"I never wanted to give you false hope, Alina. There was no proof the Stag or any other of his creations were real. My mother has painted them as a fairytale since *I* was 6. So no I never distinctly said words like 'bring down the fold' because I never wanted to give you false hope. Even that won't be enough," he shook his head sadly. "With one the other two must come and nobody knows where to find them."
Even Nikolai looked convinced. This man who had raised someone so good and wonderful couldn't be a monster.
"If you hated the Lantsov dynasty for runing Ravka as much as your mother said, you would have ended our line year ago..." he frowned reasonably. "You've served several of my ancestors loyally..."