changeling.

     even though she took a moment to remain cautious and unresponsive, when he was finished speaking, aerin let out a shaky sigh and collided against his chest, arms wrapped tightly around his figure. allowing herself that moment of safety and familiarity, she then pulled back a bit to look at his face, trying to fake a smile to go along her poor attempt at lying. “ no -- i’m okay. ” then the smile faded, sadness taking over her features as she reached to cup his cheek, his skin warm against her cold palm. “ tell me what happened -- all of it. ”

      hearing how he mocked her, aerin visibly flinched, heart breaking one more time. yes, she still failed to understand what this was about -- it was really, really hard to make herself believe that luca had been playing all along, especially that well. she could swear that she was able to feel the good spirit within him, wasn’t it what made her heart flutter that first time and any other ever since ? so now, with the men flashing cruel grins and mocking looks her way as they left the room, all she could do was to stand there before him, arms around herself, relying on that little protection and the feeling of safety. she didn’t dare move or say a word as her gaze finally met his again cautiously. 

     aerin was tired, hungry and cold in the merciless stone room of the old church. it was all still so confusing for aerin and while she had pulled her guards up against the men who were keeping her hostage, the moment she saw him come in, her eyes were filled with hope and affection, which faded as soon as he spoke. this wasn’t a misunderstanding, he wasn’t here to take her home. all that effort he spent to keep her safe -- was it all a lie ? brows furrowed, she took a step away, back against the wall as she wrapped her arms around herself protectively. but all that effort still couldn’t hide the heartbreak and fear on her face. “ what -- what is this ? ” she asked, voice soft and eyes trained only on him.

a gasp slipping past her lips when she watched them gain the advantage over luca and begin to punch him. “ no !” she yelled, trying to break free from the grasp. “ stop -- stop hurting him !” out of instinct, she hit the man holding her on the nose with enough strength that made him loosen his grip on her, which was enough for her to slip and reach for luca. a hand clasping his as the other cupped his cheek, she tried to hold on, but then froze for a moment as she looked at his blood-covered face. was this her fault ? she could understand that they were here for her, so would they leave him be if she went with them ? the moment she spared to question that was used well by the men and within a second she was being pulled away again. “ luca ...”

“ they don’t ? why is that ? do they think it’s ... distrespectful ?” she questioned, thinking for a moment, eyebrows knitting. “ thinking of that, i never really saw any shadowhunters visiting back in the realm.” she commented, only paying attention to that detail now that she knew of her roots and her relation to the said kind. at her sister’s words, aerin’s cheeks took a pink hue as she smiled, dodging her gaze. “ sister, you are being too good to me.” she said, feeling really proud to hear such comment coming from the eldest. not only did aerin have so much love and respect for adelina ( and lucien, of course ) but she also always strived to be as ... perfect as she was. “ really, i’m doing my best. i just -- i can’t be hidden away to the palace or somewhere else in our realm. i’m 23 now, i must be capable of handling myself. i just ... have to.”

“ oh ?” aerin raised her eyebrows, surprised to hear such thing. “ but they said this place has everything good ... so i assumed tea would be ...” she trailed off, cheeks reddening. thankfully, the other was someone not that judging, apparently, so the princess gave her a big smile again. “ i like everything sweet. do you happen to have anything ... fruity, then ?”

     “ i know. ” aerin smiled, taking the glass of wine. she had never really drank in the seelie realm, she was mostly given juices instead of actual wine but she trusted the taste of her sister. “ do you -- plan on going back soon or ? i might actually be up for a short visit. ”

     as she stood there in horror, listening, her expression became one of confusion. using luca to get to her ? what would that even mean ?? but there was no time for her to question as she heard the footsteps approaching, making her act on instinct and grab the vase from the shelf to smash it on the man twice her size who had just turned to find her. unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to put him down but more than enough to get him so angry that he immediately grabbed and threw her onto the floor, right before the fight. ‘found the litte-’ the man grunted, wiping blood off his jaw. terrified, aerin found luca within them, stumbling onto her feet to reach for him only to be locked in a hold against the man. “ stop ! ” she cried out, more to the other two fighting luca. “ enough - what’s ... what are you doing ? ... luca ? ”

     one thing she had learned recently was to do as luca said when he had that urgent expression on his face and the tone to his voice. so on his demand she did move, barely slipping out of sight when the door broke with a loud noise so she was stuck motionless behind the tall cabinet near where she initially stood, hands clasped together against her chest, adrenaline high in her veins. unable to see anything aside from the shards flying around the entrance, she held her breath, still hoping it’d all end well -- whatever it was.

     “ not going to lie, i kind of miss playing in the fields ... i even miss the old willow, who would have thought ? ” she chuckled softly, shaking her head. “ no, not really. i trust you with your choice of drink. ”

     “ okay ... okay. ” aerin agreed finally; based on the look on his face alone, she knew better than to argue against him. but before they could make it to the door she heard the loud knock, making her jump slightly. it couldn’t be lia, she had her keys. head slowly turning to luca, she felt the need to clutch at his arm with her free hand, trying to pull him back as she froze aside from that because of the voice coming from the other side. ‘ princess ? ’

     “ i knew one could taste magic ... the food in this realm tastes a lot different than what we would have back ... home. ” at this point, aerin was a bit hesitant to call the seelie realm her home; she didn’t know where she actually belonged or if any side that she thought she belonged to would embrace her now. with a sigh, though, she gathered herself properly, a smile re-appearing on her face. “ merfamily have always been kind to me -- at least the ones i know personally. ” she agreed with a nod, the thought of lia making her feel safe. “ you are right, sister... i take caution, i promise. ”

     “ sister, ” aerin greeted, a soft smile on her face as she approached the older princess. while their cases weren’t the same, aerin felt like she could relate to alice in being different, so she thought talking to her would also be nice. “ of course ! it’s been a while, right ? we should catch up. ”