

Seconds later, Tamar hovers over y/n, arms propped to brace either side of her head. She attempts to arch her body up to meet hers, but a hand on her throat pinned her down, she lets out a small, involuntary, moan. It’s embarrassing how quickly she can make her wet, they haven’t even kissed yet, their lips haven’t met and yet she’s soaked completely. Y/n is tired of it. She reaches her hands up to cup the back of Tamar’s head to pull her down. To her surprise, Tamar lets her and they stop just a hair’s breadth away from each other. The golden tilted eyes dig into hers, and she pauses for a few moments. Her eyes are golden, with flicks of light brown. Y/n keeps eye contact, trying to memorize every bit of them she can. She watches as her eyes shift down towards her lips, and knows the pause is coming into an end. The kiss is dominating, possessive, and makes her toes curl. Every second is savored, every move of their lips, every touch, every feeling and sensation. They get so little time together - so little intimate time, that any second feels too precious to waste.

Later

Her fingers run through her hair, letting her rest on her chest with one arm splayed over her stomach. Her eyes are closed peacefully, and y/n listens to her heart beat, enjoying the steady rhythm. Minutes or hours could’ve passed before she felt Tamar move. She grumbles but the other girl lifts her head, resting it on a pillow. She peeks her eyes open, and Tamar grabs some nightclothes, throwing a pair at her. Reluctantly she sits up, pulling the clothes on. Unfortunately, anyone can barge in at any time - they’re technically always on duty. It’s only happened once and thank the saints it was Tolya. That was the first and probably will be the last time she’s heard him let out a childish scream. They probably traumatized him. And they’ve remembered to lock the door every time since. 

“Put some clothes on.” He yelled. “We’ve got to go,” and slammed the door behind him. 

Hopefully this night would pass without any interruptions. Unfortunately, it never seems to work like that. Less than an hour later, someone’s banging on the door. 

“Stay here.” Tamar mutters, darting over to grab a pistol before unlocking the door. She hears a sigh and mumbled conversation in Shu. Y/n’s Shu still isn’t great, but she catches the words “lead,” and “leaving right away.” in Tolya’s voice. 

“For fucks sake.” She curses from the bed, dragging herself up to start changing back into her clothes. Tamar catches her moving out of the corner of her eye, and winks. After gathering her clothes, she moves to the other side of the room where Tolya can’t see her strip naked. No need to re-traumatize him. Tamar closes the door and leans back against it. She looks over at Y/N who's naked, pulling her underthings back on. She carefully rakes every inch of her body. 

“Don’t you need to get dressed?” 

Tamar groans but pushes herself off the door, heading over to get her clothes on. 

“What’s going on?” Y/n asks. 

“Sturmhond has a lead on the summoner.” Her voice is low enough no one outside the room will be able to hear them. Y/n glances at the window, checking for any signs of someone outside it. Their room is on the third floor, but paranoia has been built into her over the last few years. 

“Really?”

“Yep.” 

“And he needs to leave immediately?” “We’re half a day behind.” 

They’re both fully dressed by now, and strapping their weapons back on. Her legs are still shaky and she stumbles trying to put a knife back in her boot. Tamar catches her, hands gripping her shoulder, and laughs.  “Careful.” 

“It’s your fault.” She grumbles.  Tamar raises an eyebrow. “I didn’t hear you complaining.”  “I wasn’t” she can’t help but smile, her cheeks flush and she turns her attention back to her pistol, carefully strapping it on her thigh. Tamar reaches behind her and wraps an arm around her lower back, pulling her in so she’s flush against her chest. Y/n’s breath catches, and she looks up at her with wide eyes. She leaves a soft, gentle kiss on her lips before releasing her. 

“I like your blush.” 

“Shut up.” Tamar laughs, and does an extra check around the room, making sure they’ve grabbed all of their belongings. She tugs y/n out the door and back down the stairs. Y/n throws the key on the desk,

“Sorry,” she mutters, before following Tamar out. Tolya’s waiting for them in the street. They don’t speak about their destination anymore, knowing anyone can have ears around the city. They’re still on high alert even though the streets are nearly abandoned at this hour - 4 bells. 

Tolya rushes them to the ship, grunting something about them being slow, before stopping them, just shy of the entrance to the docks. He points at y/n’s neck, “Tamar, please fix that.”

Y/n turns to glare at Tamar, who laughs, but does look a bit chastised. She quickly heals the bruises, and soon they’re back on board. Sturmhond gives them a knowing look before they take off, y/n taking the first shift on the sails as soon as they leave the harbor.  

Everything I’ve Ever Wanted

Pairing: Jesper Fahey x reader

Requested by Anonymous

Summary: With his wife and his son, Jesper has everything he’s ever wanted…

Keep reading

Go check out my Kaz Brekker fanfic!!

Imagine Daniel Sharman as Nikolai Lantsov

Kaz Brekkers First Time

Kaz Brekker x fem! reader

Smut!! Oral (fem receiving), penetration

Kaz never thought much about sex.

Even during the course if your relationship, he didn't think much on it. You respected his boundaries and even when he wanted to move forward with the little things, you reassured him that he never had to go outside his comfort zone.

But little by little, you both worked up to holding hands. Kaz had noticed the couples or hookups leaving the Crow Club with their hands intertwined, and although it didn't seem like a big deal, it was very intimate for him. Never letting someone go, physically or mentally, started with holding eachothers hands. He let you know he wanted to try one day and he immediately went in to grab your hand, trying to force himself to be a good boyfriend for you.

To be a good enough man.

But you felt him shaking, trying to ignore his own trauma, and immediately let him go. You didn't have to be a Heartrender to feel that he was extremely uncomfortable, so throughout the day, you would brush your hand against his or even hold eachothers pinky. By the end of the week, he found enough courage to intertwine your hands and it made him feel warm inside.

It was normal for you to be in your pajamas around him, but it was one particular night that Kaz felt. . .strange.

You came into his office wearing a robe, just a nighttime robe, and grabbed a few things before leaving but it had an effect on him. He noticed the small water droplets that fell from your hair and onto your plump breasts, sliding in between to who knows where. Yes, it was for a few seconds, but that's when he started to think about it.

And that was five months ago.

Kaz only took notice that maybe you missed sex to when he overheard a conversation between you and Jesper.

"You've never cum?!"

"Jesper, ssh!" You giggled.

"I mean, no, not really. Look, he was fine, but he never really asked if I came or not. It just ended when he did," You shrugged, referring to your ex boyfriend.

The very thought of you, an actual goddess, having to put up with a man who didn't even have the audacity to ask if it was good for you too, made Kaz angry. But, it also made him determined.

It was the winding down in the Crow Club, and you decided to say goodnight to the crew before joining your boyfriend.

"Kaz-" You stopped by his office but immediately saw that he wasn't there.

Which was very unusual for the Bastard of the Barrel.

You lingered for a moment before continuing to your shared room. You opened the door to a few more candles than usual, and that's when you spotted your boyfriend.

"Kaz, what-what is all this?" You asked, noticing the trail of rose petals and despite the candles, it was dimly lit and it felt cozy and warm.

"I love you, my darling. More than the world itself," You blushed, never having heard such daring words from his lips as he brought up your hand to them. You felt warm as his bright blue eyes lingered on you.

"I love you too, Kaz."

"I overheard your conversation with Jesper a few nights ago. It did make me upset that such a man could live with himself after what he has done," You were confused for a moment but it hit you and you felt embarrassed. How does one bring that up in conversation with your boyfriend?

"Or, rather what he hasn't done."

"How does one bring that up in conversation? Are you upset? I'm sorry I didn't tell you-"

"If anyone should be upset, it's you," He cut you off.

"Why?"

"I. . .I've found myself wondering about sex, and I want to do that with you. I want you to tell me where you feel good, where you want to be touched, and the fact that he thought you were fine is appalling."

"Kaz, communication goes both ways. It was also my fault for not telling him," You confessed.

"But, you want to move forward with this? Are you sure it's not too soon?" You asked, out of respect for his touch aversion but once you met his eyes, you felt yourself grow hot. He's a respectful man, but you could see the clear love and lust within his eyes. And you wondered how long he had been looking at you that way.

"I'm sure."

"Okay. If you feel uncomfortable or you want to stop, just tell me. I don't want your first time to be out of pressure," You reassured him, and he slowly nodded before dipping in and capturing your lips in his own.

You've had small pecks before with Kaz, but this was definitely different. His lips were slightly chapped, which you didn't mind as he applied a bit more pressure into the kiss and his hands wandered to your waist. Testing the waters, your hands ghosted his shirt before you pulled back for air but he didn't want your lips to leave his. He felt himself growing hot and your lips tasted like the sweets you were eating earlier, so he dove right back in.

He felt like his heart was going to burst from excitement. Both in his chest and down there.

Thank God he closed the curtains.

He felt needy, and the growing election his pants wasn't helping. He started to remove his shirt, and you pulled away to help undo the buttons. Your eyes slightly widened at his already growing erection and hurried the pace. It was only when his shirt was finally off that you knew that it wasn't going to be just a hug.

You were both going to be nude, sweaty, and closer than ever.

"Do you still want this?"

"Yes."

"Do you want to undress me?" You offered.

He started undoing your buttons, feeling nervous at how you may see him now. Did you think he was too skinny? Or too big? Did you even want to have sex, or were you just doing this because he wanted-

His train of negative thoughts stopped when he realized that you weren't wearing a bra. You slowly slipped off the remainder of your dress, and he let out a shaky breath as he looked at the goddess before him.

"What do you thi-" You couldn't even finish your sentence before he grabbed your waist and pulled you against him, smashing his lips deliciously into yours. You moaned at the contact because his erect member was still poking through his trousers, and you felt it against your heat.

His lips started to make their way down your neck, placing small pecks as he went down, and you felt yourself growing wetter against him.

You didn't want to push him, so you began to rub your thighs together to create some kind of friction as he decided to lead you to the bed and you collapsed into the sheets.

"I want to explore every inch of you. I want to taste you," He admitted shamefully.

"May I?"

"Yes, please, Kaz," You replied, needing some kind of release as he lowered himself and began placing kisses down your body. Curious, and unexpectedly making you even more wet, he poked his tongue out at your nipple and you bit your lip to hide your embarrassing sounds. He began to swirl his tongue around it, earning a moan from you as you gripped the sheets.

And he liked hearing these sounds from you, knowing that it was him making you feel this way. He went to toy with the other when he finally noticed that his hands were still covered by his gloves.

"You don't have to-"

"I want to," He cut you off, "I want to feel all of you."

He slowly took off his gloves, releasing a part of him that felt safe in them but also yearning to feel the women beneath him. And knew that gloves can't replicate the way real skin can feel like.

His hands ghosted your curve, lightly touching you before kissing back down you, and finally making his way to your heat. You only now recognized what he wanted to do, and felt excited but also nervous. Your ex never wanted to do anything like this, so you wondered how it would feel.

Kaz stared, not because he was disgusted, but because he saw how he effected you. You were really wet, all because of him, and he wondered how many times you felt that way and had to use other methods to get your release. He finally stopped waiting and his tongue licked a strip of you, and his eyes darted up to see your reaction.

You immediately let out a breathy moan, but knew that him continuing that wouldn't complain satisfy you.

"Kaz, can I. . .guide you?" You asked carefully, reaching for his head and looking at him.

"I want to make you feel good. Show me," He spoke confidently, and you gently grabbed a small chunk of his hair and guided him to your hole and your clit.

"You can. . .lick smaller, or rub me there-" Your mouth formed in an "o" when he immediately took your advice, and his thumb started to gently rub your clit.

"J-just like that. Yes."

You started breathing heavily from this, and it only got better. His tongue started to work wonders, darting in and out of your hole and he felt so good. He started to rub himself against the bed, his cock staining his pants with precum as he watched you squirm.

"Ye-yes, don't stop," You breathed out as he started to rub faster, and your grip on his head became harder.

"Shit. Oh fu-fuck, Kaz."

"Am I making you feel good, darling?" He questioned.

"Fuck yes, Kaz. I feel so fucking good."

He continued this, wanting to keep tasting you and tasting you forever. The noises of his tongue and your moans only made him harder, if that was possible.

"I-I think I'm gonna cum," You whimpered, feeling something in the pit of your stomach as his tongue went faster in you and deeper.

"Cum in my mouth," He said huskily as your moans only got louder and after a few moments, you felt it all let go. You tried catching your breath as his tongue cleaned you up, still swiping against your sensitive bud.

He sat up, watching you catch your breath and come down from your high as he started to unbuckle his pants. His cock finally sprang forth, the tip pink and irritated and he so desperately wanted to feel you. He crawled over you, and gently kissed you.

"Do you still want this?" He asked.

"I need you inside me, Kaz. Please," He felt an immediate boost in confidence when you pleaded to feel him, and he lined himself up with your entrance before slowly going in. His head buried itself in your neck as he felt you clench around him, being tight yet so warm and wet for him.

He slowly started to rock his hips against yours, savoring how he felt inside of you and he looked at your face. Your face was in conplete euphoria, and he planted a loving kiss upon your lips. Feeling this close to you without shaking or overthinking anything made him so happy, and he always wanted to feel this way with you.

"I love you," Kaz whispered as he started to go faster.

"I love you too," You could barely get those three words out before a broken moan escaped your lips, and your legs wrapped around his waist as he slammed in harder and went in deeper.

But, he felt close.

Dangerously close.

You didn't expect him to completely make him his first time, but he felt embarrassed that he may look immature. But he couldn't stop himself.

"I-I'm going to cum-" He stuttered out.

"Cum inside me," Although you didn't explicitly mention how fast he was cumming, he still felt embarrassed as he let out a broken moan and then rested ontop of you.

"I'm sorry-"

"No. Don't apologize, Kaz," You told him, stroking his hair.

"It's your first time. No one's meant to last more than atleast five minutes, and you made me feel good. I love you," You held his face in your hands before giving him a slow kiss as he got himself out of you.

"Now, we need to shower."

"We did sweat quite a lot," He chuckled, and you felt overjoyed as a small smile tugged at his lips.

"Can I wash your hair?"

"Of course, love."

Taglist:

@subjecta13-thefangirl @darcysbxtch @starjane312 @rika90 @mahumf9 @dreamer-writer-fangirl @love-and-virtues @3000quackson @lonelystarship

Dark Blood and Light Cover

Dark Blood and Light Masterlist

Hello, this is my first post ever, so please forgive me if I am going to make a few mistakes in the beginning.

I have decided to write a fanfiction for one of my favorite characters ever: The Darkling from Shadow and Bone.

In the next few days I am going to post a few things beforehand (for the story) and I hope you will read them!

The cover for “Dark, Blood and Light” a Aleksander Morozova Fanfiction.

Foreword

Dark Blood and Light Masterlist

Hello everybody out there, I am so happy, that YOU found my story!

Unfortunately I am not that great with writing forewords, mostly because I believe the majority of you won't even read through this small paragraph. Nevertheless I still want to write one, since I want to mention a few things beforehand that are necessary in consideration of this story.

If your not interested to read this, then just skip this chapter, but do not say I didn't warn you!

As you might have already read on my cover, this story is a fanfiction about the „Shadow and Bone- Series" from Leigh Bardugo. But this story purely revolves around the book-series and not the tv-series. Personally I have watched the tv-series, but I have read the books first and want to make this as accurate as possible. So if you were hoping to see Kaz Brekker or any other six of crows character I am sorry to disappoint you. Luckily I have decided to write a fanfiction about the six of crows series as well, which will come out soon enough!

After the first book I immediately fell in love with the darkling and (since I am kind of a fangirl myself) I looked up for stories for this amazing (morally grey) character. Instantly I noticed that even though he seems to be a favourite, there still weren't a lot of stories about him. That's why I decided why not write my own series with a love story for one of my favourite characters!

Now to the important stuff: English is not my native language, which means I haven't read the books in english either. Moreover with English not being my native language there are bound to be grammar, spelling and orthography mistakes. I try not to make as many and I promise I control my texts beforehand, but there can always be typos, they happen to everyone and apparently they just seem to love me very much. If you happen to notice some, please inform me of them so I can correct them, but please do so in a friendly polite way. Another thing with me not having read the English version, there might be some dialogs which will sound different than in the books, since I will be translating them from German to English. Please forgive me for that!

Since I am still young (17) and I still go to school, I am going to be pretty busy throughout the year. That is why I want to inform you beforehand,that I will probably update irregular and depending on how much time I have, it could take a long while till my next update for this story.

If you want you will also be able to find this story on wattpad under graceful_bumblebee (in a few days I will update the same post I uploaded here).

I only own my protagonist and I hope you can give her a chance!

Now I have talked far enough! Enjoy the story which will begin in the next few chapters.

Just out of interest, the ones who read all my blabbering could write a „🩸" in the comments.

Have fun reading!

DARK BLOOD AND LIGHT | MASTERLIST

The Darkling/Aleksander Morozova x OC

Summary: Anna has always been the odd one out with a nasty mysterious scar across her neck. She cannot remember how she got it and growing up her only goal was: to survive. During a expedition through the fold she catches the eye of the most ruthless man in all Ravka, the darkling. Although she cannot deny that he is a terrible being, there is something between them, something familiar. When the word got around that a sun summoner has been found as well their life’s are turned upside down. What will the future hold ?

Come and follow Anna into her new adventure through Ravka and find out about the secrets hidden in the long forgotten past.

Warnings: Violence, blood, adult themes, spoilers, angst, hurt, comfort

Before you start reading, please read the foreword for further warnings about the story!

Dark Blood and Light — (Series)

Dark Blood and Light: Foreword

Dark Blood and Light Playlist: Spotify

Dark Blood and Light Maps: Grishaverse

Dark Blood and Light: Cast Inspiration

Act I

0 | Prologue, Chapter I, ……..

Masterlist

Cast Inspiration

Dark Blood and Light Masterlist

This cast is inspired by the actual tv-show "Shadow and Bone", but a few actors have been switched out by me, because I imagined them differently while reading the books. This is not suppose to be hate directed at the actual actors or regisseur who picked them out (personally I love them as well, but like I've said I imagined them differently).

Main Characters

Elisabeth Olson as ANNA SOKOLOV

„Sankta Anna“

Ben Barnes as ALEKSANDER MOROZOVA

„The Darkling“

Main Side Characters

Evangeline Lilly as GENYA SAFIN

„The First Tailor“

Bruna Marquezine as ZOYA NAZYALENSKY

„The Storm Witch“

Jessi Li Mei as ALINA STARKOV

„The Sun Summoner“

Dylan O‘Brien as MALYEN ORETSEV

„The Otkazat‘sya“

Eddie Redmayne as DAVID KOSTYK

„The Genius Materialki“

Sam Claflin as NIKOLAI LANTSOV

„The Sobachka“

——————————————————————————————————

For Mal I am not quite sure how I imagined him, but definitly different from the actor in the series. I thought Dylan O'Brien fit the role really good, but I am not quite satisfied with the actor for Mal (yet). Hopefully it doesn't bother any of you!

Maps

Dark Blood and Light Masterlist

This is the general map of the shadow and bone series, but it will manly play in Ravka.

In the map below this, the main places (for the first act) are marked (example: Os Alta, since the majority of the first act plays there).

Playlist

Dark Blood and Light Masterlist

Throughout this story I am going to add a few new songs, so do not be surprised if the Spotify playlist will gain a few more. As a fun fact, I actually listened to these songs while reading the actual books (not in the same order, but still every time I listend to them I can’t help but associate them with the shadow and bone books). I hope you enjoy them as well, maybe you’ll listen to them as well while reading the other books.

One song that I couldn’t find on Spotify is „Paint it Black“ a cover by Ciara, but I highly recommend listening to it while reading shadow and bone (especially in the first book)

If you want me to write down all the songs, because you do not have Spotify, you can write me and I will do it as fast as possible.

On 19th September the first part of the story is going to be published! It’s only going to be the prologue, but I’m so exited!

0 | Prologue

PAIRING: The Darkling / Aleksander Morozova x OC

WARNINGS: blood, violance, angst, hurt, paranoia, hinting at death, anxiety, panic attack, threatening, persecution

WORD COUNT: 1K

Masterlist      Dark Blood and Light Masterlist

PREVIOUS . 0 | PROLOGUE . NEXT

Running, a term awfully familiar to the fleeing shadow. She knew this could mean her end and she was on her own.

No one helping. No one to cling to in her last moments. No one that would mourn over the person running in the dark.

Bare feet were hurting as the ginger-haired woman ran through the deep gloomy forest, her eyes constantly searching left to right, desperately trying to find a way to escape the unavoidable. Leaves scrunched beneath her, and the raw feeling of the snowy earth send shivers down her spine.

Regrettably, caring about such insignificant things were the least of her worries as the sound of clapping horse hooves was getting louder and louder.

The young woman knew looking back towards her followers would seal her fate, not only for her but so many others.

Escaping them seemed to be impossible, every turn she took only bought them closer. An indescribable pain ran through her left thigh, but she could not stop now, she was so close. Only a little bit further and she would have escaped them.

Dark red liquid poured down into the pure snow and her footprints, leaving a trail as she kept on limping towards her freedom.

Without warning her feet buckled under her weight. The sole thing the woman could feel, as she tumbled down the hard forest ground, were the branches pulling at her hair, scratching her and the small bork pieces that kept sinking into her tender flesh.

The ginger-haired woman’s kind eyes felt heavy, the blood loss and constant running finally taking its toll.

But the only thing her mind wandered to were dark obsidian eyes lovingly staring down at her and warm embraces that used to make all of her fears disappear.

As she laid there helpless the three men kept closing in on her, merciless looking under every nook and cranny. Bringing up her last bit of strength, scarred terribly shaking hands grasped the earth beneath her in a last attempt to escape. The woman’s vision was hazy. Barley making out her surroundings she kept slipping in and out of consciousness. Now listening to the small sounds of sturdy boots getting louder, she slowly crawled towards her last hope of surviving: an old tree trunk. Letting herself rest against it, hidden from their sight, her breath came out short and hasty. The woman’s chest clenched as her heart put up the courage to finally take a look at her visible wound. A bullet was burning itself inside her leg from deep within. The unbearable pain that she felt as her nails plugged inside the open bleeding flesh made her want to scream in agony.

It was hard motivating her body to not give up on her as her vision faded over and over again. The young woman knew her body would not endure the pain much longer, but she had to; she could not abandon him, not after all these years. Gradually pulling the bullet out of her body, concentrating on not making a sound, made her careless as she failed to notice her pursuers inching closer to her hideout.

Now that the bullet was finally gone, blood gushed out in long thick streams. Her relieve was short lived as she committed the most mindless mistake of her entire life: she called for him, wishing for a miracle.

 A distance away, a deep scratchy voice called out for his companions, having finally determined her location. Ragged breaths increased as she slapped her hand over her own mouth and shut her eyes out of fear. Silently she prayed that her savior would rescue her once again, even though she knew her prayers would remain unanswered.

Her time was running out, and she was torturously aware of that. A painful sting ran through her scalp as she was harshly jerked upwards. The young woman's body was too exhausted to fight back as the man kept her captivated. Two silhouettes stepped forward, smiling as they imagined the fear reflecting in her radiant light blue eyes that resembled the sky and silk sash of the royal bloodline.

She could barely make out the look of the two silhouettes as her vision failed her once again. That moment she knew, her life was not hers anymore, it laid within the hands of her adored saints.

 As they came towards her slight frame the snow seemed to melt after every step they took. An ironic warmth wrapped itself around the red heads body and blinded her fear, transforming it into a gentle feeling of acceptance.

Not long after, they stopped. Mockingly looking down at the traitorous human right before them.

Both fit perfectly into the scenery, covered in mud, leaves and every dirt that laid underneath the snow. It was well deserved, she thought; at least she made them struggle. The person who stood before her possessed similar hands to the ones captivating her. He was immensely large and bulky in comparison to the other man beside him, who stuck out like a sore thumb. Brilliant colors were the other persons way of presenting his noble heritage. She could not manage to make out every detail of his checkered west or his expensive sash that clearly showed his superior status, but she would always remember his eyes. His beautiful ocean blue eyes that glimmered like he just received the most extraordinary gift he had ever been gifted.

Hot salty tears stung as they ran down her once smooth face while she kept on thinking about all the horrid things they could do to her, and it only got worse the longer she thought about them.

His delighted grin grew as her fear finally rose above the surface; happy the handsome man could grasp her trembling beneath his eyes.

Eagerly he took three large confident steps towards her cowering frame, now crouching down to her height. Gently he grabbed her chubby chin between his elegant fingers and twisted her head upwards, facing his own. Tilting his youthful face towards the shell of her ear, he whispered in a pleasant voice glazed with honey but poisoned with amusement and a hollow soul.

„Got you little dove“

Written in 2021. Do not copy, translate or reposte without my permission

Hello! I hope you enjoyed the prologue, even though it propably could have been longer. I again apologize for all my spelling and grammer mistakes, as you know English is not my natice language, but I tried to erase as many mistakes as possible.

If you find any mistakes, please make sure to inform me of them!

Dark Blood And Light (Pt.1)

(SNEAK PEAK) (Aleksander Morozova/ The Darkling x OC)

Summary: Looking back at the time before the era ‚Sun Summoner‘, to a childhood in an orphanage in Kermazin.

Tags: hurt, childhood, mean adults, food, abuse, fear, nostalgia

W/c: 6.7K

A/n: The first chapter is partly (mostly) written from a narrators point of view. In the following chapters there will probably be paragraphs that are partly written from that point of view as well, but the majority will be from my protagonists kind of views.

~–~

Part One: Before the Beginning

During the short warming summertime, you'd most likely find all three of them huddled together under the hot sun, letting the warm summer breeze sway through their hair as they laid, hidden from unwanted guests, in their meadow. Sometimes after they completed the many chores they`d go into the forest hunting or swam in the refreshing cold water of the rivers. However most of their time was spend near the orphanage they grew up in.

The orphanage, as it was known to the children, had been the mansion of Duke Kermazov, an older man who found his passion in providing homeless children with a second chance for a better life.

It would have been unusual to see the tired looking Duke in his old house, considering he'd rather stay in his house in Os Alta. He'd never say much against the children playing behind his old mansion that was now considered an orphanage, thus stopping the housekeeper Ana Kuya from lecturing the three for straying too far away from their home during the summer.

It also happened to be a reason why Alina liked that time of year the most, aside from her favorite flowers being in bloom. She loved that with his arrival, there was no stopping her and her friends to experience a new adventure, that waited them around every corner. Now that Alina was older, she enjoyed looking back onto those precious memories, a time when everything had been far easier for her than it is now.

Coming Sunday, October 17th @ 9pm CEST

Dark Blood And Light (Pt.1)

(Grishaverse, Aleksander Morozova / The Darkling x OC)

SUMMARY: Looking back at the time before the era Sun Summoner, to a childhood in a orphanage in Kermazin.

TAGS: hurt, childhood, mean adults, food, abuse, fear, nostalgia

PAIRING: Aleksander Morozova / The Darkling x OC

W/c: 6.7k

A/n: The first chapter is partly (mostly) written from a narrators point of view. In the following chapters there will probably be paragraphs that are partly written from that point of view as well, but the majority will be from my protagonist’s kind of view.

All translations at the end of the chapter are from an internet webside. I do not speak russian, so if I by accident said something inappropiate or insulting, please tell me immediantly!

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PREVIOUS . 1 | CHAPTER . NEXT

Part One: Before the Beginning

In the beginning everything was black, uncontrollable darkness that swirled around my body and covered me like a second skin. There was no light, only an endless void of nothingness. I can still remember what it felt like. Maybe I might have forgotten it over the years. I mean what it felt like.

Indescribable heat had creeped up my legs towards my lower abdomen and then slithered upwards to my chest. My skin blistered underneath the darkness as smoke had filled my lungs. My body clung to its last bit of strength, struggling to dispose of the toxins, but only to be met by more. I remember fighting against the pain under the heavy darkness that kept me in place. The screams that had wanted to cry for help was something that never came over my lips as if deep down I had known fighting against something that cannot be controlled was a waste of time.

The unceasing blistering continued to feed on my already painfully raw skin. I wanted it to stop. It hurt. It hurt so much. My body twisted as it tried to escape the darkness, but every time I felt it loosen its grip, it only resulted in coming back tighter and stronger than before.

Even though fighting appeared to be hopeless my body didn’t accept its fate. My mind, on the other hand, already found peace in the suffocating silence. In the silence that would have been my eternity. Its clutches pulled me deeper into the furious inferno that I now called my own. It felt horrible, but at the same time like a long-forgotten dream. The painful heat grew hotter and hotter until my vision went white and the only thing my eyes were able to make out were the colors of white and blue. What have I felt back then?

I remembered, at least I did back then. Or have I already forgotten how my heart had cried out for something? What was it again that I felt? I can't remember. Why can't I remember?

__________

Drenched in sweat a young girl's alert eyes flew open in a fit of panic. Her voice betraying her with profound silence as her mind caught up with the rest of her body. Two small hands tightly gipped the light scratchy bedding below as her eyes hastily sought around the tiny room she had slept in. Her radiant skin felt raw against her searching hands, who naturally wanted to get rid of the still burning feeling from her dreams. Fresh winter air swayed against her, but only reminded her of the darkness that continued to surround her. The darkness of her room terrified her, and the voice that had once betrayed her finally found a way to escape. Moments later a blood curling scream left the girls throat as she mistook the safe walls around her with the living nightmare that had felt so real inside her unconscious dreams.

Heavy footsteps heaved against the marble floors, rushing towards the odd sound. Candle lights illuminated the plain room and four people came rushing in. Multiple hands held the girl down, but that only made her struggle more and more, convinced that in a matter of seconds everything would come to an end. An older looking woman stepped forward; a small syringe laid within her rough shaking hands. Wanting to quickly end what played out before her own eyes she, without a second thought, came rushing towards the small girl’s frame. As the youngling kicked and screamed her soul out of her lungs, the elder woman forcefully plugged the needle near the girl’s heart. She hoped the sedatives would soon work their way through her blood system.

Slowly the young girl's screams died, barley being able to stay awake she fell into a peaceful slumber.

__________

Maybe it had been fate that a few years later the young girl met her two most trusted companions.

Neither of the two girls were per say popular inside their small community or at least the place where it came closest to one, considering the majority of the proclaimed “community” consisted of children. If both were to speak about their honest thoughts, you'd quickly realize that neither felt like they truly belonged. Both were often called out for many things, their actions, their behavior, but most of the time their looks in general. The younger one of the two had been far too skinny for people liking and on top of that was often mistaken for a Shu, which only brought her more mockery. The other girl had been no better, she was in no way extraordinary pretty, not like others in their small village. Had it not been for her many flaws one would most likely find her beautiful, but as always that image would quickly falter once one looked more closely at her frail neck. A long deep nasty scar went around her lovely neck, a mark many often mistook for a bad omen, typically resulting in people staying far away from the red head.

The only one of the three that could be considered liked or at least normal had been the lad that was often spotted with both outcasts. He had stayed with them and tried to endure every piece of mockery, taunt, that was thrown their way. Knowing how boys his age where he couldn't keep his mouth shut for long, a trade that people admired and hated at the same time. Referring to him as a brat, because he stood up for his two beloved friends, quickly became a norm for the elders that watched the trio as they grew older with each passing year.

During the short warming summertime, you'd most likely find all three of them huddled together under the hot sun, letting the warm summer breeze sway through their hair as they laid, hidden from unwanted guests, in their meadow. Sometimes after they completed the many chores they`d go into the forest hunting or swam in the refreshing cold water of the rivers. However most of their time was spend near the orphanage they grew up in.

The orphanage, as it was known to the children, had been the mansion of Duke Kermazov, an older man who found his passion in providing homeless children with a second chance for a better life.

It would have been unusual to see the tired looking Duke in his old house, considering he'd rather stay in his house in Os Alta. He'd never say much against the children playing behind his old mansion that was now considered an orphanage, thus stopping the housekeeper Ana Kuya from lecturing the three for straying too far away from their home during the summer.

It also happened to be a reason why Alina liked that time of year the most, aside from her favorite flowers being in bloom. She loved that with his arrival, there was no stopping her and her friends to experience a new adventure, that waited them around every corner. Now that Alina was older, she enjoyed looking back onto those precious memories, a time when everything had been far easier for her than it is now.

Thinking back, her most treasured memory would have to be around the summertime of her sixth birthday, at least from what she could still remember of her time in Kermazin.

At the time, Mal and herself had got to be around five, nearly six, while their older friend had to be around eight. To be honest Alina was not sure how old Anna had been back then, maybe two or three years older she guessed, but it didn't matter anyhow.

Silently they had pulled off their old, hardened shoes and tip toed down the marble staircase, careful to not make a sound. Sneaking towards the old mahogany door had been nerve wracking, since none of them wanted to run into Ana Kuya, knowing they'd receive a lecture for leaving without permission on her part. When they had been children, the door that led outside the orphanage had looked so large and heavy, which as she knew now wasn't the case. Back then Alina had feared, that standing before the door meant that their plans had miserably failed. But the again she was proven wrong as Anna pulled out the key, unlocked the door and pushed it open. Slyly they swept through the small creek and rushed downhill towards the bustling village they lived in. All three of them were so excited that at some point one of them tripped and they had started to roll down the little dune. Grass stained their clothes, but melodic laughter rang through their midst as they simply enjoyed being one with nature. At the end of the hill, all of them laid flat on their backs, arms and legs stretched out in every possible direction, as they caught their breaths. Although considering they couldn't stop themselves from laughing it had proven to be a difficult task.

Once regaining their breaths, the trio had strolled further to their destination, grins plastered onto their young faces. The memory of holding each other’s hands to not get lost within the steadily growing crowd brought out a smile from Alina. She remembered how warm Anna’s hand had felt holding onto her much smaller one and how distracted she had been by everything she laid eyes on.

The delicious smell of freshly baked bread and the heavy yet calming smell of blooming Gerbera flowers had hung in the refreshing morning air. Smelling those had both eased her nerves but at the same time had undoubtedly made all of their stomachs growl with fierce hunger. Embarrassed she had persistently tried to hide the fact that even she felt the need to find the source of the heavenly smell. Both Anna and Mal had laughed hysterically at her antics and afterwards often reminded her of it.

As they pushed their way towards the old bakery, to which they were originally headed to, Alina hadn't been able to oppress the need to get closer to the older girl as the growing crowd kept pushing them from left to right. She had had a strong grip on her friend’s hand and had been scared to get lost, but once the smell grew stronger her fear faded away as well and was replaced with a childish giddiness.

In a small matter of time, they had finally reached the tiny bakery called “the bird’s nest“ named after a saint that once thrived through their small village centuries ago. Like every child her age Alina had absolutely adored the saints, the ones she'd later on forget about. Her giddiness had only grown once she came to realize the saint the bakery was entitled after, had been her favorite for various reasons. Back then Alina had always begged Anna to read her story to her, in secret of course. It had remained their secret for many years, since Ana Kuya did not take to kindly about them, thinking the saints were once Grisha or as she called them 'witches'.

In the story Alina had adored the saint, that took the form of a woman but was never given an exact name. She has remained unknown for most of her life, but was adored in every village she had lived in. The drawing of her had to be her most favored thing about the small book. The saint stood in the center of the page with closed eyes, arms held out before her figure, a halo glowed behind her ginger hair and flowers fell downwards to her naked feet. Unlike most pictures hers showed neither any animal nor any tragic death, maybe that had also been a possible reason why Alina genuinely liked her story, because it had ended well.

Most ravkan published editions of the small red book and her story never mentioned her official name and so she was given the title 'the nameless saint'. Although in the far west of Ravka there corresponded rumors of a rare copy with her actual name in it. As an innocent child the though excited her, to go and find the lost copy herself, but later concluded it would be impossible to instantly find a single copy all alone. But the sole reason behind her passionate adoration and childhood dream had been her sincerely believe, that the nameless saint had been watching over Alina her whole life till that point, however she had quickly dismissed the thought at an older age.

Once they finally stood in front of the peculiar bakery, it had appeared to be a farfetched dream and Alina had had to pinch her arm in order to believe she did not dream of coming here again. The bakery was truly peculiar, it was similar to an old stone cottage but at the same time was not actually one to begin with. To be quite honest the only actual thing Alina remembered about the bakery was the sign. The sign her big doe eyes starred up at. The fancy metal sign of a bird’s nest with a small bird above the front door had looked extremely breathtaking in her eyes.

Anna had happily pulled Alina and Mal inside the already open door. Muggy air had hit them in the face, but it wasn't unpleasant, quite the opposite. The hefty smell of bread combined with the sweet sugary smell of pies, pastries and what not made the youngers mouth water. Both children had rushed forward trying to catch a glimpse of the rare goods they would never be able to afford with the little to no coins they were given by the orphanage.

If Alina said she couldn't remember what happened next, it would most definitely be a lie, she just tends to ignore the question resulting out of it.

As it was their turn to buy something, both kids had expected something small like a loaf of bread for all three of them to share. To their joyful surprise Anna had already ordered two heavenly smelling piroshkis* for each of them and had promptly pulled out a full bag of coins from her skirt pockets. She remembered how she had asked Anna how she had gotten so much but her only answer had constantly repeated inside Alina's mind. “It’s your birthday after all, isn’t it? And every single one of those should be celebrated, don’t you think?“ Anna had chuckled gleefully. Afterwards Alina's childlike mind didn’t think much more of it, after all no one else had cared about her as much as Anna eagerly did.

Throughout their walk back to the orphanage Mal had constantly whined that Anna had clearly shown favoritism as she’s never done that on his birthday. Both girls were only able to laugh merrily at his miserable attempts to get Anna to buy more piroshkis once he turned six years old.

Looking back at her childhood Alina cannot remember a happier birthday that she's ever had.

Surprisingly sneaking back into the orphanage without informing anybody had proved to be incredibly easy. There had been no one looking for them this early in the pleasant morning and so they tip toed towards their shared hide out under the grand staircase. After they had made sure nobody would call on them, they, to both Mal's and Alina's favor, dug into their still warm goods, that laid within their small hands.

It had probably tasted horrible compared to the bigger bakeries’ piroshkis in Os Alta, but for Alina there had never been something better than that first bite on her sixth birthday, where she had eaten her first piroshki.

Sometimes Anna’s melodic laughter still rings in her ears as she thought back to those moments, when her soft fingers had carefully wiped her mouth clean from the crumbs. Or when her gentle voice read to her at night or when she had laid next to her in order to calm her during the loud thunderstorms. Anna had been her rock; Alina had thought she’d never lose her. But she hadn't known better, she had been a naive child back then and she came to regret not appreciating those moments when she had been a child or noticing the signs sooner.

_____

Because a few days later, Alina had patiently waited for Anna's return. Like every night Anna would have carefully tucked her in bed and would have gently told her ravkan tales to lull her and Mal to sleep. Alina had waited eagerly, but there was still no Anna.

Anna had wandered around the cold dark corridor, trying to find the kitchen to steal something sweet in order to sufficiently satisfy her 'small' sweet tooth. Her small feet glided across the floor as she tried to orientate, which obviously wasn't one of her strengths.

Luckily she instantly found the kitchen door and snuck inside. Happily, she carefully took one of the chairs to climb up on and her hands began to fumble upon the cupboard surface. It took forever until she found what she had been looking for, the small chak-chak balls that Ana Kuya always made during this time of year.

Out of nowhere something grabbed her from behind and harshly pulled her off the chair she had been standing on mere seconds ago. Through the dark Anna couldn’t make out the youthful face or even the silhouette of the person that had practically kidnapped her, but she had been pretty sure it was Ana Kuya. She was certain she'd receive the biggest lecture of her young live and was already able to her caretakers nagging inside her head.

As they walked and walked farther down the long corridors the only light illuminating the two had been the full moon shining through the windows. The girl’s heart raced as she noticed the person, the woman that kept a tight grip on her arm was not Ana Kuya.

It had been Sister Eunice. A decent woman or in her case nun devoted to some kind of saint church near Kribirsk. She had come to them the day before Alina’s 'birthday' searching for asylum from a heavy rainstorm. And ever since she had laid eyes upon her, she had started to act strange to say the least. Anna knew she had followed them the day they went to the villages bakery and kept a close eye on them. Frightened the red head looked up at the woman.

The moment they had reached the music room and closed the door behind them it had been dead silent, a deafening silence had hung in the air. Sister Eunice back was turned towards the already nervous girl as she looked outside the huge window wall. Without warning Sister Eunice whipped around, her hand flying to Anna's left cheek, turning the pale cheek bright red. Swiftly after Anna was pulled into the woman's chest as she started to caresses Anna’s face with such fondness. It could only be described as motherly or rather lovingly. Something unknown to the girl, it had creeped her out, but she was too scared to move out of her grasp.

“Moi prekrasny iskupitel”** the woman had whispered as she rocked Anna’s and her body back and forth, evoking the picture of a fond mother calming her own child. It had genuinely frightened her more and every bone inside her small body had told her to get away from the nun holding her captivated. However, she still didn't dare move a single muscle. Anna was sure she would have already peed her pants if it weren't for her shock-state making her body freeze. She had never thought she'd fervently wish for Ana Kuya to catch her, to lecture her and save her from the most likely insane woman dressed in black.

Tears trickled down the woman's face and stained Anna’s nightdress as she kept her hold on the small girl, rocking back and forth. The nuns voice, sounding scratchy repeated a mantra over and over again, as she had yet to let go of the red-headed girl.

The words “iskupitel”*** “nakazaniye”**** repeated themselves from her lips. The young girl didn't know what it meant, but it didn`t matter as Sister Eunice`s voice grew louder each time the words left her lips. The moment the nun took a closer look at Annas face, that she squished between her soft long hands more and more tears started to stream down her face. Lovingly smiling down at Anna made a shiver run down her spine as it turned into the exact opposite once again.

The now emotionless, harsh facial expression had made Anna curl into herself. Her gentle hands felt clammy as her feet tumbled backwards while the woman practically pushed her away to stand up. Anna's behind fell onto the cold floor tiles and slightly scraped her elbows. Visible blood tripled down her fresh wounds.

Sister Eunice's heels clicked against the floor as she walked to the closet in the right corner of the music room. Harshly yanking the doors open her eyes roamed the many rows inside the tiny compartment. Letting her eyes linger on the young girl for a little bit longer she grabbed the thing she had been looking for.

Anna could barely see a thing but was able to hear the clicking of heels closing in on her. Terrified she scrambled backwards until her back hit the cold end of the wall. She tried crawling away as silently as possible but was stopped by the nun pulling her back by her struggling feet.

The young girl's hands were yanked forward, followed by brutal strokes that hit her delicate hands. Anna whimpered and cried under the painful feeling of hard wood hitting against her skin. She tried pulling away, but the woman's nails only dug deeper inside her tender flesh, preventing a possible escape. In a last attempt to free herself, she stretched her hand out and  slowly balled it into a fist.

Captivated Sister Eunice ogled her expression, bowed down and soft and gently petted her bruised cheek “chistyi”***** she softly whispered into Anna's ear. Finally letting go of her, Anna didn't waste any time to run as far away from the nun as possible.

The moment Anna returned to her sleeping chambers she tried to maintain her usual routine:

Tucking Alina into her bed, reading to her, and then going off to sleep herself. Acting as if nothing happened. In the end she had somehow lulled Alina and Mal to sleep, indulged in the warmth they had given her.

She had never told Alina or Mal about it, but to this day Alina regretted not seeing the signs sooner. The signs that had led Anna to be taken away from her years later.

__________

In one of the coldest winters Ravka had ever witnessed, storms raged and brought everybody into an uproar. The cold snow had suddenly fallen over night and covered everything from east to west, and as the days grew by the layers grew thicker and thicker making it impossible for people to escape their houses for a little bit of freedom. It had not been something out of the odds to experience such a harsh season, but for many children it had begun to be the most feared time of the year. The coldness would sneak up to their already chilled bodies. It seeped through the window creeks and laid upon them like the lifeless corpses that were often found during this time of year. For the most part, the ravkan citizens were able to prevent frostbite by simply wearing more clothing layers than usual, making all of them look like they've gained 100 pounds. But for facilities like the older orphanage upon the hill it has proven to be much more difficult, considering how many orphans lived there up until now. They had been most affected; they were trapped inside the walls of their home with no way of going out and only more chores to do. Even the teachers slumped from the beginning of the colder weather, choosing to end lessons and gloat themselves on a bottle of kvas. So instead of their usual teachers one of the older children, or at least a few selected, tried to uphold the lessons themselves. In other words, their time during the cold season was usually filled with three things: fear, exhaustion, and most of all death.

Many might not remember, due to being so young, but there was a time when they prayed for a lighter season every year right before it started, in hopes that their saints would fulfill their wishes and sometimes they did. Sometimes they did, but this specific year had not been one of those.

As the raging winter coldness kept on turning the colorless dead landscape into a breathtaking winter wonderland three figures road in slight, a troika, towards the far-off orphanage on the small hill. It was nothing outlandish; they had come every year, examining the children if one of them showed any signs of being one of them. Grisha examiners are what they were called, one of each order was present during the test. Nobody knew what exactly they were searching for, not like many of them cared anyway. Aside from that, up until now not many were even lucky enough to actually be a Grisha. Thus, the reason why they had stopped coming a few years prior, but apparently that did not sit right with their higher up and resulted in them coming back once again.

On the day of their arrival, three children, two girls and a boy, had been perched at the dusty window, trying to catch a glimpse of the mail coach, but instead were met with their delicate slight that was pulled by three large horses. The children obviously did not know who it had belonged to, at least not until they saw the three figures emerge from their ride. They were all dressed in fur hats and a heavy wool kefta, one in each color of their order: one in the color of crimson blood, one in a blue as dark as the depths of the ocean itself and one in the most vibrant purple similar to the sweet plums they used to eat during the festival in summer. Elegantly they heaved their bodies towards the once bright looking, but now rusted, old metal gate. With a flick of his hand the male in blue let the gates burst open, creating a dramatic entrance that they thought they deserved.

“Grisha!” exclaimed both girls in a whisper-yell.

“Quick!” said the boy.

Both girls unwillingly followed behind the boy, fearing they would get caught sneaking around by their caretaker Ana Kuya. They had been caught on several occasions and were not willing to live through another lecture of hers. Quickly all three ran as silent as mice down the long-stretched marble hallways. Pushing open the door to the music room, the boy and the girl rushed towards the column that overlooked the gallery where the Grisha examiners would most definitely be welcomed in. But as they rushed forward to hide behind the column, they failed to notice the scared look the older girl had in her eyes. She had known what would happen if one of them were to be tested and would turn out to be a Grisha and remembering the events a two years prior didn`t help in the slightest. Her hands shakingly clasped around her skirt as she made her way forward to stand behind her carefree younger friends. Hesitantly she casted her gaze downward over her friend’s shoulder.

Ana Kuya had already been there, she poured tea for her three new “honor” guests, her black dress framed her bird-like statue, and her face was pulled into a sneer as if trying to scare the examiners away from her home.

Unfortunately, neither children were able to make out the faces of the three silhouettes standing in Ana Kuya’s receiving room. The only thing sticking out were their extraordinary cloaks that kept their identity hidden, although they most likely did not need such dramatic get up to begin with.

A low woman's voice questioned firm if there were only three children to test this year. She wore red and sat with the handsome man in blue by the illuminating fireplace, watching the crackling flames as they burned the old woodblocks. The apparently youngest of the three, a blond man dressed in the vibrant purple kefta strolled around the enormously large receiving room, stretching his legs after the long ride. While he eyed the seemingly boring artwork on the walls, the young girl made the mistake of looking directly at his head as it turned towards her direction, catching her eyes with his. A smirk had creeped up his lips, but no words left them, he only put a finger in front of them to signal her to be silent and then turned towards his companions. Poor little girl believed her heart stopped for a second as he had caught her red handed, but luck was in her favor.

“Yes” answered Ana Kuya. Unsure of their reaction she continued “A boy and two girls. Except for one of the girls, they are one of our youngest, by quite a lot. About the age of eight and the other, the older one about the age of ten we believe.”

“You believe?” exclaimed the man sitting by the fireplace as he slowly stood up. Panic was written all over the housekeeper’s eyes whilst her words came out quivering “They were all found dirty and alone. What happened to their parents, we don't … ” A gentle hand placed itself on Ana Kuya`s shoulder and the woman dressed in red gently soothed her by slowing down her heartbeat, emphasizing that they understood the circumstances.

She felt it. She had heard it. The panic that had settled within Ana Kuya’s chest mere seconds ago before it had slowed.

“We greatly admire your institution, and it's cause. We only wish more of nobility would show this kind of compassion.” The woman admitted, immediately waltzing to her next question on what the three children, were like. Naturally Ana Kuya interpreted it completely wrong and listed their talents or their preferences, whilst indirectly taunting them as the woman interrupted her by repeated question, but this time while empathizing the last syllable like

.

Nervously all three bounced from one leg to the other, as the man in purple laid his chocolate brown orbs on the three troublemakers once again.

“They are listening to every word we say” snitched the man in purple, staring directly at their hiding spot behind the columns. Swiftly they all shrank behind their hideout and tried to ignore the fact that he knew they had listened to them from the very beginning. Ana Kuya`s voice lashed out like a whip. “Alina Starkov! Malyen Oretsev! Anna Sokolov! You three, come down here at once!”. The three children sank into themselves and cautiously made their way down the narrow spiral marble staircase towards the end of the gallery. Whilst they had reached the bottom of the staircase, their gaze was cast down, suddenly finding the old tiles of the gallery to be the most interesting thing. Awfully long they awaited they shrill lecture of their caretaker, but it had never gotten that far. Silently the woman in red approached the small children and gestured them forward with the tip of her boots clicking against the floor. “Do you know who or rather what we are?” the woman carefully asked as her steel grey hair fell into her perfectly framed face, making it the most beautiful the girls had ever seen.

“You’re witches!” blurted Mal.

Her face twisted into one of disbelieve and disgust snarling “Witches?” “Is that what you put into their heads in this institution? Lies and superstitions?” almost growling she now stood before Ana Kuya, piercing her with her hate filled glare.

Ana Kuya flushed at being exposed, embarrassed she turned her head away from them. The woman in red’s glare flashed towards Alina, Mal and Anna. All three of them visibly shivered and curled into one another, fearing she might commit murder the moment somebody said something. Her dark blazing, approximately deep brown, red eyes started down at them, displeased, maybe even annoyed and angry. “We are not witches! We are practitioners of the Small Science. We are the reason you are able to live in a safe country, a kingdom without having to worry about experiencing war.”

“As does the First Army” interjected Ana Kuya silently, unmistakably in a bitter undertone. The tension grew at the statement and the woman in red stiffened, but later on concluded “As does the King's Army.” Young Anna fiddled with her fingers, not quite believing either side, being one to witness firsthand that both and neither exclaimed the truth.

Years before they had come to test them; Anna had accidently encountered a group of Grisha herself, they had been the ones bringing her to this orphanage.

They were fascinating, and Anna had only been able to stare at them in amazement. However, that amazement quickly faded as she experienced them eliminating (to her) innocent people. The group had worn the same color as the beautiful Grisha-Examiner, that had lost her temper at Ana Kuya`s remark. Red had been the only color she saw that day, be it kefta or blood. It didn't matter as she ran away as fast as she could. It had felt familiar as she looked behind her and didn't see the body in front of her, making her collied with somebody extremely tall. Afraid she had buried her head against the stranger’s body in attempt to hide from the Grisha, unbeknownst to her the stranger had been one too. Gently he had patted her head and crouched down, consoling her as she cried.

After a while her tears had stopped flowing as the stranger's thumb had wiped them away from her eyes. He had not said anything and instead plugged a single flower from the ground giving it to her chuckling that strong girls like her shouldn't cry. Happily, she had taken it from his hand without hesitation, and her eyes had practically sparkled at the sight of the forget me nots. Slowly her eyes had wandered upward, and she took a closer look at the stranger, now noticing the black wool he wore as well as the black eyes that stared straight at her. Intimidated she stepped back, wanting nothing but to hide, but something had pulled her back as the stranger stretched his hand out towards her retreating form. Like a scared deer she had timidity walked closer. Nonetheless the stranger had been patient and stayed by her side as he watched her with soft eyes.

Anna remembered his hands grasping hers in his as he showed her his powers in order to make her fear disappear. Shadows had swirled around their hands and formed a flower similar to the one she had been holding all along. That had been the first day where a Grisha had proven to her that not all of them were out to kill. She had understood the deeper meaning behind them, after the stranger reasoned that they had done so to protect them. And even though her heart calmed, she has remained cautious by the mere sight of red-keftas, ever since she had witnessed what they were able to do.

Thus, it had been no surprise that Anna was the first one of the three to step back from the still fed- up woman, fearing there would come more.

Gently the young man in purple now began to kneel before the orphans and smiled. Softly he whispered, “When the leaves decide to change their colorful dress, do you mistake it with magic?” Or what about your steadily healing injuries? Do you call something magic that happens naturally like boiling a pot of water? Is what come’s natural for us such as breathing something to be feared?”. Both girls kept their mouths shut and silently looked up at him blinking their eyes, but Mal quickly shook his head as his eyes widened.

Alina narrowed her eyes at their friend and corrected that everybody was able to boil water, which in return made the man chuckle in response. Their mood brightened as they further asserted “ You're completely right, my dear. Anybody is able to boil water. But not everybody can master the Small Science. That`s the reason for our visit on this day, it's why we are here.”

Promptly the slender woman in red turned to Ana Kuya, waving her hand “Leave us alone” she gestured and reluctantly the housekeeper started to take her leave.

“Wait!” exclaimed Mal. “What happens if we're Grisha? What happens to us?” A question that had been burning on the tip of Alina's tongue the whole time, but Anna only stepped back from her loud friend. Grisha were rare nowadays, at least in Ravka and they were aware of it, but it still hurt as the woman in red mockingly looked down at them “If, by any small chance, one of you is Grisha, then that child will go with us back to Os Alta, where it will be given the chance to go to a special school and master their talent to its full potential.”

“You will receive the finest of cloths, finest food, like-minded people and whatever your heart desires shall be yours.” Interjected the handsome male dressed in vibrant purple as he held out his large hand towards their small ones. “Would you like that?” he curiously asked, belittling the younger children. Anna calmed a little, seeing the man wanted to include their decision, even though it probably did not matter to the other two Grisha who were staring at them. Heels clicked on the marble floor as Ana Kuya halted by the entrance door, her gaze hovering over her younglings. Her voice sounded scratchy as she told them it was the greatest honor to serve their current king and home. Instantly the woman in red agreed, gaze softening and willing to make peace with the woman that insulted them minutes ago.

One last time Ana Kuya took in the sight of all three, before she closed the heavy entrance door behind herself. Troublemakers, that’s what she had called Alina and Mal every time she complained to the cook, while hiding her secret love for all orphans she had taken care of over the many years she had already served Duke Kermazov. She would have been embarrassed to find out all three usually hid inside the cupboard and spied on her. At first it had only been a game for them, which it still is, but as time flew by it became more and more interesting hearing her late-night confessions. They swore one time they heard her admit that she had stolen the duke’s seal right under his potato nose. Although it shouldn’t have been such a big surprise considering she had once lived in Ketterdam.

Longingly Anna's eyes stayed on Ana Kuya’s retreating figure as the woman had quickly fled the gallery, knowing her presence would have only caused more problems to arise. None of the adult now paid any attention to the children as all three broke out into a heated argument about the fleeing woman, because if they did, they would have noticed the three of them clasping their hands together, desperately trying to find stability in the imminent test that was about to take place. Because if the Grisha had noticed they would have recognized the look that passed them. A look that Duke Kermazov knew all too well. He had seen it several times as he fought in the war, the eyes of people who had nothing left, but were willing to fight for the small things the war had left in their possession. He knew the look of a man fighting to defend his home with every ounce of energy he had left, with nothing but a mere stone clenched in his hand. If he had been there, things might have taken a different turn, but as always fate has its special way of messing with people.

* pironshki, a common fast food in Armenia and Azerbaijan. In Armenia it often contains a potato or seasoned meat filling.

** meaning: my beautiful redeemer

*** meaning: redeemer

**** meaning: punishment

***** meaning: clean, pure

Written in 2021. Do not copy, translate or repost without my permission.

Dark Blood and Light (Pt.2)

(SNEAK PEAK) (Aleksander Morozova/ The Darkling x OC)

Summary: Beginning a new life can be joyful and exiting but also turn for the worse in just the blink of an eye. Haunted by this Anna tries to live her life in peace, before it will shatter again.

Tags: trauma, carnations, fear, food, friendship, dorks

W/c: 6.5K

A/n: It’s honestly been so long since I have updated this story and I won’t lie I have finished the second chapter for a while now, but wasn’t happy with it until now. So I hope you will still enjoy reading it after so long :)

~-~

Part Two: A New Life

A few miles away from Kribirsk on the road Vy a young woman roamed around the landscape before her, taking in the sight of pure despair that had waltzed over this part of Ravka. The autumn breeze had swept through her long dark hair and the warm sun had warmed her in the steadily colder getting weather. Behind her a young man walked towards her and bumped his shoulder with hers, laughing he argued with the brunette who found it everything but funny, which only made his smile grow tenfold. Next thing she knew he had already disappeared into the huge crowd of soldier, caravans, carts, and wagons over the hill. Quickening her steps the young woman followed him, although she remained one of the last people to arrive in the valley leading straight to Kribirsk and thus to the shadow Fold. Mesmerized she had stopped in her tracks and looked upon the shadow Fold, speechless she continued to study the shapeless cloud that she had seen on maps so many times. But nothing could have compared to the actual Fold in front of her, no map could have grasped its darkness and the fear that instantly occurred the longer you starred at it. Many had called it the “Unsea”, a name that should encourage even the weakest soldiers and merchants, but not her.The young man came back and whispered something into her ear that made her turn around to his smiling face. It was obvious to those who looked close enough, that the woman was very much liking his attention, but never to the girls that interrupted them. Instantly the dark-haired woman’s mood turned sour, and both continued with their walk. The woman dreaded going into the Fold and hereby maybe making one of her biggest nightmares come true. She could only hope her travel would not turn out to be disastrous.

Coming Sunday, March 5th @ 9pm CET

Dark Blood And Light (Pt.2)

(Grishaverse, Aleksander Morozova / The Darkling x OC)

SUMMARY: Beginning a new life can be joyful and exiting but also turn for the worse in just the blink of an eye. Haunted by this Anna tries to live her life in peace, before it will shatter again.

TAGS: trauma, carnations, fear, food, friendship, dorks

PAIRING: Aleksander Morozova / The Darkling x OC

W/c: 6.5k

A/n: It’s honestly been so long since I have updated this story and I won’t lie I have finished the second chapter for a while now, but wasn’t happy with it until now. So I hope you will still enjoy reading it after so long :)

All translations at the end of the chapter are from an internet webside. I do not speak russian, so if I by accident said something inappropiate or insulting, please tell me immediantly!

Masterlist Dark Blood and Light Masterlist

PREVIOUS . 2 | CHAPTER . NEXT

Part Two: A New Life

Time, a concept that could easily be misunderstood. For time itself has no limit, so why had your time suddenly run out? I never found the answer, for I could not accept your cruel fate, believing there had to be something I could have done to save you from your blazing end.

Would you have answered me if you were still there? I had screamed your name at the top my lungs, but I was never able to hear your angelic voice again. But in the end my most sorrow was brought upon daylight, when I had realized what your last words were to me. And I will, until the end of time, keep them locked within my heart that burns to avenge your death.

__________

Coldness enveloped me the moment I had taken a step towards the small, deserted city. Most of my limbs were burning and yelling desperately for me to take a small break. But I knew if I had listened to this sirens call, my body would have fallen into a never-ending sleep of nothingness. I had clung to my last piece of hope that kept me going through the icing winter storm. Tears had run down my once soft and rounded cheeks, but those tears had instantly frozen once making contact with the icy wind. Exhaustion had begun to settle within my acing bones, while I continued heaving my body forward towards a hopefully better place. My mind was barley hanging onto my last bit of consciousness the further I dragged myself away.

Questions had and still fill my mind every once in a while, dark thoughts I would have never dreamed I could develop. Thousand things coursed through my already weakened mind creating a never-ending turmoil of emotions, that begged me to stop and screamed at me to finally give in and let myself succumb to the bitterness of the winter coldness. But even then during the constant banging against my head, I had continued to walk along the path leading to the city, even though I knew I would never make it there.

The violent winds grew stronger each second and kept sweeping me away, pushing my body from left to right. Had it not been for the storm, I would have probably been mistaken for a drunkard that had just come from a local bar. And as the wind grew even rougher and viciously, my warmth began to disappear as well, filling every fiber of my being with coldness. In a last attempt to keep myself warm I had desperately rubbed my hand against my arms, although I knew it would never be enough.

The horrible weather, made it impossible to hear even the loudest noises and even worse took away my vision all in one. The ongoing whiteness of the landscape around me never ceased and soon brought me to the point of madness. I always remembered it as my very own walk through the abyss, the wind howling against my ears like hungry wolfs awaiting my demise and even then through all this pointless journey the sheer beauty of it all amazed me.

 One step… two steps… three ste-

 Stumbling over my own feet, my body had finally decided to give up, that this fight for survival was not worth it anymore. A heavy weight fell from my shoulder as I had fallen first face into the thick layer of snow.

It appears my body, other than me, had long since accepted the cruel reality that would  crush my mind beneath its gigantic weight as well, knocking the last bit of air out of my burning lungs.

Years prior to this I had already given up on believing in our Saints. That they were actually there and would protect us if we fall, but at this moment I had wished so much that they were actually real. They would have helped me. But there was no one in sight and I was left alone in this world once again. I knew, no one would come to my aid, rescuing the girl before it finally froze to death. No one except myself was insane enough to walk through this hazard snowstorm.

Slowly I had slightly turned my head to the side as the screaming in my head grew louder and louder. But as I watched the beautiful snowflakes falling from the darkened sky, its fragile body settling onto my hand I felt a sense of tranquility within me, banishing the voices inside my head completely. My heavy eyelids tried to close themselves and for a short while I had though, it’s okay to rest, you’ve pushed yourself far enough, a little break wouldn’t be so bad. But I knew better.

Once I’d close my eyes I would never open them again, never see the world with my own eyes. I would be far away from here, which didn’t seem so bad, yet I couldn’t stop thinking of Alina and Malyen, their small hands whipping across their snotty noses as they cried and cried upon hearing of my descending to the other side.

Although, how would they even get to know about it. No one here or somewhere else knew who I was, where I came from or what I had been doing here in the first place. I was just another child that had been stupid enough to walk into the worst snowstorm that Ravka had ever seen. Of course, that wasn’t the case at all, but for others it didn’t matter anyway, after all it’s not uncommon.

And though I knew a message of me taking my last breath would never reach the two children, the thought of them going through it broke something within my heart.

Building up my last piece of strength I heaved my body to lay on my back, face looking at the dark clouded sky, observing the entrancing snowflakes cascading from it down to earth. How could a fragile thing like this bring me down onto my knees? It was almost laughable seeing them now gently fall onto my hands, while the wide mass of them continued to wipe painfully harsh across my face as the storm raged around my lying body. Little by little I lifted my arm and reached out to the elegant ice crystals, only to watch them slowly melt within my hands. Normally it would have not taken so long for them to melt, but my once warm and rosy colored fingers had already begun turning blue almost white by now. They had once held a lovely contrast to the cold white snowflakes but seeing both my fingers and the snowflakes hold such cold lonely colors I swore it was a frighteningly beautiful sight to see. Especially once I saw the ice building itself around my blue finger. I had tried moving them, but aside from numbness reaching out to me there was nothing. Absolutely nothing. I couldn’t feel them anymore, couldn’t move them like I wanted to anymore, they only remained stuck in one place making them look like an exquisite painting.

Time and time again my vision became blurry, slowly losing touch with reality. From head to toe everything felt numb against the sharp winds. And as I continued gazing at the white horizon I thought of a fairy tale I was once told about by Ana Kuya.

The story of Snezhnaya Koroleva, the snow maiden. It might have been an old wife’s tale, but thinking that she had even helped a small boy, who became nasty through the mirror shard being stuck inside his heart, made me fantasize. I had probably never been as good as I thought I was, no one ever is. And so, I thought, what if the snow maiden dressed in pure white and beautiful shades of blue would come to my rescue as well? Maybe she’d warm me with her white fur coat, kiss my head with her cold lifeless lips and whisper soothing words into my ear. Maybe she would have spared me great kindness once she’d realize I was just as cold as she was feeling. Would she have taken me away with her even though her heart was cold as ice itself ? Maybe. I would have been sitting in her ice slight that would have been pulled by the most breathtaking white horses. The snow maiden as cold as she was would have freed me from this horrible storm one way or another.

And as I gazed at my finger, I though how exciting it would have been if the woman would have actually shown up to warm my fragile looking body. Because soon after, darkness had slowly clouded my vision as black dots had begun to appear around me. My mind had been quiet for a while, having accepted what was about to happen as my eyelids finally stopped struggling against the pull of closing my tried eyes. Maybe seeing something so beautiful before everything would forever stand still for me was something meant to be, something that was meant to happen in order for me to finally look at life differently and for me to understand what he had gone through all this time, slowly dying inside as everything around you kept moving on.

__________

Walking through the small city of Kribirsk had never been beautiful or the most welcoming. The majority of people had left the city to die eons ago and only a few selected had remained there. It was truly depressing as you stepped foot into the narrowed streets of the city. Not a single light illuminated the passages where the sun had long since abandoned them and everything had succumbed to a never fading black. Wind would howl against your sensitive ears as you’d walk further down the grey badly paved streets. Every once in a while you’d tumble over on the empty streets as you would step into an enormous pothole and then curse the saints for making you fall into it. And as you’d walk further and further into the center of Kribirsk the buildings that once represented the most beautiful colors, would fade more and more into a dull and dirty beige grey. Huge and small cracks decorated their façade, people had given up on pretending everything had been alright. They had all begun to let go over their last pieces which would soon crumble completely into an enormous pile of ash. So, it was definitely not uncommon for many facades to consist of many different things to keep it together, like hanging a huge blanket over a whole that had once been a window, Anna always tended to compare them to patchwork carpets.

But like many citizens, most buildings were still in no good shape and were basically held together by the mere faith that was slowly but surely disappearing too.

As for the people of Kribirsk themselves, they tended to be rather secluded when it came to newcomers. Although you’d guess they’d be more outgoing when it came to them by now, considering many travelers had come to stay there over the decades. But regarding the people you would have to out them in two different categories, maybe three. There were a good majority that lived far away from the border at the far outskirts, where light was still met with gratitude and joy. Consistent of staying at least friendly they’d gladly welcome anybody with open arms, that is if you didn’t belong to one of the Grisha orders. And even though you were welcome with open arms you’d still be able to recognize the antagonizing pain that hid beneath their friendly appearance. And as you would ascend further into the city the scenery would get duller as well. Anna would say many would clearly recognize thus by noticing the thick heavy air that was scattered by various scents. Dirty smelling smoke rose from old houses into the sky, then settled withing the narrowing streets and made place for an even more gruesome sent that had your nose scrunch up in disgust.

Tattered sometimes moldy cloths hung on frail bodies, sewn together with a lousy thick garden thread, many souls slurring down the streets tumbling over their own feet, barley being able to stand up straight, begging for a loaf of bread or something more pleasant, those were pictures you’d witness the further you had moved towards the inner circle of the tiny city. Those were the other people, the other side of Kribirsk, poor and hungry, trying to make ends meet with no hope left for change. Soldiers, merchants or just by passers wouldn’t take a second glance at those people, ignoring the city’s condition and focusing on the huge black mas ahead of them. And as the conditions grew worse the further you’d step forward, the more outsiders ignored the actuality before them, too blinded by their own fear. The fear that made every bone in your body shudder with fright. Maybe it had been this fear or the citizens of Kribirsk that made the way towards the harbor appear like walking towards your own death sentence.

Whatever it might have been it made the primal instinct to flee even more urgent than before.

__________

Heels clacked upon making contact with the distantly paved roads leading towards the inner circle of the city. Click! Clack! …. Click! Clack! The noise barely noticeable above the screeching voices of merchants trying to sell their goods to naïve tourists and newcomers. Like sea guls they’d gather around the only place where they knew they’d be able to still their nagging hunger. “Hey, you! Wouldn’t ya like bones? From Sankta Lizabetha, dug them out myself!” shouted one man, while another kept boasting about his great hunting skills and tried to foist one tiny rabbit worth fourteen times it’s actual value to a young blonde. The ginger haired woman could only roll her eyes at those antics, as if they thought they could fool every single one of them, she giggled at the thought. It was quite ridiculous to see people getting scammed so easily just to satisfy their own greedy needs. She knew it was bad, but it wasn’t exactly her responsibility to begin with, so she turned her gaze away from the stalls and continued with her walk.

After a near decade of a never endings cycle hearing the merchants endless ranting, the woman finally arrived at her destination … Click!...Clack! Her footsteps stopped. Soothing teal and rose wood greeted her eyes as they traveled towards her own booth. Slowly pacing she roamed towards it until taking notice of a shadow leaning against it. “What in heavens name are you doing here malenkiy krolik*?” demanded a harshly soft-spoken voice. “Just the usual. Waiting.” the shadow answered. Frowning the woman creased her eyebrows and testily asked why. “To annoy you, what else.” Answered a deepish amused voice. Sighing the ginger haired woman stepped forward flicking the shadow or rather the boy on his forehead. “Ow” he cried out dramatically “How cruel, and to your own friend! How will I live with this betrayal” as he balled both of his hands together into one giant fist. “Oh, the agony!” he laughingly wailed and moved his hands towards his chest imitating a knife stabbing him through his heart. Sinking down onto one knee and then falling onto his back, the boy closed his eyes and stuck his tongue out at the side of his mouth. “Goodbye cruel world”. No longer being able to hold it in any longer both burst into a fit of laughter that echoed through the streets. “You … idiot!” said the woman between laughter as she looked at him lying in a mixture of mud and soggy snow. Japing he propped himself up and stretched his arms wide “Well, won’t you give me your biggest bear hug?” he asked grinningly while slowly walking to said woman. “Oh no no no, you stay away.” “Now, come on! I heard mud is supposed to be good for the skin, don’t you want to try it out?” teased the man trying to catch the running ginger. Arms indulged the woman and heaved her up from the ground hugging her from behind. “Got you” he mockingly whispered into her ear shell.

__________

A few miles away from Kribirsk on the road Vy a young woman roamed around the landscape before her, taking in the sight of pure despair that had waltzed over this part of Ravka. The autumn breeze had swept through her long dark hair and the warm sun had warmed her in the steadily colder getting weather. Behind her a young man walked towards her and bumped his shoulder with hers, laughing he argued with the brunette who found it everything but funny, which only made his smile grow tenfold. Next thing she knew he had already disappeared into the huge crowd of soldier, caravans, carts, and wagons over the hill. Quickening her steps the young woman followed him, although she remained one of the last people to arrive in the valley leading straight to Kribirsk and thus to the shadow Fold.

Mesmerized she had stopped in her tracks and looked upon the shadow Fold, speechless she continued to study the shapeless cloud that she had seen on maps so many times. But nothing could have compared to the actual Fold in front of her, no map could have grasped its darkness and the fear that instantly occurred the longer you starred at it. Many had called it the “Unsea”, a name that should encourage even the weakest soldiers and merchants, but not her.

The young man came back and whispered something into her ear that made her turn around to his smiling face. It was obvious to those who looked close enough, that the woman was very much liking his attention, but never to the girls that interrupted them. Instantly the dark-haired woman’s mood turned sour, and both continued with their walk.

The woman dreaded going into the Fold and hereby maybe making one of her biggest nightmares come true. She could only hope her travel would not turn out to be disastrous.

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Pale hands softly stroked the lush petals of a bright yellow flowers only to lay them down onto the rose wood counter and to pick up the next flower in her reach. The soothing smell of various flowers blended together and brought forth a mesmerizing smile. Her hands worked quickly on cutting the stems, making sure her precious colorful friends would survive a little longer. “A-Achoo!” the loud sneeze brought her back from the world she had been in mere seconds ago. “Remind me, why can’t you sell something else? You know how I react to them.” the boy from earlier complained. Scoffing the ginger replied “Well, to be honest whose idea was it to begin with again malenkiy krolik **?”. A defeated look crossed upon his face as he began to mumble to himself how stupid and mean the woman in front of him was. This only made the ginger head laugh out loud and shake her head in the process. “Hey! No need to laugh! And to think I was so kind to bring you Pirozhki***. Guess it’s all for me then.” he said teasingly while slowly starting to walk away. Abruptly she stopped her laughter and stood still, unmoving before hastily sprinting after him. “Wait!” she called out and grabbed the back of his dark leather like jacket. “You know I didn’t mean it like that.” Humming the boy smiled while still having his back turned towards her. Staying in silence the girl decided to hug his back, searching with her eyes where he had hidden the amazing treat she craved. Freeing himself from her grasp he laughingly turned around and held the Pirozhki over her head, waving. “Where you perhaps looking for this?” he said mockingly and kept waving it closer and closer to her face. Pouting the woman jumped up and tried to snatch the treat from his grasp without success. After many fruitless attempts Anna only crossed her arms underneath her chest and stomped back towards her stall, seemingly angered. Perplexed the boy jogged after her until he stood beside her “Come on Anna, don’t pout.” Ignoring him she went behind her stall again and began working on her flower display. He absolutely hated it when she did that, just to get a rise out of him. Guiltily the brunette rubbed his head in frustration, knowing he had no other option “Fine. Here you can have mine too, just don’t ignore me.” He said while holding out both portions. Grinning to herself proudly she snatched them out of his cold hands and happily began to munch on the first one. “And that is how you make efficient business” she said grinning with a full mouth and began to tend to her shop once again. “Yeah, yeah you got what you wanted.” mumbled the boy under his breath, acting angry. From the corner of his eye, he saw Anna and a small smile traced his lips. Satisfied he quickly bid her goodbye and began to walk away. “I’ll see you later Yuri!” she called out to him as he waved his arm above his head gesturing his reply.

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Two young soldiers trying to distract themselves before their journey wandered through the dim market of Kribirsk. Their shoes had already sunken into the muddy roads as they made their way through the gathering crowd. In all honesty Kribirsk wasn’t much to look at in the first place, too many taverns and pubs passed by the two. Not many other shops that caught their interest, there were the occasional shops that sold weaponry to defend yourself in the fold, the bone sellers and Alina was sure along the way there were a few brothels as well. Probably the only two things that stood out from the city were the whitewashed church in the middle of the town square and a small flower shop at the end of the trail towards the harbor of skiffs. Well, maybe it had not been so surprising to see the church, praying before the crossover probably wasn’t such a bad idea. But Alina had never been an overly religious person, and she surely wouldn’t start now, even though praying sounded pretty tempting at the moment. She hadn’t been able to sleep for the last few days, and it only gotten worse the closer the crossover day neared. Dreading her journey however had only been partly reason for her anxiousness, she had a feeling she couldn’t quite place right and it scared her. Sensing her fear her companion Mal spoke “Stop worrying already. They won’t even notice you there, and if they attack maybe they’ll take a look a Mikhail and see that juicy belly of his and leave us alone.” he jokingly tried to lighten the mood. Disturbed Alina glanced at him “I was kidding no one will eat him” “I know, you’re hilarious, ha ha ha” she replied sarcastically. Gently he pulled her to his shoulder and whispered that she’ll never be alone in this mess, because she has him at her side. Pulling each other forward they made their way further through the growing crowd. Smiling she walked alongside him “Oh! Her majesties spirits have been restored” Mal called out dramatically. Ticked of by his comment Alina turned to give him a punch, until she heard the repeating sound of clattering hooves and the many joyful shouts around them. Mal quickly yanked Alina from the side of the road making her crash into the stall behind her, destroying it in during her fall. Disorientated Alina tried to get up, only to notice another woman beside her with fiery ginger hair, brushing of the dirt from her dress. Before Alina could even begin to apologize both women’s attention was captured by the by-passing carriage, neither caring about the stall anymore.

Large black horses as intimidating as the fold itself dragged an even larger carriage behind them. Both women swore they had never been so fascinated, as they saw the coal black coach quickly passing by and everyone immediately knew whom it belonged to. The Darkling. Everyone was obvious to the fact that THE darkling sat right behind these doors with his personal guards on his track. Anna sat unmoving, following the carriage with her eyes as it grew smaller in the distance. She could hear her rapid heartbeat amongst the others around her and an unsettling feeling grew in the pit of her stomach as she saw the carriage stop near the huge black mass they called the “Unsea”. A strange dark familiar pull made its way towards her heart and the pressure of a million rocks upon it returned to her after so many years. It had terrified her back then as it does now and as much as she tried to blend out the quiet heartbeats that came from the place she feared the most, she wasn’t able to do it now that she had felt this familiar pull again. The heartbeats drummed inside her head, and it only worsened the moment she laid eyes upon the second coach that passed by herself and the unknown woman. Crimson red, like blood. With wide opened eyes she starred at it, too frightened to do anything else. Subconsciously her mind blared at her to run for cover and get away from them as quickly as she could, but her body remained paralyzed. Annas ears throbbed blaring out any noise except their heartbeats. They were loud, far too loud now. Panic arose in her, numbing her mind. Her nail dug into her own arm, trying to find solid ground until red spilled out beneath her nails. It didn’t bother her, the aching pain distracted her. But the closer the crimson color moved towards her the more she began shivering, screaming inside her head for her body to move until it would be too late. But her own body had different plans and refused. Breathing began to become hard as if her lungs forgot how to breath for a minute. Anna held the air inside her lungs for longer than she had to, until they had moved away no air had escaped. And the moment her body listened to her again she ducked behind the strange girl that laid next to her, hoping to make herself look as small and invisible as possible. Only after the third coach arrived did she finally allow herself to breathe again, and her lungs inhaled a huge amount of air before blowing it out again. The refreshing air that filled her lungs once again broke her trance washing her worries away.

While still trying to recollect herself and focus on the upcoming coach, something caught Annas eye.

A young girl that leaned out of the blue window, whose curly black hair swayed with the wind behind her ears. The ebony color shone in the slight afternoon sun and framed the girls face at the same time. Although her mesmerizing hair was mostly kept in place by a silver fox hat, that appeared far too big on her head. Admittingly her face was one of true beauty considering most beauty standards, high cheek bones, luscious lips and those eyes, oh those eyes. They were by far the most beautiful thing Anna had every laid her eyes upon. Anna felt like drowning in the strangers deep blue eyes that told of a lifetime of struggle that had never been put into words. Beautiful wouldn’t bring the girl justice Anna thought. Unfortunately, she didn’t have much time admiring her, as Anna immediately noticed the proud arrogant look of the girl scanning the roaring crowd around the blue coach, which only stopped once they had laid eyes upon two individuals. Her eyes clearly lingered on two handsome boys I know why many look at him this way, so why shouldn’t she, a Grisha, do the same Alina thought devastated. It’s only natural to feel attracted to something that appears to be out of reach. The stranger smiled to herself as the coach drove off the Grisha camp down below, never letting both males out of her sight. Great, another one. Anna exhaled annoyed too occupied with her own little problem. “-- to keep my hand hanging forever” Yuri’s voice startled Anna as she looked at his outstretched hand. Grasping it she was pulled upwards but stumbled right into his chest from the near force he used. Turning his head sideways Yuri looked away and silently celebrated his small victory. Embarrassed Anna pulled away and glanced at her feet, mumbling a small thank you. That’s when it hit her, her stall. She had spent all morning to make it at least look descend to attract people, and now it was ruined. Cursing to herself she spun around looking if she could see the stupid girl that caused her dilemma, but she was nowhere to be seen. Just my luck Anna grumbled. “What’s up with you all of a sudden?” “Nothing. Just help me out a little would you” the ginger head asked letting a long sigh leave her mouth. To her surprise Yuri was able to build up the stall very quickly, the only sad thing were the flowers that she now had to dispose of. Sighing again to herself, she tried to at least pick up what could be saved and laid it out onto the rose wood. “By the way, did you see the way the girl looked at me.” Yuri gleefully exclaimed while looking at the Grisha camp in the distance. “No, I haven’t seen it. Or do you mean how she looked at you like a piece of meat.” “Piece of meat? No. I only saw those heart eyes of hers. Do you think I could trick her now into giving me that ugly fur hat of hers? ” “Hey, don’t get too cocky now.” “Cocky? Me? Never.” replied Yuri grinning. Anna could only shake her head at his antics. “Don’t you mister have a job to get to?” “Maybe. But I’d rather be here.” Rolling her eyes, the ginger smiled and against her friend’s protest ushered him away. That idiot.

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It had been several hours since the higher Grishas had arrived and the crowd around the tiny market had begun to be filled with other Grishas that probably came from the camp near the fold. Having Grisha around Kribirsk didn’t bother Anna as much as it used to, but she still refuses to directly interact with them, and it’s not like they ever really stopped by her stall to buy something, which she was glad about. Just watching as they held their chins far too high for their own good as they walked around the gloomy city, maybe that amused Anna to a certain extend too. The pure confusion when one salesman tried selling them something while having one of the worst accent she ever heard was highly laughable. She knew almost everybody that sold something here messed with them out of pure spite, not being able to stand that Grisha put themselves onto a higher position than they actually were. Pure arrogance was often a feature that was noticeable in their expression, but you know what they say pride comes before they fall. So, it was neither surprising nor exactly foreseeable that Grisha usually only came to stalk up on their food resources and nothing else, not wanting to interact with the locals longer than they actually had to.

That’s why Anna was even more startled when she saw a tall but thin blonde Grisha in a crimson red Kefta walking towards her. She said to herself, that he was probably walking to someone next to her, there are many popular stalls next to her after all. But to her dismay the blond continued his way to her and all she was able to focus on were his footsteps that grew louder as they neared her. Ba bump. Ba bump. Her heartbeat started to pick up as she felt sweat starting to form within her palms and on her forehead. Reacting to her own fear her body began to tremble, and her clammy hands could barely stop shaking. Overwhelmed small tears of frustration gathered within her eyes, waiting to spill out and drench her. How can I get out of this? The young woman watched the blonde man come to a stop right in front of her, looking at the plants she had left after the incident from this morning. Aware that he would be able to hear her heartbeat as well, as she did right now, she made the stupid mistake of trying to calm her it on her own. The blonde gently looked up at her and smiled, as if telling her, yes I know how your feeling. Sucking in her breath her heartbeat picked up again, hammering against her ribcage. What are you doing? The woman asked herself, feeling that she was frozen to the spot by her own fear once again “Hello… can, can I help you?” Anna timidly mumbled, not meeting the strangers’ eyes. Only silence followed her statement, so Anna tried again but a little bit louder, that caught the man’s attention. “Of course. I’m looking for something special for … someone” he gently and joyfully replied. Relaxing a bit seeing that he isn’t as intimidating as he appeared the ginger hesitantly answered him, asking what kind of someone he meant. Grinning he began to talk about a person and Anna could clearly tell the change in the man’s heartbeat as it picked up at the mention of his special someone. A small barely noticeable smile grazed her lips, no longer thinking about the crimson kefta that had frightened her, but starstruck by the loving words from the man in front of her. But the fear remained none the less as the back of her mind continued with feeding her with gruesome scenarios on how everything would play out if she seemed anything less than innocent to him. The horror scenarios caused her hands to tremble again as she picked up a bundle of Carnations. “Beautiful aren’t they?” she whispered to herself and looked at the Carnations color fading from red edges to a pure white. “They are.” came a sudden very loud reply, making Anna suddenly jump back a few inches.

Stumbling forward the woman slowly lifted her arm, only so much, that it wouldn’t be noticeable under the wooden board. Anna felt the veins in her hands pulsating, she could make out the blood rushing through them and pumping into her heart. Shaking like a leaf the ginger started up at the blond male in front of her scanning all of him for potential danger. But her rationality flew out the window when she caught eye of a second man striding towards her. Panicked red mist seeped out of her trembling hand forming into a small ball of red misty energy, swaying with the movements of her fingers. Slowly the mist crawled its way into the blonds ears and soon after made his once sky blue eyes turn into a deep red color. Anna moved her fingers, the blonds eyes began to give her a dazed look as his chest tensed and his breathing consistently became harder and rougher. The ginger woman moved nearer, no longer trembling but with her tears finally spilling from her eyes. Rapidly drawing her arms back towards her chest, the mist vanished into thin air What was I doing? She asked herself, slowly beginning to scratch at her skin again. Hastily trying to overplay her little slip she rambled under own breath “Carnations are a symbol of love. I th-think your partner might like them. The white re-represents luck and the pinkish red on the outside sh-shows your affection and admiration.” Opening his eyes, the Grisha looked at her confused What was it that I was doing here again? His gazes shifted from the flowers to her while his smile never faded and then his thin hand dropped a small number of coins into her palms. Gently the blonde took the flowers from her hands “… Thank you…” came the tired reply from said man.  And with that the strange Grisha left, sometimes tumbling over his own two feet, but steadily getting better.

Fear settled within Anna, what had she just done.

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Smiling to himself the blonde man made his way towards the huge black tent that stood in the middle of the field surrounded by his fellow Grishas. Holding the flowers in one hand he didn’t watch the path ahead and bumped into a huge mass of black. Startled he looked at the person he had run into and upon making eye contact quickly apologized before the man in black grabbed his writs in his hand and dragged him towards a black tent. Unsurprisingly the inside was the same as the outside, everything held in a never-ending black color. Saluting to the person in front of him, the blonde began to answer to the question that was harshly asked by the man in front of him. Carefully listening, the man walked around a wooden table until he stood right in front of the blonde again. “Raise your head Feydor. I thank you for this information. See to it, that she will be here tomorrow.” What would he want from her? “Of course, sir.” “And clean yourself before you go to Ivan with these.” pointing at the flowers in Feydor’s right hand. “Of course, sir. Goodbye.”

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Cursing her stupid self for exposing herself, Anna wandered around Kribirsk looking for Yuri in hopes he could help in hiding her for a while. She looked around every nook and cranny unconsciously wandered further and further away from the city center. Until she found herself standing in the first army’s camping ground. From far away her ears was able to her loud yelling as well as cheering, curious she moved towards the large thin brown tent in the middle and took a look inside. But to her disappointment they were all only gathered in a circle cheering on a fight if two men in the middle of the crowd. Deflated Anna turned her back on the sight and tried to make her way out again, but many soldiers pushed her aside. Loud screams blurred together and slowly made her head hurt. Pushing further towards the exit Anna kept rambling people earning her a furious glare. Well, I might as well look around  if I’m already here. Peeking through almost every open tent she passed by she soon discovered a tent filled with various maps from Kribirsk, to Ketterdam to a whole map of the world. The drawings were exceptionally breathtaking, so skillfully drawn and so detailed. Anna couldn’t help but let her hands glide upon them, looking for any kind of imperfection. The thread and the paint underneath her fingers felt so old and full of love for its art. Fascinated by the beauty before her she failed to notice the larger growing shadow building itself up behind her “What are you doing here?” demanded a scratchy but youthful voice.

* meaning: little rabbit

** meaning: little rabbit

*** piroshki, a common fast food in Armenia and Azerbaijan. In Armenia it often contains a potato or seasoned meat filling.

Written in 2023. Do not copy, translate and then repost without my permission.