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

Chapter 2-Aelin

I heard the footsteps approaching down the hall even before they came into my room halted at the side of my bed but I made no move to get up, already knowing exactly who was there. Rowan did this almost every morning; he would wake up early and make breakfast, then he would wake me up with little kisses all over my face. As much as I complained about wanting to help at least once, I couldn't deny that I was grateful. I pretended to be asleep, waiting for him to wake me up, but he only lowered his hand to rest in mine.

I opened my eyes to see Rowan crouched by the bed, one hand laid on the sheets and the other moving my fingers idly around. He wouldn't look at my face, only at my hands; that's when I knew something was terribly wrong.

"What's the matter--is Aedion alright?" I asked sitting up so fast that my head started to spin. Rowan did not say a word, didn't even meet my eyes, only moved to sit atop the covers, "Rowan if something happened to Aedion-" my voice hitched. I had only just gotten my cousin back months ago, it was too soon for him to be ripped from me again.

"Nothing happened to Aedion, he's fine," he said. I could hear the tension and the sadness in his voice. His eyes kept looking around the room nervously.

He was supposed to check the borders today to make sure there weren't any threats looming around; I hated when he put himself in danger, although I knew he could hold his own. I looked out the window, the sun was already high in the sky and Rowan was still here in his casual garments--this had to be serious.

"Then what's going on?" I asked impatiently. I could sense the tears building behind his eyes as I said, "tell me."

He took a deep breath and pinched his eyes closed. "Someone is here to see us," was all he said before he went to the closet and came out with one of my outfits.

"Okay, people come to see us all the time. What's the big deal?" I still didn't understand why he was acting so weird. It wasn't like him to freak out over a visitor.

He stood in front of the bed, shifting from foot to foot and said, "she says she knows my daughter."

"Your what?" I asked, bolting out of the bed and snatching the clothes from his hand. I started stripping my night clothes right in front of him, favoring speed over privacy--he didn't seem to mind. "You said Lyria didn't survive and neither did the baby."

"The body was never found," he whispered, bowing his head. When I finished dressing, I stood in front of him and placed a finger under his chin to make him look at me. There was so much turmoil behind his green eyes; I could tell this was eating him alive.

"It's going to be okay, now let's go in there and figure things out. Okay?" I assured him, cupping his face and tracing the tattoos that covered it.

"Okay," he echoed as he placed a hand on my back and lead me out of the room.

As we walked down the hall, my stomach turned and turned. His daughter? So Lyria had lived, but for how long? She couldn't have had a long life and just leave Rowan to grieve her. Hopefully, this mystery person would shed some light on the whole situation.

We rounded the corner and I faltered when I saw the woman sitting at the large table in the middle of the room. She reminded me of Manon, only this woman had black hair. It wasn't that she particularly looked like Manon, but it was as if the very air around her was terrified to make a wrong move because it feared her punishments.

Rowan and I sat across from the strange woman and she eyed me as I studied her.

"Who are you and why are you here?" I asked, trying to keep calm.

She tapped her long fingers on the table and said, "My name is Amren. I need the assistance of a few very powerful fae, and I've heard some very promising things about your boyfriend here." She motioned with her head toward Rowan and added, "his daughter speaks well of him."