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English
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Part 1 of Kanej's Greek Mythos
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Published:
2021-05-07
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1,667
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1/1
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let the world we dream about, be the one we live in now

Summary:

"You tell me my story to flatter me," The Darkling chuckled, amused. To Alina he said, "My sun, dearest, I could have just called you a muse."

But Inej, she continued, trying to keep the tremors at bay. "The flowers were geraniums, purple and sweet. Inherited from her mother, who she scarce got to see. And a knife he did offer, because human were they. Loss had left him jaded away. He had not much to give but a half of his soul, but with the knife he gave, she carved out a hole. For herself, in his heart, she began to reside, and when he saw her he felt again like a boy."

The Darkling leaned forward, in his seat. The curiosity behind his eyes an impossible feat. For a human to grab the attention, of the lord of the dead, was quite unheard of unless to the Fold you were sent.

Or, AU in which Inej is Orpheus, travelling to the Underworld and trying to convince the Darkling to return Kaz to her, gently assisted by her Sankta Alina, who is the only person the Darkling is willing to listen to.

Notes:

So... I saw a gifset and couldn't help myself...

The idea was originally for Kaz to be Orpheus but then I realized that Inej's faith and hope matches Orpheus' more and Kaz's cynicism matches Eurydice. I also love fics in which Inej saves Kaz because we already see him save her from Van Eck. Kaz is only human and needs help sometimes too. Also, the show made me really want to draw on the idea that 'Inej is Kaz's Saint' even before actual saints while in the underworld.

The style is something I've never tried before. I love poetry but I've never written a fic in this sort of prose before so I hope you all enjoy it especially since it is supposed to be inspired by the Musical (which I did not listen to at all again before writing this so pls don't blame me if some stuff is off).

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Work Text:

As Inej stood there in the Underworld, with all her hard kept faith, her fear kept mounting and strength of will near caved; while behind her, stood her beloved Saint. 

'Sankta Alina, help me' 

She gave a desperate plea to the queen of sunshine and spring. The only one who could make her husband's withered heart sing.  

"Listen to her, darling." The Queen whispered at last. The Darkling's face grew weary. It was the first time his wife had asked him for anything in near a full century. Gifts accepted unfeeling, trinkets collecting dust. An waning helplessness had settled over their love. 

"Is that what you desire, Moi Soverenyi" He whispered, low and sad. If it's what his wife coveted; it is what she would have. 

And Alina smiled, that smile he hadn't seen in so long. With mind made up, he turned back to the human girl's song. 

"Speak," He said, the shadows shifting, reasserting his fearful domain. And Inej took a breath and in the true ways of her people, a story, she began.

"There was once a man, jaded was he. Life's hardships; too many he had seen. But he saw a young woman, and saved her from an attack. She showed him her favorite flowers. And he taught her to fight back."

"You tell me my story to flatter me," The Darkling chuckled, amused. To Alina he said, "My sun, dearest, I could have just called you a muse."

But Inej, she continued, trying to keep the tremors at bay. "The flowers were geraniums, purple and sweet. Inherited from her mother, who she scarce got to see. And a knife he did offer, because human were they. Loss had left him jaded away. He had not much to give but a half of his soul, but with the knife he gave, she carved out a hole. For herself, in his heart, she began to reside, and when he saw her he felt again like a boy."

The Darkling leaned forward, in his seat. The curiosity behind his eyes an impossible feat. For a human to grab the attention, of the lord of the dead, was quite unheard of unless to the Fold you were sent. 

"And the fates, they did see her. That lonely girl. They sent her that someone, so she wouldn't be alone. And he promised her no happiness, it would have been a lie if that were true. But he promised to protect her, and she did to him too."

"Your protection is why he came to me, way here underground. The waters swallowed him up. In his last moments he made no sound." The Darkling's eyes glittered, in that horrid underworld light. But they softened upon turning and seeing the sadness in his wife. 

Inej swallowed before continuing, an urgent plea. "I know yet I beg you, please return him to me."

"And why should I bother? With a boy as faithless as he?" 

"Because they remind us, Aleks, of you and me."

The Darkling looked aside, to his wife who was the sun. Her hair adorned with Irises he had grown in their garden. And he was taken back in time, to a lovely time and place, when he had first met her on a terrible day. 

"The humans hunt and they fear me," he had scowled in rage. "I'll make their kingdom my own, so they can witness my pain."

"I do not fear you," Alina had replied instead. And ended his dark rule, with a crown adorned in her head. She had fought him tooth and nail; it broke her to do so. But at last, she accepted his gift from the Underworld. 

"Are you sure, here is where you'd like to live half of your days?" The Darkling asked, concern full in his face. For no other, would he offer such a gift, the ability to come and go from his dark rift.

"Six months for Earth are plenty. Even the Sun Summoner needs reprieve. If I must keep you from corrupting souls, then it is enough for me."

And so he planted her a garden. With blue irises to the brim, no longer quite so lonely, or filled with intense pain. When for Earth she left, he tended to her blooms, and when she returned, they gave her pleasure too. 

Where had the years gone between them? What had happened to their bond? His wife preferred the Earth more now and he had returned to bitter and harsh. 

And then he looked at the boy, sharp and harsh was he too. His eyes embittered with a rage, reflected within them too. Life had been unkind to him, as it once had been to the King. And it was only his lover’s heart, that brought a steady spring.

"His time had come, Alina" he pleaded to his wife. But Alina looked heartbroken; and he could not bear such strife. With her he was no more than human, a boy kin to the one right before him; bent to her whims.

"I shall let you leave on permission," He turned back to Inej. "Wraith may be your title, but now will be his instead. You may not turn to look, if he is behind. Until my love falls on you, up in the world where she shines."

And Inej sobbed in relief, grateful to the Queen who had softened her King. And turned back to Kaz on the floor, where for her he was waiting. 

"It's me, Kaz," she whispered in relief. It had been so long since she'd seen him, so hard it was to believe. His sharp lines were only sharper, across the planes of his face. The Underworld had been unkind, to one with little faith. 

"You're letting them go, Aleksander?" Alina asked in surprise. 

"I'm letting them try, my love," was the Darkling's curt reply. 

Inej knew Kaz was behind her, but despite all her faith in her saints, her fear became the best of her, and she let out a sob so faint.

"Kaz, are you behind me?" she whispered a silent plea. There was no response, just cold and darkness as vast as the sea.

Kaz had always known how to find her. Her light feet never startled him. He knew when and how to see her, until his very end. And Kaz had met death drowning, the very thing he feared. The thing that stole his brother; his own life it too commandeered. 

Death had always hugged Kaz like a friend, a murder of crows around him. He had not felt quite so alive until Inej had found him. His soul had left with his brother's, his body was of Earth. And Alina's yearly visits, did nothing to quell his curse. 

"The summers are long and harsh," he had complained to his Wraith one day. "But the cold of winter, seeps and breaks bones down to clay."

"Is that what happened to your leg?" She had asked in return. 

"A stupid mistake I won't make again," his voice was an icy burn. 

But when that Summer brought Alina, Inej had smiled at the sun; his heart had stuck a staccato, it had never before sung. The Queen of Spring brought joy, with it came Inej's laughter, and he would have switched it for kvas, forever after. He no longer hated the Sun and he brought Inej geraniums one day. He was not much for sentiment, but only for her did his heart sway. The blooms were half wilted, barely surviving in the heat, but Inej's smile was so blinding, he thought, with Alina it could compete. 

But Summer came to an end, and Alina did leave too. For two years it was Inej, that kept his soul tethered too. Until at last he couldn't, keep fighting anymore. To his last end did he fight, but could not swim to shore. And the Fates pulled him away from life, way way under. 

"Where are your Saints now, Inej," He did wonder, bitter, as the water pulled him down. Try as he might to keep his promise to her, but couldn't escape another.

But Inej had come for him, his darling, his own sun. And he could see she was wilting; under the darkness she had succumbed. So many times, she almost turned, and Kaz had to hold back a fear so grim. He always knew how to find her, but he had never taught her how to find him. 

But Inej was nothing if not with faith, so indeed she shouldered on. Til her legs ached and her heart hurt, battered on and on. And the tracks she followed lengthened, as if to mock her travels. But Inej kept soldiering onwards, despite her teeming exhaustion. 

"Is he still following?" She almost once stopped to wonder. 

"Will the Lord of Dark have tricked me?" She stood still and caught her breath. 

"Would Kaz leave Jordie for me," she almost turned then. 

'My Darling Inej, keep going,' a voice whispered in her head. 

And Inej let out some laughter, she hadn't expressed joy in weeks. And the sound reached up to the rafters, of the dark and dreary Keep. 

She kept walking forward, a new spring in her step. "Kaz, follow me," her heart beat with every breath. 

And at last they reached the sunshine, the green world up above. Alina had already arrived for Spring, to welcome their success of love. Purple scattered the landscape, amidst an iris or two. Each color announcing gentle beauty and life sprung anew.

Inej turned to look behind her, and Kaz, he stood near. With a geranium in his hand, he tucked her hair behind her ear. 

He looked pale and sickly; his limp more prominent than ever before. The darkness had left him unhealthy but he smiled brighter; finally at her shore. 

"You did it, Inej," He rasped. "Treasure of my heart."

"I did it for us," she answered. "For us and our love."

Notes:

So a few changes I'm sure you'll have noticed from the musical: Inej tells her and Kaz's story instead of The Darkling and Alina's like Orpheus does in the musical. This is because I feel the Darkling would be more prone to coming to the connection between their stories himself, prompted by Alina. He's someone who knows better than anyone how difficult his and Alina's story is and Kaz and Inej's story isn't quite the exact parallel. The personalities are though, so I feel him hearing his own story would have had less of an affect than drawing the parallels between himself and Kaz and Alina and Inej for himself.

Also I tried to keep both Kanej and Darklina as in-character as I possibly could in this writing style. The style is something that I didn't expect to write it in so idk how much people will enjoy the slight rhyming but I was thinking of Epic III and I love poetry so it sort of burst out? I will probably write a proper and slightly more detailed version of this fic if anyone is interested.

Anyway PLEASE leave a comment if you enjoy this fic because I am quite nervous about it! Constructive criticism is good too and do let me know if you'd like another more detailed version of this story because I know I kept the backstories vague.

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