A Court of Ash and Fire

Chapter Nineteen

 Aelin flopped onto her golden sheets, sighing. Resting a hand on her full stomach, she put out the candles with a twitch of her finger.

Helion hadn't asked many complicated questions, with she was thankful for. The whole meal, though, he was staring at her like she was his next course.

A few minutes ago she had retired to her rooms, and had gotten quickly changed into a white nightgown before jumping into her bed.

She snuggled into her soft pillows, closing her eyes. For the first time in a long while, she felt safe.

~

Aelin woke gently and slowly, sunlight filtering through the curtains. She yawned, stretching as she sat up in bed, rubbing her eyes. She reached over her side for Rowan-

Oh. Right.

She slipped out of bed, fluffing out her hair, when she noticed a note peeking out from under her door. Curious, she bent down, picked it up and unfolded it.

In elegant handwriting was written, Thank you for dining with me Aelin. I hope you have enjoyed your stay. And, don't worry-your secret is safe with me. I won't be telling little Rhysie anything. -Helion.

She turned the note to ash in her hands. How did he find out? She inspected a lock of her still-red hair, panic flaring in her chest. It was impossible. Rhysand and Feyre were looking for a human girl with gold hair, not a Fae female with red hair-

Shit. Her eyes. That was the one part of her she hadn't been able to hide. And they were too unique and usual to go unnoticed.

Hurriedly, she ran into the bathroom, grabbing her freshly washed and patched clothes from the counter. She threw them on, braiding back her hair as she did so, and sprinted to the balcony. She peered down at the drop. It wasn't too far. Taking a deep breath, she took a couple of steps back, then launched herself up and over the railing.

She met an invisible shield hovering in mid-air. Her nose took most of the impact, crunching under the force of her jump. She collapsed onto the ground, swearing. She was trapped.

She sent a blast of fire into the shield, but it didn't break. She screamed in frustration, banging her fists onto the floor. Gods, she was pissed.

She harrumphed, plopping down onto the floor. Looks like she was going to this ball after all.

~

Aelin didn't leave her rooms for the rest of the day. Delicious food appeared on her bed whenever she felt her stomach rumble, and she did find some interesting things to do while she waited for the ball to begin. For example, she set multiple chairs on fire, and then watched in curiosity as they reversed her damage and repaired themselves.

She also found it wonderfully distracting to make weapons out of anything she could find. She melted down her stolen diamond necklace to form a diamond dagger, and so broke off coffee table legs to form makeshift spear heads.

By the time the sun set, she had had quite a productive day. She had slept in, bathed, created some weapons, set some things on fire... You know, the usual. She had just scraped the last of her beef stew from her bowl when a white box with a gold ribbon appeared on her bed.

She set her bowl down just as her food tray disappeared and shuffled over to the box. There was a note attached to the bow: Darling Aelin; enjoy.

She wrinkled her nose at the intimate note, then untied the bow and let the box fall open. She pulled the folded dress from the box, and couldn't help but smile.

~

I sighed in frustration, taking a sip from my champagne glass. "Did we really have to come?" I asked Rhys, who studied the dance floor intently. "I thought we had other priorities."

Rhys' eyes glowed in the romantic faelight. "It was hard to refuse. Besides, our sources have said that Aelin is heading south. Perhaps she still might be here. Just a shame that Helion banned all violence, so even if she was here, we couldn't capture her and take her back with us."

I shrugged, downing the rest of bubbles in my flute. "I have to admit, I love this dress. Helion is a generous host." I smoothed an invisible wrinkle from my magnificent gown, the pretty beige tulle making up the full skirt, which was covered in glittering gold appliques. My shoulders were bare, my chest covered with a sweetheart neckline and tiny cuffs on my upper arms. My hair had been swept up into a half-up, half-down style, fixed with a golden clip at the back of my head. My Night Court diadem sat upon my head.

Rhys looked especially handsome, with his black suit with swirls of gold embroidery. In fact, all of the party guests wore outfits of gold. It looked like the sun spirits had visited earth.

Mor waltzed on the dance floor with Azriel, Cassian stood brooding close by Nesta, and Amren lurked by the entrance, her silver eyes glowing.

I placed my flute down onto a passing servants tray. "Dance with me?" I asked Rhys, taking his hand and leading him into the crowd. An orchestra played a beautiful symphony in the corner of the ballroom, and Rhys and I swayed to the beat.

I rested my head on his shoulder, breathing in his scent. "It's nice to relax," I said quietly. His hand around my waist squeezed gently. "We've had some much on our minds."

Rhys hummed, brushing a kiss to the spot under my ear. My toes curled.

The song ended, and the crowd applauded. They clapped even louder when Helion appeared at the top of the grand staircase, looking ravishing draped in white and gold. "Welcome," he smirked. "I hope you are all enjoying the entertainment, dancing and music."

He paused, and his eyes landed on us. He winked. "Now, I would like to introduce my special guest, who appeared on my doorstep last night and is now a dear friend of mine. Please welcome Daeva."

My mouth fell open as Aelin appeared beside Helion. Her dress was simple, but exquisite; a straight neckline, tight bodice, A-line skirt, and thick straps, but what made it other-worldly was thar every single inch of it was covered in golden sparkles. She looked like a drop of pure sunlight.

 She gently smiled as Helion bent at the waist and kissed the back of her palm. Her long hair that matched her dress cascaded down her back, incredible golden droplets hanging from her earlobes. She scanned the ballroom with the air of a queen, and when she spotted me, she paused and blew a kiss.