I.

When Aleksander finally crawled out of the Fold, deep cuts burning his face, he took a deep breath and turned back to Summon his shiny new Nichevo'ya... only to see that the Unsea has somehow lost its muted black colour, and instead was... burning bright. He moved back instinctively. It was obviously not his anymore.

Something was very wrong.


II.

It wasn't long before he encountered others – Ravkan farmers, of all people.

What would farmers be doing near the Shadow Fold? He asked them exactly that, and it took a while before they realised he was talking about the Queen's Crossing. They seemed surprised he didn't know who Sol Koroleva was, and when he sugested Alina Starkov, each of them took out a small, old icon and kissed it respectfully.

Well, it defnitely still was Ravka... But how?

.

.

.

Apparently, the Queen's Crossing was created over a hundred years ago, when Sol Koroleva defeated the last living Shadow Summoner, Baghra Morozova.

What?!


III.

Os Alta was almost completely unrecognizable to him, the architecture (beautiful in it's own strange way) nothing like he had ever seen, and not even on his way here.

He still managed to sneak into the obvious successor of the Grand Palace. Guards these days, really!

With a rising feeling of dread, he used his shadows to find the most complicated yet discrete way to the throne room.

And there she was, radiant woman dressed in gold kefta with blue ornaments, the Stag Amplifier proudly displayed for all to see – he licked his lips nervously, hungrily, before noticing the others: in one hand, an orb - something pulsing, covered with shiny scales, in other a scepter that looked very much as if it was made from human bone.

He should have sensed them, the way he used to sense the collar.

He Summoned even more thick shadows to hide better and watch in that moment-

"Aleksander," she said in a cold, detached voice that somehow scare him more than anything he overheard or seen about Sol Koroleva. The courtiers and peasants quitened as one, turning to gape at his nice shadowy corner.

The sheer power he felt radiating from her... And absolutely nothing familiar.

"You're finally here..." she flashed her teeth in smile, still not looking at him.

Aleksander knew then.

He fucked up.