#wyrate

[kindness-ricochets]

My Wyrate posts have been getting a lot of attention lately so, in case anyone is interested, those are being compiled into a longer fic called Of Ships and Chance Encounters on AO3.

This is a story in which Nikolai and Wylan meet by chance at Caryeva when they’re both young and out of place, and form a bond that deepens through chance encounters over the following years.

I’ll be honest, I’ve been struggling with writing lately so I don’t know if it’s really my best work, but hopefully you’ll enjoy it even so. If you like the Wyrate stories, this has and will continue to have new content and context. It starts when Nikolai and Wylan are 14 and 8, respectively, and will ultimately include pieces set during Crooked Kingdom.

(Caveat: the exchange in the image hasn’t happened yet, but is from a future chapter!)

[wooyoungisbaby]

Wooyanyang as Boo and Sandeokki as Sully when Woo bit San really hard is my suggestion for Aniteez sketches 🩵

https://x.com/wyrated/status/1664006986512441344?t=LqiQ4K3IW1YHyJJWx6rXRw&s=19

hi :)) i forgor to include the Boo and Sully part but i hope you like it hnhsjfhs here are the pics i tried to replicate:

also here's the non-notion blurry version

[vixensreiha]

Pippa goes to war by Wy🎨

[engagemy-others]

Wyrate, Wynasour n Wylan

The Holy Trinity

Is the first one pirate Wylan bc I’m a billion percent behind that oh my god

[eelinthedrink]

wyrat they fuck

[ah17hh]

baphomet drawing via /r/satanism

baphomet drawing https://ift.tt/2DsyCon Submitted November 29, 2019 at 05:43PM by Wyrat via reddit https://ift.tt/2R3Zqna

[kindness-ricochets]

Tagged by @sparrowmoth um... a while ago! But now I'm getting to it :) Rules: Post the names of your WIPs and open your ask box for questions about them. I have other WIPs, but decided to only list the ones I can see myself ever finishing.

Published WIPs

Chocolate and Flours (T; non-traditional format; Six of Crows/Shadow and Bone GBBO AU set in modern-day London) - centrally, I had ideas for this one, would probably be another two chapters to complete.

Decoration (T; post-Crooked Kingdom; Wylan addresses some of his challenges with self-worth with a focus on fashion and aesthetic) - probably another two chapters. Honestly writing that makes me so sad. I should be able to manage two more chapters!

Of Ships and Chance Encounters (G; Six of Crows/Shadow and Bone; "the wyrate AU") oof, I don't even know how long this one would've been...

Unpublished WIPs

Fic #6 in the House of Van Eck series. Angst - unions - sass! It's... oh boy. Already 40k and maybe halfway written.

Jannibal. A modern SoC AU in which Jan is a cannibal.

Post-CK, Jes can't decide between running with Kaz or staying with Wylan

Unwritten WIPs

The SoC library AU

Not sure who to tag, but if you see this and you like the idea, consider yourself tagged! :)

[kindness-ricochets]

Genya tailoring wylan while he explains everything that went down to his older sister and brother zoya and Nikolai

W: ok so he says I’m going to music school right? And I’m like “hmmm sus but on ig” and like it’s all the way in another place so I’m like when I’m there I’ll just

N: book it?

W: EXACTLY book it. BUT YA WANNA KNOW WHAT HE DID. THE CONVIER

Z: tell us

W: HE TRIED TO HAVE ME KILLED

everyone in the room collectively chokeing while wylans still talking

W in a tone much more Jovel and annoyed then should be for discussing attempted murder: AND LIKE, ok I’m a little annyoed by the whole attemped infantacide thing but like, THEY DIDNT EVEN TRY??? LIKE they could shot me, or stabbed me, or punched me or EVEN LIKE IDK boat out to sea and throw me over but nOoOoOo, they try get this. Choking.me.out WE ARENT EVEN FULLY OUT OF THE CANEL YET AND THEYRE NOT EVEN CUTTING OFF MY AIRWAY. Kinda sad how bad they were at that. So I konked em and jumped overboard and - wait why are your guys faces like that

Z,G n N: no reason at all continue

Okay... I am so much better with drama than comedy, so this turned into a drama, but it DOES include the major beats of Wylan telling his Ravkan friends about Jan! I hope you like it :)

Wylan hadn’t been sure he could say it at first. “Miss Genya.” Was that too forward? Would it tip off the others? He had thus far kept his Ravkan connections secret. Kaz would have wanted to leverage that somehow.

He had been close to tears of frustration when Jesper stayed in the room. Wylan wanted to talk to her alone, but Jesper, going halfway mad from his impatience, had stayed so long with him…

When Jesper left to grab a cup of coffee, Genya spoke first.

“Are you all right?”

Wylan nodded. “I wasn’t for a long time, but I made it.”

“When this is over, you can come with us.”

His throat ached to hear it. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to go. He wasn’t halfway to tears at the prospect of going to Ravka. He was halfway to tears at the prospect of being wanted.

“But maybe you’d rather stay with that cute boy, hmm?”

Wylan blushed.

“Good, keep blushing. Keep your circulation strong.”

They didn’t get much time to talk before Jesper returned. Wylan wasn’t sure how much the Ravkans would want him revealing about their connection, so he kept himself quiet on the subject and trusted Genya to understand that when he thanked her, he meant for all of it, for fixing him, for having been his friend.

He got his answer not long after.

About how much the Ravkans wanted him to tell.

Jesper and Wylan were on the settee together, enjoying the closeness. The kiss seemed to have spoken some promise of access to one another—nothing too intimate. Just long, clever fingers in Wylan’s hair while he leaned against Jesper.

“Jesper. Wylan.”

At Kaz’s voice, they both turned. Wylan only stood when he realized who was with him.

Nikolai had been a steady presence in Wylan’s life. A mentor, a friend. A brother. He had been someone worth sticking around for. Seeing him there, standing beside Kaz, Wylan wanted to go to him. But Sturmhond had only ever been there to “escort him to Ravka”. They were not publicly friends, and every secret even implied to Dirtyhands…

“Our new friends would like a word, Wylan,” Kaz said.

“Privately,” Sturmhond added.

Wylan took a step toward him before Kaz asked, “Why?”

“Surely you can understand—”

“And you can understand the need for a little oversight.”

“Not from you, Brekker.” Ah, there was the Zoya Nazyalensky he knew and loved!

Nikolai looked to Wylan. “Ignore him,” he said.

So Wylan stepped forward and hugged the privateer. Nikolai had the same impulse. For a moment they held on tight to one another and Wylan had that same soreness in his throat he had felt with Genya.

“Whatever he did to you, you didn’t deserve it.”

Wylan swallowed.

Nikolai had been the closest Wylan had ever seen him to furious when he found out. He offered to keep Wylan in Ravka, but there was no way to do that without starting an international incident. He sent a letter, even, but Jan refused and it wasn’t everyone who would kidnap a Councilman’s kid.

Telling Nikolai seemed… possible, but Wylan glanced at Kaz. And at Jesper.

“Um… since when are you friends with pirates?” Jesper asked.

“Privateer,” Wylan and Nikolai said.

Wylan looked between Jesper and Kaz. They both had questions—albeit very different ones.

“Jan sent men to kill me,” Wylan said.

“What?” asked Jesper.

Zoya said something Wylan was pretty sure was a Ravkan swear. They had all made a game of not teaching him the naughty words, so he could only guess.

Kaz looked intrigued.

Nikolai gripped Wylan’s shoulder tightly.

Wylan shook his head. Somehow remembering that day on the browboat made his throat hurt. “I was sloppy. They shouldn’t’ve been able to get me. I remembered that move Tolya taught me, but—I’m fine! Why are you looking at me like that?”

“No reason at all,” Zoya said.

Jesper was stroking his revolvers, a gleam in his eyes.

“I’m fine,” Wylan insisted. He was! He just wished that ache in his throat would ease. “I’m fine! Anyway it was six months ago!”

“He knew you had a place in Os Alta,” Nikolai said.

Somehow that stung the worst, because it was true. Jan didn’t have to kill Wylan. He had shut him out of the business years ago, so there were no secrets to spill, no treason to commit. Just last summer Nikolai had offered to keep Wylan there, made clear he was welcome, Jan could have… but he wanted to…

Wylan took a deep breath. His eyes were prickling like he might start crying again, in front of all these people!

To make it worse, in the split second Wylan had that realization, someone else had come into the room.

“Wylan has a place in Os Alta?” Nina asked. Matthias, beside her, looked grimmer than usual. “You mean his family owns property there?”

“The King has a soft spot for lost princes,” Zoya said. “And redheads.”

“You know King Nikolai?”

“Of course she does, I’m sure the whole Triumvirate knows him!” Jesper said, and Wylan wanted to kiss him again for redirecting the conversation when it was all getting to be a bit much. Kaz was watching him closely. Nina was staring. Zoya and Nikolai were both dealing with what Wylan had told them and he felt foolish for having done so now. Maybe all he had wanted was for them to say it was okay he wasn’t able to use the skills he learned sailing when Tolya tried teaching him to fight.

“I meant Wylan,” Nina retorted. She turned her attention to him once more.

“I visited him in Os Alta a few times,” Wylan said. He left out the time Nikolai, then a student at the university, had come to visit him in Ketterdam.

“This would have been useful to know earlier, Wylan,” Kaz said.

Which was a good reason not to tell him!

“Wait a minute,” Jesper realized, “we actually could have ransomed you! Hey! Kaz’s plan almost worked!”

“Almost,” Wylan repeated, deeply dubious. Kaz had never tried to ransom him to Nikolai. “N—um, not that I’m recommending ransoming me. Um, I… the thing is… it’s my mother. She was—my father had her locked away and I—if I could…”

“King Nikolai will doubtless do all he can to assist you,” said King Nikolai, despite everything clearly amused at speaking in third person. “And your mother. As any good king would. Exceptional, even! But I must insist on a private word.”

This time even Kaz didn’t object. Wylan felt a twinge of guilt leaving Jesper and cast him a look he hoped communicated an intention to tell him everything later. He followed Nikolai into the next room, anyway. Although Nikolai had never shown him any frustration or disapproval, Wylan still worried. What if this was it? What if he had reached his limit?

Nikolai was not at his limit.

Instead, he said, “It’ll be all right, Wylan.”

“You’ll help us?” Wylan asked. “Me and my friends.”

He nodded. That was already the deal, Wylan supposed, but he still appreciated hearing it from Nikolai instead of having to trust it from Kaz.

“Is there anything you didn’t want to tell me in front of the others?” Nikolai asked.

“No.” The ache in his throat was back. Wylan swallowed. He blinked rapidly, but his eyes wouldn’t listen. “He tried to kill me…”

Nikolai squeezed Wylan’s shoulder.

“Brekker is a… unique sort, but I doubt there’s anything he can’t think his way out of. Between the two of us, we can tweak this plan if necessary. You shouldn’t have to see him.”

“Thank you,” Wylan said, “but I can take it. You don’t have to protect me.”

“I never protected you because you needed protecting, I did it because I wanted to keep you around. It helps that you look at me like I can do anything. See, that’s the one!”

Wylan found himself smiling despite it all.

“And Jesper is in love with you. You don’t always pick up on these things, but it’s very important you know this time.”

“We…” Wylan looked away, blushing. “I kissed him.”

“Well done, Wylan!”

“Whatever happens next, I’m glad I got to see you again, Nikolai.”

[kindness-ricochets]

WYRATE INCRDIBLE. Now I'm just thinking of when soc starts everyone's like "lil uselss merchers boy" nd wylans like ''BOAT BOAT BOAT!!!!!!" nd they're ll kind confused bout how competent he is sfdsfdzsf

inej is low key jealous when she finds out WYLAN was a pirate before her. they trade tips.

wylan becomes grishaverse trilogies charas honorary lil brother. the trumivate will fight for role of 2n best big sibling. nikolai watches on as chaos erupts firm in his role as best big sibling. for now

his hair will be ruffled

This is just so cute n such a concept!!! and image the reunion hed have with em all during ck.

Hell he may even know nina/ know of her.

and hed def be a better liar even more knowledgeable bout science. more knowledgeable bout grisha n how they're treated.

BAMF WYLAN!! Great snippet n concept love to read it!

ur writings n ideas re incredible as always!

Listen, Anon, you have a lot of excellent ideas here so I'm going to come back to this one, but let's get started...

It happened first on the Ferolind. Kaz needed a word with one of the men they’d brought along to help sail, since none of the six knew anything about it. He had some questions about approaching the shore—Kaz knew the canal boats. These were another matter.

“I understand, Kaz. I just need to finish splicing the line and—”

“I can do that.”

Kaz knew the kid was there, but hadn’t thought much about him. In general, Wylan wasn’t much use, but he knew how to stay out of the way. Kaz could appreciate that. Plenty of people should do more staying out of the way.

Scowling, Kaz turned to him. “It would take even longer to teach you.”

Wylan’s jaw set.

“No one needs to teach me. I can splice a line. How big is the eye?”

“Two feet, give or take,” said the one man here who knew what he was talking about.

“Give it here.”

He spoke with enough authority that the experienced sailor did. Or maybe he was just done with the argument. 

The first step in splicing a line appeared to be unraveling it, but Kaz wasn’t giving any points for destroying their transport. Still, he kept an eye on Wylan as he moved from unraveling to weaving, working the strands individually through the weave of the rope.

Kaz prolonged the conversation to keep watching. Finally, Wylan stopped weaving and rolled the rope under his foot.

“You better check his work,” Kaz said. Wylan gave him an indignant look, but Kaz only glared and he looked away again.

The sailor took the rope from Wylan, looked it over, gave the loop at the end a tug.

“Well done.”

Wylan looked almost delirious.

To Kaz, it was one more mystery. How did Jan Van Eck’s son come to learn a nautical skill? That wasn’t something university tutors generally specialized in. There was more to him than Kaz had previously expected.

Kaz frowned.

He didn’t like surprises.

***

It happened again in the prison laundry.

When they were planning their escape, Kaz had told Jesper, “Wylan may need help up the rope.”

Indignant, Wylan had replied, “I can climb a rope!”

“Climbing a rope is more than hauling your own weight, merchling,” Jesper replied. “It’s about balance and grip. If you aren’t careful—”

“I can climb,” Wylan repeated. Kaz thought he was stubborn, but remembered the spliced line and decided he might not be wrong.

Nonetheless, “Just be ready,” Kaz said, not taking anyone’s side.

But he arrived in the laundry room to find that Wylan had been right. He could climb a rope after all. He was turning from a surprise into a puzzle.

Kaz was starting to find him downright interesting.

[kindness-ricochets]

uhhh, i cant really write but a friend showed me ur wyrate au and heres a idea

"That's why," Inej spoke, a certain kind of knowingness and amusement colouring her tone.

"thats why what?" wylan replied, genuinely confused, turning to see her looking at him with a new kind of respect of sorts placed there.

"when kaz said you were passable at demo, you looked as if someone had just told you with full confidence that you were 5 instead of 16. As if you were amused yet also annoyed in his assumption of your abilities. Frankly I assumed you were in over head."

Wylan smiled a little at Inejs metaphor," Ive made gunpowder and weaponry with the best farbrikators in Ravka, and done demo for and manned the canons of Sturmhond ship. Excuse me if I was slightly insulted at the presumption I couldn't make a half-decent smoke bomb" he spoke sarcasm, huffing through his words along with delight at the remembrance of the past.

uuhhhhhhheuyrgfjderhg yea I just think it would be funny when the realization hits exactly how even more competent this kid is. like even in canon he was basically a demo expert. here hes a freakin demo master. have fun with fan fic of ur fan fic! constructive criticism is welcome!

You can totally write! And I love this idea! Wylan's experiences in Ravka would make him a considerable force of chemistry, and the other Crows' dismissal would definitely smart his pride. Inej was a great pick, too. Kaz would see the use in Wylan's skills and Jesper would have so many questions, but Inej would think about how it influenced Wylan's relationship with the others.

Thanks for sharing!

[kindness-ricochets]

hc for ur sfheyjdhmfg wyrate au

(Disclaimer idk shit about zoya and Nikolai they seem funky tho)

Im imagining zoya starting as a begrudging welcoming person here, kinda wacked out by this random kerch semi pirate kids here, but then just being a semi sassy older sister vibe who infects wylan into also sassing Nikolai

W:"your a king!" Z:"yes hes a king.....somehow" W: ”Ah yes, a king. You should always do what kings say, you know”

Also I’m south Asian and suli is kinda south Asia, and so I propose

wylan calling zoya, zoya didi.

didi is a term used for elder sisters or your cousin sisters (first cousins). you use it after they're first name when referring to them at all usually

its primarily used in north india

its used to show respect for your elder female siblings and as far as im aware nikolai and zoya wouldnt be together together yet so it would be a very happy coincidence that wylan sees both zoya and nikolai as his siblings. (zoya ends up being his unofficial sister n law and jzhdgf jduhfg)

anything wyrate related i have sent, if u ever do make a wyrate ficlet you are fully welcome to use

Anon, I love this idea, but realized very quickly I couldn't do the idea full justice without Rule of Wolves spoilers! (Also my brain is fighting against the idea of... creativity.) So consider this a down payment ;)

Wylan knew Nikolai wouldn’t have too much time for him—he was a king, after all! Once they reached Os Alta, he doubted he would see Nikolai more than once a week. If that. It was what his father did—church on Sunday, lunch after. Those were the times he had with his son.

Time with his heir was another story, but as that story tended to end in tears and bruises, Wylan wasn’t especially eager to remember it.

Instead he tried to focus on the present. In the present, he was riding into Os Alta, following the king—following Nikolai, his friend. His only friend. But that didn’t matter, because being close to Nikolai was like being in sunlight. Who needed more than one sun?

Being on horseback reminded Wylan of the day he and Nikolai met. Later he realized how foolish he had been to walk off with the first kind stranger to hold his hand, but Nikolai only took him to see the horses. Wylan had been small for eight and Nikolai had been big for fourteen, and Nikolai lifted him up so he could pet the horse’s neck.

Wylan didn’t need anyone to lift him up now.

They dismounted outside the Grand Palace, and Wylan patted the horse’s neck before a groom led him away.

“Welcome to the Grand Palace,” Nikolai said.

Wylan was already gaping. There were fine buildings in Ketterdam, but nothing so… sprawling! The space! The gardens! Everything was so close at home, and since leaving he breathed deeper. He hadn’t expected to find the palace so open—like the grandest of city blocks rolled flat like dough.

“I hope he didn’t take too many careless risks!”

“This is Tamar,” Nikolai told Wylan.

“Of course he did, he has not grown sense in the past month.”

“And General Nazyalensky, to what do I owe the pleasure of your glorious company?”

“This was your important errand?” asked the rather terrifying woman, gesturing at Wylan. He fought the urge to take a step back.

“I said too many. A few careless risks make life enjoyable,” said Tamar.

“Tamar understands me. May I assume from your presence, Zoya, that there have been developments?”

Wylan felt the conversation shifting, the energy in the group shifting, and felt like he ought to shift as well. But where to? His mouth suddenly tasted of thin bile. He knew Nikolai wouldn’t have that much time for him, he just had rather hoped not to be left standing alone in a courtyard.

Instead, Nikolai told him, “I’ll have someone take you to settle in and I’ll see you later on, all right?”

“Can’t I stay with you?” Wylan blurted. He didn’t come to see the Grand Palace or… or anything. He was here for Nikolai. It didn’t matter if he was standing in the corner being invisible. He was good at standing in the corner and being invisible!

Nikolai gave him a sympathetic look, then asked his General, “How sensitive is the information?”

“Too sensitive,” she said. Wylan had the distinct impression she disliked him, and he had no idea why. All he had done was arrive!

Nikolai seemed truly sorry when he sent Wylan to get settled in. Wylan was sorry, too. On the ship, he had so much time with Nikolai, he was allowed to follow him almost anywhere… but he understood that kings were busy people. When Nikolai said he would catch up with Wylan later, Wylan nodded and grinned, not because he believed it but because he knew Nikolai wanted it to be true. That mattered more, sometimes.

Besides, he was a fourteen-year-old boy with considerable access to a royal palace! He would find a way to occupy his time. He would just… avoid the General. It would be easy—she was surely very busy.

[kindness-ricochets]

Wyrate van eck practiceing his smug face when he’s in the laundry room waiting for everyone else

And perfecting it! This'll impress that handsome sharpshooter--uh, that is to say, this will show them all what a valuable asset Wylan is...

[kindness-ricochets]

This “wyrate” au seems super cute but now I keep thinking

when his dad initial tries to kill him before horror and all the other emotions attempted infatacide would bring he feels

Utter annoyance that his dad thought he could kill him, HIM, by putting him on a boat and having someone only try to choke him out

Like weak SAUCE. He’s a PIRATE. Getting choked out on boats with nothing but his wits to defend himself?? Been there. Done that. Try harder

This got me thinking about how much in this AU Jan doesn't know about. He just sees this useless fool who'll never amount to anything of worth. Meanwhile the King of Ravka sees a close friend who could make quite the pirate with a little more training, knows a fair shake about demo, too, since Wylan would've met David.

And Wylan, thinking exactly that. How dare Jan Van Eck think Wylan was weakest on the water! How dare he try so lightly to kill him! Then taking it like a battering ram to the chest, because he's still Wylan, and his dad still tried to kill him!

[kindness-ricochets]

I’m sorry to spam u about ur Nikolai wylan concept but also

WYLAN MEETS LEONI HILL!! CHEMISTRY BESTIES!! I just keep thinking about how wylans knowledge of chemistry would thrive with the materialki!! Give him the knowledge he craves it!!

I would love nothing more than to write about Wylan being at home among his fellow chemistry nerds, for whom I have great respect. Alas, I am a book nerd, who cannot chemistry, or even pretend! But please know that this would absolutely happen. At least once, Nikolai would go to the Fabrikator workshops and be surprised to find Wylan there with the Materialki. Then he would learn not to be surprised, because Wylan fits right in. Leoni and Wylan can be chemistry and rainbows together and cheer up the whole lab!

P.S. please do not apologize for the spam, the spam is absolutely icebox. (...very cool. I mentioned being a nerd, right? ;) )

[kindness-ricochets]

shit now im obsessed with ur nikoli and wylan snippet. DAMNIT ALL UR LIL FIC IDEAS ARE WORMING THEYRE WAY INTO MY BRAIN I CRAVE MORE

thank you!! Seriously, these anonymous asks are so freaking awesome, and especially because you liked that one. I really thought no one else would ever have an interest and that was an extra-niche me thing...

[kindness-ricochets]

Y’know sometimes you just get an idea in your head and it won’t stop until it’s been heard? So here’s a fanfic scribble that insisted on being heard. (Nikolai is a real challenge to write but I did my best.) ----------- The sun shone hot and bright from a clear summer sky, and the horses’ hooves churned the racetrack dirt hard enough to make the stands shake. Or maybe that was the cheering. The standing crowd thundered their appreciation, and those from the penny seats to the boxes were not much better. The entire affair was an overwhelming, contagious flurry of heat and color, the thrill of the race and the veritable orchestra of the spectators’ emotions. Fourteen-year-old Nikolai Lantsov stifled a yawn.

Beside him, Vasily swore and smashed his fist on the railing. He hid his wince rather less well than Nikolai had hidden his yawn.

“I had money on the bay!”

“Shall we leave?” Nikolai suggested, trying not to sound too hopeful. He had been excited when Vasily invited him to the races at Caryeva. Vasily rarely had time for has little brother. After hours of sitting in the summer heat, watching Vasily drink and curse, Nikolai struggled to sit still. At the very least, he wished he had a book, but Vasily had sneered when he tried to bring one. Nikolai wished he hadn’t minded so much.

Vasily drank deeply, slugged his brother too hard on the shoulder, and said, “I thought you liked horses.”

Nikolai liked riding horses. Watching others ride horses round a track over and over was somewhat less engaging. Now, down on the ground, he saw another round of horses and riders lining up. It seemed interminable.

How did anyone enjoy this? How did anyone enjoy so much sitting, watching? Nikolai wanted to be in the races! With the bang of the starting gun, he wished he, too, were flying out of the gate!

But he wasn’t.

He was sitting in a shaded box, far from any action more than his brother guzzling an endless supply of champagne. One drip too many of melt and the ice resettled, rattling almost as excitingly as the distant action.

Vasily swore and hurled his glass. Nikolai bolted to the railing, but he couldn’t see where it landed. Hopefully no one had been hurt. He turned to his brother, not sure what to say.

“That filthy little—number 17 was a sure thing!”

Apparently not, because he had lost.

“I’ll buy her and sell her meat to the peasants.”

“Vasya!” Nikolai didn’t know if he was asking his brother to be calm or to spare the horse’s life. Maybe both. She had only been a fraction of a second slower than the other horse; she was still one of the best horses on the track.

Vasily scoffed. He drank.

Nikolai slouched and waited for it to be over.

=================

Later, Vasily told his brother to “wait here” in a corridor in a part of the racetrack most never saw. The floors were clean and waxed, unmarred by the unwashed mass of the standing room crowd. Nikolai caught a glimpse of the office into which his brother disappeared and understood Vasily was going to barter for horseflesh—whether to own, to ride, or to slaughter, none could say. His brother was unpredictable that way.

Nikolai wasn’t the only tag-along left to stand outside. There was also a small boy standing quietly against the wall. They looked at one another for a moment. He felt like the boy was asking him for something, but he had no idea what it was.

“Did you enjoy the races?” Nikolai asked. Maybe it was because these were offices of commerce that he spoke in Kerch without thinking.

The boy gave a solemn nod.

“Yes, I did, as well. My brother’s going to buy himself a horse or seven.”

“I have a horse,” the boy said.

“Do you,” Nikolai said, admittedly losing interest. He should’ve known this was another nobleman’s son. He was well-dressed, after all, and standing in the corridor while his guardian bargained with the same breeders as Vasily. It wasn’t fair to the child, but Nikolai had no wish to chat with a baby courtier. They were all the same: dull, scheming, deferential…

The boy nodded again.

“You can pet him if you want.”

Nikolai looked back to the child and immediately his attention softened. Yes, he had a horse: a small, pale purple figurine. Nikolai crouched in front of the boy and gently stroked the toy horse.

“May I?” Nikolai asked, reaching for it.

The boy nodded.

Nikolai took the horse and made it run, offering the best hoof impressions he could. The boy replied with a smile, which only encouraged Nikolai, who made the horse rear up—not especially convincingly, but then neither was his ‘neigh’ and the boy giggled anyway.

“Does he have a name?”

“Fish.”

“Your horse’s name is Fish?”

He nodded.

Nikolai laughed. “I like it,” he said. Then, getting an idea, “How would you like to pet a real horse?”

The boy nodded eagerly, then hesitated. “My papa…”

“What’s your name?”

“Wylan Van Eck.”

“You wouldn’t happen to be related to the Van Eck on the Kerch Merchant Council?”

“My papa.”

“Well, Wylan Van Eck, I am Nikolai Lantsov. Do you know what that means?”

“You’re the king?”

That shouldn’t have hurt the way it did. Nikolai knew it wasn’t an intended insult. There was no malice in Wylan’s open expression, but there was an echo in his words of too many slights, too many reminders of Nikolai Nothing.

“My father is the king.” Maybe. “I’m a prince. You should always do what princes say, you know.”

He said this seriously and Wylan’s eyes widened. Nikolai had the feeling that if he told the boy to do anything he would—it was a dangerous trait. Nikolai had known enough men who would see that eagerness as an invitation.

“Let’s go see the horses, and you can tell your papa it was my idea—no, I will tell your papa it was my idea.”

Nikolai found that he very much liked being looked at the way Wylan looked at him then. He remembered so many days following after the brother who wanted nothing to do with him, not understanding Vasily’s rejection but feeling the sting of it nonetheless. When Nikolai was grown, he would not make younger people feel so small when. He would be someone to look up to. When Nikolai was grown—

His thoughts were interrupted by a small, warm hand in his. Nikolai gave Wylan’s hand a gentle squeeze. Fourteen years felt like so few sometimes. But it wasn’t nothing.