𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑭𝒐𝒓𝒈𝒐𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒏 𝑬𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒌𝒊 // 𝑺𝒉𝒂𝒅𝒐𝒘 & 𝑩𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝑭𝑭

𝟏𝟔. 𝑭𝒐𝒖𝒍 𝑮𝒂𝒎𝒆

I hear whispers. Echoing voices, calling my name. I see faceless figures, dressed in dark robes. They are passing me by and it looks like dark mist is following them and surrounding them. It's so sad. The sky is dark, cloudy, depressing. I hear whooshing sounds everytime one figure passes me as I turn, trying to identify their faces. Aleksandra...I heard a faint, female voice, whisper my name..Aleksandra..now a male voice came through in the same tone..Kosmos Koroleva...your journey is far from over.. both voices merged, whispered and my eyes flew open, ripping me out of the dream world, throwing me back in in reality. I gasp for air but calmed down quickly when I exhaled and went over my face with a hand. I thought the nightmares would stop but to my demise they didn't. It was peaceful without them for a while. I got up, out of my bed and grabbed a glass of water to drink. I took my purple bathrobe and wrapped it around me. The silk made it look like a long dress instead, gliding on the ground with my movements. My eyes went to my door and a sudden thought overcame me. I should go out. I felt like a gust of wind passed me by and I shall follow it, as if something is leading the way. I slowly and silently opened my door, peaking out to make sure no one was around. It was in the middle of the night. Darkness still ruled the sky. I closed my door, silently and made my way down the halls. Following my intuition or that gust of wind that was silently whooshing through the halls. I lost track to where I was walking but saw a slight open crack in a door. I sneaked up, silently and slowly peaked my head in in the room. I saw the huge, island table in the middle and a tall, dark haired male figure in a black robe, hovering over it with his fists placed on the edge of the table. I was at General Kirigans chambers. He must've heard me lurking at the door as his head turned over his shoulders and he faced me with his gentle eyes..I felt lost in an instant. I wanted to turn around and leave in an instant but I couldn't move.

"I'm-I'm sorry I didn't mean to just- to distur-"

"Not at all." he interrupted me, mustering me up and down. "Can't sleep?" he asked and I nodded in response. "Come in." he said, filling a glass with a drink next to him, gently handing it to me. "Here."

I slowly took the glass and took a sip, while holding the glass in front of me I mustered his table and saw scripts, maps, plans all over it. I stepped closer looking at the map intensely. "Is this the whole map of Ravka?" I asked, not looking away from it.

"It is." he responded in his husky voice, looking at it himself. He placed his fists back on the table, leaning over as he took a sharp breath in. "Our enemies are threatened by Alina's mere existence. But Ravka can only stand up to them if we present a united front. And there is talk of uprising in the West, led by our...esteemed First Army General. Our own people, turning their backs on us..." When I looked to him I saw his mouth twitch as he spoke. His voice became lower, more rough in tone as he sighed.

"I've heard the speeches of General Zlatan every now and then." I informed, placing my glass back on the table as I placed my hands on the edge of the table, next to General Kirigan. Standing next to him, shoulder to shoulder. "If it's unity that you seek, General, you will have to come to amends with the...rebellious Westravkan General." I spoke, raising my head up slightly, straightening my posture. I still couldn't believe he intended to expand the Fold rather then destroy it. It still seemed as a surreal thought to me as he didn't make such an impression on me. But I had to keep my cool, had to play pretend, as if I didn't know anything about it in order to gain his trust.

"I've been fighting this war...alone for so long.. I have buried so many good soldiers, friends." his voice broke, his breath became shaky and as I looked to his fists, even them started shivering. He was no General, he was a broken boy. A broken man. If he lived for so long, he has been betrayed, used, threatened, hunted..I couldn't imagine him wanting to do what he wanted to by just simple hatred and cause of a dark heart..I felt as if there was more to his story that has driven him to becoming this cruel man that he is..he portrays to be. "The coffers are running dry. The noose tightens..and our own people are turning against Grisha, just as their kin once did."