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𝐁𝐄𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐄
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐇𝐀 𝐓𝐄𝐒𝐓

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Like every other morning for the past twelve years, the two children ran around their shared room pretending to be Grisha. The young prince and his cousin's laughter filled every inch of their bedroom as they jumped from bed to bed while using their make-believe abilities. The boy always chose to be a Squaller. He thought it would be amazing to control the air surrounding him and even fly high into the sky. No one would be able to see his attacks coming. Unlike her cousin, the girl imagined herself as a Healer. She wanted to help the soldiers who protected their country instead of harming those who crossed her path. So as they played their games, she would follow the boy around and pretend to heal the injuries he obtained in battle. In their make-believe world, they made an unstoppable team. And deep down, both of them hoped to bring that team to life when they were older.

If only they knew what that day held for them.

Hours went by of them playing their games on the prince's day off from his duties. They thought their fun would never end, but that was only until they heard the sound of footsteps approaching them. The children instantly exchanged a look with each other before turning their attention back toward the door. They were just in time to see the boy's father push it open. The man just stared at them for what felt like an eternity with a look in his eyes that the girl couldn't read. It wasn't long after that when her uncle let out a long sigh.

"Nikolai. Inessa," Pyotr greeted before stepping aside and gesturing toward the hall, "please come with me. Both of you."

Inessa exchanged another look with Nikolai before they interlocked their arms and followed the King of Ravka. Silence surrounded them as they walked through the palace halls toward an unknown destination. Normally, the two of them would be running and laughing down the corridors, racing to see who was the fastest, but something seemed off. The air felt colder as they got closer and closer to where they were headed. Chills ran up Inessa's spine as she looked over at Nikolai, who sent her a reassuring smile in return. It wasn't long after that when they found themselves standing in front of a large black door, one that the children were told to never open.

Pyotr glanced back at his son and niece one last time before letting out another sigh. After he turned back around, he placed his hand on the doorknob and slowly pushed it open, revealing a large office on the other side. The Ravkan King walked into the room before stepping aside to allow the children entry. Once both of them were inside, Pyotr closed the door behind them. Inessa let her eyes travel around the room as she took in all the sculptures and paintings without thinking. That continued until her eyes landed on a man dressed in all black sitting on a couch with two men in red standing on either side of him. His sudden presence caused Inessa to jump back behind Nikolai. But to the Smirnoff girl's dismay, her uncle placed a hand on the children's shoulders and guided them toward the unknown man. The stranger studied the children as they approached him before he stood to his feet.

"You must be Prince Nikolai. It's an honor to make your acquaintance," the man greeted before holding his hand out to the blonde boy, who returned the gesture. Not even a second after their handshake concluded when the stranger turned his attention to the girl standing next to him. The man just studied her for a long moment before a small smile appeared on his face. "And you must be Inessa. I'm General Kirigan. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Inessa just stared at General Kirigan for a moment before cautiously shaking his hand. As soon as their greeting concluded, General Kirigan turned his attention away from Inessa and Nikolai and back to the King of Ravka. "Would you like them to be tested now?"

"That would be best," Pyotr responded without even looking at his son and niece.

His words caused the general to look back down at the two children standing in front of him. The smile on his face instantly returned as he studied them before he opened his mouth to speak. "Who would like to go first?"

A sudden wave of terror washed over Inessa as she looked over at her cousin, who was already staring back at her. Nikolai just studied the girl next to him for a long moment before looking back at General Kirigan and taking a step forward. The smile on the raven-haired man's face did nothing but grow as he took off one of his rings and flipped it around so the sharp bit was facing outward like a talon. Once the ring was back on his finger, General Kirigan grabbed Nikolai's arm and made a small cut on his bicep, but all that happened was a bit of blood being drawn. They waited another moment to see if the reaction was delayed, but still nothing happened.

Pyotr let out a somewhat grateful sigh as he handed his son a handkerchief to put on the cut. Nikolai gladly took it and placed it on his arm as General Kirigan turned his attention toward Inessa. The two of them just stared at each other for a moment before the raven-haired man wiped his ring off with his handkerchief and held his hand out for her arm. The brunette girl hesitated for a moment before giving it to him. Inessa was surprised at how gently the man took her wrist and placed his ring against her skin. The coolness of the metal caused the girl to shiver before she felt the ring run down her bicep, but no pain followed. Confusion began flowing through Inessa's veins as she looked to where she felt the ring, only to find her skin looking as if he never touched her at all.

"Father," Nikolai called out, causing everyone to turn their attention toward him just in time to see him remove the handkerchief from his arm. Shock instantly replaced the confusion Inessa felt when she saw that his cut was no longer there.

After a moment of just staring at the prince, General Kirigan turned his attention back to Inessa before his soft smile returned. "Looks like we have a Corporalki on our hands. Welcome to the Second Army."

It was only a second after the general's words registered in the brunette girl's head when she took a step away from the man. Inessa's eyes stayed glued to him for a moment longer before she looked up at her uncle. "I don't want to go with him."

"I'm afraid there is no choice in this matter, Inessa," Pyotr told her after looking away from his son's now-healed arm and over at his distressed niece, "all Grisha must join the Second Army and live in the Little Palace, no matter who they are."

As soon as his father finished speaking, Nikolai rushed toward his cousin and pulled her in for a bone-crushing hug. The two of them just stayed like that for what felt like an eternity while everyone watched them in silence. While the adults continued to stare at the two children, the prince whispered something into Inessa's ear that only she could hear. "We will reunite someday, Nessie. And when we do, we will go on an extraordinary adventure."

"Nikolai," the Ravkan king called out to his son, causing the children to end their moment before the prince turned to face his father, "will you please return to your room? I have an important matter to discuss with General Kirigan."

"Ivan. Fedyor," the general said, instantly making the two men standing by the sofa walk toward him until they were standing a few yards away, "take Inessa to the Little Palace and get her settled in an available room."

Before another thought could go through Inessa's head, the two men in red grabbed the girl's arms and began escorting her out of the room. Despite wanting to scream and shout at her uncle to not let them take her away, she knew it was no good. As he said, all Grisha must join the Second Army no matter who they are. Inessa wasn't going to waste her breath on a man who clearly wasn't going to help her. So instead she took one last look at her cousin, the only person left in the world she trusted with her life, and kept her eyes glued to him until he was out of sight.

It wasn't until she was outside of the palace that Inessa began to panic. Everything that had just happened had fully sunk in and it finally hit her that she was behind sent to fight a war against her will. Inessa tried her best to fight back her fear but as soon as the Little Palace came into view, she couldn't handle it. Without thinking, the Smirnoff girl dug her heels into the dirt and began to struggle to get out of the men's grasp. Her actions immediately caused irritation to flow through Ivan's veins at the same moment Fedyor started to feel sorry for the young girl. That only lasted a moment longer before they finally stopped and looked down at Inessa. After staring up at the two men for a long moment, Inessa finally found the courage to speak. "I don't want to go."

"It doesn't matter what you want," Ivan said while his comrade continued to watch the young girl, "you heard what the King said, all Grisha must serve Ravka."

"Don't be afraid," Fedyor told Inessa in a much softer voice, drawing her attention to him before he continued speaking, "you will make a fine Corporalki. Whether it be as a Healer or a Heartrender."

Before Inessa had a chance to respond, the sound of approaching footsteps cut through the air. All three of them turned their attention toward the source of the noise to see General Kirigan walking toward them. The two men instantly turned so they were fully facing their commander while Inessa just stared at him with confusion and fear in her eyes. The man in black looked back and forth between his men for a moment before his attention finally settled on the girl standing between them.

"I thought I told you to take her to the Little Palace," General Kirigan said while keeping his eyes glued to Inessa, "why are you standing around in the courtyard?"

"She was refusing to go," Ivan responded without even attempting to hide the annoyance in his voice, "she is afraid."

In any other instance, Inessa would've glared up at the tall man...but he was right. She was terrified, and rightfully so. What sane person would want to give their life for a cause that wasn't their own?

Inessa was soon drawn out of her thoughts when General Kirigan kneeled down to be at eye level with her. The young girl just stared into his eyes which were filled with the darkness that the Smirnoff girl had grown to fear. It wasn't long after that when a small smirk appeared on the General's face. "She isn't afraid, Ivan. She just needs to find the fire inside her."

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