Throne of Roses

Chapter 18

Aelin was laughing and playing with a group of children that looked between five and ten, Nehemiah and Kaden were among those kids. Mor noticed that apart from the incident this morning the orphans were always happy and laughing. Rowan then came in with two smaller children of about three years, he set them down and joined in what ever game his wife was playing with the other kids.
After another look around the room Mor noticed that apart form Aelin and her court there were no other caretakers for the kids.
'Hello.' Said Lady Elide with a small smile.
'Hello, Lady Elide.' Mor said pushing away her disgust and bowing her head. Elide laughed a little.
'There's no need for the formality. How is your stay in Terassen?'
'It's... great.' Mor said faking enthusiasm.
'There's no need to lie to me either.' Mor's head whipped to look at the Lady, Mor's face clearly showing her shock.
'How did you know I was lying?' Mor asked, now suspicious of Elide wondering if like her queen she could too switch between a human and a fae body.
'I can usually tell things others can't. You've been watching Aelin, you don't like her do you?' Elide asked though it sounded more like a statement.
'She enslaved my Cousin and his mate. She lied to us. Why should I like her?' Mor said slightly better, dropping her facade if only a little. Elide frowned at her.
'Aelin has been through a lot, I am not excusing her actions but asking you to understand my Queen. She was in a foreign place with no one she could trust. She trusts Rhysand and Feyre but her plans... she very rarely shares those. Her mate and family... we are always afraid for her, her plans tend to be dangerous but only for her. She would do anything for her people and we know it.' Elide said looking at Aelin like she would disappear at any moment.
'How do you know she would do anything for you if she lies?' Elide looked at Mor for a while before answering.
'Because she gave her life, she knew she was going to be tortured, beaten, starved, broken... but she preferred that fate then letting me have a quick death. She lost so much sleep working to improve Terassen. She doesn't go to sleep until she knows that all of her people have a bed to sleep in and had a meal. I think it's because she knows what it's like to be starving, to sleep on the cold, hard floor, what it's like to be a slave.' Elide's eyes were lined with silver and she turned back to look at Aelin.
'She was a slave? You Queen I mean.'
'For a year when she was sixteen.' Elide's voice grew weak but she continued 'She swore that her people would never suffer such fate ever again.' Mor was about to say something but one of the children run up to Elide.
'Mommy come play with us. Anti Lysandra and anti Feyre turned into ghost leopards!' Said the boy.
'Okay, Cal.' Elide told her son, now grinning and they went off leaving Mor to go through the information she was just given.

Mor was helping Aelin change the nappies of three babies.
'Do you change orphan baby's nappies a lot?' Mor asked.
'No, not that much.' Aelin laughed. 'The children come here once a year for three days and two nights. But I visit them as often as I can.'
'You love those kids don't you?'
'Off course in a way all of the people in Terassen are my children. And I love all of them as such.' Aelin said and Mor felt like the queen was being honest.