His hand wrapped around her wrist, raising her hand for the two of them to see. "The bracelet around her wrist. The onyx bracelet. A famous gift from the king of Fjerda to the queen of Ravka a couple of generations back."
Her mouth fell open in realization as she pulled her wrist back, looking at the bracelet in question. "Grandmother's bracelet. Of course."
"I see." King Andrei said thoughtfully before drifting from the topic, confusing both Irina and Aleksander. "Now, from what I understand, you have no children, do you, Lord Kirigan?"
"No, moi tsar, I do not," Aleksander said, his eyebrows furrowed. 
Her father smiled somberly. "Then you do not know what it is like to be a father. How you would always wish for your child to have everything, no matter how impossible that feat is. How you would always, always want what is best for them, even when they do not wish for it to be so."
Irina chose this moment to speak. "Father, I do not understand. Where is this going?"
Shockingly, the king ignored her, still looking toward Aleksander. "Your loyalties lie with Grisha and with Ravka. Your conditions will be met and more if only you would help a father do what is best for his daughter." 
"I vow to keep her safe, always. Her wellbeing will be my priority." Aleksander promised and Irina could've sworn her heart jumped at how intently he said that. He added quickly. "If that is what you will command." 
"I do not need someone to keep her safe. She has soldiers and guards. I need someone to help her, with her condition." Her father said.
Irina watched between them, unsure of what to do and what to say. She picked up a goblet, taking a sip of kvas and trying to seem occupied. 
Aleksander, without looking at her, grabbed her hand and held it tightly underneath the table. "She will be trained properly. She will know how to control this power, moi tsar."
The princess looked down at their hands, squeezing his hand comfortingly as she could feel his pulse beat furiously despite his unbothered stance. 
King Andrei shook his head, his next words shocking both Aleksander and Irina. "Yes, I need her trained. Trained to suppress this power, enough that it would never bother her. She would never have a need for it." 
Irina let go of Aleksander's hand then, her mouth falling open in disbelief. "Suppress this power?"
Aleksander turned to look at her before turning back to her father. "You want her trained to be an otkazat'sya?"
"Yes. That is exactly what I am asking of you, Lord Kirigan." Her father winced, turning to her with an apology in his eyes before stiffening. "Asking is not the word. This is a command from your king. If you want everything we agreed on, you will do this. Otherwise, our deal will be nulled."
Irina looked pleadingly at Aleksander, begging him silently not to agree. They would think of something else, they would find another way to keep Grisha safe. Anything. They would think of anything else. 
He couldn't even meet her eyes. "Very well." 
At that, Irina pushed from her seat furiously, tears threatening to fall from her already glistening eyes. 
"Irina, I just want wha-" Her father tried to stop her but it was too late.
"You don't understand! Saints, you never have! How could you try to change your own daughter? If you only knew what I could do, what I could help in. I could do so much if you would just let me." She snapped, glaring.
King Andrei slammed his hands on the table in anger. "I don't want to know what you are capable of! All I've ever wanted was for you to be normal! To be like the other children! But you aren't."
Irina stumbled backward, shaking her head, too hurt to say anything to her father. Instead, she turned to Aleksander, her voice tired. "And you. I believed in you. I needed you. But you're just like the rest of them!"
After all he had said to her about her abilities, convincing her to accept herself and what she can do, and even going so far as to justify her need for it. Now, he was just going to teach her to suppress it. 
Irina knew that she couldn't stay in that room any longer, couldn't stand the looks her father was giving her. Without another word, she pushed past the doors, past a bored-looking Oleg, and ran as far as she could. 
Away from the fate others decided for her. 
//
Irina didn't know where she was going. All she knew was that she had to get away. That was the only thing running through her mind as she exited the Grand Palace and into the gardens. 
The sun was beating down on her skin, feeling less like comforting warmth and more of the heat of a flame about to scorch her alive. Nonetheless, she sank down and sat on the grass, catching her breath and thinking of ways to escape. 
She could hitch a ride with a merchant and run off to Novyi Zem. Maybe become a professional gambler in Ketterdam. Although, thinking about it now, she was rubbish at cards. She'd be coinless by the end of the week.
 She didn't know how long she sat in the midst of the hedges merely thinking, taking comfort in the fact that if she stayed there, there was a big chance that she would not be found for a long while. 
That was what she thought until a familiar voice rang in her ears. "Irina."
Looking up, the glare of the sun almost blinding her, she raised her eyes to see the last man she wanted to see at the moment. "I hope it's worth it."
Aleksander raised a brow at her. "What?"
"Training me to suppress my power," Irina answered, smiling bitterly. "Now that I think about it, of course. One Grisha for the sake of many, how could you have decided otherwise?"
"What on earth are you talking about?" He asked, before settling down beside her. 
"Have you forgotten so easily?" She questioned. "You and my father. Both of you. Talking of me, of suppressing the only thing that was ever truly mine. Granted, I didn't accept it at first. Saints, I hated it but now, I would rather die than part with it."
"I know. That's why I won't be training you to suppress your power." He smiled genuinely.
"What? But you told my father that you would." She defended, crossing her arms defensively.
"Did I?" Aleksander challenged, his face inches away from her own. 
Irina found herself recalling the conversation and found that he said nothing of the sort, he only agreed, not saying what he agreed to. Of course, he sounded as if he agreed to what her father had said and she had thought that was what he meant. 
Saints, he even made deals like a monarch! Loopholes and more loopholes, finding ways to agree and at the same time, disagree. 
"You-you sly beast!" Irina exclaimed in glee, not helping herself and wrapping her arms around him, a laugh escaping her lips.  
He chuckled, as she pulled away. "I will be training you to improve this power. I am sure your guard, Dimitri, would not hesitate in helping you. What your father doesn't know won't hurt him."
She clasped his hands in hers, her smooth small hands wrapping around his much larger ones. "Thank you. Aleksander, I can't begin to explain how much this means to me. I promise I won't let you down.
"I made a promise, Irina. I don't intend on breaking that promise." 

~ 𝓪𝓾𝓽𝓱𝓸𝓻'𝓼 𝓷𝓸𝓽𝓮 ~
Soooo, I bet you didn't expect that heeheehee! I figured it would've been odd if the king was suddenly like, sure train my daughter when his grandfather basically hunted Grisha! It's definitely going to be a sensitive topic in the Lantsov fam but ofc, Aleksander isn't going to let anyone stop him ;)
Next chapter is going to have sum training sequences and maybe evil plots too :0 Stay tuned until the next chapter! Your support has been so heartwarming, sending you all my love <3!!