Divided (Throne of Glass and A Court of Thorns and Roses Crossover)

Chapter 15

Aelin sat at a low table at the crumbling tavern. The taproom was grimy, and she kept her face concealed within the folds of her cloak. Others were watching her and her sons, the three of them occupying a small booth in the corner of the room. Aelin might have found it comical to see them squeeze into the little thing if she hadn't been so agitated.

They were two days behind schedule. Two days. Rowan was going to be upset, not only because they were late but because she had left him alone with a grumpy Lorcan and Gavriel and the two strangers they had wrangled up. Aelin sighed and called for another round. Hopefully tomorrow ships would be allowed to leave the docks.

The three of them had boarded the Screeching Hawk, a name Aelin found very amusing, and had settled in when a set of Guards boarded and quietly talked to the captain. Between the lull of the sea and the loudness of the crew, Aelin couldn't pick up what was said, but a few moments later, the captain made everyone except his crew leave the ship, mumbling some excuse about the weather.

So far, Adarlan hadn't seen even a light shower, which set Aelin on edge. The captain offered to board all of his passengers in the cheapest inn on this side of Rifthold. The three of them could have went back up to the castle to wait out the embargo or found more upscale lodgings, but the inn was closer to the docks, and deep down Aelin had missing this part of her life. Not the killings, no, but the adventure. This tavern was the closest she had gotten in a very long time.

A barmaid dodged the hands of several of the men that crowded into the tiny bar room and brought another round of drinks. The girl was young and light on her feet. She had an easy smile and brown-gold hair. The girl reminded her of healer she had met many, many years ago. 

"Here you go. Is there anything else I can get for you right now?" the girl asked. She kept her eyes averted, but Aelin knew she was taking note of the three of them. 

"Hmm. What's your name?" Aelin asked in return, moving her face fractionally out of her cloak. The girl's eyes widened, not in recognition but suspicion. She probably thought she was going to report her for something.

"Madeline, ma'am. Do you need anything else?" the girl's voice was short and clipped, obviously uncomfortable in the presence of the three Fae. 

"Do you know why the docks have been closed off, Madeline?" 

The girl gave Aelin a measuring look and replied, "The weather off the coast is rough this time of year. There's probably a storm." Aelin picked up the increase in the girl's heartbeat, her shortness of breath. The girl was lying. 

"Madeline, do I look like a sailor?" With this, Aelin pulled the hood of her cloak all the way down. Her long blonde hair was in a braid down her back.

"Erm, no," she replied.

"Well, that's funny because I sailed a ship from Bellhaven to Banjali, the most treacherous waters on this continent. If I can sail through that, then the experienced sailors of Rifthold should be able to sail me back to goddamn Wendlyn in a little rough weather. So, I'm going to ask you again: why are the ships restricted to the dock?" 

"I...I don't know. I'm sorry. I have to get back to work," the girl tried to move away from the table, but Aelin was faster. She grabbed Madeline's wrist and pulled her down beside her at the table. A commotion at the front of the bar did little to break her concentration. 

"I really don't want to hurt you. Mainly, because I've retired from that sort of thing, but if you don't tell me why I'm stuck sitting in this rutting tavern waiting for my ship to sail...," Aelin trailed off. 

"I h...heard that," the girl looked around gauging who was within earshot and continued, "the Prince of Femora has taken the castle. There's whispers that he killed the King."

Aelin let go of her arm, withdrawing into her own thoughts. The girl whimpered and moved off the bench.

Before she ran off, Aelin began to ask, "What about the Pri..?" Her words were drowned out by the continued commotion at the front of the bar. Several men, perhaps guards hired by the bar itself, seemed to be trying to put out a fire. 

A disheveled blonde head made its way out of the cluster of furtive men and made in their direction. By the time the Princess of Adarlan reached their table, the barmaid had made herself scarce. The men at the front of the building were still yelling, throwing buckets of water on a fire that Aelin suspected to be unintentionally enchanted. 

Aidan fell into the then empty seat beside her and threw her arms around her.

"I'm so glad I found you! I need your help!" Aelin took in the girl's appearance. Her face and hair were dirty, and there was a sadness in her eyes. Under her cloak, her dress was torn and dirty as well. 

"What happened to you?" Kol mumbled. He sniffed the air delicately. 

With that, Aidan launched into the story of the ethereal figure and the mirror and Adrian. When she got to the bit about the mirror, she made to pull it out of her bodice, but Aelin stopped her.

"Not here. There're too many prying eyes," Aelin murmured. The four of them left the still frantic bar room. Before they walked up the stairs to the rooms above, Aelin moved her hand quickly towards the flame that continued to burn and put them out. 

Seated on the bed in the small bedroom, Aidan let go of some of the adrenaline that had fueled her night. One of Aelin's sons, Declan, stood by the door while Aelin and Kol sat at the small worn table. 

"Okay, Aidan. Let's see it," Aelin said, breathless. She had no idea what to expect from the small silver mirror Aidan carried in her bodice. Her sons averted their eyes as she pulled it out and walked it over to the small table. It was too beautiful for the scratched brown surface.

Aelin picked it up, balancing it in her hands. It looked exactly the same as the mirror that had transported her into memories so many years ago. Magic thrummed through it, calling to her own. The magic was old, older than she was, and it was not Fae. It was darker and trickier than almost anything she had encountered. 

"There's a dark energy in this, Aidan. It wasn't made by the Fae," Aelin said.

"If it wasn't made by the Fae?" Aidan asked. 

Aelin smiled at the young princess, "I think it's time to call on an old friend. How would you like to meet your great-grandmother?"