throne of glass & acotar crossover

01

[ a/n : this is set just after empire of storms when aelin is taken. it's in the two month gap when she is with maeve and would continue after! ]

perhaps it was a mercy, aelin thought or maybe it was simply because he had forgotten.

she was currently laid in the iron coffin with only shackles around her wrists and feet. no mask this time.

but aelin realised it would be the latter reason - cairn did not show any small acts of kindness, especially to the queen of terrasen.

the lid of her confinement was a horrible thing, trapping in all of the blackness and letting no life enter. she didn't think she would be able to stand the dark again - not even the peaceful dark that allowed you to think.

that was another thing maeve had ruined for her. how broken would she be at the end of it all; until she was finally released. if she was finally released.

and they had not sent healers this time. instead, aelin's cuts were open and raw and her broken bones throbbed when she tried to inhale.

the only warmth in her metal prison was the pool of blood that she laid in. that seeped through her ragged top.

aelin's eyes began to drift shut with the pain - maybe this time she would die. she didn't know whether she would welcome that event with open arms or not.

but as her soul drifted away into abyss, she realised that she had many things to live for. if not for rowan, her mate, then for the fate of terrasen and her friends.

she would endure all of this for centuries if it meant keeping them safe.

and so she fought death. her mind, heart and body panicked as she kicked and screamed at its doorstep, pulling away frantically before it could drag her over the line for ever.

she had to live for rowan. she would see him again.

suddenly, her essence snapped back into place where it belonged. but deep down she knew that something had gone wrong.

she could feel the faint thrumming in her head and the trickle of blood as it winded from her nose at the amount of magic that had just been generated.

but the final giveaway was the room she was now in. light pooled in through the large windows and melted on the floor around her like sticky honey.

it was as if mala fire bringer had shone down onto the girl herself. was she free? has the gods deigned to save her?

but that was all she managed to see and think before darkness encased her once more and she fell into a dreamless slumber.

-

"got anything for us to do today, rhsyie?" cassian taunted, biting into a ruby red apple. azriel looked at him expectantly.

the high lord simply shook his head as he placed his hand on feyre's thigh. she smiled at the contact.

"go find something to do, cassian," amren hissed from the seat she was perched upon "and leave us be." the girl had a steaming mug of tea (now that she was fae, she had to consume normal foods) but didn't flinch at the heat.

the warrior chose to ignore amren's statement "well i hope something exciting happens. i'm quite bored today".

it was as if his sentence had triggered something in the universe, because just after he finished his last word, a girl fell from the sky.

sat in the garden, all they could do was watch the vast blue as a portal opened and someone dropped through.

rhysand dropped his glass as he swiftly stood up and stared at the woman, a tone of darkness encasing her as he slowed her fall. after a few seconds, she touched the ground gently.

instantly, they winnowed inside at the command of their high lord. they wouldn't want anyone to see this - not until they had deemed her unthreatening.

everyone stepped back as rhsyand laid her on the floor; her eyes fluttered open softly. he could tell that there had once been fight in them eyes, that this girl had once shone ferociously.

but all he saw now was the muted blue and dimmed gold of her iris - a reflection upon her current state. and so they drifted shut once more.

about five minutes later, the inner circle staring at her expectantly, the mysterious woman shot up, gasping for breath.

"it's okay. you're safe" rhysand murmured, stepping a bit closer - she flinched.

something inside of him cracked at the movement. it cracked because it reminded him of the woman next to him whom he loved with all of his being. of how utterly broken she had been at one point in her life.

as the shock of this interruption wore off, everyone finally realised the state of her. the top she wore hung just to her mid thigh, although it wasn't how short it was that captured and shredded their hearts.

it was the crimson blood that stained it. in certain areas, the colour was deeper and darker than other parts, as if whoever had done this focused more time in tormenting that section.

and the blood was still warm as it flowed freshly from her body. deep cuts and bruises were lined all the way down her arms, legs and neck and no doubt on her torso beneath the cloth.

she clutched one arm with the other and the one she held so tenderly was definitely broken. so rhysand and feyre got to work whilst the others observed.

this time, the woman didn't make any scared movements as they healed her. rhysand didn't know what was worse - the fear or the utter stillness. at least the first showed some emotion.

but now, her eyes were glazed and foggy as if she was reliving the most horrible memories.

the high lord only hoped that he could help her as he softly picked up her broken arm and a single tear dropped onto her pale cheek.