A Court of Legends and Myths

Chapter 28 - The Fall of The King

Feyre's POV

What Lysandra was forced to do made me think of how Amarantha used Rhys, it reminded me of what Tamlin tried to do that night on Calanmai when I was still human. It was all so distressing. Sensing my distress through the mating bond Rhys ran his talons down my mental shields asking to be let in, and I did.

"What's wrong Feyre Darling? Is everything ok?" He asked with worry in his tone.

"I'm fine, it's just what these people have gone through. It's so much like what we went through. This court is so much like our own." He responded by sending a comforting wave of love my way.

"Aelin, Rowan, Aedion, Chaol, and Nesryn spent the night planning a rescue. Lysandra was not to be executed as most but was to be sent to Morath. The group arrived at the clearing where the exchange would be made. The king was meeting with witches to discuss a weapon they had been working on, he would leave Lysandra with them who would fly her to Morath. This meeting was their only chance. While the king and three Witch Matrons were inside a wagon discussing the weapon, the wing leader was distracted speaking with the prince who had been brought along. Aelin and Rowan slipped behind the prison wagon, knocked out the guards, picked the lock and got Lysandra out.

While running from the clearing Chaol took a wrong turn and walked right into thirteen awaiting witches and wyverns. When they noticed Chaol was not with them, Rowan, Aelin, and Aedion went after him, ordering Nesryn to get Lysandra across Temis' temple and wait for them. Once they reached the area the witches were at, the wing leader held Chaol by the throat and looked ready to kill him. Aelin ordered her cousin and Rowan to stay where they were as she approached the wing leader. Aelin convinced Manon that she was a better prize for her master than the captain was, which was true. Manon let him go and focused her attention on the queen. Throughout their short conversation Aelin was moving her foot nervously, at the end of their little chat she revealed that she was the killer of Baba Yellowlegs, causing Manon to attack. What was believed to be nervous jitters were actually her creating a spell that would hold the Wing Leader in place. And that is exactly what happened.

Using this momentary distraction Aelin and the others ran through the forest towards Temis' temple. The witches however caught up to them. The temple itself was on a tiny island in the middle of a ravine, the only way on or off of it was by the rope bridges on either side. Chaol was able to get across the ravine before the witches caught up to them but the others weren't. Whilst Aedion was crossing the second bridge arrows started being fired their way. One was about to go straight through Aelin's heart when Rowan pushed her out of the way at the last minute and took the arrow himself; it embedded itself into his shoulder. It was at that moment the queen knew that this male, this male who had walked that dark path back to the light with her, the male who had become her friend, who had become so much more than just a friend... was her mate.

Now out of the woods Manon was racing across the first bridge, just as it was cut down she jumped and landed on the island. She and Aelin had a battle for the ages, those who were there say that it was an amazing show of skill on both their parts. But in the end Aelin won the duel and even saved the witch's life. Manon Blackbeak was now indebted to Aelin Galathynius.

Once they had returned to Rifthold there were only two things left for Aelin to do. Restore magic to the land and kill the king. To do this she had to destroy the clock tower which stood in the courtyard of the glass castle.

Her plan was simple: use the captain to get into the castle and distract the king long enough for Rowan and Aedion to use hellfire to bring down the tower releasing magic which Aelin can then use to kill the king, and the prince if the need arises. The plan was to take place on the summer solstice at noon when Aelin would be most powerful.