The Starry Sky - A Darkling/General Kirigan Prequel

16

Klara was, as expected, furious when she found out. Her and Oni had arrived back two weeks after the impromptu wedding, in the early hours of the morning. Tuya had broken the news to them, as they were going to find out regardless, which is what led Klara, still in her travelling cloak, to burst into Anna and Aleks' bedroom before the chapel bell struck seven. The pair of them were clothed, thankfully, but neither was entirely pleased with the woman running into their room at daybreak, yelling obscenities. Aleksander was delirious from sleep, much like Anna who sat bolt upright and blinked in confusion at the haloed figure in the doorway. She thought the saints had come for her at last.

"You got married?" Klara practically screamed, angry that she wasn't there rather than the fact they'd done it at all. "And you couldn't wait two weeks?" Aleksander groaned, pulling the bed sheets over his exposed torso. Tuya, Oni and Ade all appeared behind her, Oni grabbing her arm to get her to calm down.

"It was rather spur of the moment." Tuya conceded, buttoning up her Kefta. Anna ran her hands down her face, pressing the heels of her palms into her eyes, and trying to wake herself up. The room was still too dark, even with the light from the common room spilling in and the sputtering lamp next to Aleks.

"Good morning to you too, Klara." Anna groaned, sliding the covers off her body and placing her feet on the cold floor. There were shoes somewhere around there, she knew, trying to find them. Klara's disbelief stopped her from acknowledging Anna's words, instead another question spewed out.

"And your name's Aleksander?" Of course Tuya couldn't keep that a secret. Aleksander stirred, lifting his head up to glare at Klara, who seemingly then realised whose room she had charged into. With that irate look, the four of them backed out of the room, leaving Anna and Aleksander in the blackness. Once she'd found her shoes, Anna started her ritual of lighting all the candles in the room, bathing the chamber in dewey light as she knew that she wouldn't be able to get back to sleep and Aleks wouldn't want to sleep in after her. Still, when the room was glowing, he stayed pressed into the silk sheets, wrapped tight like a butterfly in a cocoon. Carefully, Anna leaned over him, her loose hair falling in golden sheets around her head. Tender as she could, she placed a gentle kiss on his head, rubbing warmth into one of his shoulders.

"You need to get up." Anna said when he tried waving her away. It was rare of him to act so lazy in the morning. It was rare of him to act lazy ever.

"Later."

"Fine, but don't come crying to me when you miss half the day." He made a jerk movement, possibly trying to give Anna an obscene gesture, or else just forgetting how to move. Anna laughed and made sure the string on her chemise was done up properly, before walking into the common room, where Klara was waiting impatiently.

"I cannot believe you would do that!" Klara shot to her feet, knocking a mug of kvas onto the floor, clearly to Ade's annoyance. She walked around to Anna, who was leaning against the bedroom door, then pulled her into a hug, rocking her back and forth like a parent. "Congratulations!"

"Thanks." Anna smiled. She didn't want to tell her why they'd had to get married so quickly, as she seemed so happy. The Prince had been privately crowned by the Apparat a week before, meaning that at any moment he could pull something off, this time lawfully. Foul play had been ruled out, Yeva and Galya confirming that none of the people present at the time of the King's death were Grisha. But most people in the Little Palace were still tense, knowing that the King didn't like the amount of money that was spent on providing them safety. Not that it was much, it had dwindled over the years, Aleksander too overworked to bargain for more allowance. It had taken Anna writing to everyone and their mother to get a bit more funding, which the late King reluctantly agreed to.