Aleksander looked up from the map of Ravka—late night pondering once again—as a small knock echoed throughout the Map Room.

"Come in." Aleksander said, watching as she—Alina Starkov—made her way into the room. She was looking off to the side, clutching a book and avoiding Aleksander's gaze. From embarrassment or bashfulness, Aleksander wondered for a second.

"Sorry to bother you this la—"

Aleksander raised his hand, pausing the ramble before it even left the Sun Summoner's lips. "I'm not sleeping here anyways. Did you need help with something?"

Alina slowly nodded, before setting the book between them on the edge of the table. Aleksander's gaze flickered to it, taking in the title.

"Grisha's bedtime stories for kids? I must admit, I'm a bit surprised by rather...unique choice."

Alina's face went pink. "That's not— no, I just had a question about one of the stories."

Aleksander tilted his head as he watched Alina, waiting for her explanation.

"I've heard some...things from others here about one of the tales."

"Really? Which one?" Aleksander crossed his arms, leaning on the edge of the map with his hip.

"The one about a girl who died pushing the Fold." Alina finally looked up at Aleksander, her hands fidgeting with the sleeves of her gown. "I asked Genya about it, and she said that it's a real story."

"Does that matter? It's nothing but tales to make the Grisha feel better when they're kids." Aleksander bit out.

"It matters if it's real. I'm supposed to, you know, destroy the Fold. And if that story is right, someone pushed it back before." Alina stepped closer, looking up at Aleksander. "Is that true? Did someone push back the Fold without being a Sun Summoner?"

It was Aleksander's turn to look away. "..yes." He said reluctantly after a beat of tense silence.

Alina immediately perked up. "So it really is true? She's not a tale?"

Aleksander's eyes narrowed. "We don't speak of it."

Alina slightly recoiled at Aleksander's tone, but curiosity won. "Why not? What happened?"

"She was an idiot who thought she could destroy the Fold." Aleksander turned away from Alina. He wouldn't show her, just how much talking about it impacted him.

"Was she also a Sun Summoner?"

Aleksander almost laughed at Alina's question. "No. She wasn't a sun summoner. Or a shadow summoner. She was Grisha, but too different. They never accepted her as their own."

And only a few years later, there was a vague memory that a girl once lost everything trying to destroy the Fold. And even now, nothing but a children's tale, rather than history.

Aleksander could feel Alina's gaze on his back. He took a deep breath, his voice back to being emotionally smooth. "There's nothing more to say. She lost herself trying to do something she wasn't supposed to."

"Lost herself?" Alina tilted her head.

"Her powers weren't made to destroy the Fold. The Fold destroyed her. Took everything away." Aleksander turned his gaze to Alina—a cold warning of ending this conversation. "Goodnight, Alina."

He stalked out of the Map Room, walking through the silent halls of Little Palace. For years, Aleksander cultivated the guilt inside him. He told her over and over again that she was the one who could destroy the Fold. Believed in it, believed there was no need to wait on some Sun Summoner.