"It's blocked." Feyre whispered, halting their trek through the dark forest. Aelin wasn't complaining, she was on the verge of collapsing, and she had stopped trying to wash the taste of vomit from her mouth, the break was welcomed.

But Feyre was wide eyed in fear and shock so she wheezed out, "What is?"

"The bond." she stated, a promise of death lining the words.

Aelin leaned against a tree, "What do you mean?"

"Usually I can," she paused, like she was preoccupied with another task, "talk to him through the mate bond."

Even through her exhaustion something squirmed at the mentioning of the mate bond.

"But it's blocked now, and not by him."

Aelin nodded, "What do you want to do?" she asked gripping the tree.

"You said you might take me to the night court in the ransom note, right?" she said, beginning to pace.

Aelin slid down to the ground "Yes."

She stopped, "We're going to the night court, I'll see if everything okay, and then I'll come back when I have a plan and I'm ready."

Feyre looked at her, adding "After helping you get home of course."

Days of hiking and they were only half way through what Feyre called the Winter court, if anything it was hell frozen over. If this was like Terrasen was in the winter, Aelin didn't know how she was going to survive. All the clothes she had packed in her bag had gradually made their way onto her, meaning none of them were clean and all of them were wet. Feyre had been mostly silent. Offering her breaks that Aelin gladly accepted. The Highlady's hands twitched nervously and she constantly had a distant expression. If Aelin had the energy she would have comforted Feyre, or told her of Rowan so she didn't feel so alone. But instead she just focused on moving her legs and breathing.

Aelin hated that they couldn't run because of how weak she was, they had tried but it had been too much for her. According to Feyre they would have to pass through four more courts before reaching the Night court, the winter was the last seasonal one, which Aelin and Feyre were glad of, whether it was blistering heat or freezing cold it was horrible.

Feyre stopped in front of her, whirling to look behind them, "What?" Aelin asked.

Feyre's nose twitched and her hand shot up, silencing Aelin.

Aelin's fae ear strained and she sniffed the air, but the wind that seemed to change direction every moment carried no alarming scent and she could hear nothing over it.

Her muscled groaned as she twisted to where Feyre surveyed, a gust of frozen wind stung her skin as it rushed to her face, her hair flying back. And the scent finally reached her nose, and she felt Feyre step forward behind her.

She inhaled the wind, the scent, just to make sure.

There was no doubt, it was the scent of spring in a winter's land, Tamlin. Faint enough to be a mile or so away.

She reached back to grab Feyre's wrist, twisting to face her, "We can't run, we have to face him."

"He'll get here quickly, he's in his beast form."

Aelin didn't have time to question what exactly his beast form was, but she remembered the claws he had grown when she had thrown the knife. Despite herself she smiled a little.

"We have to run, if I fight him it will ruin my whole plan." Feyre said biting her lip.

Aelin didn't hesitate before saying, "It's fine, I'll fight him."

Feyre glanced at the feeble frame under the layers upon layers of clothes, "He's very powerful, are you sure?"

She raised an eyebrow at Feyre, "Don't insult me."

"I'm serious Celaena."

She brought up a hand, igniting it in flame, "I am too."

Feyre stared at the flame, considering it, "Any moment you feel like you can't handle it tell me and I'll grab you and winnow away."

"I thought you said you couldn't?"

A gust of wind came their direction and Feyre sniffed, "It's very risky, not impossible."

Aelin grinned at her, wide enough to bare her fangs and spun to face where Tamlin would come from.

Still grinning she said, "Don't panic and do your best to look like a distressed damsel."

She could feel Feyre's eyes roll behind her, yet Feyre still inhaled sharply when a ring of wonderfully golden and wonderfully warm flame circled her neck.

The wind roared at their backs, their hair flying in their faces, their scents being swept right to him. But they didn't need to scent him to know he was there, the wind seemed to slow as soon they heard the snow crush under a heavy foot.

Tamlin was not rushed and not in his beast form when he emerged from the trees, golden hair swept back, a small, confident smirk on his lips.

Aelin's shoulders fell back, the same smile played on her lips, and the ring on Feyre's neck tightened.

Feyre gasped behind her, "Tamlin!" she shouted in a frantic voice.

Tamlin's eyes flickered to behind Aelin, nodding.

His eyes ran from her boots, to the fangs that glinted in the fire light, to the sharp points of her ears.

"Fae, well at least half of one." he said, unfazed, not a glint of surprise.

The fire flared.

There was silence, and then he asked, "Do you like hawks, Celaena?"

"You're not very good at small talk, are you Tamlin?" she replied blandly, while her brain measured and calculated what he meant. Her ears strained for others, he could be trying to distract her.

"Well," Tamlin continued, shifting his weight to one foot, "see, a few days ago, actually the morning after you had left," he smiled at her, taking a bold step forward, "we had a trespasser."

There was no noise, no movement, only a single, blaring, option that she refused to see.

"In the form of a white tailed hawk."

No, no, it was impossible, the gods wouldn't be so cruel to her, not when they had done so much to her already, when they wanted her to so so much more. But the option grew louder, brighter, and Aelin was forced to acknowledge it, Rowan, Rowan in the spring court, the tugs on her heart she had felt, and now the hawk. Pain, fear, and guilt drenched her muscles.

Tamlin casually put a hand on his sword's hilt and Aelin's clenched hand burst to flame.

"Do you know what we do to trespassers?"

Aelin didn't respond, didn't move.

"We shoot them with ashwood arrows." Aelin felt Feyre shudder against the flame circling her and her heart sank lower. The pit in her stomach was undeniable, she couldn't breath without him, and the possibility that they had him, and what punishment he would or had taken for her actions made her glad she couldn't.

Tamlin spoke slowly and softly, "He dodged the first two, but then he crashed into the ground. And he was forced to shift to fae. Tanned skin, silver hair, green eyes, and a tattoo that wraps from his face to his arm down to his hip."

Rowan. Undeniably Rowan. Her Carranam, Her blood bound, Her husband, Her mate. And they had shot him, and he was only here because of her. Aelin reached for the bonds that connected them that she had been ignoring for the past months, and held them tightly.

"He must have been tired from trying to get to you because he didn't even try to dodge the next two." The words were a physical blow to her heart, "One through the leg," His lips twitched, "One through the arm. And then he fell to the ground."

Aelin felt the tears form, but she was determined to not cry when she burned this bastard to the ground, a layer of invisible flame wrapped around her skin and the tears disappeared as they fell.

"He was very, very enraged when he awoke, determined to kill me but it's amazing how a mixture of exhaustion and ashwood tipped whips suppress magic."

The tears flowed faster, hissing as they evaporated, whips, Rowan, and all because he was too desperate to get to her. If only she had been there when he had been caught, if only she hadn't aggravated Tamlin. All these small actions, that she had thought would only harm herself had resulted in this. She thought she had been free of that when she had left her world, but she obviously wasn't.

He drew his sword and stepped forward

The anger flared to fury, and she wanted this world to burn, Aelin grabbed Feyre yanking her forward, the circlet of fire flaring and tightening, "Touch him, take another step forward, and I'll kill her."

"No, you will give her to me and you will come with me, and either him or you will pay for what you have done."

Aelin growled and launched, but a hand grabbed her from behind. And then Tamlin disappeared, everything disappeared. Her stomach lurched, her fire vanished and then everything reappeared, but it wasn't the same. No snow, but blinding sunlight and bright sky she would have marveled at if it weren't for the pain.

Feyre was beside her, holding her up. Everything clicked, she recognized that feeling, with Fenrys. She pushed away from Feyre, the tears no longer concealed by her flame, "What did you do?!"

Feyre pursed her lips, "I winnowed you."

"Why?! Now he's going to get away!" She clutched her clothes, "Now he'll hurt Rowan."

"You couldn't have faced Tamlin, especially not as you are now."

The rage filled her, killing calm, "That's not your choice, not everyone is petrified of him like you."

"You're only not scared because you don't know what he can do." Feyre said shaking her head.

Aelin snarled, "You have no idea what I can do, beasts can burn too."

I would have continued this chapter longer but I have to study, btw sorry for the wait.

And thank you so much for 100 reviews! 33

I also feel like this chapter was rather mediocre so forgive me.