Wings and Heartbeats (Manorian Fanfiction and crossover between ACOTAR and TOG)

Part 32: What is there to do in a war when you have a child?!

Feyre felt numb.

She had gone through the meeting with the High Lords and the royals of Erilea, where they initially decide to fight back from both side, pushing them back into Under the Mountain, it is was about damn time they destroyed that cursed place anyway. She had talked to the royals about needing time to refuel because to rip the world apart was not easy. She had waited patiently when the others were bristling in impatience.

She had played her part as High Lady, and played it well, but when they winnowed back to the river house, the moment she had entered her bedroom she had simply collapsed onto her knees and started to weep. Rhysand simply kneeled next to her and wrapped her in both his arms and wings.

"M-maven, Rhys, Maven," Feyre said through tears.

"Shh," Rhys said sadly ", I know, love, I know."

"What are we going to do, Rhysand?" Feyre said softly, burrowing her face in his shoulder.

Her mate smiled slightly at the use of his full name but replied with ", We keep him safe, we'll keep all of the Night Court safe."

There was a feeble knock at the door, barely audible. Feyre controlled her breathing then wiped her face with her sleeves and rose, Rhys rising quickly alongside her. "Come in," her mate said sternly, and the door opened. 

Maven stumbled inwards, his face curious.

Feyre nearly felt her heart shatter then but quickly schooled herself enough so that she could give her a son a shaky smile. Maven lifted his violet eyes towards her blue-gray ones, open. "Why do you cry, mommy?"

Feyre pulled Mavey in for an embrace, lifting him up to her eye level as she said ", We cry, Maven because we have things worth crying over. We cry because we have much to lose."

But the little Fae boy was far too young to understand, he only looked at his parents, his mother, her face tearstained, her smile sad; his father, smiling sadly, eyes looking millenias old. The boy reached up between them both, hand uncertain.

Wavering, like their future, was.

-

"We've come a long way," Aelin said, surveying the entirety of Erilea's rulers, all standing on a terrace in the House of Wind, the evening breeze blowing their hair, setting all their eyes afire ", All of us."

"We did indeed," Dorian said.

They all nodded.

"We'll walk out of this," Aelin said, her hand momentarily fluttering to her abdomen before promptly dropping to her side.

They all smiled sadly, they all knew the consequences of war, had barely walked out alive last time, before now being thrown back into another one. But meeting each of their eyes, it was pure determination and absolute faith that she saw.

They were not fighting for their world, alone. Sometimes to save your world, you must first venture out to find and help others.

"Let's not forget what we're fighting for," Manon said, her voice low, her golden eyes glancing at the dark-haired king by her side, who returned her look with a sad smile.

With that, they all waited for Rhys to gather enough of his strength to finally get them back to Erilea so they can return with the forces to finally finish what was once overdue.

-

"We can save ourselves, Dorian," Chaol pleaded, his eyes panicked ", We cannot survive a war with two Valg kings, we barely lived past one."

"Not with that attitude we won't," Dorian tutted.

Chaol scowled ", You know what happened, you know who was lost, were lost."

Dorian's expression softened ", I know. I remember, Chaol."

"Then, why?"

He smiled sadly. His expression that of a king that had gone through much, and survived through bloodshed and prosperity both. "Because if we don't finish this now, then who will?"

"We'll delay it."

Dorian barked a harsh laugh ", For who? Our next generation? Like Elena had done to us? No, Chaol, to delay it is to continue this game. We finish this before they can reach our world."

Chaol went silent.

"You don't have to, Chaol," Dorian said gently ", You are my closest friend, but I understand. You have a family. You could take Yrene and Arvena and go somewhere far away, come back when things are better."

For a heartbeat, there was nothing but silence, but then Chaol lifted his eyes, the copper in them was alive-molten. He raised his gaze to Dorian, his beloved friend, his other side, his King, and said fiercely ", We go through this together.

-

Evangeline was lost in thoughts as she sat outside the River Estate's garden, watching Fleetfoot and Saffron play. She'd earned quite the lecture from both Lysandra and Aedion when they fell into the garden, ruining a few roses in the process, the lady named Elain didn't seem to mind, in fact she seemed quite fine with having an extra company.

Evangeline knew what was going on, she knew that they were heading into battle once more. It unnerved her, how confident and bold her court was, to be so ready to go to war again only after two years of break. She was also very unnerved at how confident she was in her court's ability.

Sighing through her nose, Evangeline blew a raspberry and could only wait until her time come to play.