When the Kingdoms Met the Courts

Chapter Two - Two Worlds Collided

                  

Rhysand, the High Lord of the Night Court, stood with his muscled arms crossed over his chest, facing the three strange fae. Their scents were abnormal, as well as their powers. Aedion and Aelin, as they had called themselves, appeared to Rhys to be far younger than the white-haired monster covered in tattoos. Even as he spoke, Rhys was calculating and assessing these unique fae's weaknesses by simply studying their body type, posture, expression and even the grip of their weapons. He could tell by their faces that they were doing exactly the same thing.

Behind him stood Cassian, Azriel, Feyre, Amren and Mor. Instinctively, he stood protectively in front of Feyre, who began to bark in protest but then realised it was futile. He took in his surroundings, realising that he really was no longer in the Night Court.

The trees were not tall, but could hardly be called short either. The surrounding nature was a different green to the forests in Prythian, a deeper and more vibrant green.

"Well?" Aelin asked with a slight smirk painted across her face.

   "What do you mean by 'Sort things out'?" Azriel stepped in, subtly placing his hand in front of Mor. She swatted it away, almost offended that he thought she needed any sort of protection. Even then, Rhys could have sworn her cheeks went a light pink hue.

   "First of all, no, I do not mean through violence. What I mean is that none of us appear to have any idea where we are. I say Orynth, you say Velaris. Secondly, why we appear so different, even though we are clearly fae." The bright-gold halo of fire above her head flickered violently, so much so that Rhys wanted to douse it with his darkness.

   "Wait," said rowan, squinting his eyes at Amren. "What are you? You are not fae nor human, your scent is of nothing I have encountered in my lifetime."

   "And how long would that be?" Amren asked, quirking her head to the side.

   With a low chuckle, Rowan directed his eyes to her silver ones and replied, "Many, many years. Do not question me, I would doubt you are any older."

   "Now, that's arrogance. So you're telling me you're older than a few millennia?" Now, it was her turn to chuckle. She pulled at a strand of her chin-length black hair, her smoky silver eyes glistening as she smiled savagely at Rowan.

   Taken aback, this time Rowan had no comebacks. This time, it was Aelin who stood forward to say something.

   "Shall we take this to the palace?" She asked, looking at Aedion.

   "Aelin, no. We don't know who these people are, it could be dangerous," Aedion countered.

   "Something in my gut tells me they are just as clueless as we are," she told Aedion.

   Rhys glanced between the two. They could well be twins. They share the same glistening golden hair and bright blue eyes, with the pupil ringed with gold. They both stood straight and confidently, like predators ready to pounce. The way Aedion moved and spoke reminded Rhys of a wolf. Aelin, on the other hand, was like a fire goddess. He could tell they were both as young as Feyre, only in their second decade.

   Rowan, on the other hand, was clearly a warrior honed by centuries of war and battles. His white hair was cut short and his emerald green eyes stood out like a bright flame in the middle of snowy plains. A tattoo in a language Rhys didn't recognised stretched from Rowans temple down to beneath his clothes.

   "But-" Aedion began, before being cut off by Aelin.

   "No buts. Aedion, do I really have to pull the queen card out?"

   Aedion murmured some foul language under his breath, but backed away once he received a sidelong glance from Aelin. From the sparkle in her eyes that clearly meant trouble, even the strongest of warriors would have backed down.

   "More to the point- Why are you assuming we'll trust you? All we've done is bicker." It was Mor who spoke, stepping forward to face the trio. Her wavy, golden hair billowed behind her as a light breeze whooshed past. She stood with her hands on her hips, showing no weakness. "You showing off your fire isn't helping."

   Aelin scowled, then her halo of fire disappeared. "If you're willing to do this the hard way, I won't back down. I will not allow unknown fae as strong as you waltz around my kingdom without my watch."

   "The same goes for me. What do you mean your kingdom? This is my court. It is you who will be watched," Rhys declared, making his way toward Aelin.

  "Wait a second," Rowan said as he pointed to the bush where Rhys and the others emerged from. Rhys could see the calluses of his hands, scars of holding a blade by his side for centuries. "Look there - between the trees. It looked like there was some sort of ripple in the air, like a portal."

Curiously, Rhys stepped toward the trees masked in thorns and dark, night-coloured roses. He hesitated for a moment, pausing to try and sense danger. Even though there was a slight trace of mist that made the area seem murky, he couldn't smell, hear or see anything suspicious.

   "Rhys," Cassian advanced over to Rhys inquisitively, squinting his eyes. "Wha- Wait!"

   Rhys stuck his hand in between the trees, only for it to appear to disappear. He stepped inside fully, and then realised something.

   He was back in the forests surrounding Velaris. Slowly, he turned around. In front of him were two large trees, with tiny shards of glass glistening in their trunks. Strange marks were etched on them, along with tiny sparks of flame.

   Quickly, he leaped back through the portal, only to arrive to see an array of shocked faces. Cassian and Azriel looked calm and collected, but their eyes were analysing and clearly debating whether to go in after him. Amren and Mor were holding Feyre back, who was attempting desperately to claw their faces off. Rowan, Aedion and Aelin were inspecting the portal, trying to figure out what on earth it was.

   "Oh my god! Rhys!" Feyre slammed into Rhys, muzzling her head in his chest. "You just vanished out of thin air!"

   "I was back in Velaris," Rhys blurted. Everyone stopped what they were doing and stared. "It's a portal between the two worlds. We must have accidentally passed through it on our trip to the top of the hill."

   Everyone stood still. Aedions jaw dropped whilst Rowan and Aelin exchanged glances, some sort of telepathic language no one could understand. Azriel stumbled over to Rhys and examined him for any sort of injury. Cassian was entertaining himself, poking his arm in and out of the portal. Amren pulled him back with great force.

   "So, what do you think about checking out the Palace of Orynth?"