Castle of Wind (A Throne of Glass Fan fiction)

Hiding

He had been moving from place to place for more than a year. Afraid someone caught him.

He knew he would never be safe again from the moment he stepped out of that glass castle. Away from the competition. As his friend told him to.

Nox Owen had heard rumors she had won and had worked for the king. Some months ago he had heard the king was dead. Aelin, the lost queen of Terrasen had done it.

People talked about her appearance a lot. The golden haired queen. The fire-breathing-bitch-queen as some liked to call her. They said she had turquoise eyes  with flames around the pupils.

It wasn't until a month later that Nox realized who Aelin was. How could he have missed it. Blond hair, turquoise eyes with a ring of gold.

Celaena.

He had known there was something odd about her. Thought he had no idea why she had to pretend being someone else, he understood. She could not say who she was or she would be killed.

Aelin would not be a normal Queen. She had  been a slave, an assassin and so much more.

Nox started moving to Perranth. Where he had not set foot for years.

He hopped Aelin was moving there.
Aelin and her court. As he had heard.

Some said Aelin had been in Wendlyn the whole time waiting for the wright time to strike. There she defeated Maeve with her fire and brought back with her a Fae Prince. Bounded to her. And then came back to kill Adarlan's King and save her beloved cousin, General Aedion Ashryver.

Of course most of it was a lie. Stories tend to change from mouth to mouth. And Nox had heard it from the mouth of an old lady that worked in the streets of a village he had passed, whose earing was not in its best days.

Later, news arrived that Rifthold was now ruled by ironteeth witches and there was no word of where Celaena_ Aelin was.

So Nox only continued on his way to Terrasen, hopping she would be there and still remember and accept him in her kingdom.

~^~^~

Aedion woke up. He had a nightmare. He had remembered things he had made himself forget long ago. The night everything had changed.

Lately every time he slept he had the same dream. The same memories coming back. Some good, some bad, he didn't want to remember them anyway.

Aedion didn't want to remember his Queen. Chained in an iron coffin. Tortured. Death would be a mercy. And if Maeve was indeed a Valg Queen. Maybe Aelin was not herself anymore.

He remembered Dorian. Not Dorian. The Valg Prince, coming to his cell before his execution day. The day Aelin had saved his life.

He had done nothing for her, he had let her being stolen away from him. He had left her and assumed she was dead. And still Aelin had saved him.

He didn't deserve her.

Aedion didn't want to sleep again, didn't want to have those kind of dreams. But his eyes started to close again and he fell asleep.

~^~^~

It was nearly dawn and Aedion should prepare himself to go training with Quinn.

The day before Adarlan's King had been there and Aedion could swore he had felt the power that flew in him. Dark and cold.

He remembered Aelin had burned out in front of everyone. And he believed it was somehow the King's fault.

Maybe it was just because she was nervous. Maybe because of prince Dorian.

No. Aelin was not that kind of girl. She was not the kind of girl that was nervous around boys.

Aedion had planned to get a book for her once she had been prohibited to enter the library ever again.

When he finished preparing he heard a woman's scream.

He ran as fast as he could but it was too late. He found lady Marion dead in the kitchen. And saw some men run towards the river.

Aelin.

He went back hoping she was in her rooms. He found nothing. Maybe she was in her parents' rooms.

As Aedion opened the door and saw the bloody sheets and the people below them he realized he was not going to see his cousin ever again.

So he ran. To the woods, as far away as possible. Blaming himself for not noticing the danger.

Aelin was... gone because of him.

He heard steps behind him and from that moment he knew he could not be the same again.

~^~^~

Aedion woke up again. His breath uneven. He steadied himself.

He remembered that day.  Aedion had thought Aelin was dead, he had thought he would never see her again. And he had accepted it.

He had used her memory for surviving. He could do that again.

She would do this. She would survive.
And Aelin would come back to Terrasen, her kingdom and rule it with Rowan.

Rowan, his brother, would find her and bring her back. And when she was back they would defeat all Valgs and monsters and banish them from their realm.

Aedion got up and walked outside. He could already see land with his Fae senses.

The Lord of the North was before him and the northern winds were moving his hair, bringing the smell of Terrasen to his nostrils. Pine and snow. His favourite smell. Home.

Some ships ahead of them were already preparing to dock.

They were almost there. Almost in Terrasen, and for the first time Aedion was not happy about it.