PROLOGUE
What business?

EDEN'S OPTIMISM WAS A CURIOUS THING. It remained, bright as ever, after years and years of people trying to put it out. It prospered, even when the world seemed daunting and terrifying. It carved her a safe path to travel, one hidden and shielded from the darkness that infected the world.

Not only did her optimism protect her — her father did, too. Christian Caddel, a well-known merchant in Os Alta, guarded her against the bad. He would rather die than let her see what a horrible place the world was. Knowing would break her heart, shatter her soul. She would be pieces of a person scattered across the streets of Ravka... which is why she could never know. When her mother died while she was accidentally passing through a First Army battleground, Christian swore then that he would do anything to ensure his daughter would never get hurt, even if it meant locking her away in Os Alta like in the fairy tales. The difference was there was no handsome prince to rescue her from her life of seclusion.

One evening, Eden was playing in the woods with her friend, a daughter of another merchant. Her friend fell over a log and scraped her knee, and Eden went to see what happened. Her fingers hovered over the raw, red skin, examining, looking, when her fingertips began to tingle. Without an inch of effort, Eden looked back at the wound, and noticed it had healed. She had done that. Never was she tested for Grisha powers, Christian didn't believe in them. He had made excuses every time the testers came by, and eventually, they stopped altogether. Dumbfounded, Eden went to the library, pulling out books and books and books on different types of Grisha abilities.

Upon reading a page about healers, all of the pieces clicked together — how she was able to fix her friend's knee; how she was never sick; how even when she's fallen and should have been injured, she wasn't. It was in that moment that she realized she needed to get out of Os Alta. She would not be able to continue to hide this from her father, and if he found out, there'd never be a chance in the world she'd be able to leave. She would go to Ketterdam, she decided. She would study at their university, be immersed in culture and food, make friends, learn about her healing abilities.

She brought it up to her father at dinner that night, who, very resolutely, said no. When she asked why, he said it wasn't safe. She asked from who, he said that there are people in Ketterdam who would want to hurt her. She told him she'd be in the University District, and nobody got hurt in the University District. He said there was no way in hell she was going to Kerch.

She stormed out of the dining room. She packed her bags. As soon as Christian fell asleep, she was out the door, boarding a train down to the capital of Shu Han. She stayed the night in a shitty hotel with the money she'd taken from her father's wallet, and as soon as the sun rose, she was on another train to Bhez Ju. From there, she boarded a boat (when asked where her parents were, she simply said she was on the way to see them now, even though her mother was missing and she had just run away from her father) to Kerch. The journey was long, torturous, slow, but she kept repeating to herself, "this will be worth it. This will be worth it. This will be worth it."

She arrived in 1st Harbor three days after the boat had left the docks. She smelled, she was hungry, she was tired. It was just her luck that a gang fight broke out as soon as she touched down on land. When the first gunshot rang, everyone rushed off of the boat, pushing her around. A middle-aged woman traveling with her family saw Eden drowning in the sea of people, and dragged her out. They were right on the outskirts of town when, in the commotion, she lost the woman, and was completely and utterly at the mercy of the people shoving her around in their rush to get into the city. Gunshots rang, people screamed, children cried, Eden ran. She didn't know where she was going, she just ran. She turned into the city, running on the sidewalks, getting away as fast as she could, when she ran head-first into someone.

She stumbled back, haphazardly fixing her wind-blown hair, when she got a good look at the person she'd run into. He was a very ominous boy, one her father would have hated. He wore a black coat that fell to the ground, a top hat on his head, a cane with a bird shape on it in his hand. He was young and pale as could be, face showing no emotion. Eden thought that he could blend in with the stone pathways if he tried.

"I'm so sorry," Eden remembered saying, searching for any sign on his face that would tell her he was mad.

With a blank expression, he asked, "What business?"

She tried not to be irritated by the fact that he completely disregarded her apology and used Ketterdam slang with her, when she was so obviously a tourist. "What?"

"What business?" he repeated with a steady voice, tapping his cane against the sidewalk, looking her up and down.

She tried to imagine what she looked like in his eyes. She probably looked like she'd been in the eye of a tornado. "I really don't know what that means, sir."

"You aren't from here," he stated matter-of-factly. Even if she was from there, she would have doubted it at his words. There was something about his tone that was so final.

"No, I'm from Ravka," she sighed. "I think I'm Grisha — no, I know I am — and my father would freak out if he knew, so I ran away."

"And you came to Ketterdam."

"I was hoping to get a spot at the university so I could learn more about myself. Immerse myself in culture and whatnot."

The boy pursed his lips. "The culture."

"Yes, the culture. Os Alta does not have much of that." Why was she talking so much? Was he Grisha or something? Making her talk? "Who are you, anyway?"

He quirked a brow. "You first."

"Fine. I'm Eden Caddel."

"Caddel, as in Christian?"

Eden nodded. "That would be my father, yes."

"I'm sorry, let me get this straight." The man leaned on his cane. "You, Eden Caddel, daughter of a merchant, ran away from Os Alta to Ketterdam because you have Grisha powers that were unbeknownst to you, and if your father finds out, he'll 'freak out'."

"Precisely."

"You really do not know who I am?"

"No... should I? Are you famous?"

"Around here I am."

"Well, my apologies. I didn't realize I was speaking to a celebrity. I would have fixed my appearance in the middle of a gang fight before running into you, good sir."

He froze. "At the docks?"

"Um, yeah."

He nodded sharply. "Kaz Brekker."

"That's you?" He nodded again. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Brekker."

"Miss Caddel, it was a pleasure, but I have to go. Do you see that man down there? The one gambling in the alley with the tall hat?" He pointed to where he was talking about, where there were three men sitting at a small table, coins and drinks placed about in front of them.

"Yes?"

"I want you to go over to him, tell him I sent you, and stay with him until I return. Do you understand?"

"Sure, I guess. Who even is that? Who are you?"

"Tell Jesper he better wrap it up before the next bell, or he will be sleeping in the storage closet of the Crow Club tonight."

"Oka—" she couldn't even finish speaking. Kaz had already left. She watched him hobble down the street at a speed that shocked her, turn the corner, and he was gone. She stood there for a moment longer and then hurried diagonally across the street, directly into the alley where the men sat. Why did she listen to that guy? He probably sent her over here to be murdered or something!

     Her boots against the pavement announced her presence before she had a chance to change her mind, and all three heads snapped towards her. She paid no attention to the other two men, and directed her gaze on the man with the tall hat, just like Kaz had said.

     "Hello?" he questioned, narrowing his eyes. His hand went down to his belt, where a gun sat attached. The other men rolled their eyes and went back to their game.

     She stepped back and put her hands up slightly, trying to prove that she wasn't there to cause harm. "Hi. Kaz Brekker sent me over here?"

     The man — Jesper, she figured his name was — formed a crease between his eyebrows and stood up, directing her over to a different part of the alley, away from listening ears. "Kaz sent you?"

     She glanced around the alley quickly. She felt unsafe, unsteady. She'd barely been in Ketterdam for fifteen minutes and she'd already been in a gang fight, and now she was in an alley outside a gambling hall with a stranger. Her father would have a hernia if he ever found out. "Yeah."

     "Why?"

     "I don't know. I told him a fight broke out at the docks, he told me to come over here, and then he ran off."

     "Huh." He laughed slightly, rubbing his temples. "Okay, well, since Kaz just dumped you on me, and I don't even know who you are, want to grab a drink?"

     "I don't —" she paused. She didn't drink (on her father's orders), but maybe she would now. She was in a new country, had new people surrounding her... why couldn't she be a new version of herself, too? Forcing herself to let go of all of her anxieties, she took a deep breath and said, "Sure, let's go."

     As she and Jesper walked down the street, she felt herself morphing into a new person. Ketterdam was changing the chemicals that made her by the second, and she was both nervous about it and thrilled at the same time. She did love an adventure, and her time here would certainly be one.

Her optimism clouded her judgement, as always, and she couldn't wait.

NOTE Fun fact Eden has had 3 different names. First she was Carina, then she was Salem, then she was Eden 😊 I loved Carina it just didn't feel Grishaverse-y enough and Salem didn't have any good nicknames 😭😭😭 so if you see a Carina or a Salem in there anywhere it's supposed to be her LMAOO