[DISCONTINUED] TOG and ACOTAR Crossover

06

Aelin sat down on the carpeted floor, Fenrys next to her. Ge had his head resting on his fluffy front paws and his tail swished lazily about.

"So," Rhysand said "we ask a question, you answer it. In return i'll tell you something important about this world."

"Like the bone carver?" Feyre quirked a brow. The High Lord nodded, but Aelin had no idea what they were talking about.

"Where are you from?" Cassian asked first.

"Terrasen. It's a country in the north of Erelia."

In return, Rhysand explained that Prythian was split into courts, not countries. They were each ruled over by a High Lord and had magic corresponding with their particular season.

"Do you know anyone of importance in your world? Royals, for example."

Fenrys huffed out a breath, as if to say you'd be surprised.

"A lot actually - Manon, the Queen of the Crochan Witches, Ansel of Briacliff; Queen of the Weatern Wastes, and Dorian Havilliard, the King of Adarlan."

Mor's eyes widened. "I'm surprised you're not a royal yourself if you know that many important people."

Aelin could hear fenrys laugh (or, as close to it as he could in his wolf form), and Aelin herself let out a nervous chuckle. But it seemed like the shadowsinger, who was watching the scene silently, didn't miss anything.

"Are you a royal?" he asked.

"You've got to give me something in return first." Aelin tried to avoid that particular question as much as possible. It wasn't that she ashamed, Gods no. How could she be ashamed of ruling such a beautiful country? It was just that if people from other realms knew - people that she didn't fully trust yet - then it could make them suspectible to otherworldy attacks.

"fine," he exhaled, "we don't get along with the Spring or Autumn court. The Dawn court is neutral, and we are on good terms with Summer, Day and Winter."

Interesting. She certainly understood why they didn't get along with the Spring Court. Tamlin was a bit of a selfabsorbed idiot and even thinking his name enraged her to no end.

"So, are you a royal?" Feyre urged.

Aelin let out a self suffering sigh.
"Yes, i'm the Queen of Terrasen."

shocked gasps sounded throughout the rooms. Each and every one of them, to her entertainment, had their mouths agape. Cassian was the first to collect himself.

"I thought you said you were an assassin?"

"I was for most of my life."

It seemed like the whole 'answer a question in exchange for knowledge' idea had been blown out of the window. She didn't really mind, though - at least she was getting some important information.

"Long story short, my parents were murdered. I woke up in a pool of their own blood, managed to escape before the killer came after me and I was found half dead in a freezing river by Arobynn Hammel, the King of Assassins."

They winced at that. That had only just been the first few years of her life and it was already horrific. What else had she endured?

"He was the one that taught you to fight?"

"Yes, amongst other people. But he was horrible; his training methods were effective, but brutal."

Aelin stood up, shaking off the cramp in her legs and walking over to the comfy sofa.

"Thanks to him, though, i'm imune to a lot of poisions, I can kill people in one move and I can get out of any prison cell or chains. Well, almost any chains."

Fenrys let out the most gutteral growl they had ever heard at that. Feyre flinched at the violence promised in it and even Amren narrowed her eyes in suspicion. when aelin had mentioned almost any chains, it had obviously been a sore spot for them both. It had been personal.

"What about your scars? We're did you get them?" Rhysand's voice was gentle when he asked, but curiosity burned bright.

"This one here," Aelin held up a palm, "is curtosey of Arobynn. He wanted me to learn to use my left hand more, and so he said that either he could break my hand right hand, or I could do it."

"By the cauldron," Mor muttered, face pale. That was something else that confused the queen. It was like saying 'Gods', but she had no idea what the cauldron was.

"That night, I slammed it in a door and broke most of the bones. Couldn't use it for months, and so I had to rely on my left hand. Painful, but his idea worked."

Aelin then lifted her other hand. Rhysand honestly thought that it would be another story similar to the one she just told, but it was a lot more personal and sorrowful.

"This one is because of a vow I made," tears glimmered in her eyes, but she forced herself to continue speaking and didn't let them fall.

"I promised my freind, princess Nehemiah of Ellywe, after she died, that I would save her country."

"I'm sorry," Feyre whispered. Her emotions were extra high due to the pregnancy hormones. The queen then pulled up the sleeve of her shirt to show the ring of scars around her wrists. The inner circle had really bad feeling about the story to come.

"These are from shackles. I had fallen in love with a boy named Sam; he was under aroybnn's control too. Sam was tortured and killed, and when I went to get my revenge, I was captured."

Mor covered her mouth with her palm. Even the fifteen thousand year old emotionless Amren had an expression of horror on her face - her silver eyes were churning bright with it.

"Where did they take you?"

"The salt mines of Endovier. It's were they force slaves to work, and most don't survive the month."

Shadows began to curl around Azriel's head as he spoke "how long were you there?"

"A year."

Aelin suddenly stood up and pulled her shirt over her head. She had a white band around her breasts (so she wasn't fully naked), but they could still see the full expanse of skin. She turned around to show the large, claw like marks that raked their way down her back.

"Those are whip marks from Endovier."

Fenrys stood up and walked over to her, nuzzling his furry head against her legs in comfort. She was so young, and yet she had been through so much.

"What about all the others?"

Aelin tensed and pull the shirt back over her head.

"Everything else is all from one incident. I'm not going to talk about it."

Wisely, they kept their mouths shut. If she had gotten all of those marks from a single event, it must have been horrific. More horrific than endovier. They understood the fact that she wouldn't tell anyone, especially not people she barely knew.

The inner circle couldn't decide if they wanted to know or not.

-+-

A/N
Written: 6th August 2020
Edited: 26th October 2020