𝕋𝕙𝕖 ℍ𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕥 𝕆𝕗 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕃𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕖𝕤𝕤 ¦ 𝔽𝕖𝕟𝕣𝕪𝕤 𝕄𝕠𝕠𝕟𝕓𝕖𝕒𝕞

To Ignite the Kingdom of Ash

☽ - Empire of Storms - ☾

Brielle stayed to sit with Aelin, long gone were the tears. Lysandra too had slipped from the room moments before,  giving the fae females a moment.

Brielle reached across to Aelin's leg, taking her hand that rested atop there. Clasping her hand within the warmth of her own.

"I'm telling you this. As I intend to follow you onto my dying breath."

Aelin sat upright, the rim line of her eyes red with the colour coming back to her face from throwing up moments before.

"I sent letters to the Pride members that aren't already here. Many are now on their way and a word from any of them - a group of soldiers will be at your disposal. All of my sixteen members each command about one hundred spies, from across the continent and in the south."

Aelin's expression was a mix of shock, Brielle didn't blame her, couldn't. No one out with the Pride every knew their exact numbers. No one living anyway. Well. . . Until now.

"Many are making their way here now. I already have some moving to Terrasen. They range in species and talents which I know will be useful." she squeezed Aelin's hand.

Brielle had spend enough time around Maeve to know when something was still plaguing her mind. Coaxing it from Aelin was all she needed. Brielle didn't have to speak the words directly, she knew the Queen of Fire understood.

Aelin cast her eyes down to her own hands, warm with heat, "We will need more." the queen hesitated, drawing a heavy breath before she looked back up, "More fire."

Brielle's blood came alight, racking her thoughts and memories for any spy, lord or person known to the Pride around the continent. If there was other magic wielders, Brielle would find them.

It was Aelin's turn to grip the other females hand, "I know you don't talk about it." This was one of the few time Brielle saw Aelin hesitate with her questioning, "But the Golden Death."

Every nerve in her zapped, she forced herself to not pull her hands from Aelin's, felt her body flush with heat.

"Do you have anything in your arsenal that could help us. What did you do?"

The memories from Vallen made her skin prickling, and not in the way Fenrys made it ignite. This was painful, uncomfortable.  She just had to keep breathing, In and Out.

"Maeve has been trying to get me to open about that for years. Baba Yellowlegs was after the same information. Both interested in exactly what I did with my powers that day." Brielle glanced down to her own hands, could still see the stains of the blood on her skin. "A city of ten thousand gone-" she clicked a finger in the space between them, "Just like that."

Aelin fell deeper into her thoughts, Seemed content to move on. 

Brielle raised her chin, she was going to be devoted to Aelin more then she ever was to Maeve, "If there is any way for me to get that level of magic this time, I will harness and use it for you."

She could tell it was struggle for Aelin to not gawk, usually she was more put together then this, but she had just had one of the most staggering of realisations recently. Brielle finally rose up, aiming for the door when she sensed Rowan's approach.

"Why now?" Aelin asked, 

Brielle paused by the door, meaning every word remembering that friend she had lost all those years ago in the city now left to nothing but ruins, a damning that had almost cost her everything. Including herself.

"Some people are worth it."

☽ - Kingdom Of Ash- ☾

It became clear enough that Cairn enjoyed finally having the power to hold over her. Now that Maeve had given him unhinged access to his playtime.