Crescent City: A Court of Thrones and Glass

Chapter Seventeen: Aelin

A/N: Thanks @IsabellaDerrer, @sabinab2023, @babyfeysand, and @booksarelife222267 for voting/commenting. I know my updating schedule is all over the place, which is unacceptable imo, but......oh well. I was trying to post every day, however that didn't  really work out, so now I'm thinking every three days-ish? Maybe? Honestly, I can't promise anything. Sorry, I know it's not ideal.....anyways here's another chapter!

Velaris was stunning. It was a beautiful city, teeming with life, art, music, laughter.... the best part was just the overwhelming feeling of happiness and peace that surrounded the City of Starlight. It was everything Aelin wanted Orynth to be. As Mor and Feyre gave the females a tour, Aelin watched the High Lady. She looked so vibrant and settled, like this is exactly where she was meant to be. Anytime one of her citizens approached her, which not many did, considering their large group, she greeted them by name, shook their hand or embraced them, and took the time to listen. That is what Aelin wanted with her people. To have a connection, for them to be comfortable enough with her to just talk. To know their names. Not to mention the arts thrived here. There were so many artists, musicians and dancers, it was absolutely wonderful. Whenever Aelin got back to Terrasen, she'd have to find Madame Florine, and maybe, finally build that theatre she always dreamed of.
"And this is one of my favourite shops," Feyre said, pointing to a large boutique. They were in the Palace of Hoof and Leaf, apparently one of the twin Palaces, specializing in food. Gods it smelt delightful here...and was that chocolate wafting out the front door? Aelin read the sign printed on the red, overhanging canopy. Patisserie and Chocolatier. Aelin almost squealed in delight. Bryce did.
"Those look like the best chocolate croissants I have ever seen!" Bryce exclaimed, almost drooling as she looked through the big, storefront window. Aelin was inclined to agree and she could've sworn she heard Lysandra's stomach growl.
"You have to try them," Mor chirped, opening the front door and ushering them inside. "Ombriel's pastries are the best in the city, and he's known all over Prythian for his chocolate."
"You are always too kind to me, Lady Morrigan," an aging, grey-haired male said from behind the counter. He inclined his head to Feyre. "High Lady. How many I help you today?" Ombriel looked Fae, but his skin was a light blue, and from what Aelin could see, he seemed to have scales covering parts of his hands and forearms. His eyes were a piercing sea green, but he must've been quite old, for his face was lined with deep-set wrinkles. However, he was very amiable. It didn't matter to Aelin, he was supposedly the best chocolatier on this continent. As far as she was concerned, he was her new favourite person.
"Our friends here are from out of town, and I think are interested in trying your chocolate croissants," Mor said to him. Ombriel nodded, and grabbed one for each of them from the display in the window.
"I do hope you enjoy them. It's my great-grandmother's recipe, passed down through the generations." Aelin accepted a croissant from his weathered, outstretched hand and took a bite. She let out a small groan. It was the perfect pastry. Honestly, she could have eaten nothing else but Ombriel's chocolate croissants for the rest of her immortal life and not cared one bit. Bryce nearly wept at the taste.
     "These. Are. Amazing!" Bryce yelled, loud enough for all of Velaris to here. She beamed at the chef. "You are one extremely talented male."  Ombriel smiled back at her.
     "Thank you, my dear," he said.
     "I think Nuala or Cerridwen will be stopping by later today," Feyre told the male, "and you can put those croissants on the my tab." Ombriel waved her off.
     "There's no need, they're on the house. I don't think I've ever seen someone eat something so quickly." He glanced at Bryce and Aelin, who had chocolate smeared around their lips, and were licking their fingers clean. Mouths full, they gave him twin wolffish grins.
     "Thank you so much, Ombriel," Mor said as she opened the door for Feyre and Lysandra, Bryce and Aelin trailing behind. Back in the bustling streets, the females toured the city, taking in all the sights. After a couple hours of walking and chatting, Aelin noticed that Feyre was tired.
    "We should probably head back to the House of Wind soon," the Queen suggested, "I told Rowan where we were going, but he's always concerned when I'm not with him, especially since, you know, different world and all that." She waved a hand for emphasis. Bryce chimed in, "Yeah, Hunt as well. I mean after everything we've been through, I guess they have the right to, but he can be such a alphahole sometimes." Her words alluded to some other traumatic experience, other than the world-walking, but Aelin didn't push her on it, she was too focused on the other word.
     "Alpha-what?" She asked, Feyre nodding with the same question, their interests piqued with the prospect of a new insult.
     "Alphahole. Possessive and aggressive. Those Vanir who rip their shirts off at the slightest provocation, who know how to kill people in twenty different ways....Their favourite hobbies are brooding, fighting and roaring; they've perfected about thirty different types of snarls and growls; and they've got a cabal of hot friends," Bryce answered, a hint of mischief gleaming in her eye as she smirked at them. Lysandra barked a laugh, while Aelin and Mor doubled over, howling with laughter. Feyre chuckled, thinking of her mate who some would definitely call an alphahole.
     "That sounds like Rowan. When I met him, he was literally part of immortal, Fae warriors that I called the Cadre," Aelin said, still laughing.
     "Forget Rowan, that's you, Aelin!" Lysandra exclaimed with a chuckle. The Queen hissed at the shifter. Feyre was full-on laughing now, "You're just proving her point, your Majesty." Aelin flipped her golden hair, glaring at Lysandra.
     "She's saying that because Lys knows she'd be classified as the 'hot friend' group," she said. Bryce chuckled, while Mor looked like she was going to pass out from laughter,  probably thinking of her friends and cousin at home who most definitely fall into the category.
     "Come on," Mor said, "Let's head back to the House of Wind." The females joined hands while still laughing, and the vanished into sunshine and dust.