Aelin was having the time of her life, she had missed the woods in the few days she had been confined to the House of Wind, and their drunken duel over the rooftops had been a laugh as well. She just hoped he wasn't too hurt. Still, there was no way she was losing this game even if it seemed like she wasn't taking it seriously.
She caught a glimpse of a large estate in the near distance, the trees thinning so much she had to drop back to the ground, making a run across the open groun only to find a very large Illyrian warrior blocking her way with a smirk.
"You're not getting in there I'm afraid." She noticed he seemed strangely serious, though she had been sure he was opening up to her just moments ago. Aelin felt the need to remind him of the facts.
"I'm not going to hurt a child," At his doubtful stare she pleaded, "Cassian please, we're just playing."
The general stared at her for a moment then nodded, "Just playing."
Her smile appeared to him as one of joy at their blossoming friendship, but in reality it was that the drink had kicked in again and skewered his sense of judgement. So she lunged at him, pulling her hunting knives free again, whirling them so fast he couldn't judge their strike pattern. Unfortunately his siphon shields weren't going to wear down anytime soon, so she just had to distract him away. They circled each other on the flat grass beside the back outer wall of the estate, diving in with knife and magic to try maim the other, a dance of war.
She could tell Cassian was beginning to grow frustrated, frustrated with a hint of fear. She couldn't tell from his scent, her human senses not sharp enough, but she could just tell from her long years of battle experience, and more importantly, people experience. He didn't like that she hadn't lost yet, because he was getting serious, using his proper moves and no longer just letting her get cheap blows and block him with half assed moves, which if he had been paying attention, she never half assed a block. Aelin worked on such an automatic style, that she would have to consciously pull every punch or swing.
For someone who was the esteemed best fighter in the Illyrian army, Aelin was actually quite disappointed. She wasn't even having to think in this fight, he was used to beating his enemies with pure strength and speed, that when faced with someone who knew what to do with his strength, and also could handle his speed no bother, he wasn't too much of a bother. It also helped he was utterly gone, that wine must be renowned for its strength, and the general hadn't planned for a serious fight, if a fight at all. Aelin had however, so she had eaten as much as she could to fight it's affects, but still drank both bottles. It was a lovely concotion, she couldn't help it. However her metabolism and immune system in her human body was really just the same as her Fae, and she had an amazing metabolism.
Her constant exercise and the fact she always ate well made sure of that. The week in the woods hadn't done much to help but it did help her restart, and though the wraiths had been surprised, they had allowed her to eat all she liked and they didn't pay attention when she had snuck through the House of Wind to get the weapons and train in one very dusty and unused training room deep within the house.
She supposed if Cassian went full out, and they were both sober, with him using every move and dirty trick he knew, then it would be a lot closer. That was the problem with prideful warriors. Aelin was a cut-throat assassin, even on killing fields she had fought dirty. She used every trick and slip to kill her opponent, not injure them, kill them. Aelin was usually fighting for her life, so she dropped her royal pride and fought how she needed to in order to survive. It seemed Illyrian's had standards, which was unfortunate as despite the general's experience her dirty moves got him every time. Different worlds she supposed, her's must just include more swordplay. Magic definitely seemed more common here, and Illyrian's were used to other large fighters, in the air with magic all around and Siphon magic shielding.
She really hoped it was a mix of a lack of niche experience and the wine, or this world was incredibly boring.
Eventually she got bored with their little spar on the grass, and the male's growing frustration and vaulted the wall, surprised there wasn't a shield round the house. Cassian gave a bellow of rage and flew after her, trying to throw knives at her back, anything to stop her reaching the house. In his momentary panic he did not realise he was ruining the flowerbeds, or how carefully Aelin was avoiding damaging them.
Cassian hoped his earlier message had warned the High Lord and Lady to ward the house, yet Aelin found no resistence, and the door was not locked. Again the general charged after her, crashing through a glass wall and trying to block her access to the house. Aelin let him feel a moment of victory as she backed off, stepping out of the window frame to just outside on the decking, her hands up in a sign of surrender. She widened her eyes, so he would think she was terrified of him because his rage made her realise this was no longer a game.
Then Aelin jumped a foot to the right, launched herself from one foot off the fence around the decking and grabbed the window ledge above faster than Cassian could blink. Her legs were gone from view too fast for him to throw a blade or make any kind of attack.
It was then Cassian remembered Elain was in the house, in the room right above the one he was in now. Aelin also found this out at the same time. She swung her hips and legs into the room and saw a young Fae woman staring at her like a startled deer, sitting bolt upright in bed. Aelin was half crouching off the window and just gave her a playful grin.
"I'm just trying to win a game, don't mind me I won't do any damage. If anything does break I tell you now, it was Cassian." With that she shot out the door into a broad landing which led to lots of identical doors.
She did not have to worry though, because outside one door, was a very pissed off Rhysand. Aelin clicked Elain's door shut behind her and mouthed, "Oh."
The High Lord just shook his head at her, "Nobody," he raised up to his full height, shadows of wings spreading behind his back on the door between the landing and his child, "hurts my family."
Aelin paused for a moment and decided now was a good time to ask questions. "Why weren't there wards around the house?"
Much to her surprise, Rhys blinked in confusion, "There are wards round the house, strongest there are, they don't let anyone with malicious intent inside."
Now it was her turn to sigh and blink at him in response like he was an idiot, "In that case, how am I here?"
His confusion cleared and anger returned, he stepped away from the door threateningly and a very scary calm crossed his face. "My magic is a lot stronger than a drunk Illyrian's sword skills. Now I'd suggest you go downstairs and start to make your way outside the wards." He saw the look in her eyes that she still didn't understand so added, "Unfortunately, especially with humans the wards can be tricked that if you follow someone in, like Cassian, you would still walk through."
Aelin narrowed her gaze at that, wondering if proving she walked through first would show how she wasn't here to actually injure the kid. Still, Rhys wasn't really someone to pick a fight with in human form. Without her magic he could trap her in an instant. So instead she did the smart thing, and made her way down the stairs, sideways mind, so that she never had her back to him.
She also decided to add a couple of stumbles, a grab at the railing as she reached the flat floor, and generally starting to move a bit awkwardly. She supposed that so long as she didn't hurt anyone, and appeared under the influence of their wine then Aelin would be able to get off scot free as it could, in theory be their fault. Feyre especially would see it as an innocent human woman mistakenly drinking something very strong, which she may spend hours apologising for. Though that thought sent a shiver through Aelin and she thought she might throw up, actually on second thought, she didn't think she could sit through that.
Rhys watched her warily from the top of the stairs and Aelin deliberately grasped onto a hall table with a rather costly looking statuette, which seemed just a bit too breakable for her taste. He gestured to her to keep going and get out, so she strategically moved through the lower floor, to a room definitely just for show, and sat on the back of a sofa, with her feet on the proper seat.
Rhys seemed too busy watching her to notice and tell her off. She watched him take a big breathe and he started.
"Celaena, I understand you're drunk, but you threatened my family and didn't stop when Cassian asked." His voice was grave and for a moment Aelin panicked, thinking he was about to announce she had to leave his court and that she was banished. Thankfully he just straightened and said. "For all of our safety, I am going to enter your mind and settle you into sleep, that way you can stop yourself doing anything dangerous and we can get you home safe with nobody getting hurt."
Aelin couldn't stop the cackle that burst from her throat, usually she just would have mentally had the thought but the burn of alcohol in her blood meant she just laughed right in his face and squealed, "Oh she so had you wrapped around her little finger! That's so your mate's idea! She doesn't want to hurt me how sweet!"
Rhys just narrowed his eyes, obviously deciding this wasn't the woman he knew and that she was really quite drunk. It would seem Cassian had been made to wait outside the house, what a naughty little Illyrian, Aelin snorted again at that thought.
"Celaena," Rhys' voice was quiet now, "I need you to relax your mind, let it open to the world. Then you can have a nice sleep and you can wake up in the house tomorrow safe and sound. I promise."
Then she felt the presence, this time she could tell it was not Maeve, it was not Valg in any way, and yet... She consciously defended her mind now, curling her wildfire around her and giving the High Lord her best Fae glare.
It had gotten much better with spending time with lots of Fae, time in Doranelle helped her master her more animalistic instincts, and it was gradually becoming second nature, which was unfortunate as many times in her human form she started to bare her teeth before realising that was not quite right. It also seemed Fae vocal chords were made different, as her growls came a lot easier in that body, her human one only made pitiful echoes of the great anger that could be comminicated in the modernised Fae tongue.
"Nobody touches my mind, get it suit boy?"
They obviously didn't expect her to be constantly on guard. Of course Aelin felt the 'invisible shadow' which was Azriel just behind her, likely going to knock her out in a second and take her home anyway. He really was a perfect spymaster, if only that wouldn't have been exactly what she would have done if she had him in her service. So when his arms snaked quickly to pin her to him and press a hand against the pulse of her neck, she simply spun faster than him and as he pulled her to him in what he had planned to be a choke hold, she ended up kissing him instead.
She felt him tense against her but didn't let him get away, wrapping her arms around his neck and not giving him even a split second chance to get away as she managed to slide her tongue into his mouth. It was a strange feeling, she and Rowan had spent nights with many others since they married, it was just more interesting after a while, and neither of them minded. She had been wanting to kiss Azriel since, well since she saw him, and now she had her chance she was not going to let him go. She nearly broke the kiss just to laugh at the fact the usually still shadowsinger was squirming in her grasp, as if she was the one who had attacked him. Well she supposed she was in a way.
Aelin still didn't really know how she got here, but the other option would have been to turn and trap his arm still but just go straight to talking again, and she needed a moment to think. The wine was starting to make her mind go fuzzy in the way it does when you're starting to get sober, and this was helping steady her. Being this close to him meant the shadows were around her too, he was subconsciously pulling them towards him in his shock, but she realised he couldn't slip into them as she would end up travelling with him. Hang on, she thought, now that gave her an idea.
Just then a shadow brushed over the curve of her ear and hesitated for a moment, as if unsure. Aelin had heard shadowsingers developed from great pain, where the shadows eventually started talking back to people and allowed them to weild the shadows as a weapon. So she assumed they didn't talk to anyone apart from those who metaphorically, or so she assumed, 'sang to them'. But there it was, a whisper in a strange voice which sent a slight chill along her spine.
Hello Fire-bringer.
She continued to clutch the now stilling shadowsinger infront of her, as if he too wasn't sure why a shadow had gone rogue. As if all it took was one shadow to bring a wave, another brushed by her ear and whispered.
He wants you to let go.
Instead, Aelin grabbed the back of his head, causing him to tense, but he made a low sound as she continued to kiss him, wondering what else the shadows were going to say.
Mentally she pushed out a thought of, I need to get upstairs.
The shadows giggled like children in her ear, like precious little damaged children. The Angel of Death wants you to let him go. Another giggle echoed in her other ear this time. He worries the second sister will hear of this.
Aelin pitied Azriel again now, his eternal companions the shadows, and they were mocking him. She tried again, asking the shadows through her mind. I need to get out of here, I need to win a bet against Cassian.
They giggled again, though it seemed a few more sinister shadows had appeared and the two of them started to be enclosed by a mass of swirling dark. To her surprise, one of the new voices, a deep voice that likely belonged to the newest and largest shadow spoke to her. I love games dear Queen of both Flame and Shadow, where shall we play today?
Aelin had no idea why or how they were communicating with her, or how they knew these names of hers, but she just pressed a single thought into the dark now swirling around the two of them. The heirs room.
And then they were fading, being embraced, or rather forcefully dragged into the dark of the shadows, before reemerging in a semi-lit room. Her shock at the travel meant she released her grip and stumbled back. The poor spymaster was still in shock from her form of attack which did not include a blade, as well as the fact he had not initiated travel. This meant he also fell back against a wall, staring at her in great surprise. He let out a stuttered, "How in the Cauldron..."
However Celaena has an uncanny concentration, and after getting over that swirl in her stomach that came with not being used to travelling without any physical muscle contraction had identified the correct room.
She had been under the impression the kid was born 8 years ago, but it seemed she had been very wrong. The kid only looked about 3, no wonder they were all so protective of it.
The toddler was awake, standing up in its cot and staring at her while clutching the edge of the rail, unable to get out. The child watched her with mild interest and Aelin couldn't help but smile. She saw out of the corner of her eye, that it seemed like the shadow which had spoken to her so eagerly, the one which had brought them here, was almost holding the shadowsinger there, though she suspected it was mainly just telling Azriel he didn't need to move anyway.
Aelin adjusted her blades and dropped to one knee by the cot, now at eye level with the toddler.
"Hey kid." She whispered, one hand helping her balance on her knee, the other slowly coming up.
The little tyke stuck his hand out between the bars, and she met it with her own hand and very gently, shook the young heirs hand. He seemed to enjoy it, and shook his hand vigourously, looking a bit smug as she let him think he was moving her hand too. Just as she was about to take her hand away and turn to check on Azriel, the door burst open and Rhysand, who even in her human form Aelin could tell carried the reek of fear, stared at her. She didn't see anything else as she dropped her hand from the childs, and fell to the floor as Rhys used his full powers to forceably push her into unconsciousness.
She had just enough time, to appreciate that he could have done that from the start, but she realised he didn't want to make her fear Fae, and that he wanted to do this logically with them on equal terms, but the fear of finding her in his sons room, right by his cot while covered in blades which in turn were coated in blood, he must have let go of any of Feyre's morals and acted on paternal instinct.
Aelin just registered a child's confused, "Da...?" and wrapped her mental shield as strongly as she could, before her head hit the wooden floor and she was gone.
AN: This.... is one hell of an acid trip that I did not consent to. I apologise, nobody should ever let me write anything near smut/sexual activity in my life but semi-necessary for the plot? Also I just want Azriel to rail me so you live and learn. I've got a rather interesting plot arc that I've thought of which will start in the next chapter if I manage to stick to the fucking plan for once, I apologise for how shit and weird this chapter is. Who knew Aelin was going to be able to talk to shadows in this fanfic? Not me!
Also if anyone spoils or mentions anything about A Court of Silver Flames I will personally melt you and put you in a stew. I have to wait to read it when I get time and if anyone spoils my party you will suffer.
Anyway this is another too long AN, but the chapter is also too long so twinsies. Thanks for anyone who's here and I appreciate all your comments/votes/whatever!