A Court in Flames

Chapter 10

Aelin's POV

The next day my muscles ached. Something that if I normally did what I did wouldn't've happened.

I lay on the bed that they had provided me and as I flipped through the last book and found nothing I chucked it at the door. Only someone opened the door and got hit in the face by the book. I immediately felt bad until I saw that it was Rhys, the Daemati.

I snarled at him.

"I was just coming to tell you that it's lunchtime." He said as he rubbed the spot where the book hit him. "Where did you even get these? I've never heard of this language."

"The library. Mor took me there yesterday and if you must know they're wyrdmarks. They're how I got here and how I plan to go back," I said with a snarl and a glare.

"Look, Aelin. I'm sorry about yesterday-" I cut him off.

"Don't be. I expect nothing less from Daemati," I told him as I brushed past him to go get something to eat. My muscles were barking in protest but I ignored them.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"What do you think I mean?" I answered without looking back.

I stalked off, not even really sure where I was going and I didn't even care so long as I was far away from him.

"He means well, Aelin." I turned to find Mor walking beside me.

"Maybe. But after what I've experienced- I can't trust Daemati. They've bent me to they're will and destroyed my memories and torn me away from my family."

"Aelin. It's not the Daemati who are born like that. They are people or fae and they choose to be like that. Rhys cares as much about his family as you care about yours. He probably only used his magic because you threatened someone he cares about." I looked away at that remembering how I had threatened Amren with my fire and then threatened everyone else.

"Oh. I did threaten Amren because we'd met before back in my world and let's just say that we did not get along very well. And then I did threaten everyone else because I was scared of his magic. And I did throw a knife at him when he used his magic on me again." She arched a brow at me.

"Seriously, Aelin? Do you go around threatening everyone?" I just grinned at her.

"Well, besides being Queen of Terrasen, a mother, mate, wife, cousin, carranam, fire-bringer, world-walker, fae Queen, demi-fae, liar, cheat, thief and friend. I am also an assassin." I said with a wild grin.

"Now, that is a lot of titles. But seriously! You're an assassin!"

"And a damn good one at that," I told Mor who just laughed.

"You have zero humility," Mor stated while laughing.

"You're just realizing that? I thought that was obvious from the start. Now. I need to eat something." 

"Let's go join everyone else. They're probably waiting for us." We walked through the hallways and I noted how there were beautiful tapestries and paintings.

"When I get back home I'm going to make Orynth as beautiful as Velaris. We're going to have beautiful theatres and huge libraries like we did in the old days before- Before Adarlan's conquest. We'll have flowers and the Kingsflame on every street. We'll have pastry stores and chocolatiers. It'll be glorious. We've already started, but... I'm going to make it even better. You'll have to visit sometime," I told Mor. I could picture the whole thing. The beauty and awe. The Staghorns surrounding it and the Florine river running through it. The magic all around. I would make it even better than before. The most beautiful place in the world. A huge smile graced my lips as we walked into the dining hall.

Mor was also smiling probably because she was imagining it just like I was.

I felt a pang of fear as I saw Rhys again, but... No. I'm going to give him a chance because he's been quite hospitable.

"I guess I owe all of you an explanation," I said. "Although, first can I know the name of your High lady and him," I said pointing to both the High lady and the male with black hair and hazel eyes. "Because you all know my name," I asked with a small smile. "I'd also like to apologize to Rhys because I haven't been that nice to him since he used his Daemati magic on me." Mor just smiled at me encouragingly.

"Oh. Where are my manners? I'm Feyre. And this is Azriel. Now. I would like, very much, to hear why you haven't been very kind to my mate." She said.

I took a calming breath. "Please don't interrupt. I don't think I'll have the courage to start again. So. 

"Ten years ago there was a war against the Valg. Vile creatures who are practically parasites who can control your mind and body when the come take over you. They are from another world. They have three kings, Orcus, Mantyx and Erawan. Orcus and Mantyx were banished millennia before I was born in a different war.

"There was a lock that Mala fire-bringer had given her mortal life for." I looked at Amren when I said that. "Brannon was going to use the rest of his magic to destroy Erawan by using the lock to send the Gods back to their homeworld and they would take Erawan with them and destroy him. But... Elena, Brannon's daughter used the lock to seal Erawan in a sarcophagus and wasted her mother's sacrifice. Then the previous king of Adarlan freed him.

"I knew what the cost of the war was for me even before Maeve captured me. I was the cost. Everything I had I would give to reforge the lock and send the Gods back home. We found out after I'd been freed from Maeve that she was a Valg Queen. She had me captured and tortured for two months, bound in iron and trapped in an iron coffin. She spun fantasies with her dark magic and I lived out those fantasies over and over again. We eventually won the war. I escaped and then forged the lock, surviving because my friend helped me to survive long enough to bargain for Elena's life because she saved me and gave me a chance to live.

"Amren killed her anyway and they left Erawan for me to deal with. Mala gave me a kernel of her power which I used to kill the Gods and then I fell through the worlds and eventually made it back to my world. We made it to Orynth just in time and managed to kill all Maeve and Erawan, ridding us of the Valg.

"We had ten years of peace and then eight months ago I was captured by a Daemati. I soon found out I was pregnant. He changed my memories and thoughts and I hated him for it. Each day he made me forget I was pregnant. But when I gave birth I had attempted to escape with her. But failed. I used wyrdmarks to come here and I don't know what I did or how to get back and because of Maeve and him, I'm afraid of Daemati. And I know I shouldn't judge people by that and I'm trying not to. It's just a deeply rooted fear. And I'm sorry."

When I finished my tale I knew I was shaking slightly. Reliving all of those memories was hard. It had always been and I could almost feel the silence. It was like a heavy blanket. The iron coffin. The chains. The whip. The knife. Elentiya. Maeve. Cairn. Him. The healer. Before I knew it I was murmuring his name. "Rowan. I need you. Where are you? I need you." And I could almost feel the bond that remained broken. The bond that had broken because I was in a different world.

"-Aelin! Aelin! Aelin! Snap out of it!" My eyes locked on the male in front of me. 

"Rowan?" I asked but even as I said his name I knew it wasn't him. It might never be him again and more than anything. That scared me.