Fated To Be

Finally getting slowly conscious again, Valeria first feels a headache coming up, and then when she tries to open her eyes, everything is blurry.

"Bloody hell." 

Was the only thing she could utter at the moment. 

She then hears a sudden voice from the side of the bed, that she's found herself laying on, 

"Healer!"

 that was most definitely a male's voice.

Rubbing at her eyes, Valeria then tries to see once more and is rewarded again with her sight. A man in a blue kefta was the one that called for a healer, seeing her look at him, the man then kneels before Valeria.

While he was checking to see if I was alright, another Grisha then entered the tent. This one in a red kefta, when she took the man’s place, Valeria suddenly felt a strange movement trying to breach her body.

Alarmed, she quickly stands up, "Thank you, but I'm alright. Now, if you would both be kind, can you point me to where my friends are situated. Their names are Alina Starkov and Malyen Oretsev. A Cartographer and my fellow first soldier, who is also a Corporal. They would mostly be together,  so they're not hard to spot with their size difference, and with Alina being half Shu,  and just them in general looking at one another with mooing eyes… " Finally, looking at the two shocked Grisha's, she then raises an eyebrow in expectation.

"Well?"

"Don't leave just yet, you have broken some bones and ribs, Ms Cherniak!"

Was the frantic voice of the healer behind her, but Valeria ignored her. She had to see her friends, especially Alina, Alina who was alone in a tent with the famed black General. 

While Mal was fine in the First Army medical tent, she'd see him after she's gotten Alina away from the General's tent.

Which shouldn't be hard to find, seeing as it would be where most of the Grisha are standing before the biggest tent and are guarding it.

But before she could take a step forward,  her line of sight was suddenly blocked by an Inferni.

The Inferni she saved. 

The woman turned towards the guards in front of their General's tent and ordered them to let her in.

Surprised, but looking at the woman in a questioning manner, the Inferni elaborates "He's expecting you as well."

She then walked off without  questioning her about anything, of what she's witnessed before, nor leaving so much as a glance behind her.

She already told her General,  I gather. Or the other Grisha would have, seeing as she wasn't being very secretive with her powers on the Skiff earlier.  

Valeria then lets out a sigh, "Morgana,  what did I do? No, what did I not do, is the question." 

Ignoring the strange looks the guards are sending her, Valeria braces herself for the shitshow that is about to happen and finally strides confidently towards the tent.

'Merlin save me.' was the last thought that entered her mind.

The Orichniki then entered the dark tent behind me.

Let the show begin, shall we?

Inside are  all the Grisha and the First Army that were on the Skiff.

Valeria then immediately spotted Alina in the middle, the girl turned around at the sound of footsteps and when her eyes landed on her friend, she immediately ran towards Valeria and pulled her into a hug. 

Almost groaning in pain when the girl squeezed a bit too hard,  but not showing it on her face that she's in pain, Valeria smiled at the girl.

"I'm fine, Alina, loosen up a bit, why don't you?" she says in a teasing manner.

The girl then jumps back and looks Valeria over in worry, but before she could continue, Valeria meets her gaze with one of her infamous smirks.

The girl only huffs in annoyance,  and then the both of them finally turn behind them, to the infamous Black General,  Kirigan. 

With Alina gripping Valeria's arm in both of her own in worry.

The man in black stood with his back facing the both of us.

"Bring them closer." was the only thing he commanded.

And then Valeria felt something strange within her when he spoke, but not only because of his voice…no, also because of being in his presence. She  feels as though she knows him.

'But why…' she asks herself in her mind.

But then she suddenly has a moment of epiphany.  

Keeping her mouth shut and not showing any sudden shock on her face at the sudden revelation she just had, she then braces herself for what's to come.

He's that person.

The Oprichniki took hold of both of our hands, making Alina loosen her grasp on my arm, and moved us closer to the middle of the tent and, subsequently, closer to him.

The man turned slowly over his left shoulder and finally faced us.

He stood tall, as a General ought to stand, and gave us a once over.

"Closer." He once more says.

The both of us, by Alina's doing, then made one more step closer towards the light that streamed through the middle of the dark tent.

"Well?" The man asks. 

At which Alina then asks with as much sass at the end "Well what, sir?"

Valeria then almost snorted at that in  amusement. 

'It seems I might have rubbed off on you, Lina.'

"What are you?" General Kirigan then asks, as if the answer was simple.

"Alina Starkov, Assistant Cartographer, Royal Corps of the Surveyors. " Her friend responded concisely. 

He then stared at her with a hard look before, finally,  shifting his gaze to Valeria. 

"And you?" He asks.

"Valeria Cherniak,  Sergeant Major in the First Army." she answered. 

At which he then gave her an amused look, which made her feel a bit ruffled.

"But that is not the only thing you are referred to as, as I have heard, Ms. Cherniak? The Black Knight, was it?" He says, while giving the sword on her hip a look and finally bringing his eyes upwards towards hers.

Blankly looking at him, she then answered,  not noticing her friend giving them both a strange look.

"Yes, as I've heard as well, but I do not call myself that."

Before the General could continue his questioning, he was interrupted by Alina.

"They're all gone. It's my fault. That's why I'm here, isn't it?" 

The General interrupts her before she can continue.

"No, they aren't." He says while giving Valeria a heavy look.

"Your friend here made certain of it, as I have heard from my Grisha."

He then looks back at Alina, stopping himself from saying more to the enchanting green eyed woman in front of him.

"Answer the question. What are you?" He asks once more.

"A mapmaker sir." Alina answered again.

At which, Valeria then bluntly adds at the same time "Human?"

Which made the inhabitants of the tent then chuckle around them.

Their General, however,  looked far from amused.

"Quiet. " He ordered,  and then the whole tent fell silent.

He then stared at the both of us for a while, before looking around at the group of people.

"So, who actually saw what happened?" He loudly asks.

His eyes scan the crowd, before finally landing on a Squaller. 

"Zoya? You manned the main sail,"

"We were attacked with barely two markers in.  Someone lit a lantern." She responded.

Valeria's eyes narrow at the attitude of the girl, especially at the last part. Which would seem as though she were blaming them for it.

"And?" The General probed.

"The Volcra went after the riflemen and our Inferni first, but before they could get to them…a sudden sivery-white light, that formed into a stag and a wolf, got to them first; which made the Volcra turn away." at that she looks in Valeria's direction, and then continues  " And then there was a searching bright light."

"It was them," A First Army soldier then said from beside the Squaller, he pointed towards Alina and Valeria.

"Our mapmaker,  and human." The General then said, looking back at us.

With him giving Valeria a sudden searching look.

"Is this true? Can you summon light?" He then asked Alina.

But while he asked her that question, he seemed more fixated on Valeria.

Alina stared back at the Darkling with big eyes, before timidly shaking her head.

At which the man in front of them both, then mocked her for it, and shook his head as well.

You bloody wanker..

"Where did you grow up?" he then asks.

At which Alina quickly answered with Keramzin. By the tenseness of her friend's shoulders,  Valeria could tell she did not feel comfortable in the slightest, in the presence of the man in front of them.

The man then hummed in recognition,  "And when were you tested?"

Her friend stayed quiet at this. She had already told Valeria of what happened all those years before, when she was eight. She of course did not want to be separated from Mal, so she cut her hand on a broken piece of pottery. 

The test did not work if you were injured. 

While Valeria could understand,  she also did not understand why. She herself felt it in her friend, that she was more than meets the eye.

The man in all black noticed Alina's silence.

"You don't remember?" he asked curiously,  "Well, let us just make certain." he then announced as he made his way towards us.

Even though I wanted to stand in front of Alina, shield her against him, she shuffled me behind her slightly before I could. 

 I would shield her if he were to try to do her any harm, but as I would not like to admit, I am not in the shape to do anything at the moment, that is until I heal my injuries. 

'Maybe I should've let the healer heal me…' But she then shakes her head, she did not want to feel the foreign movements in her body again.

She then sees the General in front of Alina, looking down at her.

Seeing a sudden movement,  Valeria then spots the sudden gleam of a ring on the General's finger, a silver claw ring to be precise. 

The blade is sticking out, "Lift up your sleeve," he then asks of Alina.

Her friend only looks at him in stupor, the tent then began to completely turn dark.

"What's happening?" she asked, afraid, while trying to clasp her hand in Valeria's from behind. For comfort, which her friend gives her, by squeezing her hand in return.

The General asked once more, but this time with force.

"Your sleeve. Please."

Alina then relented and moved her sleeve up to show her forearm, and held it out towards the intimidating, but also attractive man. 

'Bastard..' Valeria scoffs in her mind.

The General took a hold of her arm and pulled it towards him, while his other hand came up and moved the sleeve upwards.

If he harms her in any way, whatsoever,  it doesn't matter if he's the one she was searching for…she will blast him with her magic, her magic that is already sizzling from the inside in impatience. 

The two held each other's gazes before the General finally made a small cut on Alina's arm, at which the girl in question let out a light gasp.

The cut did not bleed out, but rather, a bright light shot out into the sky.

While Valeria saw it first hand before, in her almost unconscious state, the sight before her now, leaves her in awe as well like the other inhabitants of the tent.

When the General let go of her arm, the light dissipated and Alina tugged it to inspect her arm. 

She didn't know of her power, it seemed.

She then looks at the general before her and frowns.

'Is he an amplifier of some sort?'

"Take her to the carriage and depart for the Little Palace." He then ordered.

Seeing the Oprichniki coming towards her friend, Valeria then pulled Alina behind her, at which the girl then grasped her back tightly in worry.

"Ria!"

The General's eyes then turned towards Valeria.

"Ah yes, our human. What, pray tell, shall we do with you?" he asked in a patronising manner.

At which Valeria gives him a glare that would make many quiver before her in fear, but the man only gives her a strange look. He looks entranced.

"Well, firstly,  I'm not one of you. And secondly,  what makes you think I'll let you take my friend from me?" She then squares her shoulders, with a sudden glint in her green eyes, all the while the girl behind her is squirming in fear. "Over my dead body, you will."

The Oprichniki around them stand straight at that, but the man in front of her only looks captivated by her.

'What a strange fellow.' she thinks in astonishment.

An Inferni that was on the skiff that day, stepped up. "What she says is true, General. I saw it with my own eyes! She had control over the beasts and could do things without moving any of her fingers…She is not like us, General, she is something other." He said while frowning at Valeria.

At least he didn't see her apparating, nor did the Inferni woman she saved tell that she did, she could use that to her advantage if they needed to escape from them.

The General then frowns at the last part, almost in annoyance?

"Something other, you say?"

The Inferni only nods.

"Do not call her that, did she not save all of your lives? Different or not different,  we are the same. " he almost sneers.

Valeria feels a sudden warmth in her chest at that, almost as though he were strictly referring to the both of them, but she then ignores it. 

Back to the matter at hand.

He then turns towards Valeria, his eyes entrenching hers in his.

"I will ask you again, who are you?"

"Valeria Charniak." I answered. 

"How have you hidden your powers, are you from Keramzin like our sun summoner?"

Frowning at the way he said the last part, but deciding to ignore it for now, Valeria answers him.

"For some time, yes." she finally truthfully answers.

The General raises an eyebrow in question at that. "For some time? And before, where did you come from?"

Looking him straight in the eye, she then elaborates. 

"I awoke with no memories from inside the Fold when I was, give or take, 11 years old. And when the First Army soldiers in front of it spotted me going out of the Fold,  they then sent me to the Orphanage in Karamzin, where Alina is from."

Shocked gasps are the only noise heard inside the tent, but Valeria's gaze is only fastened on the man in front of her.

The breath seems to be taken from the General,  his gaze ensnared into hers in open wonder.