Only You

Fight for This

It took them two days to finally reach the outskirts of the forest where Maeve's hideout was. Although Fenrys had reminded them that it wasn't much of a hideout if she was willing to give up the location to everyone. Aelin had given him a weary look at his snide remark.

Lorcan had been quiet the last few days, remaining a few steps behind them when they walked, contributing to conversation only when completely necessary. Aelin knew that she had asked a lot of Lorcan, which is why she had told him that he could remain at the last camp spot they made whilst Fenrys and herself went in.

Vaughan and Connall were to meet them shortly too. They had dispatched a letter from the port in Wendlyn straight to Doranelle to let them know they were on their way. They had agreed to wait until they arrived, knowing they would need as much as help as they could get.

Aelin felt unprepared for what she would face. Her life in Orynth had been sheltered and easy, always having her parents or Orlon to lean on when she needed them. And perhaps she had bitten off more than she could chew with this, maybe she was walking into a trap and she would be no match to Maeve— but she had to try.

She summoned her flame and lit the campfire they had set up. She had remembered some of her training from when she was younger— that her power was deeper than she thought and she had to dig down inside herself to get to it's fullest. She didn't know where her magic stopped, but she had been tunnelling down since leaving Orynth, never using too much, but letting enough of it out that she didn't feel like she was burning from the inside out.

Her attention was on the fire, keeping the flames calm, when the sounds of leaves crunching and sticks breaking drew all their attention. She immediately snuffed the flames and grabbed the dagger she had by her side. Lorcan and Fenrys moved to defensive positions, the two Fae males grabbing their swords and glancing around them.

The forest was silent, the only sound was the wind as it brushed against the leaves on the trees, rustling them gently. Dusk was upon them, the forest bathed in a soft glow of evening light.

"You'd all be dead if we were actually trying to kill you."

The three of them whirled and Fenrys let out a breath of relief as he spied the two males now in front of them.

"You didn't need to sneak up on us like that you asshole." He went up to the male— who looked identical to him, yet also like his polar opposite— and brought him in for a hug. They patted each other on the back.

"I have to keep you on your toes, brother."

The second male remained silent by his side, but tipped his head in acknowledgement.

Fenrys turned back to Aelin and pointed to the male by his side. "My brother, Connall," then he pointed to the other side, "Vaughan."

Aelin smiled at the two of them. "Nice to meet you both. Thank you for helping."

They both returned her smile, Connall walking forward and stretching out his hand. "Anything for the future queen of Terrasen... and Whitethorns mate."

She took his hand and shook it, doing the same to Vaughan, who seemed to follow Connall's lead.

"So do you have a plan of attack, or are we winging it?"

Fenrys snorted. "Who do you think I am? Of course we're winging it." He grinned at Aelin, who rolled her eyes back at him.

"We have half a plan. We wanted to see if you had any ideas to add before we set it in stone."

Vaughan surprised the group by weighing in. "If what you say is true, and she is expecting you, then we'll be able to walk right in. She probably knows you're here already."