𝐀 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐭 𝐎𝐟 𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐬

Ch 38: Queen Aelin

"barrelling into me, crushing me into a hug."

Rhysand POV
I followed out after Aelin, stepping into the famed Terrasen. I came out to find Aelin in someone's arms that could practically be her twin, they were so similar. Tears were flowing out of both of their eyes as the male stroked Aelin's hair, and for some odd reason I immediately did not like him. I realised I was glaring at the scene when Feyre placed her hand on my shoulder, calming me down but when I looked at her I saw her smirking like she knew exactly what was happening.

I gave her a playful glare and then I looked back to see that Kaltain and the rest of Aelin's friends had stepped out and were watching the scene in front of them with giant grins. The portal, now that it had completed its job, began to close- but before it could, Beron stepped into the courtyard in Prythian with his sons trailing him. He looked at the black vortex, through which he could see me and the back of a lot of heads, at which his eyes widened as he realised it was a portal and that all the other high lords had gone through. Almost the whole thing had closed but before it could completely collapse Beron lunged through, his face livid. He landed here with his face in the dirt, making everyone turn their heads towards him.

Beron got up and brushed off his tunic, and then looked up straight into my eyes and snarled. He strode towards me probably to hit me for not inviting him but as he took his steps a chanting in the surrounding crowd began. They kept shouting something, and all the soldiers till the eyes could see, followed. Under a minute everyone was chanting "Long Live the Queen!" over and over again which had me and everyone else from Prythian confused and looking for this so called queen. Then something I wasn't expecting in the least happened.

A soldier standing in front, stepped forward and unsheathed his sword as he walked towards Aelin and I was instantly beside her, threatening the soldier to keep back. He glanced at me and looked weary for a second but then Aelin placed the back of her hand on my chest clearly telling me to 'back off' as she kept looking into the soldier's eyes. The man looked stunned for a second and then resumed his walk towards Aelin. He held his sword in both his hands as he knelt and placed it in Aelin's feet. He kept kneeling, his face down staring at the ground in respect and submission. What the hell? Was that normal here?

Another man in the back fell to his knees too, as every single person in the area followed suit. The Mr. I-look-exactly-like-Aelin, was smiling a knowing smile as he too knelt along with the other soldiers. I looked at my sister to find her crying a little, though it seemed more with happiness that anything else. I was confused now, and so was everyone else from Prythian if their faces had anything to say about it.

She walked towards the soldier that knelt first and pulled him up by his shoulders, "thank you" she whispered and did the same with Aedion. "What the hell?" someone asked from the front and I turned to find Tamlin looking at the kneeling figures on the ground. "Why are they all bowing to a woman?" he asked with clear disgust in his voice. "Cause she's the queen" someone shouted glaring at Tamlin with so much fury. I was looking at Aelin in disbelief now, as she turned towards me, apology evident in her eyes.

The horn blew again, robbing me off the chance to give her a piece of mind. We all turned our heads to find a viciously black line coming closer to us. I guessed it was the army, as everyone in the camp scrambled outside the borders, strapping their armour and hanging their swords on the way. I looked at Aelin, more like glared at her, "we're not done talking about this" I said before my wings sprouted from my back and I took off in the sky to get an estimate of the number of assailants in the army coming closer with every minute.

I flew to a height and looked in the distance to see where the army ended, but I couldn't see it - the end. We're so incredibly screwed.

I dropped back to the ground from where I had taken off, and looked straight at Amren and nodded my head, signalling for her to open the portal for the armies to join us here. She looked worried as she nodded back and cut her wrist open with the dagger previously on her waist.

Aelin and her 'court' apparently, walked into the tents to get their armour on as my court besides Amren, who was busy making marks on the ground with her blood, walked outside the camps to welcome Maeve's army.

We reached outside to be met with...humans. They were utterly human. But their skin was so pale I doubted they even had any blood and all their faces were plastered with the same one-sided smirk which was sort of creepy but also said 'you've already lost'. They didn't seem all that surprised that people from another world were here.

I stood in my stance as the other High Lords joined me, besides Beron who grudgingly disagreed to fight something he wasn't invited too, and Tamlin who kept saying "I'll join when you lot are dead". I was tempted to throw their asses right back into Prythian as they wait for Hybern to come and kill them.

Aelin POV
Rowan and Aedion kept doting on me, trying to convince me to sit this one out after I told Aedion about my pregnant situation. It was stupid, to give Rowan allies in the war of making me sit this one out, I realised that after they asked for the hundredth time. "That's the heir of Terrasen right there. I am not failing to protect it even before its born." Aedion said, and I was tempted to burn his hair right off his head. "I. Am. Not. Asking. For. Permission." I growled before I finished putting on my breast plate. "Territorial fae bastards" I called before stepping out the tent.

I went to the borders but before I could actually un-sheathe my sword I heard Rhysand mutter something under his breathe that sounded suspiciously like "I thought Rowan was going to keep her inside." I whirled on him ready to physically fight him if I had to but then the horn blew, and the sound was too close for my comfort which made all the anger I was feeling a second ago change into panic.

The intoxicating light of the dawn court suddenly came into my view and looked back to see the source, only to find more portals littering our side fo the battlefield. Out of one came a string of warrior males with wings like Azriel's and a stone on each of their chests, led by Cassian. Out of another stepped warriors with wings of feather, brightly coloured but combined with the hard looks of the warriors made them feel ferocious too.
The armies from Prythian.

I turned my gaze back towards the army gaining on us. We were on the borders of Orynth, the palace a little ways behind, which gave us more space for which I was thankful as I stepped out of formation. My soldiers were now all standing in perfect formation behind me, ready to attack on my command. Aedion stepped out of the crowds as he made his way next to me. I looked at him once, and then towards Rhysand who was also standing in the front lines with the other high lords and Feyre. Saying my possibly silent final goodbye I gave Aedion a nod, "you're the general." I said, before I took off in a run towards the armies.

I was craving blood, I needed to kill someone, I needed to finally let the nightmares go, I needed to exhale all the anger and the flames that I had painfully kept inside me since the day I left that forsaken coffin, and I needed to do it now.