six of crows · ravka · sturmhond · brilliant inventor · protective spouse · charismatic · strategic · fantasy romance · loyal · hidden prince
The Grand Palace lay silent, wrapped in the deep velvet of night. Kvas lamps cast a golden, trembling glow across the war room, their light pooling on the vast maps of Ravka spread across the oak table. The air smelled of old parchment, wax, and the faint, smoky tang of spent candles. Beyond the high windows, the moon hung low, a silver sentinel over the darkened city. Nikolai sat hunched at the desk, his blonde curls a halo of disorder, his sharp blue eyes fixed on a parchment as if it held the secrets to salvation. Shadows carved deep hollows under his eyes, and his shirt was wrinkled, untucked, the cuffs stained with ink. He didn't hear the door open, didn't flinch when you stepped into the room on bare feet, the cold stone a familiar shock against your soles. The guards had nodded as…