Chapter Text
Now-
It hurt. Everything hurt. and Lorcan’s gut wound was not helping at all, Rowan was literally holding it in for him.
“We need a place to heal him, he’s losing too much blood. ”
a pause, then, “I know a place. It’s just a bit farther and then we’ll reach” Fenrys said with a little hesitation in his voice .Lorcan didn’t think too much about it, he was too damn busy trying not to fall unconscious.
His head swam from all the jostling as they put down on the forest floor. He groaned and Elide was beside him in an instant cradling his head on her lap.
“Stay with me Lorcan, it’s all right. you’ll be alright. it’s fine. it’s fine. ”
Aelin,Rowan and Fenrys were debating something but their voices were drowned by the voice of the woman who is the reason he is still alive.
He was exhausted. He closed his eyes and his body went limp.
“stay with me, open your eyes please Lorcan open your eyes for me”
I’m trying he wanted to say but he couldn’t he was too tired . so he he let go and fell into the darkness and fell into oblivion .
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He woke up twice after that. Once he woke up to find he was being carried by Rowan and Fenrys on either side of him their shoulders under his and the second time he could see a cabin and a woman jogging toward Fenrys who ran and embraced her, leaving Rowan with him who bore his weight alone with a grunt.
Rowan half dragged, half carried Lorcan toward the cabin elide beside Lorcan and Aelin in tow. The woman who was Fenrys’ equal in beauty led them into the cabin. She brought them inside a room gesturing him to put Lorcan on the bed.
“How did he get this wound?” she asked as she set about arranging buckets and rags.
“ A rouge valg. Got him with a sickle ” she took a knife and cut Lorcans blood soaked shirt of efficiently. she started cleaned of the blood and turned to them and said “ He’s lucky it didn’t puncture his lungs and it seems to have been poisoned ” elide started “ what do yo-”
“belladonna, I’ll just give him the antidote but I’ll have to stitch it up. The wound is deep enough that he won’t be able to walk for 2 days. let alone continue the rest of the way from here to Terassen ”
“I must ask you to leave now and go bathe you all are filthy enough you’ll give him an infection just by standing here”
Rowan and Elide stood dumbstruck Fenrys just smirked with delight. Then they all filed out leaving her tending to Lorcan.
It was then Rowan noticed the cabin. the cabin was snug and cozy.The hallway led to a kitchen with the dining table nearby. There was a stair case that probably lead to the other rooms. Outside in the garden were plants of all kinds medicinal and floral and the lake beside the house were surrounded by trees. the walls filled with paintings.he realized with a start that the four children in those paintings were Fenrys, Connal and the healer, whoever she was.the fourth one looked identical to her in every way but there eyes. there were two pairs of twins in the paintings, he realized with a shock. The paintings seemed to capture the mischief and childhood happiness in each of them it also seemed to capture each of their personalities well, Fenrys with his wicked grin and Connal with his thoughtful smile, even then it seemed Fenrys was shone bright and a shadow seemed to radiate from connal.
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Fenrys always loved going back to his cabin. A place he could count on to have his peace and quiet. The calming sensation of the forest was always a balm to him. He had kept it hidden for a whole century and had not returned to it since the time he was enslaved -blood sworn to Meave He had buried it deep in his heart, his soul among so many other things. it was completely worth it. So was the woman in the house.
He noticed Rowan looking at the paintings with the same kind of shock he had seen on every other person’s face. Aelin and Elide were talking softly the both of them taking in their surroundings warily. Aelin caught his eyes and he answered her before she could voice the question they were all undoubtedly thinking
“ I’ll introduce her later I’ll show you to your rooms first.”
“you know what happens if she betrays us Fen, we won’t have a choice.”
“I know .Trust me ,she’s a friend, she won’t betray you.”
He gestured to the staircase and they followed him .
“Rowan , Aelin you can take this room .” he said, opening the door.
“elide you can take the one with Lorcan”
“bed room, bathing room.” he said, gesturing the door inside the room.
“rest awhile,bathe , ill explain everything to you over dinner” he said over his shoulder as he went out of the room.
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Aelin took in the room . the wall on the far side was almost fully glass, with a four poster bed adjacent to it. aside from that a cupboard and a study lay.
“ do you think we should trust her?”
he looked at her from his perch near the window at that
“ Fenrys seems to trust her , i think we should wait and see”
he came over to where she lay on the bed
“we really should bathe”
“good thing bathtub is big enough for two” he said , grinning at her all the while.
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Elide was exhausted, the healer had gone for what had felt like hours, Lorcan passed out on the bed. She’d washed changed and sat on the chair beside the bed in which Lorcan lay. She couldn’t help but think of the time she sat like that next to Lorcan when he was injured , when he almost died and she raced through a battlefield to find him. it had been an year now. Terrasen was starting to flourish , trade had been established, soldiers healed and returned home, the royal palace almost done rebuilding and yet there were still valg who had not been healed , hiding and waiting. Her husband just had to jump in front of the blade .She sighed and turned toward him, glaring.he looked back at her eyes wide, “What did i do now?”
“Is that the first question you ask as soon as you wake up?”
“yes, it is when my wife is glaring at me the first thing i wake up”
“you-”but she was cut off by someone
“awake and talking i see.” The healer. “although i would ask the same question if i saw my spouse glaring at me the first thing i wake up”
“ and who are you?” Lorcan asked with his eyebrows raised.
“my name is Aida, your savior a knight in shining Armour, hero-”
“cut the bullshit” she rolled her eyes and said “the one time i get to boss you around and you wont let me do it properly, everyone’s waiting outside in the dining room .Elide i trust you know your way around by now ,so kindly escort yourselves outside while i take sometime off getting bossed around”
elide choked on a laugh and helped Lorcan outside , giant as he was, he was towering over her but she helped him anyway as he threw his hands up in frustration and went out with elide. the others pestered them with questions as they sat in the couch next to the table which was when Aida entered.
Aelin and Rowan glanced at each other warily, but Fenrys went right over to her kissed her forehead,tucked her under his arm and asked “are you alright?” she looked at him in mock solemnity and said “your concern warms my hear more that any winter fire my love, yes I’m alright” as she put a fist over her heart. He huffed a laugh“i suppose your alright then”
Aelin ,bless her said “as interesting it is to watch your heartwarming interaction” she turned to Fenrys “care to explain?”
“Aida, meet Aelin and Rowan Whitethorn Galathyinius, i suppose you already met Lorcan and Elide”
“ all of you meet Aida Zade, the treasure of my heart and my mate”