The Lives Of Saints

“The Lives of Saints”

Video Description: HERE

Chapter Links:

Season 1:

One: AO3 or Tumblr

Two: AO3 or Tumblr

Guess who just met?!?!?!

Working on Episode 3!

Nina is so fun to write, in my fic I gave her a girlfriend and she is probably connected to five different political/underground networks. Here’s a NINA section from Episode Two!

NINA

NOVOKRIBIRSK, WEST RAVKA

[She wears her red kefta and reads a letter in RAVKAN with the letterhead of an eclipse. SCENE change to NINA in a meeting with ZLATAN and a few WEST RAVKAN military personnel.]

ZLATAN: Still no response from the East?

SOLDIER 1: None from this morning’s river barge, sir.

ZLATAN: (staring intently) They’re up to something. ZENIK, what of the cartographer’s progress?

NINA: She still won’t talk, sir. She needs more time.

ZLATAN: I gave you one task.

NINA: The brain is a complex system, especially given stress. Would you rather have her experience a stroke instead?

ZLATAN: (rolls his eyes) I want her information by eighteen bells.

NINA: (frowns) Yes, sir.

[Scene changes to NINA walking OUTSIDE past large tents and wooden structures for housing. A long shot shows an Inferni with wild red hair and blue kefta standing guard outside a small tent.]

NINA: Harshaw. (NINA smiles and nods at him) Any stirrings from her?

HARSHAW: Not a peep.

[HARSHAW winks and walks off as NINA enters the tent. INSIDE, FEMALE CARTOGRAPHER lays on a solitary cot, motionless. NINA softly smiles and she sits down on the edge of the cot.]

FC: Is he gone?

NINA: It’s just us, love.

[FC jolts up and hugs and kisses NINA. Her name is MORANA, who is disguised as FC. They break apart.]

NINA: I missed you too. (another kiss)

MORANA: How am I doing?

NINA: ZLATAN doesn’t suspect a thing. What did you find out?

[The camera focuses on who we thought was FC but we see that her once brown eyes are morphed with some blue spots, and strands of her hair and eyebrows have darkened in odd places.]

MORANA: (counting off on her fingers) Her name is Ruby. VERY pious, has all twenty-three Saints’ prayers memorized—

NINA: MORANA, the important bits dearest I don’t need her life story.

MORANA: (cheeks redden) Right. The delay with the skiff. She said…(pause) the Sun Summoner saved her.

NINA: You’re sure? But those are just stories!

MORANA: (nods) Some other cartographer…Alina Starkov.

NINA: (serious expression) Alina Starkov…A Sun Saint in the hands of the Crown is dangerous.

MORANA: It would sway the people to them instead of accepting the secession. Does the Black General know about Ruby?

NINA: (shakes her head and hands her the letter with the eclipse symbol) The GENERAL wanted me to kill her…I’m not doing that to a girl just trying to survive.

MORANA: She’ll be on the ship to Ketterdam by tonight.

NINA: Good. I’ll inform ZLATAN of the Sun Summoner.

[They hold each other’s hands as the SCENE transitions to a map of EAST RAVKA. A sketch of a carriage follows a path outlined in bones, halfway between the FOLD and OS ALTA (which has a picture of a palace)]

I’m rereading “The Lives of Saints” fanfic now to work on Ch. 3 and I forgot just how girl crazy I made Alina. I’m thinking of expanding on a little crush on Zoya (which will be funny as this is established Genya x Zoya) and I have this Alinej scene in my head that I might share with you guys later. Just to write it down.

*fic is a script format, sapphic retelling of Shadow and Bone TV show