Neave Villena overhears the crows planning to cross the Fold and wants in, no matter the cost. The only problem? Well, Kaz Brekker seems to be figuring out all her secrets.
[oc x kaz brekker x inej ghafa]
[shadow and bones season 1 - ??]
[complete...
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chapter four | into the fold episode three
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When Marian Villena had died, Neave had never felt so alone.
It had rained the day Neave had buried her mother, digging the grave until her fingers had blistered and the nails had cracked. Then, after, Neave had found the courage to steal some roses from the nearby town as she sprinkled the petals on top of her mother's body that was wrapped in an old blanket. Once buried, Neave had sat and cried, trying to understand what she was supposed to do next in a world without Marian to watch over her.
And now, Neave sat with the same empty feeling with the truth that Neave Villena belonged nowhere. She had fallen into an empty shock, unknowing how to feel about her mother dying when she had never met her before nor even what she was even supposed to do now. Neave had given up everything — had risked everything — to find a place she belonged, for death to slam the door in her face again.
Annette had died to the Fold, a monstrous force that Neave felt she was partly to blame.
"Neave," Inej said, coming over to the steps where Neave had sunk to sit. "Can I join you?"
Unable to speak, Neave had nodded with Inej dropping to sit down next to the grieving girl. Close by, Kaz waited with the goat as Neave knew he was growing impatient.
"If you want to go back to Ketterdam, then that's fine," Inej told her, despite receiving a glower from Kaz, where the three knew it wasn't possible. "You do what's best for you, Neave. But both your mothers have a history at the Little Palace waiting for you to find out. Your father might still be there too."
"And if there's nothing?" Neave questioned.
"Then you have a place with us," Inej promised.
After everything, Neave fit in with them more than anything now: an outcast with a tragic backstory trespassing into crime simply to survive and belong. Both Annette and Marian were dead, but their stories were still waiting to be told — a father could still exist, along with the possibility of other family members.
"Even if I didn't agree to stay," said Neave, not even able to find a small smile within herself. "Kaz would not let me leave knowing what I know."
"Is that you agreeing?" Inej smiled.
"Yeah," Neave said, knowing there was nowhere else for her to go. She had agreed to join them and wanted to see it through, even if she came away empty-handed. "What do I have to lose? Thank you, Inej, for helping me and for praying. It's a little hard to believe someone's out there watching over when nothing seems to go right."
"But when we're at our lowest, belief can give us hope," said Inej. "When there's hope, there's always a way forward. You're strong, Neave — believe in yourself if not the saints." She squeezed Neave's arm, offering her a sad smile. "You have our condolences and our support."
