One morning Genya woke her up early basically dragging her out of bed and into a warm bath.

"I thought this was the alarm clocks job," I groaned.

Her face was unreadable while she was fussing over my hair, "The king has gotten over his mysterious illness," she told me.

"Oh goody, what's that got to do with me?" I asked.

She rolled her eyes, "He's asked you be presented to him. Today," she explained helping me out of the tub.

My face had shock written all over it, "He doesn't know I'm not from Ravka, does he?" I'd heard the rumours of how the royal family act towards people who aren't their own.

"He knows what he needs to know, that you're the generals daughter, unless he asks, which I'm nearly certain he won't, we won't tell him," at that she started brushing my hair and adding life to my pale face.

She handed me some clothes that looked like the ones I was wearing when I first arrived, I arched a brow, "Saints, do you people tell your king anything. He really can't think I've just arrived."

"If you go in wearing a kefta the king will think we have been hiding you," she explained, "He's already suspicious of the darkling for what happened in Novokribirdk," she muttered to herself under her breath.

She basically dragged me out of my room and to the entrance of the little palace where the darkling was waiting.

"Morning," he greeted me as guards opened the doors for us, Genya had already left us, presumably to go eat, to say I was jealous was an understatement.

"No good? Just morning," I questioned him.

"Is it a good morning?" He raised a brow at me.

"I suppose not," I responded, "Why are we doing this?" I asked him.

He walked, not responding for a moment before finnaly saying, "The king is a child, if he is not appeased or thinks he is being left in the dark he will through a temper tantrum, and a kings tantrum involves Grisha dying."

I looked at him confused, "But you are keeping him in the dark,"

"How so?"

"You haven't told him I've been here for nearly a month,"

"He's been ill."

"And not telling him I'm from an enemy country?"

"That, isn't lying, he never asked so I didn't tell him, if he does, I will."

He didn't seem too happy at the thought of having to give the king information but we continued walking.

He was staring intensely at the tree line, "What is it," I asked following his stare.

"You're not wearing a kefta, therefore you are less protected, if anyone wanted to kill you, now would be the perfect time," he talked about assassination as if I had just asked him what the weather was like.

"Why would anyone want to kill me?" I laughed, but as I said it I knew the answer, he opened his mouth to speak, "Don't answer that."

We arrived at the grand palace and I cringed, I hadn't really seen it up close before but now that I had I wished that I could go back to having never seen it.

The darklings lips had the ghost of a smile on them as he saw my face, "I had the same reaction the first time," he told me.

He had a servant lead me to the entrance infront of the throne room where Grisha were all standing together talking, I looked bland in my clothes compared to their luscious, colourful keftas.

"Aren't you just dazzling," I heard someone tease behind me, it was Koldan.

"At least I don't have to live with as big an ego as you," I elbowed him in the ribs and he shoved me back.

There was a sharp cough from behind us causing both of us to look up, the darkling was stood towering over behind us, Ivan at his side, "Shouldn't you get back in line, Egorvo," he more ordered than asked.

"Oh um, yes sir," he said starting to turn away.

"See you later," I called, he just nodded in return while the darkling studied him as he walked away, "Do you have to scare all my friends away," I sighed.

"Just keeping them in check," he responded, he turned to Ivan to discuss something, I went to go talk to some of the other Grisha but he grabbed my shoulder firmly indicating that I had to stay by his side.

Eventually they finished talking and Ivan walked over to the Corporalki, "Are you ready?" He asked me.

"I don't know what you're expecting of me, I'm not going to bow to him, he isn't my king," I responded bitterly. He nodded to the guards that were flanking the door as the Grisha lined up in rank and order, first the Materialki, then the Etherealki and finnaly the Corporalki. He leaned down to my ear and whispered softly, "Humor me awhile, pretend to be a stary eyed Ravkan girl," I was taken aback by his soft tone.

We fell into line behind the Corporalki as we entered the throne room, I didn't need to pretend to be stary eyed as I looked around the room that was filled with nobles in lavish clothes, my feet flattered deciding to not obey my brain to move for a moment but the darkling placed a hand on my lower back, guiding me forward. The Grisha had lined up opposite the nobles, I spotted Koldan who winked at me, you would swear that the boy permanently had something in his eye with the amount of winking he did, I couldn't spot Zina or Luka, or even for that fact anyone around my age apart from Koldan. The darkling squeezed my arm bringing me out of my own thoughts, we stopped at the base of the dais.

"Moy tsar," he gave a short bow and reluctantly I bobbed a small curtsy. "Your highness, I present to you, my daughter Rena," the darkling announced, I remained silent, for once not wanting to talk.

"She's very, Shu," the king commented, was that meant to be an insult? Who knows mabey it was in Ravka, I saw the darklings posture stiffen ever so slightly, not many would have noticed but I had spent my entire life reading people like books. "Well go on girl, show me," the king insisted, shuffling forward in his throne to get a better look, I looked up at the darkling who nodded in encouragement.

I took a deep breath bringing my hands together in a resounding crack and the room dimmed, all the light that was previously shining through the windows had submitted to my shadows causing the room to go black. I then pulled my hands apart and a blazing ball of light shone between them, I let it explode and the darkness withered away at its touch.

The audience erupted into murmurs and whispers, the darkling was looking at me with pride in his eyes but then snapped back to the king as he spoke, "Brilliant, but I do have a question for you girl," I stiffened, hoping that my Shu wouldn't dip in like it normally did, "You only arrived here the last few days correct?" I nodded, "How can you control it as you just did, from what I know it takes quite a while to fully master ones abilities."

I didn't dare linger on the question incase he caught on, "I didn't control it, it was merely an instinct," I said carefully, "your highness," I quickly added, the words felt venomous in my mouth, so wrong that I forgot to try and hide my accent while I said it, he arched a brow and I scolded myself.

The darkling saved me from my mistake by saying, "we have much to discuss moy tsar, shall we start?" The king nodded and rose from his throne, they both then exited trough a set of double doors off to the side I hadn't noticed before, the room let out a collective breath and erupted in conversation once they had left, I hadn't even noticed myself how much I had tensed until I relaxed.

"You're a horrible liar," I heard Kodan behind me and I rolled my eyes, "Come on Genya wants you," he gestured leading me towards the stairs where Genya was waiting.

"You're a horrible liar," she told me.

"So I've heard," I mocked.

"Come, the queen will want to see you," she told me.

My mouth fell open in shock as she led me away, out of the room and through a small side door that led to a sitting area where the queen sat surrounded by servants and beautiful women in lavish gowns, she gave Genya a dirty look and then regarded me with cruel eyes, "Where are you from little one," she asked as we came to a stop infront of her.

I hesitated, forming the words in my head carefully before saying them, "The border, moya tsaritsa," I responded hoping that I had pronounced it right, I never had to worry about my accent or slipping into Shu back at the little palace, no one ever seemed to mind there.

She asked me more questions before eventually becoming bored and preoccupied with something else, "That's all, leave me," she told the two of us.

When we left the room Genya seemed genuinely disgusted, I heard her say things like, "old cow" or "I'm not her servant anymore," under her breath as we walked along the hallway before turning to me, "Ivan's just down the corridor probably walking towards us, you good to walk to him?" She asked, I nodded my head and we both walked in opposite directions.

As I was walking down the corridor, Genya well gone I heard someone approach me, I recognised him from when Zina was describing the royal family to me, prince Vasily.

"Your highness," I bowed to him as he approached me, he considered me raising a sceptical brow.

"What are you?" He asked me.

"I'm sorry your highness I don't understand," I responded as politely as I could manage.

"You are from Shu han are you not?" He questioned.

The darklings words echoed in the back of my head, 'I will tell him if he asks', I bit down on my lip, "Yes, I am your highness."

"Then what are you doing here? You should be hanged for the crimes your country has committed, for the lives you took."

I heard Ivan's steps rounding the corner meaning he could now see me talking to the prince, "All due respect your highness, I can't help by whom or where I was raised. So if you want to arrest me for the actions of others, that I did not partake in then arrest me, you know where to find me," I gave a short bow and then walked to meet Ivan.

"He could have you executed for that you know," he said to me.

"Then let them execute me, I never said I was going to be nice to them."

Ivan had led me to the door of the grand palace where Koldan was waiting, he said that he had some bussiness to attend to and told us to go straight to the little palace, follow the path, no detours.

We talked and messed all the way, constantly shouldering each other off the path and onto the grass, we were at the curve of the path furthest from the palace when it happened.

"Wow Dan hitting a girl? That's not very nice of you," I joked.

"And it's not very ladylike of you to hit me back- wait a minute did you just call me Dan?" He asked.

I smiled cheekily back at him, "Dan, Koldan, it works you know," I laughed.

"Well then, I guess I better call you..." he thought for a moment, "Ren!!"

"Like the bird? How original of you," I laughed.

We were laughing at our new nicknames for each other when a bang sounded in the trees just outside the palace walls near us. Both our heads snapped to the tree line, then Koldan looked at me and all the colour from his face drained, I gave him a confused look then looked at myself, my shirt was soaked with blood, my blood. My knees felt weak immediately and I fell to the ground gasping for breath, another bang sounded but this time Koldan was faster, he took off his kefta and draped it over my weakening body.

"Kol-Dan," I gasped.

"No, no, no, don't waste your breath," he insisted.

I didn't listen "Behind, in, the tree," I managed.

He looked over and saw what I was talking about, a man was in the tree reloading his gun, Koldan immediately raised his hands, now having a clear line of sight, the man grabbed at his throat and fell from the tree, "Let's go before others come," he said to me but I was already losing consciousness, it was becoming more and more difficult to keep my eyes open, "Ren?" He asked worried, "Come on, stay with me. Do you really want your father to kill me?" He tried joking, he lifted my body up, bridal style, one hand under my knees and another under my back, I was suddenly glad I was malnourished and underweight, another bang, a tiny hole appeared in the ground just beside his feet, and sent him running towards the little palace with me in his arms, his heartrender kefta still draped over me.

He shouted at the guards flanking the door once we were within earshot to get their attention, quickly telling them where the attackers were then burst into the little palace shouting for a healer, "She's lost too much blood," I heard an older woman say, it was probably true, I had, because as she said it I felt myself slip into unconsciousness.