Throne of Glass and ACOTAR Stories

The Heir of Fire and Lady of Night Pt 5.0

In honor of the benevolent Kateslyn11 for spoiling me and writing me a fan fiction with her talent. 😂

You go, girl.

- - - - - - - -

I couldn't help but glance at Rowan's pale face as Aelin's words hung between us all. Aelin hadn't mentioned anything to me about the amulet constantly moving places—and by the pained look on her face, perhaps she hadn't ever intended to.

"You're telling me," Rowan said after a while, "that after Feyre uses all three of these wishes you owe her, you will be gone again?"

Aelin nodded once. "Yes."

Rowan rubbed at his face, and Aelin finally dared to glance at him. I suddenly felt an uncomfortable weight settle on my shoulders; if I used Aelin's three wishes, we could easily defeat Hybern and move on with our lives. If I instead wasted precious time to safely free her...we could lose that chance. But likewise...I made our friend a promise—to back out on that promise would be just as unsettling as the other alternative.

I caught Aelin's eye, hoping she would somehow pick up on the question burning in my mind, whether through magic or pure wit. I knew that Rowan's opinion on the situation would be particularly biased, but something told me that Aelin Galathynius would accept anything if it meant saving the greater population. My suspicions were deemed true when she shot me a look that said, we'll talk later.

I nodded, standing and signaling to the others to meet me outside. "I'm...not exactly sure how this works but..." I stuttered, removing  the amulet from around my neck and placing it on the wooden coffee table. "You can keep this."

Aelin's turquoise and gold eyes were mixed with emotions as she responded quietly, "Thank you, Lady of Night, but I can only be out of the amulet for a period of time and can only be a few feet away from it—and since you're the carrier..."she handed the amulet back to me, and Rowan watched with a pained expression. "You must be the one who holds it."

I swallowed and nodded again. "I'll be right outside," I mumbled, wishing I could do more to help before shutting the door behind me.

- - - - - - - -

Aelin

"I can't believe that even after all this time, the gods still find a way to mess with our lives," Rowan retorted, shaking his head and standing. Aelin still didn't meet his eyes, afraid of what she might see in them. Instead, she kept her eyes on the floor, memorizing each crack and swirl in the wood.

She heard him sigh, silently making his way back over to her with that warrior's grace. The scent of pine and snow caressed as he knelt down to look up at her to force her to meet his gaze. "None of this is your fault," he whispered, gently grasping her hand as her throat closed up. "It's not your fault those bastards gave you this power; it is not your fault they locked you in that amulet all these millennia. You have given too much to think like that."

She remained silent, unsure of what to say as she stared at him. He rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb, staring right back at her with certainty and love. "All this time, I had never allowed myself to fully hope that maybe...just maybe there was a chance that you were alive, even though that's all I really wanted—you back. At first, I couldn't believe that after all we had endured together, we were still forced apart." He paused for a long moment, as if waiting for her reaction.

She took a deep breath and asked with her eyes, And now?

He gave her a small smile. Now, I still can't believe it; now, I know it will never happen again because you and I are both just too damn stubborn for that.