Throne of Glass & A Court of Thorns and Roses: Two Worlds Collide

Chapter 40-Aelin

Rowan, Lysandra, Dorian, Aedion, and I stood in front of Feyre's house, finally saying goodbye. In the days that we'd been here, a bump had started to form on my stomach and Mor kept looking at it and smiling.

"If you ever need anything, you know where to find us. We owe our lives to you," Rhysand said to us all, bowing low. Feyre and Mor came up and hugged me and Lysandra, not letting go until it became slightly awkward. Cassian and Azriel clapped Rowan on the back and said some things I couldn't hear. I could see in their eyes that they were beyond upset about their wings, but I didn't have the words to console them.

Amren came forth, with her newly-pointed fae ears and exceptionally long fangs, and said, "I came to you doubting whether you would be worth the trouble. Now I have no doubt that you all are worth more than the most precious jewels. It is not possible to show the full amount on my gratitude, but I can give you this." She grabbed my hand in both of hers and I was sucked into a world in my mind.

It reminded me of when the valg showed me the vision of me taking my throne. This time I saw the final killing blow, severing my aunt Maeve's head. It was not made by me though, no, I saw Rowan holding the sword dripping with blood. The vision swirled a bit and I saw the moment when each of his cadre were released from the bond. Gavriel suddenly sniffed around, laid his eyes on Aedion, and smiled. Somehow... Amren had just shown me the future.

Then the vision stopped, and I was back staring at Amren. She just nodded her head at me and walked back in the house. Everyone finished their goodbyes and we set off into an alley so no one would see what we were about to do. Rowan sliced his hand and held it out for me, looking at me so intently that I had to look away.

I quickly scrawled the wyrdmarks and demanded that Dorian, Aedion, and Lysandra go in first. After they fully disappeared, Rowan snaked his arm around my waist and met my lips with his. I was so surprised that I let out a gasp and he smiled against my mouth.

When he pulled away, I said, "I could get used to this," and laced my fingers through his before stepping into the portal together.

When we arrived back at the castle, Aedion and Lysandra had already disappeared and Dorian was standing by the door with his hands in his pockets. He mumbled something about heading back to Adarlan and started walking to his horse.

"Dorian, wait," I called.

He turned around and raised his eyebrows in question.

"Who did you bring back?" I asked him. He looked devastated when the Cauldron asked that of him, but afterwards he was perfectly at ease. He'll forever live with the thought that he took someone close to him away, but never remember who.

He just smiled and said, "you'll find out soon enough." I was still wondering about his answer when he got on his horse and rode south, toward Adarlan.

I took in the sights of my home, my kingdom and was silent as I strode to my quarters.

Something felt off as I walked through the castle with Rowan in tow. I kept my fae ears perked and when I opened the door to my bedroom, my heart stopped and my hands flew to my mouth.

"Oh gods," tears were streaming down my face. I took in the sight of her, sitting on my bed with her legs crossed, her hands placed neatly in her lap. I couldn't believe what I was seeing, what I had expected to see for so many months but had given up on. Now it was real, she was real. I couldn't control the tears that were flowing freely down my face.

Nehemia was sitting on my bed, the familiar gold paint placed on her dark forehead in intricate patterns, smiling at me. I choked back a sob and ran toward her, tackling her in a bone crushing hug. I don't know how long I sat and sobbed into her hair, holding onto her like she would disappear any minute. Dorian had given up someone to save Nehemia, and I was forever grateful. Some part of me knew he did it for me, oh gods. What would Chaol think of this?

"I missed you so much, why'd you have to leave?" I asked her, still crying. Rowan had made himself scarce, giving me and Nehemia privacy.

"Elentiya," she said. My heart swelled at hearing her say the name she had given me so long ago. "I knew my fate, just as I knew that a dark haired woman would travel a great distance to get to you, and just as I knew Dorian would be asked to give up a person of his life. Queen Elena knew, and I knew."

I couldn't even speak, just hugged her again until my arms were numb. It all seemed like a dream, apparently the Cauldron wasn't so bad after all.