A Coin Has Two Sides (Season Two) || Kaz Brekker x OC

27. Her True Family

Winnie wasn't prepared for what she knew had to come next.

She was staying in Ravka.

And that meant saying goodbye to her closest friends.

The ones who took her in.

The ones who showed her what it meant to be loved.

The ones who reminded her that she was someone who deserved to be cared for.

The ones who told her she wasn't alone.

The ones who made her whole.

And now she had to let them go.

She was already suffering off the backbone of her conversation with Kaz.

Her plan was to avoid him.

Speaking even one more word to him would make it too hard to let him go.

To see his eyes look at her, to see his gloved hands, to see his small smirk, to hear his low voice telling her goodbye once more.

It would break her.

And she was so broken already.

Winnie walked through the hallways of the fort trying her best to pull herself together.

She walked past a chapel and saw the familiar long raven black hair draping down the back of a girl sat on one of the wooden benches.

Inej.

Winnie took in a deep breath before entering the open door to the chapel.

"Trying to sneak up on me, are you?" Inej asked, not turning her head around to see her friend.

"Clearly I still have a lot to learn", Winnie replied as she took a seat to Inej's right.

"When you're in your shadows you do just fine", Inej replied as she cradled the necklace her mother had left her in her hand.

"Still no match for you."

Inej turned to look at Winnie.

"You're here to say goodbye, aren't you?"

Winnie felt her tears flood back into her eyes as she nodded.

"It seems we're both suffering from painful goodbyes", Inej added.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm leaving Ketterdam too."

"What?"

"Prince Nikolai offered me a place on his ship. I'm going with them. To hunt slavers. To bring those like me their freedom before it's too late."

"Just like you always wanted."

Inej smiled softly before pulling Winnie into a tight hug.

"I'll miss you more than anything", Inej cried softly.

"As will I", Winnie cried as she held her friend.

The two sat in an embrace for as long as they could.

Neither wishing to let the other go.

Eventually, Winnie pulled herself away.

"I'm just wondering how long it will take for Kaz to murder Jesper without us around to keep them both in check", she said as she brushed away her fallen tears.

Inej laughed as she did the same.

"How will they ever survive that place when we're not around?" she added.