Olenna Lantsov's body hummed in tandem with the rustle of wind through manicured hedges and sculpted topiary. Her heels bounced, ready to fling her forward the moment she caught sight of approaching company. Today was the day she'd been waiting for. The day her brother returned home. Olenna was meant to stand vigil in the throne room with her parents and let the procession come to them, but this was one of the rare few times that the princess refused to adhere to etiquette. They could scold her later.

Olenna smoothed the front of her sky-blue gown with sweat-slick palms for what must've been the thousandth time. Her heart thundered in her chest like the wingbeats of the butterflies in her stomach. Would he look different? Had he let his hair grow long like Vasily, or was it still the same mess of short-cropped curls she knew and loved? Nikolai Lantsov would be a man now. Four long years had passed since their last meeting. Hundreds of letters, written and sent. Long days of lonely lessons and nights of quiet solitude. She dreaded the thought that she might've forgotten the timber of his voice or the exact green of his eyes.

Olenna stood before the exquisite double eagle fountain. In the shadow of the towering Grand Palace, she called home. Layers of terraces, gold ornaments, and statuary shot up towards the sky, high enough that she had to shield her eyes to make out the tips of its spires. The fountain was the same one she and Nikolai had climbed into all those years ago to swim like the swans on the Little Palace lake. It was a suffocatingly hot day, and with the fox-like craft only Nikolai possessed, he'd gotten them a few moments away from their governess. The lines Olenna wrote as retribution were seared into her memory. But the joy of that day was worth every stroke of chalk.

The sun was high above the spires of the Grand Palace, but Olenna had been up since long before dawn. The moment she'd received word that the Prince's caravan had reached Os Alta, her mind ran wild with anticipation. Nikolai was meant to be at school in Ketterdam, not in a war-torn Ravka. If reports were to be believed, it wasn't just Nikolai who'd be returning that morning. Alina Starkov, The Sun Summoner, rode by his side through village and city - a beacon of light in the shadow of The Darkling and The Fold. Olenna couldn't understand how this came to be. Her brother, with Alina by his side, returned home to her after all this time.

Olenna wasn't entirely sure Alina had survived The Fold. Not after The Darkling's attempted coup. The skiff of foreign emissaries that left Ravka with Alina and The Darkling aboard never returned. There was a storm of light and shadow, and The Fold expanded its borders, swallowing the people of Novo Kribirsk. The chaos of that night sliced like the edge of a blade across her memory. Guards corralled her to safety through the shouts of attempted Regicide, and the call for punishment of The Darkling's Grisha rang through palace halls.

The First Army turned on the Grisha and the people Olenna once called friends fled into the night. There was still doubt as to whether The Darkling's betrayal was Alina's, too. But Olenna knew the Sun Summoner, she'd even called her a friend when she'd lived at the Little Palace. Expanding The Fold and murdering all those people wasn't something the orphan girl was capable of.

Hooves clomped on the cobblestone drive. Olenna used a hand to shield her eyes against the glaring sun. The other rested on her corseted stomach. Atop the crest of the hill, horses carrying riders dressed in finery came towards her. Olenna's jubilant grin widened and her legs propelled her forwards. Hiking up her billowing skirts, Olenna ran down the front drive and towards the line of first army soldiers and Nikolai's company.

"Nikolai!" There her brother was atop a great white mare, every bit the perfect prince he'd always been. Prince Vasily Lantsov was there on a decorated horse beside him, proud and preening like a peacock. He'd inherited none of their mother's striking beauty and instead received their father's weak chin and arrogance. He'd been all too eager to ride to meet his little brother's company. It was evident to Olenna and anyone with two working eyes, that it was not an eager reunion of brothers, but a show of power. Vasily was the oldest, the crown Prince. But he never managed to earn the people's favor. Nikolai was beloved by the common folk and nobility alike for his compassion and guile. It was this that made him a threat.

Then there was Alina, hair jet black and shining against the golden Kefta as she rode atop a pure white horse. She looked every bit the Saint the pilgrims claimed her to be. If Olenna didn't know better, she might've believed the rumor herself.

Nikolai swung his leg over the side and landed with a light thump on the ground just in time to open his arms and catch his little sister in a crushing embrace. He let out a little huff on impact but kept his standing, hugging Olenna to him like she was the wind to his sails. Olenna pulled away, looking him over from head to toe. Then she wound back her arm and smacked him firmly across the chest. "I thought you were dead! I hadn't heard from you in over two months!" Nikolai winced, then tipped his head to the side apologetically.

"I was a bit preoccupied." Around them, Nikolai's companions shifted in their saddles and began to dismount. Olenna squinted up into her brother's eyes. Olenna was always the tallest girl at court, her limbs long and spindly, but she never did surpass her older brother. Nikolai was still a full head taller than her, a fact she'd always despised in youth.

"How could you possibly have crossed paths with The Sun Summoner in Ketterdam of all places?" Olenna looked to where a massive dark-haired Shu man was helping Alina from her horse. The Princess frowned. "You've always attracted trouble, brother, but this is of a different level entirely." Nikolai sighed, but his grin didn't falter. He reached out to take her hand in his. It was calloused and scarred, the hands of a man who'd spent many days hard at work. He was tanner, too, from what she could remember. Freckles cascaded over the bridge of his nose where the sun-kissed his skin.

"It's a long and harrowing tale that I would prefer to only tell once. You'll have to wait for Mother and Father to hear it." Olenna let out an uncivilized huff and rolled her eyes.

"You do know how to keep us in suspense." Despite the itch to hear every detail that she'd missed, Olenna smiled. She drank in every inch of him, cataloging his features to compare them to the ones she remembered. His face had sharpened, he'd lost the childlike roundness of his cheeks, and now he was a sculpted statue. He was stronger. His arms had a bit of bulk beneath the decorated coat. He had the build of a palace guard, not a prince like Vasily. He's become a man in Ketterdam. She wondered how she looked to him after all these years. How had she changed?

"You look beautiful, Lena." Nikolai had been studying her, too, she realized. He nicked a knuckle playfully beneath her chin and tugged lightly at her right earlobe. Olenna's diamond earring swung to hit her neck. "Finally grew into those big ears of yours, I see." Nikolai pulled his infamous lopsided smirk, the one that promised an adventure to come and trouble to follow. Olenna narrowed her eyes, but she failed to hide her smile. She raised a devious brow. Two could play in that game.

"Oh, shut it, or I'll share with our company the story with the goose and the lemon tart." Nikolai's rosy cheeks paled.

"You wouldn't." Olenna had already moved away from him toward the dark-haired half-Shu girl shifting between her feet. She was small compared to Nikolai, barely reaching his shoulders in height. But she was dressed in such finery that it would be impossible to skip over her in the group.

Olenna stopped with a few feet between them. Alina's dark eyes dropped to the path beneath her feet. All that power and status, and still, she had the heart of that little orphan from Karemsen. Olenna's expression softened. Alina never wanted this. She'd said so herself all those months ago. She took two steps forward and grasped Alina's hands in hers. Alina's eyes darted up to meet her. Olenna poured as much sincerity into her tone as she could. "Alina, welcome home. I regret that it isn't on better terms." Alina's dark eyes widened, and her lips parted. Her fingers trembled in Olenna's grasp. She must've been terrified to step foot in the Grand Palace again. Home to the people she was accused of conspiring to overthrow. Alina visibly swallowed.

"It's good to see you, Your Highness." The Sun Summoner dipped into a clumsy curtsey, her hands still in the Princess's delicate grip. Olenna shook her head and softly squeezed Alina's hands

"Alina, I know you had no part in The Darkling's plan. You needn't worry about me." It was Olenna's parents she should be afraid of. It was of no consequence what the third-born princess thought. She wasn't about to ruin their reunion by saying it, though. Alina's eyes sparkled as if a bit of the sunlight she commanded was trapped within them.

"You believe us?" Alina's voice sounded close to cracking.

"I do. You never wanted anything but the best for Ravka and its people. Grisha and Otkazat'sya." Olenna glanced over at Alina's tracker. Mal Oretsev, the boy Alina was forced to leave behind. There was an unmistakable bond between them, written for all to see in how he hovered beside her, close enough to grab her hand. Alina didn't seem to notice her shadow. Olenna looked at Alina again and smiled. It was almost as dazzling as the one she'd given Nikolai.

"Need I remind you to call me Olenna?" Alina squeezed the Princess's hands back silently. Olenna noticed a bit of mist in the Sun Summoner's eyes. How long had it been since Alina had a friend, other than Mal, take her hand and tell her that all would be well? It had been far too long for Olenna, too. Nikolai placed a hand on the small of his sister's back.

"Olenna," Nikolai flourished an arm in that theatrical way of his. There stood a man and a woman, both Shu, armed from head to toe and garbed in fighting leathers. They looked more prepared for battle than court. "Let me introduce Tamar Kir-Bataar and Tolya Yul-Bataar. They have saved my royal ass more times than I can count." Both Tamar and Tolya dipped their heads in a show of respect. Olenna did the same. Tolya, the man who'd helped Alina from her horse, was even taller than Nikolai, and twice as wide. He was a wall of muscle before her. Tamar was smaller but far more intimidating. Two axes hung from her waist, and her fingers hovered over the hilt as if itching to pull them free. Olenna looked between them thoughtfully.

"Twins?" They had the same angular lips and almond eyes.

"Yes, Your Highness." Tolya's voice was deep and soothing like a distant summer storm come to water the growing flowers. He was neither friendly nor hostile in his expression. Tamar was much more emotive. She smirked playfully, nudging her brother's side. He didn't so much as sway.

"You couldn't separate us if you tried." Tamar winked. "And trust me, they've tried." Olenna had read about Shu twins and how they shared a sacred bond. What would it be like to have someone like that? Olenna thought she had that with Nikolai, but it'd been four long years apart. Something tugged at a string of worry in her mind, picking and unraveling it. What if things would be different between them? What if the golden thread that tied them together through youth had worn and snapped? Olenna hid her doubts behind a diplomatic smile.

"It's lovely to meet you. Thank you for keeping an eye on my idiot brother. I know it is not an easy task." Tamar snorted.

"You can say that again." Olenna thought she saw the ghost of a smile on Tolya's lips. His features were soft, not so hard as would be expected from a man with his stature. But there seemed to be a set of heavy velvet curtains drawn over the window to his soul.

Vasily stepped up beside his sister. His presence was like a storm cloud over her mind. His arms were crossed, and he looked more like a prison warden than a crown prince. "If you're quite finished with this heartfelt reunion, we do have a business to attend to." Olenna's muscles stiffened in response to Vasily's mocking tone. Her bubbling joy quieted to a simmer in an instant. It was an effort not to let her lips tip downward.

"Of course, Brother." Olenna's tone pitched a bit too high. She gestured graciously for the newcomers to follow. "Come, we don't want to keep the King waiting. He's not very forgiving these days." Alina's eyes flicked to Mal. It was his life she was worried about. The sentence for deserters of the first army was not a merciful one. Yet, Mal had left for the sake of Alina, and Ravka. It was hardly an act of treason. Olenna wished she could believe that her father would be sympathetic.

Olenna walked a few steps ahead of the rest, her brothers on either side. Even knowing that what she was leading them towards might be a sentence and not salvation, Olenna couldn't suppress the excitement warming her chest at Nikolai's presence. If Vasily was the storm, Nikolai was the rainbow peaking through the clouds.

There was a nearly palpable tension between the Princes. Vasily and Nikolai never got along before. There was no reason to think they would reconcile now. Especially not when Vasily's disposition had only soured with age. Olenna tried to spend as little time as possible with her family nowadays. It was a far cry from when she and Nikolai followed their elder brother around like a couple of lost puppies.

The Ravkan Princes and Princess ascended the gleaming white steps of the palace ahead of the rest. Olenna's heels echoed down polished parquet floors and through halls arched with golden embellishments, lined with paintings of Saints and Kings long since dead. It had been so many years since the Lantsov children stood together and walked the halls of The Grand Palace as one. But they were not as they once were and never would be again. Olenna glanced over her shoulder to where Alina followed, looking like she was marching to the gallows rather than a throne room.

"I've spoken to The King on your behalf." She'd tried to speak words of reason into his ear-- that Alina was innocent, a victim wrapped in the Darkling's web of darkness just like the rest. "But it is apparent that I do not have his ear on this matter." Or any matter, to be frank. The King listened to none but himself. Certainly, not his youngest daughter.

"I appreciate you trying." Alina mustered a sad excuse for a smile. The royals slowed their procession before the massive embossed doors of the throne room. Two footmen dressed in Lantsov blue uniforms stood at attention, waiting for their command. Nikolai straightened his metal-adorned first army uniform, more for show than to correct a flaw. He sucked in a steadying breath. Then he turned to Alina with a devil make care grin.

"Keep quiet and try to look penitent." Olenna straightened her already perfect posture and clasped her hands delicately before her. Then Vasily waved the Footmen forward, and the doors opened into the grand sunlit throne room.