Divided (Throne of Glass and A Court of Thorns and Roses Crossover)

Chapter 23

It had been four weeks since the strangers had appeared in Doranelle, two weeks since Aelin was due home. Although Rowan knew his mate could more than fend for herself, he was starting to worry. 

He sat on one of the white stone walls that encircled the sparring arena and watched Lorcan and Gavriel swipe and sidestep with their swords. Although there had been very little conflict in the decades following Maeve's defeat, the survivors of the cadre continued to practice, waiting for the day when they would once again be thrown onto the battlefield.

Across the ring, Rowan noticed the dark-haired Shadowsinger watching the two of them spar. Azriel, he knew, was a honed warrior, and he guessed that the small cobalt stones that he wore on his body helped to collect and direct his power. Though they did not spend much time together, he liked the Illyrian, as he had once called himself. The other stranger, Tamlin, Rowan disliked immensely. 

Every comment the male made made Rowan want to bash his nose into his brain. He had first harshly criticized the rule of a woman, and then the effectiveness of women in combat, turning up his nose at one of the tapestries that depicted Lysandra in the final battle. 

The comment about Lysandra had sent Rowan into his hawk form so as not to kill him right then. He didn't want to skin him alive, at least not without seeing what Aelin said about the two strangers. Rowan walked around the arena and stood beside the tall, winged male.

"If you ask, I'm sure Gavriel or Lorcan will spar with you," Rowan said to him.

"I don't think that's a good idea. I don't want to hurt them," the male said quietly. 

"Cocky. You sound just like Lorcan. If you're so confident that you can beat them, why don't you spar all three of us," Rowan suggested. 

The male looked at him and nodded. Rowan waved a hand at him to follow and jumped down over the low white wall. 

"Look's like we have a challenger. Azriel, the extra swords are over there. You can pick whichever ones you like," Rowan called to the Shadowsinger. 

Once he had picked two of the swords, both beautifully built and balanced, Azriel faced the three dangerous males before him, and he smiled before yielding himself to the power of his Siphons and muscle memory.

There was nothing but the whirl of the blades before him. Where one swipe ended, another one began. 

In the distance, he heard a cheery female voice call, "Ten gold pieces on the pretty Shadowsinger!" That too was lost to the feel of the blades in Azriel's hands. 

Rowan had to admit that Azriel was a fantastic fighter. If he hadn't been fighting three members of the cadre, he probably would have won in a matter of seconds. Minutes turned into an hour, and all four of them began to lose their steam. Lorcan called it and grabbed Azriel's shoulder, complimenting his technique and guiding him to the waterskins. 

Gavriel stayed behind, "Have you heard from Aelin yet?"

Rowan shook his head. Something was holding her up in Adarlan, or she would have returned two weeks prior. It must have been important to keep her so long. 

"Maybe she should have taken Galan with her, too," Rowan confided in his friend.

"She's fine, Rowan. She didn't even need Declan and Kol. She's watched over by all of the gods. They owe her a lot," Gavriel said. Across the arena, a silver-haired woman made her way down a flight of stairs into the ring.

"Where's my gold? I won the bet," she smiled devilishly at the four of them as Azriel and Lorcan joined them again.

"You didn't win anything, Evie," Lorcan growled. "As I recall, the Shadowsinger didn't win, so you owe me money." 

Rowan interrupted, "Azriel, this is my daughter Evie. She just got back from a trade expedition in the Southern Continent. She's one of the armada's captains. Evie, this is Azriel. He's a guest here, waiting for Aelin to return."

"It might be a while if she's planning on sailing out of Adarlan. I heard whispers that the prince of Femora recently seized the country. He's blocking all ships from entering and leaving until he's firmly in control of the country." 

Rowan let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. At least he now knew why Aelin had been held up.

"What happened to the royalty in Adarlan?" Rowan asked, remembering the reason for Aelin's trip.

"It's not good. The king was killed, and the princess disappeared. No one has seen her in weeks. Some people say she escaped to the Witch Kingdom and is with her grandmother." 

Rowan nodded. At least she would be safe with Manon. The five of them left the arena and walked through some of the larger hallways to the dining hall, where dinner was set up. Tamlin was already there, seated at the far head of the table where Aelin usually sat. Anger clenched in Rowan's stomach, but he let it go a little at a time. Aelin would be back soon to deal with him.

The five of them sat and began to dig into the food. Rowan noticed that Tamlin did not take his eyes off Evie.

"Evie, this is Tamlin, High Lord of the Spring Court. Tamlin, this is Evie," Rowan said. Tamlin's eyes flitted to him briefly and then back to Evie.

She smiled slightly and said sarcastically, "I have never heard of the Spring Court. It must be very dull to eternally live in the most boring of seasons."

Tamlin turned red but said, "I find that summer is more boring. It is too hot, and there's nothing to do." 

Evie turned to Lorcan who was beside her, "Don't you find that Spring is just such a happy season, that it makes you want to vomit at the feeling of it all."

"I suppose?"

Tamlin interrupted, "Females in my country tend to find Spring irresistible. The blooming flowers and the baby animals and all."

Evie opened her mouth to reply, but Azriel spoke first, slamming his knife down onto the table, surprising everyone, "Which females are you referring to, Tamlin? Feyre, who left you because you locked her in your house to die, or Ianthe, who you let manipulate you into whoring Spring to Hybern, which almost killed us all?"

Tamlin rose from his seat, anger rolling off of him. Across the table, Azriel also stood. Rowan saw the laughter that sparkled in Evie's eyes. Gods, she acted just like her mother.

A female voice rang from across the room, and Rowan's heart sang.

"Thanks for finally getting out of my seat, little Lord." 

Hey everybody! Thank you so much for reading! I'll probably update again tomorrow, probably with somebody in Doranelle! Don't forget to vote and comment!