Right after Celaena close the door to her chambers, Aedion opens his mouth to speak. She cuts him off as she says "Before I say anything, I need to know if I can trust you. What does the ring do to you?"

He looks down at his hand then back up to her face. "This ring? It does nothing, it's a fake. When the king gave me a boon after my first battle, he offered the ring with it. It's obvious what boon I chose, I asked for the sword of Orynth." She gasped in shock and relief that the sword survived before he continued speaking. "I wisely took the ring from him, but I didn't put it on immediately. I could sense something off about the ring, so instead of putting it on, I took it to a jewelers and had them make a replica. I put the replica on my finger and tossed the real ring into the sea."

"Prove it. Take the ring off."

He did so. "Do you trust me now, Miss Sardothien?"

"Yes. I do trust you now. Follow me and do not speak until I do." She walks over to the tapestry and pulls it aside. Aedion gapes at it before opening his mouth to speak again. She raises her finger to her lips in a gesture for him to stay silent and he does. She pushes open the secret door and walks down the stairs.

After a moment of hesitation, Aedion follows her. Celaena walks to the tomb and Mort speaks. "Hi Aedion! Has she told you anything yet?"

Aedion yelps in surprise. "What? How? What?"

"Shush! He's not gonna hurt you, Aedion." She walks inside the tomb and he follows her.

"Who is this? Who is buried in this tomb?"

"Look at the faces, Aedion. There you will find your answer."

He looks at Elana's sarcophagus and gasps. "This is Elana! Why is Brannon of the Wildfire's daughter buried here?"

"Really? That isn't obvious? She is buried with her husband."

He acknowledges her before sitting down and slightly rocking back and forth. When she leans forward, she sees him silently weeping and mumbling something. She listens for a moment before realizing what he is mumbling. "I'm sorry. I failed you. I'm sorry Aelin. I wasn't there for you. I'm sorry I failed you Aelin." She quietly gasped. He thinks it's his fault! Why? She crouches down and comforts him until he calms down.

After a moment she pulls him up and draws him over to the constellation of the stag. "Aedion?" He looks up at her but she makes sure not to make eye contact, looking down at the ground so he can't see her eyes. "What would you do if you saw Aelin again?"

"I would ask forgiveness for not being there for her that night. I would thank the gods that I got to see her, even if it was just once. And I would be forever loyal. I would not blame her for what she did to survive."

"Good." Celaena looks up and grins. He looks at her again and they make eye contact. He immediately starts sobbing. "Why are you crying now?"

"Because I'm so happy that you're alive."
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That's the second chapter! What do you think will happen next?

Pictures of Aedion and Celaena/Aelin below! (First one is after they are reunited, second one is before the day everything goes bad)

~Goddess of Fate, signing out😘