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Chapter Text

chapter 1: THEO STARKOV
part 1: MORNING

It was morning. Bright and early, the sun slowly rising through the windows of Os Alta. Few were awake, but Theo was already down from his room & wandering to breakfast. He roved the halls of the Little Palace, dark eyes taking in the decorations on the walls. If he looked hard enough, he thought he could see cracks where they might've been broken apart in the attacks on Os Alta during the civil war and the wars with Fjerda & the Shu Han. He either hadn't been born or had been far too young to remember all that, but the history of his home was everpresent.

He turned the corner into the dining hall, taking a seat at the large table. There were only a few other Grisha there - a tall Fabrikator he recognized vaguely, poring over a book & some potatoes, and across the table, a gaggle of young students arguing in hushed voices over persuasive essays. Nobody he really knew, so he sat by himself, occasionally glancing up the walls & up to the domed glass ceiling.

He was then attacked - not by any danger, but by his younger sister, Clement, who barrelled into him unexpectedly. He nearly leapt right out of his seat, only to be greeted by her grinning face, framed by bright red curls.

"Gahh, Clement! You scared me!" He laughed as she let go of him, twirling around to sit next to him.
"Sorry," she giggled, "I thought you heard me. Were you too busy staring at the ceiling?"
"...Oh, maybe a little bit. You can be sneaky when you want to, though."
"Well, yeah, that too. Not as sneaky as Marcus, though."
"Marcus is always sneaking, he gets a lot of practice."
"Yeah... Should I practice my sneaking more?" She asked, a mischevous grin curling her mouth.
"Please don't. You're going to give me or one of our parents a heart attack or something, one of these days." He answered, glancing back at his plate with a wry smile.
"You're boring," she remarked, sticking her nose in the air a bit as she stole almost half of his eggs.
"I am not, I- hey, my eggs! I was eating those!" He exclaimed, noticing the missing eggs.
"Well, now I'm eating them. Sucks to be y- oh," she abruptly cut off, mouth full of stolen eggs, as Genya, the squabbling pair's mother showed up.
"Hi, ma. Clement stole my eggs," Theo informed her, to indignant mouth-full-of-eggs noises from Clement.
"Clement, there are plenty of eggs. Why are you stealing from your brother?" Genya asked, clearly trying to hide her amusement at her childrens' sibling squabbles.
"Uhhrmm..." Clement swallowed the eggs, "I didn't think he'd notice... Also my arms aren't that long!"
"You can reach the plate of eggs. You just wanted to be annoying." Theo scoffed, glaring at her a bit.
"Theo, don't drag it out. Clement, apologize." Genya instructed, amusement at the argument fading as she got her own food & tried to focus on eating.
"...Fine. Sorry for stealing your eggs."
"Apology accepted. But no more egg stealing."
"So stealing everything else is on the table?"
"No!"
"Aw, man..."

They ate in relative silence for a bit, other Grisha coming and going from the table, greetings being exchanged, requests to pass food here & there. The usual from a group meal.
Eventually, other friends joined them, then Clement was called away to classes, and Genya had to go manage her students. Theo didn't have too much to do until rather later in the day, so he decided to get some fresh air & wander the grounds.

He meandered down various paths, to the edge of the lake. He looked into the water, and saw himself reflected in the ripples, the trees behind him, and the sky & sun beyond that. He looked down for a while, before he heard someone calling him.

"Hey, Irony! Could you help me get some of these kids off my tail?" It was Henri, a Fjerdan Heartrender girl a couple years older than Clement. She was a grouch, but talented & respectable despite her young age, when she wasn't threatening violence. At this moment, she was being tailed by a couple younger Corporalki, probably after demonstrations of advanced techniques.
"Oh, yeah, sure. What do you need?" Theo replied, looking up from the lake & shifting his shoulders. He recognized the nickname, relating to the irony of his dark hair & eyes contrasting with the light his powers brought.
"You know what I mean. Just a bit of dazzle so I can step aside."
"Alright, I got it. Hey, kids, wanna see some Sun Summoning?"
"Wooah... Yes, please!!" One squeaked, while the other nodded INTENSELY.

Theo grinned, then turned back to the lake, flexing his fingers & shifting his weight, focusing on the sunlight reflecting off the rippling water. It began to shift, not with the water, but with Theo's movements, lifting off the waves & forming a gleaming ball. He held it for a long moment, long enough for Henri to slip away, then let the light collapse back to the lake.
The two little kids were bouncing around, gasping & clearly bursting with questions, but fortunately the school bell rang, giving him an excuse to encourage them away. He stayed outside a bit longer, finding a shady spot beneath a tree to relax until he was needed.

chapter 1: THEO STARKOV
part 2: AFTERNOON

By noon, Theo had wandered down to Os Alta's last set of gates, meeting up with other young adult Grisha - mostly Summoners like himself, plenty of Corporalki, and a few hardy-looking Materialki. Patrol teams, young enough to still be learning, but old enough to mostly learn without older mentors. Of course, there was still presence of older Grisha - one of each order was there to brief them on what they were to do.
Theo clustered with the other Summoners, listening to Adrik Zhabin boredly give them their assignments. He glanced around. Saints, why did he still get so nervous around other Summoners? Sun Summoners like himself had a population, a presence at the Little Palace, but Theo somehow always felt singled out. He shouldn't, really. People were used to him, Sun Summoning and all. He shrugged it off, ignoring the feelings for now. His parents were important, after all. People probably just wondered how much of a tattle-tale he was.
After the briefing, they grouped up, & set off. Theo was with a varied bunch - three other Summoners, representing each of the three other powers, a Healer & a Heartrender, and an Alkemi.

Theo kept his head down, keeping his orders in mind & listening idly to the bits of casual conversation flitting through the group. The Inferni, a boy he recognized who everyone inexplicably called Nit, was friends with the Alkemi, and they kept referencing an inside joke that seemed to irritate the Healer & Heartrender. The Tidemaker seemed more focused on flicking the last of the dewdrops at the Squaller, who tried to act oblivious, then sent a swirl of frigid wind right at her face, frosting her eyebrows & lashes for a moment before the heat melted it.

Eventually, they reached the point where they needed to split the group up even smaller, with Nit taking charge of organizing them. Theo wound up with the Healer & Squaller, while the Heartrender & Tidemaker were stuck together due to Nit just wanting to hang out with his friend. There was minimal arguing about this organization, and they'd soon scattered.

Tracking through easier terrain some time before leaving the proper trails, Theo struck up a conversation, wanting to be familiar with his companions for this mission.

"Say, how'd you two like breakfast today? I thought it was decent."
"...Questionable choices of fruit, but otherwise I agree," replied the Squaller, who Theo now recognized - her voice was a lot more memorable than her face. Her name was Jen.
"For certain. They also couldn't get any of the eggs right. All of them were either overcooked and dry or undercooked and watery." The Healer grumbled in response. Theo vaguely recognized him, but had never picked up on his name.
"Really? I thought the eggs were alright. Well - the ones I got to eat. My sister stole most of mine," Theo piped back up, a bit surprised at the criticism.
"Well, wait - oh, you're Theo. Nevermind, I'm not surprised," The Healer replied, recognizing him.
"What do you mean? Are you criticizing my egg preferences? We're supposed to be looking for bootprints!"
"Speaking of which, I found some," interjected Jen, who was crouched at a fork in the road a ways ahead of where Theo & the Healer had been talking.

Theo walked up, squatting down next to her. Sure enough, there was a trail of the prints they were meant to find & follow coming out of the right fork & immediately turning down the left.

"Oh, wow. Good eye!" The Healer remarked, "We should go the same way as them."
"Yeah... But maybe we should check the way they came. They could've been coming from the encampment we're meant to find," Jen shot back.
"Alright, then, we can check that way first then come back."
"Wouldn't it be more efficient to go both ways?" Theo suggested.
"There's only three of us, Theo. If we went both ways at the same time, one person would have to be alone, and nobody's supposed to be alone," Jen replied, seeming a little uneasy about the suggestion.
"Eh, we're all pretty strong. I'm sure a quick, quiet look around won't get anyone hurt, regardless of if there's another person there or not," the Healer said, shrugging off Jen's reasonable concern.
"...You two are ridiculous, but fine. How about me and Arthur (the healer) take the left, and Theo can go right?" She suggested, still seeming uneasy.
"Sounds alright. I can handle myself," Theo replied casually, glancing to the Healer, who he now knew was Arthur, for any objections.
"...Fair enough. Keep safe, Theo, and meet back here if you don't find anything!" Arthur replied, nodding as he followed Jen down the left path.

Theo bid his farewells & set off to the right, staying to the side of the path & keeping a careful eye on the bootprints cut into the dirt.

chapter 1: THEO STARKOV
part 3: EVENING

Theo had been tracking through the woods for some time, wandering on & off the trail, trying to follow the meandering path. He started to wonder if these were even the prints they were meant to follow, or some drunk. Before he knew it, the sky beyond the trees was darkening, and he didn't know quite where he was.

He kept following the bootprints, but the sun set fast; soon enough, he had to draw some light from the setting sun, then the moon, through his fingers just to keep the prints visible, and he was vulnerable to anything else in the woods...

He heard screaming. Something - or someone, crazed, panicking. He paused for a moment, trying to tell where it came from. Such a noise tended to echo off the trees, disorienting him. But he could tell somewhat, when another scream came - it was from roughly the direction Jen and Arthur had set off in.
He didn't want to hesitate any longer than he needed to, and thusly, he saw fit to hurl himself off the path, moonlight flashing around him, until he burst through the twigs & undergrowth onto the other path. Another scream, so much closer now. He ran down the path, saw Jen running the other way, and a figure that might've been Arthur against a tree.

He threw the light wide, lighting a clearing with a few prop buildings and some "enemy Grisha" - other young Grisha he knew, standing around menacingly, but blinking in the sudden light. One of them stepped forwards, but Arthur stood up, drawing a knife. Theo could hear Jen's footsteps coming slowly back down the path, and a breeze seemed to come out of nowhere.

"Shoo, Ravkans. We win, even if you have reinforcements!" Said one of them, in a horrible, fake accent.
"...Hah. We can keep fighting," Theo replied after a glance around. They were outnumbered & probably overpowered, but despite the tension and the darkness of the night, this was still a training exercise, which Theo took as an excuse to be a bit cocky.
"Yeah, right, weakling. You and your fancy light show don't scare us!" Remarked the leader, getting up in Theo's face a bit. He recognized him, a Heartrender called Mik. His breath wasn't very pleasent.
"I can do more than a show, smelly," Theo shot back, letting the light flicker while he shoved Mik away. He saw his opponents jump when the darkness leeched in, and fought back a smirk.

"Uh- guys..." Jen piped up, tapping Theo on the shoulder and gesturing behind her. Theo shifted the light to reveal a surly Adrik and his sleepy-looking wide, Leoni, had come looking for them.
"All Saints, what are you all doing still out here?" Adrik hissed, scowling furiously at the gaggle of younger Grisha.
"...Training? Like you assigned us to?" Theo nervously replied, then regretted speaking up. Adrik could be a bit scary.
"Sir, we just lost track of time. We would've been on our way back soon," Mik added from behind Theo, dropping the act of an enemy soldier.

Adrik looked unimpressed, but refrained from reprimanding them in front of his half-asleep wife.

"Alright, fine. You were doing what you were told. But I think our next exercise will be keeping track of time. Now come on, let's get back before we really scare anyone."

Theo and the others followed Adrik and Leoni back through the woods.
Despite his nerves, Theo stayed close behind the leaders of the procession, keeping the light around them until they were safely beyond the gates of Os Alta.

Chapter Text

chapter 2: CLEMENT SAFIN
part 1: NIGHT

It was dark out, now. Clement was up later than usual, but as she'd told her parents; she was far too worried about Theo not being home to go to sleep. He was just supposed to be out until around sundown, but of course it was past then by now.

She wasn't even in her room. She was perched on a seat in the library, lamp lit on the table, watching out the window. She couldn't see the entry path from here, but it was quiet except for a few older students studying late, and the library was always a good place to go when one wanted to be left alone.
She stayed there and waited, watching the stars and the gray shapes of clouds in the dark. The moon was bright, and lanterns lit the paths outside. Clement could be quite patient when she wanted to, and right now she felt she could wait forever.

But of course, she didn't need to. Theo came home, hair tousled and face scratched from running through the woods. She ran up to him, worries alleviated, demanding to know what took him so long.

"Oof- hey, Clement. I know, I know, I was out late. We got distracted!" He replied, assuring her before gently herding her along with him to return to their parents.
"Oh yeah? Doing what? Running into trees? You look like you tried to fight a branch!" Clement shot back, hands on her hips as she bounced up to her tippy-toes.
"Clement, calm down. He can take a bath, and really, what matters is that he's home and not seriously injured," Genya replied soothingly.
"He scared you, too!"
"Well, of course, but he's an adult and he can take care of himself. He doesn't need a bodyguard,"

"He is SCARED of BEETLES."
"Clement, please don't loudly proclaim my embarrassing fears for everyone to hear..." Theo cut in, glancing around to make sure nobody else heard. Jen, standing nearby, glanced his way but didn't seem to have noticed Clement's statement.
"Yeah, right, like none of them have heard the way you scream when you find a beetle on the wrong side of your window!"

"...Alright, I'm going to bed now. Goodnight, Clement," Theo replied indignantly, and stalked off up the stairs. Clement proceeded to follow him, as she had to go up the same way to her room.

chapter 2: CLEMENT SAFIN
part 2: THE NEXT MORNING

Despite the hubbub and panic of the previous night, Clement slept well, and woke up around the same time she usually did. She made her way downstairs and grabbed a quick breakfast, greeting some of her friends while she ate before heading to the library.
In the library, she wandered a bit, found a few books, and settled down to read for a while. Classes were starting late today, so she had plenty of time to read.

Unfortunately, she was not alone in the library. Sitting at a desk a few rows away, she saw the distinct bronze hair of her bully: Keri Iryken. Keri was the same age as Clement, but supremely horrible to everyone other than her own little circle of friends. All she cared about was what she considered beautiful; if you didn't meet her standards, she'd be nothing but nasty. While other kids flocked to Clement to try to win favor with her high-ranked parents, Keri mocked her freckles, her occasionally wild hair, her lanky frame, or anything else she'd decided was "ugly."

Clement sank back behind her book, trying to focus on the page instead of getting lost in how horrible Keri was. After all, her mother had told her often: lingering on taunts only did what the bully wanted. Ignoring them and letting them pass by would discourage bullies... But ignoring Keri was certainly hard. She had such a way with words, and she used it just to drive her taunts in deeper.
Clement often thought of it as a waste of talent, but she didn't know how to phrase such a notion into a witty insult.

Fortunately, the library encounter went without incident; one of Keri's friends came in & dragged her away, and Clement didn't see either of them again until their shared classes.

chapter 2: CLEMENT SAFIN
part 3: AFTERNOON

Clement had made it through her morning classes, and now she lingered out on the palace grounds, toying with her flint absentmindedly while she people-watched. However, she abruptly felt a tap on her shoulder.
Twisting around, she saw one of her friends who wasn't her classmate: Saiyar Nazyalensky, the princess. She was the same age as Clement, and their respective parents had plenty of history, so it wasn't surprising that the two girls got on well. Saiyar could be a bit much, but nobody wanted to get on her bad side, which made Clement feel safe around her.

"Hi, Clement! Are you spying on people?" Saiyar asked, sitting next to her on the grass.
"...If by spying, you mean looking at people, then yes," Clement answered, glad to have her friend there.
"Fun! I'd stick around, but I have to keep an eye on Lucas, and he just wants to sit in the shade and look at bugs," Saiyar explained, voice turning wry. Her younger brother, Lucas, was only four, but was very quiet and reserved.
"Oh, of course. He really likes bugs, doesn't he?"
"I think he likes bugs a little TOO much. But it's better than how scared your brother is, I think."
"Oh, tell me about it... He got really mad when I brought it up last night."
"Hah!"
"SAIYAAR. COME LOOK AT THE BUGS," suddenly came Lucas's voice from a shadowy spot beneath a large shrub.
"Oh- ugh... Coming!" Saiyar called back, looking at Clement apologetically before wandering over to Lucas. Clement followed, no longer feeling like being alone.

Plopped down in the branches was Lucas, who at only four was plenty small enough to fit beneath the big shrub. Saiyar sat just outside, peering between some branches she'd tugged aside, and Clement lay down on her front & wormed her head into the bush.

"There's a... a slup, and a beeple, and I saw a wormy earlier but it went under the leafs," Lucas was explaining. Clement tried to look engaged, even though bugs didn't really interest her.
"Fascinating," replied Saiyar, glancing at Clement boredly. Clement knew Saiyar didn't really like hanging out with her younger brother, since they had precious few interests in common as of yet, and his quiet nature contrasted wildly with her exuberant, loud tendencies.

Lucas continued explaining the activities of the bugs beneath the bush until the school bell rang, and the royal children had to return to their tutors, while Clement went back to class.

Chapter Text

chapter 3: SAIYAR NAZYALENSKY
part 1: AFTERNOON

Saiyar was only halfway paying attention to her history tutor. They were going over recent history; the later developments of the feuds with Fjerda and the Shu Han, and of course the civil war. All things Saiyar knew quite well; the good and bad of it, from her parents & their friends, who had been right in the thick of it.
She acknowledged, of course, that it was still important for her to hear it from a professional. But for all the noise and chaos she usually heralded, Saiyar knew when to keep quiet and listen. Right now, she didn't really feel like doing so.

She wanted to let her wild mind wander, far from the topic of the Darkling and his crimes, to Kerch. Or perhaps the ocean. She never knew for certain where Marcus was, unless they were visiting each other.
Marcus Ghafa was the boy she considered her very best friend, right before Clement. His parents and her parents had done a lot of favors for each other, and the two of them were the same age, even though sometimes Saiyar's mom still called Marcus's parents kids.

Saiyar knew they made an odd pair - the Princess of Ravka and a boy raised by "Barrel rats and foul-mouthed privateers," as most would call them. But Marcus was her opposite, in the sense that opposites attract; he was calm and collected, but happy to go along with some of Saiyar's wilder ideas. Usually, though, he didn't get to, since he lived so far away. This was perhaps Saiyar's only criticism of their friendship; the distance made it so hard to just be normal friends. They just had to be penpals unless their parents needed something from one another, or a vacation.

She sighed quietly and boredly returned to paying attention to her tutor. Thinking about the distance between her and Marcus for too long always made her sad, so it was better to just learn her history.

Classes continued, tutors came and went.
The Grand Palace was always full of hubbub, especially in the summer. Her father sometimes joked about people packing together like sweltering sardines, but he couldn't be too harsh; he liked the summertime too, and was always musing about a party of some kind to keep the oft-overheating country's spirits up.
Her mother was more practical, uptight at times. But she would tie her hair back with ribbons, and always saw that there were floral arrangements to decorate the halls. Saiyar would see her linger by them, sometimes. She could only wonder why.

Saiyar herself had far too much energy and far too little control; She spoke out of turn, and often said the wrong thing. But of course, not a soul in all Ravka would tell her that; she was a princess. The eldest heir, no less! Nobody wanted to be on her bad side, so she could get away with most anything she pleased.
She didn't often... take advantage of this, so to speak. Sure, she was wild, but she wasn't a bad kid. Too much energy, too much curiousity, and not enough time in her busy days simply lead to her needing alternative outputs for her energy.

As the hot day wore on, and Saiyar sat through the last of her classes, she pondered herself between the words of her tutors. Who was she now? Who would she become? If the time came, what kind of queen would she be?

chapter 3: SAIYAR NAZYALENSKY
part 2: EVENING

Saiyar was out of classes for the day, and the sun was setting, giving the earth below a chance to cool after the day's heat. Saiyar had decided to step outside, bringing some paper and writing supplies with her into the fresh air. She liked taking a moment to write before dinner; it gave her things to talk about over the table.

Tonight, she noted gaggles of young adult Grisha returning from training in the distance, the usual guards patrolling, a bat or two flying by, and a few rabbits nibbling the grass near her. One even came up especially close to her, when she sat still to watch them. She almost could've touched it, but didn't dare reach out.

After noting down what all there was to see, she returned inside, and ate dinner with her family and other high-ranked individuals. Clement's family was there, too, so her and Clement sat next to each other & chattered about what they'd been up to since seeing each other that afternoon. The adults were surprisingly engaged by some supremely boring conversation about the best routes to ship various materials around Ravka.

Saiyar looked around a bit during a lull in her conversation with Clement, noting that Clement's father, David was here. She was a bit surprised, since he usually was not at all a fan of these sorts of big dinners. She also felt sorry for him, as Lucas was sitting next to him, babbling on and on about the bugs he'd seen that day.

After dinner, Saiyar bid her farewells & goodnights, then helped her brother up the many flights of stairs to his room before heading to her own.

chapter 3: SAIYAR NAZYALENSKY
part 3: NIGHT

Saiyar didn't go to sleep right away. She sat down at her desk, setting down her papers, and began to write a list of various days' major highlights. However, she was quite tired, and could not focus. She wound up setting her writings aside and heading to bed after a bit.

Saiyar was dreaming, now. The halls of the palace were dark and warped, with people coming and going from doorways that she could swear hadn't existed moments before. The stairs curved in the wrong direction, and the decorative flowers her mother ensured were always pristine were rotting in their pots. Something was wrong in this dream land. Or was it a nightmare already?
Bugs. There were bugs, everywhere. Big ones, little ones. Crawling ones and flying ones and swimming ones, in puddles where cracked windows had let rainwater seep in. She tried to traverse the twisting maze, but things only got stranger, and the figures looked less like humans and more like the bugs. She could swear someone was calling her name, somewhere, but it echoed around and was imitated by the changing figures, until all eyes were on her...

And she woke up. It was still dark out, morning still hours away. She crept from her bed and to her desk, fidgetting with her lamp until it lit the surface dimly. She resumed her writing from before she'd gone to sleep, trying to calm herself with the words, with the reminder of what was real.
Ultimately, it worked, and she was able to wrap up her list, turn down the lamp, and get back to bed. This time, she slept peacefully until morning.

Chapter Text

chapter 4: MARCUS GHAFA
part 1: MORNING

Marcus woke up, blinking in the sunlight streaming in past the edges of his makeshift curtains. He shifted carefully in his hammock, extricating himself from the fabrics so he could wash his face and get dressed for the day.
He was out on his mother's ship, the tidy little schooner that cut through the waves. She'd spent years hunting slavers on this very ship, but there was less of that to deal with now. Her mere prescence discouraged the practice. Marcus was glad for it, as he wasn't always much of a fighter.

Despite the lack of fighting, there was always plenty to do on a boat, and Marcus was happy to get his hands dirty, even if his mom was the Captain. He liked keeping active and busy, and even if he was doing chores, everything was better with salty ocean breezes in his hair and the creaking of the ship beneath his feet.

After breakfast, he went out to swab the deck, running around with a mop to the deck and challenging himself not to slip on the soapy snail's trail he left behind. He had fun with his chores, listening to his shipmates chattering over the creaking of the boat and the crashing waves around them. His mother was up by the wheel, correcting their course between talking to the others around her.

chapter 4: MARCUS GHAFA
part 2: AFTERNOON

After a morning full of energy-intensive chores, Marcus was rather tired. After lunch, he opted to retire belowdecks, and helped the crew down in the dark corridors below the waterline.

He helped the chef organize some cabinets that had had their contents spilled around the kitchen during a recent storm, then took a share of freshwater to water some of his friends' little potted plants.
After this, he returned to his own quarters, and settled down at his desk with some paper and a pen. He decided to start a letter to his best friend, Saiyar, though he didn't know when they'd next dock in Ravka to deliver it.

He and Saiyar had known each other almost all their lives, thanks to their respective parents' friendship - or, as his father preferred to call it, business association. But Marcus knew they were really just friends. His father was just the kind of man who acted very cold and impersonal, even though he really wasn't.
Marcus regarded Saiyar as someone who made a lot of noise to cover something up, but he didn't know quite what she had to hide. She was royalty, after all; she had everything. But it wasn't up to him how someone else acted or percieved themself. And besides, she was still a very, very good friend. Whenever Marcus had a problem, he could ask Saiyar what to do, and she would give him the best advice she could. And when Saiyar had a problem, he'd do the same for her.
Of course, the distance between them - both physical and status-wise - did make things hard. Their problems could be very different, even if they were the same age.
But there was one thing Marcus knew for certain: No matter the distance or difference, and no matter the things they both thought, he and Saiyar were the absolute best of friends. There was simply no debating it; it was fact.

He noted down in his letter how much he appreciated their friendship, and scrawled pictures of their favorite things in the margins - waffles and Ravkan pastries whose names he could not spell, ships and the sea, crows and eagles flying in the same skies. He knew Saiyar liked when he drew little pictures for her, even though she wasn't very confident in her own drawing abilities.
After writing his letter, he made his way back up to the deck, where his mother found him looking out at the sea, mind wandering as always.

"Hey, Marcus. What's on your mind?" She asked him, leaning against the railing of the ship. Her long hair was in a braid like usual, a few straying hairs flying free in the breeze.
"Hmmm... Nothing much, just how far out we are. I can't see any land," he noted.
"Yeah... We have been out for a while. But we're on course right now to head back home and visit your father and uncles. We'll plan past that at home," She mused, but tried to be reassuring.
"That sounds nice. I hope we can go to Ravka afterwards."
"Me too... Though we'll probably also need to go to Fjerda before summer ends. It gets far too cold there to try going in wintertime."
"Oh, Saints, don't remind me. Remember when we tried to bring Da and the weather shifted before we made it to the Ice Court?"
"Yeah, and we were stuck in a valley between snowbanks for an hour... I think that's why your father has refused to go back," she replied, laughing at the memory. Marcus had been six and excited to explore, and got very fed up with sitting and waiting for so long.
"Probably," he mused. Of course, given his father's bad leg, he had plenty of reason to dislike Fjerda's snowy, shifting, frigid terrain.

Inej had been about to resume conversing, when one of the ship's cats, a tiny gray tabby called Miff, jumped up on the railing, demanding affection and batting at her braid.

"Oh- pssht, hi Miff!" She chuckled, caught off-guard by the sudden appearance of the feline. Marcus also stepped closer to help pet the demanding kitty.

chapter 4: MARCUS GHAFA
part 3: EVENING

Later, after his day's work was done, Marcus relaxed on the deck with a book and Miff in his lap, reading peacefully and enjoying the warmth of the little feline draped over his hips & forearm.
Eveningtime, as the crew dispersed and wound down, was one of Marcus's favorite times to be out on the deck. Stars coming out, gulls shutting up, and nothing but the usual background noise. It was perfect for enjoying a good book.

Tonight, Marcus was reading a story called "Tales Of Tragedy." Despite the title, it had some quite nice bits, and was overall a very satisfying read. He'd read it a couple times before, but he'd found himself coming back to it.

After a few chapters, Miff let him up, so he made his way to bed. He felt good tonight. He'd had a nice, productive day. He drifted into sleep, into a pleasant dream...

He was standing in a clearing in the woods. It was a brisk, bright day. Pathways made by people and animals alike came and went from the clearing, and he could hear distant laughter. It sounded like Saiyar, and perhaps Clement? He glanced down a few paths before he spotted them - not far off, but heading away from him. He ran down the path to greet them, and the trio spent the rest of the dream playing out in those scenic woods.

It was a shame that dreams couldn't be shared.

Chapter Text

chapter 5: THEO STARKOV
part 1: NIGHT

Theo was up late again. He stared out his window, unable to sleep. Something had set him thinking, and he'd found himself unable to stop.
It had started innocently enough; he had been out with Clement, supervising while she and Saiyar played with a couple other friends. He'd only been half-listening to their chitchat until the topic of siblings came up.

(Flashback)

"Me and my brother look a lot alike," Saiyar had been saying. It was true - they both took after their mother quite strongly, though Saiyar herself had bright gold hair like her father's.
"Yeah, well, I look just like all my brothers," another girl said. Theo had never caught her name, but he recognized her as someone Clement & Saiyar hung out with often.

"Me and my brother are both pale and have freckles!" Clement had said, glancing over at him.
"Well, yeah... But I don't think he looks anything like you other than that," Saiyar replied. Brutally honest, that one.
"Yeah, Saiyar's right," the other girl had said, giving Clement a look that Theo couldn't quite read.

Clement had changed the subject after that, clearly feeling rather awkward, but the discussion stuck with Theo.

(End flashback)

Now, he was looking out on the dark grounds; the paths lit by little lanterns, the dark & starry sky above, and he had to wonder how many others looked at him and wondered about his appearance, his lack of resemblance to his parents.
Of course, Theo himself knew that he was his parent's adoptive child, and he knew who his birth mother was. He'd even opted to keep the first & last name she'd given him, when he was old enough to decide. Clement knew, too, that he wasn't her brother by blood. She'd never cared, so long as he was a good brother.

But when Theo had first been adopted, it was a quiet thing. Nothing that really made it to public ears, to the population at large. Of course, few had known his birth mother was pregnant to begin with, which would've made it hugely easier to just say he was Genya & David's son and be done with it, which was of course what they'd done.
Theo had to wonder why Queen Zoya evidently hadn't informed her children of the facts. She usually seemed very set on ensuring they had the facts, the truth behind everything that they needed or wanted. Or had Saiyar just forgotten? She struck Theo as the forgetful type, sometimes.
Ah, well. Nothing he could do now.

He sighed, and wandered to his bed, trying to lie down and at least rest, even if he couldn't sleep. But exhaustion took hold, and he did eventually drift off, though he was a tad fitful.

chapter 5: THEO STARKOV
part 2: MORNING

Theo woke himself up the next morning by nearly rolling out of bed. He fortunately regained conciousness quickly enough to catch himself, but he couldn't help but think it would set an unfortunate tone for the rest of the day.
He managed to get dressed & down to breakfast without incident, though Clement decided to practice her egg-stealing skills on him again when she sat next to him at the table. Their mother was doing early-morning lessons, so he couldn't tattle, and just had to bicker with Clement over the morality of a little egg-stealing between siblings.

After breakfast, Theo wandered down to the lake, getting some practice in before he had to do training drills. Unfortunately, there were a gaggle of notoriously territorial Tidemakers in the lake, who didn't take kindly to his presence on the shoreline, even if he was well over ten feet away from where they were swimming & practicing.
The encounter went by without true incident, but the tension eventually drove Theo away, though he bitterly drew sunlight from the crests of their own waves to momentarily blind them.

He lingered beneath some shady trees, watching Clement toss flames in the air to delight some younger Summoners. He smiled, watching his sister having her fun. Her powers were one of her greatest prides, and she loved to hone her skills.

chapter 5: THEO STARKOV
part 3: AFTERNOON

Later on, as the day dragged on through noon, Theo made his way through the lower towns of Os Alta and out to the gates. Today was another tracking drill, this time staying closer to home.
Whilst Adrik monotonously drilled them on the usual procedures, which they'd all heard a thousand times and were thoroughly sick of, Theo found himself glancing through the cluster of other Summoners.

Again, he wondered if anyone wondered about his parentage. Had anyone ever put the pieces together, the hints of his birth mother in his name, his powers, his appearance? Or did they just think he was some trick of genetics, that his name was to honor a late friend, his powers some mad coincidence? He knew he shouldn't worry so much, but it crept in so unexpectedly. Still, he stayed in line & didn't let his exterior betray his unreasonably anxious thoughs.

After the lecture, they grouped up. Theo was with just Summoners and a Heartrender he didn't recognize today. Jen was in his group again, telling jokes with another Squaller and a quite short Tidemaker.
Theo kept his head down as usual, but listened to his compatriots & the woods around them. There was a creek nearby the path they were on, drowning out bits & pieces of the conversations, but he caught most of it.

The Heartrender had some issue with a gold-haired Inferni, who Theo swore he knew but couldn't quite place, and Jen wound up so irritated by their bickering that a worryingly dark cloud blotted out the sun for a long, tense moment.
After that, the group was quiet for a moment, until the small Tidemaker pointed out some sets of bootprints, which the group put together that they ought to check out.

So they split up smaller: Jen & Theo with the gold-haired Inferni, the Heartrender with the short Tidemaker and the Squaller Jen had been talking to, and the other Inferni & Tidemaker went together, as they knew each other. Theo wondered if this was the optimal way to split up, but didn't say anything.

There was little conversation as the trio meandered down the path, eyes on the ground to try & keep track of the bootprints they were following. Again, Theo wondered if their instructors just wanted to keep them busy, or if they were mistaken, and the bootprints were from some drunkard stumbling around.

They were not, Theo concluded, as the wind abruptly picked up. A glance at Jen found her looking just as surprised as Theo, looking around the trees for an attacker. Theo readied himself to blind them when he saw them, but then noticed someone through the trees.
Not an attacker, just a mischevous Squaller from another group passing by them. The Inferni recognized them, and wound up stopping for a wholly unnecessary argument, which Jen had to physically pull her away from, setting the mood for another tense silence as they continued following the meandering bootprints.

After a while, Theo realised that the group had taken a wrong turn. There were prints in the dirt, but they looked more like overlapping animal prints, not bootprints. But why would a whole bunch of animals be running away, down the same path?

Jen & the Inferni, who Theo had learned went by Kir, seemed to have noticed too, and the three exchanged tense glances, all wondering if they should continue... But they were young hooligans, and curiousity got the better of them. They set off, pointing out when one set of prints was discernible from the others.

As they walked, Theo started to hear strange noises. Human-like grunts & murmurs, the crackle of fire, and the rustling of tents. Potentially the fake camp they were meant to find, but there was a tension in the air that made him doubt it was.
When the rounded a bend & the very real-looking camp came into view, Jen gave the signal for the three of them to all dive into the undergrowth & hide, prowling closer stealthily through the twigs & ferns.

As they came closer, Theo began to make out what one of them, a large man, was saying. His back was turned, but he had a long gray braid down his back, and his voice creaked with age.

"...So then, as I told your sister, I set off the other way. I told her to meet me back here, but it's been... Almost four days, and I've seen no sign of her other than a dead squirrel staked to a tree. And that could've been anyone, I mean, we're not far from the capital at all..."

Theo shifted his position, and saw who the gray-haired man was speaking to: A boy who looked a few years younger than Theo, with a slim build & ink-black hair. He looked worried, but nodded seriously, then glanced around. Theo fought not to flinch.

"...Do you get the feeling you're being watched, Uncle Bear?" The boy asked, looking back to the larger man. Theo shuffled deeper into the undergrowth, as quietly as possible.
"Hm. Yes, that's quite possible. I think that lot of... brightly-dressed Grisha from the capital like to use this area as a training ground for their recruits. They could be sneaking up on us," he replied, then glanced over his shoulder. Theo could swear he looked right at him, but he turned back to the boy & shrugged, "'Prolly just nerves for you, boy. Maybe rest in one of my tents, I've got some nice books to read."

The boy nodded, and dutifully vanished into one of the tents. But Theo noticed how he hesitated & glanced around before entering, and had to wonder if he'd seen Jen or Kir on the other side of the path.
Theo stayed still as a stone, until the old man sighed and finally spoke.

"I know you're there, young Summoners. If you come on out, I can explain everything. I won't hurt you; I'm too old to be picking a fight."

Chapter Text

chapter 6: CLEMENT SAFIN
part 1: EVENING

Clement had to wonder about Theo. He had come home from training looking like he'd crawled into a pile of miscellaneous plant matter, hair wild & picking burrs from the embroidery of his kefta. He smelled like a bonfire & his dark eyes were wild and shifty. It was rather worrying.

At dinner, sitting next to him, she asked,

"...Were you training or camping? You smell like you've been running around in the undergrowth and building fires."

Theo looked her way & shook his head slightly, but didn't say a word. Odd for him, as he was usually quite willing to tell her what went on during his training exercises, especially when he got the chance to creep around off the beaten trails, which he certainly had that afternoon...
Clement squinted at him, but returned to her soup, slurping it pointedly. Theo didn't react, just shared an odd glance with a Squaller girl who had a very thin scar running above her cheekbones & over her nosebridge. Of course, Clement had seen them hanging out before, but she knew most of her brother's friends, so she again wondered what was going on.

After dinner, Clement took the long route to her room, and passed by an Inferni with bright gold hair, who looked just as tense as Theo & the scarred Squaller girl. She was whispering something to a Durast, who looked disbelieving but perturbed. Clement didn't catch any of the conversation, but wondered if the Inferni had seen the same thing that Theo (and evidently, that Squaller) had.

In her room, Clement sat at her desk, staring at herself blankly in her mirror, and wondered what could've happened that afternoon for Theo to tell her nothing. Her reflection offered no answers, just a look into her own golden-brown eyes & pale, freckled face.

chapter 6: CLEMENT SAFIN
part 2: NIGHT

Clement had eventually grown bored with staring at her reflection, despite her enjoyment of her appearance, and had decided to wash up & get ready for bed.

But her curiousity about Theo's training was strong, and she kept distracting herself from her routine, trailing off from washing & changing. It took her longer than she would've liked to admit to finally get in bed, but even then, she stared at the ceiling for at least an hour before finally managing to drift to sleep.

She didn't dream much, but her subconcious took her worries about her brother to new extremes, so her sleep was fitful & often inturrupted.

chapter 6: CLEMENT SAFIN
part 3: MORNING

The next morning, Clement had to drag herself out of bed. She was exhausted from her spotty, fitful sleep the previous night, but managed to get down to breakfast.

Despite her half-asleep stupor, she immediately noticed that Theo was not at breakfast. In fact, she had seen no sign of him since leaving her room. This, of course, was quite alarming. Theo would never miss out on breakfast! He considered it one of the most important parts of his day... Clement was disturbed & puzzled.
While she was trying to urge her exhausted mind to think of reasons for Theo's absence, her father sat down next to her, which was also not usual. David was often too busy in his workshop to remember to come eat with the other Grisha.

"Hey, Clement. You look a bit tired," he noted, reaching for the plums.
"A bit is an understatement... Have you seen Theo at all?" She asked, poking at her not-stolen eggs sleepily.
"Hm. Not today, but we had a long talk last night before he went to his room."
"Oh? What were you talking about?"
"Mostly the durability of various metals, which isn't what his usually wants to hear about, but I'm always happy to talk about it."
"Weird," was all Clement could think to say. Her mind was racing now. Durability of metals? Bothering their father at night? Theo was acting really, really weird...

They made idle conversation past that; her father explained his experimentation with a new device, though Clement was too tired to remember anything about it past the fact that it had wheels.

After breakfast, Clement tried to get to class, but physically bumped into her bully, Keri, who was very displeased.

"Watch where you're going, Spots!" Keri barked, loud enough for other students passing by to glance up.
"...Sorry," Clement mumbled, just trying to get by. But Keri wasn't going to let this go so easily.
"Don't walk away from me, say it louder!"
"Say what? That I'm sorry? Because I'm not, I'm too tired..." Clement snapped, then instantly regretted it. Oh, Saints, Keri was going to kill her now...
"You're WHAT?!" She cried out, eyes going huge.
"I... I'm not sorry," Clement said, standing firm. Her mind was racing, and she was certain this was one of the dumbest things she'd ever done, but the words were out now.

Keri was beet-red with rage, stammering then falling silent. For a long moment, the two stood there, air heavy with tension. However, it didn't last long. One of Keri's friends persuaded her to move along to class, and Clement followed behind in the crowd, keeping her distance.

Chapter Text

chapter 7: SAIYAR NAZYALENSKY
part 1: AFTERNOON

The Grand Palace was abuzz with news. Strangers just beyond Os Alta's walls, a request for a visit from the couple who ran the orphanage at Keramzin, and the usual midday hubbub of work, gossip & play. Saiyar just had to try not to get trampled, because anytime something happened, everyone got twice as busy. Sometimes she wondered what it'd take for this whole big country to just calm down and give her a break.

At the moment, she was out of class, wandering the grounds. There was plenty to explore, though she had to try not to get too much dirt or grime on her. Of course, there was little fun in that, as all the most interesting places to be were quite filthy.
Wandering through a swampy, overgrown area of the many gardens, she picked some tiny yellow-and-white flowers for her overworked mother & caught a hilariously grouchy-looking toad, who she brought back inside with her.

She found herself to be correct in the assumption that most everyone she passed in the halls was too busy to be worried about why she was carrying a toad, so long as she was wearing clean boots instead of tracking mud everywhere, which she was, of course. She wasn't uncivilized!

After a while of wandering, she found herself at the door to her mother's office space. It was closed, so she knocked gently with the fist clenched around her flowers. Nobody answered, so she knocked again, a little louder. This time, her mother answered, poking her head out.

"Oh - hello, Saiyar. What brings you up here?" She asked. She looked a bit stressed, but happy to see her daughter.
"I went for a walk and found you flowers and a really angry toad!" Saiyar informed her, offering the flowers & toad for inspection.
"...How thoughtful! Thank you for the flowers, Saiyar. Please put the toad back where you found him, we don't need more pets," Zoya replied, taking the flowers gently. Saiyar could tell she found the toad funny, but wouldn't admit it.
"Don't worry, I wasn't gonna keep him. I just wanted to show you!" She reassured her mother, accepting a kiss on the cheek before running off, back down the stairs & through the halls, pausing only to let others pass by, and of course to change out of her clean shoes before tromping out to the area where she'd found the toad, bidding him farewell as he hopped away grouchily.

Afterwards, she had to get back to her classes, and the rest of her afternoon was incredibly boring by comparison. She wanted to be wandering around in the gardens, or at least talking to her mom, instead of learning boring math and history...

chapter 7: SAIYAR NAZYALENSKY
part 2: EVENING

Somehow, things had gotten more chaotic while Saiyar was stuck in classes, melting from the heat & boredom.

It was hard to get anyone to pause long enough to tell her what was going on, but from the bits & pieces she got, she put together that a group of Grisha trainees were allegedly captured by the strangers in the woods, a young girl no older than Saiyar herself had been found halfway up a tree & eating a pigeon raw in those same woods, and Clement Safin was losing her mind.

Okay, Saiyar found out that last one herself when Clement ran up to her in a frenzy, golden-brown eyes wild.

"Saiyar! Theo! He's one of the missing trainees! An- and," she paused, panting, "I... may or may not have gotten into a fight with Keri... but I'm not in trouble - with my parents, anyway - because I won, and she hates me even more now, but she's also scared of me!"
"...Clement, slow down. You're talking even faster than I do, and I can't keep up," Saiyar told her, regarding her with a look of concerned curiousity.
"I... Okay. Long story short, I fought Keri while we were practicing our powers and won. Her hair's really ugly and burnt now. My mom's a little mad at me, but mostly glad I stood up for myself and didn't get hurt."
"Oh, awesome! I thought I'd have to step in and deal with that awful Keri, good on you for doing it yourself! Now... what was that about Theo?"

"Oh. Yeah. He's been missing since this morning. Last time anyone saw him was when he went and bothered our dad about metal densities late last night," Clement explained, her expression abruptly serious.
"All Saints," Saiyar swore, "that's bad. That's really scary."
"...Yeah. I'm super worried. My parents are, too. My mom hasn't stopped pacing around her room, and my dad just went and hid in his workshop like usual."
"Well, my mom was sending out scouting teams, and I'm sure important Grisha like your parents will, too. I think it'll be okay. Wanna look for toads to wind down and work up an appetite? I found one earlier with a really funny face, he looked SO mad!" Saiyar reassured Clement, then changed the subject in an effort to redirect her. For someone who could hardly ever focus, she was awfully good with directing others' focus.
"...Sure. That does sound fun!" Clement replied, brightening up, and the two put on their muddy boots and set off to wander the messiest, muddiest, and most toad-plentiful areas of the palace grounds until they were called in for dinner.

chapter 7: SAIYAR NAZYALENSKY
part 3: NIGHT

Later, after dinner, Saiyar was writing. In the fun of hunting toads with Clement, she hadn't done her usual observations of the castle grounds, so she'd opted to do the same thing from her bedroom window. She was a few stories up, so she couldn't see as many details, but there was enough for a decent report.

After she was done writing, she washed up & got changed, but before she could even get herself beneath the sheets, she began to hear odd noises from outside.

She sighed, and went back to her desk, thinking maybe there was a bat or two outside her window, but dimming the lamp revealed a distinct lack of the small, dark shapes. And whatever was out there sounded a lot bigger than a bat. Probably even bigger than the biggest horses in the stables, if she had to guess. hand itchy... nom nom. Saiyar was rather frightened, now. What in the name of all the Saints was out there?

She sat restlessly by her window, listening to the strange sounds come & go. It sounded like scraping one's fingernails over a stone, but rather loud due to the presumed sound of whatever was making the noise. At one point, the noises became more like wingbeats - like a gigantic bat - and Saiyar could swear she saw a huge, silver shape briefly lit in the little bits of light from the palace windows.

But after some time, the noises died down completely, giving way to a light rain. Saiyar didn't know what she'd seen or heard, but she turned the lamp off & went back to bed, eventually falling into an uneasy, but deep sleep.

Chapter Text

chapter 8: MARCUS GHAFA
part 1: MORNING

Marcus had just gotten out of bed when the ship docked. They were back at Fifth Harbor, in Ketterdam to spend time with his Da & figure out where to go next. He was a bit surprised, as he could've sworn they were in the middle of the ocean before he fell asleep, but his mother explained that the "sea was in their favor," that night, which was their usual code for help from the Grisha Tidemakers & Squallers on the crew. There were only a few, a tight-knit group, but they were valued members of the crew.

Marcus packed everything he'd brought onto the ship with him, and the things he'd gotten as gifts for his friends & family here in Ketterdam. Though he'd certainly gotten the hang of walking on the ship, solid ground was always preferable beneath his feet.

Today, his mother was uneasy as they began the walk to their house. Marcus couldn't quite tell what, but there was certainly something off. Inej was quick to direct her son up a drainpipe & onto the rooftops, for an impromptu parkour lesson as cover for simply getting away from the oddly-quiet crowds down on the streets.

Marcus followed his mother quietly. The tension was palpable, but he still couldn't place what had happened. The city seemed muted, like someone had tossed a thick blanket over everything, muffling every noise. His bird's-eye view didn't help him, but looking to his mother, he saw her cold expression, and she directed him to move faster.

chapter 8: MARCUS GHAFA
part 2: AFTERNOON (WIP)

Only once they were on the roof of their own home did they descend, climbing down the ladder that they always kept propped up against the side of the house. It was a surprisingly quaint home; Inej called it a "fixer-upper," but most of the fixing had been done before or shortly after Marcus was adopted. Compared to the neighbors, it was a bit small. Two stories, with enough yard space to garden & play.

They found his father inside, propped up in his chair with one of their dogs, a big white one called Mr. Big Toes, at his feet. The name always amused Marcus, but it was true, as Mr. Big Toes had absolutely huge paws, even for a big dog like himself.
Kaz lifted his head to peer over his paper, and his dark eyes went from bored to joyous immediately; he clambered over his ottoman & the dog to limp to his wife & son.

"You're home! I was worried, it's been... odd around here, lately, to say the least," he greeted them, ruffling Marcus' dark hair & offering Inej a peck on the cheek. Marcus grinned, trying to brush his hair out of his face.
"We noticed that," Inej replied, "Do you know anything?"
"Wylan tells me it's confidential, so I assume someone on the Merchant Council's involved, if not responsible. That's about it, other than how everyone's whispering..." Kaz mused, leaning on the side table.

Marcus sat down on the ottoman to pet the dog, hand brushing his warm, short pelt while he listened to his parents.

"I see. We didn't get much, other than freaked out by the change. These things are sudden when one has been at sea for months," Inej explained, standing by Kaz but clearly tempted to join Marcus in petting the dog.
"Of course. Should I make coffee? You look tired," Kaz answered, and reached for his cane when Inej nodded yes.

While his father was in the kitchen, Marcus took a look around the room, seeking out their other pets. He found their two old cats napping in the bed they kept on a little table below the window; a short-furred, three-legged tortoiseshell called Clothesline, and a tiny ball of thick, long black fur called Lost Soul. Both had been found trying to cross the clothesline when they were quite young, and had simply taken charge of the household when brought inside. Nowadays, they liked napping, and occasionally commandeering the big dogs as transportation.

His calm with the old cats was cut short by the appearance of their kitten, a scrap of orange fur who Inej had insisted could be named nothing other than Syrup. Marcus' suggestion had been for Orange Hurricane, which was rather more fitting, but the sentiment of the chosen name was, well, sweet.
Syrup climbed up Marcus' leg and onto his satchel, yowling squeakily for attention, which Marcus was obligated by law to give him. Inej, of course, found all this hilarious.

Thoroughly covered in orange fur & now with a kitten on his shoulder, Marcus informed his mother he was heading upstairs, to set his things down in his room & seek out the other pets.
Upstairs, Marcus found that his bed had been taken over by one of their other big dogs, Mama Spots. She was a short-furred dog who was mostly white, but covered in black spots, and had been pregnant when they'd found her. Her puppies had been given away to friends & neighbors, but she'd been happy here. Her puppies had been given away to friends & neighbors, but she'd been happy here. Marcus pet her as he moved around his room, setting his things here & there. His room hadn't changed since he'd left, besides evidence of his father dusting & the dogs sleeping on his bed. It always took him some time to adjust to the whole 'being on land' thing after long voyages, like the one he'd been on. Not having to balance himself in a hammock or account for the ship shifting tended to throw him off when he first got home, or otherwise left the ship. While he was in his room, their third dog came in; another big one, with black & brown fur and pointed ears. His name was Wolfie, and he was quite demanding of attention. He sniffed Marcus intensely, then bonked his head into his leg, insisting Marcus pet him. Marcus now had to multitask between petting more animals than he had arms, and putting his things away. Such was life with so many pets. Back downstairs and pursued by Wolfie, Marcus found his parents sitting & chatting in the living room. His father was back in his chair, and his mother sprawled over the couch. "Hey, kid. Got your stuff in order? We're planning to head to your uncles' for dinner, if you're up for it," his father greeted him as he stepped off the stairs, inclining his head with the question. His mother looked up and smiled, waving slightly. "Yeah, I'm good to go. Should I change into nicer clothes? Also, this is for you," Marcus replied, setting a box on the end table by his father's chair. It was full of various sea treasures & souveneirs from his travels. "Your clothes are fine, you know Wylan and Jesper don't care if they don't have other guests," his mother answered him, sitting up & reaching for her coffee, waiting for Kaz's reaction to the gifts with a smile. "Oh, gifts! Wonderful!" He said, pulling the box into his lap to look through it. They spent quite some time going through the various things Marcus had brought back for his father, reminiscing on how he'd found them, until time came to set out for their friends' house. chapter 8: MARCUS GHAFA part 3: EVENING The walk through the increasingly bigger, fancier houses was still strange. Kaz's bad leg was acting up - he'd hit his knee the previous day, he'd explained. They moved slowly, making idle chatter, keeping their voices low like the other passersby. Marcus wondered if any of them knew what was going on, or if it was simply a butterfly effect. At Wylan & Jesper's house, their younger son, Verdan opened the door & greeted them. "Oh, hello! Dinner might not be ready for a little bit, but please, come inside to wait." "Hello, Verdan, thank you!" Inej returned his greeting as he showed them through the foyer & into the sitting room. Marcus couldn't immediately tell what was being cooked, but it certainly smelled good. They sat in the sitting room with Verdan's older brother, Noel, & chatted about Inej & Marcus' recent voyage, and of course how good the food smelled. Noel revealed the mostly meaty smell was ham, and Verdan bragged about how the pair of them had been trusted to shop for vegetables & spices on their own, though his smug demeanor faded when Kaz teasingly pressed about how many vegetables they'd really bought. Neither of them were fans of any vegetables, which Marcus found odd, but it was surprisingly common among his peers. After some time, Wylan poked his head in to announce that dinner was ready, so they all filed into the grand dining room & sat down to eat. Jesper was already at the head of the table, bubbly & excited to see his friends. The discussion of Inej & Marcus' adventures continued, as well as Kaz keeping everyone informed of the notable things the pets had done. Inej tried to press Wylan for answers on what trouble had arisen & evidently frightened the whole city, but he held firm, prompting her to joke about "finding out on her own," a reference to her tendency to sneak around to find out secrets. Wylan attempted to poke her with his fork. After a delicious dinner, they stayed to digest for some time, continuing their conversations. Marcus & Verdan engaged in a couple riveting games of chess, with Marcus narrowly winning the first one, only for Verdan to quickly destroy him in the next. Even after all the chess & endless chatter, Marcus & his parents left before dark, making their way back home quietly. Even now that it was late, the streets still felt oddly quiet. Marcus heard his father mutter something about the whole city "waiting with bated breath" for some sort of answer. Back at home, they locked up and prepared for bed, too tired & full for much else. Marcus slept peacefully, too deep for dreams, even if he was momentarily thrown off by not having to clamber into his bed like a hammock.

Chapter Text

chapter 9: THEO STARKOV
part 1: NIGHT

Theo couldn't hear anyone else anymore, except for the cries of vultures.
The moon was full now, beaming down on the rocky landscape. He was nearly delirious from pain, and the puddle of blood beneath his head felt worryingly large, though he could barely move his arm enough to check.

What had happened? He could barely remember.
He knew he hadn't been home in days, that Clement and his parents were probably worried sick.
He knew himself, Jen, and Kir had only been trying to help, after Mr. Bear explained the situation with his niece.
He knew they'd been attacked, by a group of rogue thieves, cunning on the battlefield but just trying to survive.

He'd gotten distracted during the fight.
A figure had stood on the lip of the crater-like valley where they'd been fighting, eclipsing the setting sun & diverting Theo's attention at a crucial moment.
Now he was on the ground, shoved under the lip of a boulder, with the injured side of his face to the rock beneath him.
Despite the bloodloss, he was aware enough to fear for his life. This couldn't be how he died.
The boy with black hair and the sun itself in his hands, shoved under a rock, bleeding out? No, it couldn't be the end.
Despite his fear, unconciousness took him, and he knew nothing from there on out.

chapter 9: THEO STARKOV
part 2: MORNING

As the sun rose, Theo felt himself lifted up from beneath the lip of the boulder. Whoever had found him was speaking to him in a rough, but soothing voice. He tried to struggle, then recognized the way the voice creaked with age. Bear had found him.
He relaxed, only to lose conciousness once again.

He woke up again well over an hour later, staring at the leather ceiling of one of Bear's tents. He could feel that his face had been cleaned & his wounds firmly bandaged, with some sort of poultice beneath the bandages, likely to ensure infection didn't set in. He had been made comfortable on a cot, his boots off & his body covered in a blanket that wasn't too thick.

However, he weakly panicked, for he had found himself - seemingly abruptly - half-blinded. It wasn't that he was unable to see past the bandages, but that he felt only a twitch against his eyesocket, when he should've opened his left eye. The feeling was strange, and it caught him off-guard.

He could look around enough to see that his left side was against the wall of the tent, and to his right, there were a couple other cots, but there was nobody else in the tent. He could vaguely hear voices outside, but they felt oddly distant, like the dull pain from his injuries was blocking out the sounds around him.
Theo found himself worrying. Had he lost too much blood? Would he survive, with only Bear, Jen & Kir to provide medical attention? His breaths came fast & short.
He tried to search for words, to call out for help, but he was too weak to manage anything that'd be audible to anyone but himself.

Despite this, he ultimately lost conciousness again, for another long, more-than-an-hour stretch.

He woke up to Bear carrying him again, talking calmly to Jen, seemingly unbothered by Theo's weight in his arms. Theo looked around deliriously. Bear's nephew, who he called Songbird, though his actual name was Ivani, was leading the way, with Kir close behind him.

Bear noticed Theo was awake, and addressed him soothingly.

"We're havin' to look for elsewhere to set up camp later today. Didn't want you alone, seein' as you've been pretty much out cold since I found you. How do you feel?"
"...Ow..." Theo managed, still weak & nervous.
"Yeah, I thought so. You lost a shit-ton of blood underneath that rock. Just hold on and sleep if ya need to, we're gonna loop back around and get you 'n' your little friends home," Bear told him.
He was surprisingly calm, and it almost made Theo wonder what he'd seen in his many years.

The group walked on in relative silence, broken occasionally by idle conversation or changing course to check out different areas. The sun was blazing high by the time they returned to dismantle their current camp & relocate.

chapter 9: THEO STARKOV
part 3: AFTERNOON

Theo was awake, propped up by pillows on his cot to watch the fascinating procedure of Bear & the others taking down the tents.
Bear explained that he'd had them engineered & constructed by a friend of his; a rogue Materialki who'd trained in the palace but been unable to handle the constant work that came with living among so many others.
The tents were custom-made to be folded up quickly to a size that Bear was able to carry; Jen, Kir, & Ivani worked together, and Theo was thrown over Bear's broad shoulders once the evidence of their firepit was brushed away into the worn dirt.

He passed out again on the journey to set up the new camp, but woke up in time for lunch. Bear had caught two rabbits, so through carefully dividing the food, they all got a surprisingly decent amount. Theo was ravenous, and deeply grateful, even if Kir was apologizing profusely for how charred & dry the cooked meat had turned out.

After eating, Bear brought Theo fresh clothes.

"Bought these for Songbird before we left on this trip. They're sort of huge on him, but they shouldn't be unreasonable for you. Let me know if you need anything else," Bear explained, gruff but calm as always.

Theo managed to get out of bed & change without toppling over unconcious, which he counted as a win.

Bear had also left bandages, so Theo attempted to change his. He'd been cut & stabbed in a couple places, but nothing else was as extreme as his facial wound & obviously missing eye. The bandages on his arms & leg were manageable, but he did end up asking Bear to help with his face when he came back in, as Theo wouldn't have the slightest clue what to do.

After that, Theo mostly tried to relax and stay calm. He felt better, but knew the issues caused by his bloodloss hadn't magically gone away; he'd just been feeling them more intensely earlier because he'd been very, very hungry. Of course, he was no Healer or medik, he was largely assuming and hoping it was common sense.

The others came in and out of the tent, and he had some good conversation, but stayed inside for the most part.

(cutting myself off here bc jfc)

Chapter Text

chapter 10: CLEMENT SAFIN
part 1: EVENING

Clement, of course, was totally freaking out. Theo and those other two Summoners were still missing, last seen taking the wrong path, deep into the woods & away from those meant to keep them safe. Tensions in the Little Palace were running high, and her conversations with Saiyar were no reprieve. The Grand Palace was in just as much chaos as ever, perhaps moreso, and the sweltering heat made everyone sweaty & snappy.

For the moment, Clement had holed up in the library. She was unable to focus on the book she'd selected, but it was quiet. Few others had the time to stick around, since so much needed to be done. But for the students, classes were out early, since many of the younger teachers had to help in search parties & the like, so Clement was without much to do besides worry & try to look like she was studying.

Peering over her book, red brows furrowed with worry, she watched when others came & went through the library doors, trying to remember the names of the folks passing through. Keri came in at one point, but noticed Clement through the stacks & literally ran out. The singed parts of her hair had been cut off, but it made for a rather unfortunate-looking haircut. Clement still felt a little bad, but the sight of her long-time tormentor fleeing at the sight of her was a much-needed reprieve from her anxiety.

After a while in the library, Clement couldn't handle trying to stay still anymore, and wound up wandering to her room. In there, she did quite a variety of moping around & worrying, even sitting fully-clothed in the empty bathtub & staring at the drain at one point. None of this helped alleviate her anxiety, and she couldn't stay still to save her life, but it was nice to be away from all the hubbub.

chapter 10: CLEMENT SAFIN
part 2: NIGHT

It was far too late for this. At some point that evening, Clement had drifted off while laying in her bed, but now she'd been woken up in the dead of night by someone knocking on her door.
She moped over & opened it to find Saiyar waiting for her, hair a mess & blue eyes huge.

"You need to see this," she informed Clement, grabbing her wrist & beginning to drag her out of her room.
"Hey, wh- what?! Let go!" Clement grumbled, too asleep to put up a fight, but deeply confused.

Saiyar looked back at her. There was little light, but her intense gaze was clear as she headed for the stairwell. Clement followed, a little unnerved.

They ascended the staircase and took perhaps the most meandering path through the palace Clement had ever encountered. Saiyar knew an alarming number of secrets, emergency escape routes & passages meant to keep servants out of sight. Clement didn't have to wonder how Saiyar knew these things - the Grand Palace's library was full of maps of both palaces, secret passages included.
Saiyar wasn't always much for reading, but an opportunity to create mischief couldn't be ignored.

Just when Clement was about to break the eerie silence and ask what was going on, they exited onto a balcony, looking out to the Grand Palace.

"Look up at the towers. It might be hard to spot," Saiyar instructed, already scanning the sky.
Clement obliged, looking out & up at the highest spires of the other palace. At first, she saw nothing, but then Saiyar pointed out what they were here to see.

Flying from the towers & swooping higher into the deep blue sky, there was a dark reptilian figure, flashing silver in the light of the moon & the high tower windows with lights still on. Flitting around it was a blot of what looked to be simply shadows, rising & diving alongside the...

"Dragon," Saiyar said simply, "It's a dragon. I've no clue what the littler thing is, but there's a dragon at the palace. I've heard it multiple nights in a row, recently."
"...Why show me?" Clement asked. She was exhausted & almost scared, red curls blown by the wind.
"What do you mean, why show you? Nobody else would believe me. They'd call me crazy, but you..." Saiyar turned to look at her for a moment, and smiled softly, "You're just crazy enough to believe me."
"I... I don't know if I do. I'm half-asleep, Saiyar," Clement replied, sounding earnest, but she knew it wasn't really true.
Even if Saiyar had told her what they were going to see, she'd have followed.
Saiyar smiled, shaking her head slightly. She knew Clement too well to fall for that.

They watched the dragon in silence for a long moment, but a glance at the progress of the moon told them both to get heading back to bed.

The silence between them stretched onwards. Saiyar saw Clement back to her room, but paused before leaving.

"You... won't tell anyone else, right?" She asked, almost hesitant.
"Not a soul. They'd call me mad anyhow," Clement answered, confident & reassuring.
"Thank you. Goodnight!" Saiyar answered with a smile, & headed away down the stairs.

Clement shut her door & walked back to her bed, simply sitting for a long moment. She didn't know what to make of the things she'd seen that night, but her exhaustion eventually crashed down over her, and she rolled herself up in her blankets, sleeping too deeply for dreams.

chapter 10: CLEMENT SAFIN
part 3: MORNING

Clement was up later than usual, exhausted from having been up at whatever ungodly hour Saiyar had brought her out at.
She managed to get washed up & dressed for the day, but she felt like the living dead.

Once she'd meandered her way downstairs, she found her mother waiting for her, offering her a plate for breakfast.

"Did you, ah, not sleep well?" Genya asked gently.
"...Was it obvious?" Clement replied, looking at her vaguely, barely able to keep her eyes open.
"Yes, yes it was. What's going on?"
"I'm just worried about Theo... Is there any news on him?" Clement didn't dare to hope he was near, but maybe, just maybe...
"There's a strange camp on the edge of the woods, but we don't know if it's who Theo's with. Whoever it is, they're being very cautious. We haven't seen anyone come or go," her mother replied. Clement slumped, knowing the likelihood of Theo being home was slim.
Her mother leaned over, putting an arm around her comfortingly while she poked at a plum glumly.

After breakfast, Clement didn't want to be inside with all the hubbub. She wandered out through the grounds, to a secluded, shady spot she knew with a little pond full of minnows. She sat on the rocks, halfway under a bush, watching the tiny fish flit around beneath the water's surface.

After a while, she heard footsteps approaching her, but it was just Saiyar, who plopped down next to her at the edge of the pond.

"Last night?" Was all Saiyar had to ask.
"Nobody else knows," Clement replied. Saiyar nodded, and they sat in silence for a long moment. Clement set a dry leaf atop the pond, and both girls watched it's progress across the pond.
"Any news about your brother?" Saiyar asked carefully, her gaze turning to Clement.
"There's a camp at the edge of the woods where we saw him last, but whoever's out there doesn't want to be seen," Clement answered simply, keeping her eyes on the floating leaf.
"Hmm," was all Saiyar said in response.

The silence between them stretched on until Saiyar's tutor came looking for her, which Clement took as a prompt to also return indoors, hanging out near some of her Squaller classmates, who were keeping cool with their powers.
They made for good conversation, though Clement's exhaustion & anxiety meant she mostly listened. Fortunately, they didn't mind her silence, though the group dispersed after a while.

Chapter Text

chapter 11: SAIYAR NAZYALENSKY
part 1: AFTERNOON

Saiyar couldn't focus in any of her classes that day. Well, moreso than usual, that is. Sitting still and focusing had never been her strong suit, but now the dragon haunted her every waking moment.
Every window she looked out of, she halfway expected the view to be blocked by brilliant silver scales, especially when she ventured to the higher towers for some relative quiet. Despite this, the dragon only seemed to be around at the latest hours of the night, when the capital felt like a ghost town.

The Grand Palace was still full of excess hubbub, especially since her father had had some old friends over to ride horses & be irresponsible. There was little time for the children, even the royal ones, so they were primarily tasked with staying out from underfoot between classes.
Saiyar was used to the hubbub, but then again, she usually just slipped outside when she had free time.

After she'd grabbed lunch, she did just that, venturing through the castle grounds with her fancy clothes contrasting wildly with her absolute muddiest pair of boots. Of course, the boots had also once been fancy, but they went high up her calves and were comfortable above anything else, so she'd worn them for everything until they were caked in half-solid dirt. She had to chip it off periodically so they didn't get too heavy to walk in.

Today, she wandered to a spot she especially liked; out to where someone had tried to start up a quaint little flower garden at some point, only for it to become abandoned and overgrown. Something had knocked a huge piece of stone into the middle of the garden during the civil war, and nobody ever moved it, so it had worn hollows that turned it into quite an eye-catching fountain during rainy weather. When it wasn't full of water, it was full of mosses, lichens, and fungi from all the moisture.

Saiyar picked her way between the flowers, trying to identify them all off the top of her head. Her mother always keeping flowers around had rubbed off on her, and Saiyar found herself constantly trying to remember the names of the blooms around her.

She hoisted herself up on to one of the few spots where all the plant matter hadn't grown to completely cover the top of the wall. Instead, there was a perfectly-sized divot for her to sit on the stone. She ate the last of her lunch, then just looked out on the grounds beyond. One had to wonder how much space was really needed, especially since the hard years the country had known had led to much of the grounds being neglected in favor of planning & fighting bloody wars.
Saiyar was glad that so much of nature didn't need their intervention to thrive, as if it all relied on people, the palace grounds would not be a pleasant place for a young girl to wander.

However, Saiyar's peace did not last, as she was pursued by her brother, Lucas. How he'd gotten all the way out here on his rather stubby little legs, she didn't know, but of course he had to come out and bother her about his bugs.

"Ladybug. Bummlebee. Bubberfly," she heard him rambling, pointing out everything that he saw passing by, while Saiyar herself simply tried to tune him out and enjoy the view.

Lucas proceeded to shove a caterpillar in her face, informing her in his meandering way about what kind of butterfly it'd turn into, and how it would likely make a chrysalis soon, since it was quite big. Saiyar nodded along, trying not to show her exasperation. She knew better than to be mean about it, since he was literally half her age, but she was very fed up with all his talk about bugs.

After letting him run around & rattle on for some time, she tried to get him back up to the palace, which backfired since her tactic was to fib about having seen a very fancy bug, which, even if she had, wouldn't have exactly been memorable for her. She had to shove the nearest moth in his face & make a run for it to stop him from having a full-blown tantrum.

chapter 11: SAIYAR NAZYALENSKY
part 2: EVENING

A few more boring classes and a not-so-boring observation of the castle grounds later, Saiyar was at the dinner table. She'd brought her paper and pencil to the table, and was doodling while chewing her food. It was absentminded, but she'd drawn a childish approximation of what she thought the dragon she'd been seeing might look like, a majestic silver scribble reflecting in the candlelight. She didn't have any blue for the flashes of lightning she'd seen in it's sail of static-y fur, but she did her best to get the point across.
Satisfied with her masterpiece, she poked her mother's arm to show her.

"Hey, mom! Look at what I drew!" She exclaimed, holding it up over the food.

Saiyar didn't miss the way her mother's face flashed between several stages of what seemed to be panic in a brief moment, but she shook it off & smiled at her daughter.

"That's very nice, Saiyar. Was there any particular inspiration?" She inquired, the slightest wobble in her voice giving away concern about the answer, which Saiyar found odd.
Her mother was normally infallible, what was up with this dragon that made her nervous? Was it dangerous?

"...It's my secret. I don't like to tell grown-ups," Saiyar said. She usually would've shared with her mother, but something about her reaction made Saiyar think that beating around the bush would yield more answers than being direct.

"Really? Even me? We talk about everything usually," Zoya mused, stirring her soup. She looked at Saiyar, and Saiyar looked back, wide-eyed & curious.

"Well, this is extra secret. Besides, if you're awake when I see the secret, you're probably doing boring extra work," Saiyar explained, keeping up a trained lofty tone. Zoya seemed unimpressed with her daughter being pretentious.

"So, it's a nighttime secret. Is it inside or outside?" Zoya pried cleverly, watching Saiyar scramble, then indignantly reply:

"Hey! Too many questions! You're gonna make me reveal what the secret is by accident!"

"That's generally the point of asking questions about a secret, kiddo," her father butted in, but Saiyar shut him down.

"You're not part of this conversation, Mr. Drank-The-Funny-Juice-And-Fell-In-A-Thorny-Bush-When-Mom-Told-You-NOT-To-Ride-Your-Horse-Because-She-Knew-You'd-Fall-Off! You got thorns in your butt, and you could've... not had a thorny butt if you listened to Mom!"'

Zoya snorted, nearly choking on her soup as she tried not to laugh. Nikolai leaned back in his chair with a sigh.

"Saints-damn, kid, you've got me there... my butt's still sore :(" Nikolai sniffled.

"Can we... please not talk about butts at the dinner table?" Zoya asked stiffly, though she was VERY clearly trying not to laugh.

"Oh, right, sorry. Funny talk isn't dinner table talk! Speaking of, how are those shipping routes going?" Saiyar joked, snickering at her mother's expression & tense, trembling shoulders as she tried again not to burst out laughing. Her restraint was admirable, but obvious.

"Very well, thank you. Would you like all the details? It's quite riveting :)," her father chimed in, playing along while his wife continued her campaign of desperately trying to finish her soup without laughing.

"You are ALL BORWING. I wanna talk about BUGS," announced Lucas loudly, proceeding to talk over everyone who tried to have other conversations.

Fortunately, it wore him out enough that he fell asleep at the table, so Zoya carried him to his room rather than Saiyar having to help him up the stairs. She tucked both children into bed once they were ready, and Saiyar was all set for a very, very good night's sleep.

chapter 11: SAIYAR NAZYALENSKY
part 3: MORNING

Saiyar blinked awake, blinded by the light streaming through the gaps in her curtains. She'd slept deeply, but not too deep for dreams. The dragon had occupied her mind so thoroughly that she'd dreamed of it. In her dream, her mother had to fight the dragon, and Saiyar couldn't tell who was in the right - or more powerful.

She was a bit disoriented & out of it, but washing up and getting dressed woke her up just fine. Breakfast was a grab & go, because today, she wanted to be outside as much as possible. She had no classes today, and hanging out with Clement seemed like a good idea. Poor Clement was under so much stress, and probably needed a friend to hang out with. Plus, Saiyar was both a good listener and a good distraction, so it was perfect.

She ate breakfast on a bench, watching the birds flit around the morning air. It was pleasant out, not too hot yet, and there was plenty of shade on the walk to the Little Palace.
Things at the Little Palace seemed fairly ordinary, though there was a sort of panicked buzz throughout the Grisha who were training, or even just walking around. Saiyar wondered, but just kept her stance regal as she passed through them.

There was no sign of Clement outside, so Saiyar crept into the palace, wandering to all the places they often hung out. She almost started to worry that Clement had tried to find the secret balcony they'd gone to last night, and gotten lost, when she found David, Clement's dad. It was a little odd to see him outside his workspace, but Saiyar shrugged it off & hoped he knew where his daughter was.

"Hi, Mr. Kostyk! Do you know where Clement is? I can't seem to find her," Saiyar asked politely, though she perhaps should've tapped his shoulder first, as David whirled with an expression of alarm on his face.

Relaxing, he replied, "Oh. Yes, uh, she's in the infirmary with her brother. She and her mother haven't left his side since he got home. I just needed to breathe for a moment, it's a bit chaotic in there."

"Oh, Theo's home? Cool, nobody told me! Did he get hurt while he was lost?" She asked in reply, then regretted it. David's tension and mention of his wife & daughter not leaving Theo's side made her think it was something particularly bad, which she perhaps ought not to ask about.

"...Yeah. I don't know if the Healers will let you in, though, they can be picky about guests when they have new patients. Especially, uh, considering..." He trailed off, as if considering what to tell her. Saiyar got the message.

"Well, that's alright. Tell Clement and Mrs. Safin I said hi, and if Theo's awake, I wish him a good recovery!" She replied innocently, patting David's forearm in a manner she hoped was comforting before wending her way away & back outside.

Once she was outdoors, she didn't quite know what to do. Sure, she could have fun without Clement, but now she was a bit worried about Theo. Of course, she didn't know Theo that well, but he was one of her best friends' older brother, and Clement and Theo were REALLY close.

It almost baffled Saiyar how the adopted siblings, with an over ten-year difference in age, got along so incredibly well, when herself and her brother, who was only four years younger than her, and her full brother by blood, butted heads constantly.
Then again, maybe it was just that Lucas was rather young at just four, and oblivious to when Saiyar was stressed or wanted to be left alone. Saiyar's memory wasn't always great, so she couldn't recall much of Theo and Clement's relationship when her and Clement were Lucas' age, other than Theo supervising them hanging out sometimes, but it was still probably better than her relationship with Lucas. Perhaps she ought to try being nicer, but Lucas made it hard not to be annoyed. Alas.

While she thought, her feet had taken her to the pond of minnows where her and Clement had met the morning after they'd both seen the dragon.
Saiyar plopped down on the rocks and sat there for a long time, watching the fish & putting little dry, lightweight things in the water as boats for the tiniest creatures.

Chapter Text

chapter 12: THEO STARKOV
part 1: AFTERNOON

Theo still couldn't stay concious. Whatever underlying issues the bloodloss had caused for him had gone untreated, and now the Healers were scrambling to figure out what to do, consulting with Heartrenders and even Alkemi to find a treatment. In his few waking moments, Theo wondered if he'd die. He hoped not, since his mother & sister were right by his side. The pain of them watching him die was too much for him to bear. But still, things were looking bleak.

His one dark eye was barely open, his family in front of him blurred by his exhaustion & eyelashes. There was the figure of a Healer beyond them, by the end of his bed, speaking quietly. He could make out some of it, but couldn't quite put the pieces together.
Something about going somewhere. Was he going somewhere? He didn't think it was safe for him to travel in this state...
Of course, he'd already been getting carted around by Bear and the others, but that was before his condition had gotten so much worse.

He drifted in and out of conciousness throughout the hushed conversation around him, breathing sharp & quick, his mother's warm, scarred hand holding his cold fingers like she could drag him back from death by herself, if need be. The action was simple, but it made him feel safer.

In the infirmary bed, they'd lifted his feet onto a stack of spare pillows & covered him in blankets, keeping him warm. He hadn't caught how exactly it was helpful, but he was certainly comfortable, which he could only assume was a good thing.

After quite a while of his half-asleep state, Theo drifted into a deeper unconciousness, alive but unstable while the Grisha around him set their plans into motion.

chapter 12: THEO STARKOV
part 2: EVENING

Theo didn't wake up until hours later. The sun was going down, and he certainly was not in the Little Palace's infirmary anymore. He suspected he'd only been out for so long due to Heartrenders keeping him unconcious, but didn't have any proof. The only people around him were his family, including his frazzled birth mother, Alina.
He paused, looking around. Huh. They had transported him - all the way to the orphanage at Keramzin. But why? He must've missed that part of the conversation.

Alina was leaned against Genya, looking half-asleep herself, though that made sense. She had to look after a great deal of children here at the orphanage, and children were always exhausting.
He blinked slowly, looking around - he was still tired and sweaty, but he otherwise felt a lot better. Genya reached out and touched his hand gently, and he was surprised at how much warmer he was by comparison to before.
It seemed sudden, and he almost wondered if he was dreaming, or perhaps he'd already died, but wanted to believe he hadn't. He quite liked the notion that this was real, though, that some procedure had been done while he was unconscious that had saved him. He flexed his fingers, feeling the muscles under his mother's hand shift. He managed to pop one joint that had been feeling rather stiff, and smiled at the audible crack, though it had made Clement nearly jump out of her seat in surprise.

"Good evening, Theo. I'm glad you're awake," Genya said. She smiled, though her expression was still tense & worried. She'd clearly been crying, and Theo didn't blame her. This whole ordeal had been terrifying.
"Hi, Mom. I'm... glad I'm awake, too," Theo replied slowly, keeping his eye open to look at her. He'd have laughed at his own little joke if he'd been more awake, trying to find humor in all this - trying to find light in the darkness. He was, by his own description, far from an optimist, but light was a specialty of his.

They went around their little circle, exchanging pleasantries as Theo woke up a bit more. Gradually, the story of why they'd come to Keramzin took shape; filling in the large gaps between the little pieces Theo had heard earlier.

The Healers had quickly deduced that Theo's condition had been a form of shock stemming from extreme loss of fluids; in his case, bloodloss because of his many wounds, especially the large facial wound & associated lost eye. He'd needed more blood, and fast, since he'd gone untreated for days.
They'd moved him to Keramzin on one of the King's flying ships - generally reserved for military efforts, but of course, this was a special case - because, obviously, blood relations are the safest bet for giving blood, so his birth mother was the obvious (only) choice.

After that, it was just a matter of seeing if he'd stabilize and survive.

And, miraculously, he had. He lay awake, alive, talking to his family. After everything, he survived to see the sun set, a glorious burst of orange light as the shadows lengthened.

chapter 12: THEO STARKOV
part 3: NIGHT

Theo couldn't quite get to sleep that night, so he'd been set up on a chair by the fireplace with plenty of tea, snacks, & books.
One could assume he'd simply slept too well in all the time he'd been passed out.
His primary read was a long novel called "Starlight Wolves," about a woman who defied many odds - including precedents set by her ancestors - and did many a great deed, in as violent a way as possible. He found the tale quite inspiring, though the amount of fighting & bloodshed did remind him to take breaks to eat & drink.

He stayed up long past dark, listening to the crackle of the fire & the many insects chirping and buzzing outside.
Theo was by & large the only one awake, so it was up to him to hold metal prongs between his toes to ensure the fire was stoked when he shifted.
Temporary disability requires ingenuity.

Despite how graphically gory his choice of reading material was, he eventually fell asleep in his chair, though it made him feel rather old.

Chapter Text

chapter 13: CLEMENT SAFIN
part 1: MORNING
(this first part has rather slow pacing for me.)

Clement woke up blearily, staring at the ceiling, just lying still & waiting for a long moment while the events of the past few days came back to her.

Theo came home. He was bandaged up messily and had to be carried, but alive - just barely. He'd gotten worse while the Healers bent over his body, figuring out what to do. They'd taken him to Keramzin, to the white-haired woman who was his birth mother.
Clement liked her, as she was boundlessly kind, but the previous day had been tense. This wasn't one of the lighthearted visits between friends that Clement had grown used to.
Nevertheless, the sun rose beyond the horizon as always.

Clement washed & dressed, then slipped downstairs. She was up early, though there was the clatter of dishes & smell of breakfast from the kitchens. Past the kitchen doors & through the entryway, she found the sitting room where they'd left Theo the last night - plopped in an armchair, sound asleep & snoring softly. Someone had taken the dishes of food he'd had & covered him with a blanket at some point in the night.
Clement sat down on the big sofa next to his chair. She felt the need to be near him, to watch his breathing in the low orange light from the sunrise. It struck her as a little odd to sit there & silently watch him as he slept, but she knew he needed rest, so she wasn't going to wake him.

Though she'd have liked to sit still, her eyes wandered, & she slumped against the arm of the couch, putting her feet up & gazing around the room. She'd seen pictures of the original building, as Alina liked to draw; a duke's home, full of fading glory and dust bunnies in forgotten corners.
The new building had been sort-of made in it's image, still with a fair share of fineries here & there, but with a far more quaint influence. Somewhere for children to have happy memories.
It was an odd balance, but it worked; the walls painted with storybook scenes & fantastical things, toys & little shoes left in odd places as the children rushed between activities.

Clement blinked, glancing at Theo, who was still asleep. They'd both grown up in the Little Palace, patched together just the same after the many attacks that had damaged it. It had classrooms and quarters for children, but much of their time was spent learning not to be trampled while they waited to grow up & be able to leave, set out into the world and learn what they ought to do with their lives.
Theo was old enough for that now, one would think, but apparently the older Grisha knew better. They always did. Clement found it silly; she was young & already knew plenty, and her and Theo were eleven years apart in age.
She thought he was more than old enough to leave for those long, wild missions that the older Grisha were always packing for or returning from.

Then again, this was the same young man who had almost half his face bandaged up because he'd started seeing things while fighting off thieves, accompanied by strange wanderers from the woods. Perhaps his commanders did have a point... Or perhaps it was simply that they were a pair of siblings, fond of poking fun at each other.

Clement saw Theo's eye open, blinking sleep away & sniffing the air. Of course he was already hungry; he ate far too much, yet somehow stayed light enough for their mother to pick him up if need be.

"Good morning, sleepyhead. Already hungry?" Clement asked teasingly, while Theo stretched, then jumped when he realised she was there.
"Gah- Clement, don't scare me like that, I'm injured!" Theo replied dramatically, then abruptly glanced down at himself, puzzled by the seemingly-sudden appearance of the blanket.
"Too bad. I'm your little sister, I can scare you all I want. Youngest child never gets in trouble!" She shot back, snickering at his confusion over the blanket.
"There's only two of us. If I hadn't been adopted, you'd be oldest, like Saiyar. Or even all alone as an only child," he shut her down snarkily, "and besides, our parents are very fair. You don't even get much youngest child privelege."
"Oh yes I do! You are a grown ass man, meanwhile, I only just turned eight in the spring! I'm the little baby!" She giggled madly, watching Theo try to come up with a response.

"Clement, it's too early in the morning to swear, and there are little kids here... Please be nice to your injured brother," said Genya tiredly, suddenly leaning over the couch. Both Clement and Theo jumped, surprised by how quiet she'd been.
"GAH- Hi, Mom?? Good morning?? How did you get here so suddenly??" Theo stammered nervously, not even knowing how to react to this.
"I can be quiet when I'm tired and I want to scare you two. Also, it's not as if I'm wearing shoes at this hour, I just got out of bed!" Genya replied with a laugh, patting the befuddled Clement on the head gently.
"You are a woman of many talents. On an unrelated note, breakfast smells really good..." Theo acknowledged, then his stomach growled. Loudly.
"Theo, you're too nice, and too hungry. Stop it," Clement said, half-joking but folding her arms across her chest grouchily.
"And you're too grumpy. Let's go get some breakfast, that'll do you some good," Genya answered wryly, picking Clement up off the couch like an oversized cat.
"Bring me some! I can't stop being hungry!" Theo called after them, and though Clement jokingly yelled back that she would never do so, they wound up bringing him plenty of food anyways.

chapter 13: CLEMENT SAFIN
part 2: AFTERNOON

After a rowdy breakfast & playing marbles with some of the other kids her age, Clement wandered out to the woods, climbing up into a tree overlooking the creek. Clement looked down over the water as it flowed, catching the sunlight in dazzling flashes.

She watched as Mal, Alina's husband, brought some of the boys out to catch fish, wading into the water & watching for the flickering bodies. Yawn, boring, who cares about boys? Not Clement! Though wading & fishing was fun, she'd rather do it by herself, or with girls. Not that many other girls wanted to join her, unfortunately...
...But of course, she could just wait inside, and show off later by cooking the fish with her powers, which she knew would be far more entertaining; especially with Theo sitting in his armchair, ready to be taunted & argued with while she waited. Having a brother was fun, even though most other boys just kinda sucked, especially the ones Clement's age.

She clambered down from the tree, quiet as could be so the boys didn't try anything, though her flame-red hair tended to give her away. Fortunately, these boys were too focused on their fish to notice her.
She wandered around the grounds, occasionally chatting or checking in on games before heading inside. It was, thankfully, cooler inside. She meandered the halls, wondering what had changed since her last visit, admiring Alina's artwork. Clement was still uncertain of her own art skills, and it was nice to have someone so confident to look up to.

She wound up not going back to talk to Theo, and sat in the large library for a long time, reading on the cushions set up in the big bay window. The collection of books here was expansive, and Clement preferred it over the library at the Little Palace, which was bigger, but full of books for learning and studying, and not much else. Here, most of the books had stories & made-up things, not facts. Facts were boring, if one were to ask Clement.

After reading for a long time, she grew hungry, and found that the fish she'd seen being caught were now being prepared for cooking.
Of course, she stepped in to help, and obviously proceeded to set the nearest flammable object on fire. At the very least, it was just a ratty old towel, and they'd prepared a pot with water to douse any accidents ahead of time. Clement knew herself, and knew that she often set things on fire without meaning to. There were many examples of this throughout her life. Most notably, the forest fire she'd helped set a couple years ago.
That was fun, even if she didn't have eyebrows for a while afterwards.

After lunch, she went back out to the woods, opting to hop over the creek and wander out to the darkest, shadiest spot in that forest; one where the trees had grown in a strange, dense circle, branches interlocking high above to create an almost-solid, rustling roof. It was a perfect place on a hot day like this, somewhere to catch a break from the sunlight & heat. It was still humid, as the ground grew damp down here, but it was better than being out in full sunlight.

Other kids came and went, and Clement made nice conversation & played a couple games as time went by. She was surprised at how entertained she was - or perhaps just too stubborn to leave the blissful shade. Either way, she was having fun, so there wasn't too much to nitpick.

chapter 13: CLEMENT SAFIN
part 3: EVENING

Clement spent longer in the circle of trees than she'd thought, and sooner than she thought, Mal and her own father, David, had had to come out and find her, as it was almost dinnertime. She'd been sitting on a log, observing a line of ants carrying crumbs that someone had tracked out.

The walk back was quiet, just hopping over logs and avoiding the plants Mal told her weren't okay to touch. They made it back in time to eat, and Clement ate plenty.

After her long day, Clement was very sleepy, and she already needed to go to bed early - they were setting back off for Os Alta after breakfast the next day, so she'd need to be up & going a bit earlier. So, instead of hanging out after dinner, she hurried to bed, falling asleep quickly & peacefully despite the games being played below her.

Chapter Text

chapter 14: SAIYAR NAZYALENSKY
part 1: NIGHT

Saiyar was watching the dragon again. She'd crept as high in the grand towers as she dared, eyes huge as she sat in the lamplight, watching the massive silver body flap through the air. It was ranging farther, now, broad wingspan casting a huge shadow over the palace grounds.
She was exhausted & knew she shouldn't be up, but her eyes stayed open, tracking the dragon's movements. The small lamp she'd brought flickered next to her, a tiny personal patch of gold light in the night.

It was summertime, when the sky stayed a deep blue, lighter than usual. The silver dragon was almost more a black shape, but Saiyar could see the glint of it's scales in the occasional light. She leaned against the window's frame, occasionally tearing her eyes away to glance back down the spiral stairwell.
The thought of someone catching her was nerve-wracking; she'd be in MASSIVE trouble for being up at this hour. Saiyar shivered at the lectures that'd come with that & turned back to the dragon, deeming the coast clear for now.

Just when she was about to decide she was too tired & needed to make her way back to her bed, she saw the dragon swoop low over the rooftops, and then... it changed? Or just vanished?

In the blink of an eye, the dragon was gone, but Saiyar could swear she'd seen a small, humanoid figure drop onto the rooftop. It was too fast to be certain, but even with her sleeplessness, she trusted her eyes.

Unable to see anything more & now nervous that whoever was possibly also the dragon was going to catch her, she grabbed her lamp & hurried down the stairs as quietly as possible, taking the fastest route she knew back to her quarters. Oh, Saints, she was in way too deep now...

She made it back to her room without getting caught, and quickly set the lamp down, turned the flame low, & hopped into bed, hoping nobody would notice her escapade & perilous scurrying back from said escapade.
Despite the adrenaline of what she'd seen & running back, she fell asleep quickly, too deep for dreams. Turns out she really was very, very tired.

chapter 14: SAIYAR NAZYALENSKY
part 2: MORNING

Saiyar woke late into the day, roused by someone knocking on her door. She managed to disentangle herself from her covers and answer them, only to discover that she'd been pranked; whoever it was had run off. She sighed, grumbling about the consequences, and meant to turn around to get washed & dressed, but the knocking started back up again.
Saiyar answered the door again, and again there was nobody.
There was, however, a distinct blue kefta & red curls behind a planter.

"Clement, you're terrible at hiding and brightly-colored. I know you're behind those daffodils, come out," Saiyar said sternly, trying to use her "Scary Queen Voice," which usually didn't work on Clement.

Sure enough, Clement stayed silent, though her very visible head was trembling with barely-hidden laughter. While Saiyar was happy that Clement was already back to Os Alta, she was not happy about being woken up with pranks instead of actual greetings & conversation.

"All Saints, Clement..." Saiyar grumbled, stomping out of her doorway and pulling Clement out from behind the flowers by the collar of her kefta.
Clement was still giggling, though seemed surprised at Saiyar just... grabbing her.

"Hi, Saiyar! I'm back!" Clement exclaimed, recovering from the surprise & flinging her arms wide for a hug, which Saiyar obliged her with, smiling.
"Welcome back! Everything go okay? Theo doing better?" Saiyar prodded, feeling nosy.

"Yup! Theo's supposed to rest, so he's mostly sitting down and being boring, but he's apparently found a calling as a teacher, because he's constantly giving little demonstrations of his powers to the younger kids," Clement explained, "I don't see what's so interesting, but I dunno, maybe I just grew up around him and his little light show."
"Huh. Well, I'm glad he's doing well! I'll have to tell you about everything you missed around here!" Saiyar said excitedly, then realised awkwardly that she was still in her nightclothes. "We'll have so much to talk about... after I go, uh, get dressed,"
"Oh, yeah, of course. I'll go downstairs to wait, then," Clement said, letting Saiyar return to her room & waving goodbye as she set off for the stairs.

Saiyar washed & dressed, then slid down the handrails of the stairs to find Clement & some breakfast, for she'd realised she was quite hungry.

Once she'd found Clement, near the main doors, they chattered about the ordinary daily things Clement had missed: lessons, fires set, & wild critters captured, while Saiyar got some breakfast to eat while they walked.
Afterwards, they set off outside, quickly leaving the paved paths & beaten trails to wander as they pleased in the more forested areas of the palace grounds, trying to stay out of the sunlight & heat.

chapter 14: SAIYAR NAZYALENSKY
part 3: AFTERNOON

Neither Saiyar nor Clement had any classes that day, so it was simply a matter of roving back to one of the palaces when they got hungry that brought them out from their wandering in the woods. Their conversation meandered between topics, but never really petered out, and the only real pauses were when the terrain got tough, where rubble left behind by wars blocked the half-paths they took.

It was peaceful, just to wander & talk, taking in the history of their home as they discussed everything from recent times to the histories they hoped to leave behind.
Clement hoped to enter the Grisha Army, to be an ever-burning flame as she rose in the ranks of the military.
Saiyar wasn't as certain as Clement seemed to be, but she supposed that she'd prefer to take over the seafaring side of things, her father's "business" as his alter-ego, Sturmhond. She'd always loved the sea, and she felt so at home on a boat. Clement didn't seem to understand the appeal as much, but she'd always been fond of solid ground, unless she was to be climbing trees.

The conversation continued to shift between topics from there as they hopped over rocks, & Saiyar pointed out every flower she recognized. They stayed out for most of the day, eating while they walked after grabbing meals from inside & continuing their conversation until their throats were sore.

Chapter Text

chapter 15: MARCUS GHAFA
part 1: EVENING

Marcus was in his room, decorating a letter to Saiyar, re-reading his own sentences to catch any spelling mistakes. Ravkan still confused him sometimes, especially in writing. It was already after dinner, so he'd be going to bed once he was done.
Also in his room were Syrup and Wolfie; Syrup was playing with a balled-up piece of paper Marcus had found to distract him, and Wolfie was getting comfortable on the bed, with his large head under Marcus' pillows to block out the noises of the crazy kitten playing with the paper.

Once Marcus was content with his letter, he folded it & put it in an envelope, adding it to the stack to be sent off for Os Alta the next chance they got. While he changed into his pajamas, he heard his parents walk by, talking quietly. He stilled, shirt half-on, listening.

"...So you think he's dead? For real, this time?" Kaz was saying, his gruff voice tentative with disbelief.
"I have no reason to believe otherwise. Everything seems to point to someone having assassinated him, or that old infection catching up to him," Inej replied simply.
Marcus could almost picture her shrugging slightly, like the information she'd gleaned through eavesdropping should be clear as day to anyone.
"Of course... Say, any word on the boy who was found there? With the curled lip?" Kaz asked, his voice almost gentle.

Marcus didn't hear the rest of the conversation, as his parents continued down the hallway. He blinked, pulling his shirt on the rest of the way, wondering what that could've been about. Did it have something to do with the strange, tense quiet around the city? Who was presumably dead, and who was the boy with the curled lip?

chapter 15: MARCUS GHAFA
part 2: NIGHT

Marcus just couldn't sleep. Even with Wolfie against his back and Syrup, finally calm, curled against his chest, he was still wide awake, watching the moonlight fall onto his chair through the gap in his curtains.

It was hours past dark now, and silent as a grave, other than the soft snoring of the animals in his bed. He lay there, frightened by the eerie quiet, mind racing, not knowing what to do. He'd often creep out his window & sit on the ledge above it, but Syrup was on top of his upper arm enough to prevent him from getting up.

However, despite his paranoid state, Marcus couldn't stay up forever; eventually, a soft rain started outside, enough to lull him into a tense sleep until morning.

chapter 15: MARCUS GHAFA
part 3: MORNING

He was up late that morning, exhausted from how late he'd been up, and already soaked from Wolfie & Syrup licking him. Wonderful, wonderful, animal slobber; the best way to wake up, when you weren't up past midnight the prior night.
He managed to disentangle himself from his blankets & his pets, carrying Syrup with him & being trailed by Wolfie while he crossed the hallway to the bathroom, washing his face & hands where he'd been thoroughly licked, and cleaning his teeth.
Afterwards, he went downstairs, still in his pajamas. He was too tired for the whole "picking out an outfit" thing. He'd probably wind up wearing something silly again, like the time he'd worn dress pants and mismatched socks with the massive, gaudy green-and-orange shirt his uncle Jesper had lent him. That was... quite a day, to say the least.

Once he was downstairs, he made it to the breakfast table, where his father was reading a newspaper around his waffles, and his mother was turned around to watch the birds out the windows. He grumbled an exhausted "hello" as he set Syrup down on the floor, despite Syrup's squeaky protests at being removed from the warmth of the crook of Marcus' neck.

"Mornin', kiddo, you sure slept in!" His father replied, looking a little worried, though he seemed slightly frazzled himself.
He'd put his thin-framed reading glasses on a little crooked.
"...I got distracted by Syrup and stayed up late. I'm sooo sleeepyy..." Marcus groaned, resisting the urge to faceplant into his waffles, before grabbing Syrup's namesake to drown said waffles in.
"Happens to the best of us. Say, Inej, dear, what're the birds up to?" Kaz asked, leaning around his newspaper.
"I think the big old crow finally chased off the mean one with really short tail feathers. Which, good riddance, but also, it really took him that long?" She mused in response, not looking away from the window.
"Well, better late than never. I was getting sick of the one with short tail feathers, to be honest," Kaz replied, turning back to his paper with a smile playing around his lips.
"...Bird drama is crazy," Marcus noted sleepily, then proceeded to shove half his syrup-soaked waffle in his mouth at once.
He regretted it quickly, but refused to be gross & spit it out, so he just had to figure out contorting it around in his mouth to chew.
"Oh, you have no idea. Just wait until those cardinals show up, they've always got something ridiculous going on," Inej replied with a chuckle.
She sure was fond of her birdwatching.
"Dear, have you eaten at all? Bird drama, however interesting, should be put after sustenance," Kaz said gently, leaning around his paper again.
Sure enough, Inej's plate looked almost untouched.
"Oh, right..." Inej said, laughing slightly as she turned around to eat, though she stole glances out at the yard between bites.

After breakfast, Marcus lay on the couch, while his parents chattered absentmindedly about random topics. His mother was crosslegged on the floor, playing with all three cats, while his father dusted the bookshelves, leaning on his cane as he stretched up to reach the highest, rarely-touched shelves.

chapter 15: MARCUS GHAFA
part 4: AFTERNOON

Once the sun was up high, Inej decided it was a great day to go out on the town & wander. Despite Marcus' objections about how tired he was, he got dressed in a reasonable outfit & followed his parents out, each of them with a dog on a lead so they could get out of the house, too.

Marcus trailed behind a bit, but never let himself & Mama Spots get seperated. He knew both his parents tended to worry if he wandered, and he didn't like large crowds anyway, even if they were still quieter than usual. The press of people still spoke in hushed voices, glancing around like someone around might know something. Marcus' thoughts wandered back to the dead man and the boy with the curled lip. Was this mourning? Waiting? He didn't know.

The family wandered through the streets of Ketterdam, visiting the places they knew, chatting quietly with friends they saw. The tension in the air was still palpable, and Marcus knew that had they not brought the dogs, they'd've taken to the rooftops by now. Unfortunately, his mother had not succeeded in her efforts to train the dogs to climb drainpipes, and the cats were all too old or too young for such endeavours.

It only took a couple of hours for both Marcus' parents to grow sick of the tense air, and they wended their way home with the few purchases they'd made. Marcus could swear he felt eyes on his back as they left the more crowded streets, but when he dared to glance behind, nobody seemed to be looking.
Back at home, they unloaded their purchases, ate a small lunch, and relaxed, though Marcus wound up falling asleep on the couch since he'd been up so late the previous night.

chapter 15: MARCUS GHAFA
part 5: EVENING

Marcus woke up in his bed, tucked in with Mr. Big Toes & Lost Soul at his feet. He presumed one of his parents had carried him up after he was already asleep. It was a nice gesture.
He stayed in bed, comfortable under the sheets, until the smells of dinner cooking drew his pets away. With a sigh, he roused himself & followed, mostly to keep them from stealing anything, which both Mr. Big Toes and Lost Soul were fond of.

Back downstairs, his father used the top of his head to rest his elbow, chopping carrots while his mother sniffed the pot of stew intensely, looking puzzled.

"...How is this not right? I followed the recipe exactly! It doesn't smell, taste, or look right!" She cried out, frustrated.
"More carrots, maybe put the heat back on it for longer?" Kaz replied calmly, offering her the carrots he'd cut up.
"Hmm. Maybe a couple. But putting the heat back on will just make it evaporate, and it'll end up dry..." Inej answered, adding the carrots she'd been offered while Kaz gave Marcus the rest to crunch on.
After plenty more random ingredients and adjustments, the stew was finally up to Inejs' standards, and they all enjoyed their meal.

After dinner, they did a puzzle together, a picture of a big, fluffy crow. Other than Kaz nearly getting stabbed because he dropped a piece between the couch cushions, it was a quite ordinary example of family bonding time; something that was always a surprise to Marcus. It was almost strange, how ordinary they could be, despite their other activities.

Once the puzzle was done, Marcus bid his goodnights to his bantering parents, ready for bed despite his nap. Once he'd washed up & put on his pajamas, it didn't take long for him to fall asleep.

chapter 15: MARCUS GHAFA
part 6: MORNING

The next morning, Marcus was woken up by someone knocking on his... window? He rolled out of bed, leaning against his desk to open his curtains, and found his mother perched on his windowsill. Ah, grand, morning parkour training.
He shoved his desk & chair out of the way and opened his window, climbing out to follow her up onto the roof. Today was more of what they'd been doing before they'd last left for the sea; climbing the odd tree & scrabbling around on rooftops.

It was exhilarating; the cold, salty morning wind coming off the ocean, the cries of gulls & crows as they leapt from building to building. Unfortunately, all that excitement meant they worked up quite an appetite, and Marcus' stomach was rumbling like a thunderstorm by the time they returned to his windowsill.

After a hearty breakfast, another puzzle, and playing with the dogs in the yard, Marcus was feeling good about today.

Chapter Text

chapter 16: THEO STARKOV
part 1: EVENING

Theo was already in his room, sitting on the edge of his bed to change the bandages protecting his wound.
It had been healed by Healers, but since it'd sat for days without their attention, there was only so much to be done. He'd have quite a scar for the rest of his life, and there was no getting his eye back.
It'd been quite an adjustment, having one eye. Now he understood why his mother misjudged where things were so often - his depth perception was completely ass now.

Fortunately, at least, he'd gotten good at changing his own bandages. He put the dirty ones in the wastebasket he'd dedicated to his used bandages & sighed, leaning back until he was laying on his bed with his legs still dangling off, staring at the decorated ceiling beyond the canopy.

He lay there for a long moment. Staring at the ceiling. Birds, plants, bugs. A repeating pattern, endlessly looping. Beyond his door, calls of goodnights between rooms, and outside the window, the last of the birds chirping before heading to sleep.

Theo eventually flopped his way into a normal position, laying parallel to the longer sides of his bed, and fell into a peaceful sleep.

chapter 16: THEO STARKOV
part 2: NIGHT

He'd been woken up in the middle of the night by... wingbeats?
They had the leathery, featherless sound of bats, but the sound was clearly being made by something far, far larger.

Theo lay there for a long moment, petrified, before he gathered the courage to creep to his window & look out, wrapped in his blankets for comfort & warmth.
When he squinted into the darkness, he couldn't believe his half-closed eye: A dragon. Flying away & more a black shadow than anything, but unmistakably a massive, silver dragon, with shining scales & static-y lightning flickering in a sail of blue-looking fur.

Theo just stood there, dumbfounded for a long moment. How & why this could be, he couldn't extrapolate. There was no way. Surely, he was dreaming. He pinched himself, then poked himself right below his empty eyesocket, where the flesh was still raw & sore. It hurt, and he wasn't waking up again.
He was forced to confront the likelihood of this being real life, that he was actually conscious.

After a while of staring, he lost track of the dragon's silhouette in the dark sky & lines of trees, so he went back to bed. It took a bit of tossing and turning, but he eventually shook off the encounter with the dragon as a hallucination, and made a mental note to check in with the Healers in the morning before drifting back into an uneasy sleep.

chapter 16: THEO STARKOV
part 3: MORNING

Theo was still wholly befuddled by his middle-of-the-night experience, and abruptly no longer convinced that it was a hallucination.
He pondered it while he washed & dressed, though that resulted in him thinking deeply while standing on one foot to put on his sock, losing his balance, and (fortunately not literally) eating shit on the bathroom tile.
It hurt a lot, and he had to lean over the sink while his nose bled afterwards, but other than that he was, fortunately, fine.

Once he'd finally gotten dressed and stopped injuring himself, he made his way downstairs to breakfast, where he found his mother & sister sitting at the table already; Genya looked as pristinely put-together as ever, while Clement looked halfway between having seen a ghost & being one.
The poor girl had NOT slept well, by the looks of it. The plum she was trying to eat kept missing her mouth.

"Good morning! I have no coordination today, I fell in the bathroom and wound up with a bloody nose. Also, was I hallucinating, or was there a dragon outside last night?" Theo asked, loading his plate with eggs and a plum of his own.
He hoped Clement was too tired to steal his eggs.
"Oh, dear, are you alright? And - what's this about a dragon?" Genya asked in response, concern turning to bewilderment as her gold eye squinted at him.
"I'm not permanently injured, and last night, I heard massive wingbeats, and I could swear I saw a dragon," Theo explained, "But I might've just been tired and seeing things."
"...Hey, that's me and Saiyar's secret... Stop seeing dragons, Theo," Clement grumbled, then flopped against him and began trying to steal his eggs.
"...WHAT??????" Theo and Genya said in unison, looking at Clement with pure confusion, concern, and shock written all over both their faces, while Clement, unbothered, continued trying to steal Theo's eggs.
"The dragon is why I'm sleeeepyy... me and Saiyar go look at it because she saw it turn into a person and she wants to know who it is... But the dragon only comes out at night, so we end up sleepy..." Clement explained, then shoved almost half of Theo's eggs into her mouth before she could answer any further questions.

Theo and Genya both just gaped at her in utter befuddlement for a long, long moment, before Theo & Clement's father, David, came over, also looking confused about the interaction happening with his family.

"...Is it time to look at Clement in shock and astonishment? Is that what we're doing now?" He asked, while casually stealing Genya's eggs from her plate. Runs in the family.
"She's been seeing dragons, and-- HEY!" Genya answered his question, then noticed the theft, and glared at David threateningly.
He leaned back, eyebrows raised, but mischeviously refused to return the eggs.
"Dad, set a better example. Clement always does that to me..." Theo whined half-jokingly, trying to seem sad and pathetic.
David ate his stolen eggs mercilessly, while threateningly not quite making eye contact.

The four continued bantering about stealing each other's eggs for the rest of breakfast, then Clement had class, and Theo was going to exercise by walking Jen & Kir down to their regular training sessions before joining Genya in doing little teaching demonstrations. David, as always, retreated to his studio, bidding his fondest farewells.

Chapter Text

chapter 17: CLEMENT SAFIN
part 1: AFTERNOON

Clement was bored out of her mind, exhausted, and sweltering. The heat was unbearable today; all the classrooms were stuffy, and her kefta was keeping her far too warm.
As the sun had risen, it had failed to wake her sluggish mind up after her midnight escapade to watch the dragon with Saiyar, and now it was only making the heat worse. Despite how tired she was, she made note to always sit next to a Squaller she was on good terms with, or else she might just combust.

Once the day finally dragged into lunchtime, she downed the biggest glass of water she could find, and ate plenty of blissfully cold, juicy fruits.
After eating, she hung out with a Squaller she knew reasonably well; a small Shu boy who liked to just be called Ri, who tended to lean his shoulders forwards & put one foot behind the other, like he was about to run a race. She'd never questioned it before, but other students bothered him about it sometimes. They'd call him Ti, short for Tilt, instead of Ri. Keri had used to be particularly fond of that nickname, but after her and Clement's fight some time before, she tended to watch herself around everyone who liked to associate with Clement.
On days like today, however, Keri tended to take her little clique out to the edge of the lake, splashing in the shallows to cool off. Clement, however, wanted to stay inside & out of the sun, for the most part.

Her and Ri made some casual conversation, as much as their heat-addled minds would allow. For the most part, it was just Ri fanning himself & Clement in turn, Clement remarking that she owed him for the favor, and Ri reminding her that she was basically a Keri deterrent now, and that, if anything, he was repaying her for stopping Keri. That made both of them laugh.

However, as their window of break time drew to a close, Clement noticed an uncommon sight; Saiyar's mother, Queen Zoya, casually walking in. She had a purposeful stride, but bobbed through the Grisha passing through like anyone else, heading for the Corporalki workshops.
Clement thought about pointing it out to Ri, to make sure she wasn't seeing things from how overheated she was, but then reconsidered; Ri was a bit of a suck-up when it came to authority figures, and the Queen didn't look like she wanted much attention at the moment.
Clement wound up just watching, trying to seem casual, but the occurrence struck her as odd.

Despite, she and Ri had to get back to class shortly after, so she shook it off. Queen Zoya had probably just wanted to chitchat with Clement's mother, Genya. The pair were longtime friends, and especially closeknit since they'd both had daughters at around the same time, with Clement and Saiyar being fast friends as well.
Funny how such lucky things could happen! However, unlucky things were happening as well, such as Clement having to sit in more stuffy classrooms.

chapter 17: CLEMENT SAFIN
part 2: EVENING

Classes were finally out for the day, and as the sun descended & began to set, things were finally cooling off to a reasonable degree.
Despite the lengthening shadows, Clement needed to get outside for some fresh air while it wasn't blistering hot or oddly chilly, so she wandered out to the training pavilions, absentmindedly toying with flames like her hands would never burn.
She liked to practice little party tricks, warping the flame into little shapes or looping it around her fingers. It was precise work, and she was still rather sleepy, but she was right on the lakeshore, so cooling herself was easy.

It was as the night began to turn truly dark that Keri turned up, making the daring move of taking the pavilion next to Clement's. She looked like she wanted to talk, or maybe just fight again in the hopes of beating Clement this time, but another set of footsteps announced the arrival of an oddly tense-looking Saiyar, who acted like the mortified Keri didn't even exist.

"Clement. Minnow pond. I have news," Saiyar said quietly, then grabbed Clement by the sleeve, leading her to the pond full of minnows where they often hid away.

Clement followed, surprised, and didn't say a word until they got to the pond.

"What's happened?" Was all she had to ask.
"Mom - my mom - found out about us watching the dragon. Also, she somehow IS the dragon, and just... didn't know how to tell me? For eight years? ALL SAINTS, that was an awkward conversation..." Saiyar blurted out, exasperated.

Clement didn't know how to respond. She just gaped at Saiyar while her mind raced. Queen Zoya was a dragon? And just... didn't talk about it? She knew the adults must know, but nobody thought to tell her and Saiyar? Also, more pressingly, could Saiyar and Marcus also be dragons? Actually, that probably wasn't as important, but now that she'd thought of it, she couldn't stop thinking about it.

"So, we've been spying on your mom, who is a giant lightning dragon. For multiple nights recently. And she didn't ever tell you about her being a dragon? Not once, in your whole life?" Clement asked, hoping for some clarity.
"Yeeah... Mhm. All of that, exactly. I know she wasn't, like, born being able to turn into a dragon, but she didn't talk about how she might've gained such an ability. Pretty much all the grown-ups know about this, too, all her Triumvirate friends, and a lot of other important folks," Saiyar explained.
"All her Triumvirate friends...? Wait, wait, that... that includes my parents. Jeez, do neither of our parents tell us anything? I sure would've liked to know my Queen and best friend's mom was a cool-ass dragon!" Clement exclaimed, angry about the injustice of it all.

"Ye- wait, hang on, listen," Saiyar said, suddenly cutting herself off.
They both went still, tilting their heads. There were voices, calling their names. Sounded like Theo, and probably Saiyar's dad, King Nikolai. It must've gotten pretty late; of course, Clement could light the area up with a small fire, so they hadn't really noticed it getting darker.

Sure enough, the voices got closer, and they heard footsteps approaching, as well as flashes of light from Theo. Clement picked up their little fire and stood up, holding it high as a signal. Eventually, Theo and Nikolai poked their way through to the pair; Saiyar curled up on a rock and Clement holding fire, stretching herself as tall as she'd go, then relaxing when she saw her brother.

"What are you two doing out here? It's... pretty much a reasonable time to be going to bed, by now. Not the time to be hiding out in the woods," Nikolai remarked, and Theo nodded along, dimming the burst of starlight about his hand. His dark brows were creased with worry.
"We were just talking, Dad. We didn't realise how late it was, Clement was lighting things up with the fire. Besides, we're behind SO many walls in here, it's probably completely safe, right?" Saiyar pointed out, but her and Clement both caught a split-second of hesitation from Nikolai.
Clement knew that look, that moment of hesitation; like anyone else, King Nikolai had seen some things during the civil war & ensuing conflicts. Os Alta certainly had a history of attacks that breached the "impenetrable" double walls from those times.

"Well, yes, but you'll worry your mother sick, and she quite dislikes being sick," Nikolai replied, shaking off that moment's hesitation like nothing and taking Saiyar's hand as she nodded, leading her away through the woods.

Theo gestured to Clement to put out the fire and follow him, and their walk through the woods was silent other than footsteps.

chapter 17: CLEMENT SAFIN
part 3: NIGHT

It wasn't until she was in bed, trying to get to sleep that Clement realised Theo probably knew something about the dragon - Queen Zoya - as well. That morning at breakfast, she'd been so tired as to say outright that she'd been spying on the Queen, albeit just referring to her as "the dragon".
She wondered if her mother had realised. She probably had; Despite her lack of an eye, Genya was quite perceptive.

Clement tried to make a mental note to ask Theo about his opinions on the "Queen Zoya is a dragon" situation in the morning, but she fell asleep mid-thought, and dreamt about Saiyar turning into a dragon, and them coming up with new games to play where Clement wouldn't get stepped on by Saiyar's massive dragon talons.

Chapter Text

chapter 18: SAIYAR NAZYALENSKY
part 1: MORNING

Saiyar was up rather early, despite having been up late the previous night. She'd ordered a tray of food for breakfast, and was eating at her desk, writing.
It had started with a letter to Marcus, but then turned into one of her favorite games to play by herself - pretending she was queen, ruling over her dolls and other toys, reenacting all the big decisions she'd see her mother make every day. She had great fun with this game, thinking of scenarios, drama, and issues.
Of course, she couldn't do it all alone; she also had her trusted advisors, generals, and nobles; such as the royal pet cats, Spitz and Mini-Zoya, or the various toads & newts she'd been allowed to keep after capturing from the garden.

Today, a little plush white tiger she called Icebeast, who was mayor of a small village, was complaining of major roads through & near the village falling into disrepair despite having pleaded for aid. Saiyar puzzled over the issue, as she'd recieved no such pleas, since the stuffed animal could not write on it's own.
She resolved the issue by directing workers to check out the area, who found that Mayor Icebeast had lied about the disrepair, and just wanted to divert resources from more important projects in an elaborate scheme to steal massive amounts of money from the crown.
Mayor Icebeast was tried in a court of law, found guilty on all charges, and sentenced to life in the "dungeon," which was a series of random boxes under Saiyar's bed.
This was all very dramatic, and also when Lucas decided to invite himself into Saiyar's room, covered in snails.

"Goomorning Saiyar! I found lots of snail!" He said happily, while Saiyar froze angrily, midway through dramatically shoving the box now containing ex-Mayor Icebeast under her bed.
"...Good morning? Why are you in my room?" Saiyar asked, standing up to herd him out before he started trying to lecture her about snails.
"Because Mamam wanna see you, and also I want you to see snails before I go show Aunt Genya! She likes snails because they good for skin," he informed her matter-of-factly, while Saiyar panicked.
What did her mother want her for now? Queenly lessons? More lecturing about staying in the woods late? Oh, Saints...

"...Okay, great. Where is Mom? Did she tell you what she wants to see me for?" She asked nervously.
"She in her office. I dunno why she wanted to see ya, but she looked se.... sew.... uhhh, well, y'know," he made a very tense and serious face, as much as his little face could express such a thing.
Saiyar almost gulped. If this was serious, she was surely in trouble.

"...Ah. Well, hopefully I'll see you later. If not, good luck with all the bugs," Saiyar said, quite frightened as she set off for her mother's office, and Lucas waved goodbye confusedly as he started down the stairs.

She remained silent as she walked through the halls, shoulders squared as she moved quickly. Her mind raced, jumping from one thought to the next quickly. Mostly, a lot of Why's and What If's.
Once she'd reached the large doors, she nervously knocked, and her mother answered quickly, beckoning her inside without a word, which made Saiyar even more nervous.

Her mother's office was a wide room, rounded on two sides & flat on the others, with three walls facing the outdoors. The two flat walls had bay windows, and outside of the rounded wall was a small balcony. The interior was lined with desks and bookshelves, with a small sitting area in the middle and the door into a small powder room in one corner. The furniture wasn't too showy, but a trained eye would identify it as being made of incredibly expensive materials. On the ceiling was a mural, of a sea with a stormy sky, full of teeny-tiny hidden details everywhere one could think to look.
The whole room dripped with the subtle glamour Zoya had come to prefer after years of ruling: Fancy, yes, undeniably so, but not completely flashy & obnoxious like so many of the rulers before her. However, Saiyar didn't have time to linger on the appearance of the room, because her mother stood over her, looking dreadfully stern.

For a long moment, there was silence between them, before Saiyar thought to ask:

"...What is it, Mom? Why did you need to see me?
"Well, first, why are you so tense? What did your brother tell you?" Zoya asked, seeming concerned.
"Oh- uh, he told me you seemed... grouchy? I dunno, he just imitated the face he saw you making and looked really mad," Saiyar explained, slightly awkwardly.
"Oh, of course. I was just going through some very annoying letters, that's all! I'm not upset with you, just wanted you to hurry up out of your room and come to class," she explained, smiling wryly while she set aside a stack of papers.
"Cool. I thought we were gonna talk about last night again... This sounds way better," Saiyar responded, pulling up a chair as her mother sat down.
"No, I can't blame you for that. I did the same and worse at your age. Anyways, first order of business: People wanting us to direct other people places to help them... This may be our only order of business, actually," Zoya seemed irked by the size of the stack of papers, especially since Nikolai was "out at Count Kirigan's," as far as Saiyar knew.
She could imagine that doing important queen things with only an eight-year-old who couldn't sit still would get frustrating fast, and tried to be on her best behavior.

The pair got to work, and made good progress, other than Saiyar's need for anyone she personally found annoying to become servants or prisoners. Zoya tried to hide how exhausted she looked after only a few of the many letters.

chapter 18: SAIYAR NAZYALENSKY
part 2: AFTERNOON (finally smh)

After an exhausting morning of answering letters, both Saiyar and Zoya were sick of everyone else's bullshit, and ate lunch on the balcony of Zoya's office, making idle conversation. Mostly, Saiyar wanted to talk about what she'd been up to unsupervised, and when they could find time to visit Marcus in Ketterdam or the orphanage at Keramzin. Zoya answered her questions to the best of her ability, but it was clear there were surprises in store for some upcoming visits. Saiyar poked, prodded, and beat around the bush, but was unable to glean the information she desired. Alas.

After lunch, Zoya tried persuading Saiyar to help answer more letters, but Saiyar wanted to go downstairs and play outside, so she did just that.
Outside, she bumped into Lucas, being gently herded home by Clement and Theo's parents, Genya and David, who looked rather overwhelmed by the small boy's endless rambling about various bugs. Saiyar helped get him indoors, but couldn't stand to stay in for long, and left to run around the grounds. Just full-force sprinting, as far as her legs would let her, bobbing between people and lamps until she could leave the beaten trails behind.

Out where the grass was left to grow tall and the only remnants of buildings were old, twisted spires of stone and metal, Saiyar wandered freely.
Nobody came out here to bother her; no eyes watching and no ears listening.
She was a bit tired from running all the way out, but that was fine; there were plenty of spots in the weather-worn stone that could fit her rear, perfect places to sit & rest among the strange forest of vague remnants.

She remained outside, wandering, identifying flowers & brushing through the tall grass, for quite some time. The sun had just begun to set by the time she set off for home.

chapter 18: SAIYAR NAZYALENSKY
part 3: EVENING

At dinner, Saiyar was too tired for much conversation due to her long adventure and early start to the day, even though Clement was there. She wound up asking to be excused early, and went to write her little daily report for Marcus before she outright fell asleep in her seat. S
he managed to keep her eyes open, though she didn't know if her writing made any sense.
Afterwards, washing up and getting changed was also a botched affair, as she put on several of her clothing items on backwards by accident, too tired to care.

When she curled up into bed, surrounded by soft toys, she fell asleep quickly, too deep for dreams.

Chapter Text

chapter 19: MARCUS GHAFA
part 1: NIGHT

It was quite late now. Darkness had fallen over the eerily silent city, and it was hours past when Marcus usually went to sleep.
But tonight, he had to keep his eyes open, because he was working.

Every so often, he'd join his mother on a low-stakes outing to spy. Nothing crazy, just some stealthy wandering to gather information.
His father bobbed between people in the night crowd below, disguised in a hideously bright & garish costume. If it weren't for the other costumes around, he'd look like a madman, and be easy to find. But the crowd was full of masks and fluttering capes & cloaks, so he'd had to memorize the precise shade of lime green, just in case.

Marcus dodged between chimneys, spires, and rooftop ventilation, occasionally darting low to listen to chatter. He kept to the darkest areas he could find, which wasn't too hard. The moon wasn't bright, and the air was smoggy & foggy as ever.
Sometimes it was hard not to think of Ketterdam as a city with a cloud permanently over it, keeping people sulky & without sunlight. But at the end of the day, it was home - a stable, if busy & worn-out place, where he could return after wandering the world, braving the sea.
It was like the times his mother would talk about occasionally, when his father wouldn't replace his cane for far too long; even though he was young enough at the time to still be growing taller & need a new one to keep him up, he'd rather slouch & be crooked than "waste" the money, since it wasn't as if the cane was in half. Yes, Ketterdam was like an outgrown cane to Marcus; not completely broken, and it certainly still worked, technically, but it'd probably be better to find elsewhere. Someplace with clearer air and less gloom, perhaps, someday.

He paused, perched out of lamplight, pressing himself low to rain-damp roof shingles.
A merchant was saying something to a woman in a dainty mask that looked like a white fox.

"...Yup, they found the guy dead, right in the sitting room. Fireplace was still burning, and there was some odd-lookin' boy - I think with a curled lip? - in a kitchen cabinet, cryin' about how it "wasn't s'posed to happen that way." He's in Stadwatch custody now, and goodness knows what they'll do to him," the merchant was explaining in a rough accent, quiet but casual as anything.

Marcus could see the woman's mouth moving in response, but a noisy band passed by right as she spoke, so she was drowned out. Though his abilities to read lips were lackluster, he could infer some of what she'd said from the merchant's response, which carried up after the band passed.

"Well, I assume he did it, but you're right; if he was as young as they say he was, I doubt it was on purpose. If anything, he could've been from one of those underground rings, actin' out in self-defense. We all know Ol' Pritz was in on some shady stuff, at least back in the day," the merchant paused, as if glancing around, then resumed in a voice quiet enough that Marcus almost had to risk creeping forwards to hear him, "Of course, I'm more than sure he's still in on plenty of it, but you'd think he'd quit with the... Y'know."

The woman gasped slightly, then replied in a soft voice, almost musical & thickly accented, "Oh... Of course. I feel bad for the poor boy, if that was why he was there. Though, I have to doubt he was, a little bit... They tend to prefer the traditionally pretty children, a curled lip might, ah... might not make money, if it was a severe case."
"No, no, of course not. I wouldn't know about the severity of the boy's curled lip, o'course, but still. Then again, Ol' Pritz fancied odd ones. Remember that one cat he had for so long, even though it behaved like it'd never met a human who didn't kick it, and may as well have bathed in every wastebasket in the city?"
"Oh, saints, that cat... that thing was just horrible. I don't see how it didn't ruin his publicity. Anyhow, I'll take these, and one of those as well," the woman said, switching from discussion to transaction in record time.

Marcus scooted up the rooftop & hopped to the next one, disturbed. "Ol' Pritz", or Doc Pritzler, had been on the Merchant Council; he'd long since been seen as creepy, and yes, rumored to be involved in very shady stuff on the side. Nobody had ever mentioned the very slavery his mother worked to put a stop to, but then again, Marcus was rather young for such topics, even if he did consider himself a quite hardy eight-year-old.

The rest of the night was uneventful, and back at home, he swung right through his window to wash, dress, and get right to bed; scrabbling around on rooftops was exhausting. He'd tell his parents about what all he'd heard in the morning.

chapter 19: MARCUS GHAFA
part 2: MORNING

Marcus slept in very, very late; the light streaming in through his half-open curtains was blinding, as the hours ticking by encroached on midday. He'd been woken up by his stomach growling, feeling miserably hungry. Syrup was also attacking his feet, which had also contributed to him being awake, as nobody wants tiny kitten teeth & claws digging into their toes.

Once he'd extricated himself from his warm, cloud-soft bed & ensured Syrup was on his shoulder, where he could try to eat his hair rather than his feet while Marcus made his sluggish way downstairs.
He found that his mother was already out for the day, but his father was finishing an early lunch. Marcus tried to start making his own breakfast, but Kaz stopped him.

"You look like you just crawled out of the grave. You are not going to be cooking, you'll either injure yourself or burn the house down," he said, stern but with a sparkle in his eye & slightly joking intonation.
"Noo, dad, it's fine..." Marcus began to protest, then nearly stumbled headfirst into the chair he was trying to pull out & sit in, which gave him enough sense to realise his father was likely right.
He set Syrup in his lap when he sat down, where the kitten finally exhausted himself batting at the drawstrings of Marcus' pants & trying to crawl up his shirt and eventually curled up into a ball to sleep.

Meanwhile, Clothesline attempted to steal Kaz's plate of crumbs, licking it then grabbing it in her mouth to carry it away. Clothesline like to hide any food she found, and had to eat her meals in a dark corner of the pantry instead of by the back door. Stray life changes a cat, Marcus supposed.

After his late breakfast, Marcus went out to the garden for some fresh(-ish) air, while his father stayed inside to tidy the kitchen, supervising from the window.

chapter 19: MARCUS GHAFA
part 3: AFTERNOON

After quite some time meandering around the garden, Marcus returned inside, as it was rather humid out. He brought some art supplies down from his room & drew on the couch, while his father read the last of the newspaper before picking up a big, boring-looking book called "I Know More About Kerch Taxation Than You Ever Will." At least the title wasn't boring.

They hung out like that for a while, occasionally having to entertain Syrup or one of the dogs, and Lost Soul demanded to lay in Kaz's lap after a while. Marcus mostly had to keep Syrup and Wolfie from stealing his colored pencils.

They were still sitting around like that in relative silence when Marcus' mother returned, dragging his Uncle Wylan with her and looking angry, but also very, very mischevous.

"Hi, hello, Wylan is here, don't ask why, oh good, Marcus, you're up," she said quickly, pausing for breath, then continued, "Also, Marcus, why don't you update us on what you heard last night?"
"Oh- yeah, hi, yes. I didn't hear much, just boring conversations, but there was one merchant chatting with a woman in a little fox mask, talking about how Doc Pritzler is dead, and that the suspect is a boy with a curled lip," Marcus said as casually as he could, while also trying to sound a little sad about Doc dying, even though he didn't care.
He was more worried about the boy with the curled lip.

"Oh." Said all of the adults in various tones, their faces ranging from outright alarm to concern.
Wylan swore under his breath, thinking Marcus couldn't hear him. He could, but didn't betray that he had, nor that he'd heard his parents' conversation about the dead man, Doc Pritzler, & the boy with the curled lip. That felt forever ago now.

"Well, that's... It's good to know what people are thinking about that situation. Good job, Marcus," Inej said with a slightly forced smile, though Marcus could tell she was genuinely proud of him, if unnerved.
He wondered if the nervousness was because of the implications of the conversation that he'd left out, about the boy with the curled lip having been a slave - or worse, if there was anything.

The praise continued, then the adults started talking about more boring things, so Marcus went back outside to finish drawing on the little table & chairs out in the garden.

Afterwards, he got some water & retreated to his room, where he'd read, draw & write more, and play or cuddle with whichever of the pets happened to come in.

Chapter Text

chapter 20: THEO STARKOV (CH20 HYYYPE)
part 1: EVENING

Theo watched the sunset beyond the trees, out at the pavilions on the lakeshore, almost brooding.
Tomorrow, his check-in with the Healers would discern whether he'd be cleared to return to training with the other Grisha, where he was soon to be sent off on real missions, becoming another soldier doing as the crown told them to.

The thought made his stomach churn. It wasn't that he'd dislike being less well-known; too many of his otherwise-pleasant classmates had had to be scared off from sucking up to him, trying to win favor with those high in status - his parents.

Rather, it was moreso how permanent the military life tended to be that worried him. Once you were in, there was no easy way out; while things were, admittedly, far more lax than they used to be, he'd still have to be majorly injured, commit a heinous crime, or just desert to simply go home.
None of those sounded appealing, especially now, with his missing eye & the twisted scar down from his browline still under scrutiny for infection or issues healing.

At this end of the day, Theo's mind drifted back to thoughts he'd had some time ago, before he'd even known Bear. Back to who he was, where he came from - who he came from.

He knew most of the story; Alina had had him young, still needing to fight out the last of the civil war, and Genya had stepped in when Alina couldn't raise Theo herself. After that, there had been some friendly dispute, but in the end it was agreed that Theo was simply Genya's - and by extension, David's - son. They often didn't even mention he was adopted, unless his appearance came into question, since he looked very little like either of them - and, by comparison, overwhelmingly like Alina.

Of course, there were things about his looks that couldn't be explained by Alina, but nobody ever mentioned a father when they told him how he'd come to be. Sometimes he wondered if he had one, or if he'd simply been some fluke, sunlight incarnate, blessing & curse. That theory was fleeting; such things just didn't happen, he knew that.
Nevertheless, the gaps in the stories haunted him, the gaping hole where one would assume a father would be in any ordinary tale.
He knew it couldn't be Mal, Alina's husband; they'd been fighting when he would've been conceived, separated by boiling resentment.
It also couldn't be King Nikolai; Saints, that'd be awkward. Although being royalty seemed interesting, he was also aware Alina was already pregnant when she met Nikolai.

As the night got colder, he pondered himself, toying with warm starlight between his fingers to keep warm until Clement came out to fetch him.

"Oi, Irony. Quit thinking and come inside, Mom thinks you're gonna freeze," she said, poking his bum to get his attention.
"Ah- yeah, yeah, I'm coming," he grumbled, following her as she lead him back to the palace, where he saw his mother's silhouette holding the door slightly open.
He could imagine her voice already, sternly telling him not to stay out in the dark & cold.

Sure enough, she launched right into her spiel as he & Clement approached, and he nodded along until she gave him a gap to say his goodnights & retreat to his room, feeling a little guilty, but mostly sleepy & ready to continue brooding.

chapter 20: THEO STARKOV (CH20 HYYYPE)
part 2: NIGHT

Theo sat at his desk for a long time, staring out into the night. Summer was winding down more now, the night sky turning blacker & blacker each night.
He watched the stars twinkle, and the dark spaces between them. They weren't so far apart from his perspective; he could fit his smallest fingertip between some of them, and others were even closer. He knew, far off in the sky, they were truly very, very far from each other.
For a moment, he wondered if they were alive up there, and lonely. The thought saddened him, despite how unlikely it was.

Now that he was all sad, he got up to dress & wash, trying to think about happier things, like how Clement had caught a crawfish while playing with Saiyar that day, and been attacked by it, running around yelling with it's pincer firmly stuck to her nose.
He nearly slipped forwards, snorting at the visual; Clement running in circles wildly, Saiyar on the ground laughing; Henri, Jen, & some little Shu friend of Clement's passing by, watching & not knowing whether to help or laugh as well.

He settled into bed, still silently chuckling about Clement's crawfish incident, and fell asleep planning ways to bring it up in conversation to embarrass her.

chapter 20: THEO STARKOV (CH20 HYYYPE)
part 3: MORNING

Theo woke up to Clement sitting on him, staring at him with giant golden-brown eyes. There was a tray of food on his bedside table, with almost no eggs, and Clement's mouth was full.

"Urgh... Clementdidyoueatmyeggs???" He slurred, exhausted & unable to breath properly with Clement's rear squarely in his guts.
Clement chewed quickly, then swallowed & replied "Not... all of them?"

He shoved her onto the floor, sitting up while she fell, her freckled face shocked by the betrayal. For a long moment, she dramatically lay still on the floor, and Theo almost worried he'd actually injured her.
Fortunately, her eyes opened, and her expression shifted to a shit-eating grin when she saw his frightened face.

"HAH! I FOOLED YOU!" She crowed proudly, pointing at him with her finger almost reaching his nose.
"You're so mean... I'm gonna tell Mom..." Theo grumbled, pulling his breakfast into his lap to eat in bed.
"I brought you breakfast, I can be as mean as I want," she informed him smugly, and Theo fought the urge to use his fork as a weapon.
He settled for sticking his tongue out through his twisted mouth, and popping the few eggs she'd left for him into his mouth.

They hung out & bantered further while Theo ate, then he kicked Clement out to take the tray of dishes downstairs while he bathed & then dressed, taking extra care of his jet-black hair, ensuring it was sparkling clean and as tidy as it could be.

Swaggering downstairs & feeling good, he bumped into Jen.

"Hey, Theo, how's it going? Seen the healers yet?" She asked, the latter question half-teasing.
"Going well, and I'm on my way there right now! Want to come with & chat on the way?" He asked, tossing his long hair out of his face, thinking he looked rather cool.
"Thanks for the offer, but I need to be upstairs right now. Also, your boots are on the wrong feet... I'd mock you, but I'm more impressed at how you're walking so normally with them like that," she said, eyebrows raised.
The little scar over her nose & cheekbones caught the light, silvery skin slightly indented. He wondered what had happened, sometimes.

"Oh, Saints, you're right. To be frank, I'm impressed too, I suppose I just didn't notice. Anyhow, have a nice morning!" He said, waving as she started back up the stairs, and he bent down to take his boots off & put them on the right feet.
Once he was down the stairs with his boots on correctly, he headed for the infirmary, to get checked out by the Healers. He greeted a couple others he knew on the way, but didn't stop to chat.

It was a quiet day in the infirmary, the only Healer around being one he knew well, a dark-skinned woman a few years older than his parents who often handled these sorts of complicated cases, called Irel. She was rather no-nonsense, but in a way that was oddly comforting in crazy situations.

She poked at his injury with steady hands, taking note of where he winced at the pressure in a little notepad & mumbling about the rate of the healing.

"You'll be fine to go back and train whenever you're up to it, provided you keep the bandages on & take it easy. Don't need you getting soft, and you'll need to learn to work around how much bigger your blind spot is now. Other'n training, let the wound get some air, and keep using that ointment your mother swears by on the bandages," she explained, bending over to write down a summary of her words on another piece of paper, which she tore off the little notepad and handed to him folded in half.
"A-alright. Thank you," He ducked his head respectfully, about to step out.

"Oh, and while you're off getting into trouble... Tell Bear his niece is here at the capital, if you see him again. I wouldn't be surprised if he's fled, but the girl is feral, so it'd be nice if he'd come get her," Irel mused, her voice softening momentarily at the mention of Bear.
Theo blinked (winked?) in confusion.
"You know Bear?" His voice almost quavered. He felt he was on the cusp of a greater mystery.

"Of course I do, anyone who hung around the First Army at Kiribirisk back in the day knows him. We go way back, though we've been out of contact for a while. He's been on the move ever since we found out Wolf was pregnant with Songbird, trying to keep her and the baby away from the crown's spies. Of course, now the rulers themselves have got the second one, but we do have different rulers now, and there's no more Wolf to worry about..." She trailed off, then shook her head, "Ach, I've said too much. Be on your way, don't let me stop you. You've got sparring to practice, if you're up for it."

Theo stood there for a long moment, then nodded & hurried out, not knowing what to think or say. He just headed out to the dusty old building by the stables where they did smaller fighting practices.

chapter 20: THEO STARKOV (CH20 HYYYPE)
part 4: AFTERNOON

Theo was soaked in sweat, bruised, and battered, deeply regretting his decision to go out and spar with the others. He'd fought two opponents - Jen, who'd chosen an impressive sword and nearly cut him clean in half with it, then one of their current instructors, Tamar Kir-Bataar, who'd also left him sprawling with her pair of axes.
Her brother, their other instructor, was on the other end of the arena, fistfighting with a scrawny Tidemaker, who Tolya's massive build made look like a child's stick-figure drawing.

For the moment, Theo was off on the sidelines, patching up a cut where one of Tamar's axes had sliced him & feeling exhausted. He couldn't shake Irel's strange connection to Bear from the front of his mind, and the room was full of flying blades, fists, and kicks.
One Inferni had even thrown her shoe at another, who was hit in the shoulder, and retaliated by burning the shoe and fully tackling her opponent, wrestling in the sand on the ground & getting trampled.

Yeah, sparring tended to be madness, especially with most of the group pairing off to go at once, including the instructors ignoring a lot of the class to spar with certain students.
Somehow, he questioned how Tamar was married, when beating up barely-adults was her idea of teaching them. He supposed Nadia, Adrik's older sister, must simply have... certain tastes.

Despite all the chaos, he noticed the other students at the table with bandages didn't linger, simply returning to the fight.
Theo himself slowly used the hubbub as cover to slip away, trotting back towards the lake & trying to act normal, like he hadn't escaped training. He'd be in pretty big trouble if anyone noticed, but he needed space & quiet, so he wandered off into the woods, following a meandering path.

He was quickly a bit lost, and had to leave a trail of little sunbursts to remind him where he'd been before, as he'd started going in circles. Eventually, however, he found his way back out the way he'd come in, and headed towards the palace, where he generally wouldn't get lost.

Inside, he wandered back to his room & sat around a while, coddling his bruises and reading a book about weather.

Chapter Text

chapter 21: CLEMENT SAFIN
part 1: EVENING

Clement was concerned about Theo, as she'd always been.
He'd been acting strange - out late, wandering around, brooding like he was trying to look cool. He always had something on his mind, but he'd never say what. Even when he tried to seem casual and confident, he seemed... off.
Maybe Clement was just paranoid, but she could swear something was up, something deeper than just him adjusting to his recent half-blinding.

Of course, it didn't help that Saiyar was still reeling from the whole dragon-Zoya reveal, and Clement's own freckled nose was still sore from being attacked by a horrible crawfish.

She was in her room, having just taken a bath & now reading at her desk while she waited for her hair to dry.
Unfortunately, she struggled to focus, worry for Theo's subdued state fogging her mind. Ultimately, Clement closed the book & just went to bed, eventually drifting off despite her restless, anxious state.

chapter 21: CLEMENT SAFIN
part 2: MORNING

The next morning, Clement was up miserably early. The sun wasn't even fully above the horizon, filling everything with a red-orange glow not unlike the color of Clement's own hair.
Despite, she was not happy about being up this early, especially with her hair a disaster & her curtains, having been left open, letting the firey blaze of sunrise fully into her room. At least her window didn't quite face the sunrise head-on - this part of the palace was at just enough of an angle that even the windowed walls that faced almost Eastward wouldn't get a full dose of every sunrise, which Clement was happy about.

She dressed & attempted to tidy her hair, but wound up making it rather frizzy, so she opted to just head out for the day & see if her mother was awake & could help.

Wandering the halls so early was odd; few were around, and those that did looked a bit undead. Clement knew where she was going, though, so she wasn't out for long; her parents had fancy quarters, but they refused to be unreasonably far from their children.

She trotted up to the double doors & knocked gently, then louder when her first attempt yielded no response. Listening carefully, she heard grumbling & blankets rustling before her mother answered, leaning against the door & half-asleep.

"Good morning, my hair had a wild night," Clement explained, seeing her mother's eye go wide at the sight of the presumable flame-colored cloud atop her head.
"Oh, goodness, get in here!" Genya exclaimed quietly as she ushered Clement to her vanity, working with deft hands to de-tangle & de-frizz her hair, while Clement helped by making a small, candle-like flame for light.

For the most part, her mother's work was near-silent, just the slight rustling of hair.
By the time Genya was done, Clement's hair had been thoroughly tidied & tugged into her usual style, and Genya was certainly ready to get her day started.

Clement thanked her mother profusely as she left to get breakfast, wending her way through the halls & down the stairs quickly - she was quite hungry!

At the breakfast table, she sat by herself, as Theo wasn't up yet.
She found this unfortunate, as she'd had rather a hankering for stolen eggs that moment. Ah, well, she could always pretend the serving platter was Theo's plate.

After she ate, she realised another fault of being up this early - she had this awkward space between breakfast & having to get to class, where she had really nothing she needed to do.

Deciding to savor the freedom, she went outside to wander, toying with flames around her fingers while she walked through the wet grass, noticing how it was a bit too wet to just be dew - perhaps it'd rained a bit while she was sleeping too deeply to notice.
While she wandered, her mind wandered back to Theo & Saiyar, and their current struggles. She was in an odd position here, being the one concerned with others' problems while really not being impacted by any of it, beyond her emotional responses.
For a moment, her thoughts wandered to Marcus, who she knew was another of Saiyar's closest friends. Had he received any of the countless letters Saiyar tended to write to him? Or were things with Kerch still too tense for such letters to be sent? Did he know of the hectic state of Os Alta? She hoped not. That was probably sensitive information.

Eventually, she realised the time, and had to hurry back inside to get to class, regardless of her boots being soaked from the drying rainwater on the grass.
Of course, despite it being a quite nice day out, Clement & her classmates were in for a dreadfully boring day of learning.

chapter 21: CLEMENT SAFIN
part 3: AFTERNOON

Once they were let out of classes for their lunch break, Clement immediately sought out Theo, who had barely eaten anything before bidding farewell to his little Squaller friend, who Clement believed was called Jen, and heading outside.

Clement was hot on Theo's trail, following him past the first set of gates, which struck her as odd - he'd opted to not go out & participate in the training exercise the others were doing, so what why was he heading out that way again? Were they having him help bring injured soldiers back from the mock-battle or whatever? If so, why have him go all the way back to the palace?

As it turned out, he wasn't going out that way at all. Once they reached the lower market town, he turned away, heading for an overgrown, forgotten corner. Clement ducked behind a stack of crates, watching pensively as Theo rustled around in the plants, then seemed to pull a hidden lever. There was a horrific screeching of stone-on-stone as a crude door opened, then Theo vanished into the darkness in the wall.

She hesitated for the briefest moment, then dove in after him, following the tiny burst of sunlight he'd summoned before entering. If she squinted, she could swear there was writing & art on the walls in here. This was clearly meant to be a passage for guards to traverse the walls, but one long-abandoned & defaced by curious wanderers.
In a moment of panic, she wondered how thick the walls & ceiling were, and if anyone could hear them if something bad happened.

Her worries only worsened when she realised that Theo's light had revealed that the tunnel slanted into a crude staircase. Clement was forced to light a tiny candle-flame so she didn't go tumbling down, as the steps were uneven, cracked, and certainly not steady beneath her feet. Despite the perilous stairs, Theo was gaining on her, walking fast.
Had he come here before? Why was he sneaking around? Was this why she'd "just missed" seeing him all morning?

She knew she'd probably be expected back to class soon, but even if her morbid curiosity didn't keep driving her after Theo, she doubted she could find her way back to the door.
At the bottom of the stairs, the ground seemed more stable, and she could extinguish the flame so as not to risk him noticing her. She wondered if he thought her footsteps were just his own echoing, as she couldn't quite walk silently on the stone floor.

Eventually, the passage began to widen, then suddenly, there was light beside Theo's. A door like the one they'd entered through, hidden behind plant life, someplace outdoors, possibly outside Os Alta. She wondered, unnerved, why it was already open.

Sure enough, when she was able to slink out of the door, a while after Theo, a glance back told her the walls of Os Alta were behind them. Glancing around in the doorframe, she noticed the lever had been broken off of the mechanism, long since rusted away.
Ahead there was little but wild woods, which Theo was trotting into like it was a perfectly ordinary thing for him to do.

Clement knew now, seeing where the sun was, that she really ought to be back to class, but she was too far now. She continued to follow Theo, picking her way into the woods in hot pursuit.

Eventually, Theo stood still in a clearing, catching his breath before glancing back at her, smiling.

"You were pretty stealthy back there, Clement! If I hadn't heard you coming through the gates back home, I'd never have noticed you!"

Clement stopped like a deer in the path, alarmed. He wasn't being weird & secretive, but that unnerved her more. Usually, he'd be upset & concerned if she followed him through a secret passage & into the woods, but he mostly seemed impressed by her being unnoticeable.

"I- uh- thanks? What are we doing out here?" Clement asked nervously, stepping into the clearing with utmost hesitation.

"Just helping someone who's helped me. It's the good thing to do, you know, even if it isn't exactly a debt," Theo answered vaguely as he began to walk away again. Clement followed, deeper & deeper into the woods, seeking out a Bear & a Songbird, who Theo explained were not really animals.

Chapter Text

chapter 22: SAIYAR NAZYALENSKY
part 1: EVENING

Saiyar lay in bed quietly. Today, she was trying to go to bed early, as she'd been stressing about Theo and Clement wandering off Saints-know-where earlier that day, and of course everything was always chaos. Such was life as royalty, she supposed.

Unfortunately, just when she was starting to get to sleep, something tapped on her window. Incessantly. She blearily opened her eyes, slouching to the window with her blankets trailing behind her & throwing open the curtains.
Beyond them was the pale face & bright red hair of the one & only Clement Safin. On a rope ladder. She waved, then gestured for Saiyar to open the window. Saiyar, deeply confused, obliged, and Clement just clambered on through the window.

"Hi! Sorry if I woke you up, me and Theo didn't mean to be out so late!" She said cheerfully as she picked herself up.
She smelled like someone lit a pine tree on fire.
"...I'm too tired for this. Where's Theo?" Saiyar asked, exhausted.
"Higher up the ladder, I'll get him," Clement explained, then leaned out the window & shouted up, "HEY THEO! GET IN HERE!"

Theo came clambering down the ladder as Clement retracted herself into Saiyar's room, politely entering & closing the window behind him. Saiyar stood, surveying the situation with low-lidded eyes, swaying from sleepiness.

"...You two should go to the Little Palace and find your parents. I'm going to sleep!" Saiyar stated firmly, opening the door.
Theo & Clement nodded, bidding their goodnights as they filed out, leaving Saiyar to finally climb back into bed & get a good nights' sleep.

chapter 22: SAIYAR NAZYALENSKY
part 2: MORNING

Saiyar slept in a bit the next morning, waking up to a soft rain & distant hubbub. It was peaceful, as she washed & dressed, and breakfast was also reasonably devoid of chaos. Despite her hectic evening the previous day, she felt good, and of course well-rested.

She decided to take advantage of her good mood, putting on her muddy boots & raincoat, and setting off into the light rain, watching sunbeams blaze down from cracks in the clouds. Most people were inside, but she saw a few Grisha - probably Tidemakers - frolicking, and she then proceeded to trip over her brother, Lucas, and fell sprawling into the mud.

"...OW! Hi, Saiyar. Dere's a buncha wormies an' a snil here!" He explained, unperturbed by the rain or the fact that he was a tripping hazard.
"...Very nice. Do Mom and Dad know you're out here in the rain?" Saiyar said, trying not to sound completely enraged.
She was rather more covered in mud than she'd planned.
"Do dey know you're out here?" Lucas asked smugly, glancing at Saiyar with mischief flashing in his hazel eyes.
She scowled at him, a skill she'd certainly inherited from their mother.
"Hmph. I'm gonna go look for toads, you have fun with your bugs," Saiyar said more gently, and Lucas bid his farewells to her as she wandered off.

She made her way through the palace grounds, splashing in puddles & seeking out the spots where she knew amphibians congregated. While salamanders slipped through her fingers, she took note of the different colors of water lilies, and smacked at the cattails to make their seeds expand like an explosion of fuzz.

Once she was thoroughly soaked and a new layer of mud dripped from her boots, she decided it was a good time to slip back inside, leaving her sodden mess of a raincoat & boots right where she always did.

Saiyar trotted happily through the palace halls, returning briefly to her room for her writing supplies, & spent the rest of the morning by the big doorway, writing & doodling about her day and the passersby.

chapter 22: SAIYAR NAZYALENSKY
part 3: AFTERNOON

After a long while, Saiyar packed up for lunch, which turned out rather chaotic, as someone - she didn't quite catch who - incited a food fight. Saiyar managed to help organize things, for once feeling like being helpful instead of a harbringer of chaos.
Once things were under control, she finished eating, and returned outside. She wore her muddy boots again, but the rain had stopped while she was writing, so she didn't really need to wear her raincoat for the trek to the Little Palace.

Once she was there, she saw Theo, sitting on a bench outside the palace with a somber Squaller & a tense Inferni, who she knew from Clement that he hung out with a lot.

"Hey, Theo. Is Clement in class, or can we hang out?" She asked as she approached.
"She's not in class, but she is helping our dad, and I doubt he'll let her go. You can ask if you can find 'em, though," he answered musingly, flexing his fingers.
"Alright! Thanks!" Saiyar replied politely, trotting on inside, leaving her mud-caked boots by the door.

It took Saiyar a bit of walking in circles to find Mr. Kostyk's workshop, but when she got there, she found that the door was locked, and he'd hung a sign from the doorknob that read "IF LOCKED, DO NOT DISTURB!!"
Seeing this, Saiyar was saddened that she & Clement couldn't hang out, but understood that Clement practicing using her powers for more delicate things was important.
That was one thing Clement had often struggled with; despite her parents' delicate work, precision was not a strong suit of Clement's, and the young Inferni was certainly not known to have steady hands.

Saiyar wandered off, and set off down the halls, sneaking around between hidden passageways & the such, entertaining herself until dinnertime, when she returned to the Grand Palace.

Chapter Text

chapter 23: MARCUS GHAFA
part 1: EVENING

Marcus had just finished dinner, and was working on packing up his things.
He & his mother were preparing to set out to sea again, most likely to stop in Ravka and Fjerda to visit friends before their usual longer voyages. Admittedly, they weren't setting off for another few days, but Marcus was rather excited by the prospect of going to Ravka; Ravka meant Saiyar, with whom he'd exchange letters & gossip, frolic through overgrown palace grounds, and enjoy the high life as a royal guest.
Of course, Saiyar wasn't his only friend with whom he could indulge; obviously Verdan & Noel's dad, Wylan, was on the Merchant Council, not to mention that in Fjerda, his friend Iskar was also royalty.
Sometimes Marcus wondered how his parents were friends with so many of these high-ranked, incredibly important people with kids around the same age as him. But, then again, his parents were simply people with many stories - most everyone knew that.

Once he'd made more progress on packing up his non-essentials, he sat around at his desk, thinking of things to write to Saiyar. He hadn't exactly had an eventful day, other than little everyday variances; just the little inconsistencies that came with being human.
Such a fickle thing.

After a while, his mother poked her head in to remind him to get ready for bed, so he washed up & changed into his pajamas before finishing up his letter, adding it to the ever-growing pile in the little box on his desk.
Once he was done writing, he let in Syrup and Clothesline, who had decided to stay in his room for the night, then got comfortable in bed & fell asleep.

chapter 23: MARCUS GHAFA
part 2: MORNING (WIP)

Marcus was up with the sun that morning, and found himself trapped under Mama Spots, who had joined the cuddle pile in his bed. He gradually squirmed out from under her & into the chair at his desk, tugging the curtains away from his window to watch the sunrise, with the half-asleep Syrup on the edge of the desk, blinking squinted eyes in the sudden orange light.

As the sun's light became too bright to enjoy staring at, Marcus scooped up Syrup and crept silently downstairs, finding that all the lights were off. His parents were still asleep, so it was him and Syrup against the awakening city of Ketterdam.
But first, breakfast. He managed to make & eat oatmeal, then put on his shoes and Syrup's little leash to step out into the back garden, sitting on one of the patio chairs to digest & enjoy the little patch of nature, while Syrup pounced at leaves and ate bugs on the table.

After a while of sitting about outside, he heard someone clattering around in the kitchen, and looked through the window to see his father, who had disturbed one of the stacks of pots & pans in the lower cabinets, causing a VERY noisy avalanche. Marcus decided to step back inside and help clean up the mess, though he initially made things worse by frightening his father, who was unaware his son was even awake.
Surprisingly, it wasn't until after everything was put away & his father was actually cooking that Marcus' mother came downstairs, trailed by all three dogs and carrying Lost Soul like a baby.

"...Good morning. Who was wreaking havoc down here earlier?" She asked sleepily as she sat down, while the dogs took up their usual strategic positions to beg for scraps.
"Morning, love, that was me. I, uh, disturbed the careful organization of the pots & pans," Kaz answered sheepishly, while Marcus raised an eyebrow at his fathers' massive understatement.
"Sounds like fun. Say, Marcus, when did you get up? You're usually not awake until after us," Inej asked, clearly amused by her son judging his father.
"I woke up around sunrise, possibly because Mama Spots was attempting to become a blanket. Or I was just excited about our upcoming trip," he answered, shrugging, then yelping when Syrup "brutally" attacked him with tiny kitten claws & teeth.
"Understandable," his mother chuckled, watching Marcus get "visciously mauled" by the playful kitten.

Marcus hung around and chatted while his parents ate, though he himself wasn't hungry. Once they were done and the pets had been fed, they meandered to the living room, with Inej and Marcus returning upstairs to get dressed for the day. Afterwards, it was time to walk the dogs & poke around the market, where they stocked up on a few things and bumped into Wylan & Jesper, who stopped Marcus' parents for a chat that felt like it dragged on for hours.

Once Marcus and the dogs persuaded the adults to bid their farewells, they headed home and got their purchases put away, Inej headed out back to tend to the garden, while Kaz sat in his chair to put his feet up & read the paper, and got covered in cats.

Marcus decided to bring some of his art supplies downstairs, sitting on the couch with Wolfie, who demanded attention.

chapter 23: MARCUS GHAFA
part 3: AFTERNOON

Marcus spent most of his afternoon going up & down from his room, setting aside the things he'd packed so they could be brought to the ship & placed in his quarters over the next few days. Last to go would be his letters, clothes, & daily essentials, which he'd simply bring with him when the time came to board.
Midway through his packing spree, he paused for lunch & to take the dogs out back, supervising while they did their business & watching the leaves on the trees sway in the barest breeze.

He couldn't stop himself from looking at the one spot around the garden beds where his mother hadn't planted flowers or herbs; it was covered in a pattern of small pavers, and it indicated where, when the ground was dug up to prepare for the planters, his parents had discovered a small wooden coffin in an unmarked, shallow grave.
It was barely big enough for a human and nailed shut messily, like the burial had been rushed or secret.

The whole thing fascinated Marcus, a morbid curiosity about what must've been a tragedy. He knew he had an auntie in Fjerda who'd know who - or what - was in the coffin; but she hadn't been able to visit Ketterdam since before Marcus was adopted, and if she'd told his parents about who was in the coffin when she had visited, it had been something deemed too sad to tell Marcus about.

He didn't think he'd mind knowing, even if it did turn out to be sad, but for now he'd settle for watching that spot until the dogs needed to be let back in, pondering the pavers in their sun-bleached colors, letting his mind wander.