Nameless ( A Court of Mist and Fury and Throne of Glass Crossover)

Aching Limbs

It took ten steps for Aelin's legs to ache and her lungs to burn, why hadn't she trained? Why did she have to be so fucking weak? She snarled at herself and  launched down the stairs, she had to get out. Aelin had thought she had escaped those horrors when she created the portal out of the coffin, but here she was, and she couldn't go through it again. She could feel all the emotions she had drowned and locked away catching up to her, she couldn't face them now, not here in this horrid land, and definitely when there was no one to help her back up. She hit the ground hard, and a shot of pain went up her thigh, her knees buckling. 

She pushed herself off the ground, gritting her teeth against the pain. Aelin's heart jumped to her throat when she heard the aggravated growl from her room. She charged straight into the large wooden doors that would lead to the unknown, the hard impact on her shoulder made her groan as she pushed open the door.

The outside world hit Aelin like a brick, she hadn't realized until now that she hadn't been outside in months. A massive crowd of unfamiliar people  surrounded the mansion, none of them looked up as she stumbled down the stairs, gasping to fill her burning lungs, only in her nightshirt. Her legs were too weak to continue running as she pushed through the crowd, barely noticing the strange faces and limbs of the creatures around her. The bile rose in her throat as Aelin tried to move too fast, pushing herself too hard, her bare foot slipped in the mud and she had the strength nor energy to regain her balance as she fell.

Luckily, a nimble hand grabbed her waist, easily pulling Aelin up before hitting the ground.

"Celaena! What are you doing here?" The woman asked and Aelin regained herself enough to look up and see Feyre in a frilly green dress, her hand going to Aelin's forearm.

"I'm leaving." Aelin replied sternly, tugging her nightshirt down.

Feyre's hand slid down to her wrist, "I'm coming with you."

Aelin, who had already been prepared to push her off and disappear into the crowd, tensed, lowering her voice she exclaimed, "What?"

Feyre tugged her by the hand, leading her out of the crowd, to the edge of a surrounding forest. 

Feyre leaned in,  "I can't do this, I can't sleep with him-"

Aelin opened her mouth to update her on the situation, but Feyre pressed on, like she had thought about this for hours or even weeks. 

"and I've tried to think of ways out of it, but they're far too risky.", she leaned closer and lowered her tone to a hoarse whisper, "But I can't abandon this... mission completely, they can't know I want to leave."

Aelin cut in, "You don't even know if he will choose you, why not hide? He can't do anything if he can not find you."

Feyre pulled away, "It's not only about today, I've been pushing him off for so long-" her voice broke, "I'm scared there will be a point he won't care if I say no."

Aelin sighed and brought a hand to Feyre's arm, she continued, "And even if I just gave in, I don't know how I would face Rhysand..."

Her eyebrows furrowed and she looked Feyre up and down,  squeezing her arm, "Whatever you think is best." 

Feyre nodded gratefully and further explained, "I just need to get away for a little, so I don't break down, and mess everything up- I'll help you get to your home and then I'll return here, and finish the job."

 There was a pause, she had doubts about Feyre's plan, but she respected her fears, and she trusted that Feyre would make the right choices for herself, her mate, and her court. 

"How will we make it look unwilling?" Aelin asked, pulling her hand away. 

A look of relief past Feyre's features, "I don't know, just take me with you, we'll leave a note or something."

Despite herself, Aelin's lips stretched into a small smile, "You want me to kidnap you? And leave a ransom note?"

She shrugged, "If you want to think of it that way." 

Aelin's smile stretched wider, "Where can we find a pen and paper?"

- 

"Here, do you need help writing it?" Feyre said, handing Aelin paper and a pen.

Aelin walked over to the table, her nerves finally rested after what Tamlin had done- tried to do, but her legs still ached. She hadn't told Feyre about what had happened, she wasn't sure if she would. "It's fine, I'm very skilled and practiced in writing these types of letters."

-

Dear Tamlin, 

I am a spiteful woman, and I did not appreciate the meeting we had tonight. Therefore to accommodate me I have taken something I think you will sorely miss. I'll accept money or anything else of  value (your life would be suitable) for an exchange, Otherwise I will kill her, or perhaps I will give her to that Night Court that you spoke so freely of. You should really stop underestimating females.   

Love, Celaena.

-

They left the note folded on the pillow of Feyre's bed, went to Aelin's now empty room, grabbing clothes and any other supplies they could need. If Feyre scented Tamlin in the room she didn't say anything, she did, however, manage to find daggers and a sword for Aelin and a longbow for herself while Aelin changed into something warmer and less revealing. Then they returned to the crowds. Nobody paid them heed as pushed through, and disappeared into the forest. 

-

The forest was dark, and Aelin saw faces wherever she looked, Feyre must have been uneasy to, because when she leaned into talk her voice was a hoarse whisper, "We have to get out of the Spring Court as fast as possible, and we can't winnow."

Aelin turned to Feyre, "What is that?" 

"They don't have winnowing in your world?"

"I won't be able to answer that until you tell me what it is." Aelin responded. 

Feyre paused, "It allows you to instantly... transport yourself almost anywhere."

"Oh, yes... we have that, but it is extremely rare." 

Feyre nodded and continued, "The point is we need to get out fast, and it's quite a distance to cover..." she paused their hike over the rocky terrain to look Aelin's feeble frame over.

Aelin was already sweating and aching from the walk but she didn't tell Feyre that. 

"if it's possible, we should run." she finished hesitantly.

Aelin nodded, "Just give me a minute."

She closed her eyes, and shifted into her fae form. For a second all she could feel was a tug oh her heart, and her eyes snapped open. What was that? Could she really feel him from this far away? Aelin pushed down the questions and thoughts, forcing herself not to jump to assumptions and with a nod to Feyre began to run. She stumbled on a root, it had been too long since she had been in her fae form, much less ran in it, and she was no longer use to its long limbs. 

 It only took thirty minutes of slow, clumsy running for Aelin to vomit twice into a nearby bush. 

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Fast update, but is it a good update? I hope you think so.