Disclaimer: I do not own the Throne of Glass series or any of the wonderful characters and stories told by the lovely Sarah J. Maas.
Summary: "Elide, my darling girl. It's time to come home." (OR what if Vernon doesn't go down without a villainous, manipulative fight). KOA what if scenario.
Vernon turns to the Ilken at his side, "We depart for Morath now, secure her."
He tugs her toward a familiar iron box. The shapeshifter trailing.
Elide stumbles forward in horror. "How?" she finds herself repeating. Then firmer as she tugs against him, "How? You won't get away with this, Vernon. Your breaths are limited. I would suggest you use them wisely."
"Ruthless," Vernon smirks, undeterred as he tightens the grip on her arm, "the witch-blood in your veins ran true after all."
She couldn't stand it. Him being in this room with her, the memory of the Valg not yet faded. He had executed her father, locked her in the tower at Morath, and sold Elide to Maeve. For what?
"Why?"
It was the only question she could really think of, that really mattered. "Why do any of this?"
"Because I could. You can't say you're surprised, Elide. They don't understand your potential. I do. Maeve does."
Elide shivers against the dread piling in her stomach. It's not real.
"No."
"Yes. You know you belong with me. We are going to accomplish amazing things together, my darling. Look around you. There's nobody here for you. Again." Vernon's voice is calm and resolute.
"This is madness, Vernon," but Elide can't keep the terror from her voice.
Vernon spares her an indulgent grin, "I'm the only one who understands you, the only one who has protected you these many years. Me and you, El–"
He doesn't finish the sentence. Sartaq and Nesryn pick that moment to launch off Kadara from outside the aerie window, taking the two Ilken flanking the iron box by surprise.
Simultaneously, Lorcan and Fenrys smash into the room through the doorway.
Fenrys doesn't slow down, his gaze locked on the shapeshifter cowering behind the iron box. His growl amplifies his rage and his wolf form launches across the room. The shifter doesn't have a chance to move before Fenrys reaches him. Mauls him as claws sink into the creature's chest.
"You BASTARD," Lorcan's magic explodes like a dagger, annihilating both Ilken to dust before surrounding Vernon and Elide, undulating strands of inky rope.
Vernon curses, but moves quickly, pulling Elide to his chest and brutally twisting her left arm behind her back and stomping behind her mangled right leg.
Elide cries out as Vernon forces them to the ground, his knee digging into her right leg, her left shoulder screaming in pain against his unrelenting grip.
She can't stop the panicked breathing and fear from leaking out of her.
Lorcan and his magic contract as he presses forward, eye emitting a feral rage.
"You've lost, Vernon. Let her go."
Fenrys, transformed back into his Fae form, abruptly beheads the shapeshifter with his broadsword and one brutal front kick has the body falling out of the open air windows. He pivots to glare at Vernon's back, slowly approaching.
"I don't think so, warrior brute," Vernon spats from his knees, sneering toward Lorcan as he produces a blade and forces Elide's head to fall back against his shoulder, her face twisting in pain against the pull on her shoulder.
Sartaq, Nesryn, Lorcan, and Fenrys surround Vernon and Elide, but freeze at the appearance of the blade.
Lorcan snarls, "You are dead, Vernon."
Elide sees Lorcan's face frozen in rage, sensing his worry as his magic flows around her. She feels Vernon's heartbeat thundering behind her, the unsteady shaking of his grip. She emits a deep chuckle or maybe it's a sob as she brings her free hand up to grip Vernon's forearm.
Lorcan growls and takes a step toward her, but Vernon presses the blade against her, she feels the blood trickle down her chest as it breaks the skin.
"Such a pity. You are a rare beauty, you know, just like your mother. I'm sorry it's come to this," Vernon's tone is hateful, his gaze mocking Lorcan as he drops his hold on her arm to instead run his fingers through her hair, then wrapping around her jaw and tilting her gaze to meet his.
"Forget them darling. They abandoned you. Didn't protect you. He will leave you. You are alone. Say the words and they will let us leave" Elide closes her eyes trying to block Vernon's words. She was so tired.
See. See him.
"Elide, don't you dare believe a fucking word," Lorcan is trembling in rage, nearly hissing but he doesn't move any closer as his gaze remains locked on the blood dripping down her neck, on Vernon's hands at her throat.
"I love you."
Elide's eyes open at his words. The room stills.
I am here with you.
"Enough" Elide says softly, but not weakly, as she meets her uncle's gaze, "That's it? You were jealous? Of my father, of my mother, of me. It is you who is alone, uncle."
Vernon opens his mouth, but Aelin's fire magic punches into the room, while Rowan's hawk form flys in behind, attacking Vernon's back.
Vernon shrieks and in the chaos releases Elide, Lorcan already on the move to intercept her and pull her behind him. Elide grabs his loose tunic and presses her cheek to his back, listening for his heartbeat.
Fenrys and Sartaq press forward and push Vernon down to the ground, he doesn't resist as Lorcan, Rowan, and Aelin's magic twists into chains, restraining him.
"You are a coward, Vernon," Aelin's tone is malice standing above Vernon's prone form before she turns to Lorcan and Elide and asks softly, "Are you okay, Elide? Did he hurt you?"
Elide ignores Aelin's questions and Lorcan's grunt of protest as she steps out from behind him and addresses Vernon directly, "I do not care why you are here. I do not care what they plan to do with you. But I want you to know that once I walk from this room, I will never think of you again. Your name will be erased from Perranth, from Terrasen, from Adarlan. There will never be a whisper of you, nor any reminder. You will be forgotten."
Vernon only smiled, smug as a cat, "Go ahead and erase me, then. With the rubble it will not be hard to do."
The words feel like a blow, but Elide says nothing more, she simply turns and limps to the door, gently brushing Lorcan's hand aside.
"That's it?" Vernon demanded. Elide pauses, Lorcan still flanking her retreat.
"What else could I have to say to you?"
"You did not ask for details, clarify what I know about the attack on Perranth" another snake's smile, "You still have not learned how to play the game, Elide."
"There is nothing more that I care to hear from you." She glances toward Lorcan and Aelin, "but my guess is they still have questions."
Elide exits the aerie without another word. She enters the corridor and halts, her body trembling as Rowan and Fenrys surround her.
"I don't care what you do with him."
Elide's hair is covering her face, sticking to the blood from her neck, she lifts her shaking hands to ineffectively push the hair away. Rowan places a hand on her shoulder and she stills, "You are safe, Elide."
It feels real.
Elide says nothing as she slides down the stone wall until she's seated on the ground and draws her knees to her chest.
Aelin forced her own breathing to remain steady as she watched Elide limp away, head held high after all she had endured.
Go with her, Rowan. Lorcan and I will handle this.
Aelin knew one word from her, and Lorcan would rip out Vernon's throat. One look and she saw they were aligned.
"Torture won't get anything out of me," Vernon spoke from the ground, still shackled by the magicked chains.
"Then let's play a game."
"Not exactly sporting to have me restrained like this."
"You chained and locked my friend in a tower for ten years. Let's see how you enjoy the experience for ten fucking minutes," Aelin dropped the facade, "Vernon I have just one question for you – why ally with Maeve?"
"I'll tell you the same thing I told Elide, majesty. Because I could. Because even now as she prepares to lead one hundred thousand soldiers to Orynth she managed to show you how quickly it can be taken away. Elide is not yours."
"Elide is not yours or ours, you selfish piece of shit," Lorcan's fury unravels as he stalks forward lifting his hatchet, "Aelin, we are done."
"No," Aelin calmly steps between Vernon and Lorcan, resting a hand on his chest, "Lorcan, no. Go to her now. She needs you. He doesn't. Let me handle this," her smile turns vicious and she looks down on Vernon's squirming form.
Lorcan opens his mouth to protest, but Aelin literally shoves him away, "Go." Lorcan looks torn for only a moment before he slowly heads to the door.
It's only at Lorcan's retreat that Vernon's composure finally cracks.
"Please," he whines.
"Marion saved my life," Aelin said, holding the man's terrified gaze. "And you gleefully bowed to the man who killed her. Perhaps even told the King of Adarlan where to find us. All of us. Conspired with Maeve to corrupt your niece. All because you could. Lorcan's right, we are done, asshole."
"Please!" Vernon shrieked.
Aelin said nothing more, only pulled out two assassin blades and tossed them in quick succession. Then released her fire.
"Vernon is dead."
Lorcan and Aelin's approach did not stop her from shaking, could not combat how small and brittle she felt. Elide barely the conversation happening around her.
"We should find a better way to seal that room."
"It matters not, he's dead."
"That piece of shit."
"My lady, we'll deal with it."
"We can't burden ourselves with what-ifs."
Elide lifted her head from Lorcan's shoulder, she couldn't remember when she had snaked around him, when head had even sat down beside her, but his hands ran soothing shapes across her back.
Terresen, they were talking about pressing on to the north. Home.
Her head nodded forward, unable to fight the exhaustion as Lorcan stood up, carrying her in his arms.
"Elide, you are safe You will be okay." His eyes illuminated with concern as she lifted her gaze to meet his. She couldn't answer outside of a weak nod before her eyes fluttered closed.
She was finally home.
