This chapter is a little long. It was supposed to be two chapters, but since it was the same plot point, I decided to just make it one large chapter instead. Anywaysss...this one took a while to write. I don't know if it was because there was no switching point of view, or because I actually planned out the chapter before writing it for once.

ALL CHARACTERS BELONG TO THE LOVELY SARAH J. MAAS

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"For the last time, Chaol," said Aelin through gritted teeth. "I'm not going to be recognised." And she wasn't. Aelin was a master of disguises-she had learnt from Arobynn long ago how to go unnoticed and how to blend into the background.

"You may have red hair, Aelin," began Chaol, sinking lower into the couch. He was getting frustrated-with this conversation and with the fact that he was going to stay here with Ren, while Aelin walked head first into danger. Again.

"Auburn," Aelin cut in.

"You may have Auburn hair, Aelin, but you're still you. Even you can't change the way your face looks. The guards are on lookout for you, and they will kill you if they as much as catch a glimpse of you. And the gods help me, I can't let that happen-I won't let that happen. So I am worried about you Aelin, and I'm tired of you not letting me help."

"She'll be with me, Chaol," said Nesryn, the promise of violence in her voice. "They'll have to go through me first."

Aelin eyed Nesryn and Chaol with irritation, and then sighed, the visible tension in her face gone.

"You don't need to be worried about me, Chaol. I won't let them kill me, though the gods know, they're welcome to try."

Aelin got out of the non-descript carriage that dropped her and Nesryn off two streets away from the Assassin's Keep. The trick was not to be too non-descript-that would draw too much attention. Instead, Aelin was dressed in simple muted pants and a tunic-expensive and of fine enough make to draw attention, but not enough to keep it there. She was the queen hidden in plain sight-the perfect disguise.

Nesryn walked beside her, carefully watching their surroundings while appearing for all the world to be enjoying a walk with her friend. Aelin felt a hint of admiration for her, though she wouldn't ever admit it. Not when she didn't completely trust the woman.

They walked at a leisurely pace, talking about small, unimportant things as they passed the people, going about their day, unaware of the danger in their midst-the wolves amongst the sheep. Aelin caught a glimpse of the black clad royal guard, who looked her way, and dismissed her and Nesryn without a second glance. Aelin relaxed slightly, throwing a small smile towards Nesryn who was still watching the guards out of the corner of her eye, and inching her hands away from Goldryn, which was hidden amongst the folds of her cloak.

They stopped in front of the large, glamorous keep, the home of some of Erilea's deadliest assassins. Aelin took in the sight of the mansion, her once home, noting it's similarity to the Assassin's Keep from her memories.

"It's not what I expected," said Nesryn, breaking the silence between them.

"That's the point." Aelin threw back her shoulders, and walked towards the Keep's entrance. Well, there was no point in sneaking in-Arobynn was probably aware of her presence from the moment she and Nesryn had stepped out of their carriage. As expected, Tern was waiting when they reached the door.

"Hello Tern," said Aelin, flashing him a cool, dangerous smile. "You know, you should have given me at least a week to recover from seeing your ugly face."

Tern leaned towards her, dangerously close, close enough that one of the daggers strapped to her body could easily find a new home in his heart. Or stomach-that death was slower and much more gruesome, and Aelin hated him enough to let him die a bloody, messy death. "Who is the new bitch?"

Nesryn stiffened. "Call me a bitch again, and you'll find yourself without a mouth," she growled, her hands inching towards her blades.

"I know what you can do with your mouth." He made a particularly vulgar gesture, indicating his meaning.

Nesryn's daggers were out. She slashed for Tern's face, aiming for his bright, rutty smile. Tern met them with his own, his movements too graceful for one of his stature. Aelin watched, as Nesryn and Tern blocked and deflected each other's blows, their motions a violent, deadly dance. Nesryn sent a kick flying towards Tern's head, knocking his blades out of his hands along the way. The blades made a loud clank on the stone floor, and Nesryn kicked Tern's hands away from touching the rest of the blades on his body.

Growling, Tern reached out to grab Nesryn by the shoulder, effectively causing her to drop her daggers, throwing a series of punches towards her face. Nesryn deflected them easily, stepping out of his reach, and aiming a kick for his groin. Tern sidestepped the kick, and feint a punch to her ribs. She moved to block it, and copped a jab to the mouth. Nesryn could feel her lips start to swell, blood dripping from her lips, staining her lime green tunic.

Nesryn's blood boiled in her veins. She was going to kill him. How dare the bastard make her bleed in front of her queen! Ignoring the pulsing pain from her mouth, Nesryn attacked his elbows, pulling him into her punch. She turned her body, the momentum gaining her the extra strength and smiled at his grimace.

Aelin sighed. This was not going as planned. They were supposed to get in peacefully-the trouble was supposed to start when she saw Arobynn's face. How was she supposed to know that the rebel guard could not keep her temper in check? Well, Nesryn was a capable fighter. Aelin could use that. Aelin sent a dagger flying towards Tern's face, barely grazing his cheeks, the dagger finding its home in the Keep's door. Blood dripped from Tern's cheek, though the wound probably wouldn't scar. Shame.

Both Nesryn and Tern turned their anger towards her. "We're here to talk to Arobynn, not to grapple with the rabble," Aelin said sweetly, pushing past Tern, grabbing Nesryn by the arm.

"Now be a good dog and stay guard at the door. I wouldn't want anyone to attack us while we're having a nice conversation with Arobynn." Aelin flipped her collar-bone length auburn hair over her shoulder, and entered the Keep, not turning to see Tern's reaction.

Aelin reached inside the pocket of her pants and handed a handkerchief to Nesryn. "Here."

Nesryn stared at the handkerchief numbly. Was her queen angry, or indifferent? Did she care that Nesryn-her guard-just got punched in the face?

"Clean up," said Aelin, offering Nesryn a small smile. "You don't want to meet Arobynn Hamel looking like that."

"You're not angry with me?"

Aelin looked at Nesryn, puzzled. "Why would I be angry?"

"Because I got hit. I thought that you might think that I'm not a capable guard or something."

Aelin stared at Nesryn, noting the shame and sincerity in her expression, and laughed. "Tern is Arobynn's second in command, Nesryn. He's a capable fighter and assassin. If I were to be angry at anything, it would be at the fact that you started a fight in the first place." Aelin eyed Nesryn carefully.

"Oh."

Aelin could see the other assassins from the guild-disgusting, burly, ruddy men-watching her suspiciously, no doubt recognising her as Celaena Sardothian, Adarlan's Assassin, and Arobynn's former protégé. She wondered who Arobynn's protégé was now.

Aelin and Nesryn reached Arobynn's office at the end of the hall, and found Harding standing guard at the door. Aelin felt something twisting inside her stomach. It used to be Wesley who stood guard. Wesley, Arobynn's personal guard, someone she used to detest. Wesley, who had never been anything but stoic towards her and she had mistaken that for hatred. Wesley, who had tried to save her life but had ended up dead at Arobynn's hands, body left rotting for all to see.

"Hello Harding," said Aelin cheerfully. "Did you miss me?"

"I was wondering when you were going to show your face here again."

Aelin smiled. It was a vicious, calculating smile, full of promise. "I'm going to see Arobynn now."

"He's busy. You'll have to wait here."

Aelin gave him a scathing look, and pushed open the door to Arobynn's office.

Arobynn's office hadn't changed much in the two years that she'd been away. The carpet was still as red, his table still as glossy. Arobynn had added more books to his shelf, and a new couch, but it seemed that while the rest of the world had changed, the Assassin's Keep had remained constant, almost timeless.

Well, it seemed that Arobynn really was busy. He had a thin woman in a turquoise and black gown on his lap, her long black hair falling down her back in waves. They were kissing, and Arobynn's hands were on her breasts, hers in his hair.

Aelin almost looked away, but she realised that she shouldn't be the one feeling embarrassed. So Aelin walked up to them, leaving Nesryn standing guard at the door, and stopped in front of Arobynn's desk.

"Having fun?" she crooned, noting with extreme satisfaction the way the woman jumped out of Arobynn's lap. The woman straightened her gown and ran a hand through her hair. Aelin couldn't shake the feeling that she knew her.

The woman turned around, and her green eyes met Aelin's gold rimmed turquoise ones. Aelin froze in shock. It had been over two years since she had seen that face. Lysandra.

"Celaena," Lysandra whispered, eyes glazed in shock.

"Hello Lysandra," said Aelin. "Arobynn's still keeping you around, I see."

Arobynn cleared his throat. "Lysandra, darling," he said, laying a hand on Lysandra's slender arm. His eyes were on Aelin's. "Celaena and I need to have a chat."

Lysandra looked between Aelin and Arobynn, nodded her head, and left. Arobynn leaned back into his chair. "Hello darling. How does it feel to be home?"

Keep your anger in check, Aelin reminded herself. The last thing Aelin needed was to play into Arobynn's hands. "This isn't my home, Arobynn."

Arobynn studied her. "I see you've acquired yourself a new guard."

So they were playing this game, then. Arobynn wasn't going to help her until he felt like it. Until then, she was going to have to pretend to be friendly.

"She's not my guard. She's a friend."

"Ah yes. Also friends with the Captain of the Guard, I see. I heard rumours that the two of you were lovers. What would Sam say if he knew that you moved past him so easily?"

Aelin willed her fists not to clench, maintaining her mask of cool indifference. "That's none of your business, Arobynn."

Arobynn sighed dramatically. "It's been two years, Celaena. Is it wrong of me to want to get to know the woman that you've become?"

Aelin ignored his question. "You sent me a letter, saying that you want to start planning Aedion's rescue. So far, you haven't mentioned Aedion at all."

"Aedion is locked up in the glass castle's dungeon. It all depends if you want a dangerous rescue, or a dramatic one."

"Which one is the dangerous one?"

"Rescuing him now, before the execution."

"Funny. I would have thought the execution would be the dangerous one." A soft growl escaped from Aelin's lips.

"Think about it, darling. Right now, he's underground and surrounded by guards. You can't blend in, and you'll be walking into your enemy's home."

"I'll be doing that on the day of the execution too."

Arobynn shook his head. "There will be guards, true. But there will also be guests. It's the prince's birthday ball. You can dress up and disguise yourself amongst the other court women."

Aelin studied Arobynn. His silver eyes looked sincere, but he could be lying. Aelin didn't want to wait until the execution-that was two days away. But she knew that it was because she wanted Aedion by her side now. Rushing it, going in without thinking, that impulsivity could get her killed. She nodded.

"Are we going to sneak in?"

Arobynn shook his head. He reached into his desk drawer, and pulled out two invitations. "These are for you. They should get you into the ball, should you be in disguise."

Aelin took them, dropping them into her cloak pocket. Now for the second matter…

"I lost an amulet once, long ago. I don't suppose you know where it is?"

"What a drastic subject change, darling." A soft, sensual purr escaped from his lips.

"Just answer me, Arobynn."

"Just think about this for a moment, Celaena. Suppose I knew what amulet you're talking about, and believe me, I know you have many. What makes you think I'll just give it to you?"

A growl. A narrowing of the eyes. A tension in the shoulders. "Think of it as a favour, then." Aelin threw her hands in the air dramatically. "A token of good faith, as you put it."

"You already agreed to capture me a Valg. What more can you offer me?"

Aelin couldn't believe what she was about to do. If Rowan was here, he would probably kill her. It was stupid, and reckless, and would doubtlessly lead to her death. But she couldn't see another way out of this, and she needed the Amulet of Orynth, needed to get the Wyrdkey away from Arobynn.

"I offer you a place in my court."

If Arobynn was surprised by the offer, he didn't show it. He braced his forearms on the desk.

"And what would I gain from that? Correct me if I'm wrong, darling, but your court is non-existent. I would much rather stay here, maintain my position as the King of Assassins."

He was lying. Aelin knew Arobynn well enough to know that he was stalling, trying to work this to his advantage.

"What do you get out of it? What about not getting killed after I gain back my throne?" Lies, lies, all lies. She would kill him now, if she could.

"How could I believe you, Celaena? How can I know that you won't stab me in the back once Aedion is rescued?"

"I guess you will just have to wait and see."

Arobynn smiled, getting up from his chair. "Oh how I've missed you, Celaena. This Keep has been so lonely since you've been gone."

Aelin rolled her eyes. "I'm sure."

"Can I ask why you want this amulet back?"

"As long as you're happy if I don't answer."

"Come on, darling. You're getting it back anyway. What harm can it do to tell me?"

A lot of harm. Arobynn had one of the most powerful and dangerous weapons in the world in his possession, and he didn't even know it.

"I'm the Queen of Terrasen. I figured it would help persuade those who are still unsure of my identity if I wear the amulet of the Terrasen royal family."

It was a half-truth, she supposed.

Arobynn watched her for a moment longer. Then he sighed. He reached into the back of his desk drawer and brought out the Amulet of Orynth.

Aelin almost sighed in relief. Don't appear too eager, she told herself.

"Keep your promise, darling. I am so looking forward to seeing you again soon."

Aelin took the Wyrdkey, and put it around her neck. The amulet felt warm, like it was welcoming her back home.

"I'm sure," she purred. Aelin turned around to go, but she froze when she felt Arobynn's long callused fingers on her arm.

"Don't get yourself killed." He leaned in; close enough that his lips touched her ears. She could feel his warm breath caress her cheeks. "My queen." It was a soft, sensual whisper. Like that of a lover.

He kissed her cheek, lingering slightly, and Aelin wanted to rip his mouth off.

He stepped away, and returned to his desk.

Aelin walked towards the door, towards Nesryn who had watched the entire exchange with narrowed eyes.

"Let's go, Nesryn. We're done here."

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