No More Hiding | Alina & The Darkling

Alina Starkov finds herself attacked and taken away to a dungeon, many miles away from home. Her time of hiding is finally coming to and end, and powerful, dangerous forces are seeking to use, destroy, or protect her.

Little Palace, Os Alta
Capital of Ravka

Alina Starkov

"What is the meaning of this? Why are you keeping me here?!"

It took merely half a second for the guard to remove the muzzle and the bag around her head until Alina started demanding answers right away. The girl was fidgeting and fighting her ties until her skin turned raw, and the tears on her face were only one more evidence of her crippling fear. The last thing she remembered was sitting alone in the mapmaker's tent and working on her hatching and stippling, only for complete darkness to overcome her senses, along with a splitting headache. She'd felt like she couldn't breathe, or rather, no oxygen was reaching her brain at all and the sudden weakness had taken away all strength to keep herself upright.

"Quiet, mapmaker!" the guard shouted.

Mapmaker...?

In the dark, Alina could barely make out the man before her, but her eyes spotted the usual placement of the golden buttons on what looked to be a uniform. On top of that, he adressed her by her position... Was this an imprisonment carried out by the First Army?

Swallowing a dry lump down her throat, Alina took shallow, shaky breaths.

"Wh-Where is Mal? Are you from the First Army...? What am I being accused of? Please, I-I haven't done anything wrong!"

Bit by bit, the blurr in her eyes washed away and she grew accustomed to the darkness. However, when the lack of oxygen was slowly dying down and the wet, cold air around her finally awoke her brain, Alina eyed the man with even more confusion. The horror in her veins was beginning to paralyze the whole of her tiny body.

Alina realized that the guard wasn't wearing First Army uniform. The vibrant colours reflected by the sparse candlelight could only come from a Kefta - the uniform of the Second Army.

Her hands were not tied together, either - they were kept apart by two separate chains clinging to the walls around her.

The usual way of arresting someone capable of the Little Sciences. Alina could not bring her hands together to protect herself.

"Oh no... No no no...!"

What the girl couldn't yet see in the dark corner of the dungeon was the tall, broad figure of a man wearing only black, and in all of Ravka, there was only one man of status allowed to wear this colour.

The Dark General.

Aleksander Kirigan || The Darkling

"Don't try that. Do you know why you are here?"

The voice was calm, almost gentle. It didn't need to be harsh to demand obedience. He kept out of her view, hidden in the shadows, but he couldn't be further away than a few steps.

Oh, how he had been craving to talk to the girl since he first heard of her existence. But he knew better than to alarm her and risk an escape, or to linger around so someone else might snatch her away. Adding to it, he had caused enough talks and rumours lately, and he wanted this to remain quiet. Until he had confirmation. So far, only a selected few people were in on the new prisoner, and even fewer on why she was being held captive at all.

Only that she was supposedly Grisha. Maybe a traitor? And that she was not to get away.

Alina Starkov

Her whole body started shaking by this point, drawn in by and terrified of the disembodied voice at the same time. Alina tried so hard not to cry anymore that it made her feel as ice cold and frozen as the oldest marble statue. She was sure she would freeze to death any minute if the dungeon was any colder.

Her eyes squinted in hopes to see through the thick darkness and spot the voice's beholder, to no avail.

"Please, I... Where is Mal? What have you done to him?!"

Saints, she needed him right now, but she knew in her heart that he was nowhere near her at all, as though the miles separating them had grown and grown over a hundred times, more distance between them than ever before.

There was no denying what Alina was here for. And yet, every fiber of her being fought against the truth.

She couldn't. She just... couldn't. Today was not the day she would be separated from Mal forever. Today was not the day!

"I-I don't know! I swear I don't know!" Alina lied, the tears never ending.

"I am just a mapmaker! I have followed all my orders... Let me go!"

Aleksander Kirigan || The Darkling

"Do I have to ask my Heartrender if you are telling the truth?"

He let the words linger and gave her time to consider.

"Have we done anything to some… Mal? Whoever that might be?"

"No, moi soverenyi," the uniformed man answered to the spot in the shadows. "Not that we know of. But there was a tracker making a scene about a… missing girl. Shall we get him?"

"I don't know," the voice answered. "Shall we? Let's try again. Do you know why you are here?"

The shadows drew back slightly, giving the hint of a silhouette.

Alina Starkov

Her breath hitched painfully at the dark voice's words. How vile, how cruel, blackmailing a young woman into obedience by threatening the one she cares about; But she brought it onto herself, having mentioned Mal at all in her daze.

"You... You are monsters! Leave him out of this!"

Angrily, Alina rattled her shackles again and let out a bloodcurdling wail of despair, crying her heart out like never before. She had never felt so weak, so pathetic in all of her life.

Eventually, when she calmed down, the girl took a few tired breaths again, letting her head hang low. She was so, so exhausted...

There was no doubt in her mind who was in front of her by now. The tales she'd heard of him were all mysterious, dark and fantastical, but they were all true; The Black General Kirigan, a summoner of darkness, leader and commander of the Second Army, the Grisha.

And Alina was one of them.

Sniffling, she composed all strength she had left, and nodded.

"Yes... yes, I know why I am here..." she whimpered, fearfully gazing at the figure in the shadows.

Aleksander Kirigan || The Darkling

"I've heard that before," he said with a sigh.

While the other looked as if he was tempted to cover his ears, the dark silhouette stood motionless.

"Was that so hard now?" He finally stepped closer. The worst was probably that he didn't look like a monster. The was the hint of a friendly smile on a handsome face, and a hunch of sadness within his cold stare.

"You may not understand, but I am trying to protect you." His eyes went over to his Heartrender for a second before focusing back on Alina.

Strangely enough, Alina's heart slowed, giving her a feeling of calm and comfort, just the moment he stepped closer.

"But you have to help me a bit, Ms. Starkov. Since when do you know? Can you control it? The light? Stick to the truth, this time."

Alina Starkov

She kept her head low until the General began talking of protecting her. It was foolish to be disrespectful towards someone of such high status, not to mention someone who was keeping her in shackles and evidently willing to do even worse than that - but the turmoil in her heart just made her scoff loudly at this claim.

"Protect me? You sneak upon me in the middle of the night, knock me unconscious, pull a bag over my head, and take me away into a dungeon in shackles to protect me? You're right! I really don't understand!"

Suddenly, she started to feel lightheaded when the Heartrender slowed down her heartbeat and the General came closer. It felt heavy in her chest, as if she could feel her heart wanting to keep up its pace, but not being allowed to. For a moment, it felt absolutely awful, and then... Warm. Gentle. And yet, tiring. Alina finally stopped crying. Still, silent tears kept flowing down her face, as if her soul knew better than to trust this comfort.

Alina looked up at him, in awe of his striking beauty and terrifying presence at the same time. For a moment, she was taken off guard and unable to speak.

"I... I'm not sure... I think, maybe, I've always known, but... I couldn't do anything until a year ago... I can summon a little bit of light, but that's it... I can't control it..."

Keeping her gaze locked to his, the girl's body became limp from exhaustion.

"I'm not who you think I am... I will never do anything with whatever little power I might have... I just want to go home. Please, take me back home..."

Aleksander Kirigan || The Darkling

"Don't be foolish. You escaped the testing, obviously, which would take some effort. I don't risk anyone getting hurt because you get scared. Or that someone else learns about your existence. You don't realize in what danger you've been."

He exchanged glances with one of the guards, who hurried to bring some water, a piece of dry bread, and surprisingly enough, a little delicious-looking fruit.

"We will talk about this later. Until then, can you behave? I would prefer to make your stay more comfortable. I don't enjoy hurting people." He raised a brow, watching her, his hand lifted to sign to the guard to free one of her hands, but he waited for her answer.

Alina Starkov

There was a hint of another sob breaking her when he said that.

"I-I was never in danger! No one knows about this, I swear...!"

There was no use in the end. He won't take me home, no matter what I say.

Alina would have to get used to the thought of being dragged away from the only home she ever knew. Just the idea alone made her want to break everything, including herself, but the Heartrender's effect was still keeping her calm. She looked at the food with little to no interest, feeling more nauseous than anything else in the moment.

Staring into the General's eyes, she frowned tiredly.

"If I don't behave, will you leave me here? I don't want to be all alone... Help me understand this. All of this..."

Aleksander Kirigan || The Darkling

"If no one knows, how do I? I would think about that and wonder who had betrayed me. Someone close to you?"

He gave the allowance to free her hand, but the other remained chained for now. At least she was able to stretch a bit.

"You won't be alone. You won't be here..." he gestured around the dungeon, "...forever. But you have to learn to trust me. And you have to show me that I can trust you."

He stepped to the guard, speaking silently. "Keep eyes on her at all times. Make sure she has everything she needs. Give her a little bit more room, will you? No summoning," he added, a bit louder directed to Alina. Then he vanished without another word.

A blanket was brought for her - it was surprisingly clean for a dungeon. The chain was adjusted in length so she would be able to move considerably fee around the cell. And so much of his words were true - she wasn't left alone. At least two guards and a Heartrender remained close by, and one almost always had eyes on her.

Alina Starkov

Alina slumped together once more, defeated by his words. She felt stupid for having given it one last try, but even then, she finally admitted it to herself. He was right... How does he know about her? Alina thought to have been so incredibly careful that no one could have possibly found out. And even if Mal knew, he would never betray her like this.

She gave a frustrated huff when at least one of her hands was free, immediately bringing both of them together - not to summon anything, but to knead her painful wrists.

When she had joined the First Army with Mal, she was aware that their camps could always be attacked by the Fjerdans if the commanders and generals weren't careful enough. There was always the possibility of being imprisoned by Ravkan's enemies, but she never thought that the day of being chained would come so soon - with the shackles being locked by fellow Ravkans, no less.

Swallowing, Alina looked at the General again. How he thought she would ever trust him after this ordeal was miles beyond her.

She frowned as she looked around the cold and dark dungeon, fighting another violent wave of tears while Kirigan got on his way to leave. Hours later, the rooms got warmer. Apparently, the General had ordered to light one or two fireplaces in the surrounding rooms, and even had someone bring her a blanket.

How utterly kind...

"No wonder everyone hates Grisha..." she mumbled to herself after a while, although she put particular effort into being loud enough to hear by the guards and the Heartrender.

Alina never hated them per se. She and Mal always found them to be utterly arrogant, and that was not a feature to be admired for.

"Come to think of why someone would hide being one..."

When she couldn't take the hunger any longer, she had the fruit first, then forced the bread down her throat more than actually eating it. All the while, she felt stupid, humiliated, ashamed, naked, degraded, and disgraced. The worst was having to use bathroom while being watched...

Even if she were to ever get out of this, her commander would never take her back again, and her fellow mapmakers would never accept her as their own like before. This thought made her cry again, for what felt like the hundredth time in this blasted dungeon.

All she had left to do was wait until the oh so gracious General decided that she was to be trusted enough to get some air and see the sun. Or at least, granted some answers...

Aleksander Kirigan || The Darkling

But the General didn't care so much about her seeing the sun. Calling the sun, however… So far, he only had the reports and her words -confirmed of truth by a Heartrender- that this mapmaker girl was able to perform a predicted miracle. This only meant she believed it to be true, not to be actually true.

He kept telling himself that it was decent to let her rest. At the same time, he knew it was not true. Despite being anxious to confirm it, the worry remained:‌ What if she was not what he hoped her to be? Let me believe, if just for some hours.

She was left in peace. Nothing happened for a while, except that she got breakfast, looking pretty much the same as what she had been provided with the day before. The only difference was a warm mug of tea, and a bigger bowl of water with a piece of cloth so she could wash her face and hands.

Then later that day, the dungeon broke out in a controlled but hurried bustle.

The Darkling had returned.

At his command, the cell door was opened, and the chain was removed from her other hand.

"Now, Ms. Starkov," he declared, "you will call the light for me."

Alina Starkov

Alina wasn't sure how much time had actually passed until then. It certainly felt like days, but with no sunlight at all, she couldn't tell if her intuition was right. She only got breakfast once, after sleeping for a few restless hours, and even then, her track of time was completely lost and confused.

Perhaps she should have worked on her attitude, but Alina wasn't going to act like she was thankful over anything. Oh, thank you so much for giving me some hot dirt broth and dry bread and a single wet cloth to remove my dirt! Absolutely not. Her pride was damaged a lot during this whole ordeal, but she wasn't going to let them damage what was left even more.

Some more hours later, Alina awoke to some noise coming from outside the dungeon. She was still tired and exhausted beyond belief, but the arrival of the Darkling cleared her mind in an instant, shaking her wide awake. Unsure how to act at all, she remained completely frozen - and before she knew it, the cell door was opened, and her shackles removed.

She brought her hands together again, observing the chafing the metal had left on her now free wrist. Then, she stared up at the General, insecure and uncomfortable. Alina felt disgusting like this, in front of the taller, cleaner, and much tidier looking man. She was ashamed, reeking of exhaustion and the lack of a bar of soap.

"I... I don't know how to control it yet." she said, fiddling with her aching hands as she glanced up at his hauntingly black eyes.

"Especially... down here, where there's no sun..."

Aleksander Kirigan || The Darkling

"Obviously. That's how you got discovered, isn't it?" He looked down at her, his expression hard to read. "You do know that you might have been accused of treason? You are lucky that we found you first." The idea she might have remained undiscovered made him angry. Not at her. But it was about time that people learned that having a special gift was not a flaw.

"I can help you. I can protect you. We can teach you how to control it. But you have to stop resisting. We are not your enemies. I‌ am not your enemy. If it is true, that is."

"Come closer." He wouldn't take the risk of letting her outside, maybe getting ideas about trying to escape. Or someone seeing her calling the sun. Spies were everywhere. He had to be sure before he caused a fuss for no reason. What if she's an imposter after all?

The guards waiting in the background exchanged nervous glances. Even if most couldn't muster enough courage, it still wouldn't be the first time someone tried to attack their General, and they weren't particularly happy about him walking into the cell of a prisoner who wasn't in chains anymore.

Alina Starkov

"Yeah, obviously..." she repeated softly. One couldn't tell if she was mocking him or herself with that comment, as it was accompanied with the faintest eye-roll. If he were to ask, the answer was obvious as well. Alina had the tendency to make insolent comments without thinking them through first. No need to make her suffering worse.

However, when he put the word treason in his mouth, Alina immediately stared up at him.

"What?! Treason? But I've never betrayed the First Army, I was just... I didn't know what to do!" she proclaimed, horrified about the imagination. She knew what treason really meant - and the punishment that would follow thereafter.

Alina sighed and frowned, hesitantly taking two mini steps closer towards him. She kept kneading her hands, avoided eye contact and prayed that he couldn't smell her.

"Then help me. Protect me. Teach me." she mirrored his words.

"I-I'll... do as you say, General."

Aleksander Kirigan || The Darkling

If the journey and her dungeon residence had left an unpleasant scent, he did not react to it.

"It is not your fault. Trust me and I will make sure that no trouble arises from your unwise actions. If you prove to be what we believe you are." If not? He left the consequences in the dark. But it was obvious she was not meant to return to her former life.

"Your arm. Please." He held out his hand.

The guards behind them seemed to hold their breath.

Alina Starkov

His silence on the circumstances should she not prove to be what he thought she was made her feel even colder. Did he not realize that this wasn't making her trust them at all?

Alina swallowed hard, briefly closed her eyes and took a deep breath, thinking of the first time a Grisha had asked for her arm. Back then, she didn't yet know if she was one of them, but the possibility alone was frightening enough. She would have been separated from Mal, just like she is today, all those years later...

Alina remembered the pain that had pierced through her body as she had sunk the shard of glass into her hand behind her back, simultaneously to the Grisha doing the same to her other hand at the front. Mal had done the same during his examination, just to be sure they would never leave each other's side.

Those days were over now. No more running. No more hiding.

Finally, she reached out her arm, holding her breath along with the guards, bracing herself for the pain that was to come.

Aleksander Kirigan || The Darkling

The sharp pain didn't come... not at once, at least. His presence felt different as she might have been used from her first testing. More intense. It didn't matter so much as if she answered the call or tried to hide... he knew. There was no secret escape. Darkness knew no borders except one, the light itself. Any attempt to shield him off with that, and he would recognize it. Any attempt to hide in the last corner - he would find it eventually.

Only when his presence withdrew from a moment, luring her instinct into a safe sense of security, something cut through her skin with a searing ache. He wouldn't allow her to outsmart him like the testers. It was not so much as a call to her power that she had hidden deep within - it was a command that could not be dismissed.

Alina Starkov

Alina felt her heart clench and skip a beat as the General grabbed her upper arm, pulling her in. Her eyes first stared into his, before almost rolling backwards into her skull from the sudden movement causing her to feel dizzy. The warmth radiating from the man's body wrapped around Alina's cold skin, along with his almost sedative scent. He smelled like old books, freshly cut cedars, polished leather and perfect butter cakes...

There was something reassuring in his grip, something strangely soothing she would whole-heartedly deny if anyone were to ask, something she barely had the capability to comprehend. Her breath hitched, then allowed her initially tense lungs to relax and breathe out any unwanted pressure. For the whole of these two seconds, the girl had no control over her body at all, yet it felt so... welcome.

Had she had any second left to think about it, Alina would have felt a deep shame for it, but it never came.

And then, any decompressed energy, any internalized emotion and all the chaos she never allowed herself to feel came bursting through her body, its gleaming light meeting with the pitch black ceiling and spreading out. Alina almost stumbled in shock, but felt safe in Kirigan's everlasting grip. The pain was in her arm was hot and cold at the same time, then pierced through her body with such searing intensity that she wailed for a second. Had she looked at the source of the pain, where Kirigan's sharp ring cut into her skin, Alina would have seen the bright light's source as well; It came right out of her.

However, the Sun Summoner had no need to see it. She felt it.

Her eyes were blinded by the light and she swore she could see the sun, feel its heat energize her. Intense euphoria flooded her heart and tickled a deep gasp of wonder out of her. She suddenly felt more alive than ever, like the sun itself entered her body and lifted her spirits like never before.

"By the Saints...!" she breathed, unable to fight the toothy smile that crept upon her face. Everything about this intoxicating rush was almost too much to handle and let her eyes well up with tears.

Aleksander Kirigan || The Darkling

It was one of the most beautiful things he'd ever seen. But underneath the emotions of awe and triumph, there was something else. Envy. About the light. About the effortlessness, she had called on it - with a little nudge of course, but still. He wouldn't be able to call or amplify anything that wasn't there in the first place. And there she was, naive and with no plans whatsoever on how to put her gift to use. While his existence was bound to the shadows. He had to make sure she would remain within his reach, under his control. Otherwise, her powers would be a waste. Or worse - a threat.

"Wasn't so bad now, was it?" The intense pain dropped to a less agitating, rather inconvenient level. The ring with the sharp claw he had used to cut through her skin went back on his finger. He didn't seem to care as much about the little stain of blood on it.

"Let me help you and you will never feel powerless again. But we have to do this right."

Surpressing his excitement he stepped back, turning to one of the guards. "Get the healer," he ordered. The gaping guard took a few seconds to respond but rushed outside before the Darkling asked him again.

"How would you like to exchange your cell for a comfortable room at the Little Palace? You will have friends there." Not that Mal for sure. "You will be safe."

His mind was racing, playing out various options as how not to upset the tsar, and to his regret, he had no choice but to inform him of his find. If he didn't want to raise suspicions of rebellion. But proof was better than hope. Also, with the attention on Alina, it would be easier to keep Christina's and Vale's powers and mysterious origins obscured.

The healer eventually returned, vanishing the cut on Alina's arm as if it had never been there.

Alina Starkov

She almost fell on her shaking knees as the Darkling let go of her. Alina's whole body still tingled madly, her agitated nerves making her tremble even after the whole show was over. As soon as darkness took over the dungeon again, she already missed the sunlight that had come out of her - no doubt with General Kirigan's help.

The most she had been able to do by herself was make her palms light up a little bit, but it was always weak and insignificant, and she always needed to strain herself. She never even felt the slightest spark of warmth. But this... it felt like it was everything Alina ever needed. The heat she could never feel. The love she would always deny herself.

Let me help you and you will never feel powerless again.

Powerlessness... True powerlessness was so cruel, so damning. It was frustration, denial, weakness, complete lack of control, unable to stand the slightest threat of loss. The Darkling truly knew what that meant, didn't he? His promise felt like a soft blanket on her heavy heart.

"I-I... I never knew that I could possibly... do something like this." she breathed, subconsciously rubbing her painful arm

"Well... You did this, Sir. But it still came out of me, didn't it?"

It was more of a realization than a question. She immediately regretted to ramble, even though her agitated nerves forbid her from controlling it.

When the healer came back and took care of Alina's arm, the excitement slowly wore off, allowing her mind to comprehend it all. She had so many questions.

What does this mean for her
Is she truly a Sun Summoner?
Will she have to learn with the other Grisha?
Will she have to stay at the Little Palace?
Will her whole life truly change forever?
Would she ever see her friends again?

A few of those questions immediately got answered by the General's offer to have her move into the Little Palace. There was no room for negotiations; She could either remain in the dungeon, or choose to stay in a comfortable room. Going home was not an option, and it dropped a heavy weight on her soul. Emptiness came creeping into her.

"Any room is better than this..." she murmured sadly.

Powerlessness... There it was again.

Alina looked at her arm as soon as the healer was done with their work, astonished by how quickly the injury disappeared into thin air.

"Thank you..." she whispered out of polite habit. Finally, she looked at the Dark General again, straightened her back and braced herself; Because, truly - the most important question of all still remained.

"When do I get to see Mal?"

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