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Language:
English
Stats:
Published:
2021-10-26
Words:
100
Chapters:
1/1
Comments:
2
Kudos:
21
Bookmarks:
2
Hits:
584

By Design

Summary:

Alina has some complicated thoughts when it comes to the idea of soulmates.

Notes:

(See the end of the work for notes.)

Work Text:

Tonight, a pair of our older girls asked, giggling, if Mal was my soulmate. I glanced away, clapped my hands, shooed them off to help the cook with dinner.

Do I believe in soulmates? No. I can't, really. Because if soulmates exist, I know who I was meant for, and he didn't need any more excuses to take my choices away from me.

I loved Aleksander - my monster - because of who we were. I love Mal because I choose to. That’s a choice I’ll keep making, to the end of my days, whatever fate or the Saints may have planned.

Notes:

This was in response to a prompt from @rillabrooke on Tumblr, who gave me the prompt "choice." I'm endlessly fascinated by what this series has to say about destiny and choices, making your own meaning in tragedy, belonging and legacy... And I really enjoy a chance to take a hard look at the Darkling's manipulative yet deeply enticing charm, in contrast to the simplicity Alina found with Mal. I have too much to say on that subject to ever work it out in fic, so in some ways, the constraint of 100 words actually helped me to narrow my focus. And I enjoyed the challenge! Maybe I'll try more of these in the future...