The Queen of Flame and Shadow

The End and the Beginning

(The war ended mere moments ago)

She was finally gone from this world. The Valg were gone, and Maeve could hurt Erilea no more. Aelin looked towards her friends, saw the tiredness in their eyes, yet also recognized the hope for a new future. Today, they would wash off the blood from their skin, and tomorrow, they would mourn those that they had lost. The new nightmares that they had gained might keep them up at night, wishing that they had met their end, but now was not the time to think of such things. 

Fenrys needed to get his face healed immediately, so Rowan and Lorcan helped him get to Yrene. Gazes filled with awe followed in their wake, for they not only saw the heroes of today, but also the legends of tomorrow. 

Aelin needed a minute to herself, so she walked in the direction of a creek in the forest, not thinking about anything in particular, but yet everything at once. What was she to do now? She could finally get her crown, help her people rebuild, but why did this leave her feeling uneasy? Even after everything, she did not believe herself to be worthy of her people, she felt she did not even have the right to call them that. For wasn't is her who left them to die in the first place, when she lived in riches when they were slaughtered? What would they think of her? 

She looked down to the scars that marked her palms, the promises made to friends and allies she hoped not to break. She remembered when Rowan told her that the reason she marked her skin, the reason she left the marks, was because she was doing penance for her sins. It was only right in her mind. But there was also another reason. 

The whips on her back reminded her of her times in the Salt Mines of Endovier, of the people that she wished to free. They reminded her of Sam, an ember that had the potential to be a wild fire, snuffed out too soon. She had scars from her time as Celaena, Adarlan's Assassin. From being Lillian Gordaina, Diana Bracklyn, Elentiya. The latter name was one she cherished with all of her heart. It reminded her of a princess that should have had more time, but she loved her country, and would do anything to give it a chance. And now, most of her scars reminded her of her time with Cairn. The stabbings, slashings, whips, bone extractions, the burnings. They spun a story of pain and despair, a time without hope. 

The one thing they did not reminder her of was Aelin. The young princess with parents that adored her, with a cousin that loved to push her, and with a bright future without the promise of bloodshed. So who was Aelin now, she thought to herself. How could she claim a name that did not seem to fit who she had become? 

She had finally reached the lake, pulling her out of her self deprecating thoughts. She went to unstrap some of the beautiful golden armor until she was only left in her blood stained skin and clothes underneath. She then kneeled by the water's edge. The water was cold and crisp between her finger tips, and when she brought it to her lips, she could taste all the minerals in it. The birds were singing beautiful melodies, something so at odds with the war that was only a few leagues away. It seemed that life would always prevail. Now that she was looking, she could see the beauty of the trees in the setting sun, the shadows that crept up near her. 

Even though she had had enough of being locked in the dark, she would never be afraid of the shadows. They kept her company when she was alone, when she could not remember where she was, when all she knew was that she would not be afraid. Without them, she would have broken, would not have been able to have the name Elentiya bestowed onto her. Even though she was known for her fire, she took comfort in the shadows. They were not true dark, signifying that they had some light. Nor did they mean her harm. All they wanted was to keep her whole, not rip her apart like many monsters in her life. 

She knew that she should start heading back soon, to see how Fenrys and everybody else was doing, but she could not seem to make herself get up. Even though her crown was a weight that she would bear, it was a weight nonetheless. A weight that made her think of chains and shackles. Would this be her final moment of freedom, true freedom? The though quickened her heart for a couple beats, but like the assassin she was inside, she was able to master herself a breath later. 

It was because of this that she did not immediately see the leaves begin to spin on a phantom breeze. The breeze soon became a howling wind; a big dark mass was forming. Purple tinged its edges, and white specks, almost like stars, decorated the whirling mass itself. Aelin knew it for the Wyrd portal that is was, but why was it here? When she forged the lock, it should not have been possible to open one. 

She could not seem to tear her gaze away from its beauty, and the wind got so strong, and...and...she was getting pulled into the portal! She had to admit that the thought did not scare her as much as it should have, she had no idea what was on the other side for Gods -- wait, could she say Gods any more? She did banish them to Hell...because she is a Bitch Queen, so if anything, she was a God. -- Anyhow, with that thought in mind she jumped right in. 

As she was falling, the wind ripped at her clothes, her hair, her skin. She could feel the pain from shifting back and forth between her mortal and immortal form, finally ending with her mortal one when she broke into another world. She was high in the sky, and could see the ground rapidly approaching. There was little that she could do. It was only with a star-flecked wind that she was able to not splatter on the cobble stones. Before she was knocked unconscious, a prophecy played in her head. 

Ah World Walker you appear again,

You never do seem to meet your end.

The time has come to fight anew,

The enemy you once thought you slew.

Now you must fight a brand new war,

In order to settle an age old score.

And as before the same will suffice,

Nameless is my price. 

And with that, everything went black. 

Any thoughts, constructive criticism, and overall feelings would be wonderful! Also, thank you so much for taking the time to read it, and I hope to update it if people like it. 

Thank you very much,

UnaDisgrace123