The Past Lies Ahead (A Throne Of Glass Fanfic)

Chapter 53

Aelin slipped away from the party and into the garden. She was in desperate need of some quiet and solitude, with only the stars gazing down at her. She had been surrounded by people all day, first when preparing for the coronation, then the coronation had been dragging on the entire day. She liked a good party, but right now, during wartime, it felt like waste of resources and time. They needed to get moving, very soon. 

Her crown was a solid weight on her head. It wasn't the one her uncle had been wearing, no one knows what happened to it after the invasion. But it was beautiful, set with emeralds, rubies and sapphires, alone it was probably worth more than anything she had ever own. Another waste of resources. She sighed. but holding on to traditions and symbols were important in tumultuous times, or so Darrow claimed at least. It could have been less expensive symbols, though, in her opinion.

Footsteps scraped on the stone behind her, and shortly after strong arms snaked around her, hugging her close. «Planning to run away already?» he asked jokingly by her ear. She snorted.

«No, just needed some fresh air. It was getting very stuffy in there.» she said, sighed and leaned her head back against his shoulder. A small speck in the sky grew bigger, and she squinted. «Is that one of yours?» she asked, and he too looked up at the bird flying towards them It seemed tired, wings sluggishly trying to keep it in the air. It angled downward, and halted and shifted before them.

Rowan let go of her and caught the fae right before he collapsed to the ground. «What happened? Where you attacked?» Rowan asked. The fae just shook his head.

«I have an urgent message, from Master Cortland. He said to tell you this; "The older Aelin is here", he said you would know what it meant.» the fae glanced at her, then looked back at his King. «The spy in Morath had spotted her and uncovered a plot to attack Banjali, but it took me so long to get back here that... that it's most likely already been attacked.»

Aelin just stared, mouth agape, while the fae male told Rowan everything he had been told, and what he had heard. She looked at her mates face, but was unable to read him. Holy gods, how was this even possible?

«Thank you, now go get some rest.» Rowan said, and sent the fae male on his way. Rowan slowly turned towards her, and just stared. A mesh of conflicted emotions danced in his eyes, pain, sorrow, guilt and confusion. She stepped up to him and grabbed his hand in hers. «I've changed so much, I thought that it would change the future, stop that from happening. But if she has somehow made it here, then...» he took a shaky breath, and he furrowed his brow. She didn't know what to say, but she did not like seeing him like this, so shaken and hurt. She lay a hand on his cheek. 

«We'll figure it out, maybe we'll even find a way to save her.» she said, but even as she did, she could help to feel terrified. She could remember all too well that dream she got trapped in months ago, and what it had felt like to be trapped like that. Rowan shook his head, and her heart dropped as tears formed in his eyes.

«It's impossible, we tried everything, and nothing could bring her out. Not even a flicker of emotion showed when she... when she...» his voice broke, and he turned away from her. «I failed her, I failed you. The future is the same, no matter what we change.» his voice dead and defeated, her heart cracked at the sound of it.

«We don't know that. There has to be a way to bring her out, something that we have now that you didn't have before.» she grabbed his chin, and forced him to meet her gaze. «We will find a way, so don't you dare give up on me now, not when we have come this far.» she said, more sternly than she had meant to, but she would not let him give up. For a long time he just stared at her, and she made sure he saw the dedication in her eyes. After a while he just nodded, then hugged her tightly.