Queen Of Glass

Book 2 Chapter 10

They slept soundly that night—arriving home after sunset to find two steaming bowls of paestia waiting for them. There was no sign of Luca, Leighanna, or Stephaenya, and, frankly, Celaena was thankful for it. Every time she thought about the incident—which was quite often being as it had only happened a couple of hours ago—she felt red- hot anger boiling in her stomach. Though she had said everything possible and necessary to them, she still felt a need to yell at them, since yelling at the Baroness was out of the question. But wasn't she being a hypocrite by acting that way?
It didn't make any difference—the next time she found the Baroness doing it, she'd rip her to shreds, money or no money. These things weren't supposed to happen in Wendlyn, and she would see to it that they didn't.
Celaena lay awake for a little while, listening to the sound of Cindrillion sleeping in the bed next to her, making sure that the young woman was getting the peaceful rest she deserved. After a while, Celaena slipped into a deep sleep, exhausted both mentally and physically from the taxing day.
She didn't know when she began dreaming, but eventually she arrived at a place that felt familiar, yet entirely foreign to her. It was a forest glen—cloaked in the light of the stars that burned overhead. In the air she could hear ghostly singing—as if the very trees were joined together in a haunting song. Mist swirled around the edge of the circle, and beyond that laid a darkness that only existed in the realm of dreams.
Celaena stood for a while, staring around the enchanted glen, watching the celestial sky glow above her. It felt as if she were awake—as if she had somehow walked in her sleep to this place in the forest, yet she knew that it wasn't possible—she had to be asleep.
When she saw the figure appear from between the trees, it didn't frighten her. A smell came with it: a smell of lavender and a thousand summer nights spent laying in the grass beneath the sky, a smell that set her at ease. It drifted into the clearing with an ancient grace that made even the trees bow with respect. The starlight brightened to reveal a female figure—clothed in flowing starry gossamer robes that seemed to melt into the sky above. There was something about her, something so old and powerful and wise that Celaena was at loss for any kind of thought.
She drew closer, showing her long, flowing hair to be of the darkest ebony, and her face to be young and beautiful. But her eyes...
Celaena looked into those violet, star-speckled eyes and knew that this being was far older than anything living on the earth. This woman was Fae, one of the immortal, one of the guardians of the land.
And upon seeing the crown of stars that glowed like a halo around her head, Celaena knew exactly whom she was staring at.
Maeve, Queen of all Fae and faeries.
Celaena bowed her head in acknowledgement, dropping her eyes to the ground. Her mind felt frozen, overcome by
the beauty and grace and wisdom of this being.
She felt a hand lift up her chin and set her head straight again, her gaze rising to stare into the endless abyss of Maeve's eyes. She didn't know what to say. She had never been so transfixed by anything in her whole life.
The eyes showed space and time passing by, yet had a sorrowful weariness that made her own heart ache. Bittersweet was the life of an immortal.
Maeve stroked Celaena's cheek with an ivory finger, her full red lips turning upwards into a slight smile that made her feel as if she were being caressed by her very own mother.
"You look just as I thought you would," Maeve said, and her silver voice seemed to release Celaena from the spell that her appearance had cast. "I am glad you have finally arrived...I have been waiting many years to meet you."

Celaena's brows contracted with confusion and she opened her mouth to speak, but Maeve held up a hand to silence her. "A time for that discussion will come later, Lady, but right now I would prefer to converse about the young woman Cindrillion."
Celaena nodded dumbly. Maeve, Queen of the faeries...how many legends and myths had she been told that Maeve had been a part of? How many heroes had knelt before her and begged for her blessing? Why was she here? Why did she want to talk about Cindrillion? Was this reality or a dream?
Maeve's face turned grave, and a few of the stars in her eyes seemed to fade into darkness. "I have been watching Cindrillion for many years now, watching her grow and develop, and recently I have become worried about her condition." Each word seemed to be carefully picked and chosen, and Celaena lapped them up greedily. Her voice seemed to be in harmony with the distant singing...
"I am afraid that with these darkening times, Cindrillion's mental state will only become more fragile. We are on the brink of total war: a war that I fear will consume not only the human realm, but also that of the Fae. As you clearly noticed today, the hysterical state of Cindrillion is triggered by pain and fear. Should war come to Wendlyn with the force that I am expecting, the young woman may slip into that condition permanently. The growing hostility of her stepmother and stepsisters has also increased with their desperate effort to ensnare the Crown Prince of Wendlyn."
Maeve looked at Celaena as if she were staring into the depths of her soul. "But today all of that changed. Today you went and did what no one else has dared to do in the past: protect her.
"I know the reasons behind what you did—I know many of the things that you conceal from the world—but I will not delve into them for your sake. Later on, there will come a time when we shall have to, not for your sake, but for the sake of others, but that is not for this meeting. Tonight I came to you in order to properly thank you for what you did for Cindrillion. My faeries tell me that you have been quite a positive influence in that household, and as a token of my gratitude, I'd like to grant you one wish—one of your heart's many desires. That is, if it lies within my power to do so."
Celaena couldn't believe her ears. This was like a faerie-tale.
Well, look at whom you're speaking to.
But it's a dream!
"Granted," Maeve said suddenly, and Celaena blinked. She hadn't even said anything! A few more stars relit themselves in Maeve's eyes. "I'm afraid that your wish will have to wait to come true until the ideal time, but you will know it when it arrives."
Celaena opened her mouth again, but Maeve silenced her once more. "Continue to look after Cindrillion and her friends, Lady."
Queen Maeve began to drift back towards the swirling mist that lined the edge of the clearing, and when she was little more than a shadow, she spoke the words that made Celaena's world spin violently.
"Continue to make your parents proud, Aelin, daughter of Evaelien."
Celaena Sardothien awoke with a jolt to harsh morning sunlight. Looking over to Cindrillion's bed, she found that it was made and empty. Where was she? The entire room was tidied and clean, and there was a kind of peaceful atmosphere to the whole place that would have made Celaena smile were it not for the dream that had just taken place.
No one had called her by that name in seventeen years. No one, save for Arobynn Hamel, knew that name. Had it been a dream? Or was it some sort of...vision? It had felt as if she had physically been there—it had felt real. How had Maeve known who she was? How had she known her mother's name? Why did the Faerie Queen care so much about Cindrillion?
Celaena swung her legs over the side of the bed and dressed herself, her mind buzzing with questions. On the way downstairs, she ran into Cindrillion, who was carrying a tray of teacups. The young woman smiled brilliantly at her, and Celaena was slightly taken aback. What time was it?