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Nina would gladly be anywhere in the Little Palace but here. Not that Zoya's private quarters weren’t nice. In fact, the little sitting room and study in front of the bed chamber was, in Nina’s opinion, probably the most comfortable room in the little Palace. But being here usually meant she was about to be scolded by Zoya Nazyalensky and having the undivided attention of her glare was something Nina wouldn’t wish on her worst enemies.
Nina wondered how long she would have to wait for Zoya to return. After breaking up the fight, the general had just told her to wait here while she dealt with the other students. Nina had wanted to protest that everyone else was just as involved in the fight as she was and that she doesn’t deserve any extra treatment, but Zoya wouldn’t hear it. It had probably to do with the fact that this was the fifth fight Nina had been involved in in just as many weeks, or the fact that she wasn’t the one with a broken nose.
Just as she got bored of waiting and went over to the desk to steal one of the cookies, she was interrupted by a loud knock on the door. Nina froze, unsure what to do. Whoever was knocking was probably looking for Zoya. She couldn’t just invite them in, but staying quiet seemed rude.
In the end, Nina didn’t have to worry about making a decision. The door flew open without a further warning and in stepped the King of Ravka, who abruptly stopped when he spotted Nina standing by the desk, cookie in hand. “Well, you are not who I expected to see here. Nina is it, right?”
“Yes, your majesty,” Nina simply replied, unsure what to do. She was slightly surprised that the King knew her name. They had only really met once, when Genya had dragged her and another student in front of Zoya to scold them for stealing a bottle of kvas and getting drunk by the lake. King Nikolai just happened to be in Zoya’s office at the time and had watched the entire exchange with a slightly amused face, while Zoya and Genya didn’t seem to care at all that he was there. Nina hadn’t thought he would have remembered her from that, but then again, the King seemed to make it his business to know everyone in the palace, both Grand and Little.
“You don’t happen to know where my lovely general is? I seem to have misplaced her and was hoping to find her here,” the King said as he walked into the room and took place behind the desk like he owned the place. Well, he was the King, Nina supposed, he technically did own the place.
“Zoya’s outside, scolding some of my classmates. She should probably be back soon,” Nina said, standing awkwardly near the desk, cookie still in hand.
“Then what are you doing in here? Shouldn’t you be out there as well and get scolded with them?”
“Who said I did anything to get scolded for?” Nina blurted out, irritation rising up in her for just a moment before she remembered who she was speaking to. King Nikolai seemed nice enough, but he was still the King of Ravka and Nina wasn’t sure how much respect she should show him.
The King didn’t seem offended though, instead he just laughed. “Zoya has told me a lot of good things about you. She has also spent a lot of time complaining about your habit of getting into fights.”
Nina was still processing the fact that Zoya was complaining about her to the King, when said King leaned forward, plucked the cookie out of her hand and simply took a bite. This time she didn’t care who he was and scowled at him. There were plenty of cookies on the desk for him to take, that was simply rude.
“Also,” the King continued, seemingly unbothered, “People who haven’t done anything wrong usually don’t have blood on their knuckles.”
Nina looked down at her hand to see that, indeed, there was some blood splathered across her fingers. With a slightly red face, she wipes it clean on her kefta.
“So, why did you get into trouble? I do hope you don’t just go around, punching your fellow student for no reason.” King Nikolai seemed like this was a completely normal situation. Like she wasn’t simply a soldier in the second army and he the King of Ravka.
Nina didn’t know how to react to that, how to act around the King. So, she simply followed his lead and acted like this was a totally normal situation. She took a seat at the other side of the desk and reached for another cookie. Zoya was already going to scold her, why not add the King to that as well?
“Deni deserved it,” she simply said before taking a bite from the cookie. It was delicious. How could Zoya just have them collecting dust in her office?
“I’m sure he did,” the King said, seemingly amused. “But there should actually be a reason for him to deserve it.”
“He called me a coward. He said I will make an awful soldier because I only hide behind my powers and don’t actually know how to fight. What was I supposed to do?” Saying it out loud, she felt like a child throwing a tantrum.
“Well, ideally you should have simply walked away and ignored him.”
“That would have just proven him right.”
The King shook his head. “No. Walking away would show him that you don’t care about what he has to say. Reacting to it, on the other hand, shows that at least some part of you believes those words as well, otherwise they wouldn’t be able to hurt you.”
“That’s easy for you to say,” Nina exclaimed. “You never doubt yourself.”
She didn’t really know the King, but every time she saw him, he always seemed so sure about everything he did or said. He led his country through a civil war and was able to keep it standing ever since. Everything he did, he did with a purpose and with certainty.
The King simply smiled. “That’s where you’re wrong, my dear. I’ll deny I’ve ever said this, but I do doubt myself all the time. With every decision I make, I fear it will be what finally pushes this country into ruin. In my opinion, a king who doesn’t question every action he takes isn’t a very good one.”
Nina stilled, not sure how to react to that information. But before she could find an answer, the King continued. “The trick is not to let people see your insecurities. If people realise you doubt yourself, they will use it against you. But if you act like you know what you are doing, they will believe it. Don’t let them get a rise out of you.”
Before Nina had a chance to answer, the door flew open and Zoya came storming in. Both Nina and the King sat up straight at her entrance, though other than Nina, King Nikolai had a wide smile on his face.
Zoya just glared at him. “What are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be with Genya and David in Os Kervo? And why are you sitting in my chair?”
“It’s good to see you as well, my dear general. We finished earlier than expected. I returned just this morning. Genya and David made a detour to visit Count Kirigan; they'll probably return by nightfall. I have some news you need to hear, but first I believe you have a student to scold,” the king said, seemingly not at all bothered by Zoya’s death-glare.
Nina joined Zoya in glaring at him. She had hoped that with the King here, Zoya would simply forget about her. How could King Nikolai give her life advice one moment and then betray her like that in the next?
The king simply stood up, took another cookie and made his way to the door. “I’ll leave you two to it. Zoya, please come find me in the war room once you’re done here. I’m already looking forward to your lovely presence. And Nina, do remember my words the next time you decide to get into trouble.”
With those words he disappeared through the door, leaving Nina to the storm.