A Court of Stone and Sorrow - ACOTAR

Chapter 11: Confrontations

Chapter 11: Confrontations

Aurora paced back and forth in the small, dimly lit room she shared with Mira. She had been waiting for her sister to return to their chambers, after hours of searching for her. The conversation she had with Rhysand weighing heavy on her mind each minute that passed without Mira's return. It was late, almost time for the fae to gather in the hall for dinner, when Mira finally crept into their room.

Auora had to quell her rage when Mira simply smiled at her, as if she had not been missing from court and their shared chambers, all day. Mira was walking a dangerous line of deceit and if she did not stop being so reckless, she would likely be caught by one of Amarantha's sentries.

Her sister sat on the edge of the bed, looking up at Aurora with a mixture of concern and impatience as she changed her slippers for dinner.

"What is it, Aurora? You are practically vibrating," Mira asked, her voice calm but tinged with worry.

Aurora stopped and turned to face her, her expression serious. "I heard something today. Something that has me worried about you."

Mira raised an eyebrow, folding her arms. "Worried about me? What did you hear?"

For a brief moment, Mira wondered if someone within the Vanserra family had returned to their rooms when they were supposed to be at Autumn. One of the few courts that had more liberty to come and go, Mira and Eris had been frequenting the chambers in the past few days.

Aurora took a deep breath, trying to steady her nerves. "There's a rebellion brewing, Mira. Rhysand told me they're targeting key figures under the mountain, and you might be one of them."

Mira's eyes widened, but she quickly masked her fear with a look of skepticism. "And how exactly did Rhysand come by this information? What have you gotten yourself involved in, Aurora?"

Aurora frowned, her frustration bubbling to the surface at the hypocrisy that her twin was stating. "That's not important right now. What's important is your safety. You need to be careful."

Mira stood up, her hands clenched at her sides. "So, you're working with Rhysand now? And you didn't think to tell me?"

Aurora's jaw tightened. "I'm doing what I have to, to keep us safe. You don't understand how dangerous it is down here, right now. You have not been attending every small council, like I have. Which is in itself a whole other problem, but one I have ignored out of my trust for you!"

Mira took a step closer, her voice rising. "Oh, I understand perfectly well. But you keeping secrets from me isn't going to help. How can I trust you if you're working with him behind my back?"

Aurora's eyes flashed with anger. "This coming from the one who's been sneaking around with Eris? Don't think I don't know about your little affair."

Mira's face paled, and she took a step back. "That's-. I'm not... It's not—"

"Do not sit here and lie to my face!" Aurora interrupted; her voice sharp. "Eris isn't dangerous? He isn't part of the reason we're in this mess?" Aurora scoffed, her temper getting the best of her. For how much her younger sister seems to have been playing politics the past few weeks, she was still awfully transparent to her other half. After Rhysand confirmed that he was not the one meeting with Mira, all it took was a few minutes for her to notice that the Autumn court heir was also absent. From there, it was glaringly obvious that Mira's absences had aligned with his, and that he would have the resources to both train Mira, and give her access to things outside of their stone tomb. "You're playing with fire, Mira."

Mira's eyes narrowed, her temper flaring. "And you think Rhysand is any better? He's manipulating you, Aurora. You're just a pawn in his game."

Aurora clenched her fists, trying to keep her voice steady. "Maybe I am. But at least I'm doing something. At least I'm trying to protect us."

"And I'm not?!" Mira stared at her, the tension between them crackling in the air. "So, what now? You're going to keep working with Rhysand and expect me to just go along with it?"

Aurora took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. "You can have your secrets, Mira. You can do whatever you want with Eris. But I'm not going to stop working with Rhysand. If it means keeping us safe, then so be it."

Mira's eyes softened, and she looked down, her anger dissipating into a mix of frustration and resignation. "I just don't want to lose you, Aurora. We've been through so much together."

Aurora stepped forward and took Mira's hands in hers. "You won't lose me. I promise. But we have to be smart about this. We can't afford to take any more risks."

Mira nodded slowly, meeting her sister's gaze. "Okay. But promise me you'll be careful, too."

Aurora squeezed her hands. "I promise. We'll get through this together."

They stood there in silence for a moment, the weight of their shared burden pressing down on them. But despite the tension and the danger, they knew they had each other.

"It seems quite silly that it took us this long to try and form alliances outside of Dawn," Aurora muttered.

Mira rolled her eyes, playfully. "Yes, one would have thought that we would have done so after the first ten years of torture."

Aurora scoffed, a self-deprecating taking over her features. "Or at least when she decided to let her beast tarnish my face."

Mira approached her sister, letting her index finger gently trace over the scar in Aurora's brow. The slight puckered skin the only obvious difference between the two.

"We should have made alliances to try and overthrow Amarantha years ago, Aurora. Maybe then we wouldn't be in this constant state of fear and subservience."

Aurora placed a comforting hand on Mira's arm. "I understand how you feel. But we didn't know any different. We were sheltered, hidden away by Father. He did the best he could to protect us from the others."

Mira nodded, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "I know, but sometimes I wonder if we could have done more. If we hadn't spent so much of our lives with our heads down, maybe things would be different now."

Aurora squeezed her sister's arm, her voice soft and understanding. "We were just children, Mira. We didn't have the knowledge or the power to fight back. Father's intentions were always to keep us safe, and in his own way, he did. We're still alive, aren't we?"

Mira looked at her sister, the sadness in her eyes mingling with a flicker of hope. "You're right. It's just hard to shake the feeling that we could have done something more."

Aurora nodded. "I know. But we have to remember that our survival has meaning. We're still here, and now we have a chance to make things right. We can start making those alliances now, and fight for our future."

Mira took a deep breath, allowing her sister's words to sink in. "We will see the sky one day, Aurora. You will get to fly," Mira stated with a weak smile playing at the corner of her lips.

As the two girls left the comfort of their room to go to the great hall, the twins walked side by side, their bond and determination stronger than it had been in weeks.