World of Dreamers (TOG/ACOTAR crossover)

Chapter 17

 Dorian Havilliard sat across from the Queen of Terrasen and watched the range of emotion that crossed her face as Aedion explained who they had allied themselves with. First, it was wide eyed shock, followed by fiery rage, and then silent gratitude, her eyes dropping to the table in front of her. Aedion had called a war council together as soon as they'd come back from the forest and nearly everyone had answered his call, except Manon. The white haired witch was nowhere to be seen.

"Why?" Aelin asked, the first word she'd spoken since hearing of the new alliance to Erawan. The word was quiet and full of disbelief. As if she wasn't used to other people making sacrifices for her.

Aedion sighed, rubbing his eyes. "It was the only way to save you. We couldn't find any other way to get the collar off and we weren't going to let you continue wearing it."

She nodded, her throat bobbing. In the dimly lit room, you could barely see the band of pale skin that wrapped around her neck, twin to the one around Dorian's own neck. It would fade over time, though Dorian knew personally that it never really went away.

"Thank you," she managed to get out, blinking away the tears in her eyes. Her voice was so small, and in that moment, Dorian saw through the mask she'd been wearing for this council. Where before the witty comments and snide remarks had been part of her personality, they were now nothing more than acting. Impressive acting, enough to convince nearly everyone, but acting all the same. Whatever Maeve had done to Aelin, she'd stripped away the confident, snarky barrier Aelin kept as her defense between her and the world.

Rowan shifted in his seat, and grabbed his wife's hand, intertwining her fingers with his own. He was more at peace than Dorian had ever seen him despite the ever present war on the borders of Terrasen. Tomorrow they would start the long walk to the battlefield. It would take them three days to travel from the river just outside of Orynth to the waiting armies. They would bring tents and rations and everything a war could possibly need because they weren't going to come back to Ornyth until they had won the war. And if they lost the war, there would be no Orynth to come back to.

"So, we have Maeve's army on it's way here and we are now working with Erawan and his army?" Aelin summed up, looking around the room for confirmation. "What's our plan?"

Dorian's brain hurt after just thirty minutes of battle strategy and war talk. Yes, he'd been raised to be a King and he knew a good deal about how to fight a war and win, but Rowan and Edna and even Prince Galan knew way more than he did. The conversation flew way over his head only a few minutes after it had begun. Lysandra must have felt the same way as she shifted into a ghost leopard ten minutes in and sat in the corner of the room, the rocking of the boat lulling her to sleep. Dorian wished he could take a nap.

"No," Ren spoke up, "if we put the soldiers near the southern mountains they will get caught in the storm and won't be able to get out for a few weeks tops. The winter's in Terrasen aren't forgiving."

Aedion nodded by his side. "He's right. A few years back the Bane and I got caught in one of Terrasen's winter blizzards. We were caught unaware and were lucky to have made it out with our lives. I would avoid putting anyone in that situation if we can help it."

"Then who will defend that side of the border? Erawan bought us time by pushing Maeve's armies back, but they are going to try to find a different way into Terrasen. Maeve's armies know about the mountain passes. It would be too easy for them to invade Terrasen that way," Galan spoke up, drawing his finger across the map sitting on the table.

Rowan ran a hand through his hair, his back muscles flickering through his shirt. "We could... send the Bane to defend it. They've been through those mountains a hundred times before and they know the area better than any of the other soldiers. Most of them are used to the cold as well."