so i never would’ve thought when i read my first alarkling / darklina fanfic that SEVEN YEARS LATER i’d be 1. still reading them 2. making a fic rec list and 3. going to get a chance to see my ship in action on a television show with ben barnes as the darkling??? mindblown. so i’ve put together a list of all my favorite OG pre-show darklina fics for y'all to enjoy - i’m hoping the show draws more people to the ship so even more delicious content is created…basically i want more to read so i can do another fic rec list after the show’s been out for a while HAHA p.s you can find the rest of my fic rec lists here. *update* click for PART TWO of DARKLINA FIC RECS!!
multichapter (aka canon-divergence galore)
START A WAR by nymja
It takes three hundred years to love him.
A CURSE BETWEEN US by hanpersands
Theirs is a delicate balance. They work because they are eternal, and there is only two of them. (Or, Alina gets knocked up and disappears. The Darkling is less than pleased)
TIMELESS series by destinies
Alina Starkov expected to wake up on a ship sailing across the True Sea, one that would take her far from Ravka, far from the Darkling and his mad crusade. Instead, she awoke in Os Alta to a devastating truth: the war was won nearly a century ago, her first love was dead, and she remembered nothing. Not even that, as part of her surrender, she agreed to a political marriage.
SCARS OF LIGHT by kallypso
Alina Starkov knows what it is to lose. Then she meets the Darkling, the powerful and handsome Grisha in charge of the second army. A man she swears she has seen before in passing hallucinations. He has spent years searching for her since the first rumors of a girl who shone like a star rose from Keramzin, and now he has found her.
TO BE SEEN by larry_hystereks
Alina has spent her life knowing what it’s like to be hunted for being Grisha. She uses her powers to hide herself, hide other Grisha, and forms the Invisible Army. her main focus is to free the Grisha until she meets him; the Darkling, commander of the Second Army, summoner of the shadows. (if alina knew she was Grisha her whole life and if her and the Darkling were truly equals)
STARLESS by opheliarose
They said the Darkling dwelt in a tower at the Little Palace, perched above the world like a dragon guarding its treasure. That treasure, as it so happened, was a girl. Yet when he selects an orphan girl with no past, a new future presents itself.
LONGER THAN LIFETIMES by moonburntmemory
Alina Starkov and the Darkling cannot help but fall victim to ties that bind them. Neither can break from the ruthless cycle of fate connecting them. He is the night that allows all to know the shine of her sun.
IT FOLLOWS by queen_haq
She isn’t quite herself; neither is he. But when they come together, it’s explosive. (“Our powers amplify when we’re physically connected.”)
A RAVEN AND A DOVE by amelia island
What if the Darkling had met Alina before she awoke as the Sun Summoner? What if it wasn’t Mal’s life she saved on the Fold?
MOST ARDENTLY by captaingriffin
Aleksander Morozova is handsome, rich, and not used to having romantic feelings for anybody, let alone mouthy orphan girls who are annoyingly endearing. Alina Starkov is quite comfortable being alone, and doesn’t have much taste for the conceited, rude, and insensitive Mr. Morozova, which she makes sure to tell him constantly. pride&prejudice!AU
LONE CANDLES by nymja
They’ve lived four lives together. Only one ends happily. reincarnation!AU
IT’S A DANGEROUS GAME by ohwastelandbaby
Left as the only witness to a heist, Alina Starkov is in need of protection from a band of criminals out to get her. What Agent Kirigan offers her, is far more complicated. bodyguard!AU
THE WEIGHT OF WINGS by eosithe
In different times, in different places, Alina and Aleksander meet again and again. As the sum of a lifetime(s) of choices, their story is never the same twice.
SIEGING THE STORM AMONG THE RISING BONES OF RUINED SHADOWS by kara_luna
Alina doesn’t go back to the day she met her greatest enemy or the day she stumbled into an orphanage. She wakes up in a time she’s never lived surrounded by the village of a boy she once knew as a man who held shadows in his bare hands and commanded armies and entire nations… And he’s a child who looks at her with eyes full of light. timetravel!AU
UNRAVEL ME by bananamilkis
Living most of her life in a whore house, can Alina free herself from the invisible chains that Ana has on her or can a mysterious man unravel the truth for her?
MAKE ME YOUR VILLAIN by elegygoldsmith
In which the destiny of Reylina Starkov, a scavenger and Omega sun summoner, becomes entwined with that of the Darkling, Alpha Emperor Kylo Ren.
WHATEVER OUR SOULS ARE MADE OF by the_darkling 🌶️🌶️🌶️
This is the way it is between the two of them, an inexorable attraction that accompanies their every meeting. And if finally giving in means falling prey to his designs, then she’s happy to be devoured.
SEALED by the_darkling
Her dear husband’s moods were as changeable and unpredictable as the wind but his affection for her was constant and unfailing, and Alina liked his kisses best of all.
BETWEEN MIDNIGHTS by vuas 🌶️🌶️🌶️
“You’re my wife, my sun summoner,” he continues undeterred, hot breath fanning over her neck. “You’re mine. I can do whatever I please with you. Why shouldn’t I kiss you?”
THE SILENCE OF YOUR TOUCH by wellthatsood
After Alina first uses their connection, she wants more. Only this time, he isn’t alone - but that just makes it more fun. Or, “How to Frustrate (in more ways than one) Someone Who Can’t Talk Back: An Exploratory Study ft. Alina Starkov”
YOU LEFT ME IN THE DARK (NO DAWN, NO DAY) by cursebreakker
An exploration of Alina Starkov’s life as she realizes she’s not aging like her husband is. Meanwhile, the shadows in the corner of her room observe.
anything and everything by these authors
NYMJA
HANPERSANDS
VUAS 🌶️🌶️🌶️
DARKLESMYLOVE
CURSEBREAKKER
gummygunk
jimmyeatworldofficial
izzy806
amandla
turnnoffyourmind
