"Green and blue," Lysandra told the decorator. "Oh, and gold!"
It was Aelin's celebratory dinner today, which was supposed to happen almost a month ago but due to busy schedules, Lysandra post-poned it to today.
The decorator nodded and walked away.
"Dang!" Fenrys exclaimed while walking in through the door.
"I did well didn't I?" Lysandra smirked while looking up at the castle hallway adorned in streamers.
"Isn't this dinner just for the Court of Terrasen?" Gavriel mumbled, walking in behind Fenrys.
"I was given an unlimited budget," Lysandra said shrugging her shoulders and walking towards the kitchen.
She took the liberty of making Aelin go out with Rowan for the day while she decorated.
She missed Aelin. She missed Aelin. She knew her friend, and she knew that her friend was often staring at the wall trying to overcome the shadows in her eyes. She knew that when they were eating breakfast with their friends, Rowan had to chase after her mind when it was lost elsewhere.
She wanted her friend back but...for all that Aelin had sacrificed for this world...she would wait as long as it took.
It was days like this where Lysandra got flashbacks to the day on the beach with Aedion, Rowan, and the others.
You would fix that Aedion, with me, the voice in her head repeated at the strangest times of day, or when Aedion was standing in front of her leaning against the pillar.
"What's wrong?" Aedion asked. But she didn't hear him.
I will not apologize for serving Aelin, I will not-
And she slipped. Only to be steadied by large warm hands around her forearms.
"Lys," he sternly said, searching her eyes for something amiss.
She was shocked though.
Lys.
"Are you okay?" he calmly asked.
"Yes, thank you," she straightened herself. "Someone clean this up before she gets back!"
She looked back at Aedion. "Will you attend?" she asked, the hope in her voice clearly projecting.
"Of course," he gave her a small smile before walking away.
Lysandra couldn't help but smile back at his figure that was growing smaller as he walked out the door.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Aelin asked not to be blindfolded. And Rowan knew exactly why.
So she closed her eyes in promise not to open until Lysandra gave the okay.
"I already know it's a dinner," she whined to Rowan.
"And I know if I let you open your eyes, I'll find a ghost leopard in our bed," he casually replied. His hand on Aelin's back leading her into the doorway.
"Surprise!" Dorian yelled.
"What the hell?!" Lysandra yelled. "That wasn't part of the plan!"
But Aelin's eyes were already open, scanning the palace. She looked at her friends and smiled.
This was all she had dreamed of months ago. Trapped in that iron coffin. Just a day, an hour, a few minutes with the man who saved her from Endovier, with the woman who befriended her in her darkest times, with her cousin that look back at her with eyes of her own, with the man who trained her in Rifthold as Celaena Sardothien, with the witch she saved and the witch who saved her. And the man who walked the dark path with her back to the light.
"You deserve it, Aelin," Lysandra whispered.
"Every coin," Aedion echoed.
So she smiled as she asked, "What's for dessert?"
Author's Note - Would you guys like a chapter on the cadre and Aedion getting blood sworn? I think it'd be so fun to write, but I want to know if you want to read it. :)