Throne of Glass and ACOTAR Crossover (complete)

Chapter 40 - Aelin

The silence, the seemingly endless silence, is starting to get to me. I'm not used to silence, I'm not good at it. My mind keeps creating phantom noises, squeaks and creaks and screams that have me jerking in my chair, startled by something that never existed. 

It makes it so that when the door to the bedroom really does crack open, I don't realize for a moment, so sure in my belief that it is another dream. 

Feyre comes out first, white faced, but no longer shaking. She doesn't look fixed, not even close, but she looks alive. In my books that's a miracle. 

Rhys is next. His face is almost as pale as Feyre's, his wide violet eyes masking so many emotions that I don't know if I could ever understand them all. 

The two of them aren't touching, but there's something in the way that they are positioned together, something comfortable. Like they are leaning on each other, supporting each other, even without physical contact. 

Mor lets out an enormous sigh. "Thank the mother."

Rhys looks at her and raises an eyebrow.

"What?" she says, her voice on the edge of playful, "you were in there so long we were starting to think you had died!"

Feyre shakes her head, and on her lips, the ghost of a smile. 

I feel a rush of relief. I don't know what Rhys said to her, I will probably never know, but he has pulled her back. She can recover and live. He has saved her. 

Rhys catches my look and gives me a small, one sided smile. At that moment I can read his inscrutable face clearer than any book. He is as relieved as I am. 

Feyre walks over to us and takes a seat at the table. She runs her hand over the surface, over large spots of random dried paint, and I swear I see a slight flush creep over her cheeks. Then she shudders and seems to pull herself from whatever memory was occupying her. She looks at me and Rowan, then at Mor. 

I bite my lip. I don't want to say anything, to interrupt whatever Feyre's thinking, but there are some questions that need to be addressed. And quickly. 

"Rhys," 

His eyes flick onto me. "What?"

I take a deep breath "What has been going on since we've been ... gone? We know the wall's down but, what else. What the hell has been happening?"

Rhys freezes. He exchanges a brief, meaningful looks with Mor, then fixes his eyes on Feyre. He seems to be turning his words over in his mouth, unsure of what he should say. 

Feyre meets his stare with one of her own. "I'm the High Lady, not a china doll. What the hell happened Rhys?"

Rhys sighs, then begins. "Well, the wall fell, which you know, so we sent several bands of Illaryians to the border. They're doing their best to hold off Hybern's troops, but it's an impossible battle. Basically they're just minimizing the damage. Most of the local mortals have either fled, been killed, or are attempting to fight. Unfortunately, they aren't really concerned about which fae they kill. Your father is among them."

Feyre flinches at that, and Rhys gives her an apologetic look before continuing. 

"As for things on our side of the border, everything is spiraling out of control. The Summer Court is under attack, Hybern's forces hit a week ago and haven't let up since. Tarquin's doing his best, but his people are wavering. Hybern's offered amnesty to anyone who pledge's allegiance to him and his cause, and there are those, far too many of those, who think that that's the better offer. We're trying to help, but we're already stretched thin. The Court of Nightmares is in revolt, and it's been hell trying to contain them and make sure they don't destroy the rest of the court. As for the other courts,"

Rhys pauses again. He looks exhausted, as though even just remembering all of this has drained his energy. Then he starts again, his voice slightly softer than before. 

"All the other High Lords have joined Hybern. They see what's happening to our court, to Tarquin's, they've decided on the road that they think will save their people."

Feyre has blanched again, all the colour gone from her skin. She looks as though she's about to be sick. 

Me on the other hand, I'm angry.

"So, Rhys" I say, my voice deadly soft "You mean to tell me that the world is basically on the edge of collapse, and you've been holed up here, doing NOTHING!"

I scream the last word. Rhys looks taken aback, so does everybody else. Except Rowan. Rowan is smirking. 

"I" he begins, but I cut him off.

"You what, exactly? You've been trying to find us? You've been planning? You've been missing your mate? Well too fucking bad! You are the High Lord! You can't be in a cottage pouting while your world tears itself apart!"

I am so angry. This is the man that I spent the last few weeks being tortured for?

"No" Rhys snaps at me, fire behind his eyes. "I have been here trying to figure a way out of this mess. Trying to find allies."

Feyre looks at him sharply. "You told me Amren banished you here for being annoying" it's part question, part accusation.

Rhys looks at her apologetically. "Mostly true. I was being useless and a pain in Velaris. But I would have come anyways. I needed space and quiet."

"For what, exactly?" I screech.

"For my experiments. We needed allies, powerful ones. There was only one place I could think of to get them from. Amren helped, and eventually..."

"Eventually what?"

"Eventually it worked. I got it open, and I got them through."

I'm confused now, so confused. "Opened what? Got who?"

Rhys just smiles, looking at something over my shoulder. In fact, everybody in the room is looking over my shoulder. 

I whip around, and freeze. Standing in the doorway is a group of people. They are tired looking, and battle worn. There is dirt covering their faces, and I don't see an un-ripped shirt between them. But to me, they are the most beautiful people in the world. 

I look back at Rhys, and I hope my apology and gratitude is  visible on my face, because I can't seem to find any words. 

He brought me my court. 

Hey All!!

I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Don't forget to vote and comment below!!