Aelin Ashryver Galathynius lounged in her high backed chair at the breakfast table, one leg slung casually over an armrest. Fanning her face against the oppressive heat of midsummer, she glanced across the table at her cousin, Aedion. He looked about as bored as she did, tired of the tittering courtiers sitting around the table, eating delicately and somehow managing not to spill any of the food despite the tiny utensils.

For a country that snowed as much as Terrasen did in the winter, their summers were way too hot. Aelin dumped another spoonful of sugar into her bowl of porridge. Her uncle, Orlon, gave her a disapproving glare from where he sat , straight backed, at the head of the table.

At Aelin's right sat her friend, Lady Elide Lochan of Perranth. The other girl coughed pointedly. Reaching over she plucked the sugar spoon out of Aelin's hand and tucked it underneath her skirts. Aelin stuck her tounge out at the raven haired girl. Elide shook her head despairingly. Behind Orlon's chair, Quinn, her uncle's captain of the guard let out a snort that quickly turned into a fit of coughing when Orlon turned to raise his eyebrows at the other man. Aelin's mother, Evalin placed a finger over her lips trying to hold in laughter. Aelin scooped up a spoonful of the oatmeal and stuck it in her mouth, with only three spoonfuls of sugar in it, the porridge was still bland. How could they deprive her of sugar?!

"Right" Orlon stood, pushing his chain away from the table. Aelin breathed a sigh of relief that the silence had finally broken. "As you know today is a very important day." Orlon looked around the room, meeting the gaze of everyone present. "Maeve the queen of the Fae is sending a delegation of her subjects, to heal the the rift between herself and Evalin and furthermore the rift between Terrasen and Wendyln." Evalin pressed her lips together so that the they formed at taut white line. Her agitation did not go unnoticed by Aelin. She frowned at her mother.

"They will stay for a month" Orlon continued " Learn our culture and customs and then return home" Her uncle fixed Aelin with a glare worthy of Deanna herself. " I expect them to be treated with respect". Aelin huffed out a breath of annoyance. " May I be excused" She asked, which caused most of the courtiers to gasp in surprise. It was a rare occurrence for the princess to use manners. Orlon appeared so surprised that he simply nodded mutely.

Aelin strode through the hallways, multiple servants scattering out of her way.

She reached the corridor where her chambers were and was waylaid by a man with Ashryver eyes, stumbling out an open door.

"You missed breakfast, Galan" Aelin remarked, raising an eyebrow. Galan Ashryver waved a hand with a huge yawn. " I was asleep. Time well spent I say." He ran a hand over the faint shadow of stubble coating his jaw.

"What the time anyway?"

"Nine hundred hours"

Aelin said tapping her fingers on her leg.

Galan cursed.

"I have to go" He yelled his voice already disappearing as he raced down the corridor.

Aelin laughed. She would leave it up to someone else to tell him that he was only half dressed, wearing pajama bottoms.

Aelin entered her chambers greeting her handmaiden by name. The girl curtsied, her simple black skirt swirling around her ankles. "A package came for you this morning princess." She said in her high sweet voice. She gestured toward the desk where a box sat with a letter resting on top. "Thank you Melancholia." Aelin said to the mousy haired girl. Quite frankly, apart from, Elide, Galan, Quinn and occasionally Aedion, Melancholia was the only person in the castle Aelin could stand. She strode to the desk and took up the letter. The address and date were in perfect script as delicate as a noble woman's. Aelin laughed, remembering the first time she had met Dorian Havillard. 'You eat like a fine lady' She had said to him. It was nice to know some things didn't change.

Dear Aelin

Enclosed are several books, that I have read recently and immensely enjoyed. I wish that you would read them and reply with your thoughts on the content. I hope that you are well and I wish you a happy birthday for your eighteenth. Hollin wishes you a happy birthday but only because my mother insisted.

By the way, have you heard from Nehemiah lately?

Best wishes.

Dorian

Ps. Chaol says hello and that he bets he can kick your butt. ( He didn't phrase it like that but the content was certainly implied.)

Aelin opened the box and gazed down at the fresh printed titles and crisp spines. Grinning, she snatched up a random book and fell backward onto her bed to read.

Elide found her like that a while later, her nose buried in the two hundred and eighty fourth and fifth pages in the romance. The other girl leant her hip against the doorway. She had changed since breakfast and now wore a white skirt and pale lavender blouse. Her hair, as dark as a raven's wing, was pulled up into a loose bun. Strands of hair escaped the knot and curled around her face like cobwebs. "You missed a scene earlier" Elide said coming to sit on the edge of the bed. Aelin hummed noncommittaly torn between the book and listening to whatever had transpired within Elide's notice. "A certain Ashryver prince" Elide raised an eyebrow at Aelin "Shows up at training in with nothing on but a pair of pants." Aelin looked at the other girl, frowning. "Elide, I'm reading." Elide kicked off her shoes, and lay on the bed beside her. The movement caused Elide's skirt to ride up her calves revealing the ripples of pink and white scar tissue banding her ankle. To others Elide's limp was a glaring imperfection, but Aelin had gotten so used to it that she barley noticed anymore. When she was young, Elide had taken a tumble down a flight of stairs. She had landed on her ankle and snapped it in multiple places. The healers hadn't got to her in time to save it. Elide moved in her own graceful way but the injury restricted her from fighting, running or over exerting. That didn't make Elide any less dangerous though. She had brown eyes so dark that they were almost black, they seemed to catalogue every detail. It was like the Lady of Perranth could see into your soul. Elide was the smartest person Aelin knew, rivaled only by Nehemiah Ygter the Princess of Ellywe. Nehemiah, Aelin had known since she was young, their parents were friends and a lot of trade transpired between the two countries.

A knock sounded through the chamber and Aelin looked up to see Aedion standing in the doorway with a raised eyebrow. Honestly, what was with people today? "The delegation is due to arrive in less than an hour" He said by way of greeting. "We're to greet them in the throne room." Aelin groaned and hauled herself off the bed. Her joints ached. Aedion coughed. "Rhoe has requested that you wear the dress that he sent to you yesterday." He said it with the tone of reproach and fear that one uses to announce that a cyclone is about to destroy their home. Aelin glared at the wall. " Melancholia!" She called. The girl came scurrying out of an adjoining room. "Yes, Princess?" "Please bring me the dress that the king sent to me" With a curtsy the servant girl swept back out of the room. " I better go"Aedion said backing out of the room, lest he turn his away from his cousin, and she nail him in the back of the head with a book.

She was dead. Outmanned ,Outgunned. Seconds away from disaster. She was late.

The dress wasn't helping either. Tight-fitting it had skirts of dark forest green fabric that swept to ankle length, a plunging back and long sleeves that attached to middle fingers with delicate silver rings. Cinched around her waist was a belt of pearls and abalony. Intricate silver designs spiraled up the dress. Behind her rustled a train so silvery it could have been made of spider silk, if the material wasn't so hard to come by. Melancholia had worked wonders with Aelin's hair, twisting the platinum blonde strands up into an elaborately braided coronet atop her head. Fixed in her hair was a small but elaborate tiara encrusted with diamonds and only unhindered part of her body was her feet which were fitted with simple silver heels.

Orlon gave her a murderous glare, from where he sat atop the antler throne as Aelin burst in to the throne room. Aelin glared back and swept to stand beside her uncles throne. Between her mother and Aedion. They looked very formal. Dolled up in fancy clothes. With Quinn, one hand on the hilt of his sword, in his usual place behind Orlon's chair. Aelin's father, Rhoe, holding her mother's arm. With Elide on Aedion's left and Elide's mother , Marion, by her side, and Orlon's lover, Lord Darrow, his hand resting on the arm of the antler throne. As one they turned to face the ten Fae crowding the throne room.