CHAPTER 135: TO THE FOREST

Aelin

Ariston looked away in shame. And Drakkar just sighed and walked away

I hid and turned away as he walked past me. Then I looked back at my guard.

So there really was something going on between them... I felt a little shy. And they are having a sexual relationship.

Ariston looked absolutely devastated and I felt something in me ache.

I was just about to walk over to him but I wasn’t sure if I should say something to him or not. It was wiser not to, this was their private matter, but I can bring him back to the crowd.

Right?

He still hadn’t rejoined the group fully—still standing a little ways off, shoulders tense, a hollow look settling behind his eyes even as he tried to look unaffected. Something in my chest twisted. I didn’t know the full extent of what had just passed between him and Drakkar, but I could sense the weight of it clinging to his posture.

I took a small step forward. I know I shouldn’t interfere, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that he was barely holding himself together.

But then, a gust of wind swept across the rooftop, and the sharp click of armored boots echoed behind me.

Heads turned.

I followed their gaze.

And there she was.

Vesper.

Striding up the marble stairs to the roof like she owned the sky above it, her hair a riot of flaming scarlet caught in the morning sun. She wore her signature battle coat—black and crimson leather, tailored tight to her broad frame, every movement exuding boldness. Her swords were strapped to her back in an X, glinting silver at the hilts, and her amber eyes sparked with easy confidence.

"Morning, boys," she said, her voice rough silk as she swept toward the group. "Hope no one was planning to leave without me."

Before anyone could respond, she reached Drakkar first and—without hesitation—slung an arm around his shoulders in a casual, possessive gesture. He didn’t pull away. If anything, he let out a low, familiar laugh.

That laugh hit like a stone in my gut.

She turned her head, grinning at Draegon next. "You’re always too serious in the mornings, D. Relax. The forest won’t vanish in a puff of smoke."

D?!?!??!

Excuse me?!?!?

Draegon, standing just a few steps away from me, blinked in surprise—but he smiled faintly, giving her a slight nod. "You’re late."

Vesper smirked. "Fashionably."

I stood there, frozen.

I shouldn’t have felt anything. She was just... energetic. A warrior. Confident. Charismatic. But as I watched her laugh with Drakkar and speak to Draegon like she had known them her entire life—which perhaps she somewhat had—I couldn’t stop the strange curl of something bitter at the edge of my tongue.

Jealousy.

Ugly and sharp, like thorns growing under my skin.

I knew they had history. I knew Draegon had told me plainly that there was nothing romantic between them. But she moved so easily around him, around all of them. Like she belonged in their world in a way I never quite felt I did.

And when Draegon returned her grin—small though it was—I felt that bitterness dig a little deeper.

Then, movement caught my eye again.

Ariston.

He was watching them too.

But his face had changed.

He wasn’t just tense anymore. There was a flicker of something far more raw flashing behind his eyes—something not quite hidden. Not quite buried.

I watched the muscle tick in his jaw. Watched how his hands clenched slightly at his sides. His gaze was locked not on Vesper, but on Drakkar.

Then Vesper’s voice rang out again. "You’ve gotten even taller, D. Look at you, towering like some silent knight. Still brooding, I see."

She gave him a playful nudge in the ribs.

Draegon didn’t budge, but he shook his head lightly. "You haven’t changed."

"Take that as a compliment," she winked, finally releasing Drakkar and moving toward the others like she had all the time in the world.

I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding.

This shouldn’t bother me. This time she didn’t put her hands on Draegon. I shouldn’t be bothered, even humans meet like this with their friends.

But it did.

My hands were cold. My heart was... unsettled. I tried to force myself to relax, to breathe through it. Draegon had chosen me. He made it very clear what she meant to him—and what she didn’t.

And yet.

Seeing them together, side by side, all history and fire and effortless familiarity—it made me feel like a stranger again. Like I was watching from behind a glass wall.

Out of the corner of my eye, Ariston shifted again. This time, his expression was guarded. More controlled. But not unreadable.

He was jealous as well.

***

The forest no longer looked like a forest.

Where there should have been a canopy of green and the gentle hush of leaves, there was a wide clearing gouged out like a wound. The trees that once stood tall here were nothing but twisted stumps, scorched black and glistening with that strange, otherworldly residue—yet the black liquid that had fallen from the Eye above was nowhere to be seen

Well, most of it was gone.

The sky above felt heavier here.

Even the light dimmed unnaturally in this part of the woods.

I stood beside Draegon as he stared ahead at the sacrificial stones, his expression unreadable as his soldiers shifted about the clearing, inspecting the remaining marks.

It was horrifying to look at, because unlike what I saw before, there were many blood circles and those circles were big, meaning in each circle, there were more than one person.

The whole ritual site was massive.

The altar stone still had dried blood on it—thick, dark stains that hadn’t faded despite the rainfall the area must have received. It reeked of burnt flesh and old magic. I felt something crawl beneath my skin just being near it.

Draegon’s voice was level, cold. "Have the bodies been identified?" he asked one of the soldiers kneeling by a shattered stone slab.

The soldier shook his head. "Most were torn apart, Your Highness. We were able to retrieve fragments of insignias. They appear to be mages. Demons and humans."

Draegon’s jaw tightened, and he gave a single nod. I could sense the storm brewing beneath the calm, the grief and anger he wouldn’t allow to show on his face.

I let his voice fade behind me as I stepped away from the main group.

A lone figure stood several paces off, beside a monolithic headstone cracked straight down the middle. Even from here, I could feel the magic lingering around it—dense, broken. Whoever had been sacrificed there... they must have been powerful.

Ariston stood next to it, his gaze fixed on the stone, not moving. He looked like he hadn’t blinked in a while. His arms were crossed, but there was a stiffness in his shoulders, like he was keeping himself locked together by force.

I hesitated for only a moment before approaching.

"Ariston?" I said softly as I neared, careful not to startle him.

He didn’t look at me right away.

"Yes, Princess?." I swallowed, unsure how to start. I let the silence linger a second longer before gently speaking again. "I... I didn’t mean to overhear earlier," I said quietly. "On the roof. I wasn’t trying to listen, but—" I paused, unsure how to say it without sounding invasive, "—I’m just worried about you."

That made him finally look at me.

His expression shifted—not angry, but... surprised. Vulnerable, even.

"You heard?"

I nodded slowly, "Yes..."

His lips pressed into a thin line before he sighed, looking down again.

"I should have known someone would’ve heard. I wasn’t exactly quiet," he said, the faintest smile touching the corners of his mouth before it faded.

I nodded, stepping a little closer, folding my arms. "Do you want to talk about it?"

He looked at me for a long time, and then looked away. Maybe he didn’t want to talk about it. And I shouldn’t interfere.

"It’s okay," I said, turning away, "I shouldn’t have imposed it."

I had turned halfway when he chose to speak, "It’s not that simple," he said, voice low. "It’s that I don’t know- there are things-" He paused and then didn’t say anything after that.

I could tell he was struggling.

I felt my chest tighten.

"I’m sorry," I said honestly. "You don’t need to tell me,"

Ariston gave a huff of breath—part laugh, part frustration. "It’s not entirely his fault. I didn’t tell him either. I just left." His hands clenched at his sides. "Every time it starts to feel real, I pull away first. Beat him to it."

He managed to get something out

"Beat him to him?" I was a little confused, "Has he ever tried to leave you?"

He shook his head, "And that’s why I’m the problem. I know,"

I looked at him, really looked, and suddenly the calm, heroic Ariston I knew wasn’t there. There was just a young man, wrapped in hurt.

"I understand," I said softly. "There are some things you want to run away from when you feel something wrong, especially when the feeling stems from you."

His eyes flicked to mine, surprised.

I gave a small smile. "You don’t have to carry it alone, Ariston. You don’t have to run first just because you’re scared he will."

He stared at me, the silence stretching until he finally let out a breath and gave a slow nod.

"I didn’t think you’d care this much about me, Princess."

"I care about you a lot Ariston," I passed him a soft smile, "You were my first anchor here,," I laughed softly. "I don’t think I can ever look the other way when it comes to you."

He was surprised, "Oh," And looked down softly, "Thank you?" Even a little confused

We both looked back at the group then. Draegon was still deep in conversation with Vesper and the soldiers.

"I think you should talk to him," I said gently. "Maybe he’s scared too."

"I don’t know about that," He replied, "And why would I need to talk to him? When I don’t think it’s a good idea that we continue this relationship?"

"Well, I can tell you were jealous when Vesper hugged Drakkar."

!!!