Hi everyone,
So before I begin, I thought I'd give you a chance to understand my perspective before you judge me - you know, give you some background? Anyway, as you may already know, I am known as Leksi. I am a child of the Darkling and Alina Starkov. As much as I love my mother, the Darkling has never been my father. There is no animosity between us, he was just never the paternal type. I never referred to him as such. He was my King, and that is how it has always been. I serve under him as one of his generals, alongside my brother Alistair.
Alistair and I are about a century apart. However, having lived through a few centuries myself, that gap seems almost futile now. My brother is the most important person in my life. As a child, he was the father I was supposed to have. Despite being a shadow summoner like the Darkling, he had Mother's smile - a ray of light that provided a sense of comfort and safety. Eventually, I grew and joined the King's service, and our relationship evolved into a camaraderie; full of banter, lighthearted jabs at each other - and even the Darkling when we were brave enough. He became my partner in crime.
However, there was something that stood between us. Mother was a Sun Summoner - a Saint sent to liberate Ravka. Then there was the Darkling, a summoner of Shadows who instilled fear into all who knew him. Alistair had inherited the Darkling's legacy. My brother would be feared yet accepted.
That left me - a Grisha anomaly. I was a child of the shadows and the sun. You would think that would be hard enough, right? Alas, no. There just had to be more. I could heal my cuts and wounds. I had stopped a man's heart in self-defence as a child. I had commanded the winds and had bent the waves of the sea to my will during tsunamis. I could even make things from natural elements. I was an outcast within Ravka, the one place where every Grisha belonged.
Despite the Darkling's calm exterior, I knew he was wary of me. I was feared like my shadow summoning relatives, but unlike them, I would never truly be accepted. Mother may be a Saint, but I was one of a kind.
This is where my story begins.
"General, his highness requests an audience with you."
I nodded in acknowledgement.
The boy's swiftness in departing did not go unnoticed. If he was so scared of a general, he would not get very far.
"Moi soverennyi, you requested my presence?"
"You know, being called Father would be nice once in a while."
He knew that wasn't our relationship.
A smirk tugged at his lips. Many would have missed it, but living for centuries makes you observant. He was goading me, but knowing him, that was how he showed his approval. Despite our more professional arrangement, I knew he harboured a fondness for me. Like with his favoured Grisha. Nothing more.
I ignored his comment, beckoning him to continue.
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The Summoners' Heir
قصص الهواةBorn to both light and shadows, I'm respected but feared. I have lived many centuries and served as a general under the Darkling and Mother's reign. In a desperate attempt to flee an ambush, I unknowingly used merzost. Little did I know that I had r...
