RAYA ▸ SHADOW AND BONE

13 | destined for greatness

lol is this lowkey turning into a kaz fanfic? 👀 and why don't I mind it??

Whilst Raya slept, she dreamt of a memory. She dreamt of one of the most powerful memories she had—one that exuded pure comfort and home.

Raya was storming through the east wing of the Little Palace, fingers curled into fists and eyes gleaming with tears. Her vision was blurry, letting her feet lead the way towards her room, when a hand reach out to clutch her arm.

"Raya," General Kirigan spoke, a worried look on his face. "Are you okay?"

Raya let out a humorless chuckle. "I'm useless." The General sighed, leading her into his chambers and shutting the door behind them. "Seriously, I can't control my powers. I can barely make a hare do what I want, let alone a human. I'm not good enough. I'm not strong enough."

"You are," the Darkling insisted.

"How do you know?" she frustratedly asked, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Because you were destined for greatness," he revealed. "You have it in you. I see your potential."

Raya sighed, shoulders slumping as she took a seat on his windowsill, gazing out into the gardens where Botkin was leading training.

"I don't feel it," she revealed. "Baghra's tried everything to enhance my power but it's not working."

"Things like this take time," he thoughtfully stated, taking a seat beside her.

"How long did it take you to maximize your powers?"

The General shrugged, not wanting Raya to know it happened fairly quickly. She snorted humorlessly anyway, too smart to not understand.

"It doesn't matter how long it took me. It took your fellow Grisha a lot of time and effort to control their powers. It took Genya months; Nadia and Marie took even longer."

"What about Zoya?" Raya asked.

The Darkling curiously asked, "Why do you care about how long it took Zoya?"

"Because she hates me," Raya stated. "Because she wants to compete with me... and I want to win. I'm going to win."

He smirked at her, loving the fire in her veins. "Is that so?"

She nodded. "People don't just wrong me and get away with it. I'm good at fighting... even better at getting revenge."

"Raya," General Kirigan began, reaching a hand out to caress Raya's, eventually grabbing hold of it for the first time. "Not that your survival instinct isn't... admirable... but, you can let your guard down here, you know? This is meant to be a safe haven for you to live peacefully and practice your magic in."

Her eyes were suddenly failing to meet his. "I get that," she mumbled, "it's just hard to adjust."

"I understand... when I first came here, I hated it. It took me months to get used to the Little Palace. But, Raya, I promise you: I want nothing but the best for you and your powers. You're going to be unbreakable, indomitable––a force to be reckoned with. I just want to help get you there."

"Thanks... General..." she said for the first time to him, meaning it with every cell in her body.

"Aleks," he revealed, offering her a smile. "Call me Aleks."

"Aleks," she tried out, nodding her head. She was the first person he'd told his name to in a long while. She spoke soothingly, softly; only innocence, warmth and affection gracing her tone. She didn't know it then but the sound of his name coming out of her mouth was like music to his ears. If he could've bottled up the sound, he would've gotten drunk on it every night.