That feeling of home

Elide felt the tears slide down her face as she kept watching her queen kneeling not even a foot before her, her queen Aelin who was the reason she had never given up hope for a better future. Who was the reason Elide kept going even though everything screamed at her to just give up. It suprised her how young Aelin really was, and still she had achieved and been through so much in her short life.

Aelin wiped away the tears thad had been sliding down her face as well, she had told Elide that she looked like her mother. her whole miserable life Elide had tried to be as brave as her mother, who didn't think twice about giving up her life for Terrasen to have a chance for a better future.

It strucked her there that Aelin had probably been bearing the guilt of her mothers sacrifice since the incident, and it made Elide's chest ache.

Suddenly a flash of white caught her attention in the corner of her eye, Elide turned her eyes to the person appearing from behind Aelin and felt her whole body tense. The woman with the white long hair closed the distance between them and sat down in front of Elide on the ground and faced those incridible golden eyes at her. The witches lips curled into a wicked smile as she said "hello witchling"

Elide let out a broken sob of relief, she met Manon's eyes and her whole body went limp as if it knew it was okay to finally relax after so many weeks of needing to keep track of everything.

The raven haired girl didn't care who watched them at that moment, she didn't care about anything but the woman in front of her. She flew her arms around the witch and cried into her shoulder. She felt Manon tense with surprise for just a second before she embraced her back and let out a breath of relief. As if Manon too finally felt at ease.

Elide turned her face to Manon's neck and breathed in the smell of earth and amber that was just so typically the witch and just cried because she finally, after so many weeks of feeling lost, felt as if she were just were she belonged. Judging by the way the witch stroked her back and took uneven breaths, as if she were doing her best to keep from releasing a few tears herself, she felt the same way.

Elide released Manon just far enough so she could look the gold eyed woman in the eyes, "they told me you were dead" she whispered as a few more tears escaped her eyes.

Manon brough a hand up Elide's cheek to wipe away the tears and smiled "it takes a lot more than that to kill me" Elide let out a laugh and Manon thought it was the most beautiful sound she ever heard. In that moment she decided that she would do everything in her power to make sure she could hear that laugh again.

Aelin coughed awkwardly from beside them, both women jumped in surprise as if they had forgot other people existed.

"Well this is very heartwarming, and i gotta admit surprising, but I have to interrupt because we have to keep moving and also, I have a question for Elide"

The dark haired girl kept a hold of Manon's leather jacket, to reassure herself that she was here and would not dissapear, and turned her attention on Aelin. The queen kept talking "i was going to claim you for Terrasen as Lady of Perranth but I suppose that won't be so easy now?" She looked pointedly to Manon

The witch gave a smirk as she said "I do have a claim on her because she has witch blood in her veins" she paused and as her eyes met Elides black ones as she softens "but I think this choice is yours to make"

Elide just smiled, this witch who killed men and sometimes took pleasure in it, who was the wing leader of the ironteeth coven and the blackbeak heir and was made to have no empathy or feel love, she gave this choice to Elide because she knew she had grown up never having any control of her life and never being able to make choices for herself. Elide kept the hold on those golden eyes for a moment longer before she turned to her queen

"I appreciate the claim you want to make and it would be an honor to take up my rightful title as Lady of Perranth, if you would have asked me just a few months ago I would accept with no hesitation" she again turned to Manon "but things are different now" she watched the queen again "I mean no disrespect when I tell you that I can't accept, I belong to the blackbeak coven and I belong with Manon"

Suddenly Lorcan snorted in the background and Elide gave him a disgusted look as if to say "did we ask you to even breathe among us?", Manon snapped out her iron teeth and gave a warning glare. Lorcan tensed and took a step back, Manon just smirked satisfied.

"I understand Elide, if you ever change your mind just know that your title and your place in my court will always be open for you" Elide just gave Aelin a grateful smile.

"Well now should we get back to the boat and get the hell out of here I get a weird vibe in this place" Aelin said and stood up

Aedion snorted "i think that's the smartest thing you've said in weeks" the queen gave him an offensive glare and answered "that's a big lie cause I suggested that we should stay in a nearby village two weeks ago to drink and you had the time of your life that night" Their voices fainted as the court walked to the boats with Lorcan, Fenrys and Gavriel in tow.

Manon took Elides hand to keep her from following the group "I do think we have some things to discuss witchling"

Elides heart raced up a little "yes" she agreed. They sat down on the grass again and watched the water in silence for a moment, just to take in each other's presence and the peace they both knew would not last for so much longer. The witch was the first one to break the silence

"i though about you every day when we were separated, I kept telling myself I made the wrong choice when I left you alone in the woods and although I had a sense of the feelings I had for you when we were in Morath, I knew for sure when I no longer could keep you with me and protect you." Manon's throat bobbed "i would have never stopped blaming myself if something happened to you"

Elide took her hand and squeezed comfortingly "what feelings do you have?" she whispered . She knew Manon was not used to voice her emotions, to even be entitled to have them.

Manon turned to her and studied her face for a moment "When I am with you, I feel like it does not matter how chaotic the world around us is because when I am with you, I know everything will be okay. You give me strength and you make me want to live" She held Elides gaze as tears welled up in the witches' eyes "when I'm not with you my whole body yearns for you and I feel like I'm not whole if you are not next to me, you teached me how to have hope"

The dark haired girl brought up both her hands and put them on the witches face "you make me want to live too before I met you I just survived. You met me in one of my darkest moments and did not see me as weak rather as a strong person. You and the thirteenth are where I feel safest."

Elides eyes dipped down to Manon's plump lips and she hesitated just for a moment before she closed the distance between them. It was as if the whole world went quiet for a moment. Manon would not be described as a gentle being but for Elide she took it slow as she guided the younger girl through her first kiss.

Elides shaky fingers slided up Manon's cheek and up into white hair to tug, Manon groaned and the sound made Elide feel a whole new feeling. They only released each other when breathing became a problem.

Elide looked into Manon's eyes that said all the words they couldn't voice aloud yet, and she finally knew how it felt to be home.