Queen Of Glass

Book 2 Chapter 14

Celaena Sardothien rode through the mists of the early morning, passing by trees that were no more than skeletal silhouettes. Beside her walked the Fae Prince Raonn Whitethorn, nephew to Queen Maeve, holding the reins of her ash-gray palfrey. Every now and again, he'd look up at her with his dazzling blue eyes and glare. She'd only toss her head arrogantly and stare straight ahead, a smirk of satisfaction playing about her lips.
When Raonn Whitethorn walked into Maeve's clearing, both his and Celaena's surprise had been genuine. His silver hair and fascinating facial tattoos had triggered the foul memory of their forest encounter; and the dislike and mistrust that appeared on their faces had bordered on hateful. He turned his sapphire eyes to Maeve and had been about to snap some rude remark when the Fae Queen had silenced him by introducing Celaena as Aelin Galathynius, his cousin and heir to Trasien's throne. His cool features went blank for a moment, and then they contorted with confusion and disbelief.
For the first time in forever, Celaena was immensely proud and pleased with the leverage of her former identity.

Celaena Sardothien pulled Galan Ashryver's cloak tighter around her new Fae clothing, a flowing dress of blue that was nearly identical to the garment she had worn in her dream with Dorian DeHavilliard.
Before she had ordered Raonn to escort Celaena to the edge of the forest, Queen Maeve had given Celaena a potion that would eliminate the pains and stress of her moontime; and, frankly, it had worked so well that everything seemed to have a warm, surreal feeling...except for the dank cold of morning.
They had been silent for their entire journey through the woods, a quietness only disrupted by the hesitant chirping of birds.
Prince Raonn frowned up at her. "You can't be Aelin Galathynius," he finally remarked, and then looked at the path ahead of them.
Celaena grinned evilly. "Queen Aelin Galathynius to you."
He said nothing, but jerked his chin into the air. Her cheeks burned.
"Or you could call me Celaena," she tried.
He rolled his eyes. "I'd sooner call you Queen Aelin than address you by that horrid assassin's name."
Her upper lip curled in a snarl. "I still am Adarlan's assassin, you know."
"Is that supposed to strike any chord of fear in my heart? The day a mortal frightens me, I'll die of shock."
"Your Queen said that I had just as much Fae power as you...if not more." Celaena smirked and looked down her nose at him.
Raonn wiped a strand of his long hair out of his eyes. "Yes, well, sometimes my Queen has been prone to confuse dreams with reality."
There was an underlying current of worry in his voice that made Celaena's smug expression melt away. She watched the trees around them. "You don't believe in what she said?" she asked quietly.
"It is none of your business what I believe and do not believe." "Why?" she snapped back.
"Because I am Fae kind and you are mortal."
"But with—"
"Blood separates blood. You are not one of us, despite what...others may think." Celaena looked down at the ring on her hand.
"But you are not one of them either," he added in sharply. "You are nothing—you are a breed all your own." Did he always have to sound so condescending?
"I thought that there were plenty of mixed bloods in the world. Isn't Galan Ashryver one of them?"
"Yes, but not like you. You have the most powerful of royal mortal blood magick mixed with the most powerful of royal Fae magick—that is a combination that has never existed before...and perhaps should never have come into being...like you humans."
She raised an eyebrow, and felt a knot of nausea fill her stomach. "What do you mean?"

He shook his head. "My Queen has trained hundreds of royals—every great hero was taught by her, in this forest. She never faltered, she never doubted or feared. Her path—and theirs—was always very clear. But with you... You are something unknown to us, something that I have seen my Queen—with my very own eyes—worry over."
"What's there to worry over?"
Raonn looked up at her and scanned her face. "The fact that you were able to go on living and conceal your power from everyone, especially her, is a key worry for my aunt. She only detected you when you first walked onto these shores, and it wasn't until you had that encounter that she was assured of your actual existence."
"Well, I worked hard to conceal it—it's not like—"
"No. She is Fae magick—she can detect the slightest drop of Fae blood and power in anyone, from across oceans and countries." He stared into her eyes so deeply that she shifted uncomfortably in her seat.
"Why were you different? Why were you able to hide it?" Raonn asked. His brows narrowed, and Celaena looked away from him.
"Perhaps if she had looked har—"
"She looked. Didn't you hear what she told you? She searched and searched after you disappeared—she knew that you survived that night, but you seemed to be fading and reappearing like the sun on a cloudy day. It only took a few months before you just...vanished for good."
"Then why didn't anyone find me in those months that I was still visible?" Her chest ached and she couldn't keep the bitterness out of her voice.
"Gods above, everyone was looking for you. Many died in search of you."
Her eyes began to sting around the edges, and she gripped her cloak. "People...were actually killed?"
"In case you haven't realized, while you were in that assassins' guild, a world conquest was raging on—and those suspected of being in association with the search for you were secretly executed."
Celaena watched a pair of birds chase after each other in a nearby tree. "If I had revealed myself, more would have died," she muttered. She hated this—she shouldn't have listened to Maeve...she should have jumped off of that Fae- woman's horse as soon as she had awoken and run for it...even if there had been wicked things roaming the woods last night.
"If you had revealed yourself," he growled, "you might have saved the lives and freedom of thousands."
Celaena's eyes flashed. "Who are you to judge me?" A rage—and a guilt—was beginning to boil and erupt inside of
her.
His face darkened. "You gave up your power and your title—you gave up the freedom of your country. My Queen shouldn't even be wasting her time with the likes of you. You don't deserve her training and knowledge—you don't deserve the throne that she wants you to reclaim."
"You think I don't know that?" she suddenly yelled, and the chirping of the birds stopped. "You think that I haven't thought about that every single day of my life? You think that I want any of this? You stupid, arrogant, presuming idiot. I don't want this—all I want is to do what I came here to do and then go back to Adarlan, get my freedom, and live out the rest of my life anonymously and in solitude."
"Your refusal to accept your past deeds is pathetic," he said coldly.
She was shaking with rage. "Gods above, I KNOW. I know that and I'm ashamed about it and what the hell more do you want from me?"