A Court of Flame and Darkness (ACOTAR and TOG Crossover)

Chapter 3: Aelin

    It took four days of traveling across the wilds of the Southern Continent before they reached the inn that Chaol had picked for them to meet at. As Aelin stepped through the entrance into the inn she scanned for the two familiar faces of Chaol and Nesryn. She spotted them in the corner and stalked over to where they were sitting, her hood pulled low to cover her delicately pointed ears. She sat down heavily into the one open chair around the table and said to Chaol, "You better be damn sure that fighting in this war is going to help us because if not, I will be VERY angry that I dragged my court all this way for nothing, leaving my home with only a few left to protect it."

    Chaol did not even flinch at the death in her eyes, his face hardening. "I'm not stupid, I know the risks of what could happen in your absence, but I have heard about the fae in Prythian and they could prove to be powerful allies to you and your court," Chaol said with steel in his voice. "Where is everyone, I would have thought that at least Rowan would be lurking somewhere in here to watch your back?"

    "Oh he is," said Aelin with vicious sweetness, and then the fake smile left her face as she told Chaol, "I want to know everything that you have learned about these other fae and their land before I risk any lives," Aelin said with a serious expression on her face. Chaol nodded to Nesryn and she began to tell Aelin everything that they found out in the months that Chaol had been healing.

    "The land called Prythian is split into eight different territories, each owned by a different High Lord, the leaders of the fae,: Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter, Dawn, Day, Night, and a piece of territory in the middle that is owned only by the lawless creatures that live there. There is an invisible wall that stretches across the border of Prythian and a small human colony that resides on the tip of the continent but the wall has several holes along its length that will allow you to slip into Prythian fairly easily. The territory that borders the wall is the lands of Spring, ruled by the High Lord Tamlin. There are many types of fae in Prythian, the superior class being the humanoid high fae, and beneath them are the lesser fae, many very dangerous that take many different forms. If you approach Tamlin's palace peacefully and  do not appear or threaten violence then she should hear you out and call a meeting with all of the High Lords if you request it. Tamlin is one of the milder High Lords that is less likely to kill you if you appear too threatening. As for the conflict with the King of Hybern, he is the ruler of the land beyond Prythian, cruel and malicious. Prythian has just been freed from the control of one of his commanders, Amarantha, after her reign of terror for the last fifty years and they do not want to fall prey to any more of his vicious followers. He has already led a strike against the Night court, the one that is closest to his realm, after the corrupt human queens on this continent betrayed them after the Night court requested their assistance and collaboration in defeating his forces. He has not struck again. I did hear that members of the Night court went to go stop some powerful weapon called the Cauldron  and were unsuccessful but I do not know anything more," Nesryn finished. Aelin took a deep breath and considered what Nesryn had told her.

    "Thank you for informing me of this opportunity," she said, then stood and nodded farewell before turning and striding out of the inn to the clearing that she had left her court to relate back to them everything that she had just learned, already forming a plan on how to work this situation to her advantage.