Rowaelin FanFic: Real Nightmare

The Calling

She was lying next to a man... no, not a man... a fae male who had delicately pointed ears, silver hair the colour of the moon and stars and smelt faintly of pine and snow. His eyes were closed as he slept peacefully, his breathing even and his heavily sculpted chest rising and falling like the waves of a large ocean. Her head lay of his muscled arm and she was barely a hairs breadth from his face, so close that she could see every pore of his skin, every twitch of his lids and every strand of stubble on his jaw. He was beautiful although she did not know why she was in bed with him completely naked, did not know why he smelt so familiar.

Slowly she edged away, pulling back from the sleeping male so as not to wake him. She didn't know why but something told her not to awake the slumbering Fae male. Slipping out from under the luxurious silk covers and backing away she spied a small door which hung slightly ajar. The bedroom she stood in was familiar, as was the bathroom she entered upon opening the door. The faint smell of jasmine and lemon verbena floated round her nostrils and she inhaled deeply, savoring it, cherishing it.

A metal tub filled with water stood in the middle of the bathroom and someone had obviously been in it as water splashed stood out on the stone floor and the lit candles had almost burnt out. A full length mirror sat in the corner of the room and she walked over to it... and recoiled at what she saw.

She was covered in blood, it clung to her hair and face and limbs like a second skin. Her body was painfully thin, her ribs jutting out from her chest and her waist only slightly bigger than a large jug of water. Her eyes were hollow and dark shadows encircled her red lids. Her lips were blue and cracked, bleeding in some places, scabbed over in others. Golden hair hung limply at her shoulders. She didn't remember it being so short and ragged. It looked like someone had cut it with a very blunt blade.

She turned around and looked over her shoulder at her back. Three long scars stood out pale in amongst the mess of blood. It looked like someone had sliced her open bit my bit and them pieced her back together like a broken jigsaw puzzle.

She heard a noise behind her and - for some reason - expected to see the silver haired male standing in the doorway. Instead a man with golden hair and eyes stared at her with a dark smile. She knew his name.

"Erawan." she breathed and he took a step closer to her, a glimmer of something dangerous in his eyes.

"Aelin," he purred, "Where have you been. I've missed you not being around."

"You know exactly where I've been." she spat but her heart was not in the anger in her voice. Erawan's smile told her he knew it too.

"Well Maeve certainly seems to be doing a good job of keeping you hidden, not just from your friends but the whole world. It seems to me, they have all forgotten you."

Friends? When did she have friends? Aelin wondered as her gaze drifted to the door which the Fae male was sleeping beyond.

"Ahhh yes, your Prince," Prince! "It's a shame really, how little time you had together. Your love and connection was like none other I'd seen before."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Aelin said coldly.

"Then perhaps I must show you." and before she could say anything else, Erawan waved a hand and her world became cloaked in darkness.

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She was standing on a beach, the moon hanging like a glowing beacon over the sea which was as black as night. Two figures stood silhouetted against the orb of silver, pressed against each other. They were talking, whispering and then one of the figures bent down and pressed his lips to the other, hands tangling in her golden hair. A small ring of fire encircled them, lighting up their faces and she noticed with a jolt that it was her and the silver haired male.