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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟏𝟒
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐌𝐔𝐆 𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐕𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐑

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An unknown amount of time had passed before Inessa felt her heart start to race. A gasp soon passed over her lips as she was brought out of her forced slumber. The Smirnoff girl just stared at the wooden ceiling above her for what felt like an eternity. That was until everything that had happened came back to her. Inessa sat up so fast that she was surprised she didn't get a headache. But she didn't expect to find four people staring back at her. Panic coursed when she realized that three of them were the ones that kidnapped her. The sight of them was enough to make her move away from them, only for her back to hit the wall behind her. But everything changed when her eyes landed on the last person in the room with her.

His face seemed unfamiliar to her, but people could change significantly in five years. If she were to walk past him in the streets, Inessa would just regard him as another stranger. But his eyes were still the same as the boy she was taken from when she was just a child. He had the same kind eyes that told her that everything would be okay no matter what. His eyes still held the love he had for his cousin, which was something the Smirnoff girl desperately needed after everything she'd gone through.

"Nikolai?" Inessa whispered just loud enough for everyone in the room to hear.

"Hi, Nessa," the blonde boy responded with a small smile on his face.

Tears instantly formed in Inessa's eyes as she lunged forward and pulled Nikolai in for a very overdue hug. All the emotional and physical pain she had been through faded the second his arms wrapped around her. She had been waiting five years for that moment, and it was well worth the wait. Tears streamed down the Heartrender's cheeks as the prince tightened his grip around her. The cousins were so wrapped up in their reunion that they failed to notice Nikolai's allies leaving the room. That was until they heard the door closing behind them, but that wasn't enough for them to end their moment.

They stayed like that for what felt like an eternity before ending their embrace. But Inessa kept her hand on Nikolai's forearm as if wanting to be sure he was real. Even though she knew he wouldn't, she was afraid he would disappear the moment she removed her hand. They kept their eyes glued to each other for another moment before the Smirnoff girl's thoughts went back to her friends. Alina and Mal were probably worried sick about her.

"Your friends kidnapped me," Inessa muttered under her breath, earning a small chuckle from her cousin.

"They did. And I'll admit, they probably shouldn't have. But after you didn't return with those thieves, we all knew you wouldn't come willingly," Nikolai responded before the Heartrender watched his smile transform into a more serious look, "there was word that you were traveling with the Sun Summoner. Do you know where she is?"

An unexpected wave of uncertainty soon washed over Inessa. She would be the first to admit that was the last thing she wanted to feel when she reunited with her cousin. The Smirnoff girl wanted to trust him with every bone in her body. But after five years of being lied to, she couldn't help but be skeptical. And it didn't help that Alina's wanted poster was on the table beside them.

After letting out a shaky breath, Inessa opened her mouth to respond. "What do you want with Alina?"

Nikolai just stared at his cousin until realization began flowing through his veins. "Really, Inessa? Do you think I plan to hurt her?"

"Well, you can't blame me after everything I've been through," the Smirnoff girl retaliated, causing all emotion to fade from the Lantsov boy's face.

"What are you talking about? I was promised that you would be kept away from the front lines."

"I wasn't anywhere near the front lines, Nik. General Kirigan was trying to mold me into one of his blind followers. He wanted me to do what he said when he said it. He would leave me in complete darkness for hours if I disobeyed him," Inessa explained before hesitating, wanting to gather her emotions. She wanted to tell him about Maximus, but there was a part of her that forced her to keep it to herself. At least for now. So instead she settled for the next best thing. "There are things I've done that I'm not proud of."

Nikolai didn't hesitate to pull his cousin in for another tight hug after seeing the tears returning to her eyes. They let the silence surround them for another moment before the prince broke it. "You did what you needed to do in order to survive, Nessa. But I promise you will not have to endure what he put you through any longer."

The Smirnoff girl let his words sink in before pushing away from her cousin to look him in the eyes. There was a large part of her that knew she could trust him, Nikolai was her cousin after all. And on top of that, he was the only person she ever truly trusted. But there was a small part of her that knew she had to be careful, especially when it came to the one person who could save them all.

"What do you want with Alina?" Inessa repeated, this time with more curiosity in her voice than skepticism.

"I want the same thing we all want. I want the Fold gone," Nikolai told her before his signature smirk returned to his lips, "and I'd like to help the Sun Summoner accomplish that."

The Smirnoff girl slowly nodded until a thought crossed her mind. That was enough to make her let out a long sigh. "She's been through a lot since learning she was Grisha, Nik. And her friend is even more skeptical than she is. They aren't gonna trust a pirate."

"Privateer," the young prince corrected, earning an eye roll from his cousin, "what do you have in mind?"

"They trust me. I can convince them that I found a boat to take us where we need to go," Inessa explained before a completely different thought made its way into her head, "but they don't know I'm related to the Royal Family. I think it would be best to keep it that way for now."

"I think it's best if we both keep our connection to the Royal Family to ourselves for now," Nikolai told her after taking a moment to think over his cousin's plan, "I agree that you're the only way to get Alina on this ship. But you're not going alone."

Before Inessa had a chance to argue, the Lantsov boy made his way toward the door. He swung the door open and called out to someone down the hall. Not even a second after that passed when the Fjerdan appeared. Inessa just stared at the blonde boy until her attention returned to Nikolai.

"You want me to go with one of my kidnappers?" the Heartrender questioned, not bothering to hide the annoyance in her voice, "and on top of that, a Fjerdan? His people hunt down and kill Grisha for sport. Alina would trust you more than him."

"I left that part of my life behind. You don't need to fear me," the blonde boy said with no emotion in his voice, making the Heartrender even more uncertain.

"You can trust Jens. He has saved my life more than once," Nikolai defended his friend, only to catch the hint of fear in Inessa's eyes, "I wouldn't send you off with someone who I thought would hurt you, Nessa."

The Smirnoff girl just stared at Jens for a long moment before letting out a defeated sigh. "Fine. He can come with me. But I'm leaving him behind if he so much as taps my shoulder."

Nikolai couldn't help but laugh in response to his cousin's words as a small smile appeared on Jens' lips. It wasn't long after that when the Lantsov boy responded with two simple words. "Fair enough."

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Inessa waited until nightfall before leaving Nikolai's ship. She tried to convince her cousin to allow her to go at sunset, just like she had planned with Alina and Mal. But the Lantsov boy assured her that it would be safer to travel at night, especially with the First Army looking for her. The Heartrender was walking down the gangway with Jens, Tolya, and Tamar following closely behind her, which only made the Heartrender's nerves double. She trusted her cousin with every bone in her body and she was open to trusting some of his allies, but there was no way she'd ever trust a Fjerdan. They lost too many good Grisha to their northern neighbors and Inessa was determined not to be added to that list. So she kept her senses on high alert until they found Mal and Alina.

They planned to head to where Alina and Mal should be waiting for her, but plans were always bound to change. Inessa barely set foot on the dock when she sensed a familiar heartbeat nearby. Her eyes scanned her surroundings until spotting two heads just barely peeking over the crates nearby. It didn't take Inessa long to realize she was being watched by the exact people she was looking for. A wave of relief washed over the Smirnoff girl as she approached Mal and Alina, who didn't hesitate to meet her halfway. The Starkov girl instantly wrapped her arms around Inessa and pulled her into a tight hug. 

As soon as they ended their moment, Inessa looked over at Mal. She was surprised to find his eyes scanning over her. It was as if looking for any form of injury. That lasted for another moment before his eyes moved to meet hers. "Are you alright?"

"I did run into some trouble, but I'm okay now," Inessa responded before gesturing toward the large ship behind her, "I managed to secure a charter on this ship. We were coming to find you. They only ask for some form of payment."

"What about this?" Alina asked after pulling a hairpin out of her cloak pocket, "it's gold."

"That should work. But we have to hurry. They're leaving soon," the Smirnoff girl told them, completely unaware of the uncertain look Mal was sending her.

After taking the hairpin from Alina, Inessa led them toward where Jens, Tolya, and Tamar were waiting. Her eyes locked with the Kir-Bataar girl before handing her the hairpin. Tamar just stared at it until placing it in her mouth and biting down. Not even a second after that passed when a smile appeared on her lips. "That'll do."

"Come on then, hurry up," Tolya said after taking the hairpin from his sister and studying it, "we'll take you to the captain."

The Starkov girl muttered a thank you under her breath as she, Mal, and Inessa began to board. They were barely halfway up the gangway when someone called out to them. The trio instantly stopped in their tracks and turned toward the voice to find Lieutenant Bohdan. He was approaching them with determined First Army soldiers trailing behind them. They continued storming toward them until stopping a few yards away.

Tamar didn't hesitate to unsheathe her axe and take a step toward the small group of soldiers. "You want to fight, Ravka? Hey?"

"Those two are deserters of the First and Second Armies. They belong in our custody," Lieutenant Bohdan explained while pointing at Inessa and Mal.

"Is that so? Alright then. Ravka wants a fight!" the Kir-Bataar girl told her crew. Inessa was shocked by how quickly those onboard the Volkvolny dropped everything and switched to battle mode. The cannons were loaded in a matter of seconds while others unsheathed their swords.

Lieutenant Bohdan just stared at the scene in front of him for a moment before focusing his attention back on Tamar. "I don't want to escalate the fight with Shu Han."

That was all it took for Tolya to unsheathe his sword and walk forward until standing beside his sister. "We're not with Shu Han. We're independent."

"Save your bullets for the war, old man," Jens called out from his place beside Inessa, who didn't fail to notice the smile that appeared on his face.

"First Army needs to know its place," Tamar declared without bothering to hide the annoyance in her voice.

What felt like an eternity passed before Lieutenant Bohdan and his soldiers stood down, causing Nikolai's crew to do the same. However, they still kept their cannons loaded and swords drawn to show they were prepared for a fight. The Heartrender twins stayed behind to ensure that the First Army wouldn't try anything. While they did that, Jens led Inessa, Mal, and Alina onto the Volkvolny. They walked in silence as they crossed the upper deck until reaching a small set of stairs that led them to Nikolai's quarters. A shaky breath passed over Inessa's lips as Jens opened the door and walked inside, something that didn't go unnoticed by Mal. But before he could question her nervousness, the Nordin boy broke the silence surrounding them.

"Request for charter, Captain," Jens announced before stepping aside to allow the trio behind him to enter.

Mal quickly turned his gaze away from the Smirnoff girl and walked inside the cabin. "Immediate charter."

"He means we need to leave right now," Alina added after stopping beside the Oretsev boy, who was standing a few feet away from Nikolai's desk.

Inessa slowly stepped into the room and continued walking until standing beside her friends. Her eyes were glued to her cousin as he stared out the largest window in the room. It wasn't long after that when Nikolai turned around to face them and placed his hands on the desk. The Smirnoff girl knew he was putting on a show, but she was still surprised by how serious her fun-loving cousin looked at that moment. It once again reminded her of just how much time had passed since they last saw each other. But Inessa quickly shook her thoughts away when Nikolai began speaking.

"Let's be clear about two things," the Lantsov boy said while his eyes moved between the three people standing in front of him, "I don't take orders on my own ship. And we're already underway. I'm glad you've joined us."

Inessa felt Alina tense beside her before the latter looked out the nearest porthole, only to find them sailing away from Novy Zem. The Smirnoff girl wished she could reassure her allies that they had nothing to fear, but she and Nikolai agreed to keep their kinship a secret for the time being. So instead, she kept her lips sealed and pretended to be just as surprised as Mal and Alina.

"Now, maybe you'd be so kind as to give the room a little light. After all, you are Alina Starkov. A twenty million kruge Saint," Nikolai continued, drawing everyone's attention back to him. The blonde boy studied them for a moment before placing a pistol on his desk, making sure it was aimed directly at the Sun Summoner. "Dead or alive."

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