#plot drop: two.

[dvndelicns-archive]

ft. @tailordlve​

it was difficult to act like nothing happened. it was difficult to wipe the amused grin that tried to appear on his face when he heard someone screaming that the king was dead. but hannes duty was fulfilled, while ivan’s had only begun. he didn’t care that he now needed to make sure people were going to the correct escape routes or make sure that no one was going to die trampled by others. that was going to be his alibi --- and, if anyone would point him as the murderer, he could always say that he was drinking with his friends and then was called by his superior, without time to stab the king to death. it wasn’t the best plan hannes ever thought, but it was what he could do at the moment. as the day passed, he was sure he would think of something better. his attention was taken by one of the queen’s pet grisha, a tailor. he couldn’t remember her entire name --- he kne wit started with lu, but nothing else. well, maybe it was time to know if someone saw him, anastas or val. “ excuse me, ma’am. ” he stated politely, a soft expression on his face. she was probably terrified. “ i know it isn’t the best topic to talk right now, but you’re one of the queen’s tailors, aren’t you ? did you see who did that to the poor king ? ”

[dvndelicns-archive]

ft. @sodaparticles​ ( anastas. )

he had been prepared for that moment since he was ten. since his whole family and village was slaughtered sixteen years ago, and a friend of his father took him into his home and treated him as his own son. hannes was told to do that to avenge his father and make him proud, but was ansgar naess proud of the murderer his son become ? that wasn’t the life he had idealized for his firstborn son, hannes was sure of that. he was supposed to stay in fjerda, and continue the the fishing business that was owned by his family for generations. no, to kill a king wasn’t what ansgar naess desired for hannes. yet, to know that it was him --- a limper orphan --- who killed a monarchy, brought a sense of pride, maybe a little too excessive, for him. nobody would suspect that he did something. ivan was just a guard. 

yet, guilty started to eat him alive. he wasn’t feeling guilty because of what he had done to the king or for destroying a family, but for the friends he had bonded in ravka. what hannes did was going to change their lives, and he hoped it wouldn’t be for the worst. but the fjerdan spy also knew he shouldn’t hope for anything --- he didn’t know a thing about the crown prince, but he probably was as ill as him father. however, he and anastas had fulfilled what they needed to do in ravka. what would be of them, now ? would they stay in ravka or return to fjerda ? the thoughts about the future were becoming unbearable. he didn’t want to leave ravka, to leave the life he always wanted behind. 

but anastas was alive. hannes wouldn’t be alone any more. it was better to return to a home where he didn’t have only dead friends and family, but hannes didn’t want to. in ravka he had everything, and in fjerda he had nothing. but it was what was going to happen --- their life as spies had endend when the king’s last breath left his mouth. he looked at his childhood best friend, a broken expression on his face. “ what we have done, anastas ? what we have done ? ”

[dvndelicns-archive]

ft. @fcksacha​

as if the night couldn’t get any worse, the king decided it was his time to die --- and what death was. yuliya was alone in the ballroom when it happened, trying to cope with what happened with her brother. the shock of knowing he was now the heir of their grandfather’s earldom was too much, and the healer didn’t acknowledge when she first heard the screams, at first, she thought it was a snobby noblewoman screaming at a servant. but other people started to scream, and she knew something was wrong. apparently, the king was stabbed by an  unknown person. yuliya didn’t care for him, and if she could, would congratulate who did that favour --- but at the same time, his death left a bittersweet taste on her mouth. king vasily was bad, and she hated his bald head, but she feared is son would be worse. vasily lanstov had been young when he ordered ekaterina brangiskaya’s return to the army, and yuliya hoped his son wouldn’t tear apart families like his father once. 

yet, all that commotion was leaving yuliya worried. what if the king’s death wasn’t made by a human, but by a khegurd ? she didn’t know if that was possible, because she learned what khegurds were not so long ago with zhuliu, but it could be a plausible theory. if shu han attacked the little palace in the last fête, she wouldn’t be surprised if they killed the king in another ball. however, if it was really caused by a khegurd, others could be in danger. and the whispers about an upcoming fjerdan attack weren’t helping her. yuliya’s mind thought instantly of the, now, four most important people of her life --- artyom, sacha, serafima and zhuliu. were they alright ? did something happen to them ? yuliya’s feet started walking towards a less crowded spot on the ballroom. maybe she could see them --- or she could help the injured, if they existed. 

however, the sight of a flowing cape made yuliya stop dead on her way, her heart racing with hope. it was indeed him, and yuliya made her way to sacha, almost running, discarding her mask while doing so. she was tired to pretend not to feel anything for him, and the mask only remembered her of that. “ sacha ! ” she exclaimed when she got near him. only his sight made her crumble into the emotions she was holding since she stumbled into artyom, and to know he was well --- at least superficially --- made her eyes tear up. as much as daciana’s words still resonated in her head --- it won’t last, he’ll grow tired of you --- they didn’t stop her from hugging him. “ are you alright ? i heard... they said king is dead and some people are saying the fjerdans are attacking, and i thought... it didn’t matter what i thought. are you hurt ? ”