A Court of Legends and Myths

Chapter 27 - The Queen of the Underworld has returned

Viviane's POV

Two broken fighters, Rowan and Aelin. Broken by the death of their beloved. Two people who found each other and climbed out of their darkness. Two people who were able to overcome what was thrown their way.

Four fighters, Aedion, Chaol, Dorian, and Sorcsha. Four fighters who fought for their beliefs, for those they loved, four fighters who suffered the consequences of war firsthand.

One Dead.

One Imprisoned.

One Enslaved.

One On the run.

Six people who fought and continue to fight to this day. Dying is easy in a war, and though it may be scary for some, it is far easier to die, than to fight. To choose death in the face of war is a coward's move. To fight in its face for those you love is to have a brave heart.

Gabriel continued. "After days at sea, and weeks in Wendlyn, Aelin Galathynius arrived in Rifthold. She left a broken girl, she left as Celaena Sardothien Adarlan's Assassin, she returned whole, healed, she returned Aelin Ashryver Galathynius The Fire Breathing Bitch Queen.

Her first order of business was to find out what had happened in Rifthold while she was away. The first person she spoke with was her old master Arobynn Hamel, he was always in the know. He told her that executions were becoming more and more frequent, that the king brought in new city guards all who wore black uniforms and rings. He told her that in three days time the king would hold a party at the glass castle for his son's 20th birthday, the main event would be the execution of the Wolf of The North, Aedion Ashryver.

He also gave her the location of a man she'd be looking for. Following his directions she stumbled across a rebel operation led by Chaol Westfall, and Nesryn Faliq. He was not too happy to see her return without any aid from her relatives in Wendlyn. But nonetheless agreed to help her free her cousin from his execution, as the general had become somewhat of a friend to him.

She also received aid from Arobynn Hamel, and Lysandra Ennar. At the time Lysandra was a courtesan working for Madame Clarisse DuVency, Madame DuVency had her courtesans in a similar position to which Arobyn held his assassins. She would take the beautiful ones off the streets at a young age and raise them to become courtesans, all while making them pay back every copper she put into them. The two girls never got along well as children as they were constantly fighting for Arobynn's approval, it also did not help that Arobynn used the money Aelin paid him to clear her debt, to win Lysandra's bidding. Though despite they're previous hatred, the two were able to become allies then friends.

The day of Aedion's execution, Aelin snuck in with the dancers as an understudy. At the end of the dancers' performance they smashed glass flowers on the ground releasing smoke into the air, giving Aelin the perfect distraction to enter and free her cousin undetected. Once she had taken off his shackles and chains she grabbed him and ran.

Once off the castle grounds and a few blocks away they climbed into a carriage with Lysandra, Aedion hid in a secret compartment while Aelin dressed as a courtesan. They were stopped once before they got to a relatively safe spot within the city.

About a week after they had saved Aedion, whilst on a walk through the city Aelin, Aedion, and Nesryn, bumped into a certain Fae Prince in an alley. Rowan had come to warn his queen that one of his old colleagues was in the city, to warn her that Lorcan Salvaterre was in Rifthold.

Despite this little chink in her plans, Aelin made it work. Over the next week she gathered information on the valg occupation of the city. More specifically the possessed guards employed by the King. As well as convincing Chaol to give her the information he knew about the disappearance of magic. She also fought in the pits for Arobynn under the alias Ansel of Briacliff.