Aurora shoved away from Eris as he wheezed on the ground, bloody and bruised. Her eyes fell on Beron as she walked toward the gate. He was furious, but she could see a glimmer of pride in his eyes as she approached. Aurora pushed through the gate and raised her sword, pressing the tip beneath his chin. Guards began rushing towards them but Beron lifted his hand. They fell silent, watched carefully. A bead of crimson formed on the metal blade.
"I've won. I refuse the throne. Let me go home," she snapped. Beron lifted a brow, and then his hand. He pushed the blade down and didn't since when it sliced down his throat. Aurora kept it raised, but didn't touched him.
"Make me a deal, daughter. You want to go home? Promise me that you will not attempt to claim High Lady." His grin was sickening.
"I already said that I-."
"No, I want a bargain. You try to claim the throne, your head is mine. Our bargain is that if you attempt to claim this Court, you will die at the border. Got it?" Beron snapped, the grin sliding from his face. Aurora clenched her jaw, holding out her free hand.
"Deal." Beron's teeth gleamed as he smiled, his hand enveloping hers and giving it a hard shake. Aurora felt her arm tingle, and she knew that bargain was marked on her skin. "Now take me home," Aurora ordered, dropping her hand and keeping the sword raised. Beron rolled his eyes then gripped her arm.
"Fine. But I do not want to see you in this Court again." When his hand tightened around her forearm, they were swarmed by shadows. Aurora's stomach twisted when they materialized again. They were on top of the mountain, the same place he had taken her from. The biting wind was enough to waken her senses, drive the adrenaline away. The pain in her thigh and face began to grow. "Goodbye, daughter," Beron sneered. Aurora pulled her arm from him, furrowing her brows. Why had he looked so-?
His foot drove into her stomach. Aurora lost her footing on the slick snow, tumbling backward. Her back hit a rock and a shout left her. Aurora tried to catch herself, but there was nothing other than snow, ice, and rock on the top of the mountain. Trees rushed past her as she fell, her sword tucked into her chest. Rocks slammed into her body, each one sending another scream out of her. Finally, her side slammed into a tree and stopped her descent.
Aurora couldn't catch her breath. She wheezed and grimaced as she tried to sit up. She knew there were broken bones, she felt the shift in them when she tried to move. Even with a powerful High Fae begging for her mercy, she felt weak. Aurora gasped out, trying to suck in some air. Her arms and legs shook violently as she pushed herself up, standing with her back against the tree. Bleary eyes lifted to the cliff she had just fell down, Beron nothing but a small dot at the top that vanished into wind and darkness. Aurora peered around the tree. She was nearly halfway down. All she'd have to do is make it down and she'd be on the outskirts of Velaris. Someone would find her before her injuries healed wrong.
Using the sword to dig into the ground, Aurora slid out from behind the tree. Her breaths came out in small ragged puffs. Rocks slid and tumbled past the snow that was scattered now, and down into the jagged boulders and trees. Her vision was spotty and she hardly felt it when her foot made contact with the ground. This was her last battle; not taking down Eris, but getting home alive.
A roar of pain came with each step, the sword acting as an anchor to the ground. She had made it to the halfway point when her boot, no traction left since it was melted onto the ground of the Autumn Court, slid on a boulder. Aurora yelped as she slipped, her side slamming into the rocks. Her body slid down the mountain for a few seconds, and she knew her leathers had come untucked from the burning sensation on her stomach and waist. Aurora gritted her teeth, no longer caring about the tears that cut through the blood on her cheeks, as she now climbed up. The sword had fallen, but it didn't slide with her.
Her arms trembled as she clawed the rocks and climbed. At this point, she didn't know if she wanted to make it to the bottom. Once the sword was in reach, Aurora moved it with outstretched fingers until it fell. She caught it and used it to stand. She prayed to the Mother that the wards were set off and her warrior was in the skies. She looked up and saw pine branches, small specks of moonlight breaking through. It would only be an hour or so until the sun came up, so Aurora thought maybe she could find a clearing and wait. Although, as she peered down the mountain side, there was no true clearing. She'd have to be almost at the bottom before the trees grew sparse. Aurora cursed the one that built this mountain and allowed trees to grow on a rock cliff.
Down she went. Trembling knees made it nearly impossible to get the right footing. Aurora's boots finally touched grass and shrubs after countless minutes, purple hues overtaking the sky. She didn't even know if she was breathing anymore, each time she tried, a sharp pain stabbed into her. Her eyelids were heavy, as well as her arms and head. Her legs begged to give out and she was ready to let them. She didn't make the mistake of sitting down, though. Aurora knew that if she did, she wouldn't make it back to her feet. Instead, she dug her boots into the grass and zigzagged her way down. By the time the trees spread out and the ground leveled out, the sun was higher in the sky. Aurora guessed it was probably near eleven.
A stream trickled just a few feet in front of her. Aurora drug her feet to it, falling to her knees. She cupped her hands and drank the water. What felt like swords ripping through her throat made an appearance with each swallow. Aurora's head tipped back, body threatening to fall. She kept her eyes on the sky, hand limp on top of the hilt of the sword.
The ground shook, and she knew she was saved. Aurora looked over her shoulder, tears streaking through the dirt and blood on her face. It was Cassian. He stalked toward her from behind, eyes wide with concern.
"Aurora?" He spoke, kneeling beside her. Aurora was sure her head was hanging to the side at an awkward angle as she stared at him.
"Hi, Cass," she squeaked out. His hands were gentle as he pulled her into him. When her cheek rested on his chest, that's when she let her body fall limp. Vulnerable but surrounded with safety. He laid her in his arm, reaching to grab the sword and then brought her forward. Cassian sheathed the sword on her back and stood. He didn't say anything as they shot into the air and to the estate.
When they touched the ground, he walked her through the doors and called out. Her ears were pounding with her slowing pulse. Another set of hands tugged her from Cassian's hold. Aurora settled into the chest of who she guessed was Rhysand as he carried her somewhere in the house. When her back hit a soft surface, she let her mind fall into unconsciousness.
When Aurora's eyes opened again, she heard screaming. Something hurt terribly in her arm, leg, and ribs. Aurora tried to move, to see who was screaming, but Madja appeared above her, hands pressed into her shoulders.
"Stop, Aurora! I'm setting your bones, you can't move!" She shouted. Hands wrapped around her arms and legs. Aurora tried to fight against it, and then realized the screaming was coming from her.
"Stop moving!" Rhysand's voice boomed. Her screams fell into whimpers as she lifted her head. Rhysand was holding her legs down. Aurora looked to each side, Nesta to her left and Cassian to her right. Madja was sliding a bandage beneath her back to wrap her. That's when Aurora noticed she was nude. Now, not only was she in absolute agony, but had to fight the urge to cover her body from the eyes around her. She noted that Rhysand was either looking at her face or the other people in the room. That settled her anxiety.
"It's okay, your bones were healing wrong and she had to re-break them. They should be healed completely in a few hours," Nesta explained, brushing back Aurora's hair. Aurora pushed her head back into the pillow, panting. Sweat or tears, she didn't know which, dripped from her face. Her body felt as if it were being clawed into by flaming talons.
"I-I can't," Aurora whimpered, closing her eyes and shouting through gritted teeth when Madja pressed down to seal the bandage on her midsection.
"Only a few more minutes, Aurora," Rhysand cooed, his thumbs rubbing against her shin where he held her down. Nesta continued to brush back Aurora's hair, whispering sweet things that she couldn't comprehend at the moment.
"Turn her," Madja ordered. Her cold hand took Aurora by the waist and hip and tugged her towards her. Aurora let out another scream, pain biting at every inch of her body. Cassian shoved a part of the pillow into her mouth, muffling the sounds. She bit down on it when a wet rag ran over her back and side. "The wounds are healing well. We just need to watch her bones. She cannot move for at least the next four hours, after that, she is free to get up," Madja explained. The pillow fell from Aurora's mouth as they all began laying her back down. Madja took a thin blanket and threw it over her body, which Aurora was grateful for.
Aurora's eyes closed as her breathing became level again. Another wet rag was now being ran across her face. "You can sleep for the next few hours, rest. I'll go get Azriel," Rhysand spoke. Aurora's eyes snapped open at the mention of her mate. Cassian and Nesta had now let go of her and were both standing on either side of Rhys.
"Where is he?" She rasped, voice sounding like she'd swallowed the rocks on the mountain. She noted a faint blush on Rhys's cheeks as Nesta and Cassian turned away.
"He's... He's tied up at the moment. He will be here when you wake," Rhys explained, rounding the bed and giving Madja a grateful smile as he passed her. He settled on the side of the bed, kneeling down. "Do you remember how you ended up like this? Do you remember what injured you so badly? Do you remember what your bargain was?"
Aurora swallowed, grimacing at the stinging sensation as she did. "I beat Eris. I told Beron I refuse the throne and I want to come home. He had me make a deal with him that if I attempted to take the title, I'd die at the border. I'm fine with that, I don't want to run a Court," Aurora breathed out. Her words were slow and strained.
"And the injuries?"
A small laugh left her throat, and then she cringed at the feeling. "Beron did bring me home, but he brought me to the mountaintop and kicked me down it. I was already injured from the fight with Eris so I couldn't stop. I fell almost halfway down, a tree stopped me. I fell a few more times on my way down to the bottom." Aurora grinned over at Rhys, at least she thought she was. Her face hurt too much to tell.
"Get some rest, Aurora," he murmured, his palm running over the top of her hair. It hit her then, the exhaustion and heavy weight over her body. Aurora's eyes fluttered shut, falling into darkness where she didn't feel the pain any longer.