[ the person that turns bleeds away the color from his face, eyes widening in sudden shock, smile growing slack. it can't be. it simply cannot be that alina starkov is standing mere feet away, adorning the walls with a cheery yellow sun, the paintbrush held in the same fingertips that used to call the light with ease. his chest tightens with — what? relief. yearning. a spark of joy, the hope of a reprieve he thought would never come. a familiar face, and not just any face, but the one he never stopped wishing had never left the palace at all, the girl who pulled them all together, the only one who knows even a scrap of what this nightmare of darkness has been like for the years he's been harboring the beast — ]
Alina. [ her name tumbles breathlessly from his mouth, the distance between them crossed in an instant, his expression cracked open like a robin's egg fallen from the nest. the smile that crests his lips is nothing like the one he wore moments before, this one genuine, painfully sweet, cracked at the edges with a torment he never speaks of because no one could ever understand but her. ] Saints, is it — it's you.
[ he winds his arms around her without thinking, pulling her into a firm embrace, burying his face into her soft hair while an unhinged laugh bubbles out of him. if this is another illusion, she feels far too real, warm and soft and achingly familiar. he's missed her. saints, he's missed her. ]
I can't tell you how glad I am to see you. [ his smile widens, eyes closing as relief floods him, his knees weak with exhaustion. ] Saints, I — there's so much that's happened, most of it without a doubt terrible. I have to tell you — I tried to purge the demon and failed. I failed so terribly, Alina, and I think I may have unleashed the worst sort of evil into the world again. I saw him. The Darkling. I'm afraid he isn't gone after all, and it's my fault, because a part of him lives on in me. This has been the most trying time of my life, and I desperately need your help, because you're the only one who understands. I wish you'd never left. You're the only one I can speak candidly with about this, and I've — I'm trying to be strong for everyone because I know Ravka won't survive another weak king, but I've never felt so alone.
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Alina. [ her name tumbles breathlessly from his mouth, the distance between them crossed in an instant, his expression cracked open like a robin's egg fallen from the nest. the smile that crests his lips is nothing like the one he wore moments before, this one genuine, painfully sweet, cracked at the edges with a torment he never speaks of because no one could ever understand but her. ] Saints, is it — it's you.
[ he winds his arms around her without thinking, pulling her into a firm embrace, burying his face into her soft hair while an unhinged laugh bubbles out of him. if this is another illusion, she feels far too real, warm and soft and achingly familiar. he's missed her. saints, he's missed her. ]
I can't tell you how glad I am to see you. [ his smile widens, eyes closing as relief floods him, his knees weak with exhaustion. ] Saints, I — there's so much that's happened, most of it without a doubt terrible. I have to tell you — I tried to purge the demon and failed. I failed so terribly, Alina, and I think I may have unleashed the worst sort of evil into the world again. I saw him. The Darkling. I'm afraid he isn't gone after all, and it's my fault, because a part of him lives on in me. This has been the most trying time of my life, and I desperately need your help, because you're the only one who understands. I wish you'd never left. You're the only one I can speak candidly with about this, and I've — I'm trying to be strong for everyone because I know Ravka won't survive another weak king, but I've never felt so alone.