#like the wedding scene please

[wearenotjustsadstories]

btw im here patiently waiting for some Somewhere beyond the sea art

[halloweenshenanigans]

look. okay. i'm not going to let myself get TOO carried away with that one article, but that last quote... looking forward to "the wedding...and what unfolds after the wedding party" like please imagine the possibilities...

eliza and patrick working a case together during the wedding! a dance scene!! heightened emotions amidst a wild case! a confession!!!

[1doesnotsimplyhavejust1fandam]

Buddie confession scene but it’s just Buck telling Eddie how “Whatta Man” started playing in his head the day they met and Eddie was shirtless

[sisterdivinium]

Consider: A) as "brides of Christ", Catholic nuns commonly wear rings to symbolise their attachment to Jesus;

B) the OCS nuns don't wear rings;

(notice, however, that the nuns Camila teaches "how to TikTok" do — if on the left — as does Yasmine and as do the others during the museum heist, wearing the colours of Yasmine's order)

C) the halo is basically ring-shaped;

Possible conclusion: their real attachment is to the halo bearer, who carries within her body the "ring" they might all potentially have to bear; this very ring embodies their vows in a single instance so none of them need individual bands. This one ring merges in itself all of the ones they might have worn, tying the sisters together, bonding them to one another, structuring their order to begin with.

[solar-halos]

for this mood board monday, i present yet another ficboard. the board in question is of franka by @ongreenergrasses

[dreamedfyre-a]

unfortunately i keep rewatching the borgias tidbits and being like 'how do i make this about the targaryens' and most of the time it's too easy tbh

[upwards-descent]

Absolutely wild seeing people immediately forgive the Watcher crew

[asclexe]

i went to see beetlejuice beetlejuice and got to experience the minecraft movie trailer in a theater…

[pegasusdrawnchariots]

🛡⚔️🏰🐎

[hoapes]

Both the episodes so far have been doing some random and abrupt and jarring cuts to completely unrelated scenes and it’s bothering me but other than that WE ARE SO BACK 🎉🎉🎉

[thestarrynightslover]

Okay, so PD s11 finale theories:

Route A: they work real hard get to the killer and Voight but it's too late and he's dead/dying/dies en route to Med/at Med

Though I'm not so sure abt this cause we haven't heard about Jason's leaving (no, I am not up to date with who's already been confirmed to stay, sorry)

And if this happens, I think Hailey, or someone else on the team (prob Hailey), will kill the offender and it won't be the best of shoots so she'll be forced out of the department, or it'll take a toll on her and she'll take Petrovic's advice and make a change in her life (leaving cpd, and what I'm gonna say now is another discussion entirely but: she might not even wanna continue to be a cop and let's remember she has a college degree!).

OR

She'll just be really shaken by Voight's d3ath (which will be her losing another one she loved/who was her family) and will leave bc of that, she'll think that job is taking more than giving.

Route B (a happier and therefore less likely one, lol): everything will work out and Voight will be okay but Upton's good work as a team leader will be so praised that she'll get some sort of promotion and will have the opportunity (and accept, again, following Petrovic's advice) to lead another team.

OR

Even saving Voight, she'll kill the guy (or he will!! And she'll want to take the heat) and be asked to leave the pd/leave bc she can't leave like that anymore.

In summary, I think the episode, despite being a finale (which are usually more team-coded), will be Upton centric and will highlight those conversations abt mental health and change between her and Petrovic and that's gonna have everything to do with her leaving.

Another conclusion I'm reaching after e12 is that (total shocker, yes I know 🤡) there will be no upstead reunion/closure whatsoever, bc Hailey's departure is not gonna have anything to do with that. And even though I will most likely be over the moon if we get at least a phone call with Jay, I don't think that should happen bc as much as they did the upstead break up really dirty and bad and fucked up with all those unanswered phone calls and stuff, I think it wouldn't make any sense to bring him back or even up at all again, for obvious reasons: we haven't heard about Jay/upstead in forever now. Literally no mentions that either even happened on the show ever since Jo's first episode where she points out that Hailey just got a divorce. And even though Hailey's not healed at all after all she went through (not just Jay's leaving!!), it's like she has gotten some sense of closure on that part of her life and to bring that all up again would just be straight up cruel with her/them (cause whatever happens, I don't see them getting back together, so...). But this is a drama (read character-hater) show, so who knows, right?

Well, that's it, thank you for coming to my ted talk if you made it to the end of this rant. Bye, see ya next week!

[capriszn]

almost every cdrama i‘ve watched could have been a 10/10 if it wasn’t for those last ten minutes packed with the entire finale like every single one without fail got that rushed ending…. why do they keep doing this to me stop

[feathers-in-the-night]

I’m placing the snippet under a read more because it does contain mild spoilers 

(its a very early scene so not any huge plot spoilers, but just in case anyone wants to read the story spoilerfree when it’s finally uoploaded) 

April 27th Watchtower Morgan

“How has meditation been going? You told me last time it was helping your telekinesis stay under control, but I’m more interested in hearing about the mental and psychological benefits.”

Morgan tore her eyes away from the stunning view of space outside the window. “It’s good. It helps me stay on top of things.” She fidgeted with a curl resting loosely on her collarbone. Not because she was nervous, but because talking so openly about her vulnerabilities was still difficult for her. “I don’t get stressed because I start every day by grounding myself. It helps with keeping unwanted memories at bay too because my mind is more at peace. And I feel more in control of it.”

She redirected her eyes onto Earth, watching a storm gather in the ocean just outside of the Chilean coastline. She wondered if the League was going to be deployed to help if the weather got too dangerous.

Dinah cleared her throat, forcing Morgan to refocus. “You’re distracted.” Her sharp eyes pinned Morgan down and she found she couldn’t lie.

“Sorry, I don’t mean to lose focus. I’m just tired. I’ve been having.. nightmares.” She coughed awkwardly once and gnawed on her lower lip.

“Nightmares?”  

“I’ve been having them every other night for two weeks or so now. They’re about fire.”  

“Tell me a bit about them, if you want to.”

She didn’t, but Morgan knew these sessions were good for her – sharing – was good for her. Dinah had already helped her sort through a lot of stuff and Morgan trusted her enough at this point to tell her everything.

“I’m in a burning building and I keep running up the stairs to different floors. Every floor is the same except the fire seems to be getting closer with each one.” She fidgeted in her chair again. “There’s something else though. There’s this.. black shape, its undefinable, like it’s made of smoke. And it’s chasing me. Everywhere I go, it’s always behind me and it’s always getting closer. The dreams either end when the fire gets to me and I burn alive, or when the figure reaches me and consumes me.”

She chanced a look at Dinah, who was wearing a serious but not unsympathetic look. “That sounds intense.”

“It is!” Morgan kept going, feeling a strange sort of relief to have finally told someone about her nightmares. “I wake up in a cold sweat every time. My heart is pounding like it’s about to give out and I feel like I can’t breathe.”

“And how do you deal with it when this happens?”

Morgan shrugged. “I just get up. There’s no point in going back to sleep – I’ve tried, it doesn’t work. I just lie in bed for hours afterwards thinking about the dream. So, I get up – I distract myself, I meditate, I go to the gym. Whatever is needed.”

Dinah nodded in approval. “Do you have any idea why you’re having these nightmares?”

Morgan shook her head. “No clue. I guess maybe the explosions at M’gann and Connor’s wedding triggered something, because they’ve been happening since then.”

“When you first came to me, you told me you used to have nightmares about your father’s death. That you were constantly dreaming about explosions and fire. Do you think this could be the same thing?”

“I – well, I guess?” Morgan frowned. She hadn’t considered that. “I suppose the explosions at the wedding might have trigged some kind of – some kind of relapse?”

Dinah nodded. “It is possible. Do you think you still have unresolved feelings or trauma related to the incident?”

“What, my father’s death?” she tried to sound casual, but her voice still got thick. “I lost a parent. And sure, he was an absent asshole, but he was still a parent. I don’t think I’ll ever fully resolve that trauma. But I think as long as I admit that and don’t try to squash down those feelings, they aren’t unhealthy.”

Dinah gave her a proud smile. “That’s very insightful.” She cocked her head slightly to the side and studied the girl briefly. “You’ve come a long way since you first approached me and asked for these sessions. I’m proud of you.”

Morgan fought down a pleased smile at the praise, but she couldn’t stop her wings from fluttering with delight. “I’ve been working hard. I realized how much energy I was wasting every day keeping my emotional shields up, how much of my anger was from unresolved traumas. You’ve helped me a lot – I’m really grateful.”

Just her being able to talk so openly and vulnerably was a testament to the therapy. She hadn’t been able to do that six months ago. Still, it was a steep learning curve, and it wasn’t without some tough battles.

“Now, tell me about the dark figure. Why do you think you’re being chased by it?”

Morgan gnawed on her lower lip again. After four months of these bi-weekly therapy sessions with Dinah, she’d gotten better at this introspection, but sometimes she still felt like she was at an exam she hadn’t been allowed to study for. “I suppose maybe the figure represents something I’m running from?”

Dinah made a thoughtful noise. “Do you have anything you’re running from, currently?”

Morgan shrugged, slumping further down into the comfy chair. “Not to my own recollection.” she feigned casualty. 

“How was the wedding?”

Morgan blinked at this sudden change of topic. “It was good? I mean, aside from the way it ended.” She frowned and pointed an accusatory finger at Dinah. “Weren’t you also there, though?”

Dinah nodded. “I was. But just because we attended the same event doesn’t mean we had the same experience.”

Morgan raised a challenging eyebrow at her, feeling her internal shields twitch. What was Dinah getting at?

Mind open, Morgan.

“How is Nightwing doing?”

Her mental shields slammed into place immediately.

Mind closed.

“I’m not talking about this.” She quickly shut the conversation down before it had a chance to begin.

Dinah held up her hands in a placating way. “You said you thought the black figure represented something you were running from.” Her eyes nailed Morgan to her seat. “Morgan, you reached out to me a few weeks after your breakup with Dick, and you’ve refused to talk about it since. I assume it’s what must’ve gotten you to realize you needed therapy and yet it’s the one thing you won’t look into.”

Morgan opened her mouth to protest but Dinah had already launched her attack, and she wasn’t about to lose her footing. “Now, we’ve been talking a whole lot about stuff from your past and you’ve worked through a lot of traumas related to your father’s absence and eventual death, and dealing with an alien invasion during your first year as a superhero. Almost all those events, Nightwing was heavily implicated in. I am just worried we’re missing a big piece of the puzzle here because you refuse to even speak his name.”

This time Morgan did interject. “I can say his name,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest in defense. She felt like she’d been led into an ambush, and she was thrown completely off balance.

“Do it then.” Dinah challenged.

Morgan huffed. “This is stupid. And pointless.”

The older hero didn’t move.

She looked around the room, search for anything to focus on but Dinah’s unrelenting gaze. The longer she tried to look away, the more energy she spent avoiding this, the more she began to realize Dinah was right.

“Nightwing.” She mumbled sullenly, hating that her heart did a small jump.  She tried to appear casual and unbothered. “See? I’ll even do it again: Nightwing! Or Dick, if you prefer.” her voice was dripping with sarcasm.

Dinah raised a singular eyebrow. Morgan felt defiance flare up and she look back, challenge in her eyes. They sat like that for an extended moment. Eventually, the other woman sighed, probably realizing she was getting nowhere with the stubborn girl, and looked at the clock on her desk.

“It looks like the hour is up.”

Morgan got up as quickly as she could without seeming rude. Talk about great timing. “Cool. I’ll see you in two weeks? Same time?”

“Unless something comes up,” Dinah relented. They both knew the probability of one or both getting help up with superhero work was high.

Morgan was halfway out the door when Dinah spoke up again.

“Morgan?” her voice allowed for no shenanigans. Morgan halted in her escape and looked at the other hero over her shoulder.

“You will have to talk about it at some point. Nothing stays bottled up for long.”

She met Dinah’s gaze quickly, but found she had nothing to say in response. She thought about the fight she’d had with Dick the night of M’gann and Connor’s wedding, how devastated she’d been when she got home. How she’d cried in her bed for hours, letting out weeks of bottled up hurt and heartache. But she wasn’t ready to talk about any of that yet. She wasn’t ready to admit every day felt like a punishment, like leaving him had been the biggest mistake of her life. How, every day, she wondered if she should’ve tried harder, should’ve done more to get through to him before giving up.

No, she wasn’t ready to admit any of that. Not to Dinah – not even to herself.

And so, she left.

Bottle; closed.

[tellmegoodbye]

I've had some time to collect my thoughts after a couple of days so here they are even though nobody asked.

I really loved the finale. It was devestating, no doubt, but I think this is their best one yet and I absolutely loved how they handled it. There was so much grieving in this episode, not just from Carlos, but from Owen and Judd as well. But despite everything they chose happiness and the wedding ending up being beautiful and bittersweet and joyful all at once.

There has been the question of deleted scenes but there's really only one we've seen so far that I would have loved to see in the episode. Other than that, I'm just glad we get to have them all as extras. I don't think the wedding needed them though.

Another thing I'd like to add is that yes, sometimes storylines can feel rushed in shows where you have a lot of characters and especially if there are clear favorites within a fandom. There was a lot going on, but that doesn't necessarily mean any one character's storyline is less valuable than another's. I guess I'm speaking as less of a fandom member and just more as an enjoyer of the show if that makes any sense. I love all of the characters in this show, and while I would be lying if I said I liked every single storyline, that doesn't mean I wish they didn't happen. In this case, however, I loved all of the storylines and I think they all made sense together given the theme of this episode. I personally don't think any of them shouldn't have been there in favor of getting more wedding content.

Honestly, my only regret is not getting off of tumblr as soon as the final bts stuff started coming out. I'm pretty bad when it comes to guessing things so if I hadn't been aware of the theories I literally would have had no idea and it would have hit me so much harder. It still got me pretty good though.

Again these are just my opinions so feel free to ignore everything I say if you didn't feel the same. I'm happy though, and I'm going to continue being incredibly annoying about this show. ♡

[kitkat-the-muffin]

I beg of them to do this istg

As much as I would love for narumitsu to be Canon, I just don't feel like it's ace attorney style to heavily explore cutesy romance stuff. It would feel a bit odd I think to have a game where they have a romance arc as aa is not a dating sim 😭

However I think it's absolutely hilarious if they come out with a new game where they just sorta don't ever substantially say it but it's obvious what's going on.

Ways they could make Narumitsu Canon that I think are funny:

-One of the locations is called "My Apartment" whilst you're playing as Phoenix, and when you go there sometimes Edgeworth is just like... sat on the sofa drinking tea and you're just meant to accept it. (alternatively. You are able to play as both Phoenix and Edgeworth at some point and both of them go to the same "my apartment")

- They put wedding rings on their sprites and never ever elaborate on it.

-There's an almost hidden piece of dialogue that you only get when you fail spectacularly where Edgeworth gets smug and Phoenix thinks "That's it. I am so going to divorce him when we get home" or something sarcastic along those lines. That's the only time it's mentioned.

-There's a case where there are two people in love and Maya is like "Nick you must be so lonely you haven't dated anyone in years. All you do is hang out with Mr Edgeworth all the time >:( " and Phoenix just thinks "Yeah. There's a reason for that" and that's it. You're meant to infer wtf that means.

-Larry complains about being a third wheel once when with Phoenix and Edgeworth.

-Edgeworth's office has a tiny nearly illegible photo that is clearly just a wedding picture of the two of them. You click on it and Phoenix is like "As nice as this day was, did he really have to use the photo where I'm blinking??"

-You present a ring as evidence to Edgeworth and he says something along the lines of "Interesting. It almost reminds me of the one you gave me, Wright"

[acourtofquestions]

Kingdom of Ash Chapter 66

Chapter; Highlights, etc. (you know the drill😂)

Aelin awoke to the scent of pine and snow, and knew she was home.

Not in Terrasen, not yet, but in the sense she would always be home, if Rowan was with her.

His steady breaths filled her right ear, the sound of the well and truly asleep, and the arm he'd draped across her middle was a solid, warm weight. Silvery light glazed the ancient stones of the ceiling.

Morning—or a cloudy day. The halls beyond the room offered shards of sound that she sorted through, piece by piece, as if she were assembling a broken mirror that might reveal the world beyond

Apparently, it had been three days since the battle. And the rest of the khagan's army, led by Prince Kashin, his third-eldest son, had arrived.

It was that tidbit that had her rising fully to consciousness, a hand sliding to Rowan's arm.

A caress of a touch, just to see how deeply the rejuvenating sleep held him. Three days, they'd slept here, unaware of the world. A dangerous, vulnerable time for any magic-wielder, when their bodies demanded a deep sleep to recover from expending so much power.

That was another sliver she'd picked up: Gavriel sat outside their door. In mountain lion form. People drew quiet when they approached, not realizing that as soon as they passed him, their whispers of That strange, terrifying cat could be detected by Fae ears.

Aelin ran a finger over the seam of Rowan's sleeve, feeling the corded muscle beneath. Clear her head, her body felt clear. Like the first icy breath inhaled on a winter's morning.

During the days they'd slept, no nightmare had shaken her awake, hunted her. A small, merciful reprieve.

Aelin swallowed, her throat dry. What had been real, what Maeve had tried to plant in her mind-did it matter, whether the pain had been true or imagined?

She had gotten out, gotten away from Maeve and Cairn. Facing the broken bits inside her would come later.

For now, it was enough to have this clarity back. Even though releasing her power, expending that mighty blow here, had not been her plan.

Aelin slid her gaze toward Rowan, his harsh face softened into handsomeness by sleep. And clean—the gore that had splattered them both was gone. Someone must have washed it away while they slept.

As if he sensed her attention, or just felt the lingering hand on his arm, Rowan's eyes cracked open. He scanned her from head to toe, deemed everything all right, and met her stare.

"Show-off," he muttered.

Aelin patted his arm. "You put on a pretty fancy display yourself, Prince."

He smiled, his tattoo crinkling. "Will that display be the last of your surprises, or are there more coming?"

She debated it-telling him, revealing it.

Maybe.

Rowan sat up, the blanket sliding from him.

Is this the sort of surprise that will end with my heart stopping dead in my chest?

She snorted, propping her head with a fist as she traced idle marks over the scratchy blanket.

"I sent a letter-when we were at that port in Wendlyn."

Rowan nodded. "To Aedion."

"To Aedion," she said, quietly enough that Gavriel couldn't hear from his spot outside the door. "And to your uncle. And to Essar." Rowan's brows rose. "Saying what?" She hummed to herself. "Saying that I was indeed imprisoned by Maeve, and that while 1 was her captive, she laid out some rather nefarious plans."

Her mate went still. "With what goal in mind?"

Aelin sat up, and picked at her nails.

"Convincing them to disband her army. Start a revolt in Doranelle. Kick Maeve off the throne. You know, small things."

Rowan just looked at her. Then scrubbed at his face. "You think a letter could do that?"

"It was strongly worded." He gaped a bit. "What sort of nefarious plans did you mention?"

"Desire to conquer the world, her complete lack of interest in sparing Fae lives in a war, her interest in Valg things." She swallowed. "I might have mentioned that she's possibly Valg."

Rowan started. Aelin shrugged. "It was a lucky guess. The best lies are always mixed with truth."

"Suggesting Maeve is Valg is a fairly outlandish lie, even for you. Even if it turned out to be true."

She waved a hand. "We'll see if anything comes of it."

"If it works, if they somehow revolt and the army turns against her..." He shook his head, laughing softly. "It'd be a boon in this war."

"I scheme and lie so grandly, and that's all the credit I get?"

Rowan flicked her nose. "You'll get credit if her army doesn't show up. Until then, we prepare as if they are. Which is highly likely." At her frown, he said, "Essar doesn't wield much power, and my uncle doesn't take many risks. Not like Enda and Sellene. For them to overthrow Maeve ... it would be monumental. If they even survived it."

Her stomach churned. "It's their choice, what they do. I only laid out the facts." Carefully worded facts and half guesses. An absolute gamble, if she was being honest.

Rowan smirked. "And other than attempting to overthrow Maeve's throne? Any other surprises I should know about?"

Her smile faded as she lay back down, Rowan doing the same beside her. "There are no more." At his raised brows, she added, "I swear it on my throne. There are no more left."

The amusement in his eyes guttered. "I don't know whether to be relieved."

"Everything I know, you know. All the cards are on the table now."

With the various armies that had gathered, with the Lock, with all of it.

"Do you think you could do it again?" he asked. "Draw up that much power?"

"I don't know. I don't think so. It required being ... contained. With the irons."

A shadow darkened his face, and he rolled onto his side, propping up his head. "I've never seen anything like it."

"You never will again." It was the truth.

"If the cost of that much power is what you endured, then I'll be glad not to."

Aelin ran a hand down the powerful muscles of his thigh, fingers snagging in the rip of fabric just above his knee. "I didn't feel you get this wound through the mating bond," she said, grazing the thick ridge of the new scar. A trophy from the battle. She made herself meet his piercing stare. Did Maeve somehow break that part of it? That part of us?

"No," he breathed, and stroked the hair from her brow. "I've realized that the bond only conveys the pain of the gravest wounds."

She touched the spot on his shoulder where Asterin Blackbeak's arrow had pierced him all those months ago. The moment she'd known what he was to her.

"It was why I didn't know what was happening to you on the beach," Rowan said roughly. Because the whipping, brutal and unbearable as it had been, hadn't brought her to the brink of death. Only into an iron coffin.

She scowled. "If you're about to tell me that you feel guilty for it—"

"We both have things to grapple with—about what happened these months."

A glance at him, and she knew he was well aware of what still clouded her soul.

And because he was the only person who saw everything she was and did not walk away from it, Aelin said, "I wanted that fire to be for Maeve."

"I know." Such simple words, and yet it meant everything-that understanding.

"I wanted it to make things ... better." She loosed a long breath. "To wipe it all away." Every memory and nightmare and lie.

"It will take a while, Aelin. To face it, work through it."

"I don't have a while."

His jaw tensed. "That remains to be seen." She didn't bother arguing. Not as she admitted, "I want it to be over."

He went wholly still, but granted her the space to think, to speak.

"I want it to be over and done with," she said hoarsely. "This war, the gods and the Wyrdgate and the Lock. All of it." She rubbed her temples, pushing past the weight, the lingering stain that no fire might cleanse. "I want to go to Terrasen, to fight, and then I want it to be over."

She'd wanted it to be over since she'd learned the true cost of forging the Lock anew.

Had wanted it to be over with each of Cairn's lashes on the beach in Eyllwe. And all he'd done to her afterward. Whatever it might bring about, however it might end, she wanted it to be over.

She didn't know who and what it made her.

Rowan remained silent for a long moment before he said, "Then we will make sure the khagan's host goes north. Then we will return to Terrasen and crush Erawan's armies." He brought her hands to his mouth for a swift kiss.

"And then, after all that, we'll see about this damned Lock." Uncompromising will filled his every breath, the air around them.

She let it be enough for both of them.

Tucked away his words, his vow, all those promises between them and extended her palm in the air between them.

She summoned the magic-the drop of water her mother's bloodline had given her.

Mab's bloodline.

A tiny ball of water took form in her hand. Over the calluses she'd so carefully rebuilt.

She let the gentle, cooling power trickle over her. Let it smooth the jagged bits inside herself and sing them to sleep. Her mother's gift.

You do not yield.

When the Lock took everything, would it claim this part as well? This most precious part of her power? She tucked away those thoughts, too.

Concentrating, gritting her teeth, Aelin commanded the ball of water to rotate in her palm.

A wobble was all she got in answer.

She snorted. "Faerie Queen of the West indeed."

Rowan huffed a quiet laugh. "Keep practicing. In a thousand years, you might actually be able to do something with it."

She whacked his arm, the droplet of water soaking into the sleeve of his shirt. "It's a wonder I learned anything from you with that sort of encouragement." She shook the wetness from her hand. Right into his face.

Rowan nipped at her nose. "I do keep a tally, Princess. Of all the horrible things that come out of your mouth."

Her toes curled, and she dragged her fingers through his hair, luxuriating in the silken strands. "How shall I pay for this one?"

On the other side of the door, she could have sworn that cat-soft feet quickly padded away.

People gawked in the halls, some whispering as they passed.

The queen and her consort. Where do you think they've been these past few days?

I heard they went into the mountains and brought the wild men back with them.

I heard they've been weaving spells around the city, to protect it against Morath.

Rowan was still smirking when Aelin emerged from the communal ladies' bathing room.

"See?" She fell into step beside him as they aimed not for their room and ravishment, but for the hallway where food had been laid out.

"You're starting to like the notoriety."

Rowan arched a brow. "You think that everywhere I've gone for the past three hundred years, whispers haven't followed me?" She rolled her eyes, but he chuckled. "This is far better than Cold-hearted bastard or I heard he killed someone with a table leg."

"You did kill someone with a table leg." Rowan's smirk grew.

"And you are a cold-hearted bastard," she threw in.

Rowan snorted. "I never said those whispers were lies."

Aelin looped her arm through his. "I'm going to start a rumor about you, then. Something truly grotesque."

He groaned. "I dread the thought of what you might come up with."

She adopted a harsh whisper as they passed a group of human soldiers. "You flew back onto the battlefield to peck out the eyes of our enemies?" Her gasp echoed off the rock. "And ate those eyes?"

One of the soldiers tripped, the others whipping their heads to them. Rowan pinched her shoulder. "Thank you for that."

She inclined her head. "You're very welcome."

Aelin kept smiling as they found food and ate a quick lunch-it was midday, they'd learned-sitting side by side in a dusty, half-forgotten stairwell. Much like the days they'd spent in Mistward, knee to knee and shoulder to shoulder in the kitchen while listening to Emrys's stories.

Though unlike those months this spring, when Aelin set down her plate between her feet, she slid her arms around Rowan's neck and his mouth instantly met hers.

No, it was certainly not at all like their time at Mistward as she crawled into Rowan's lap, not entirely caring that anyone might stride up or down the stairs, and kissed him silly.

They halted, breathless and wild-eyed, before she could decide that it really wouldn't be a bad idea…

… If Aelin was being honest with herself, she was still debating hauling him into the nearest closet when they set off to find their companions at last. One glance at Rowan's glazed eyes and she knew he was debating the same.

Yet even the desire heating her blood cooled when they entered the ancient study near the top of the keep and beheld the gathered group. Fenrys and Gavriel were already there, Chaol with them, no sign of Elide or Lorcan.

But Chaol's father, unfortunately, was present. And glowered as they entered the meeting that seemed well under way. Aelin gave him a mocking smile and sauntered up to the large desk.

A tall, broad-shouldered man stood with Nesryn, Sartaq, and Hasar, handsome and brimming with a sort of impatient energy. His brown eyes were welcoming, his smile easy.

She liked him immediately.

"My brother," Hasar said, waving a hand without looking up from the map. "Kashin." The prince sketched a graceful bow.

Aelin offered one back, Rowan doing the same. "An honor," Aelin said. "Thank you for coming."

"You can actually thank my father for that. And Yrene," said Kashin, his use of their language as flawless as his siblings'.

Indeed, Aelin had much to thank the healer for.

Nesryn's sharp eyes scanned Aelin from head to toe. "You're feeling all right?"

"Just needed to rest." Aelin jerked her chin at Rowan. "He requires frequent naps in his old age."

Sartaq coughed, keeping his head down as he continued studying the map.

Fenrys, however, laughed. "Back to your good spirits, I see."

Aelin smirked at Chaol's straight-backed father. "We'll see how long it lasts."

The man said nothing.

Rowan motioned to the desk and asked the royals, "Have you decided-where you shall march now?"

Such a casual, calm question. As if the fate of Terrasen did not rest upon it.

Hasar opened her mouth, but Sartaq cut her off. "North. We shall indeed go north with you. If only to repay you for saving our army-our people."

Aelin tried not to look too relieved.

"Gratitude aside," Hasar said, not sounding very grateful at all, "Kashin's scouts have confirmed that Terrasen is where Morath is concentrating its efforts. So it is there that we shall go."

Aelin wished she had not eaten such a large lunch. "How bad is it?"

Nesryn shook her head, answering for Prince Kashin, "The details were murky. All we know is that hordes were spotted marching northward, leaving a trail of destruction in their wake."

Aelin kept her fists at her sides, avoiding the urge to rub at her face.

Chaol's father said, "I hope that power of yours can be summoned again."

Aelin let an ember of that power smolder in her eyes. "Thank you for the armor," she crooned.

"Consider it an early coronation gift," the Lord of Anielle countered with a mocking smile.

Sartaq cleared his throat. "If you and your companions are recovered, then we'll press northward as soon as we are able." No objections from Hasar at that.

"And march along the mountains?" Rowan asked, scanning the map. Aelin traced the route they'd follow. "We'd have to pass directly before the Ferian Gap. We'll barely clear the other end of this lake before we're in another battle."

"So we draw them out," Hasar said. "Trick them into emptying whatever forces wait in the Gap, then sneak up on them from behind."

"Adarlan controls the entire Avery," Chaol said, drawing an invisible line inland from Rifthold. "To pass north, we have to cross that river anyway. In picking the Gap as our battleground, we'll avoid the mess that would come with fighting in the midst of Oakwald. The ruks, at least, would be able to provide aerial coverage. Not so with the trees."

Rowan nodded. "We'd need to march the majority of the host up into the mountains, then—to come at the Gap from where they'd least expect it. It's rough terrain, though. We'll need to pick our route carefully."

Chaol's father grumbled. Aelin lifted her brows, but his son answered, "I sent out emissaries the day after the battle-into the Fangs. To contact the wild men who live there, if they might know of secret ways through the mountains to the Gap."

Ancient enemies of this city. "And?"

"They do. But at a cost."

"One that shall not be paid," the Lord of Anielle snapped.

"Let me guess: territory," Aelin said.

Chaol nodded. Hence the tension in this room.

She tapped a toot as she surveyed the Lord of Anielle. "And you won't give one sliver of land to them?"

He just glared.

"Apparently not," Fenrys muttered

Aelin shrugged, and turned to Chaol. "Well, it's settled, then."

"What is settled?" his father ground out.

Aelin ignored him, and winked at her friend. "You're the Hand to the King of Adarlan. You outrank him. You're authorized to act on Dorian's behalf." She gestured to the map. "The land might be a part of Anielle, but it belongs to Adarlan. Go ahead and barter it."

His father started. "You—"

"We are going north," Aelin said. "You will not stand in our way." She again let some of her fire kindle in her eyes, set the gold in them burning. "I halted that wave. Consider this alliance with the wild men a way to repay the favor."

"That wave destroyed half my city," the man snarled.

Fenrys let out a low, disbelieving laugh. Rowan snarled softly.

Chaol growled at his father, "You're bastard."

"Watch your tongue, boy."

Aelin nodded sympathetically to Chaol. "I see why you left."

Chaol, to his credit, winced and returned to the map. "If we can get past the Ferian Gap, then we continue northward."

Past Endovier. That path would take them right past Endovier. Aelin's stomach tightened. Rowan's hand grazed her own.

"We have to decide soon," Sartaq declared.

"Right now, we sit between the Ferian Gap and Morath. It would be very easy for Erawan to send hosts to crush us between them."

Hasar turned to Chaol. "Is Yrene anywhere near done?"

He leaned an elbow against the arm of his wheeled chair. "Even with the few survivors, there are too many of them. We'd be here weeks."

"How many injured?" Rowan asked.

Chaol shook his head. "Not injured." His jaw tightened. "Valg."

Aelin frowned. "Yrene's healing the Valg?"

Hasar grinned. "In a manner of speaking."

Aelin waved her off. "Can I see?"

They found Yrene not in the keep, but in a tent on the remnants of the battlefield, leaning over a human man thrashing upon a cot. The man had been restrained to anchors in the floor at his wrists and ankles.

Aelin took one look at those chains and had to swallow.

Rowan laid a hand on her lower back, and Fenrys stepped closer to her side.

Yrene paused, her hands wreathed in white light. Borte, sword out, lingered nearby.

"Is something wrong?" Yrene asked, the glow in her hands fading. The man sagged, going boneless as the healer's assault on the demon inside him halted.

Chaol steered his chair closer to her, the wheels equipped for rougher terrain. "Aelin and her companions want a demonstration. If you're up for it."

Yrene smoothed back the hair that had escaped her braid. "It's not really anything that you can see. What happens is beneath the skin—mind to mind."

"You go up against Valg demons directly," Fenrys said with no small amount of awe.

"They're hateful, cowardly wretches." Yrene crossed her arms and scowled at the man tied to the cot. "Utterly pathetic," she spat toward him—the demon inside him.

The man hissed. Yrene only smiled. The man—the demon-whimpered.

Aelin blinked, unsure whether to laugh or fall to her knees. "Show me. Do whatever it is you do, but show me."

Borte said, "It's not very exciting with them tied down, is it?"

Sartaq threw her an exasperated glare. As if this were a conversation they'd already had many times. "You can be on mucking duty, if you'd prefer."

Borte rolled her eyes, but turned to Aelin, looking her over with a frankness that Aelin could only appreciate. "Any other missions for me?"

Aelin grinned. "Not yet. Soon, perhaps." Borte grinned right back. "Please. Please spare me from the tedium of this."

"And you believe them?" Fenrys asked.

Hasar patted the hilt of her fine sword. "Our interrogators are skilled at retrieving the truth."

Aelin ignored the roiling in her stomach.

"So you free them," Gavriel said, silent for minutes now, "and then torture them?"

"This is war," Hasar said simply. "We leave them able to function. But we will not risk sparing their lives only to find a new army at our backs."

"Some willingly joined Erawan," Chaol said quietly. "Some willingly took the ring. Yrene can tell, when she's in there, who wanted it or not. She doesn't bother to save those who gladly knelt. So most of those she does save were either fools or taken forcibly."

"Some want to fight for us," Sartaq said.

"Those who pass our vetting process are allowed to begin training with the foot soldiers. Not many of them, but a few." Fine. Fine, and fine.

Yrene gasped, her light flaring bright enough that Aelin squinted.

Yrene slumped back, Chaol shooting out an arm to brace her. The healer only took a perch on the arm of his chair, a hand on her heaving chest.

Aelin gave her a moment to catch her breath. To manage such a feat was remarkable. To do it while pregnant ... Aelin shook her head in wonder.

Yrene said to no one in particular, "That demon didn't want to go."

"But it's gone now?" Aelin asked

Yene pointed to the man on the cot, now opening his eyes. Brown, not black, gazed upward.

"Thank you," was all the man said, his voice raw.

And human. Utterly human.