Nikolai crashed his lips into mine, his hand came to cup my cheek. I froze.
But soon, reciprocated the kiss, we pulled apart and I was surprised by what we just did.

"I-I didn't mean-" Nikolai started off.

"No, it's okay. I should go." I left, returning to my room. I tried to forget that he ever kissed me. It was just a pure act of emotion, it didn't mean anything. If Mal ever found out that he kissed me, I don't know what he would do. Accepting that me and Nikolai are to be wed was difficult enough but now...

Should I tell him?

Should I keep it a secret?

These thoughts were getting the best of me, I let them go for now. At least until I meet with Genya and tell her what happened.

***
I stayed in my room, trying to forget what happened between me and Nikolai. I pushed myself against the back of my chamber doors. Suddenly, I began to feel very dizzy. It felt like the negative amplifier, but it wasn't. I saw a glass of water on my dressing table and decided to take a sip. The dizziness reduced and I wasn't as light headed anymore. Breathing shakily. I held onto the chair near my table.

The weakness returned, I looked at the glass, from where I drunk earlier and put the pieces together. It was poisoned.

My legs soon gave way and I ended up on the floor. Almost paralysed, the roof above me, blurred in my eyes. I blinked, trying to stay awake. I groaned from the pain in my body. And soon felt the darkness consume me.

***
I felt a hand stroke the side of my face, to the touch, I woke up to. I saw the Darkling sat beside me. I moved from his touch and pushed myself, to sit up on the bed. I found, my hands chained to each other.

"What did you do?" I shouted.

"What I had too." The Darkling replied. He made out to reach my face, I flinched in disgust. I saw him get angry and he grabbed the back of my head. I tried to get out of the death grip he had entangled with my hair. But he was too strong, for me. I cried out in pain.

"Let go!" I wined, almost like a child. "What about my friends? What did you do to them?"

"Your friends are being detained in the throne room, wish to see?" The Darkling slightly raised a brow. A faint smile on his lips, was this so amusing, seeing me suffer. Seeing me watch my friends suffer.

"Take me to them!"

The Darkling pulled me out of bed and held a strong grip on arms, the chains rattled, as we moved outside the room. He opened one of the chamber doors and pulled me in by my waist forcing me out with him.

"If you hurt them-"

I started to threaten as we entered the throne room. But my sentence was cut of short when he threw me on the ground with great force. I knew there would be more bruises on my body. I groaned and lifted my head to see the horror before me.

Genya, Nikolai, Mal and Zoya all chained to the floor. "No." I whispered. I made to go up to them but felt a tug on my heart strings. Looking behind me, Ivan stood, slowing down my heart a little. Zoya had a busted lip. Genya's cheek was cut. Mal was the most beaten up out of all of them. "Mal." I made to reach for him but the Darkling pulled me up forcing me to my feet. His arm over my waist trapping my chained hands in and his other hand grasped my jaw. I winced, trying to break free, he increased his strength and my petite body couldn't hold for much longer. "Let go of them, they did nothing."

"Beg me." He smirked. I looked to my friends. My self respect was not worth my friends death's. Genya shook her head not to. Zoya remained strong. Mal had that look in his eye, like he wanted to punch the Darkling in the face. Nikolai tried to remain hopeful but he didn't like how the Darkling kept a hold on me.

"Beg!" The Darkling's frightening voice made me jump. "Please, I beg you, do not kill them."

"As you wish."

The Darkling let me go without any emotion and let me drop to the floor. I thought the torture was over but then I saw Nichevo'ya surround Genya, they started to cut into her skin. She screamed out in pain. "No make them stop." I yelled behind me at the Darkling. "Why don't you make them stop!?"

"Go ahead Alina, use your shadow summoning."

I looked to my friends, who had questioning looks on their faces. "Oh that's right, you never told them did you."

"That you posses both summoning abilities."

My friends heard what the Darkling said and I lowered my eyes, feeling ashamed. I must have hurt them. "Don't hurt Genya." I whispered.

The Nichevo'ya ceased around Genya and when they retreated I saw Genya's scars. She still looked so beautiful and so strong. But these scars definitely had to be traumatising.

I saw Nikolai get injected by one of the Darkling's Grisha. "Your fiancé now has Merzost running through his systems."

The Darkling signalled his heart renders to throw Nikolai down in the dungeons. And then the Darkling held me by my arm and led me down to some different dungeons.

He threw me into the dungeon and locked the doors behind me. The dungeon was covered in great darkness. Similar to the torture chamber I was in, back at the Grand Palace.

I just stayed on the floor, holding on to the ground. Didn't bother to get up. The Darkling, however stayed behind the dungeon doors and observed my reaction. "I didn't want this Alina."

He started of saying. His voice was paced and calculated. It was his gentle voice. "But you leave me no choice. Your tracker will be executed."

"What?" His words caught my attention, I turned to face him. "I shall allow you, a last parting with your tracker."

I came up to the bars and practically whispered,

"Don't kill him."

The Darkling looked me in the eye with no apparent emotion then started to walk away. "Don't!" I yelled after him, my voice echoed off the walls, in a hallow pattern.

Mal was soon thrown into the dungeons with me, by Ivan. I quickly hugged him. I didn't want any of this to be true but the Darkling has been meaning to kill Mal for a long time now. "Mal, I'm so sorry." I started to cry. He cupped my face in his hands.

"It's okay Alina, if I have to die. I'm glad you would be there, in my final moments."

"No." I shook my head. "Please, d-don't say that."

"It's okay Alina, I'll be free."

"I will love you till the day I die and if there's a life after that I'll love you then too."

These promises, he's making to me. Will be the last he will make to me.

"I'm sorry. That I didn't marry you. I'm sorry I turned out Grisha and a Westerosi princess. I'm sorry for marrying Khal Drogo and I'm sorry for being engaged to Nikolai and kissing him." I confessed, whole heartedly.

Mal didn't seem that surprised. "It's okay. Everything that happened was not your doing. You did it to save everyone, t-to become Queen."

"And Alina. You will make a magnificent Queen."

He pulled me in to a hug. "I just wish I could have done more." Mal whispered behind my head.

"Are you kidding me. You've done more than any one else." I pulled from his hug. "you knew my Grisha sense, you accepted me for who I am. You let me marry another. You let me be engaged to another."

"If what the Darkling says is true, then out of all the people I will encounter in my journey to become Queen. I will never forget you.  I will carry you with me."

"I guess that makes me immortal." Mal whispered. I met his lips. He kissed me deeply. I kept kissing him. All over his face, the side of his neck. "I hope you find love with Nikolai." Mal said as his last wish. The dungeon doors opened and the heart renders came in, to take us up to the throne room. Where Mal was to die.

I will carry you in my heart. I looked to Mal. Forever.

Published: 11:33am 28/01/2022