Throne of Glass and ACOTAR Crossover (complete)

Chapter 22 - Aelin

The fae woman who appeared, Ianthe, reaches up and pulls back her gray hood revealing long blond hair and a strangely tattooed forehead. Her smile is sweet but her eyes, her eyes are dead and cold.

She looks at the woman who was talking, the leader I think, and says "How do you do today sister Melaedia?"

Melaedia curtsys deeply, then replies "Very well holy one. We have new recruits."

At that she looks around the room, probably to introduce us to Ianthe. I watch her brows crease together with confusion when she realizes that we have disappeared. 

"I'm sorry," she says, "confusion coloring her voice, "They were just here..."

Ianthe waves a single hand. "It's of no matter. I've come to bring another blessed child with me. Who have you chosen as being worthy this week."

I glance at Feyre. Her face is scrunched in confusion, I can almost see her brain working, trying to pull apart all the different elements in play. Then she turns to me. She doesn't say a thing, but all of a sudden I feel a pressure on my mind, like somebody is knocking at the door. I look at Feyre and she gives me a slight nod. I mentally open the door. 

I hear Feyre's voice in my head. "She doesn't know you. I need you to ask what is going on. Coming from you it will be a logical question."

I nod to show that I understand, and I feel Feyre drop the invisibility around me. I glance around, but everybody is too focused on the woman at the center of the room to pay me any mind. 

Melaedia is speaking to the children of the blessed, something about how much of an honor being selected is. Selected for what she doesn't' specify. I clear my throat loudly, and I feel the eyes of every person in the room suddenly shift to me. "Sorry to intrude," I say, my voice soft and honey sweet, "But what, exactly, is going on?"

Elodine looks at Melaedia for confirmation that it's ok to explain, then says "For years we've been praying that our master, the fae, would come to us, would let us into their world. A few months ago the Holy One," she nods towards Ianthe, "Answered our prayers, she came to us, and told us that once a month she would come and bring one of us back with her to Prythian. Today she will take whoever sister Melaedia decides is the best prepared, the most worthy." 

The girl's words are happy, enthralled, but her face shows something different. She looks afraid. 

In my mind I feel Feyre's horror and disgust along with my own, but I try to keep my face neutral. "So, you just go with her? And just like that she takes you to Prythian?"

Elodine nods biting her lip. Then she says, uncertainty tinging her words. "Isn't it wonderful? A goddess, here with us, and she's taking us to heaven."

Through our still open connection I feel Feyre shudder, and an image flashes briefly across my mind, an image of a skeleton, blackened and nailed to the wall. 

I blink to clear the image from my eyes, and feel Feyre cut off the link between us. By the time I've readjusted all attention has turned back to Ianthe and Melaedia. The latter turns to all the hopeful eyes on her and says "This month it has been decided that sister Elodine Beddor shall go to the Holy Lands. Go in good faith, and be happy sister."

Elodine turns to me, her face nervous. She looks like a girl who thinks she should be happy, but is actually terrified. Then she gulps and walks, slowly and carefully, to where Ianthe is standing. But before Ianthe can take her hand, presumably to winnow out, I hear Feyre's voice behind me say "No."

I see Ianthe freeze where she stands, then she turns slowly to face the corner where Feyre stands, now visible. Her smile, sweet a moment before, has turned acidic, but she doesn't say anything. She just looks at Feyre, and Feyre looks at her. 

Melaedia says "Feyre, what do you mean, no?"

Feyre says, her eyes never leaving Ianthe's face "I mean no, nobody will be going with her today. Especially not a Beddor girl. After what she and her allies did to that girl's family ... no."

Melaedia's face hardens. "I knew it. I knew you were here to push some anti-fae agenda. I should never have let you in the door."

Feyre laughs, a harsh sound in the nearly silent room. "Oh I'm not against the fae. But this bitch, I'm against her." 

A collective breath is pulled in at the words bitch, but Ianthe doesn't make a single move, she just stands, looking at Feyre with that poisonous grin. 

"What I  did to this girl and her family? Me? I'd look a little closer at that chain of events girl."

Her voice is sharp, commanding, cruel. The exact opposite of what it was before. I watch as each word hits Feyre, and I watch her absorb them all. 

I take a step forward. I don't know who this bitch is, and I don't know what it is that she's alluding to, but this is unacceptable. I address the children of the blessed when I say "We came here today to inform you of the current state of affairs in Prythian. To tell you what is happening on the other side of the wall. There is a war brewing, a war that threatens the humans and the fae alike. There are those, and i believe that this bitch is included within their number" I turn to Feyre for confirmation and she nods "Who want the wall to come down, who want humans to be slaves again. We came here to ask you to tell the rest of the world, to ask them to help us keep that from happening. It seems we are a little late on that front. But maybe some of you will listen to reason. Maybe some of you are not going to fall for the lies spilling from this woman's mouth."

At that I reach for my magic, and let it spill around me, change me from my human form to my fae one. There is a collective gasp around the hall. Ianthe sneers at me, "Big words girl. But you will not win this, even if you get the humans on your side. You know that Erawan opened the portal that brought you here, and he can do it again. How big will your speeches be when your court lies dead around you? Let me hear you give a speech while I chop off your friend's heads."

The eyes of every human in the room are fixed on Ianthe, watching her laugh. They are horrified. Then Ianthe turns to Feyre. "And as for you, you whore, I look forward to killing you, but not yet. First I have to see your face when your precious family is dead, and it's all, your, fault."

At that moment I set her on fire. 

For a second she doesn't even seem to understand what's going on. She looks down at her burning robe and blinks, then she screams. She tries to brush it off, tries to escape my flames, but I keep feeding them, keep making them grow larger and larger. 

When the flames clear, there is nothing left of her but smoldering ash. 

I look up to find the eyes of the entire room on me, except Feyre's. She is looking at the place where a moment before there was a girl. 

I bow a little, then say, my voice holding all the power of the queen, "All those who wish to know the truth, the real truth, about what is happening on the other side of the wall, meet Feyre and I outside within a half an hour. As for the rest of you... I really don't care."

 With that I turn on my heal and walk out. Feyre follows me a moment later, her hand pressed over her mouth. It isn't until we have left the building and are standing outside, that she finally lets herself laugh. 

*For someone who said they weren't going to be updating much I seem to be updating far too much. 

Oh well, this is more fun that studying!

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and don't forget to vote and comment below.

The next chapter might also be from Aelin's POV, I have some ideas, but I'm not sure. Let me know how you would feel about having 3 Aelin chapters in a row. My idea could also word from Feyre's POV, so we'll see what it is you guys want!