Crescent City: A Court of Thrones and Glass

Chapter One: Aelin

     As dawn broke across the horizon, Aelin surveyed her hard-won kingdom. As far as the eye could see, the Kingsflame was blooming over the blood-soaked Plains of Theralis. Standing on her bedroom balcony, Aelin had a stunning view of the entirety of Orynth. There were obvious scars from the war, but the city wore them proudly.
     Behind her, Rowan slumbered peacefully in their king sized bed. Rowan. Her mate. Mate. She still couldn't believe it. Turning back towards the sun, Aelin watched as the city woke up. Store owners cleaning shops, workers hustling across town, cleaners picking up debris, builders repairing homes, citizens in mourning black, carrying bouquets of flowers, heading towards the massive  graveyard on the East End. That was her fault, she thought. Her fault. Hers. She couldn't save them. She failed to save her people, just like she failed to save Nehemia. Her fault. A failure.
     Suddenly, strong, steady arms, snakes around her middle, pulling her close. Aelin inhaled deeply. Pine and snow. Home.
     "You did not fail them, Aelin," Rowan grumbled, his voice still rough with sleep.
     "Yes, I did-" her voice breaking, "Look at those people. My people. There were already so few. Then I brought a whole rutting war upon them, sacrificed their families, and destroyed their homes." Tears were streaming down her scar-flecked face. "If only I'd been smarter, stronger, faster, I could've stopped this." Aelin's dark eyes stared heart-brokenly at her war torn home.
     "No,  Fireheart. Look at me." Broad hands grabbed her shoulders and spun her around to face him. Rowan was shirtless, and his silver hair was still mussed. Even sleep-addled, her mate was stunningly beautiful. His pine green eyes bore into hers.
     "You. Saved. Them." He punctuated each word. "You freed your people from a lifetime of fear and horrific death. Hell, you saved the whole gods-damned continent from Erawan and Maeve. You freed Dorian from slavery, and Manon from eternal servitude and slaughter. You saved Lysandra from Arobynn, and Evangeline too. You saved the Cadre from Maeve, and finally reunited with Aedion. You helped Chaol find his wife. You found Elide. You did that. You, Fireheart."
     "No," Aelin said. "We did. Me and my eloquent mate." She rolled onto her tiptoes and kissed him. Rowan cupped her face and brushed the tears off her cheeks.
     "But most importantly, Aelin, you saved me. And you did that all by yourself."
     "Damn right I did." The familiar light returned to her striking, gold-ringed turquoise eyes and a swaggering smirk spread across her face.
     "Now I'd love to get back into bed with you and stay all morning, Rowan, but I have a country to run."
     "Indeed you do. And speaking of our friends, we need to deal with them before they tear this castle apart." After a few minutes, the King and Queen of Terrasen descended into the throne room, hand in hand, and greeted the gathered crowd of friends before them.

A/N: Hey guys! Thank you so much for reading the first chapter of my first ever fan fiction. I will try to update as often as I can, but school can get busy! Please comment any suggestions you may have or where you would like this story to go. I'm open to anything!
~Livinderdeep