They were stopped at the gate before the castle, and had to wait until their arrival had been announced. Aelin's shoulders began to curl inwards as the waited to be invited in, but then she straightened herself. She was not afraid, he might not like what she gad become, but she would not let that get to.
The guard who had gone to inform about their presence, came striding towards them now with Ren at his side. When all greetings was over and done with, he turned his attention to her.
«All the major nobles are present, Your Highness, they are recieving you in the main meeting room.» Ren said, and sketched a bow. «I'll walk you there.» then he turned around and headed back the way he had come from, with Aelin and her group following right behind him.
Rowan stepped closer to her while they were lead through the castle. «Stay focused. Darrow will try to rile you, you must not let him.» he said quietly.
«I know.» she said, willing herself to calm down. She had, after all, done this ones before, and she could do it again. She just needed to not erupt, or piss them of, or to come off as young and irresponsible. «I can do this.» she said, not to anyone in particular, just to herself.
Ren opened a set of double doors. The guard stationed inside slammed his spear on the floor, then his voice boomed. «Princess Aelin Ashryver Galathynius has arrived, with the company of her cousins Crown Prince Galan Ashryver and Prince Aedion Ashryver. Also the King of Doranelle, Rowan Whitethorn» he announced.
Aelin fought the urge to roll her eyes at the over the too announcement, but it was protocol she supposed. Something she would have to get used to, as well.
The five nobles were seated at a long table turned their attention towards her, and four of them rose to their feet. Only Darrow stayed seated, which wasn't unexpected. She willed calm into her veins, then strode towards to lone chair at the end of the table, opposite of Darrow.
«Well met, my Lords. It's good to see you all here tiday» she said, as confidently as she could and sat down in her seat. Rowan seated to her right, Galan took then next to Rowan, while Aedion took the seat to her left. Ren took the seat next to his father, across from Galan. She felt Darrow's eyes on her, watching, assessing.
«Ren has told us a lot about you, Your Highness. I must say, I found it very... disturbing.» Darrow said, dragging out the last word.
«Careful Darrow.» Aedion said tight lipped.
Darrow interlaced his fingers, and set them on the table. His gaze never leaving her. «Why? Shall you burn me to ash, Princess? Melt my bones?»
She leveled her gaze at him, not letting her temper show. «Of course not, Lord Darrow, I would never hurt my own.»
«Your own... like the Underworld of Adarlan. You were Adarlan's assassin for years, weren't you?»
She began to count to ten in her head, and she could see Rowan clenching his jaw. «Yes, I was. But only while I was indebted to Arobynn Hamel for saving my life, after I had paid my debts I left.» she said, she clasped her hands in her lap. «But you already know this, Lord Darrow, as I'm sure Ren has told you everything he knows about. I have nothing to hide from you or my people.» It was an effort to keep her voice from quivering with anger.
«Your history is problematic, on many points, Princess...-»
«I find you problematic as well, Lord Darrow. You see, I know exactly how little effort the court put into finding me, except for the Allsbrooks own search for me.» Aelin rose slowly from her seat, and stepped around the table. She saw Rowan's warning look from the corner of her eye, but she ignored it. «Did you know that Arobynn's estate was just a few miles downriver from where I fell in? He kept me there a couple of months before he took me to Adarlan, yet no one came to look for me there. You just assumed that I had drowned, didn't you. Maybe even hoped for it.» she walked behind Darrow's chair, and met the eyes of the other nobles. They were all stone faced, Darrow had probably ordered them to stay silent. Galan and Aedion shared a glance, she loved how good friends they had become.
She slowly made it back to her chair, but she did not sit down. She met the gaze of each of the nobles present. Lastly she looked at Darrow, whose face was red, and his eyes teeming with anger. «How dare you accuse us--» She raised her hand to silence him, and to her surprise, he stopped talking.
«I was not finished, Lord Darrow. I really don't care about that anymore. There are more important, and more pressing matters at hand that needs our full attention. There is an enemy down in Morath who has been preparing to conquer this world for twenty years, and he is very powerful.» She sat down in her chair, and leaned back as of the chair was a throne. «I do not come home empty-handed, I have gathered some allies. Adarlan, Wendlyn, Eyllwe, the Wester Wastes, the Crochans, the Sessiz Suikast, Captain Rolfe and the Fae are all ready to fight against the Valg demons. So, now the question is: Are you?» her heart was racing like wild horse, but she managed to keep her expression calm and collected.
Darrow glared at her for what felt like an eternity, the room was dead silent. Maybe she should have toned it down a bit, well, too late for that now. The nobles were looking at each other, but they all avoided meeting Darrow's glare. But she did, and his eyes were hard and unyielding.
«The late King of Adarlan slaughter our King and your own parents, and now you have allied with them. King Orlon must be writhing in his grave, for watching his own flesh and blood allying with the enemy.» he said through clenched teeth.
Aelin took a calming breath, now that he was the one losing his temper it was even more important that she kept control of hers. «Dorian Havillyard is not his father, and I will not judge a son for the sins of his father.»
Darrow slowly rose to his feet, and pulled out a document. The nobles shifted slightly in their seats, exchanging more looks between themselves. Aelin pretended not to notice, but it seemed to her that some of them were changing their mind about her. Darrow flung the document down the table to her.
«I do not recognize your right to rule; I do not recognize you as the rightful Queen of Terrasen. Neither does any of the lords here today, who make up the remaining surviving majority of what was once your uncle's court. Only the Allsbrooks sided with you, Princess, but that is only one vote against four. As for General Ashryver... he has no lands or titles here and no say as a result. As of this moment, until it is otherwise decided, you shall remain a princess by blood - but not queen.»
She refused to avert her gaze while Darrow said those words, but she shifted her leg so that it touched Rowan's leg. She sucked in a breath to say something, but she stopped herself when one of the nobles rose.
«As that document was written before we had met the princess, and since the vote was based on limited knowledge; I'd like to call for a new vote.» the lord grabbed the document from the table, and tore it in half. Darrow blinked and glanced between the noble and the torn parchment.
«You can't do that.» he snarled.
But then the other two nobles rose as well. «We'd like to vote on the matter a second tome as well.» One of them said, and the other nodded.
Darrow shot a lethal glare in her direction. Aelin wanted to look at her friends, especially Rowan, but did not dare break from Darrow's stare.
«I, Lord Sloane, vote in favour of Princess Aelin.» Lord Sloane, who had calles fir the revote, sat back down in his chair. Aelin's heart skipped a beat.
«I, Lord Ironwood, also vote in favour of the Princess.» he gave her a nod, and she did the same, with a faint smile on her lips.
Next one was Murtaugh. «My vote stays the same, in favour of Princess Aelin.» She gave him a nod of thanks as well. Three votes out of five, she had won.
The last noble, Lord Gunnar, received an angry glare from Darrow, and hesitated. But it didn't really matter, she already had the majority. «I choose to abstain from the vote.» he said, not looking at anyone.
Lord Murtaugh turned towards her. «We recognize you as the rightful ruler of Terrasen, Your Highness.» he said and bowed at the waist. Aelin stood up, meeting the gazes of everyone in the room, a smile slowly spreading across her face.
«Thank you, for hearing me out and for your support. I greatly appreciate it.» she said to all of them.
_______________________________________
An hour later, and she was still reeling. It had worked, it had actually worked. They had retired to some private quarters, and now her cousins and mate sat before the fireplace. She slumped down on the couch Rowan was sitting in, and let out a long breath.
«I didn't get banned.» she said disbelievingly. «I thought they would ban me like last time, especially when he pulled out that wretched document.»
Rowan slung an arm around her, and laughed. «I believe that it is safe to say that if the nobles had been present the first time around, it would have turned out like it did today.»
She huffed a laugh. «Maybe.» then she pursed her lips. «I can't believe he ignored you and Galan the entire meeting, the nerve of that man!»
Galan chuckled from where he sat in an arm chair. «I honestly preferred just sitting back watching you butt heads with Darrow. You know,» he raised an eyebrow at her. «I find it very interesting how you go from joking around, being all goofy and silly, to carrying yourself as if you've been queen for decades.» he said.
She gave him a toothy grin. «I aim to impress, cousin.» and winked at him.
Aedion leaned back in his chair, and stretched his arms above his head. «Remind me to never get on your bad side Aelin.»
She laughed, and nestled in closer to Rowan. She closed her eyes, and let out a relieved sigh. Time was running short, and they would how to move their armies into position soon.
But tonight she would not think of it, tonight she would spend some quality time with her family, in her childhood home.