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gracefulbumblebee · 2 years ago

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Dark Blood And Light (Pt.2)

(Grishaverse, Aleksander Morozova / The Darkling x OC)

SUMMARY: Beginning a new life can be joyful and exiting but also turn for the worse in just the blink of an eye. Haunted by this Anna tries to live her life in peace, before it will shatter again.

TAGS: trauma, carnations, fear, food, friendship, dorks

PAIRING: Aleksander Morozova / The Darkling x OC

W/c: 6.5k

A/n: It’s honestly been so long since I have updated this story and I won’t lie I have finished the second chapter for a while now, but wasn’t happy with it until now. So I hope you will still enjoy reading it after so long :)

All translations at the end of the chapter are from an internet webside. I do not speak russian, so if I by accident said something inappropiate or insulting, please tell me immediantly!

Masterlist Dark Blood and Light Masterlist

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Part Two: A New Life

Time, a concept that could easily be misunderstood. For time itself has no limit, so why had your time suddenly run out? I never found the answer, for I could not accept your cruel fate, believing there had to be something I could have done to save you from your blazing end.

Would you have answered me if you were still there? I had screamed your name at the top my lungs, but I was never able to hear your angelic voice again. But in the end my most sorrow was brought upon daylight, when I had realized what your last words were to me. And I will, until the end of time, keep them locked within my heart that burns to avenge your death.

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Coldness enveloped me the moment I had taken a step towards the small, deserted city. Most of my limbs were burning and yelling desperately for me to take a small break. But I knew if I had listened to this sirens call, my body would have fallen into a never-ending sleep of nothingness. I had clung to my last piece of hope that kept me going through the icing winter storm. Tears had run down my once soft and rounded cheeks, but those tears had instantly frozen once making contact with the icy wind. Exhaustion had begun to settle within my acing bones, while I continued heaving my body forward towards a hopefully better place. My mind was barley hanging onto my last bit of consciousness the further I dragged myself away.

Questions had and still fill my mind every once in a while, dark thoughts I would have never dreamed I could develop. Thousand things coursed through my already weakened mind creating a never-ending turmoil of emotions, that begged me to stop and screamed at me to finally give in and let myself succumb to the bitterness of the winter coldness. But even then during the constant banging against my head, I had continued to walk along the path leading to the city, even though I knew I would never make it there.

The violent winds grew stronger each second and kept sweeping me away, pushing my body from left to right. Had it not been for the storm, I would have probably been mistaken for a drunkard that had just come from a local bar. And as the wind grew even rougher and viciously, my warmth began to disappear as well, filling every fiber of my being with coldness. In a last attempt to keep myself warm I had desperately rubbed my hand against my arms, although I knew it would never be enough.

The horrible weather, made it impossible to hear even the loudest noises and even worse took away my vision all in one. The ongoing whiteness of the landscape around me never ceased and soon brought me to the point of madness. I always remembered it as my very own walk through the abyss, the wind howling against my ears like hungry wolfs awaiting my demise and even then through all this pointless journey the sheer beauty of it all amazed me.

One step… two steps… three ste-

Stumbling over my own feet, my body had finally decided to give up, that this fight for survival was not worth it anymore. A heavy weight fell from my shoulder as I had fallen first face into the thick layer of snow.

It appears my body, other than me, had long since accepted the cruel reality that would crush my mind beneath its gigantic weight as well, knocking the last bit of air out of my burning lungs.

Years prior to this I had already given up on believing in our Saints. That they were actually there and would protect us if we fall, but at this moment I had wished so much that they were actually real. They would have helped me. But there was no one in sight and I was left alone in this world once again. I knew, no one would come to my aid, rescuing the girl before it finally froze to death. No one except myself was insane enough to walk through this hazard snowstorm.

Slowly I had slightly turned my head to the side as the screaming in my head grew louder and louder. But as I watched the beautiful snowflakes falling from the darkened sky, its fragile body settling onto my hand I felt a sense of tranquility within me, banishing the voices inside my head completely. My heavy eyelids tried to close themselves and for a short while I had though, it’s okay to rest, you’ve pushed yourself far enough, a little break wouldn’t be so bad. But I knew better.

Once I’d close my eyes I would never open them again, never see the world with my own eyes. I would be far away from here, which didn’t seem so bad, yet I couldn’t stop thinking of Alina and Malyen, their small hands whipping across their snotty noses as they cried and cried upon hearing of my descending to the other side.

Although, how would they even get to know about it. No one here or somewhere else knew who I was, where I came from or what I had been doing here in the first place. I was just another child that had been stupid enough to walk into the worst snowstorm that Ravka had ever seen. Of course, that wasn’t the case at all, but for others it didn’t matter anyway, after all it’s not uncommon.

And though I knew a message of me taking my last breath would never reach the two children, the thought of them going through it broke something within my heart.

Building up my last piece of strength I heaved my body to lay on my back, face looking at the dark clouded sky, observing the entrancing snowflakes cascading from it down to earth. How could a fragile thing like this bring me down onto my knees? It was almost laughable seeing them now gently fall onto my hands, while the wide mass of them continued to wipe painfully harsh across my face as the storm raged around my lying body. Little by little I lifted my arm and reached out to the elegant ice crystals, only to watch them slowly melt within my hands. Normally it would have not taken so long for them to melt, but my once warm and rosy colored fingers had already begun turning blue almost white by now. They had once held a lovely contrast to the cold white snowflakes but seeing both my fingers and the snowflakes hold such cold lonely colors I swore it was a frighteningly beautiful sight to see. Especially once I saw the ice building itself around my blue finger. I had tried moving them, but aside from numbness reaching out to me there was nothing. Absolutely nothing. I couldn’t feel them anymore, couldn’t move them like I wanted to anymore, they only remained stuck in one place making them look like an exquisite painting.

Time and time again my vision became blurry, slowly losing touch with reality. From head to toe everything felt numb against the sharp winds. And as I continued gazing at the white horizon I thought of a fairy tale I was once told about by Ana Kuya.

The story of Snezhnaya Koroleva, the snow maiden. It might have been an old wife’s tale, but thinking that she had even helped a small boy, who became nasty through the mirror shard being stuck inside his heart, made me fantasize. I had probably never been as good as I thought I was, no one ever is. And so, I thought, what if the snow maiden dressed in pure white and beautiful shades of blue would come to my rescue as well? Maybe she’d warm me with her white fur coat, kiss my head with her cold lifeless lips and whisper soothing words into my ear. Maybe she would have spared me great kindness once she’d realize I was just as cold as she was feeling. Would she have taken me away with her even though her heart was cold as ice itself ? Maybe. I would have been sitting in her ice slight that would have been pulled by the most breathtaking white horses. The snow maiden as cold as she was would have freed me from this horrible storm one way or another.

And as I gazed at my finger, I though how exciting it would have been if the woman would have actually shown up to warm my fragile looking body. Because soon after, darkness had slowly clouded my vision as black dots had begun to appear around me. My mind had been quiet for a while, having accepted what was about to happen as my eyelids finally stopped struggling against the pull of closing my tried eyes. Maybe seeing something so beautiful before everything would forever stand still for me was something meant to be, something that was meant to happen in order for me to finally look at life differently and for me to understand what he had gone through all this time, slowly dying inside as everything around you kept moving on.

__________

Walking through the small city of Kribirsk had never been beautiful or the most welcoming. The majority of people had left the city to die eons ago and only a few selected had remained there. It was truly depressing as you stepped foot into the narrowed streets of the city. Not a single light illuminated the passages where the sun had long since abandoned them and everything had succumbed to a never fading black. Wind would howl against your sensitive ears as you’d walk further down the grey badly paved streets. Every once in a while you’d tumble over on the empty streets as you would step into an enormous pothole and then curse the saints for making you fall into it. And as you’d walk further and further into the center of Kribirsk the buildings that once represented the most beautiful colors, would fade more and more into a dull and dirty beige grey. Huge and small cracks decorated their façade, people had given up on pretending everything had been alright. They had all begun to let go over their last pieces which would soon crumble completely into an enormous pile of ash. So, it was definitely not uncommon for many facades to consist of many different things to keep it together, like hanging a huge blanket over a whole that had once been a window, Anna always tended to compare them to patchwork carpets.

But like many citizens, most buildings were still in no good shape and were basically held together by the mere faith that was slowly but surely disappearing too.

As for the people of Kribirsk themselves, they tended to be rather secluded when it came to newcomers. Although you’d guess they’d be more outgoing when it came to them by now, considering many travelers had come to stay there over the decades. But regarding the people you would have to out them in two different categories, maybe three. There were a good majority that lived far away from the border at the far outskirts, where light was still met with gratitude and joy. Consistent of staying at least friendly they’d gladly welcome anybody with open arms, that is if you didn’t belong to one of the Grisha orders. And even though you were welcome with open arms you’d still be able to recognize the antagonizing pain that hid beneath their friendly appearance. And as you would ascend further into the city the scenery would get duller as well. Anna would say many would clearly recognize thus by noticing the thick heavy air that was scattered by various scents. Dirty smelling smoke rose from old houses into the sky, then settled withing the narrowing streets and made place for an even more gruesome sent that had your nose scrunch up in disgust.

Tattered sometimes moldy cloths hung on frail bodies, sewn together with a lousy thick garden thread, many souls slurring down the streets tumbling over their own feet, barley being able to stand up straight, begging for a loaf of bread or something more pleasant, those were pictures you’d witness the further you had moved towards the inner circle of the tiny city. Those were the other people, the other side of Kribirsk, poor and hungry, trying to make ends meet with no hope left for change. Soldiers, merchants or just by passers wouldn’t take a second glance at those people, ignoring the city’s condition and focusing on the huge black mas ahead of them. And as the conditions grew worse the further you’d step forward, the more outsiders ignored the actuality before them, too blinded by their own fear. The fear that made every bone in your body shudder with fright. Maybe it had been this fear or the citizens of Kribirsk that made the way towards the harbor appear like walking towards your own death sentence.

Whatever it might have been it made the primal instinct to flee even more urgent than before.

__________

Heels clacked upon making contact with the distantly paved roads leading towards the inner circle of the city. Click! Clack! …. Click! Clack! The noise barely noticeable above the screeching voices of merchants trying to sell their goods to naïve tourists and newcomers. Like sea guls they’d gather around the only place where they knew they’d be able to still their nagging hunger. “Hey, you! Wouldn’t ya like bones? From Sankta Lizabetha, dug them out myself!” shouted one man, while another kept boasting about his great hunting skills and tried to foist one tiny rabbit worth fourteen times it’s actual value to a young blonde. The ginger haired woman could only roll her eyes at those antics, as if they thought they could fool every single one of them, she giggled at the thought. It was quite ridiculous to see people getting scammed so easily just to satisfy their own greedy needs. She knew it was bad, but it wasn’t exactly her responsibility to begin with, so she turned her gaze away from the stalls and continued with her walk.

After a near decade of a never endings cycle hearing the merchants endless ranting, the woman finally arrived at her destination … Click!...Clack! Her footsteps stopped. Soothing teal and rose wood greeted her eyes as they traveled towards her own booth. Slowly pacing she roamed towards it until taking notice of a shadow leaning against it. “What in heavens name are you doing here malenkiy krolik*?” demanded a harshly soft-spoken voice. “Just the usual. Waiting.” the shadow answered. Frowning the woman creased her eyebrows and testily asked why. “To annoy you, what else.” Answered a deepish amused voice. Sighing the ginger haired woman stepped forward flicking the shadow or rather the boy on his forehead. “Ow” he cried out dramatically “How cruel, and to your own friend! How will I live with this betrayal” as he balled both of his hands together into one giant fist. “Oh, the agony!” he laughingly wailed and moved his hands towards his chest imitating a knife stabbing him through his heart. Sinking down onto one knee and then falling onto his back, the boy closed his eyes and stuck his tongue out at the side of his mouth. “Goodbye cruel world”. No longer being able to hold it in any longer both burst into a fit of laughter that echoed through the streets. “You … idiot!” said the woman between laughter as she looked at him lying in a mixture of mud and soggy snow. Japing he propped himself up and stretched his arms wide “Well, won’t you give me your biggest bear hug?” he asked grinningly while slowly walking to said woman. “Oh no no no, you stay away.” “Now, come on! I heard mud is supposed to be good for the skin, don’t you want to try it out?” teased the man trying to catch the running ginger. Arms indulged the woman and heaved her up from the ground hugging her from behind. “Got you” he mockingly whispered into her ear shell.

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A few miles away from Kribirsk on the road Vy a young woman roamed around the landscape before her, taking in the sight of pure despair that had waltzed over this part of Ravka. The autumn breeze had swept through her long dark hair and the warm sun had warmed her in the steadily colder getting weather. Behind her a young man walked towards her and bumped his shoulder with hers, laughing he argued with the brunette who found it everything but funny, which only made his smile grow tenfold. Next thing she knew he had already disappeared into the huge crowd of soldier, caravans, carts, and wagons over the hill. Quickening her steps the young woman followed him, although she remained one of the last people to arrive in the valley leading straight to Kribirsk and thus to the shadow Fold.

Mesmerized she had stopped in her tracks and looked upon the shadow Fold, speechless she continued to study the shapeless cloud that she had seen on maps so many times. But nothing could have compared to the actual Fold in front of her, no map could have grasped its darkness and the fear that instantly occurred the longer you starred at it. Many had called it the “Unsea”, a name that should encourage even the weakest soldiers and merchants, but not her.

The young man came back and whispered something into her ear that made her turn around to his smiling face. It was obvious to those who looked close enough, that the woman was very much liking his attention, but never to the girls that interrupted them. Instantly the dark-haired woman’s mood turned sour, and both continued with their walk.

The woman dreaded going into the Fold and hereby maybe making one of her biggest nightmares come true. She could only hope her travel would not turn out to be disastrous.

__________

Pale hands softly stroked the lush petals of a bright yellow flowers only to lay them down onto the rose wood counter and to pick up the next flower in her reach. The soothing smell of various flowers blended together and brought forth a mesmerizing smile. Her hands worked quickly on cutting the stems, making sure her precious colorful friends would survive a little longer. “A-Achoo!” the loud sneeze brought her back from the world she had been in mere seconds ago. “Remind me, why can’t you sell something else? You know how I react to them.” the boy from earlier complained. Scoffing the ginger replied “Well, to be honest whose idea was it to begin with again malenkiy krolik **?”. A defeated look crossed upon his face as he began to mumble to himself how stupid and mean the woman in front of him was. This only made the ginger head laugh out loud and shake her head in the process. “Hey! No need to laugh! And to think I was so kind to bring you Pirozhki***. Guess it’s all for me then.” he said teasingly while slowly starting to walk away. Abruptly she stopped her laughter and stood still, unmoving before hastily sprinting after him. “Wait!” she called out and grabbed the back of his dark leather like jacket. “You know I didn’t mean it like that.” Humming the boy smiled while still having his back turned towards her. Staying in silence the girl decided to hug his back, searching with her eyes where he had hidden the amazing treat she craved. Freeing himself from her grasp he laughingly turned around and held the Pirozhki over her head, waving. “Where you perhaps looking for this?” he said mockingly and kept waving it closer and closer to her face. Pouting the woman jumped up and tried to snatch the treat from his grasp without success. After many fruitless attempts Anna only crossed her arms underneath her chest and stomped back towards her stall, seemingly angered. Perplexed the boy jogged after her until he stood beside her “Come on Anna, don’t pout.” Ignoring him she went behind her stall again and began working on her flower display. He absolutely hated it when she did that, just to get a rise out of him. Guiltily the brunette rubbed his head in frustration, knowing he had no other option “Fine. Here you can have mine too, just don’t ignore me.” He said while holding out both portions. Grinning to herself proudly she snatched them out of his cold hands and happily began to munch on the first one. “And that is how you make efficient business” she said grinning with a full mouth and began to tend to her shop once again. “Yeah, yeah you got what you wanted.” mumbled the boy under his breath, acting angry. From the corner of his eye, he saw Anna and a small smile traced his lips. Satisfied he quickly bid her goodbye and began to walk away. “I’ll see you later Yuri!” she called out to him as he waved his arm above his head gesturing his reply.

__________

Two young soldiers trying to distract themselves before their journey wandered through the dim market of Kribirsk. Their shoes had already sunken into the muddy roads as they made their way through the gathering crowd. In all honesty Kribirsk wasn’t much to look at in the first place, too many taverns and pubs passed by the two. Not many other shops that caught their interest, there were the occasional shops that sold weaponry to defend yourself in the fold, the bone sellers and Alina was sure along the way there were a few brothels as well. Probably the only two things that stood out from the city were the whitewashed church in the middle of the town square and a small flower shop at the end of the trail towards the harbor of skiffs. Well, maybe it had not been so surprising to see the church, praying before the crossover probably wasn’t such a bad idea. But Alina had never been an overly religious person, and she surely wouldn’t start now, even though praying sounded pretty tempting at the moment. She hadn’t been able to sleep for the last few days, and it only gotten worse the closer the crossover day neared. Dreading her journey however had only been partly reason for her anxiousness, she had a feeling she couldn’t quite place right and it scared her. Sensing her fear her companion Mal spoke “Stop worrying already. They won’t even notice you there, and if they attack maybe they’ll take a look a Mikhail and see that juicy belly of his and leave us alone.” he jokingly tried to lighten the mood. Disturbed Alina glanced at him “I was kidding no one will eat him” “I know, you’re hilarious, ha ha ha” she replied sarcastically. Gently he pulled her to his shoulder and whispered that she’ll never be alone in this mess, because she has him at her side. Pulling each other forward they made their way further through the growing crowd. Smiling she walked alongside him “Oh! Her majesties spirits have been restored” Mal called out dramatically. Ticked of by his comment Alina turned to give him a punch, until she heard the repeating sound of clattering hooves and the many joyful shouts around them. Mal quickly yanked Alina from the side of the road making her crash into the stall behind her, destroying it in during her fall. Disorientated Alina tried to get up, only to notice another woman beside her with fiery ginger hair, brushing of the dirt from her dress. Before Alina could even begin to apologize both women’s attention was captured by the by-passing carriage, neither caring about the stall anymore.

Large black horses as intimidating as the fold itself dragged an even larger carriage behind them. Both women swore they had never been so fascinated, as they saw the coal black coach quickly passing by and everyone immediately knew whom it belonged to. The Darkling. Everyone was obvious to the fact that THE darkling sat right behind these doors with his personal guards on his track. Anna sat unmoving, following the carriage with her eyes as it grew smaller in the distance. She could hear her rapid heartbeat amongst the others around her and an unsettling feeling grew in the pit of her stomach as she saw the carriage stop near the huge black mass they called the “Unsea”. A strange dark familiar pull made its way towards her heart and the pressure of a million rocks upon it returned to her after so many years. It had terrified her back then as it does now and as much as she tried to blend out the quiet heartbeats that came from the place she feared the most, she wasn’t able to do it now that she had felt this familiar pull again. The heartbeats drummed inside her head, and it only worsened the moment she laid eyes upon the second coach that passed by herself and the unknown woman. Crimson red, like blood. With wide opened eyes she starred at it, too frightened to do anything else. Subconsciously her mind blared at her to run for cover and get away from them as quickly as she could, but her body remained paralyzed. Annas ears throbbed blaring out any noise except their heartbeats. They were loud, far too loud now. Panic arose in her, numbing her mind. Her nail dug into her own arm, trying to find solid ground until red spilled out beneath her nails. It didn’t bother her, the aching pain distracted her. But the closer the crimson color moved towards her the more she began shivering, screaming inside her head for her body to move until it would be too late. But her own body had different plans and refused. Breathing began to become hard as if her lungs forgot how to breath for a minute. Anna held the air inside her lungs for longer than she had to, until they had moved away no air had escaped. And the moment her body listened to her again she ducked behind the strange girl that laid next to her, hoping to make herself look as small and invisible as possible. Only after the third coach arrived did she finally allow herself to breathe again, and her lungs inhaled a huge amount of air before blowing it out again. The refreshing air that filled her lungs once again broke her trance washing her worries away.

While still trying to recollect herself and focus on the upcoming coach, something caught Annas eye.

A young girl that leaned out of the blue window, whose curly black hair swayed with the wind behind her ears. The ebony color shone in the slight afternoon sun and framed the girls face at the same time. Although her mesmerizing hair was mostly kept in place by a silver fox hat, that appeared far too big on her head. Admittingly her face was one of true beauty considering most beauty standards, high cheek bones, luscious lips and those eyes, oh those eyes. They were by far the most beautiful thing Anna had every laid her eyes upon. Anna felt like drowning in the strangers deep blue eyes that told of a lifetime of struggle that had never been put into words. Beautiful wouldn’t bring the girl justice Anna thought. Unfortunately, she didn’t have much time admiring her, as Anna immediately noticed the proud arrogant look of the girl scanning the roaring crowd around the blue coach, which only stopped once they had laid eyes upon two individuals. Her eyes clearly lingered on two handsome boys I know why many look at him this way, so why shouldn’t she, a Grisha, do the same Alina thought devastated. It’s only natural to feel attracted to something that appears to be out of reach. The stranger smiled to herself as the coach drove off the Grisha camp down below, never letting both males out of her sight. Great, another one. Anna exhaled annoyed too occupied with her own little problem. “-- to keep my hand hanging forever” Yuri’s voice startled Anna as she looked at his outstretched hand. Grasping it she was pulled upwards but stumbled right into his chest from the near force he used. Turning his head sideways Yuri looked away and silently celebrated his small victory. Embarrassed Anna pulled away and glanced at her feet, mumbling a small thank you. That’s when it hit her, her stall. She had spent all morning to make it at least look descend to attract people, and now it was ruined. Cursing to herself she spun around looking if she could see the stupid girl that caused her dilemma, but she was nowhere to be seen. Just my luck Anna grumbled. “What’s up with you all of a sudden?” “Nothing. Just help me out a little would you” the ginger head asked letting a long sigh leave her mouth. To her surprise Yuri was able to build up the stall very quickly, the only sad thing were the flowers that she now had to dispose of. Sighing again to herself, she tried to at least pick up what could be saved and laid it out onto the rose wood. “By the way, did you see the way the girl looked at me.” Yuri gleefully exclaimed while looking at the Grisha camp in the distance. “No, I haven’t seen it. Or do you mean how she looked at you like a piece of meat.” “Piece of meat? No. I only saw those heart eyes of hers. Do you think I could trick her now into giving me that ugly fur hat of hers? ” “Hey, don’t get too cocky now.” “Cocky? Me? Never.” replied Yuri grinning. Anna could only shake her head at his antics. “Don’t you mister have a job to get to?” “Maybe. But I’d rather be here.” Rolling her eyes, the ginger smiled and against her friend’s protest ushered him away. That idiot.

__________

It had been several hours since the higher Grishas had arrived and the crowd around the tiny market had begun to be filled with other Grishas that probably came from the camp near the fold. Having Grisha around Kribirsk didn’t bother Anna as much as it used to, but she still refuses to directly interact with them, and it’s not like they ever really stopped by her stall to buy something, which she was glad about. Just watching as they held their chins far too high for their own good as they walked around the gloomy city, maybe that amused Anna to a certain extend too. The pure confusion when one salesman tried selling them something while having one of the worst accent she ever heard was highly laughable. She knew almost everybody that sold something here messed with them out of pure spite, not being able to stand that Grisha put themselves onto a higher position than they actually were. Pure arrogance was often a feature that was noticeable in their expression, but you know what they say pride comes before they fall. So, it was neither surprising nor exactly foreseeable that Grisha usually only came to stalk up on their food resources and nothing else, not wanting to interact with the locals longer than they actually had to.

That’s why Anna was even more startled when she saw a tall but thin blonde Grisha in a crimson red Kefta walking towards her. She said to herself, that he was probably walking to someone next to her, there are many popular stalls next to her after all. But to her dismay the blond continued his way to her and all she was able to focus on were his footsteps that grew louder as they neared her. Ba bump. Ba bump. Her heartbeat started to pick up as she felt sweat starting to form within her palms and on her forehead. Reacting to her own fear her body began to tremble, and her clammy hands could barely stop shaking. Overwhelmed small tears of frustration gathered within her eyes, waiting to spill out and drench her. How can I get out of this? The young woman watched the blonde man come to a stop right in front of her, looking at the plants she had left after the incident from this morning. Aware that he would be able to hear her heartbeat as well, as she did right now, she made the stupid mistake of trying to calm her it on her own. The blonde gently looked up at her and smiled, as if telling her, yes I know how your feeling. Sucking in her breath her heartbeat picked up again, hammering against her ribcage. What are you doing? The woman asked herself, feeling that she was frozen to the spot by her own fear once again “Hello… can, can I help you?” Anna timidly mumbled, not meeting the strangers’ eyes. Only silence followed her statement, so Anna tried again but a little bit louder, that caught the man’s attention. “Of course. I’m looking for something special for … someone” he gently and joyfully replied. Relaxing a bit seeing that he isn’t as intimidating as he appeared the ginger hesitantly answered him, asking what kind of someone he meant. Grinning he began to talk about a person and Anna could clearly tell the change in the man’s heartbeat as it picked up at the mention of his special someone. A small barely noticeable smile grazed her lips, no longer thinking about the crimson kefta that had frightened her, but starstruck by the loving words from the man in front of her. But the fear remained none the less as the back of her mind continued with feeding her with gruesome scenarios on how everything would play out if she seemed anything less than innocent to him. The horror scenarios caused her hands to tremble again as she picked up a bundle of Carnations. “Beautiful aren’t they?” she whispered to herself and looked at the Carnations color fading from red edges to a pure white. “They are.” came a sudden very loud reply, making Anna suddenly jump back a few inches.

Stumbling forward the woman slowly lifted her arm, only so much, that it wouldn’t be noticeable under the wooden board. Anna felt the veins in her hands pulsating, she could make out the blood rushing through them and pumping into her heart. Shaking like a leaf the ginger started up at the blond male in front of her scanning all of him for potential danger. But her rationality flew out the window when she caught eye of a second man striding towards her. Panicked red mist seeped out of her trembling hand forming into a small ball of red misty energy, swaying with the movements of her fingers. Slowly the mist crawled its way into the blonds ears and soon after made his once sky blue eyes turn into a deep red color. Anna moved her fingers, the blonds eyes began to give her a dazed look as his chest tensed and his breathing consistently became harder and rougher. The ginger woman moved nearer, no longer trembling but with her tears finally spilling from her eyes. Rapidly drawing her arms back towards her chest, the mist vanished into thin air What was I doing? She asked herself, slowly beginning to scratch at her skin again. Hastily trying to overplay her little slip she rambled under own breath “Carnations are a symbol of love. I th-think your partner might like them. The white re-represents luck and the pinkish red on the outside sh-shows your affection and admiration.” Opening his eyes, the Grisha looked at her confused What was it that I was doing here again? His gazes shifted from the flowers to her while his smile never faded and then his thin hand dropped a small number of coins into her palms. Gently the blonde took the flowers from her hands “… Thank you…” came the tired reply from said man. And with that the strange Grisha left, sometimes tumbling over his own two feet, but steadily getting better.

Fear settled within Anna, what had she just done.

__________

Smiling to himself the blonde man made his way towards the huge black tent that stood in the middle of the field surrounded by his fellow Grishas. Holding the flowers in one hand he didn’t watch the path ahead and bumped into a huge mass of black. Startled he looked at the person he had run into and upon making eye contact quickly apologized before the man in black grabbed his writs in his hand and dragged him towards a black tent. Unsurprisingly the inside was the same as the outside, everything held in a never-ending black color. Saluting to the person in front of him, the blonde began to answer to the question that was harshly asked by the man in front of him. Carefully listening, the man walked around a wooden table until he stood right in front of the blonde again. “Raise your head Feydor. I thank you for this information. See to it, that she will be here tomorrow.” What would he want from her? “Of course, sir.” “And clean yourself before you go to Ivan with these.” pointing at the flowers in Feydor’s right hand. “Of course, sir. Goodbye.”

__________

Cursing her stupid self for exposing herself, Anna wandered around Kribirsk looking for Yuri in hopes he could help in hiding her for a while. She looked around every nook and cranny unconsciously wandered further and further away from the city center. Until she found herself standing in the first army’s camping ground. From far away her ears was able to her loud yelling as well as cheering, curious she moved towards the large thin brown tent in the middle and took a look inside. But to her disappointment they were all only gathered in a circle cheering on a fight if two men in the middle of the crowd. Deflated Anna turned her back on the sight and tried to make her way out again, but many soldiers pushed her aside. Loud screams blurred together and slowly made her head hurt. Pushing further towards the exit Anna kept rambling people earning her a furious glare. Well, I might as well look around if I’m already here. Peeking through almost every open tent she passed by she soon discovered a tent filled with various maps from Kribirsk, to Ketterdam to a whole map of the world. The drawings were exceptionally breathtaking, so skillfully drawn and so detailed. Anna couldn’t help but let her hands glide upon them, looking for any kind of imperfection. The thread and the paint underneath her fingers felt so old and full of love for its art. Fascinated by the beauty before her she failed to notice the larger growing shadow building itself up behind her “What are you doing here?” demanded a scratchy but youthful voice.

* meaning: little rabbit

** meaning: little rabbit

*** piroshki, a common fast food in Armenia and Azerbaijan. In Armenia it often contains a potato or seasoned meat filling.

Written in 2023. Do not copy, translate and then repost without my permission.

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