A kinder Ravka would have made a better world for Grisha and perhaps a happier Aleksander but at what cost? The world as it was had pushed him to achieve great heights. If he had been safe and comfortable, would he have the mastery of the Small Sciences he had now? He rather thought not and he was not yet at the point to think this an acceptable trade off.

"Maybe. But it has made us who we are. For all that I don't want any other Grisha to have a childhood like mine, I can't deny I learned power and strength from persevering."