Reign of Embers

Chapter 11 - Once upon a time...

Aelin

A few hours later I'm sat next to Josefin in her bedroom in the children's wing. Rowan has made it so the air magnifies me and Josie's voices, while keeping everyone else silent. Everyone who wants to be here is in the common room that joins all the bedrooms together.

Each child's room is decorated to match their personality, scent, and powers. Josie's room is painted a light blue, with a border at the top of the walls of swirling gold spirals and flowing lines entwining themselves around small bursts of sliver leaves and flowers. The colour scheme represents her powers of healing, the calm blue giving way to bursts of light and joy in the gold and silver. All the shapes were chosen to represent her scent of sea mist and eucalyptus. The room has simple furniture, a double bed, small seating area, a bookshelf and a dresser for clothes. Although there isn't much in the room, it's decorated beautifully and looks very extravagant. There isn't much in the bed rooms because the children have so much to do in the rest of the wing of the castle. Hundreds of toys and books are found in the huge play room and small library. There is a separate room for when some of the kids become teenagers that has a space to escape and relax. It's full of huge bathing pools, dressing rooms, reading corners and even a small training room. However it's currently not in use due to no one being old enough.

Me and Josie sit facing each other on her bed, she looks nervous so I smile and start talking.

"Josie do you want to start or should I ?" I ask warmly.

" I...I don't know. " she stutters

"You don't have to do this, but we'll need to know at some point."

" No. I want to its just.... You won't judge me? "

"Of course I won't judge you, Josie whatever happened can't be any worse than what I've done. I'm here to help you, we need to find out what hurt you before it hurts anyone else, but to do that we need to know what we're hunting." I don't tell her that it's vital that she speaks, that people could die. It's hard to face that much responsibility .

"But what if I can't help you? What if it was just a creature from the Oakwald that was out hunting and I strayed into its path? What if-"

I sigh and she stops as she looks at my face.

"Even if it is a creature that lives there, they had no right to try and hurt you and I will personally hunt it down and remind them that I am their queen." This time it's her time to smile. " Tell you what, I'll go first. "

"Ok." She says, followed by a pause . " Aunt Aelin, You dont have to tell me everything if it's too painful for you."

" I think you're old enough to know the truth. Before we have always left out any dark or scary details, but you've seen your fair share of that now. "

"Ok if you're sure."

I smile slightly . "I am. Now let's begin."

I shift into a more comfortable position then start talking.

" Once upon a time, in a land long since burnt to ash, there lived a young princess who loved her kingdom... "

And so I begin. I tell my story - all of it. Josefin doesn't interrupt at all, but she gapes in disbelief most of the time. I tell her about my life as Celeana, Lillian, Dianna, and all my many other names. I tell her my tales of pirates and witches, assassins and princes. I tell her how I met her mother, and her father. I tell her every single last detail. As I recount my story, I cry. I let out all my tears for my fallen friends and family. But I do not stop. I think Josie starts crying at some point in my tale, but I keep talking. I tell her about falling in love with Sam and being sent to Endovier when he died. I tell her how I thought I'd never love again, but I found Dorian, Chaol, and eventually Rowan - My mate. I show her my pain and love, my fear and guilt. I share my memories of Nehemia before she died, and how I wished Chaol dead. My voice shakes as I recall my later memories of being tortured by Maeve for months, but I keep going until I reach the final battle. After I had recounted my near death, leading to me falling through worlds and being saved by a winged fae with violet eyes, and a pregnant female. The final battle sends shivers down her spine as I recall the words I shouted before taking on the villains of my story - I am a god. I then tell her how the thirteen died, and Gavriel, then how her mum finished off Erawan for good, therefore saving us all. I finish my story with the rebuilding of Terrasen and the arrival of each new life in our court. I explain how my loved ones helped me through my life, and how I came to have my many nicknames; Elentiya, fireheart, fire breathing bitch queen, and all the others. But most of all I tell her that whenever I was scared or am scared, I always say "my name is Aelin Ashryver Whitehorn Galathynius and I will not be afraid". I remember how I came to start doing that- Sam. Whenever I feel like breaking, I remember what I was told so long ago "You do not yield." I leave no moment ignored, everything in my story has been told and for the first time since the war, I feel as though I am ready to share my story with the world.

As I finish my tale I realise I'm still crying and Josie has tear stains over her face, fresh tears beading in her eyes, mouth wide open in shock. But after everything I just told her, there is only one question she asks me.

"Did you love him? Sam, Did you love him?"

I smile weakly as I respond.

" With all my heart. "

For a moment we just sit there in a comfortable silence, and I let everything I just told her sink in. After about 10 minutes of no talking, she begins to tell me what happened in the woods. Its a much shorter story than mine, but it's no less important.

She tells me how she was tired and went into the woods, a guard right behind her, and how he kept telling her to go back, but she didn't listen. She went too far into the forest and it was so dark that they could hardly see anything, but something felt off, then all sound went from the world. She explains the battle in the dark and the pain she felt when the strange sand pierced her skin. She cries as she remembers her fear, and then the horror and guilt she felt when she turned to find her guard dead. When she describes what the guard's corpse looks like. I cry with her as I remember the shock of finding those killed by valg - empty, hollow shells, with all life sucked out of them. Except this time it's different. This time coils of shadows wrap around the dying, then settle on he dead. She ends the story with the memory of her fainting when she found Chaol again.

"Are you ok Josie?" I ask, voice low and calm. She nods her head noncommittaly. I wrap my arms around her and she melts into my embrace. After a few minutes of her crying and me comforting her, I pull away.

"I'm going to have to ask you a few questions, ok?"

She sniffles, wipes her eyes, then nods.

"Ok good. Do you have any idea what the creature was?" I had to be sure, although she had already mostly explained what it looked like .

"No. All I know is that it was fast. Very fast. And blended into the surroundings. It was kind of like a shadow, the way it moved. When it turned up, everything stopped making noises, even the wind, and not even the moon and stars could light up the forest. Also, when it wanted to attack, it kind of had to solidify. It was strange. One minute there was a shadow reaching towards me, and the next there was a dark sand substance trying to kill me."

" Ok, interesting. Did it have any weaknesses? I know you said you used your powers to stop it from killing you. "

"Yeah, it seemed to hate any light, which would kind of explain the shadow thing. I didn't know how to kill it but I struck it with my powers, sent a wave of them towards it, as it wasn't expecting it after it hurt me. The light seemed to drive it away. But my powers wanted to heal it, but also recoiled."

" Hmm ok. Thank you Josie. " I say, and hug her again. "I'm going to go and talk to the others, do you want to come? Or I can send someone in to see you?"

"Can you find Gavriel?" She looks so hopeful and happy at the thought of seeing him.

" I will find him. But remember that you are supposed to be resting. "

"I've rested for ages though!"

I smirk. She reminds me of quite a few people.

" So the future healer won't let herself heal. "

"I'm fine. Please just get Gavriel, I haven't seen him in months."

" Okay. "

I stand up off the bed and walk to the door, ready to face the others. I'm opening the door when Josie calls across the room.

"Thank you!"

I smile as I leave the room, remembering that in a few months, I'll have my own children to love and protect.