AN:

OH MY GOD. I ACTUALLY POSTED ANOTHER CHAPTER! ARE YOU GUYS AS ASTOUNDED AS I AM?!

And just to clear up any confusion, this story is an AU and a sequel to my story, 'What Would Have Been'. If you don't know what that's about. It's a story that is based on a dream that Maeve showed Aelin when she was in the iron coffin. What would have happened if Aelin had grown up in Orynth, and she had met Rowan there. This can be read as a stand alone AU however.

(And, seriously, I am notorious for procrastination.) I am so sorry that I haven't updated sooner. I have been really busy working on some other stuff.

Aelin:

Aelin ate in silence as the entire Ardarlian court stared at her. In truth, she was ravenous, but she managed to restrain herself and take tiny dainty bites, using the cutlery instead of her fingers as she would have preferred. It was kind of disconcerting, all those pairs of eyes on her. But Fenrys, in wolf form beside her, growled at anyone who stared for too long. Eventually, when she had finished her food, Aelin pushed her chair out from the table, wood on stone scraping in the silence.

"Thank you." Aelin said, leveling her gaze at the king. "But I must retire. I desperately need rest." She bowed shallowly to the king. "There is no need to aid me. I will have a servant show me to a room." The amount of insolence packed into that sentence was enough to make the courtiers let out a collective gasp of shock, but the king just nodded. Aelin stalked out of the room, heels clicking on the stone, Fenrys stalking behind her, his claws scraping on the floor.

The halls were noticeably more occupied than they had been when Aelin had strolled through earlier that morning. The servants of the Ardarlian king scattered out of her way, carrying laundry baskets and plates of food. Aelin couldn't tell if they were running from Fenrys or the shit eating grin set in place on her face. It was her default expression.

In the corridor behind her, the sound of footsteps came running up behind her and a heavy weight fell on her back. She grunted and stumbled into the wall, reaching out a hand to steady herself. The arms around her chest squeezed and then the weight slipped off her back. "I missed you so much." Nehemia's rich, smooth accent reached her ears. Aelin turned around and threw her arms around her friend.

Nehemia hadn't changed much in the last few years. She was still slight, with dark cocoa skin and dark birdlike eyes. Her dark hair fell in elaborate braids tipped with gold. She still carried herself in a certain way, as if the world had placed some burden upon her shoulders and she was struggling to hold her head up.

Anyone who didn't know her well wouldn't notice it. But there was a weariness in her eyes that seemed permanently ingrained into her being. She was a stunning warrior queen. Nehemia tugged Aelin into a nearby nook. Ẅhat are you doing here?" She asked urgently. "You can't be here!" Aelin snorted. "I thought you would be happier to see me."

Nehemia shook her head which made her braids rattle. "Not here. Not now."

Aelin was instantly on alert. "Why- What's happened?"

Nehemia was about to respond when the muffled noise of boots on stone rang out behind them.

"Princess." Said a cool voice.

"Chaol." Aelin didn't even have to turn around to know it was him. "Call me that one more time and the next time we spar I will put you on your ass in front of your entire guard." Chaol snorted. "It's good to have you back Aelin."

She turned to hug him and found that she could no longer reach. He had grown drastically over the last few years and he was now at least a head and a half taller than her. She had to stand on tiptoes to put her arms around her neck. Chaol hugged her back, then lifted her up and placed her back on the floor.

"How did you get here?!" He asked, a slightly confused grin on his face. "In your last letter to me you said that you weren't allowed to come."

At Aelin's innocent gaze, he sighed. "You snuck out didn't you?"

"I snuck out." She confirmed.

Chaol managed a groan. "You really shouldn't have come."

He looked down at Fenrys. " I like your dog."

Aelin was about to say, Wait. Don't! But Chaol had already stooped to pet Fenrys. The fae growled at him and bared his fangs. Chaol jumped back with a yell. Nehemia shook her head. "That is no dog. That is a fae, you-." She called him a word in Eyllwe that Aelin didn't translate because it was both unflattering and rude. Chaol didn't understand but he got the gist and barely refrained from sticking his tongue out at the princess. Aelin stifled another yawn behind her hand. Suddenly, she didn't feel quite as content. That niggling feeling in her stomach had returned. A wave of exhaustion rolled over her. "I'm tired." She told her friends, her voice thick. How, she didn't know. It had barely been an hour since she had woken up. "I need to sleep."

Nehemia didn't say another word. She just took her friend by the arm and led her down the hall. To the princesses' own room, Aelin would have assumed if she had been awake enough to form coherent thought. She didn't even bother to take the stupid red dress off, just flopped down. The covers were silky and the comforter was stuffed with some kind of feathers and Aelin drifted to sleep.

Lysandra

They reached Adarlan on the seventh day of travel, Just as the dawn broke over the glass castle. The first rays of sunlight caught on the crystal spires and refracted beams of light through the city, probably blinding the few birds stupid enough to fly through the sky this early in the morning. The glass wall stood tall and glinted like a freshly cut diamond. The entire party was bone weary.

Hair bedraggled, deep shadowed eyes.

Poor Elide looked like she was about to collapse. Her limp had steadily gotten worse and Lorcan was growing angstier by the minute. He had actually snarled at Aedion when he had tried to take Elide's satchel from her and the dark haired fae shouldered the bag himself, with no shortage of immortal attitude of course. Elide being Elide had growled right back in his face and snatched her bag away from him.

Aedion had been trying his best to keep the team together.

Smiling and cracking jokes but as the days had worn on, he had become angrier and angrier, especially at Rowan who had a one track mind and could not be pulled out of his thoughts for anything.

So Lysandra had gone about on her own.

Collecting the wood and water in the evenings and cooking breakfast in the morning. And as they walked toward the stone part of the Ardarlian castle, Lysandra couldn't help but be so relieved that their journey was over. All she wanted now was to find her friend, have a hot bath, eat her heart out and fall into bed and sleep forever. In that order. The group trudged into the city and people stopped to stare as they passed by. When they got to the castle, a servant immediately led them through the corridors with no other word.

Lysandra hissed to Elide. "This was a bad idea." They're taking us to the king. Elide hummed in agreement, her birdlike eyes darting around. One of the maids that her gaze fell on happened to look up at that moment and recoiled in terror.

Rowan brushed right by her and followed close on the heels of the servant they were following. The guy was nearly running to avoid being trampled by Rowan's combat boots.

They wove through a maze of corridors, Lysandra didn't have Elide level observation skills but she swore that they went up the same flight of stairs twice.

Either the serving boy had no idea where he was going or he was trying to confuse them so if they tried to pull anything they would get lost in the corridors. Lysandra didn't think that they accounted for Fae senses because Lorcan balled his hands into fists and Rowan snapped, " Hurry up."

The servant led them into a long room, it had a throne at the far end.

"Wait here." The servant said, gesturing to the foot of the throne, "I'll summon the king."

Rowan snarled, "We don't have time for this. Where is my mate?!"

To his credit, the servant didn't back down under his fury but instead struggled to keep a calm facade. "I'll fetch the king." He insisted.

The boy turned on his heel and strode for the door. He almost made it too. But it was flung open as if by a freak gust of wind and a girl stepped into the room. For an elated second, Lysandra thought it was Aelin but then she caught a glimpse of fox red hair and her spirits dropped.

The girl was built thin as a whip and what some would call petite but something in her eyes hinted at violence and pain if you dared to cross her. She was armed to the teeth. Two swords strapped across her back, Daggers sheathed up her thighs.

Lysandra suspected that there were many more weapons hidden on her person but if there were, they were not visible. She sent the servant a glare that would have made Aelin proud. "You're relieved." Her voice was raspy and the hints of an accent clung to her word bit Lysandra couldn't figure out, for the life of her what country it was from.

"My lady-" The servant protested, "The king insisted-"

"Silence." The girl held up a hand tipped with long, manicured nails that looked like claws. " I'll take it from here. You are dismissed."

The serving boy sputtered and flailed but with a final hiss, the red haired vixen sent him scrambling out of the room. The girl took a second to glare after him and then turned to survey the company. "Come." She ordered and whirled on her heel and strode down the corridor.

Rowan strode after her without stopping to consult the rest of them, and leaving them to hurry after him. They caught up to the red haired girl and she surveyed them cooly as she walked. "You don't look like much." She said dismissively, turning her gaze to face ahead. "A cripple. A noblewoman. A Prince, and two immortal territorial bastards."

"You've met Aelin." Lysandra noted. The girl nodded, "Oh, we're old friends." Lysandra actually gulped, thinking about a teenage Aelin running around with this girl. THe image was actually terrifying.

"It's good to see you again." Aedion said to her. "Everybody, this is Ansel of Briarcliff."

S/A/N:

Do you guys have any things you want added?

Do you think I am switching POV's too much?

Can you tell I am actually freaking insecure?