hearts of metal

v. my daughter

The next day, the whole crew showed up for breakfast. Including Rowan and Lorcan. The two stayed out of her way and hardly interacted with her. And, surprisingly, Rhoe also showed up. Although, it was maybe not that surprising considering their conversation from last night.

Rhoe began to appear more and more after that. Showing up not just for breakfast, but in between meals, just to talk to her.

On the third day of this, he knocked on her bedroom door. "Hey, what do you say we go for a little trip?" he asked.

Although a little uncertain, Aelin still threw on some of her new clothes and met Rhoe downstairs. He grinned at her.

"Ready, princess?" he asked, before leading her out the door to a car.

She slid him in next to him, wondering where they were going. She got her answer when, shortly after, they pulled up to a small restaurant off the side of the road. It seemed run down, with chipped, peeling paint, but upon walking inside, Aelin found that it was cute and charming.

"This is where I first met your mother," Rhoe said, glancing around the palace with fondness.

Aelin's heart tightened. "WIll you tell me more about her?"

Rhoe nodded. "Whatever you want to know."

At that moment, they were interrupted by an older man, with brown wrinkled skin and a wide smile.

"Rhoe," the man called out. "About time you came back to visit," he said warmly. He froze in front of them and his smile faded as his eyes stuck to Aelin. "Is this..."

"My daughter," Rhoe said. He laid a hand on her shoulder.

Aelin smiled at the man, and he smiled back. "Yes, you look just like Evalin. I'm Emrys. Your mother worked here when she was just about your age."

Emrys led them to a booth in the corner, where a picture frame hung over. It was Evalin, in a red uniform, smiling at the camera. He handed them menus and left, letting them know to ask if they needed anything.

"I was 18 when I first came here," Rhoe started, smiling fondly at the photo. "I came and sat in this very booth, and your mother came to serve me. She always made fun of me for saying it was love at first sight."

"What was she like?" Aelin asked.

"She was hardworking. She didn't come from a good family situation, so she worked here to make ends meet. Despite her situation, she was kind." He laughed, gaze distant, as if he were reliving some memory. "She loved music and dancing. Reading too. She made me set up a library for her in our home, you know? That was her idea."

Aelin smiled at the thought. At least she had books and music in common with her mother.

Rhoe fixed his gaze on Aelin. "And she loved you very much. When you...she was devastated."

"I wish I could have met her."

"Me too," said Rhoe.

"Could I ask...what happened? How did I end up somewhere else?"

Rhoe's gaze darkened. "When you had just turned four, you disappeared. We were in the park, you wandered off. We thought someone had taken you, but the police found nothing. It took years to finally find you and by then-" his voice broke. "Evalin was gone."

Aelin swallowed the lump in her throat. Luckily, Emrys came by with their drinks right around then.

Afterwards, Aelin tried to steer the conversation to normal matters. He wanted to know her. So she talked about the light things, avoiding anything illegal and anything about Arobynn and Sam. It wasn't a full picture, but it was a start.

In turn, Rhoe gave her glimpses into their life. Him dating, then marrying Evalin. Them taking in Aedion after his mother died. How they raised Aedion and her like siblings. And Aelin soaked all of it up.

Emrys brought their meals, which had to have been the best food Aelin had ever tried. She told Emrys that, enthusiastically, and he lit up with joy.

And when they left, Emrys wrapped her in a hug and told her, "come back anytime. I mean it, okay?"

Aelin agreed and followed her father out.

At home, they met Aedion to watch a movie. Of course, halfway through, the twins joined in. Fenrys asked a million questions, and Aedion and Aelin started pelting him with pillows to get him to shut up.

As she excused herself to leave, Aedion ruffled her hair and shot her a fond grin. And Aelin walked up to her room feeling content, even as something darker started to brew under the surface.

That night, she had barely closed her eyes when she awoke from nightmares. Arobynn's cold, dead body on that table. Except as she leaned over it, the face would morph into Sam's. Her lovely Sam. And then into her mother.

She awoke with a start and checked the time. Barely past 1 in the morning. So, making a split decision, she climbed out of bed and got dressed. She wore her dark jeans and a black hoodie that covered her face well.

Then, she hid a few knives under her clothes and opened her balcony doors. The idea had sparked through her mind while Rhoe had driven her home. He had to take a detour because of a closed road. Unhappily, he'd driven through a seedy area on the outskirts of the city. Aelin had catalogued the place in her mind for future reference.

There were two reasons to go. 1) to blow off some steam in the main way she knew how. 2) to find information on what happened to Arobynn. She had a sneaking suspicion that if Rourke Farran had killed him, he wouldn't stop at one body. Aelin knew enough about the business to be his next target.

So, she climbed carefully off the balcony. Her feet easily found ridges in between the stones and ledges as she made her way down. Once her feet were safe on the grass, she snuck out of the property, avoiding areas where the security cameras would catch her.

Then, she followed the path Rhoe had driven earlier. The walk took about half an hour. Soon enough, Aelin was surrounded by low buildings and neon signs. Despite the late hour, people stumbled around drunk.

She walked until she saw a familiar sign. The Guild, a bar that was host to many illegal activities. Including pit fights. Although a different one than she usually entered, she knew that it was home to the same type of things. Preparing herself, she pushed through the door and walked into the fray.