A Court Of Fire and Darkness

Chapter 17

Aelin-

    Everything is happening in flashes again. I'm being pulled into a prisoner's cart again. I'm put into iron chains again. I feel the phantom blood dripping down my back, my wrists, my whole body. I see Maeve, I see the King of Adarlan, I see Cairn, and they're all wickedly smiling at me. 

    "Ah Aelin, so happy to see you again." Maeve purrs at me. Cairn stands beside her, holding a whip in one hand, bloodied chains in the other

    "No I got out how, how can I be back? No, no, no...." I go off muttering to myself frantically. 

    "Celaena Sardothien, it's been too long. Now let's go over a list of the crimes you've committed  in the past years shall we?" I'm back in that stone cold interrogation room, with the King staring at me, feigning his humanity. "Dorian destroyed you... and the valg..." My head is spinning, was this really the final plan from the gods? Because it worked, I think I've met my breaking point now. 

    I want to logic out everything around me but I can't. My name is being repeated over and over. The three monsters stand over me each holding a weapon of choice, telling me all the horrible things I've done. The worst part is that I started to believe them, why was I so selfish? With Sam to start, and all the other individuals I've hurt just as Celaena. But then as Aelin I hurt a kingdom, as just a child I sparked the downfall. Sparks. Fire. Burn. I need to burn, I made other people burn. 

    "Stop!" A voice inside my head screams at me, and oh god the pain. It pierces through me as if someone is pushing needles through my ears. I grip my head wanting to tear the voice from my skull, is this another form of Maeve's torture? "I will do it again if you don't get control of yourself. This is in your head foolish girl." The voice mocks me, but the first part was serious. I can feel the blood boiling in my veins. Burn I tell myself. I must burn.

    "I've had enough!" The voice shrieks, glass breaking inside my head, canon's firing. 

    Then I'm back. 

    I feel the ground, my fingers slowly curling around a handful of cool dirt and grass. I am outside now. My feet lift up under me, seemingly weightless and not of my own doing. For I am not in Aelin's- my body I realize. Deanna is back. I remember the feeling of a loss of control, but it's comfortable because. I feel safe. 

    "What's going on? Why is she not in the cart?" The outside world is muffled, but I can make out Feyre's voice, she's as confused as I am. "She panicked, I had to take her out." My thoughts and questions are startled as my body looks towards Cassian. The metal plates around his wrists suddenly being to glow and he unsheathes a sword from his waist. 

    "I'm not afraid of your weapons, boy." The voice that comes out of my body is far from mine. The control in it is, well there isn't control. Every emotion is felt in that voice, every memory held in each word and sound uttered. With confidence Deanna let herself feel everything, so you can't distinguish what is the present and what is emotions from thousands of years back. "Well great, what are you not hiding from us?" The humor Cassian tries to inject is out of place. 

    Deanna don't hurt them please. I plead, my voice but a mere whisper in my mind. They've only been protecting each other out of love, but it's not like you know anything about that. All you care about is yourself and not being trapped. Love has always been worth more than my freedom, even if it's not my own love. She doesn't acknowledge me, but I'm hopeful that she at least heard me.

Feyre-

    Aelin's eyes are different, the center is filled with a swirling moon similar to Amren's. The outside ring burns brightly in contrast to it. She brings up a flame in her hand, it's blue, unlike anything I've ever seen. Suddenly Amren falls to her knees, staring into the swirling eyes of the girl. The one thing that I thought I'd never witness in my life was Amren bowing.

    "What is wrong with you Amren?" Mor voices my thoughts.

    "Deanna... my queen. She's...here and now....I can..." Amren's eyes are glistening with tears. She can't even put together a sentence. One by one Amren removes each jewel she adorns, carefully laying them out in front of her. 

    "Amren!" Mor runs towards her, still keeping her eyes up at Aelin. Mor begins to shake Amren's shoulder, but Amren doesn't budge. 

    "You always thought that I wanted your pathetic jewels, but you should all know a goddess only needs complete power over your puny lives," Aelin, or whoever that is, says.

    "Yes, of course, I am so sorry your Highness." Amren tosses the jewels across the field as far as she can.

    "What have you done to Amren?" Azriel has true terror in his voice, I haven't known Amren for as long as him and I'm petrified. 

    "Nothing, yet. But I'm going to make you all burn. Every. Single. One." Her eyes seem to project her emotions of pure fury. The worst kinds of torture run through my mind, and I ready my magic. Her smile is wicked, inducing nightmares, but I'm also in some sort of awe. 

    Then, the blue flame shows in her hands, until it's all I can see around myself. My arms, legs, and torso covered in this magnificent flame, and oh does it burn. It's so cold that it burns, the hottest yet coldest fire you can imagine.'What a royal way to die' is the only thing I can think of until the pain swallows me whole.

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Edited 1/16/21