After the Fact

Chapter 1

Aedion

Lysandra's screaming echoed through the castle, accompanied with colorful swearing and shallow, pained breaths between. A soldier winced and muttered to Aedion, "Am I glad I'm not her consort. I would be deaf by now if I was, having to sit beside her and hold her hand through that ruckus."

Aedion didn't reply, knowing full well that Rowan wasn't beside Lysandra as she heaved and shrieked in pain. If Rowan were there, nobody would have been able to hear her but the Healer. His wind would have kept the noise contained.

Dammit, he should be the one at Lysandra's side, holding her hand. It was his kid, after all.

Not that anyone outside of the inner circle knew that anyway.

Rowan, Aedion knew, was upstairs in his room. He really should have been in there with his "wife", to keep up appearances and all, but...Aedion titled his head up to gaze at the ceiling, hiding the the burning in his eyes.

It sounded like Aelin was the one screaming in pain.

And that was why Aedion hadn't dashed up the stairs and demanded the Fae warrior be there—but it wasn't the only reason.

It was the second-year anniversary of his cousin's death, and everyone was a little colder inside than usual. Of all the days for his kid to be born....

Rowan hadn't left his room all day, which wasn't unusual. Some days, the male wouldn't leave for anything or anyone. For him, it must've felt like Aelin's death was just yesterday—what with the whole immortal lifespan and all.

He and Lysandra, despite everything, were slowly healing. They picked up all the shards littering the ground and pieced them back together, hand in hand, and then gazed at the passable version of a life that they had built. It was fragile, sure—and he knew Lysandra still cried at night sometimes, and he had still kept himself neck-deep in work to distract him—but it was something.

Rowan had practically nothing.

Half his family had abandoned him, his lands and titles stripped by Maeve. Both of his wives dead, the second his mate. Gavriel and Lorcan all had their own issues to work through, and Fenrys was still suffering from the Blood Oath.

But Aedion kept his musings to himself. He didn't think Rowan wanted his pity.

Lysandra shrieked once more, then all was quiet. The sound of wailing echoed through the castle.

Despite himself, Aedion broke into a grin.

The grin slowly faded as footsteps approached, hurried and frantic. Aedion's hand went to his sword as a haggard looking Healer burst into the corridor.

"Sir," she gasped, "you're needed upstairs with the Queen."

Aedion exchanged a look with the guard and said, "Look after my post." With that, he started running up the stairs to Lysandra's room.

Each of his steps thumped with his pounding heart. The Healer hadn't looked happy. She had looked worried. Was something wrong with the babe?

He voiced his question out loud, and the Healer, Dormalise, shook her head. Aedion knew because she was one of the few people outside of the inner circle who knew about Lysandra. She was a necessity, specializing in treating Shifter-related issues that regular Healers wouldn't know what to make of.

"The baby is perfect," she said, trying to keep up with Aedion as he took two stairs at a time. "It's the Queen, sir."

Aedion ran faster.

He reached the top of the stairs and skidded around the corner, barging into Lysandra's room. There was blood...so much blood. Blood everywhere.

Lysandra lay, in her preferred form, on bed. A bundle was cradled in her arms as she wept softly.

"Lysandra," Aedion whispered, and walked over. She was so pale.

"Look at her," she said, her voice so soft he had to lean closer to hear her. Aedion looked at the baby, quiet in her mother's arms. Fine blonde hair crested her head. The eyes, blue with a ring of gold. His eyes, his hair. Unbidden, a tender smile crept onto his face.

"Her name is Evalin," Lysandra said. "If she's a Shifter, give her to Dormalise. She knows a few that can train her."

"You're talking like you won't be here to help her," Aedion said, face crumpling.

Lysandra smiled softly at him. "You know I won't. Shifters always have a hard time birthing children, just like the Fae have trouble conceiving." She lifted a hand to his face. "You'll be fine without me. Take care of her."

Aedion's eyes burned with unshed tears. "I love you," he whispered.

"I love you too."

Lysandra held on through the night. Dormalise tried her best to patch her up, but she wouldn't stop bleeding. Magic didn't work, medicine didn't work. She took her last breath in the morning, facing the rising sun.