When the Kingdoms Met the Courts

Chapter One - Completely and Utterly Confused

(Quick and cringy A/N - This story is set supposing there is no war going on in either of these worlds, also, there is the possibility of spoilers. Not to mention the fact I am writing these before A Court of Wings and Ruin and Tower of Dawn and ToG 7 have come out, so I don't know which of these characters will actually survive xD Enjoy!)

Aelin Ashryver Galathynius's nostrils flared as she stood impatiently in the corner of the turquoise and gold coloured room, with rays of sunlight peaking in through the cracks of the curtains. In front of her were two unrealistically attractive fae males, bickering over who would join her on her hunting trip.

   "I'm her cousin!" Aedion Ashryver protested, threatening to shove Rowan Whitehorn to the ground.

   "Yes, and so am I," Rowan replied coolly. "Not to mention I'm probably about five centuries older than you."

   "First things first - You barely count. How far down the line are you? Second of all - she's your mate/wife, why are you saying that as if it's a good thing?" Argued Aedion, sounding almost disgusted.

  "Right, you two," Aelin snapped, proceeding to stand between them with a queenly gracefulness yet somehow still having a threatening, 'I will actually rip your heart out', demeanour. "Ever considered you could both come with me? It's not like there's any rule against more than two people going hunting at a time."

Sighing, both fae warriors exchanged some rather threatening death glares and then proceeded to gather their gear. With her angelic grace, Aelin strode out of the room with her chin held high.

An hour later, with the three fae royalty suited up and ready to hunt, they strolled out of the Terrasen Royal Palace with stealth, avoiding the general public. As much as Aelin loved her country and people, sometimes they found it just wasn't worth the fuss.

   The woods in Terrasen was rich with wildlife, both plants and animals. Hares and rabbits and even your occasional bear would pop out from every nook and cranny the fae eye could see. In winter, you could even hunt a ghost leopard or two. Of course, Lysandra had forbidden them of even daring to lay a finger on them, not that it mattered considering Aedion was too paranoid that one of the ghost leopards was Lysandra to even pull his bow out.

   They swiftly leaped over large tree roots, dodging the branches that stuck out in odd directions as though they were born to fly. Their bags were quickly filling up with the carcasses of rabbits who and other small creatures who hopped out at unfortunate timing, for them.

   In Spring, the woods were full of brightly-coloured butterflies and dragonflies, as well as the flies that no amount of swatting away could get rid of. The gentle sound of the soft breeze echoed in the background as though it was a silent symphony orchestra made up of nature. The birds chirped the melody whilst the wind played the backing.

   The smell of fresh leaves and newly-bloomed flowers wafted through the air, and to their especially sensitive fae noses. It was refreshing, compared to the stench of bloodshed and rotting bodies from the battlefields Aelin, Aedion and Rowan had both encountered one too many times throughout their lifespans. The day that they could freely flounce around, hunting peacefully in the forests of Terrasen was a day many people could only dream of just a little over a year ago.

   "We should take a break, I packed some pre-cooked salmon. Aelin can use her fire to heat them up or whatever she does," Aedion said, refilling his flask with water from the shimmering blue waterfall.

   "What's up with him?" Aelin muttered, the fire swirling from her fingertips to the sticks.

   "Probably wanted to have some quality time with his dear cousin," a small and evil smirk tugged at the tips of his mouth.