Throne of Glass and ACOTAR Crossover (complete)

Chapter 44 - Aelin

It's strange that I'm surprised when Feyre and Rhys appear first thing in the morning, exhaustion still clinging to their eyes. I knew they wouldn't want to waste time, I knew that as much as I wanted it we just didn't have the time for us to stay here catching up. And yet when they do appear I can feel a dead weight of shock and disappointment hit me in the gut. 

I'm the first one to notice that they're here, but the others aren't far behind. An air of gravity, of dread, descends on us. Our moment is over, it's time to return to the real world. To the real war. 

Rhys smiles apologetically at us, Feyre doesn't. In fact, she doesn't even look like she's registered our presence. Her mind is a million miles away, where exactly I'm not sure. I sigh and brush myself off, straightening the tunic I found in a closet here. At least the fresh clothes are nice. 

Rowan and I walk over to Feyre and Rhys calmly. We position ourselves on either side of Feyre, making sure that she won't have to touch anybody else. Her eyes flick over to me, a hint of gratitude glowing in them. It's the first inkling that she cares that she's given since arriving.

I look back towards my court. They didn't follow Rowan and I when we walked over here, they are still standing on the other side of the small room, examining us with apprehension. 

I raise an eyebrow at them. "Are you waiting for a formal invitation?"

It's Dorian who replies "We're waiting for confirmation that we won't be randomly vanishing into thin air."

I toss my hair over my shoulder and level a razor sharp smile at him. "Unless you'd rather walk?"

Rhys stiffles a laugh behind me. "Be fair Aelin, when you first winnowed you threaded to disembowel us, if you'll remember."

I turn to glare at him. In response, he just winks. 

At least his joke seems to have dispelled the tension in my court. Slowly, very slowly, they walk over to us, splitting up so that Rhys and Feyre each have four people. As soon as the last person has grabbed on, I feel the now familiar sensation of dissolving. I hear Lysandra beside me stifle a gasp. I take a breath to laugh, but we rematerlialize before I get the chance. 

I can hear quiet sounds of admiration from my family as they take in the house of wind. I don't blame them, it is breathtaking. Even after having seen it before I'm still slightly taken aback by the glorious views out over the Night Court. I feel Rowan slide his hand into mine and squeeze it. I squeeze his back. I'm pushing back the knowledge that we are about to enter the middle of another war. Another war that will probably leave us shaken and broken. Another war that might tear somebody we love out of our hands. Another damned war. 

Thinking of it reminds me, and I scan the faces of Feyre's court, looking for her. Finally I spot her, half concealed behind Cassian. Her silver eyes are glued to our party, to two people in particular, two people standing right next to each other.

Asterin notices her gaze and bares her iron teeth. "What the hell are you looking at girly? Haven't you ever seen a witch before?"

Manon's reply is shaky, and I her incredible eyes are just a touch to bright. "Not for far too long."

Asterin's eyebrows crease together sightly in confusion, but her reply is still harsh. "Well quit with the looking or I'll take those pretty little peepers of yours for my collection."

Manon lets out a laugh, much to my entire court's shock. 

"What the hell..?" It's Dorian's voice, and I see Manon flinch at the sound of it. 

I shake my head. Enough is enough. I turn to my court. "There is one thing about our trip here I neglected to tell you."

"What?" It's Aedion who says it, but I can see the same question written across everybody's faces. 

I give Manon a quick look, and she nods. I take a deep breath and say "We found a piece of information, about the battle last year. Something that we didn't, that we couldn't, have known before."

I see everybody tense at the mention of that battle, especially Asterin. All year we've been very careful to refrain from every mentioning it in her presence. The one time somebody tried, well, that guard has learned to live without his right arm. Even the Night Court are keeping silent, letting us do this. Letting me tell this one story of joy before we start the war. 

I continue, choosing my words very carefully. "During the battle, somebody opened a portal. We don't know who, but, we couldn't see it. It was hidden, it must have been. It lead here. Somebody fell into that portal. We didn't notice, and when we couldn't find the body, we pronounced them dead."

I can feel tears welling up in my eyes, and I pause to try to steady my voice. 

I can see my court's sharp minds turning this new information around and around, trying to figure out who it could be. 

Finally Aedion says, a slight smirk on his face "Unless your goal is to kill us with suspense, I would suggest you get on with it Aelin. Tell us which family gets to have their son back?"

I giggle. I actually giggle. I think it must be the strain, or maybe the exhaustion, or maybe just the sheer insanity of this whole situation. 

Perhaps realizing that I am in no shape to continue, Manon herself moves forward, out of Cass' shadow. "What Aelin is failing to say is..."

Asterin cuts her off with a hiss. "This is no business of yours, you little pixie."

Finally, the happy glaze over Manon's eyes at seeing her family alive falls away. I swear I can see the power shimmering off of her when she says, her voice angling towards anger "You know, I expect more from you. But I suppose after 6 thousand years, you forget what people are really like. If you would shut up for a minute, you would know that the grief making you act like an angry child is pointless, but if you would rather whine and scream that is up to you."

It takes Asterin, and truthfully the rest of the court, a long moment to understand the implications of Manon's statement, but when the do I see a hopeful kind of light appear in Dorian's eyes, and I see Asterin's face go slack. 

"She's alive?" the question is from Asterin, a hopeful kind of whimper "Manon's alive?"

Manon smiles, and in that moment her fae power flares out. I can hear wyverns screaming and the shouts of a thousand female voices. I can see the wind of flight blowing across my face. And around her, around Manon, I can see a blood red cloak twisting and whirling in a phantom gale. 

Even the Night Court stands in awe filled silence, watching the combination of witch and fae, this creature of light and dark, when she says "She most certainly is."

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