02x07 - Meet You in the Meadow

[bunniefuu]

[intense music plays]

[indistinct chatter]

Vatra, Nisho,

Fruzsi.

All amplified with
the remainder of your mother's bones.

You remember when
your family first brought you to me,

the price they demanded
when they discovered you were Grisha?

Perhaps now I can repay the debt.

I would have paid it times over.

I have always known your worth.

Now, show me.

[breathing heavily]

Extraordinary. And the others?

They are ready.

Your orders are very simple.

k*ll the King.

[Fruzsi] And the tracker?

His existence puts everything at risk.

The tracker is not to be touched
by anyone other than me.

Is that understood?

[indistinct chatter]

Good.

And how do we know he hasn't
already sacrificed himself to amplify her?

I believe she would die
before allowing that to happen.

[bell ringing]

- [bell ringing]
- [woman] Mal!

Alina!

[both panting]

[breathes deeply]

The sooner, the better.

Aha! I found you.

You always do, somehow.

You must sacrifice yourself
upon her blade or the Fold remains.

And the girl dies trying to save everyone.

Tell me we'll find another way.

- There's another way.
- You are all I ever wanted.

You have to accept what you are.

[breathing heavily]

[low rumble]

All this time...

I knew there was something
I liked about you.

No. Out.

Do you really think
you're the one in control here?

I'm not having any of this,
whatever this is.

I won't be long.

I've only come to tell you
that there is another way.

- There is no other way.
- Of course there is.

There always is.

You don't owe anyone anything, Mal.

You could just leave.

Disappear.

I left early once before.

Remember?

I should have stayed.

I should have stayed
to watch the Volcra tear you apart.

This time I'm not leaving
until the Fold's gone.

You have a bad habit
of acting the fool and calling it heroic.

What happens to her
when you're no longer with us?

When you're not here to protect her?

Can you even bear the thought?

She'd have a whole country by her side.

And she won't need that for long.

Because you and I
share more than just blood, cousin.

We're both running out of time.

The merzost is k*lling you.

You understand then,

that I have nothing to lose.

Only because you have nothing.

You will die alone.

And I will die in her arms.

You'll die when I k*ll you, cousin.

Sweet dreams.

[gasps]

[breathing heavily]

[Nikolai] All forces can be
put on Kirigan at Keramzin.

We catch them off guard.

Alina? Alina?

Have you heard a word I said about...

Sending our strongest units
to defend the orphanage.

The First Army's been
trying to find it for months.

We have the advantage of an aerial
approach to catch them off guard.

We know what the nichevo'ya are capable of

and there's no sign
of the Crows or the Shadow Blade.

I'll go alone.

Which is exactly what he'd want.
Why else would he choose Keramzin?

- He knows your weaknesses...
- And I know his.

Eventually he'll trust me enough
to let me close and then I can k*ll him.

No one else needs
to be sacrificed for this to end.

Going alone?

You know that's not the right call.

So where's this coming from?

[sighs]

The truth is,
we can save every child from Keramzin.

Except one.

The one who found me all those years ago.

Long before I knew
I was a Summoner and he was...

an amplifier.

What do you mean?

It's Mal.

He's the Firebird.

- [softly] That's not...
- [sobbing]

He cannot be...

[Alina] If only I had stopped.

I was so driven by power.

You couldn't have known it was him.

I was warned that there
would be consequences. I just...

I never thought it would... It'd be him.

I was such a fool.

- Alina.
- [sniffles]

We can figure out the Fold later.

First, we must deal
with our immediate problem.

[exhales]

All forces can be
put on Kirigan at Keramzin.

As promised.

Maybe luck isn't enough for Saints.

I'm sorry.

Promise me, Nikolai,

that you will survive this battle.

One of us has to.

[knocking on door]

Apologies. Didn't mean to disturb.

You're not. Come in.

[Alina clears throat]

Do we have news from the front?

Kirigan's forces have
fortified their hold at Keramzin.

We must act. Quickly.

What you saw with me and Alina wasn't...

Okay.

When was the last time
you parted with your compass?

The Sun Summoner means as much to me
as to every hopeful soul in Ravka.

Yes, but not every
hopeful soul is engaged to her.

[Nikolai] Doesn't matter.

Her heart is set elsewhere.

I want her to be happy.

I hope someday,
when this nightmare is over, she can be.

It's a fake marriage with real feelings.

It's almost comical.

Almost.

Vasov, Illieva, Romenko.
We'll need you with us.

- [soldier ] Yes, sir!
- [soldier ] Yes, sir.

You remember the first day
you took a b*llet in battle?

Got you right here.

A little to the left and we wouldn't have
the pleasure of this exchange.

That was the day I knew for certain
you would be a great king.

Why?

Because you never gave up hope.

You kept on making your little jokes.

That's what Ravka deserves.

A king who won't shut up?

A king who will rule
out of hope for something better.

[clanging in distance]

[clanging]

Are you so eager for battle
that you're already claiming your spot?

Just caught me in thought.

Did she tell you, then?

She did.

[exhales]

It's funny.

Years, I was a soldier.

I thought I'd die in some trench mud.

And then Alina and I got out.

Then I met you.

Well, not you.

Sturmhond.

And for the very first time, I thought,

"This is the life."

Not waiting for
a Fjerdan b*llet to find your spleen.

I'm glad you had a taste of it.
However short.

I've never envied a Saints-forsaken thing.

I envy Sturmhond's life.

Freedom.

Instead, my path was always set.
But it's what must happen.

- If Alina doesn't seize the chance...
- You sure there's no other way?

No.

I've got a plan.

I just...

When it's finally done, and I'm gone...

- Mal...
- No, listen to me, please.

When I'm gone,

she'll need someone to stand by her side.

I will use the full powers
of the Crown to ensure she is protected.

Just...

deserve her.

[exhales]

[Genya] The gemstone's a nice touch.

Thank you.

It's ornamental,
but I suppose that is their purpose.

Ornament and sentiment of course.

If you had to choose
your favorite gem, what would it be?

What? Why?

A joke among Durasts.

I'm not very good at jokes,

but they say your favorite gem
can tell a Durast everything

we need to know about you.

I'm not so sure about that.

But, I'll admit,

I was always fond of emeralds.

The gem reserved for the Royal Family?

And I likely prefer them
for that reason alone.

Because they were
always out of reach. [chuckles]

Saints, I suppose your favorite gemstone
does say a lot about you.

I deserve better.

What's worth more than an emerald?

Well, anything, if it's on you.

Ruby then.

[David] Hmm.

Gemstone fact,

a ruby is stronger than an emerald.

[Alina] My beloved Second Army,

I claimed you to protect you,
to lead us to safety.

But to do that,
we have a daunting road ahead of us.

We'll be sending a blended battle unit
with the First Army to Keramzin,

to protect the orphanage
from the Darkling's forces.

Now thanks to Nikolai
and his second flying ship,

they will not see us coming.

Now our target is Kirigan,
but do not underestimate the ways

in which he would've poisoned
the minds of our fellow Grisha. Now...

Alina.

If I may propose
an alternative front for the two of us.

What do you mean?

The Darkling expects
to face you at Keramzin.

- Yes, but...
- So we're going to the Fold.

Just the two of us.

Destroy it while Nikolai
and the others take out Kirigan's army.

Stop it, Mal.

But without the final amplifier, how?

Mal, don't. Please.

The last amplifier is a bloodline.

My bloodline.

No.

- Alina.
- I said no!

I have a say in this, too.

- There has to be another way...
- And if we all go for Kirigan instead?

There's no sign of the Crows.

We can't fight those monsters
without the blade.

And if anything happens to you,
the Fold remains. He wins.

[sighs]

He came to me in a dream.

Maybe the same ones you were having.

In the dream, he knew.

He knew who I am.

If he knows, if it's real,

we're running out of time.

I will not k*ll you.

I won't do it.

[Tamar clears throat]

If a Heartrender
stopped Mal's heart for two minutes,

could you do what you needed to do, Alina?

Sorry, what?

I... I could k*ll him and bring him back
after two minutes. No longer.

Will that be enough time
to bring down the Fold?

- It just might be.
- [Mal] Alina.

You know how this works.
There won't be enough time

- to join my finger bone...
- [David] Actually...

I could process a fragment of Mal's bone

and fuse it with your...
Well, fuse it with you.

Like we did with the Stag. Remember?

Of course you remember.

If we did this before you
went into the Fold, theoretically,

once your heart stopped,
the amplification would commence.

Yes.

This is our solution.

Sounds completely mad.

I like it.

You have to be
the one to k*ll me or it doesn't work.

We try this first, trust me.

And if it doesn't work, then...

Thank you.

Can Tamar accompany us?

Tamar makes her own decisions.

Dominik and I will leave
for Keramzin immediately.

Adrik, Nadia, you're with us.

So, what should we amputate?

[sighs]

[enthralling music plays]

Make sure you come back to me.

So I can spoil you with delicious snacks.

I like the sound of that.

I hope for all our sakes
that we see each other again.

And, fates be damned,
there is a long life ahead.

An ordinary life full of ordinary things.

If love can ever be called that.

I hope I can still squall.

Hey.

You're stronger than you think.

And if not, just take credit for my moves.

[indistinct chatter]

Since I was a child,
I had been told that hope was dangerous.

I've been warned of it many times.

But I know that hope is the wind
that comes from nowhere

to fill your sails and carry you home.

And I see it in your eyes.

Hope shines.

Hope for a new Ravka.

My brothers and sisters, I say to you,
Grisha and otkazat'sya alike,

this is our home.

[all agreeing]

And we will fight for it.

May the Saints light your way.

For Ravka.

[all] For Ravka!

For Ravka.

[all cheering]

I'm going to gather the horses.

[engine starts]

[people yelling]

We should get started.

We'll have some privacy in the chapel.

[soldier] Commander, what's that?

Down below!

[Dominik] They're not at Keramzin.

Kirigan's Grisha's here!

Now!

Brace yourself!

It's an ambush!

[soldiers yelling]

[all screaming]

[Vatra] Yes! I did it.

First Army did this to Nisho!

Tortured him.

A hot bayonet to the cheek.

Hung him until they broke his voice.
Don't forget that.

If they wear the uniform,
they are all the same.

k*ll them all!

Except the Sun Summoner and the tracker.

Kirigan's orders.

[indistinct chatter]

[seagull squawking]

[indistinct chatter]

If you're coming for revenge, come for it.

Don't waste my time.

[Matthias] Revenge is not the way of Djel.

Well, that's a shame.

That my religion
would expect me to uphold myself?

That your religion
would deny you satisfaction.

There is other satisfaction.

Not the feeling you get when a blade
connects with the gut of an enemy.

Not what you'll find
between the legs of a lover.

- Whoa!
- Enough!

Whoa.

[Pekka grunts]

[breathing heavily]

Hey.

That's enough.

No one ends up here
unless someone rats them out.

And you're telling me you wouldn't want
a moment alone with that person?

Hmm?

If you say no,
I think your God will smite you for lying.

All that pent-up rage you're feeling.

Come and see me
when you're ready to let it fly

and I will give you what you lost.

What is that?

Purpose.

[uneasy music plays]

[sighs] Okay. All right.

Okay.

How much do you need?

Just...

[splutters] Distal phalanx
on the tip of your...

The tip of your little finger
should be enough.

Right.

- All right.
- [Mal inhales deeply]

[breathing heavily]

[Mal] Okay, let's do this.

I'll try my best to numb your nerves.

[David breathing heavily]

I'm not really sure
that I should be the one doing this.

[splutters] You know,
Durasts don't really do...

- Give it to me. I'll do it.
- All right.

Okay. [splutters] Don't touch them.

- It's all right. I can do it. Just...
- Yeah?

[Alina clears throat]

Okay, here we go. For real now.

- [Mal] Yeah?
- Yes. [breathing heavily]

All right.

Right.

[hissing]

[glass breaking]

No. Not now.

[roaring]

[Mal] Run! Go!

[indistinct chatter]

The King isn't here!

Where did they go?

As Kirigan predicted.

We corral them back to the fort!

[Nikolai] This was their plan all along.

Not the orphanage, but to att*ck us here.

Catch us off guard.

[all breathing heavily]

[Nikolai groans]

- We should stop, check your leg.
- No, we have to go back and find Alina.

Have they seen us?

There's too much tree cover.
No clear line of sight to us.

We should be fine to get to the fort.

[breathing heavily]

How are they so powerful?

Come on.

[hoofbeats approaching]

[Vladim] How will you find the tracker?
He could be anywhere.

[Kirigan] Now that you're amplified,

can you sense merzost beyond this tent?

[Vladim exhales sharply]

[Vladim] Yes.

Towards the Fold, miles from here.

They're Alina's amplifiers, aren't they?

[Kirigan] They are.

And that is where
we shall bring the fight.

[loud rumbling]

[dramatic music plays]

[growling]

[David] Mal!

Phosphorus b*ll*ts.

[Mal] They work.

- Run!
- [g*nshots]

[growling]

[rumbling]

[grunting]

[Volcra growling]

[nichevo'ya roars]

[grunts]

- Have you seen Alina?
- The Hummingbird has crashed.

[rumbling]

[soldier ] Over there!

- [thunder rumbles]
- [soldier ] The Fold! It's growing!

- [soldier ] It's coming!
- [soldier ] It's coming!

We have to get to Nikolai.

Sound the alarm!

Follow me.

[Dominik] Keep Nikolai in front.
Protect the King.

If we can get in through the moats
and front gate before they catch us,

we might stand a chance.

[siren wailing]

[loud rumbling]

[growling in distance]

Saints help us.

[siren wailing]

Wait.

What's happening?

It's the Fold. He's moving it. Come.

Alina.

Run!

[Volcra growling]

What will it be, Miss Starkov?

Your convictions... or your heart?

[people screaming]

[man screaming in distance]

[growling]

[Tamar] To Nikolai! Eyes up!

[soldier] Go!

Come on.

[Volcra roaring]

[soldier screaming]

[Nadia whimpering]

[hissing]

Come on. This way.

- Gotta move!
- Come.

[air howling]

Silly goats,
we've pushed them into the moats.

And that's where we'll k*ll them.

You four, take cliffside.

[indistinct chatter]

[Volcra munching]

[Volcra growling]

Stay still.

[Volcra munching]

[roars]

[growling]

[nichevo'ya roars]

Hit it now!

[panting] Did we k*ll it?

- [clicking]
- [Alina screaming]

[sword swishing]

Inej, is that really you?

Sankta Alina.

Please, there's no need
for such courtesies.

Not amongst friends.

I can't believe you're here
risking your life for me again.

Someone had to find this.

No one can wield it like you.

[Zoya] Yes, yes. Happy reunion.

Can we get on with it?

Zoya, thank you.

If you'd been
a moment later, we... Oh, hello.

You know I'm not one
to resist dramatic timing.

I remember you.

You were on the ship to Ketterdam.

Nina Zenik. Heartrender. Big fan.

[Alina] We need to get further
into the Fold to destroy it.

Hop on then.

Wait. We don't have David.

We have each other
and that's everything we need.

You with me?

Always. Hold on.

[Mal grunts]

Let's go.

We're nearly there.
The entrance is just round the bend.

There's no time to reload.
We're outnumbered here!

Let's even the odds a bit.

[blows whistle]

- [soldier ] The Commander is here!
- [soldier ] Defensive positions!

Wait for them to get clear!

[Tamar] Who's pursuing?

- Kirigan's Grisha!
- Get to positions!

[Nikolai] They're amplified!

[panting]

No. No heroics. Come on.

Positions!

[Adrik] About this
dislocated shoulder of yours,

you're stronger than you think.

- [bones click]
- [yelps loudly]

[Grisha yelling]

[grunts]

[all screaming]

[grunts]

I had it!

No sign of Tolya or the Crows.

Alina and Mal?

I lost them. It's chaos in there.

- [soldier ] Move up!
- [soldier ] Advancing!

[g*nshots]

Now!

[all grunting]

[all grunting]

[soldiers screaming]

Come on.

[all grunting]

Kirigan's pinning us between Volcra
in there and these arseholes here.

We deal with the arseholes first.

Choke point!

[Dominik] That'll clip
their line of sight.

[soldiers yelling]

[all grunting, yelling]

[Dominik] Go!

[Grisha screaming]

Cover me.

[grunts, breathes heavily]

Get back!

[woman] Let's go!

Cliffside entrance is an ambush.
Four Grisha in there.

[heart b*ating]

[heartbeat slows]

[grunting]

[grunts]

We can't let them get past us.

Not if there's a chance Alina's in there.

Vatra, gate.

We'll trap them like rats.

Fall back!

[all screaming]

[Nadia whimpering]

No! No! There's no time.

[yells in frustration]

[g*nshots]

No, no, no, no.

Healer!

[panting]

Why did you do that, you fool?

So you can save the rest of them.

Try not to mess it up.

No. No. I'll find Genya. She'll fix this.

[labored breathing]

A king that Ravka deserves.

[cries, pants]

[g*nshots]

[grunting]

[all groaning]

Let's finish this.

[Volcra growling]

Keep on in this direction. We're close.

Go. Go.

I am so sorry. I am so sorry. So sorry.

It's not very safe.

[hissing, growling]

Come with me.

In here. [grunts]

- Are you sure?
- You go first. Yes, I'm sure. In.

Come.

David, what are you doing?

- No, no, David, David, please!
- [banging]

Don't do this! David!
Open the door! David!

Brave.

And unbreakable, Genya Safin.

David, no, please! David!

David! Please, David!

David!

[screams]

[hissing in distance]

This one's for the King.

Uh-oh.

Vatra.

[breathing heavily]

Where did that come from?

My demolitions expert.

Expert?

I mean, yes. Expert.

What nightmare
have we gotten ourselves into?

- [Jesper] Why is Sturmhond here?
- Around here he goes by Nikolai.

Nikolai Lantsov.

All this time, close personal friend.

And... And you are?

You must be Tamar.
We came with your brother.

[breathing heavily]

Hello, gorgeous.

[grunts]

[winces]

If only you'd been born Grisha,
you'd know what it means...

To be blessed?

[breathing heavily]

[lightning crashing]

[metal clangs]

[Wylan] I have Datura Meloxia.

Wylan, now.

[Wylan] Air support.

[grunts]

[relaxing music plays]

[chirping]

[dramatic music plays]

[breathing heavily]

[yells]

You...

You're a...

[coughs]

It's done.

I didn't realize you were patriots.

Well, if you die, we don't get paid.

- Sister!
- [both laugh]

[both grunting]

The blade. Did you find it?

Inej has it.
They've gone to find Alina and Mal.

We have to do the same.

If Kirigan brought the fight here,
he's gunning for her.

I've cleared us a way into the fort.

Come on.

[low growling]

This is it.

The heart of the Fold.

Where Kirigan first
damned this country into darkness.

This is where
we stand a chance of bringing it down.

No.

No. We can do this.

[triumphant music plays]

[gasps]

It's beautiful.

How touching.

[dramatic music plays]

I almost feel bad
for what I have to do now.

He is family after all.

[rumbling]

Get down!

[groaning]

I'm hit.

Mal!

[Mal coughs]

Saints, no! Okay.

It's okay, Mal. Stay with me.

[growling]

Nina. Nina.

Stay with me.

Stay with me!