DISCONTINUED A Court Of Blood And Night (Tog & ACOTAR crossover)

32 - Rowan

The moment he'd gotten word of Aedion's luck with finding Aelin, Rowan had wanted to fly as fast as his wings could carry him. But he had others looking to him, so he led them back through the mountains in the agonizingly slow trek to Terrasen. Three weeks of cold. Three weeks of misery and restlessness. It had felt much longer than three weeks, but he suffered through it with the others, who probably were miserable with his fresh bout of waspishness.

The moment he entered Orynth, however, he'd abandoned all pretense of leadership and left the group to find their way back on their own. They had Lysandra and Lorcan. They'd figure it out. He shifted and took off into the sky toward the castle where Aelin was waiting. He would only be a few minutes faster than his companions, but to him it made all the difference.

It was Aedion that he saw first, not Aelin, when he landed at the gates and shifted. He grinned at Rowan, but there was a harrowing sadness in his eyes as Aedion clasped his arm. "Welcome back." His eyes went to a spot behind him, and Rowan remembered the wings Cassian and Azriel owned as he looked back and saw the rest of the Fae behind him. He supposed they could probably carry someone with them, and they had done just that. Remelle and Benson looked green, but Essar's eyes were shining as she let go of Feyre. Rowan frowned to himself. He hadn't realized Feyre had gotten strong enough to carry another person. Though, Rhys had confided that she had been practicing with the wings every morning since they left Terrasen. Lysandra, the clever female she was, had shifted into some nightmarish winged creature not dissimilar to a wyvern and taken the rest of the group. She'd likely found it in some book and wanted to see if she could do it. Rowan let out a quiet, half-exasperated, half-amused sound and turned back to Aedion, who's eyes were fixed on Lysandra.

"Is she here?"

Aedion dipped his chin. "She just bathed." That sadness strengthened as he looked back at Rowan again. "She's very quiet. There's a lot going on, and I'm not sure she's dealing with the chaos very well."

"I'll make sure she deals with it even if it means she burns me to a crisp for it," Rowan told his brother. He wasn't completely joking, and by the look in Aedion's eyes, he knew it.

But Aedion just smiled grimly. "There's a high chance you'll find her in the gardens."

So that's where Rowan went. He didn't care if anyone followed him, but he heard no footsteps behind him.

He saw the endless hedges and flowers first, overgrown but still lovely in their disarray. Then he caught a glimpse of gold. He couldn't look away from her, couldn't even find the strength to call to her. He stood frozen, staring at Aelin and noting what he could from afar. She was paler. Her hair was clean and shining and she was smiling faintly, but she looked wraith-like in the way she moved and spoke.

He dragged his gaze to the newcomer she was speaking to, and a wave of protectiveness hit him. He fought to suppress it; Aelin was his priority for now. If he could just call to her... But he could barely breathe. How could he draw enough air to even whisper?

He didn't have to find out. Aelin turned at a word from her companion, and those eyes met his. Something sharp and painful slammed into his being, and his chest tightened. She was here. Aelin was really here, in this place, staring at him as he was at her. He took one staggering step toward her, and Aelin cut off her companion mid-sentence.

She ran toward him. Ran. He hadn't dared hope she'd be in a good enough condition to even walk. But she was running, tears gleaming on her pallid face, and Rowan felt tears leaving hot trails on his skin, too.

But something about the way she ran seemed off, as if she was favoring some sorer parts of her body. And that was enough to make Rowan see red, even as he told himself he'd confront those feelings later.

And as she came within arm's reach, Rowan found his voice again, and breathed her name as she careered into him. He held fast, though his knees almost buckled at the force of emotions that hit him. He held his mate close, burying his face in her hair. His tears soaked the golden strands as he breathed her name again.

After a long time, Aelin croaked, "You bastard. I just washed my hair." Somehow he managed to laugh as he pulled back far enough to see her face. He carefully wiped away her tears even as his own still ran freely. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. What words could convey what he'd felt when he heard the truth? What words could convey what he'd feared and worried for the entirety of the time that she was gone? Or the relief he'd felt when he'd gotten word that she was back in Terrasen, or the heart-stopping joy at having her in his arms again? He held her, but gently, half-afraid that if he held her any tighter she might break.

Those gold-ringed eyes drifted away from his, exploring his features as if she worried she might never see them again. They paused on his mouth, but then she looked up at his eyes again, gleaming in that wicked way they did before. He could see what she was doing: covering the fear and pain she felt, trying to push it away so she wouldn't have to face it. "Don't," Rowan told her quietly, narrowing his eyes at her. "I know what you're trying to do. Don't do it." She had tried it before, and sooner or later, that pain came careening back to strike at her like a serpent.

Rowan stared at her sternly for what felt like years, and Aelin's face eventually crumpled. She buried her face in his shoulder and sobbed. He let her, holding her until her eyes dried and her breathing returned to normal. He knew this wouldn't be the only time that would happen. Rowan murmured into her ear, "Let's talk inside. It's cold out here." Winter was almost upon them, now. Soon it'd be snowing.

She walked with him to the arching doors that led inside. She looked back at her companion from earlier. "Go find Lysandra. She'll be glad to know you're safe," she called to him, and Rowan frowned.

"How does he know Lysandra?" He asked her quietly as he opened the door for her.

She grinned, though it looked a bit forced. "Nox gets around," was all she said. He opened his mouth to ask more, but stopped himself. He'd ask later. Right now, Aelin was his priority. He took her hand in his, and they went inside.

I'm sorry that this is late. I was having issues with this chapter cause it needed to feel right.