When Darkness Meets Fire

Chapter 6 - Aelin

Nuala, who was a creature of shadow that I had never seen before, took me to a bright room, similar to the one I had just left. She gave me a pair of tight fitting but flexible pants and a loose white shirt. She also braided my hair back, so it was out of my face.

"What should I expect to happen?" I needed a bit of insight before going to breakfast

"The High Lord and his court love their High Lady fiercely, do not be surprised if some are hostile towards you."

"Are there any that I should watch out for?" I asked, thinking of Lorcan back home

"That is not something I can answer, none will try to kill you if that is what you are worried about."

Before I could ask her anything else, she motioned for me to follow her.

We walked down a bright corridor and into an open foyer, she left me at a set of open doors, I walked through ready to fight if I had to.

"Celena, meet the rest of the court, Amren, my second. Mor you have already met; she is our third. Cassian, my general of my armies, Azriel, spy master and Elain, Feyre's sister." Rhys casually waved a hand towards the people he was speaking about; I marked their faces and titles.

I had only just sat down when Elain spoke.

"Where is my sister?"

"I don't know but if I am here there is a high chance she is at my home."

"Where is that home girl?" Amren looked really annoyed.

"Terresen in the continent of Erila."

Amren looked surprised at my response but quickly hid it when she saw me watching.

"If she is there, will she be safe?"

Mor was biting her lip.

"Yes, my family are kind, mostly, and they will protect her should the need arise."

"What do you mean mostly?" Rhys almost looked scared.

"Lorcan is moody and a little overprotective, Rowan will keep him in line though."

"You're the Queen of Terresen, aren't you?" Amren was staring at me in shock.

"What, how did you even, you're not, how did you know?" I frowned at her, she reminded me of someone.

"That is a very long story and one that I will not be telling yet, once we are all together, I will explain, then yell at someone. Your eyes are also very distinctive by the way."

"Well, that was vague." Cassian snorted.

"Shut it boy, you will find out what I mean soon enough but Celena," she said my name with sickly sweetness, "shouldn't be alone when I tell her who I am." Amren snarled.

"So, I know you?" I questioned; I had completely forgotten about my eyes.

"Well, you don't know me, but you know someone else, it's a long story and one you should have Rowan here for, just in case you throw a magical tantrum." She gave me a sly smile.

"I haven't thrown a magical tantrum in a very long time; my well isn't as deep as it once was." I crossed my arms.

"Whatever you say, you can still blow this entire estate up if you freaked out and didn't have Rowan here to calm you down." She was looking like she was spilling my darkest secrets, but I didn't care.

"It isn't my fault that a lot of bad shit has happened to me!" I was fed up with this conversation.

"How old are you?" Azriel questioned.

"Twenty-one, why?"

His eyes softened, "How much has happened to you?"

"Too much, I'm not telling you what." I didn't want to tell them my fears.

"When you were eight you went into your parents room because you thought something was wrong, you slept in their blood, between their dead bodies all night until a maid found you.

"The next night you watched your mothers best friend get beheaded then ten minutes later you fell into a frozen river and nearly drowned."

"You were taken in by the king of assassins and were made into a killing machine, then at seventeen you were sent to be a slave in Endovier, you were whipped daily and locked in lightless cells for days on end."

"Then you were in a competition to be the kings champion while completing a quest for Elena to stop the monster in the castle. You almost died in the final battle because Katlin poisoned you."

"Your only friend Nehemiah was murdered, and you blamed yourself."

"Then when you went to Mistward, Rowan was horrible and brutal to you as he trained you, you had a burn out and almost roasted yourself alive."

"During your final days at Mistward you faced three valg princes at once, they made you relive your worst memories before you killed them all and had another burn out."

"When you went to Doranelle, Maeve made you watch as Rowan got whipped until you surrounded her entire city with fire."

"You faced the King of Adarlan then broke the glass castle, you were showered by glass shards."

"When you went to Terresen, Darrow denied you your throne and said if you ever went to Oryanth it would be war."

"Deanna took over your body and you nearly killed your mate."

"You fort against Maeve and she kidnapped you, chaining you in iron and putting you in an iron coffin."

"Cairn tortured you every day for two months and she span false realities into your mind to try and gain possession of the wyrdkeys."

"She made you watch Fenrys's brother kill himself as you knelt in glass."

"When you finally freed yourself, you could no longer be trapped in the dark and you had to fight to keep your power from exploding out of you every minute of every day."

"You finally did release all of your power to stop a tidal wave from killing an army, then slept for three days."

"You had to give your life to forge the lock and banish the gods, the only reason you lived was because Mala took pity on you."

"You had to fight a valg army, Gavriel lost his life defending the gates of Oryanth then the Thirteen sacrificed themselves to kill the Witch Matrons."

"Stop, just stop, shut up." I was shaking with anger at everything she had just laid bare, and flame erupted from me.

The entire room was ablaze within half a second, the flames focusing on Amren who had just told everyone my worst nightmares and fears, I had been too speechless to stop her.

"How dare you, you just stripped me bare." Tears were running down my face as I yelled at her.

"I should kill you for doing that, you did it just to spite me, is this what you wanted, for me to lose control?" I was so angry.

"Your well is deeper than you think Celena." She was so calm, like she wasn't surrounded by fire. I also didn't know why she didn't just out me, tell them my true name.

I sank to my knees, searching for the bottom of the well but I couldn't feel it, I couldn't stop the power that flowed from my body. I closed my eyes and cried.