𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐘 — home sweet ketterdam

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 𝐀𝐋𝐄𝐊𝐒𝐀 𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐋𝐃𝐍'𝐓 𝐇𝐀𝐕𝐄 expected to taste anything other than that bitter twang at the back of her throat. War wasn't sweet. It didn't taste of honey and lemon and all things filled with tooth-rotting sugar. It tasted of blood and smoke.

 She couldn't quite tell how long it had been when she'd last seen the docks of Ketterdam, when she'd last squinted through the perpetual fog shrouding the dull little city to which she called home. But Aleksa knew it had been months. It had been far too long.

 It was almost a stranger to her now, to see the gloom of Ketterdam standing just as tall and as crooked as ever; she had grown used to the Palace, being surrounded by jewels and princes and Grisha donning their woven Kefta's.

 But the plan had always been to come back to Ketterdam, to come home. Ketterdam would always be Aleksa's home, no matter how long she stayed away... only now, it felt as though she was staring at the crooked city through a stranger's eyes.

 So much had changed for her. So much that the world would never truly know about. They were secrets that shouldn't ever be told, if only to keep the fragile peace afloat.

 "I truly cannot fathom why you'd want to return here." Zoya Nazyalensky sneered, her elbows suddenly planted on the ship's edge beside Aleksa's. Her wondrous and sleek black hair whipped around her in a flurry, positively darting from the salty sea air, "You were chosen to lead the second army, but you chose... this?"

 "I don't see why you're complaining, Zoya," Aleksa sighed, her eyes remaining fixated on the looming smog. The sea waves were choppy today, actually, they had been for the entire journey, "I chose you to take my place."

 "Obviously. Who else would be better suited?"

 That was when dear Genya sauntered to their sides. The gleaming sun sewn upon her eyepatch managed to cut through the dark haze above, "Anybody else."

 "Hush now, Genya."

 "Tell me to be quiet one more time, and I'll give you a grey hair." Genya wiggled her fingers. She was far more than capable of making such a change, and making it stick. Aleksa hadn't ever met a better Tailor in all of Ravka, nor Kerch.

 Zoya blinked, "You wouldn't dare. I'd send you on your way with a hurricane at your tail."

 "Alright, children." Yet another voice came, this one belonged to Petra Meier. She was a young Grisha, no older than eighteen... yet her abilities were far beyond her years. As a Tidemaker, she could twist the ocean waves, she could unsettle a lake's surface and whip it against her foes. She had always reminded Aleksa of Inej, so kind and strong, yet so very motherly.

 Aleksa stifled a bout of laughter as Petra planted a hand on both Genya and Zoya's shoulders, "It's alright, Pet, they're only arguing because they'll miss me. Isn't that right, Nazyalensky?"

 She blew a kiss Zoya's way, and if she'd have been anybody else, Zoya wouldn't have hesitated to smack their cheeks with a sharp gust of wind... Aleksa, however, had managed to charm even the Storm Witch herself.

 So Zoya merely rolled her eyes, a hand slicing through the air, "If that'll help you sleep at night."

 "You know it will, sweetheart."

 "Still," Genya pondered, eye narrowed upon the view steadily growing closer and closer. She'd never been to Ketterdam before... and if the smell of smoke and damp was anything to go by, she would be quite alright sipping tea and eating pastries within the palace for the rest of her life, "Are you sure you don't want us to turn around? It isn't too late. You're valued by Ravka..." Her lips curled, "By Nikolai."

 Zoya snorted, "Valued? Is that what you call it? Even I feel sorry for the besotted fool."

 Aleksa groaned. This was a subject none of them could ever keep quiet. Even Alina had brought it up relentlessly. Yes, the last known Shadow Summoner had charmed their dear Nikolai Lanstov with an ease unlike any other.

 "Speaking of Nikolai..." Petra dragged out, swiftly procuring the dark leather of the quiver Aleksa had oh-so-kindly been gifted by the golden-haired man. The item was stuffed with arrows, each detailed with dark black trailing the lengths of the wood and metal, "You wouldn't want to forget this, would you?"

 "Oh yes," Genya swooned, falling against the side of their rocking ship, "Nikolai would be beside himself if all those private lessons went to waste."

 Aleksa had gotten used to this, to the way they all tried their utmost to tease her. But Aleksa wasn't one known for going pink in the cheeks or ducking away from suggestive comments, no, she was the one who often dished them out. So she plucked the quiver from Petra's hand and slid it to her shoulder... her obsidian bow was right by her boots, ready and waiting to be docked with an arrow.

 "Try all you like to get me to squeal and blush like a little girl," Aleksa cooed, patting Genya's scarred cheek without a care in the world, "But you know me, I like to kiss and tell, all you need to do is ask."

 Petra stopped the others before they could make a peep, "Keep that to yourself, I really don't need to know what you do in the dark —"

 "— I'd make your cheeks crimson —"

 "— Aleksa, please." Peter almost begged, her poor cheeks were already a twinge darker. She was a dear, an absolutely innocent little dear.

 Aleksa could have easily turned tail and returned with the girls around her; they'd all fought together, bled together... It was strange to think that she might not see them again for quite some time.

 She'd miss them all. From Tamar and Tolya back at the palace, to the beautiful Genya Saffin who had made sure that Aleksa's true face had never been revealed to the public... Saints knows what could have happened if they could actually put a face to the shadows that were cast.

 Then little Petra, their daring and darling Tidemaker who could rattle the seas with a mere glare... then Zoya. Zoya Nazyalensky was an acquired taste, but it seemed as though such a taste was perfectly ripe for Aleksa, and, in turn, Zoya favoured Aleksa just as much.

 The docks were close now, each moss-coated brick shining beneath a dull sun. It always seemed dull these days, without Alina Starkov right there to summon its glimmering beams. Aleksa had almost gotten used to being blinded with every wiggle of Alina's fingers — their beloved Sun Saint had a knack for putting on a show... who'd have thought?

 "I mean it," Genya said. Her voice had faded from that light lilt to something serious. Something almost... pleading, "We can turn around."

 It seemed that it wasn't just Aleksa who would struggle to say her goodbyes. No wonder, really... The Grisha had been side by side for months. They'd battled, bled and boasted right within one another's wondrous presence... such a goodbye would never come easy.

 Aleksa, however, was entirely resolved. She had made a promise many months ago, just as her boots had stepped from the cobble of Ketterdam to a ship with an azure-blue flag. She had promised to come home. She had curled into Inej's arms, she had bounded towards Jesper... and she had shared a final look at her darling pretty boy.

 The three of them, her thugs, her thieves, her family. She couldn't leave them again, not after she'd made a vow to return to them all.

 "Stop making this harder than it already is, Genya," Petra scolded, even though Genya was her senior, "Aleksa has people waiting for her."

 "Yes." Zoya cocked her head and a single raven hair slipped from the pins fastening them to the back of her skull. It whipped in the salted air, then lowered as Zoya took ahold of the breeze and calmed it to nothing more than a whisper, "That band of..." She turned up her nose, "Barrel rats."

 "Don't be rude."

 "Not rude, just honest. Though I did like the Suli girl."

 Aleksa couldn't have cared less what Zoya decided to name them. Thieves. Rats. Murderers... each of those were true in their own right. Aleksa, however, looked past those things and saw nothing more than her family, the people that had truly been by her side when she had needed them most.

 Aleksa shifted, the coat on her back fluttering around her legs... It was Kaz's. Somehow, even through everything... it had survived. The familiar scent that lingered on his person had faded overtime, now entirely overwhelmed with salt and rose.

 She plucked her bow from the deck, coddling it, "Yes, yes, I have to get back to my gaggle of rats, thank you."

 Zoya then tossed her gaze to the horizon they'd left in their wake. All fog and sea water, yet nonetheless absolutely stunning, "Well, should you tire of these rats..."

 "... You'd welcome me back with open arms? I know, Zoya. You love me."

 "I never said that."

 "I can feel it in that sweet sweet glare of yours."

 "You really are trouble. Maybe you do belong here."

 Aleksa felt a swell of amusement within her gut. Zoya never could shake that sneer from her pretty face, nor the tone of utmost disgust that clouded her smooth voice like a bad smell. She couldn't ever admit that she was, in fact, rather sad to see Aleksa leave. For the Shadow Summoner had been one of so few not to take her harsh jabs to heart... in fact, Aleksa brushed them away like pesky little flies, only to spill something flirtatious from her tongue.

 "The palace will be rather dull without you." Genya sighed, twirling a culled lock of orange hair around the tip of her finger. The patch covering her missing eye glistened like a pound of gold, "I fear we'll grow bored without you charming all of the residents."

 "I could flirt with you through letters?"

 "Wonderful, I'll be sure to hide them from David."

 Even Zoya had laughed at that. The four girls — the four women scarred by war and stained with old blood could only share that final moment, a final bout of childish giggles before the boat came to a standstill. There it was. Ketterdam.

 Aleksa could still remember her very first day within the city, as well as her last. Each memory burned as bright as the sunlight that flooded Alina's palms... It always smelled damp and dingy. It was always slick with rainfall and splatters of blood from those idiotic enough to piss somebody off.

 There were always whispers of Kaz Brekker's name. Aleksa might have been hearing things... but she could have sworn she'd heard the muttering already. She truly wondered what he'd gotten up to, had he become even colder? Far more callous?

 Had he missed her?

 Inej and Jesper... were they alright? There had been letters at first... until...

 Aleksa blinked, "Well," She breathed as long locks of brunette trailed through the sky, tangling with the wind that had erupted as Zoya dropped her stoic hold, "I suppose it's time for goodbyes, yes?"

 There was a beat... and then Genya tugged her forth. Auburn hair as bright as blazing flames spilled over Aleksa's shoulder as Genya held her close. Her fingers trailed Aleksa's spine, "I really will miss you."

 It was odd, really... for Genya Safin, the woman tortured at the hands of shadows was hardly capable of watching their last Shadow Summoner leave. Her face still pulsed with pain, the dark scars over her cheeks flared whenever Aleksa puppeteered the dark... and yet she was always comforted to know that the darkness followed her commands. She was always at peace knowing that Aleksa would never point her hungry little beats their way. Never.

 Petra joined them, her warm embrace coddling them both.

 Zoya, rather pointedly rose a brow, "I hope you don't think I'm joining."

 Genya narrowed her eyes, "Hair grey. Eyebrows gone. Join, now."

 "Fine." And so Zoya did as she was told, a miracle in itself, really, "Never again."

 Aleksa, buried beneath a sea of arms and hands and tangles of hair... still managed to coo, "Zoya, my love, if you'd like a lone cuddle..."

 "Shut your mouth, abomination."

 "You really know how to treat a woman."

 Aleksa hadn't spared a look back when the soles of her boots had finally found purchase upon rain-slick cobble. No, for words and waves and views of the people she'd fought alongside would be rather too painful... instead, Aleksa settled for raising a hand high into the sky, scarred and bruised fingers wiggling once more.

 Genya's shouts could be heard, as could Petra's cries... Even Zoya had called out her last goodbye to a friend that hadn't scorned her harsh words or furrowed brows.

 Aleksa could only see the dull gleam of the streets. The splatters of rouge upon the ground, the puddles of murky water towards the sides of the decrepit lanes... Zoya had been right to sneer at the place, for now that Aleksa was back... that smell returned. The smell of smoke thick enough to clog your lungs, the scent of damp as though mould was crawling where moss should have been...

 But this was home.

 Even after months, Aleksa could still find her way to the Crow Club without even a word of direction. She could have been rendered without her senses, and yet she'd always know how to find Kaz's pride and joy.

 Nothing had changed. The streets leading to the club were the same, every step was like retracing those she'd left behind on the day of her departure... and soon enough, there it was.

 The sign swung in a light breeze still thick with a haze. It creaked upon a rusted hinge... and the bellowing from within was as clear as day. Aleksa was sure, if she listened closely, she could already hear Dimitri cheering as a die was rolled. She could have sworn she could hear Joe, the bartender calling out patrons' names...

 But no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't catch so much as a chime of Inej's smooth tone. She couldn't hear Jesper's loud voice looming over them all, forcing her eardrums to pulse... and she certainly couldn't hear that rough-as-stone grit from her dear Kaz Brekker.

 Aleksa strode forth. Clunky boots pounded against the ground, her obsidian coat billowed behind her like a cloak. She almost looked entirely the same as the day she'd left, aside from the way her cheeks had lost their roundness, aside from the spark in her eyes that had dulled just ever so slightly.

 "Is that — It can't be!" Dimitri bellowed ever so ferociously. His voice was like a trumpet splitting through the chittering sounds of those around him. He was imposing, a man well over six and a half foot, his face smothered in scars... and now he seemed to be missing a tooth, yet Dimitri spread his arms wide as the biggest grin erupted on those stubble-bitten cheeks, "Aleksa!"

 He rushed forth, palms pushing through a crowd of pigeons and crows alike. Then., with ease only imaginable in stories, Dimitri hoisted Aleksa into the air, "My good luck charm!"

 Aleksa could help the onslaught of laughter that bubbled from her tongue like globs of honey from a spoon. Dimitri was such a softie... to her. To most others, a single hit could cause a whole lot of trouble.

 "Dimitri!" She chimed as her feet finally found the safety of the wooden floor.

 "You've been gone a long time."

 Aleksa's eyes drifted to the side, and while it was to simply avoid Dimitri's eyes... Aleksa couldn't deny that she was searching for somebody else, somebody who, no doubt, was watching from the shadows, "Well, a girl needs some fresh air from time to time."

 Dimitri chortled once more, and it was then that Aleksa noticed the crowd that had gathered. The Dregs might have been a gang bound by blood and tattoos... but in the end, those that were loyal were family.

 Still, three faces were missing from the crowd. Three faces that had paid her a visit every single night. Aleksa could remember the swell of guilt that had bubbled upon realising just how long she'd been gone. She had warned them, her crows, that they would soon miss her face and charming wit... but for almost an entire year? That hadn't been the plan.

 She'd been naive to think the fight against her brother — against The Black Heretic would have been easy. That it would end with a neat little bow... how wrong she'd been.

 A throat cleared behind her, "Hello, bug."

 There was no need to see his face, no need to take a step back and make sure it was who she thought it was... no, Aleksa twisted on her toes and launched herself at the man, "Jes!"

 Jesper's lips curled until his cheeks began to ache. His hands were bunched in Aleksa's coat, his curls dusting the skin of her neck as he pressed his forehead impossibly close to her shoulder. He'd missed this. He's missed her. Their delightful shadow with as much moxie as he.

 The only person who could truly keep up with him.

 But, of course, the first thing to come out of Jesper's lips in the middle of a snort was, "A bow and arrow? Really?"

 Aleksa scoffed, shoving him away with the lightest of pushes, "Didn't want to steal your thunder by shooting guns."

 Jesper grinned, pearly teeth positively glinting... he caught her hesitance, the way her eyes surveyed the dispersing crowd, the cluttered tables and the thriving bar, "I see." He sighed with falsified hurt, "Jesper Fahey, the best-looking Zemini man you could ever hope to find just isn't enough for you?"

 "Nonsense, I thought about your pretty face almost every day."

 "Almost? I'm hurt bug, truly, deeply wounded." His arm found its rightful place; dutifully tossed over her shoulder, "C'mon. I just know Inej will weep when she sees you."

 There was a silent question then. What about Kaz?

 Aleksa didn't dare ask. For she knew well enough that Kaz Brekker would act as though her return was nothing more than a chore. More Kruge for him to fork over to Haskell.

 Still, seeing that stupid face of his just might have been capable of distracting Aleksa from the atrocities that had befallen her in her time away. She might finally have a moment of peace from the whispers of a ghost tugging at her ears.

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DATE: 16-03-2023 (SHADOW AND BONE S2 DAY!)

:･ﾟ★ WE'RE BACK! and a FINAL REMINDER; this story will NOT be following the rest of the show, books only now babes <3

I know i stated it before, but i will be adding flashbacks to Aleksa's time with Alina and the others; i think flashbacks is the better way to go rather than actually writing the books because??? the books are kinda meh?? they're so LONG and a lot doesn't actually pertain to Aleksa. but pls don't worry, i have a list of flashbacks to include so that all the important and interesting moments from the books are included!

also, the new gif for this act is CUTE :)

please remember to leave feedback & comments. i require a certain number of comments before i publish the next update. please give me a follow to keep updated and receive sneak peeks! do not leave 'update' comments, you will be muted.