The tall grass swayed in the wind around the two women lying on the ground. The portal had closed shortly after they had jumped through, and they had both tumbled to the ground, relief brimming from ever pore on their bodies. Aelin's heart beat wildly, the effects of the short time in the sarcophagus was still riding her nerves. She shivered. She turned her head, looking at the younger Aelin. The facial scar got a faint sheen from the moonlight, and she found herself wondering why the girl hadn't gotten it removed yet. Had she gotten a scar like that at that age herself, she most likely would have gone straight to the gifted healers in the Torre Cesme to have it removed.
«What was that about Rowan with pink hair?» she asked. She relished the wind caressing her face, blowing away the feeling of being locked up in a tight, small place. She blinked, and focused on the growing, wicked grin on her companions' face.
«It was a fun experiment. I wanted to see if his feathers changed colour if his hair did, and to my great delight, it did. He wasn't too happy about it, though.» she laughed heartily, Aelin wondered if she herself would ever be able to laugh like that again. She waved away the thought, useless as it was, she would die soon anyway making the lock.
Aelin fixed her gaze at the stars, finding The Lord of The North. She tried to envision Rowan strutting about with bright pink hair, and felt a laugh bubble up within her. Her lips twitched upward before a low chuckle escaped her.
«I hope those fires did a real number on his weapon and armour caches, and he won't have time to forge new ones.» Young Aelin said after moment of silence.
«I'm sure it did.» she said, glancing over at Young Aelin. «Nervous?»
She said nothing for a moment, chewing on her words. «Yes, very. It's a bit... daunting, a full on war is a lot different than a fight between a few people. What about you, does making the lock scare you?»
She looked back up at the stars, at the thousands of ever watching lights. «At first it did, but not anymore. When the death of one saves the lifes of thousands... well, it's not a hard choice to make.»
«I guess that makes you braver than me.» she said slowly. «When Manon told me about it I almost freaked out, that is, until Dorian assured me he was taking care of it. After that I've barely thought about it.»
«Your strengths lies elsewhere Aelin. From what I've heard you are quite the charismatic leader. The way you handled Darrow, or how you lead Ren's rebels, even when you faced uncle Glaston. Bravery is more than just being willing to die, Aelin.»
Silence fell between them, and Aelin looked over at the young one. Face set in a thoughtful mask, mulling on something over in her mind. «There has to be some other wa--»
«No, there's not. I've had a long time to think about it, to find a solution, but there is no other way.» she said, with a sad tinge to her tone she couldn't hide. Her eyes grew moist, but she blinked it away while keeping her gaze at the stars. Dawn was approaching, making the stars in the night sky less clear.
A flock of birds flew into her field of vision, and a strange sight it was. Usually birds of the same species stuck together, but this one contained birds in all shapes and sizes. She glanced over at Aelin, who was also studying the birds.
«Why is he coming from the west?» Young Aelin said and sat up. The birds angled down, diving straight for them. Aelin sat up too, waiting for the hawk to land. The women both rose to their feet.
The hawk halted his descent, then shifted while still floating a few feet of the ground. Then Rowan looked back and forth between them, arms folded and face unreadable. «Was the mission successful?» he asked.
«It went quite smoothly.» she said, and held up the keys. She glanced quickly at Young Aelin, she had forgotten to ask her not to say anything about her panicky moment inside the sarcophagus, but she said nothing only giving Rowan a half grin full of swagger.
«And exactly how many hiccups does 'smoothly' contain?» he arched an eyebrow at them.
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He watched the two women exchange a glance, and he groaned inwardly. They were a formidable pair.
«I think we should feel offended by that, don't you think?» his Aelin said, grinning like a wildcat at the younger one.
«I couldn't agree more.» she said, grinning even more than the older one, putting her hands on her hips. «But what are you doing down here, anyway?» she said, folding her arms across her chest, the grin fading from face.
«You said I couldn't come with you into the tomb, so I staged a diversion instead.» he said, and grinned, well it was more like teeth-showing. «No injuries?» he itched to inspect her, them, to make sure for himself that they were alright. His Aelin raised and eyebrow at him.
«We're fine, Rowan...» at that moment her stomach growled very loudly. «But I might be a bit hungry it seems.» she said with a sheepish grin on her face. He could see the young one fighting a laugh from erupting, and the other glared somewhat playfully at her. They had become friends, he didn't know why that surprised him, but it did.
Rowan chuckled, then turned toward his warriors. «We'll eat and rest here, and wait for the human forces to catch up before we continue.» the Fae saluted him then went to relay the orders and set up camp.
He turned back to the women, the Old Aelin was studying him, wearing her ageless gaze. The young one however seemed a bit distracted, or even a bit uncomfortable. He couldn't imagine how she felt about this, though she hadn't seemed too agitated about it in her note, she could just be putting on a brave face. The ring in his pocket felt heavy.
«Your new role seems to suit you well, Rowan.» she said, looking at the Fae scurrying about, preparing the encampment.
He just shrugged. «Come, let's get you two something to eat before you fall on your faces.» he said, then motioned for then to follow him.
The ring poked him again, and he glanced at Young Aelin, marking the way she looked at everything except him. If he had only kept his distance, if he had never gone for her when Sam learned of the mating bond. If he had exercised some control and just let her live her life, then she wouldn't have been in so much pain now.
He clenched his jaw tightly, digging out some food from a pack, and handed it to the Aelins. They all ate in silence, it even felt a bit awkward, or maybe that was just him.
YOU ARE READING
The Past Lies Ahead (A Throne Of Glass Fanfic)
FanfictionSet after ToD and EoS [COMPLETE] A ToG fanfiction Rowan found a way to go back in time. Now he only needed to get his fiery mate on the right track, but that will only be one of his problems. Will he be able to watch her love another?
