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leiawritesstories · 8 months

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Just "Friends"

Rowaelin Month 2023, Day 4: Friends Don't Do This

Word count: 1.9k

Warnings: some swearing

enjoy!!

@rowaelinscourt

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ever since Rowan Whitethorn moved into the apartment directly above hers, Aelin Galathynius had made it her goal to send the building’s management as many complaints as possible. He was too loud after hours. He was always moving around furniture. He entertained friends almost every weekend, and those people never stopped yelling and drinking. He painted the walls.

That last one had resulted in a visit from the landlord and a very irritated Rowan pounding on Aelin’s door with a promise of retribution.

But after a prank gone very, very wrong, they had settled into a casual sort of friendship, which eventually matured into a real friendship.

Now, they were at each other’s apartments more than their own, and Aelin certainly wasn’t complaining. Rowan was a far better cook than she could ever dream of being, and in return, she had a better knack for interior decorating than he did. Fenrys had just about passed out from shock the first time he came over to Rowan’s to find the apartment actually set up for entertaining. He liked to joke that he’d never seen the furniture before, since he was always so busy tripping over it.

Aelin headed up the stairs with her work tote slung over her shoulder, thinking only of the incredibly long, relaxing bath she was about to take. She checked her phone, scrolling through a whole workday’s worth of notifications, and noticed a text from Rowan from an hour ago.

>>Your place tonight? Avoiding meddlesome parents. She cracked a tired smile.

<<Only if you handle dinner. Brainpower is 100% drained.

His reply pinged through in seconds.

>>Deal.

She arrived at her apartment to find Rowan leaning against the doorframe, dressed in comfortable black sweatpants and a University of Wendlyn Hockey t-shirt. Through her end-of-the-workweek exhaustion, she only managed to nod at him as she unlocked the door.

“Hey.” His hand came to rest comfortably on her lower back, offering support and comfort. “Long week?”

“So long.” She kicked off her heels, dropped her bag on the floor, and pulled the clip from her twisted-up hair. “Gods, I need food. And probably a drink.”

“I can help with that.” He shut the door behind them, ignoring the way his heartbeat sped up at the sight of Aelin with her hair unbound. “How does chicken Parmesan sound?”

“Fucking fantastic,” she sighed. “Wait. Doesn’t that take a long time to make?”

“Not if you prepped most of it earlier.” He looped one arm around her shoulders. “Go on, get comfortable, I’ll yell when it’s done.”

“Someone wants to have another noise complaint filed against him.” A grin flashed across her face. “I’m going to take a bath.” She headed down to her bedroom and locked the door behind herself out of habit. Within minutes, her work clothes were tossed haphazardly onto the floor and the bathwater was running, filling the tub with steaming hot water and the herbal aroma of lavender bath salts.

Aelin couldn’t hold back her quiet moan as she settled into the bath, feeling a week’s worth of stress and tension slowly seep out of her body the more she relaxed into the steaming, lavender-scented water. She closed her eyes and went through the steps of an exercise her therapist had given her years ago: see the thoughts, untangle the thoughts, and let the thoughts drift away until her mind was clear. By the time she’d cleared her mind of all the ridiculous bullshit she’d had thrown at her that week, the water had started to cool off, and Rowan was knocking at the bedroom door.

“Aelin?” A brief pause. “Dinner’s ready, Galathynius.”

“Out in a minute!” she called back, reluctantly opening the bathtub drain. Within a few minutes, she was dried off and dressed in her favorite sweatpants and sweatshirt set, fuzzy socks on her feet. She threw her hair into a loose braid and headed out into the kitchen, where she found freshly-cooked chicken Parmesan, pasta, a chopped vegetable salad, and a bottle of red wine. Her stomach grumbled. Loudly.

Rowan laughed. “Hope it’s as good as it looks.” He pulled out her chair. “C’mon, Galathynius, don’t just stand there, it’s not gonna eat itself.”

“Funny,” she deadpanned. She waited for him to take his set, poured both of them a generous glass of wine, and tucked into her dinner. “Oh my god,” she breathed. “This is incredible.”

“Thanks.” He grinned at her. “Anything for my neighbor who can’t boil water.”

She rolled her eyes. “Actually, I can boil water, I just prefer when other people do it for me.”

After they were done eating, Aelin collected the plates, ignoring Rowan’s insistence that he help with cleanup. “Uh-uh, Whitethorn. You cooked, I’ll load the dishwasher.”

“But–”

“But nothing, you hovering buzzard. You can put away the leftovers, but you aren’t helping with the dishes.” She waved off his next protest. “I’m mature enough to keep my own kitchen clean. How about you find a show or something to watch?”

“Fine,” he acceded. “I’m not picking one of your ridiculous reality shows, though!”

“You know you love The Bachelor as much as I do!” she called back, teasingly.

He grumbled, but when she strolled into the living room after the dishes were taken care of, he’d queued up an old season of Project Runway and tossed a few plush throw blankets onto the couch. The lights were dimmed. It was…shockingly perfect.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’ve been hanging out with me for too long,” Aelin drawled, settling herself on the couch with the blankets wrapped around her.

Rowan snorted. “More like I know better than to try and put on a docuseries when you’ve had a shit week.”

“How sweet,” she cooed. “There’s one thing you’re forgetting, though.”

“What?”

“C’mere.” She sat up, inviting him into the space behind her, and settled comfortably back against his warm, solid strength. He twined his arms around her middle, fixed the blankets so both of them were cozily cocooned, and let her tired body melt into him.

“Anything else, Galathynius?” His tone was dry, but lighthearted. “Silk sheets? Room service?”

“Just press play, you idiot,” she laughed, poking him halfheartedly in the chest. It didn’t hurt at all, since there were several layers of blankets (and clothes) between them.

He chuckled and pressed play, and in minutes, both Aelin and Rowan were absorbed in the world of fashion design, bad ideas and terrible design choices and horrifically hilarious mishaps and all. Though he’d never admit it, part of him liked the shitty reality TV shows Aelin always watched when she needed to unwind.

“Oh my gods,” Aelin groaned. “How the hell did they even let him near a sewing machine?” She muttered a few choice curses. “That poor model looks so uncomfortable.”

Rowan mumbled in agreement, more caught up in the sensation of Aelin’s fingernails combing through his hair than anything happening on the TV, more concerned with the possibility of her realizing he’d shifted his hands to her back and her loose golden braid–a position that bordered on something far more intimate than friendship–and pulling away from his embrace.

“You’re not even paying attention,” she teased, brushing her thumb across his cheekbone.

“Um…yes?” A smile curled the corners of his lips at her soft little laugh.

“Liar.” She turned her attention back to the show, where the designer she’d just castigated was running around in theatrical distress because his beloved creation had split right down the side, but kept her fingertips resting against his face, atop the ink that spiraled up his profile.

He’d be lying if he said his attention didn’t hone in on that specific spot of contact.

The episode ended–to Aelin’s delight, the designer she hated had to go home–and she turned her head to face him full-on, rambling about who she wanted to win the season. He barely heard any of it; he was too focused on the vivid sparkle in her eyes.

“I keep forgetting you don’t watch these shows for fun,” she joked, stopping her breathless ramble before she could go into the designs.

“But you do.”

“So you tolerate it.” She traced the lines of his tattoo.

He slid the tie from the end of her braid and trailed his hand through her silky hair. “I could get used to the overdone drama.”

She snickered. “Rowan Whitethorn, you’re a–”

“Oh my gods!” An entirely unexpected voice broke their cozy little bubble. Elide stood in the kitchen, her eyes almost as wide as her dropped jaw.

In a flash, Aelin was up and rushing to her friend. “Ells! Wait–you don’t need to–I can–” She pulled Elide into her bedroom, shut the door, and prepared for the incoming storm.

“What the hell?!” Elide shrieked. “You weren’t answering, so I used the emergency key, and I walk into your place to find you and Rowan Whitethorn on your couch, cuddling?!” She rubbed her eyes. “Gods, please tell me you weren’t–oh fuck no…” She trailed off, incredulous.

Aelin was blushing bright red by that time. “NO!” she screeched, then lowered her voice to a whisper. “We were watching Project Runway! He’s literally just my friend, Ells!”

“Friends,” Elide hissed, placing her hands on Aelin’s shoulders and staring directly into her eyes, “do not do what I just witnessed!”

Aelin didn’t have anything to say about that.

“Aelin.” As always, Elide was far too perceptive for her own good. “Look me in the eyes and tell me you and Rowan are just friends.”

“Rowan and I are…” Aelin stopped. “I-I can’t tell you that, Ells.” She gulped, sudden uncertainty throwing her for a loop. “Oh gods, what if I say something and he leaves? I don’t know if I–”

“He’s not going to leave.” Elide cut her off. “Here’s what’s going to happen. First, I’m going to leave, because you don’t need anyone else around for the next few hours. You’re going to go out there. You’re going to tell Rowan what just happened when he inevitably asks. And then you’ll be disgustingly in love for the rest of your lives and you can give me credit at your wedding.” She hugged Aelin briefly and tightly. “Go get the man who’s so hopelessly in love with you that he watches your shitty TV shows.” Blowing her a kiss, Elide left.

Aelin blew out a shaky sigh and headed out into the living room, tentatively crossing to where Rowan was frozen on the couch. His eyes locked onto her as she padded across the hardwood floor and stopped in front of him, unsure whether to sit back down or stay there.��

“Hey,” he said softly, breaking the silence. “That was…uh…unexpected?”

“And then some,” she added. A thousand emotions flickered across her face. “Rowan, I–”

“I need to–”

They spoke at the same time.

He stopped. “You go ahead.”

“Are we just friends?” she blurted. “Because…because I don’t want to be just friends.”

“I don’t want to be just friends either.” His voice was a bare whisper, but it thrummed with conviction. “I’m in love with you, Aelin Galathynius.”

She cracked a quivering smile. “That was fast.”

He looped his arms around her waist and tugged her down into his lap. “I guess it took me long enough to admit it to myself, and once it was out there, I didn’t want to waste any more time.”

“Oh, Rowan,” she whispered, wonder filling her tone, “I might be in love with you, too.”

~~~

TAGS:

@live-the-fangirl-life

@superspiritfestival

@thegreyj

@wordsafterhours

@elentiyawhitethorn

@morganofthewildfire

@backtobl4ck

@rowanaelinn

@house-of-galathynius

@tomtenadia

@julemmaes

@swankii-art-teacher

@charlizeed

@booknerdproblems

@chronicchthonic14

@earthtolinds

@goddess-aelin

@sweet-but-stormy

@clea-nightingale

@autumnbabylon

@darling-im-the-queen-of-hell

@llyncooljones

@silentquartz

#my writing #rowaelin month #rowaelin month 2023 #throne of glass #throne of glass fanfic #rowaelin #aelin galahthynius #rowan whitethorn #rowan x aelin #rowaelin fanfic #rowaelin fanfiction #rowaelin au #modern au #pranksters to idiots to friends to lovers

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rowanaelinn · 2 years

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Illicit Affairs - Chapter Fourty-Four

Masterlist

Warnings: Dark thoughts | Word Count: 5,300

For a short moment, as the taxi parked in front of the house she had called home for years, Aelin thought about backing down. She could, after all. She could just take a flight back to Doranelle and pretend as if she hadn’t run away under all the pressure. But she seized whatever strength she still had, amazed to find some, and she walked inside the house.

It was less modern than the one her parents owned in Doranelle, and for a second she wondered why they hadn’t sold this one. She knew housekeepers came a few times a month to take care of it, but she didn’t know why her parents still bothered with it.

She didn’t complain about it, not as she slowly walked into each room, trying to find a piece of herself she might have left the last time she’d been there. Even while studying in university less than an hour away, Aelin hadn’t come here since the day they moved, only two weeks after her sister died.

She ignored the outside part of the house, ignored the now empty pool. That house had been a dream to live in as a teenager, if only for all the parties they used to throw. But when it was only the two of them it felt lonely. The house was too big for two people, too lifeless.

She was exhausted, and yet it was as if she couldn’t stop herself from walking into any room and digging up memories. As if she was purposefully hurting her mind. Well, that had been the plan, hadn’t it? She couldn’t feel anything other than the deep emptiness inside her, even as her mind was screaming the need to feel something. She just… couldn’t.

Even now, even as she opened a window to watch outside. Even as she stared at that one corner of the pool. The emptiness only kept growing. Exhaustion had her walk up the stairs, and instead of turning left in the room she knew was hers, she turned right.

All of her things were still where she left them, though the room was much less messy than she had been. She barely had enough energy to put on sheets on the bed before she fell in it, the mattress hard under her back, and she fell asleep.

She was vaguely aware of waking up again a few hours later, of how restless she still felt. She was aware of how impossible it was to move. So, she waited. She laid in bed and did nothing, only stared at the wall and waited for sleep to catch her up again.

She didn’t know for how long that cycle went on, how many times she woke up only to feel as hollow as she did when she fell asleep and didn’t move from the bed until she managed to fall back into Morpheus’ arms.

She wished she could cry or scream. She wished she could do anything else than stare at a wall, but it took too much energy. Energy that she didn’t have.

The last years had drained her, but the last couple of weeks had taken away anything she still had. There were too many things to be upset about. Her infertility, her mother’s slap, Gavriel’s betrayal, Rowan’s betrayal, the conflicted feelings around her father, Lysandra’s betrayal, her mother’s affair. Or just her mother entire existence, and how much she had hurt Aelin in all those years.

That was too much. Too much when she had spent her life ignoring problems instead of finding a way to solve them.

Maybe it was why she couldn’t feel upset, because there was too much. She maybe had to choose one thing to focus on and start from there. But again, that seemed like too much effort.

Her mouth felt try, and she grabbed the bottle of water she had brought upstairs with her then took a couple of sips, before sleep claimed her again.

Time flew past slowly, or quickly. She wasn’t entirely sure. But the cycle kept going, and if at the beginning her mind had tried to fight against it with questions, it had fully accepted it now.

She almost thought she was dreaming as she heard knocks on the door, tearing her out of the restless sleep she’d been deep in. Well, maybe not too deep if she had been woken up so easily. The door creaked as it opened, letting in light that hurt her eyes.

“Fireheart?”

She had to dream, because Rowan Whitethorn couldn’t be entering Celaena’s room, he couldn’t be closing the door behind him and come to sit on the bed beside her. He couldn’t be passing a hand through her hair.

“Am I dreaming?” she asked, her voice broken. She hadn’t said a word since she left the taxi, and she had no idea how long it had been since.

She couldn’t see his face, the room was plunged into the dark. “No, you’re not, baby.”

She shifted, still laying on her side. “What are you doing here?”

He laid beside her, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear, “Checking up on you.”

“But I’m in Terrasen.”

Thousands of miles from where he lived. He huffed a laugh, “You are. Usually I’m the one to flight while you fight, but I guess we can switch roles sometimes.”

She frowned, laying more under her blanket. “I’m tired.”

“It’s midday,” he said.

“Of which day?”

“How long have you been laying here?”

She felt his body tense against hers, and he laid a weak kiss on her forehead, “It’s okay, Fireheart.”

Well, that wasn’t an answer, but she was too exhausted to comment on it. She closed her eyes and tried to reach that place of rest once more. “I’m tired.”

“Hey,” he breathed. “Don’t fall asleep on me, baby.”

“Please,” she mumbled, and if she had enough energy, she would curse her stomach for grumbling now. “I’m exhausted.”

“You’re hungry, Aelin.”

“Am not.”

She felt a shaky hand pass over her cheek, his warm fingertips caressing her skin. He wrapped an arm around her and leaned in to kiss her forehead, tucking her close to him. “It’s okay,” he repeated. “I’m here now.”

She wasn’t sure what he meant, but sleep caught her once more and this time she was tucked into Rowan’s warmth.

“Is she sleeping?”

“Yeah,” a man whispered from behind her, his breath tickling her ear. “I think she’s been for more than two days. I’m not even sure that she ate at all.”

“Are you worried?”

The man from behind her answered to the one he was speaking to, “I have no idea what to do to help her this time. I’m truly at loss.”

She didn’t mean to, she wanted to go back to sleep, but her body twitched against the man. He passed a hand through her hair, and as she opened her eyes it wasn’t hard to see Rowan standing over her, his eyes analyzing every inch of her face, probably making sure that she was alright. “Hey, Fireheart.”

She shook her head, pressing her face against the pillow. It was too soon to wake up, too early to be talked to. “Baby?” He asked, a hand in her hair. Again, she shook her head.

“I’m tired,” she said, even if it sounded more like mumbling.

“But you’ve just slept for—”

“I’ve got this, Aedion,” Rowan said, and Aelin should have recognized her cousin’s voice. Truth was, at the moment she wasn’t sure she could do much. Even the idea of standing up was too much.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I am.”

“Alright,” her cousin sighed, “I’ll make us something to eat.”

“Thank you,” Rowan thanked him and then her cousin closed the door, and then they were finally left in the dark again, just what she wanted. Now, she would finally be able to give her body what it begged for: more rest.

She barely felt Rowan’s body moving from the bed, but she did feel the arms slipping under her body. She yelped as she was lifted from her bed and didn’t have the energy to wrap her arms around his neck, instead she prayed that he wouldn’t let her fall.

Her head was shaking, “Please, Rowan, I’m tired.”

“No, Aelin,” he said, with an edge to his voice she couldn’t identify. He switched the light on, and she shut her eyes closed at how bright the light was. “You’ll sleep in a few hours, I promise. But for now, let’s take a shower, alright?”

“I can’t stand,” she told him, and she had no care for a goddamn shower.

But Rowan only answered, “I’ve got you.”

She didn’t know what he meant by it, but she didn’t fight him. Even if she wanted to, it felt like too much effort for nothing. Rowan pushed the door to the bathroom open and once more the light assaulted her eyes. She hid her face in his neck, maybe then she would be protected from the outside world.

She felt his hands squeeze their hold onto her skin, and he sat her on the closed toilet. “Hey, baby, look at me,” he said with his soft voice, making her notice that her eyes were indeed closed.

She opened her eyes, and it was surprised to find her vision was blurry, clouded with tears. Well, at least her body had enough energy for that. She didn’t know what she looked like, but she knew that Rowans look as he watched her closely was devastating. It was as if she could see his heart breaking.

“When was the last time you left your bed?” He asked, with no judgement in his voice. And her lack of answer was answer enough, she hadn’t since she arrived here. “Not even to pee?” She shook her head, and he closed his eyes as a curse escaped his lips. “Fuck, Aelin, you risk a kidney infection, those things are serious.”

“It’s not been that long,” she said, voice deep and uneven.

“It’s been almost three days, Aelin.”

“Oh.”

That was it. Oh. Because was else was there to say?

“Alright,” he sighed, and then he was looking in the drawers for something. She heard plastic ripping, and then water running for a few short seconds. Then, Rowan was kneeling in front of her, a hand on her thigh and the other was holding a toothbrush with toothpaste on it. “Open up, princess.”

She shook her head, but he asked again. It was humiliating to have someone brush her teeth, to know that someone had broken her so thoughtfully that she needed such help. But she yielded when his eyes captured her, the request and the lack of judgment was evident.

He brushed her teeth with far more gentleness she could have imagined, his free hand holding her chin down gently, with his pinky finger brushing over her neck repeatedly.

“Why are you doing this? I broke up with you, didn’t I?”

“You did, but then good for you, you weren’t just my girlfriend. You were my best friend, and I will always care for you no matter how much you push me away.”

She avoided his gaze, staring at the wall with her eyes burning, lips quivering. Rowan pulled back and angled her head over the sink, and she spat there. “You don’t have to hold it back, you know,” he said. “Your pain, you don’t have to keep it in. It’s probably why you are so exhausted. It’s okay to let it go, it’s okay to let yourself weaken.”

“That’s the problem,” she answered. “That’s what I always do. I weaken.”

“You’re not weak,” he said, “You are the furthest thing from weak, but is that how you feel?”

She swallowed, finally looking at him. His eyes allowed her a glimpse in his pain. “I feel nameless.”

His brows furrowed, and he let go of the toothbrush. “What does that mean?”

“Who am I, Rowan?” She asked, voice shaking, eyes burning more. “If anyone had to speak of me to someone who doesn’t me, how do you think they would describe me? I have accomplished nothing; I am nothing of my own.” A tear escaped her eye. “I’d be described as the Chief’s daughter, Evalin’s troubled daughter. I’d also be Celaena’s sister, or your girlfriend or whatever I am to Helia. I’m nothing myself, I’m only someone else’s something.”

“Aelin…”

“It’s the price I pay for loving people beyond reason, and I regret that,” she told him, not really caring about how it would sound. “I got stalked Rowan, and it had nothing to do with me. I paid for my sister and my mother’s fucking mistakes. It’s how insignificant I am, Rowan. Even the people who wish me bad things do it because of how related I am to other people.”

“You’re so much more than that,” he said, voice barely louder than a whisper.

“Yeah?” she asked. “Then tell me, because I can’t see it, and it’s either feeling like a failure or not feeling anything at all, and I have no idea which one is worse.”

“Aelin, baby, look at me,” he cupped her cheeks. “The way you love people is one of the things I love the most about you, I love it.”

“And I hate it,” she sobbed. “I hate it, Rowan. I hate it, and I hate myself, and I want to hate anyone that I love because maybe then it would be easier to find myself.”

“Aelin, it’s been a rough few weeks for you…”

“No, tell me. Tell me what you love about me that doesn’t concern anyone else, that is only me.”

“You’re hilarious, and incredibly pretty. Forget that, you are magnificent. You work hard and you are humble, you—”

“Those are all subjective things,” she cut in. “Those aren’t facts, they aren’t achievements. Someone else could disagree with you.”

“Whatever I say,” he said, his voice almost sounding hurt. “You are going to disagree with because of how much you hate yourself. I could say you hung the moon in the sky, and you still wouldn’t think it’s enough.”

She tore her gaze away from him, not wishing to process what he had told her. He sighed and got up, kissing her forehead as he did so. And the gesture warmed her so much, made her feel so much at ease, that she dared asking, “Will you kiss me?”

He looked down at her and leaned in to press his lips against her, though not where she wanted him. Instead, he kissed her cheek. “Not here,” she breathed.

“Where?”

“On my lips?”

He had her chin in between his fingers, softly stocking her skin as he looked at her sadly, “I am dying to.”

“Then do it.”

He shook his head, “You still haven’t forgiven me, I haven’t worked for that forgiveness yet. This situation doesn’t change what I did, and I won’t take advantage of it.”

“I hate your honor.”

“Yes, well, put that on the long list of the things you hate, princess. Now, let’s give you a shower.” He said, hands wrapping around the hem of her shirt, eyes asking if it was okay to take it off.

She frowned at him, “So, I don’t get a kiss, but you get to see me naked? How is that fair?”

He chuckled then, the happiest sound he made since he entered Celaena’s room. “Glad to see you found the energy to bring your sass back.” He kissed the top of her nose then and asked her to lift her arms so he could take off the shirt.

She insisted she could shower herself, but when he told her to stand up and her knees nearly buckled it ruined her credibility. Apparently, she had enough energy for sass but not enough to stand up. How ridiculous she was. But Rowan didn’t seem to care, or he was a master at hiding it. When he told her to pee, she refused. They ahd shared a lot, but she wouldn’t do that in front of her. He reminded her that he worked with brans every day, so he could handle a little bit of pee.

At the end, they compromised. Rowan got to stay in the room to make sure she didn’t fall and break her skull on the skin counter, but he had to face the wall and sing. Loudly.

It almost made her laugh; it would have any other day.

“It’s humiliating,” she sighed as Rowan put her into the bath, warming up water. “I feel like a child, or like an old lady.”

“Let me love you,” he whispered. “Rest and let me take care of you, Aelin.”

She wrapped her arms around her legs, letting her head rest on her lifted knees and closed her eyes. She wasn’t sure she deserved to be dotted on, if she deserved everything, he gave her, but she was selfish enough to take it. Even after everything she told him, of how she hated him. Did he believe her? Did she hurt him?

Too soon, Rowan was done washing her. He wrapped a warm towel around her body, and he left the room for one minute only to come back with clothes. Her clothes, but not the ones she had left there when she moved at fifteen.

Those were the clothes she had left at his house. He had packed them to bring them here.

---

Rowan didn’t let her climb down the stairs by herself. Again, had she been feeling less tired, she might have protested. But she didn’t, and let him hold her in a piggyback.

Her head rested on his shoulder as he guided them to the kitchen, and Aelin’s heart filled itself and her eyes burned with tears as she saw her cousin’s back as he was cooking something, with Helia Whitethorn sitting on his shoulders, a soft music playing in the background.

“Aelin!” The toddler screamed as she heard them enter the room. Her eyes were wide, and Aelin was welcomed by the most beautiful smile in the world.

She hated herself for it, but Aelin hid her face in Rowan’s neck as tears escaped her. She didn’t want Helia to see her cry, didn’t want to see Helia and cry. But she was so pure, so full of love and attention.

She screamed Aelin’s name as if she had hung up the moon, and Aelin had only brought chaos in her life. She should walk away, rip the band aid and hurt them both if only to make sure Aelin wouldn’t hurt her more in the long run.

That would the right choice to make, the selfless one.

“Have I done something?” Helia’s wobbling voice asked, as if she was crying as well.

Amazing. Aelin had done that, too. Rowan’s thumbs stroked her thighs where he held her, as if reassuring her that she hadn’t done anything wrong, but she had, hadn’t she?

She took a deep breath, counting to ten in her head until she released that breath. She couldn’t break down now. Apparently, she couldn’t hold back a few tears, but she couldn’t let it go further. Not now. She hadn’t birthed the girl, but she’d allowed her to get attached to her and now she had to hold it together for her.

“You haven’t done anything,” Aedion said. “Aelin is just tired, isn’t she?”

He was giving her a chance to pretend, and she would be a fool to not seize it. She took another deep breath and the weight on her chest eased a little when Rowan’s squeezed her thigh, an encouragement.

She looked up at the little girl, her tiny bottom lip quivering and her eyes wide. “Aedion’s right, Lia. I’m just tired.”

“Promise?”

Aelin squeezed her legs around Rowan’s waist, asking him to lower her down. He did, and Aelin’s gathered all her energy in walking toward her cousin, holding her arms out for Helia. Aedion lowered himself, letting Aelin catch Helia under her armpits and hold her into her arms. As if knowing it was a little too much for her, Rowan pulled out of the chairs and Aelin sat on it, hugging Helia close.

The girl’s scent of pine and candy apple warmed Aelin’s heart, and she slowly passed her hand over her silvery curls.

Helia pulled back, still sitting on her lap. “You should just sleep, Aelin,” she said in her overly sweet voice, as if one night of good sleep would erase all problems. She supposed that at Helia’s age it did help.

Aelin pouted, “Your daddy isn’t letting me.”

“Dada!” The girl scowled Rowan; her eyebrows frowned. “Why?”

This had Aedion bark a laugh, and Aelin wished to kiss the ground the girl walked on for making her cousin produce such a sound. After what happened with… her, Aelin didn’t know how he stood.

Aelin had been a wreck after Rowan took a logical choice, even if it went against a promise, he made her. But if Rowan had betrayed her the way Lysandra did Aedion, if their love had been fake… Aelin wasn’t sure she could stand, even less laugh.

Her cousin was stronger than she was, that was for sure. She knew he hurt, but the sheer strength to pretend… Aelin didn’t have that anymore.

Rowan chuckled, ruffling his daughter hair. He leaned in to kiss her forehead, “Don’t frown like that, you’ll give yourself wrinkles.”

“What’s a wrinkle?” She asked, her frown deepening.

“Something your old man has,” Aedion said.

Rowan turned his head to Aedion, raising an eyebrow. “I like you, but not that much.”

“Good,” Aedion shrugged. “Because I’m still weirded out about the fact that you’ve been banging my cousin.”

“What’s banging?” Helia asked, and Aelin winced.

“Language,” Aelin scowled her cousin, and Rowan was full on glaring now.

“Shit,” Aedion turned, a wince on his face. “Sorry Helia.”

The girl shrugged, “Aelin says worse.”

“Traitor!” Aelin squealed. “I get reprimanded whenever I say bad words, but he has a pass?”

She smiled then, and Aelin noticed another teeth missing and one that grew. “But Aedwion,” she said, butchering his name in the cutest way, “Let me play ratatouille with his hair.”

“She’s a good cook,” he testified, still facing whatever he was cooking.

Aelin’s stomach grumbled, and Rowan turned around to smile at her when it did. Yet she didn’t feel the hunger, but she hadn’t eaten for days now. Physiologically, she was hungry she knew that.

But she wouldn’t hurt Helia’s feelings, so when they put a plate in front of her, she forced herself to eat. Rowan was sitting on her left, a hand over her thigh as he checked on Helia to make sure she was eating correctly.

She felt her body relax as she ate, and her limbs strengthened. It felt easier not to cry. She didn’t feel at her best, far from it, but there was no denying she felt better.

Aedion stole glances at her the whole evening, his own exhaustion written all over his features. This didn’t seem to be a few good days for the Ashryver cousins.

Helia yawned for the whole meal, and when she was done Rowan scooped her up and said he was putting her to sleep, but before the girl rambled on how she was excited to sleep in a pink room.

She was excited to sleep in Aelin’s teenage room. Fuck. Aelin shouldn’t find an emotional connection into that. But she did.

Helia hugged her tight before her father took her to bed, waving goodnight at Aedion. When they were gone he said, “That girl loves you.”

Aelin didn’t have an answer for thing other than a shrug.

“He does, too,” Aedion said more quietly. She observed him closely, and he didn’t really seem at ease. Her face must have told him the questions forming into her mind, because he said, “I’m trying to wrap my head around it, I promise. And I don’t judge you, because the guy is head over heels for you. But… His age, his daughter and the fact that he’s your professor… it’s a lot.”

“He’s not a professor anymore, and I dropped out so,” another shrug.

He took a few seconds to answer, taking a deep breath. “Yes, well. That’s still a lot, and I don’t get why you didn’t tell me. But hey, I’m happy you’ve distanced yourself from me these past few months, or I could have exposed you to more problems.”

The pain in his eye had her heart squeezed tightly in her chest. “Aedion…”

“No,” she shook his head and looked away, “It’s okay.”

“No, it’s not.”

“Clearly,” he deadpanned, “You look awful, respectfully, of course.”

The corner of her lips tipped up slightly, “You look worse.” He huffed a laugh, but then he sobered up pretty quickly. “How did you find me?”

“Well, that boyfriend of yours—”

“He’s not my boyfriend.”

“He sure as hell acted like it when he noticed you were gone. He had me and Dorian feel as if we were under police investigation, he thought we were helping you hide. He was… scary, you to know how to choose them,” he snorted. “When he understood we had no idea where you were, he went after your dad and mine. We’ve been to too many funerals, so I went along. It wasn’t pretty, and he wasn’t nice to them, especially to my dad. Then, said to ask you why when I asked about it. He called other people when he also found out that our fathers were clueless, and then said that if you were nowhere in Doranelle you were here. But we had no planes nor trains, so we drove the twenty-three hours.”

Aelin took it all in and nodded.

Her cousin turned back his gaze on her, his eyes sad. “I wish you’d left a note, Aelin. I was scared out of my mind. We drove here, and there was one fucked up part of my brain that kept telling me I might not find you, that maybe you’d come here to… stop being strong.”

A snort. “Look at me, I’ve stopped a long time ago.”

“You didn’t,” he shook his head. “I was the first one to see you in her room, you know. He told me not to wake you up, but you looked so downcast, even in your sleep. And when you entered that room hours later, there was a subtle change. As if you had again fallen to your feet and wished to be okay.”

“I didn’t want Helia to see me that way,” she admitted. She hadn’t been strong for herself.

“You really love that girl, don’t you?”

Aelin nodded, giving him a small smile. “I do.”

“She loves you, too,” he said. “She only had your name in mouth on the way here. She even called you…”

“Mom?” Aelin asked.

He nodded, “Yeah. I choked on my drink when she said that, not going to lie.” Aelin’s lips tipped up in an almost smile. “Where is her mother? I mean, you get what I mean.”

“Dead,” Aelin said, feeling sadness for Helia. She didn’t deserve that. “Lia never knew her.”

“Poor girl,” Aedion said, and he knew what he was talking about. His mother had passed a few years before Celaena did. And now, years later he got left by another woman… He deserved better than a cousin like her. He deserved someone who could support him.

“I don’t want to go back to Doranelle,” she told him, looking down at her empty plate.

“Me neither,” he admitted. “Anywhere you want to go, I follow.”

She huffed a laugh, not doubting his word a second. Rowan was back a few minutes later, assuring her that Helia was sleeping soundless. He sat beside her, and she said, “I’m sorry you had to come here to fetch me. I’m sorry I left without a word.”

Rowan’s hand wrapped around her shoulder and squeezed her there. “We just want you to be okay.”

She snorted then, how could she be okay? She was terrified, terrified of everything outside and of herself.

“Aedion,” Rowan’s voice tore her from her thoughts. “Do you have ideas of action we could take against Arobynn and… her.”

Aedion’s back stiffened, but he nodded. “Women’s rights are protected in Doranelle, and stalking is a crime. You can sue, then the problem would be providing enough proofs.”

“The mics in my office and camera in Aelin’s rooms have to count as something, right?”

“If the police find a way to link those with any of them, yes.”

“What about all the pictures? The ones taken by the private.”

Aedion winced then, “In the law, hiring a private isn’t forbidden. But here, the goal being stalking, we can’t know how a judge would interpret that. I’m going to be honest; it’s going to be easier to catch Lysandra than Arobynn, at least for the stalking. If you wish to see him fall, you could still exploit what he’s done at the hospital, but…”

“But it would make my mother, as well. Is that what you meant?”

He swallowed and nodded, and she took a deep breath. As of now, she didn’t have enough energy to hate her mother, but she felt as if the feeling should be right there. But even after it all, could she do that to her own mother?

“She never protected you, Aelin,” Rowan said, kindly. “You don’t have to protect her.”

But it wasn’t so easy, was it? She shrugged, that was a problem for another day. “What about Helia?” she asked.

“What do you mean?” Aedion asked with confusion.

“What action do I take to protect her? She was on those pictures; she was mentioned in the texts Rowan received. Tell me what I can do for protection.” That was all she wished to know.

“Aelin,” Rowan spoke. “You were the one stalked.”

She ignored him, waiting for an answer from Aedion. “A judge could easily put a restraining over on Arobynn and Lys, they couldn’t be close to you.” his familiar nickname slipping in the conversation, and she was unsure if he had realized it.

“I don’t care about me,” she said, because it was true. “What can I do for Helia? Can I ask for one for her?”

Aedion winced, and her heart nearly dropped out of her chest as he said, “No. You can’t.”

How else could she protect the little girl? She felt so helpless she couldn’t find a single idea on how to protect her. Pathetic, she was pathetic.

“Rowan can, though.”

“Right,” Aelin said, half relieved. “Because legally I’m nothing to her.”

“Aelin,” Rowan breathed. “You’re not nothing, we don’t give a shit about the law.”

“You’ll go a judge the moment you can, promise it to me,” she asked of me.

He sighed, closing his eyes. “We’ll go together, so I can protect the two girls I love.”

She wouldn’t step in Doranelle, she couldn’t. It was too much. “I’m tired, Ro, I’m going back to sleep now.” That was part of the truth, the other reason was that she wouldn’t get a discussion so heavy now.

He frowned, “Are you sure?”

She nodded. He sighed and told her, “Go rest, Lin. I’ll clean this up and join you, alright?”

For a second, she thought about asking him not to, but when she saw the worry in his green eyes… She nodded, leaning in to kiss his cheek before she left for bed. She stopped by her room in the meanwhile, and indeed Helia was on the pink bed, softly snoring. She closed the door slowly, not wishing to wake her up then laid on her sister’s bed, wishing she could ask her for advice.

••••••

@sheharahu // @morganofthewildfire // @thestoriesyoutell // @fromthelibraryofemilyj // @swankii-art-teacher // @itsforeverinnocent-blog // @becarefuloflove // @imnotsogoodatthis // @rowaelinismyotp // @a-court-of-milkandhoney // @feysand-loml // @elentiyawhitethorn // @live-the-fangirl-life // @story-scribbler // @loves-books // @fangirlprincess09 // @theysayitscrazy // @danibutterr // @endlessdaydream // @thegreyj // @gracie-rosee // @acreativelydifferentlove // @cretaceous-therapod // @louphantomdragon // @mis-lil-red // @backtobl4ck // @whoever-you-choose-to-love // @lemonade-coolattas // @mad-madeline-ace // @the-introverted-bibliophile // @leiawritesstories // @emilyoftheshadows // @anniesbookshelf // @rainbowcheetah512 // @astra-ad-mare // @story-scribbler // @superspiritfestival // @wordsafterhours // @rowaelinrambling // @black-daisy-water // @fireheart-violet // @livsdriverslicense // @charlizeed // @ladykreads // @mariamuses // @autumnbabylon // @justreadertings // @highqueenofelfhame // @earthtolinds

#rowaelin #rowan whitethorn #rowaelin fanfiction #rowan x aelin #throne of glass fanfiction #aelin galathynius #illicit affairs #throne of glass #rowan and aelin

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live-the-fangirl-life · 2 years

Text

To the Ends of the Earth

A World Away Companion Piece

Aelin Galathynius x Rowan Whitethorn - World Travelers AU

Aelin and Rowan decide on their next adventure. Be it fate or bad aim, it’ll be somewhere neither have ever been before.

*you don’t have to have read AWA to understand this fic but doing so gives a better understanding

Written for Rowaelin Month 2022 Day 3: Travel/Vacation

Masterlist | Fic Masterlist | Rowaelin Month | Read on Ao3

Warnings: Language

2048 words

*******

An easy breeze rolled in with the waves and brought a smile to Aelin’s face as it cooled her water-speckled skin. From their perch in the hammock Rowan hung up between two small palm trees, they had a beautiful, unobstructed view of the wavering tide and slowly setting sun.

Rowan was laid on his back, one hand behind his head and one running fingers through her hair where she’d taken up residence atop him. His leg hung over the side and dug into the sand as he slowly rocked them back and forth.

“We check out the day after tomorrow,” Rowan broke the comfortable silence, and Aelin lifted her head, resting her chin on her hand sprawled across his chest to look at him. “Any thoughts on what’s next on our list?”

She hummed. “If you’re talking about what our next destination should be, may I remind you that we have plans to be in Vanuatu by the end of the week? It worries me that you can’t remember; you booked the meetings and yet here you are, only days before, obliviously forgetful. Ah, the perils of old age, Buzzard—” she laughed as he poked her side with a grunt.

“Truly hilarious,” he deadpanned with an eye roll. “You should have your own stand-up special.”

“I would sell out arenas,” she agreed but paused and corrected, “Theaters? Music-halls? I don’t know, where do comedians usually perform?”

“Not in a hammock in Fiji.”

Aelin scoffed, but it quickly dissolved into laughter which Rowan echoed.

“I meant where do you want to go after, smartass,” he didn’t put any bite in the word. “We just talked about Vanuatu this morning. I figured it was a given I meant beyond that, but, apparently, you have less faith in me than I thought.”

Smirking, Aelin sat up, her shifting weight urging Rowan to do the same so they didn’t tip over. “Careful, your feathers are ruffling.”

“You and the buzzard jokes, I swear…” he grumbled and dragged a hand down his face so she couldn’t see the smile tugging at his lips. He was wildly unsuccessful.

“Okay, okay,” Aelin laughed and started throwing out suggestions. “Madagascar? We can walk under the baobab trees and feel like we’re two feet tall. You can try getting a shot of a lemur to add to your wildlife collection!”

“That’s definitely on the to-do list,” he agreed. “But what about someplace closer? How about Perth? We didn’t get to Western Australia when we were there. Take a drive, go see some of the pink salt lakes?”

Aelin nodded, her brain whirling as she looked at her mental map. “Ooh! What about New Caledonia? I’ve heard the whale watching there is phenomenal this time of year, all the humpbacks coming in towards the lagoons.”

“We still need to—”

Aelin sat bolt upright, eyes flying wide and smiling broad enough to make her cheeks ache. “I have an idea!”

Rowan arched a skeptical brow at her sudden declaration but couldn’t stop the upward tug of his lips at her pure giddiness. “What kind of idea?”

“The kind that will solve our dilemma for us.”

***

They had to pry the generic water-themed painting off of the wall of their hotel room, but the pain in the ass it was going to be to rehang it would be worth it.

“What happens if it lands in the ocean?” Rowan stood next to Aelin as they both faced the wall.

It being the small dart she was twisting around in her hand, trying to get a feel for its weight.

She eyed the map they had pinned to the now-vacant wall. It wasn’t anything special and still had all the creases from being folded up and stuffed in a stand at a small tourist shop, but it would do.

“We choose the closest island?” she suggested, shrugging. “Take a cruise? Do some really intensive snorkeling?”

Aelin huffed a small laugh, not having to look at her husband to know he was rolling his eyes. She lifted the dart they’d snagged from some bar in Queens and practiced her throw. She almost let it fly but stopped herself at the last second. “What if it lands someplace we’ve already been?”

Rowan crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. “Guess it’ll depend on where you hit – see if we want to go back. If not, then I’ll take a throw.”

“Yeah, okay,” Aelin nodded, feeling satisfied with that, and turned back to the map.

She readied her shot again, narrowing her eyes, and biting her lip in concentration. But it was too hard to keep a straight face; she dropped her hand and whirled back to Rowan with a widening grin. Her voice bubbled with excitement as she gushed, “This is so fun!”

The sigh he loosed was equal parts fondness and exasperation. “It will be once you throw.”

Rolling her eyes, she huffed, “Don’t rush me.” But didn’t fight her grin as she again aimed at the map.

It was fun. They were beyond lucky to have the world at their fingertips; so many options open to them that they couldn’t choose just one. Ultimately, they didn’t have to choose, they both knew they would be exploring as many places as they physically could. But whether they went somewhere next week or next year or in the next decade, well, with that they could have a little fun.

Aelin had never been as happy as she’d been since meeting Rowan, since choosing each other and all that came with it. So many adventures led, so many places and sights seen, so many foods tried, and people met. So many passport stamps.

And now they were simply leaving it up to chance...or fate…or Aelin’s wonky aim to choose their next adventure.

She released the dart and watched as it embedded itself in the map.

The soft thud of the metal tip hitting the wall was the only sound in the room for several seconds. Rowan’s arms fell slack at his sides, and she chanced a glance towards him to see his mouth open and close as he stared at the pierced spot on the map. Her own eyebrows were nearly at her hairline as they stood in the growing silence.

“Huh.” She finally broke the tension, trying to keep her voice light. “Well…that’s…definitely somewhere we’ve never been before.”

Rowan made a choking noise, halfway between an incredulous laugh and a suppressed groan. “When you do something, you don’t go halfway, do ya?”

She huffed a laugh. “Have you met me?”

He leveled her a flat look but she rushed on before he could interject

“Hear me out—” she wasn’t entirely sure where she was going with this or if she even wanted to argue the point, but she’d be lying if she said she wasn’t a little intrigued by their turn of events. “How many people can say they’ve been to Antarctica?”

“The insane ones.”

Aelin rolled her eyes and folded her arms over her chest. “Really? So all the scientists and expeditioners are insane?”

“Are we scientists?” He argued.

“No.” she arched a brow. “But one could argue that—”

“Aelin. Fireheart.” He stepped towards her and held her face in his hands as he leaned in close. “Thorn in my side, and love of my life. We,” he gestured between them, “are not equipped for that. A real, true Artic expedition is a bit ambitious, even for us.”

“Antarctic,” she corrected, breezing passed his trepidations and choosing to ignore the thorn comment altogether. “Come on, Ro, don’t tell me you’ve never thought about it.”

“Of course, I’ve thought about it,” he huffed. “It’s one of those passing things like, Huh, wouldn’t it be amazing to go to Antarctica? or Wow, I wonder what that would be like? And then I move on with my day because I rather like having ten toes, thank you very much.”

She felt a grin on her lips but held it back, feeling like she could crack him on this. Antarctica? Wasn’t on her radar, not even a place she thought, truly, about visiting. The idea of going had never actually felt plausible, and it was perhaps the one place in the world that she wouldn’t have been upset about missing.

But…

“Imagine the kind of story Coast to Cadre could get? The publicity? The opportunity? And, please, think about how incredible it would feel knowing you’ve stepped foot on all seven continents?”

Carding a hand through his hair, Rowan stared over her shoulder towards the middle distance, and Aelin could tell the gears in his brain were turning.

“Aelin.”

“Rowan.”

“You really, seriously, want to go?” Rowan asked before she reached up to grab his hand. He pulled his gaze back to hers and laced their fingers together, his thumb rubbing small circles on her skin. His voice sounded skeptical, but his eyes held a different story — one that told her this crazy idea was settling, and as the shock wore off, he was beginning to actually wonder about it.

She paused for a moment as her eyes were drawn back to the map. Squeezing his hand, Aelin found his questioning stare again and grinned. “Yeah. I think I really do.”

He searched her face for any sign of teasing but found none. Finally, Rowan loosed a long, slow breath and barked out a short chuckle. “This is insane.”

“You’ve already said that.” Aelin’s grin softened as it spread, and she stepped closer into him, unlacing their hands so she could wrap her arms around his neck as his landed on her waist. “Besides, I think we could use a little insanity.”

Rowan arched a brow. “Really?”

“Yes,” she insisted. “Our last three stops had us either in meetings or on a beach all day.”

“I didn’t hear you complaining about it,” he argued, hands flexing and pulling her even closer as he ducked his head towards her neck and began peppering soft kisses on her skin.

“Of course, I’m not complaining,” she said a tad breathlessly. “I just think that, maybe, trying something out of our comfort zones would be a good idea.”

He pulled back, smirking at her flushed skin, and snorted, “I’d say this is far, far outside our comfort zones.” He laughed again, “Are we actually talking about this? Are we really considering a trip to the south pole?”

Jerking her head towards the map, they both stared at the dart. She could almost picture an imaginary string connecting the toy to the large, white continent, pulled taught by the fates themselves.

“Technically, it landed near the coast. But might as well go big or go home, right? The south pole it is.” They’d see how that actually worked out.

“It’ll take a lot of planning,” Rowan pointed out, still unable to look away from their upcoming adventure.

She nodded. “And time.”

“And mountains of logistical nightmares.” Rowan huffed a laugh making Aelin glance up at him. “I thought the whole point of this,” he waved a hand at the offending map, “was to decide our next trip? This isn’t something we can pull off with a week’s worth of planning.”

It was true. Unfortunately. Shoulders slumping, Aelin released a defeated sigh as reality crept back in. “You’re right.”

“So,” Rowan carefully unwound her arms from his neck and walked towards the map, plucking the dart from the blustering tundra before returning to her side. “How about I throw for our actual next destination, after Vanuatu,” he flashed her a wink, “and we take our time planning out this Antarctic adventure?”

Aelin beamed and couldn’t help her elated laugh as she jumped up and wrapped her arms around him once more. She pulled him down eagerly until she was kissing him, pouring all her anticipation, excitement, and joy into it.

“We wanted to see the world – what better way than going to the end of it?”

It was going to be one hell of an adventure, but there wasn’t anyone else with whom she’d rather try it.

“With you?” Rowan cupped her cheek, lifting her jaw just enough to connect his lips with hers again in a kiss that dissolved into matching grins. “I’d go anywhere.”

*****

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morganofthewildfire · 2 years

Text

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A Secret Bloom - Part 2

--------------------------------------

~2k words

part 1

-------------------------------------

Orynth, 1919

Aelin had a headache when she opened her eyes the next morning, her eyes puffy and dry as a result of her crying spell the night before. She didn’t usually let herself give in to the rush of emotions held back by a fraught dam, but she’d been weak, and once the tears started it was hard to reign them back in.

But now, she was left empty as she slowly sat up in bed, dragging herself up to lean back against the headboard before ringing the bell on the wall to the left.

Quickly enough, her maid came into the room, carrying her breakfast tray.

“Thank you,” Aelin said quietly as she set the tray on the bed, the legs extending down either side over her lap. “I think I’d like a bath after this if that’s manageable.”

“Of course, Miss,” the girl said, opening the curtains on either side of her bed before heading into the bathroom, turning on the taps on the bathtub. “I’ll send Philippa your way.” And then she was gone, leaving her alone again.

She cycled through maids fairly quickly, though it was never her own doing. Her parents still handled the general hiring and firing, though day to day the house was run by Darrow. Aelin was essentially the sole occupant, but she was treated more like an eternal guest than someone with any real say.

She supposed it was supposed to be nice, as it gave her free time and not much responsibility. But having no control and nothing to do became even more draining, and she found herself just letting the days drag on.

Three years, six months, and three days since her life had changed forever. Three years, six months, and two days since she’d last left this house, since she’d ventured beyond the garden.

And it’d been just as long since she’d gone anywhere on her own two feet.

She sipped at her orange juice, tasting nothing, before moving onto her eggs, which turned into mush in her mouth. Normally she’d be awake already, preparing to go sit down on her bench, but something kept her inside today. Maybe it was what happened yesterday, maybe it was her own sunken mood, but whatever it was it wasn’t fair to dump it on Rowan.

So she’d give him some space today.

Aelin sighed dismally as she set her tray to the side, laying back against the headboard of her ornate bed. This had been her room since childhood, and it’d matured along with her, but sometimes she felt like she didn’t belong, like she was a fraud for being there in such a sweet, gentle room.

It’d lost some of the fairytale feel, but it was still pink and soft and everything she was not.

Gods she needed to stop feeling so sorry for herself, pity wouldn’t solve anything. It would just make everything feel worse.

A knock sounded on the door, drawing her attention, and Philippa entered, not bothering to wait for permission. It wasn’t like Aelin could get up to welcome her in.

“Good morning, Miss Aelin,” she said warmly, and Aelin murmured it back as Philippa walked into the adjoining bathroom, turning off the tap before the water spilled over the edge.

It was an awkward process to help her out of bed and into her wheelchair, which Aelin then wheeled herself over to the bathroom. Once in there, Philippa tried to give her some privacy by turning her head as Aelin took off her long nightgown, but had to help her then into the bathtub, so it was moot anyway.

Aelin hated being so useless and unable to be self sufficient, but at least Philippa never mocked her or made her feel lesser for it.

Though maybe she deserved to be mocked, to be disregarded and abandoned. She’d done this to herself after all, and she’d done worse to -

She cut off the train of thought, sinking into the warm water. Philippa excused herself, telling her to ring for her when she was ready to get out. Aelin just waved her off, acting like she wouldn’t need help when they both knew she would.

She sighed, glancing around the bathroom, seeing her plate of mail the maid must have left in there for her to read while soaking. Well, there was only one letter.

She reached out and grabbed it, recognizing her father’s handwriting as she ripped it open. Her hands were near shaking as she pulled the letter out of the envelope, anticipation running through her veins.

“Dear Aelin,” she read, “I regret to inform you that your mother and I must extend our stay-“

She trailed off, not bothering to read the rest, tossing it to the side with an exhale. Of course.

She didn’t need to read the rest of his excuses.

Foolishly she’d hoped it would tell when they were coming home, or even more desperately hoping she would hear that she was being sent to meet them in town, but she should’ve known.

Aelin had seen her parents maybe a total of five times in the past three years. She was truly alone here, she shouldn’t expect anything different.

With a sigh she leaned her head against the side of the tub, glancing out the window conveniently placed right there. Convenient, because it gave her the perfect view down into the gardens filling out the back of the estate.

If she was denying herself the chance to converse with Rowan, she could at least look at him from above. The garden looked even more serene from above, her own little paradise, and she scanned it, feeling calm for the first time that day.

And… there, there he was, using that shovel of his to dig a hole in a planter, before bending down to replant something he took out of a pot. Aelin didn’t know much about gardening, just what she’d picked up on from him.

She wouldn’t admit to the book on gardening she’d sent out for, in her next order of books to be delivered, just to have more to talk about with him. She wasn’t sure if she’d ever read it now.

“Oh, Rowan,” she whispered quietly, relishing in the feel of his name on her tongue. She didn’t think she’d ever said it before. Her heart clenching, she closed her eyes, sinking back into the water, not yet knowing what she’d failed to read in the letter.

------

She wasn’t there that morning.

Rowan tried to put it out of his mind, but it dug its way to the front every so often, bugging him for the rest of his day. It hadn’t been a busy day either, which made it worse. He was just cleaning up one of the planters on the north end, the closest side to the house, and with every new flower he planted, he fought the urge to look up into the windows, hoping to see her looking down.

But he never did, and by the time he got home to the small gardener’s cabin on the other side of the estate’s land, she was still on his mind.

Really, the cabin should belong to Lorcan, but he’d elected to stay in a place in town instead, and offered the space to Rowan, who’d then accepted. It was about a twenty minute walk from there to the house, not that he’d ever specifically noted that of course.

Who was he really kidding though?

But the object of his affections clearly was upset by what he’d said the day before, and the guilt in his stomach was so heavy he knew he needed to do something to try and make it up. So the moment he got inside, setting his key on the table, he picked it back up again, grabbing some loose coins from the side table and shoving them in his pocket.

He didn’t know what he could buy that she wouldn’t already have, but he was sure he could find something somewhere in town.

It was a quick walk into the little village, a town barely big enough to warrant any identity besides being close to the Galathynius estate.

The cool day had turned chilly quickly, though, in the dark, and Rowan shivered slightly, shoving his hands in his pockets as he headed down the street. There were very few stores, fewer open at this hour, but there was one he knew would be.

The bookstore.

Rowan glanced up at the sky as he walked toward the door, seeing some dark gray clouds start to congregate overhead, that familiar smell of coming rain in the air. He’d have to be quick. He turned the knob on the dark oak door, a bell ringing as he stepped into the quaint bookstore.

The room was lit up by a few oil lamps, highlighting the shelves of books, and the front desk, where a young, brunette woman sat.

“Mr. Whitethorn, hello,” Lyria Willow greeted cheerfully, standing up and moving from behind the desk. “Anything I can help you with this evening?”

Rowan knew Lyria vaguely through acquaintances, and had seen her a few times around the village while going to the pub with Lorcan, but he’d never talked to her very much or for very long. But she seemed like a nice girl.

She was pretty, with dark brown hair and warm brown eyes, and definitely more level with his place in society, but even if someone like her was more suitable for his future, more realistic, his brain couldn’t reconcile a realistic future versus the one he still longed to have.

“No thank you,” he said politely, taking off his hat. “I’m just browsing.”

“Let me know if you have any questions,” she said with a smile, and he nodded as he meandered back into an aisle. With the books, he had absolutely no idea where to even start.

They were all unfamiliar titles, without much description of what they were. He didn’t want to get her something she already owned, or something she wouldn’t enjoy, or something he couldn’t afford. He only had a few coins to spend after all.

No one else was in the shop, so he had the space to himself as he scanned the shelves, pursing his lips as he came up empty.

He wandered around a bit longer, hoping some sort of divine inspiration would come to him, but eventually he made his way back to the front, losing that hope. But on the front table, lookin like it was set aside for some reason, was a book he could understand.

The Complete Gardener’s Guide

He smiled faintly, picking it up and imagining her face when he gave it to her. She’d probably roll her eyes at him, but snatch the book from him when he teasingly tried to take it back. With as much as she talked to him about his work every day, it was clear she didn’t know much about what he and Lorcan did. Maybe she’d be interested in this, or at least get a laugh out of it.

He held it in one hand, turning to look back at Lyria, grabbing the coins out of his pocket, but she stopped him.

“That one is actually on hold for a delivery,” she said, looking apologetic. Disappointment flooded through him.

“Oh really?” He asked, and she nodded.

“All the way up to the big house,” she added, with a smile. “Miss Galathynius is our best customer.”

Shock coursed through him, replaced by incredulousness. He fought the urge to chuckle. Of course she was a step ahead of him, when had she ever not been?

Rowan set the book back down gently, his eyes roving over to the other stack on display. These books had no apparent title, and they were all different but had the same linen cover, with different natural designs on them.

His eyes were drawn to a dark green one halfway down the stack, and he carefully pulled it out, tracing a finger over the gold embossed leaves covering it. Curious, he opened to a random page, understanding washing over him when he saw not words, but lines.

It was a journal.

It was perfect.

“I’ll take this one,” Rowan said without considering it a moment longer, digging the coins back out of his pocket as he stepped toward the desk.

“A lovely choice,” Lyria complimented, and he smiled thinly. “Is it for anyone in particular?”

It was, but he knew he couldn’t say that, so he just shook his head politely, hoping she would get the hint.

She seemed to, as she checked him out quickly, tucking the book carefully in a bag that she handed to him.

“Have a nice evening,” she said, smiling prettily, and he nodded again before turning and heading out the door.

-------

The next morning, before wrapping up the journal and leaving it on her bench for her to find, he took out his pen and carefully wrote on the first page:

Maybe this time you can write your own story

-----

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#rowaelin #rowaelin fanfiction #rowaelin au #throne of glass #throne of glass fanfiction #throne of glass au

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aelinschild · 8 months

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TWO - ROWAN

Holding Me Like Water In Your Hands

Main Masterlist | HMLWIYH Masterlist

And its time for chapter two! I'm in the process of creating a masterlist and mood boards along for this series, so look out for that! Anyways, please enjoy, and feel free to let me know your thoughts! :)

SYNOPSIS:A cross continental move forces Aelin Galathynius to open her eyes wider than before, and at the doors of Terrasen's most exclusive and expensive private high school, she realizes her life is flowing through her. And if she wants to make the most of her life, she needs to grab onto something. Or maybe someone. WORDCOUNT: 1.3k GENERAL WARNINGS: Language, Drug use, Alcohol, Allusion to sex/intimacy, Brief descriptions of sexual assault, Domestic violence, Very severe angst, Messy Divorces (More to be added)

The air is hot, and beads of sweat roll down my back. My ratty t-shirt does little to hide the sweat, and the working overalls only add another layer to this heavy Orynth heat.

Terrasen’s weather is well known for being difficult. Freezing winters and withering summers, dramatic rainstorms, or weeks of fog. All part of the routine. I roll out from underneath the car I'm working on. Three out of the four garage doors are propped open, and the AC is coughing up air, it's not cold, but at least it keeps the air moving.

I wipe my grease-stained hands onto my overalls and reach for the filter I need. After I switch this out, then refill the oil, ill be done for the day, and I can hear the creek behind my house beckoning me.

I work in the Elia, one of Orynth’s more reliable garages. And technically my labour is illegal, but being good friends with the Ashryvers comes with perks. Like a job. And I’m the lucky one, because Aedion doesn't even get paid. Gavriel took pity on me years ago, and I've been working here since, trying to cushion my pockets a little more.

The office doors bangs open, disturbing the fragile silence of the room.“Yo,” the devil himself shouts from the other side of the garage. “Dad says you’re good to go if you want. Just stop by the office. He got your moneyyy.” Aedion shouts, humour lining his tone.

It's a running joke, I get paid under the table until I'm sixteen, and Aedion gets nothing. He likes to pretend he’ll tell some sort of authority on me, but Gavriel shuts that down pretty fast.

I snort and roll back under the car. I can hear him banging around somewhere. I move through the motions quickly, tasks like this have become second nature to me at this point.

I was eleven when Gavriel recruited me to his small team of mechanics. Aedion and I constantly were getting into scraps at primary school, and my adopted parents and Gavriel thought a job might help me ease my overactive mind and raging hormones. The past few years have been mostly instruction and learning. Small projects and being the glorified maid for the older guys, but I'm beyond grateful for Gav’s direction.

My family and I aren't rolling in money, and it pained me when I would hear them up at night pouring over overdue bills, attempting to budget and still support Oliver, my adopter father’s medical bills. There was nothing I could do as an eleven-year-old boy, but now I'm fourteen and I make ten dollars an hour. Which magically make their way into Myra, my adopted mother’s, pockets each Sunday.

I fill the oil, and toss the empty bottles into the trash. Dragging a cloth from my overalls across my forehead, I close the hood of the car with one hand and begin to clean up my station. I may not be as good as the older guys, but I'm meticulous about cleaning. Gavriel approves, Aedion calls me anal. I walk my things over to the tool bench and put them away. Elia Ashryver stares at me from her perch on the wall. The photo of her, in the signature Elia red overalls, tattoos lining her arms, and elbow-deep in grease, shines from its spot.

Gavriel and Elia Ashryver started this garage decades ago, but it was Elia who roped Gav into it. She was a wild child. The black sheep of her family. Apparently, she was decorated in ink before Gav had even met her in mechanical school. She was top of her class, knowing how to repair anything with an unnatural efficiency. Machines were second nature to her. And Gavriel fell head over heels in love with the cunning woman and post-graduation, the two were hitched and opening their own garage together. Elia’s expertise was the best in Orynth. And their business bloomed. Soon she was pregnant, and the asshole I call my friend was born.

I've heard the story recited over and over from Gav, who revers his wife, but the end of her story was harder to get out of him. Elia struggled after Aedion’s birth. Her Post-Partum Depression lasted longer than the doctor said it might, and she became a different person. She struggled to bring herself out of bed, be with her child, or work with the machines she once loved. And Gav was so caught up in running a business and caring for his son, that he missed the warning signs. Elia Ashryver ended up overdosing not eight months after Aedion was born.

Her picture never collects dust.

I shut the drawers, and make my way to the office, the red overalls I wear drag slightly on the ground around the heels of my work boots. I'll grow into them eventually. I see Aedions boots underneath a Ford Raptor, which is unsurprisingly back for the fourth time in six weeks.

“Turn on the radio on your way out!” He shouts.

“Kay,” I flick the dial and the room fills with the familiar static of the ancient radio, landing on a more common channel playing the ‘top hits’. I recognize the new song from The Archeron Sisters.

Aedions shitty singing fills the room, and I hastily make my way to Gav’s office before I permanently lose my hearing. I rap my knuckles on the frosted door.

“Come in,” The voice inside shouts.

I push the door open, and I'm hit with the heat of the room. “Gods Gav, this place is like a sauna,” I say as I trudge over to the shelf that holds my cash.

He laughs and runs his hands through his shoulder-length hair. “I heard it's good for the skin, keeps me young, or something.” I laugh and turn to face him after I've slipped the cash into my back pocket.

Gavriel’s a handsome man for all the weight he carries. One might think you'd find the lines of his grief over his face, but it's fitted with wrinkles from all the smiling he does. Somehow, Elia’s death doesn't really haunt him, or this garage. How he does it, ill never know.

He leans back and appraises me.

“You look taller than the last time I saw you,” He muses.

“Taller than yesterday?” I smile.

“Maybe a foot of height?”

“Sure Gav”

“Bigger too, been lifting?”

I roll my eyes. “Nope.”

“You gonna join the rugby team? Aedion’s been crawling up the walls with excitement to start.” He shifts forward, tawny eyes boring into me.

I shift in place, uncomfortable. “I’ll see.”

“You’re nervous to go to ORHS, arent you?” He states.

“I'm not nervous.” I scoff.

We stare at each other. And I wait for him to call me out on my bullshit. Sometimes I think Gavriel knows me better than I know myself. He just hums and nods.

“CUSTOMER!” Aedion bellows from the garage.

Gav rises from the worn leather chair. “Go home kid. I'll see you next week.” He says as he passes by me and wanders out of the office.

I sigh, and turn to the other door that leads to the break room and staff parking lot just outside. Swiping a stale donut off the countertop, I trudge over to my pickup truck that's days away from being impounded into some dinosaur museum. Stuffing my face, I hop in and drive home.

#rowaelin au #rowaelin fanfiction #throne of glass #aelin galythinius #high school #heir of fire #aelin x rowan #rowaelin #rowan whitethorn #celaena sardothien #HMLWIYH

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shyvioletcat · 2 years

Text

Set Up - Part 3

Well guys, here we go with another little update. Like... I think this is okay? Sometimes I just can’t tell. As previously mentioned, mature content ahead and this in definitely NSFW.

Masterlist

~~~~~

Aelin woke up tucked into Rowan’s side. They often woke up like that after a night together, it was nice but it wasn’t what they were. They were friends who had great sex, that was all, but it didn’t stop Aelin lingering for a few more comfortable moments before she slipped out of bed into the bathroom. While the water heated Aelin examined herself in the mirror. She looked a perfect mess, her hair tangled and eyes bright despite just waking. The thrill of last night was still thrumming through her veins. Then her eyes travelled lower and Aelin let out a soft gasp.

Oh he was in trouble.

There, at the top swell of her left breast Rowan had left his mark. Once again, Aelin didn’t mind it but she did prefer it in a spot a little more inconspicuous. She’d have to be careful with what she wore today otherwise it might be easily spotted. Having a visible hickey was not exactly the epitome of professionalism. Sighing and pulling out a few knots from her hair, Aelin’s attention went back to the shower. The water had heated by now and she turned the knobs to get it to the right temperature before she stepped under the spray.

It felt divine. The shower head was wide and the pressure near perfect. It was one of those fancy ones that made Aelin want to live in a hotel or maybe just get one installed in her home. She never got around to it though. The water cascaded over her skin and through her hair, and Aelin didn’t waste any time before doing what she needed to do. She had just put in the conditioner and was about to reach for the soap when a rush of cool air hit her back as the shower door creaked open. Aelin smirked, standing a little straighter in anticipation. The door shut, and any chill she felt disappeared and a hard and warm body pressed into her back, skin to skin. Regardless, Aelin just pretended as if she were alone and reached for the body wash.

Rowan beat her to it, one handedly pushing down the pump. “You left me all alone,” he pouted next to her ear.

Aelin was encircled in his arms as he worked up a lather. “Some of us have things to do, people to see.”

Those soapy hands landed on Aelin’s hips and she felt a different kind of hardness press into her as Rowan whispered, “I’d hope that would mean me.”

She couldn’t help the shiver that went through her body despite the heat and steam from the water. Aelin bit her lip as she debated her options. Of course she’d like nothing more than to waste some time with Rowan on such a blissful distraction… but she was meeting her colleague this morning and she shouldn’t be late. And yet the way that Rowan’s hands had started to drift over her was very distracting.

“We don’t have time,” Aelin said, resigned to her miserable fate and got her own handful of soap. “I have to go to work.”

Rowan’s next words were full of confidence as he whispered, “Don’t worry, this won’t take long.”

It happened so quickly. One moment Rowan had been behind her, the next he’d spun her so her back was pressed into the shockingly cold tiles of the wall as he dropped to his knees. Anticipation thrummed through her, waiting and knowing what his next move would be. It didn’t stop her eyes from widening as Rowan ran a hand up her calf to under her knee, winking as he lifted it over his shoulder as water soaked his silver hair. Aelin hadn’t realised she was holding her breath until that godsdamned hand went higher still and finally touched her and made her gasp on over full lungs.

All thoughts flew out of her head then, every single one except for him.

He continued to touch and tease her, all with just his thumb through her folds, making Aelin press her hips into the tiles to ground herself. Then Rowan pressed down on her clit and drew out a lingering touch that made her moan so loud it echoed within the confined space. After that he didn’t bother to waste anymore time —pushing her thigh out wider and replacing his finger with his tongue.

Aelin was panting as Rowan teased her, flicking and sucking over that pleasure point in a way that only he knew how. No one else had this kind of power over her, no one else she had been with was able to work her out so thoroughly. Because Rowan was thorough and precise, and all too quickly she was teetering on that edge of bliss. A hand plunged into his hair to keep him right where he was and her hips rolled of their own accord.

“Ah, oh, Rowan!” Aelin panted. “Right there. It’s right there.”

Rowan hummed something Aelin didn’t have the capacity to hear, but the vibration of it had her groaning out his name again, her head tilting back and she closed her eyes. His grip on her thigh tightened and that had the leg over his shoulder tightening too, urging him closer. If he was quick about it, Aelin would be more than happy to repay the favour, he would deserve it after this. The words saying such were on the tip of her tongue as Aelin peeked her eyes open but the sight before her stunned her to silence.

She hadn’t noticed that Rowan only held her with one hand. The other worked his cock as he worked her with his tongue.

“Ohhh,” Aelin shuddered out as she watched him. From how vigorously his hand twisted and pumped up his hard length Rowan was just as close as she was. He renewed his efforts, swirling his tongue around her clit then sucking hard. Aelin broke, moaning and sighing with every pulse of her orgasm, eyes shut tight. Sated and returning to the world she opened them just in time to see Rowan spill over his hand, his forehead pressed to her lower stomach as he groaned, chest heaving.

For a while they both just stayed as they were, Rowan kneeling with Aelin’s leg thrown over his shoulder as they caught their breaths. She honestly had no idea how she was standing after that, she supposed she had Rowan’s broad shoulder to thank. His head rolled to the side and he let out what she could only describe as a slightly delirious laugh before he looked up at her, smirking with a blush across his cheeks.

“Told you I wouldn’t take long,” he said, easing her leg off his shoulder then stood.

Aelin gave him a bliss ridden smile. “I should never have doubted you.”

Rowan caged her in, elbows resting on the tiles beside her head, and lent in like he was about to kiss her. But he didn’t, and neither did Aelin, instead they just looked at each other. Aelin tilted her head like the change in angle could help her puzzle out the odd tension that has arisen.

“What?” she asked him flatly. “Is there something on my face?”

Rowan chuckled and then finally kissed her. “I just don’t know how I’m supposed to function at work today after that.”

“That was really quite something, wasn't it?” Aelin’s voice took on a reminiscing tone.

“It always is with you.”

“Unfortunately as much as I would like to hang around for a little more of that I have to get to work. Because you know, that is the reason we’re using this fancy shower in the first place,” Aelin said as she ducked under his arm and gave herself another rinse under the water.

Before Rowan could even offer to help, Aelin was done and out of the shower to put an end to the temptations. Rowan stayed in and she tried not to think too hard about what he was doing in there while she dressed. Hand drying her hair the best she could, Aelin was brushing it through when Rowan stepped out of the bathroom wearing nothing but a towel.

“Ugh, that’s not fair,” Aelin groaned.

“I couldn’t exactly help it. My clothes are out here,” the smirk on Rowan’s face was pure arrogance as if knowing how good he looked right now.

Aelin just looked at him, there wasn’t a drop of water on him except what remained in his hair. The man was fit, there was definite definition in the muscles of his chest and stomach. Given the chance she might just stare at the beauty of him all day. Before she could make another poor decision Aelin put her hand up to shield her eyes as she walked past him into the bathroom so she could dry the rest of her hair. The laugh Rowan let out skittered across her skin and Aelin closed the door for good measure.

Hair done and teeth brushed, Aelin left the bathroom and found Rowan sitting on the bed going through his phone. Thankfully he was dressed, except for the few top buttons on his shirt and the loose tie around his neck. Aelin sat in the small chair in the corner of the room to put her shoes on, cursing inwardly when she spied the time in the clock on the bedside table.

“Aedion wants to take you out Friday. That’s the night before you leave right?” Rowan asked, flashing her the thread of the group chat.

“Yeah, my flight leaves early Saturday evening,” Aelin replied.

“Will you go?”

Aelin shrugged. “I haven’t seen my cousin yet, so probably. And it would be good to see the others too. Will you go?”

“With you there I don’t think I have a choice in the matter,” Rowan said with a wry smile.

“True, very true. And who knows what I might get up to after? If you’re not there I might end up bring gods know who home.” The words were meant to be said lightly, but as they left Aelin’s mouth they had a bitter after taste.

Rowan stayed quiet on the matter, just tapped away on his phone instead, and Aelin just ignored everything else besides the time. Most definitely about to run late, she grabbed her own phone and bag and rushed to the door.

“I got to go, but I’ll see you then?“ Aelin said.

Rowan looked up wearing a crooked smile. “Of course.”

Aelin’s smile back was filled with genuine excitement and she didn’t miss the way Rowan’s eyes lit up. Oh, Aelin was in real danger again with that taunting look on his face that all but invited her back onto his arms. She had to force herself to walk right out that door before she changed her mind about pinning him to that bed and stripping him bare. And yet the lure of it was so tempting that she hesitated as the lock clicked.

No, she could not do that. It was likely Dorian was already waiting for her downstairs with her coffee order in hand. She was at the elevator before she had convinced herself fully not to turn around. Aelin had responsibilities and she was seeing Rowan in a couple of nights, it wasn’t that big of a deal. What she needed to do was get her head on straight instead of keeping all muddled because of some really great sex.

One of the bonuses about this hotel is that there was a decent cafe beneath it which made it convenient for morning coffees and quick breakfasts.

Breakfast.

Aelin muttered a curse under her breath and pulled out her phone from her skirt pocket. Ignoring the string of messages in the group chat that Rowan had told her about she opened up his private message thread. He hadn’t messaged her since that first night they had hooked up on this trip which had been just a simple confirmation of time and location. She quickly sent off a quick text, breathing in the sweet aromas of pastries and hot drinks.

>> Wait, breakfast. We were meant to have breakfast.

Aelin kept her phone in her hand as she looked around the cafe for her colleague and she soon saw him waiting at a standing table. No drinks yet, but from the eye he kept on the service counter Aelin assumed he was just waiting for them. She made her way over, weaving through the other customers.

“Good morning,” Dorian said smoothly.

“Morning,” Aelin replied.

“Sleep well?” He asked.

“I did.”

Dorian pushed over a paper bag and Aelin’s stomach grumbled in response.

“I got you a little something to go with that sickly sweet drink you insist on,” Dorian explained. “Just in case you already ate everything in your bar fridge.”

Aelin snorted, she’d barely had a chance to open in and she certainly was fairly distracted last night as well. Inside the bag was a fluffy croissant and there was certainly no hesitation now as she tore a corner off it and stuffed it into her mouth. She hadn’t realised how famished she was until the buttery goodness melted on her tongue.

“Dorian?”

The server called out Dorian’s name and he left to pick up the order. Just then Aelin’s phone buzzed from where it now sat on the table and she picked it up, leaning her elbows on the table. She opened the message, the reply was just the smirking emoji—conveying everything it needed to. Rowan didn’t often use emojis but when he did, he did it was executed flawlessly. Aelin laughed, bottom lip tucking beneath her teeth as she started to formulate a witty and suggestive reply when Dorian returned.

“Who’s got you acting so cheery? Does that have anything to do with the hickey on your boob?” Dorian’s eyes held promises of more teasing as they peered over his coffee cup.

Aelin glanced down to her chest and found that with how she was positioned her shirt had gaped and the mark Rowan had left on her could be seen. Straightening, she fiddled with her collar and took a sip of her own drink.

“I thought we were past you looking at my cleavage,” Aelin said.

“It’s hard not to miss. I thought it was a growth, a real health concern,” the man across from her countered.

Aelin made an indignant noise but her lips still pulled into a smile.

Dorian grinned. “That good, huh?”

Laughing again, Aelin pocketed her phone and picked up her on the go breakfast and nudged Dorian playfully as she walked past him. “Come on, we have work to do.”

~~~~~

Rowan kept back as he watched Aelin and the man walk away, practically arm in arm. Aelin hadn’t noticed him by the elevator and he didn’t make a move to draw attention to himself. After taking his time getting ready, Rowan didn’t want to intrude on whatever was going on. It was easy enough to assume that maybe this man was a colleague, but at the same time he and Aelin seemed to be more than that. He shook his head, he was being stupid.

What he and Aelin had was casual, it only existed when they were in the same city. If Aelin wanted to see someone else in the meantime, who was he to stop her? Rowan had no claim to her beyond friendship and the extra benefits they had. That was no reason to be jealous.

Rowan walked into the cafe and got straight into the line. He would be pushing it to get to work on time if he dallied much longer, so he’d grab a coffee and something from the display then eat in the car. As he waited to be served Rowan thought about his reaction just now. He wasn’t jealous, he didn’t get jealous. It was just a surprise to see Aelin with someone, then one thought had led to another and maybe it just unnerved him a little.

That was it, he wasn’t keen to lose what they had. If Aelin decided that she wanted to see someone else seriously of course he would be disappointed. That was all.

Apparently that new realisation didn’t do much to improve his mood, and his friends were quick to notice. Rowan was working on a sketch on his tablet in the break room when Lorcan and Fenrys walked in one after the other. Rowan didn’t acknowledge them, too absorbed in his work and not in the mood for conversation.

“Guess Whitethorn is in a mood,” Fenrys called him out without fanfare.

“I’m not in a mood,” Rowan replied, no inflection in his voice.

“Oh, okay. I believe you,” Fenrys said, each word coated in sarcasm as he sat down at the table. “Maybe if you just broke out of this dry spell you’re in and got laid things might be better.”

Rowan’s head snapped up and he levelled a glare at the man that had spoken. “Since when is that any of your business?”

“Deflection,” Fenrys declared loudly. “Classic sign that you’re not getting any.”

“Oh, no,” Lorcan took a seat as well. “He is getting lucky. I can tell.”

“How?” Fenrys asked.

Lorcan just shrugged and opened his lunch. Fenrys turned back to Rowan, getting ready to grill him some more when a phone went off. Blessedly it was Rowan’s.

“I have to take this,” Rowan said, leaving and answering his phone on the way back to his office. “Hello.”

“Hi, Rowan,” his mother said. “How’s your day?”

“It’s alright,” Rowan replied.

“I hope this doesn’t ruin it, but I can’t make it to the theatre tonight. I’ve got a bit of a tickle in my throat and I don’t want to risk you getting sick or making it worse in the cold night air,” Iris explained.

“That’s fine, Mam,” Rowan assured her.

“Please go still, I know you wanted to see it. I’ll see if I can get your father to go. Just meet him at the box office.”

“Yeah, that sounds good,” Rowan said. “I have to get back to work, but I’ll call you later.”

“Bye, then. And have fun.”

They said their final goodbyes and Rowan hung up. He would still go, it offered a distraction without plans with Aelin tonight. After his thoughts of today he didn’t want to seem too keen and chase after her again tonight, and the fact that she hadn’t suggested anything usually indicated that she already had plans herself. With or without her, Rowan planned on enjoying his night.

~~~~~

Aelin crossed her arms over her chest trying to stave off some of the chill in the wind. There were people everywhere, so they at least blocked some of it from reaching her. She was outside the most popular theatre in the city waiting for her mother to get here so she could get her ticket and get inside. When Aelin had mentioned she’d be in Orynth Evalin had insisted they see a show and bought tickets before she could protest in the slightest. Which she wouldn’t have, she wanted to see it and the show wasn’t about to leave Orynth any time soon.

All she wished was that her mother would hurry so that her stockinged legs could get a little warmer. Aelin unlaced her arms and shoved her hands in her pockets just as her phone started ringing. Fishing it out, Aelin checked the screen before answering.

“Speak of the devil,” she muttered before putting the phone to her ear. “Hello, Mum.”

“Hi, Aelin,” Evalin said on the other side.

“Are you almost here?” Aelin shivered and another gust of wind chilled her.

“Mm, unfortunately no. Your father needs help with something and I can’t make it,” her mother said. “But good news! I found someone to take my ticket.”

Aelin groaned. “It’s not Aedion is it? He hates these kinds of things.”

“No, not him,” Evalin said and Aelin detected a hint of mischief.

“Mother, who is it?”

“Oh, you’ll know them when you see them. Now, I’ve got to go, enjoy the show Fireheart.”

Aelin didn’t even have a chance to say goodbye to her mother before the line cut out, leaving her staring at her blank phone screen. That had been an odd conversation, and the hasty hang up even stranger. Then Aelin turned as saw a head of silver hair towering above everyone else. She tipped her head back and laughed. It seemed the mothers had not finished with their meddling.

~~~~~

A laugh Rowan could have recognised anywhere caught his attention and he saw Aelin standing under the theatre’s outdoor lights. Her head was tipped back and he watched the joy light up her face. From the way she looked right at him after she was done laughing it was obvious that she knew he was there. She walked towards him and they met halfway.

“Let me guess, your mum couldn’t make it?” She asked him.

“How did you—“ then it dawned on him. “They’re not giving up are they?”

Aelin laughed again, shaking her head again. “It seems not. Well, might as well not waste the tickets. Come on, I’m freezing my ass off out here,” she led the way to the box office and Rowan willingly followed. He wasn’t about to pass up the chance to spend another evening with Aelin.

“Hi, we’re after two tickets. Either under Galathynius or Whitethorn, we’re not exactly sure,” Aelin told the woman in the booth.

“One second, I’ll just check. Ah, here we are. Two for Galathynius.”

The woman passed Aelin the tickets. “Thanks for that.”

Aelin hurried inside and he could immediately see the way she relaxed once the warmth hit them. She was looking at the tickets when she laughed again, holding up a slip of paper he couldn’t read. There was no further explanation before she was moving through the crowd again and towards the bar.

“Turns out there was a drink voucher with our tickets,” Aelin said once they got to the bar and handed over the paper to the bartender. A few moments later the bartender returned and put two glasses of white wine in front of them. “Here’s to meddlesome mothers”

Rowan tinked his glass with Aelin’s raised one. “Cheers.”

They both sipped at their wine for a while and didn’t say much else. Amusement still lit Aelin’s eyes and a rosy flush from the cold was still in her checks, and under the soft lighting he looked absolutely stunning. Unable to help it Rowan moved closer, brushing away her hair that was caught on her collar.

“You look beautiful tonight,” Rowan said.

“Tonight?” She raised a brow at him. “Does that mean there are times I don’t?”

“Don’t twist my words like that,” Rowan said softly.

“Whyever not? I’ve always enjoyed ruffling your feathers,” Aelin teased. “And it always works out so well for me.”

“Is that so?” Gods, this woman had a hold over him, and she was right about ruffling his feathers. She was winding him up right now.

“Yep, every single time.”

The lights above them dimmed in and out, along with a chiming bell, indicating it was time for them to take their seats.

“Come on, Buzzard, let’s go find our seats,” Aelin said.

The mothers hand skimped on the tickets. They were near the front, not front row but close enough that Rowan knew the seats weren’t cheap. Aelin looked utterly delighted by it all as she spun to take in the space. Rowan helped her out of her jacket and took off his own before he sat down.

“Well, if this was a date I’d be very impressed,” Aelin looked around the theatre again. “Keep that in mind for one day when you need it.”

That little comment got Rowan thinking, those thoughts from earlier popping up again. “Aelin, can I ask you something?”

“Better be quick about it,” she said as she took her jacket back.

“Are you…” luckily for him an odd warm up note from the pit covered his stumbling. “Do you see anyone in between, well, this?”

She gave him a quizzical look. “Can’t say that I do. Don’t have the time.”

Some tightness that had been in Rowan’s chest all day loosened, he wasn’t ashamed to admit he was glad to hear it.

“Do you?” Aelin shot back at him.

Even as the lights dimmed she kept his eyes on him and as the orchestra started up all he did was shake his head. She gave him another one of her smiles before turning to the stage. The performance played out before them and more than once Rowan found himself looking at Aelin instead, watching the awe and elation on her face. He knew Aelin loved live performances, she had since college and this wasn’t the first one she’d dragged him to.

Through intermission they chatted, and by all appearances it was just two friends politely chatting if it weren’t for the sly patterns Aelin was drawing on his knee. When the lights dimmed again, she used that split second where their eyes needed to adjust to the sudden darkness to run her hand inappropriately high. Rowan jumped in his seat while Aelin kept up her facade of innocence.

That was enough of a promise for Aelin’s later intentions that Rowan was even more distracted throughout the second act. Would Aelin invite him back to her place tonight? Rowan hadn’t driven tonight so he didn’t have his car which would make getting to work the next day a bit of a pain, but realistically it wasn’t that he minded. Not when Aelin was here for only a few more nights.

Rowan got his answer when the performance ended and Aelin slipped her jacket on with a certain kind of look in her eye that he was all too familiar with.

“My place again?” She asked.

“I was hoping you’d say that,” Rowan replied.

After a short cab ride, and an even shorter trip in the elevator, they were in Aelin’s luxurious suite and her mouth was on his. Rowan had shed his own jacket as soon as they had walked in the door and now he was helping Aelin be rid of hers. Both were left in the sitting area and it gave him the freedom to run his hands down to her thighs, urging Aelin to jump into his arms. As Rowan carried her to the bedroom she ran hand through his hair and over his shoulders.

“This is taking too long,” Aelin nearly whined.

Rowan grinned. “Sorry, shall we get on with it then?”

Without ceremony he dropped her on the bed making her gasp as she bounced. True to his word, Rowan didn’t waste any time before he was stripping off—Aelin doing the same. He watched her, eager to see every inch of skin that was revealed. The dress was first, then the satiny slip she wore beneath and then her bra. When the latter of those items was removed his cock twitched as more of his blood travelled south. This morning hadn’t nearly been enough, all day he had been craving more of her.

“Damned stockings,” Aelin muttered as she got off the bed. “Necessary but so unsexy to take off.”

Giving her the privacy she didn’t directly ask for, Rowan only saw her take them off out of the corner of his eye while he got rid of his pants. When they were both naked Rowan gathered Aelin to him as close as they could get. The feel of her was intoxicating, kissing her made him breathless in the best kind of way. He was backing her onto the bed when she put a hand on his chest to stop him.

“Turn around,” Aelin told him, her voice huskier now.

Rowan complied, his hands roaming as he did. He sat on the bed urged by a gentle push from Aelin on his shoulders. All she did was give him a wicked smile as slowly but deliberately straddled his hips.

“This okay?” She asked him, her hips rolling over the length of him.

Rowan groaned at the sensation, and nodded furiously. “More than okay.”

Aelin’s hands cupped his face and angled it for an all consuming kiss. Rowan struggled to keep himself together while Aelin moved on him, gasping into his mouth when she hit that perfect spot. His hand stayed on her waist, fingers tightening as his resolve started to slip.

“Please, Aelin,” he whispered on the skin of her neck. “Let me touch you while you ride me.”

Aelin shuddered at his words and she was the one to reach between them and with one last roll of her hips he was buried inside her. Those first few moments where they were joined completely always felt incredible and Rowan took a moment just to indulge in it. Aelin was too, he could tell from how her eyes were screwed shut and how still she was. Then she started moving and that all too familiar need took over.

Rowan’s hands roamed familiar paths as Aelin writhed on him, eventually cupping her breast. As he ran his thumbs over her peaked nipples a blissed out smile formed on her lips. She felt perfect, gods this woman was perfect, every inch of her. This week was slipping through his fingers too quickly, he didn’t know how he was supposed to—

Suddenly Rowan felt her tighten, every part of her over and around him, wiping all other thoughts from his mind. Aelin’s hips faltered, too lost it whatever sensations were overwhelming her and lost the hypnotic rhythm she had set. Rowan would not leave her wanting, with one hand on her hip and the other on her ass, he continued to move her in a steady grind.

Aelin moaned lowly, leaning back and arching. That view of her lost in pleasure would haunt him for a while and Rowan would be glad of it. Her nails bit into his shoulder with one hand while the other raked down his chest. That had his hips bucking up of their own accord, had him moaning Aelin’s name like a prayer.

“Do it again,” she begged him.

So he did, they were both one track minded after that, chasing that high. Aelin broke first, stilling for a moment before crying out and holding onto Rowan with a desperate grasp. He wasn’t far behind, the sounds she made pushing him over the edge. Both satisfied, Rowan just held Aelin to him as they caught up to the real world.

Aelin was still trembling when she said, “Remind me again why I leave over and over again?”

Stroking his hands down her back, Rowan didn’t know how to answer. He was too busy asking himself the same question.

~~~~~

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#roawelin fanfiction #throne of glass fanfiction

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pvrkacciosan · 9 months

Text

The Heart of the Lioness: ☽⋆22⋆☾

Bridges Must Burn

The Heart of the Lioness Masterlist

Previous Part

It felt thrilling to fulfill Aelin's requests, working through each one with silent efficiency as they sailed along Eyllwe's burning coastline. The sight had been a struck up side the head of sorts, but there was planning to be done, a very little time to do it.

They had already left the ship, and Brielle managed to send her final letter before they departed, now three days in and Brielle was overheating to no end.

After being attacked by marsh creatures and sweating to the point of discomfort, she was ready to backtrack to the ship, but the promise of securing this lock for Aelin kept her moving forward. Legs burning from the strain, she often trailed further ahead, scouting out. Vera and Alexi were panned out about a hundred metres on either side of her. Alexi had dipped behind a small hill to her right, but she could still track Vera's movement as she trudged over the uneven ground.

They were quiet and fast moving, the first line of defence, Brielle could sense Rowan trailing in front of the group; inline behind, tracking her signals. No dismissal to Rowan's experience, but scouting like this is what she had trained her Pride to do on a daily basis, so the male hadn't argued when she offered her spies as scouts.

When she could see the emergence of a ruined structure, the crumbling pillars and withering ground spanning across the horizon, Brielle slowed, fanning her magic out to reach her spies. Slowing them to fall back to her position. They arrived about the same time, as the rest of the group caught up.

Rowan in bird form, shifted as he made contact with solid ground, stepping to Aelin's side.

"This whole place is too quiet," Rowan turned and watched when Brielle shot her magic out to scour for any living bodies, besides the few marsh creatures her senses were blind.

"I probed the area but... nothing" Rowan confirmed.

Brielle caught the movement when her nephew drew the sword off his back . "We'll circle the perimeter, making smaller passes until we get up to the building itself. No surprises."

Lysandra moved back from the group, to give herself some space to shift safely "I'll take the water-if you hear two roars, get to higher ground. One quick roar, and it's all clear"

Her body quickly, was exchanged from scales and claws, and she slid silently into the water, Rowan looked at Fenrys and Gavriel, who both shifted quickly, Going to follow suit, Brielle turned to where Alexi and Vera stood near the others.

"Scour out, I want distance." they both nodded and moved off, their footfall near impossible to trace.

Quickly shifting, Brielle prowled past the four royals, feeling each of their gazes trail her. She caught Gavriel as he followed his son, the familiar White wolf moving off in the other direction; she followed.

A few paced behind, until Fenrys noticed her approach and slowed, taking a second to examine their surroundings. When she came to the sides of him, he allowed her to pass a little in the front, protecting her blind side. Despite her being more than capable of defending herself, she felt the bloom in her chest, mind reeling from his closeness.

She had to focus, pushing the certainly intriguing thoughts away, Brielle focused on smelling, seeing and hearing anything around them. Checking every small crook and broken wall which could hide the linger presence which could threaten their approach towards the centre of the complex.

When she slowed to trail a scent lingering, Brielle felt Fenrys stop beside her, so close the fur of his coat brushed into hers, he scanned around them whilst she was distracted, the scent faded until it was too faint to detect, even with the heightened senses.

As they continued on, side by side they both froze when they felt it, the dark accumulation of power that surged towards them in waves, the energy was sharp and alarming. A warning.

One they all knew too well, Brielle's heart leapt into her throat, at his approach. beneath the lining of her golden fur, she could feel the itch forcing its way back to the surface.

Fenrys emitted a low mewl to attract her attention, she turned her head to him, solidifying what they both already knew. Lorcan was here, somewhere in the marshes, coming at them fast.

They needed to find the others, quickening into a pace they both stopped once more when they rounded a corner to take in the aerial legion approaching like a dark glooming cloud of shadows and death personified.

Wordlessly they ventured closer to the centre of the complex, where they could sense the others gathering, panic beat in Brielle's throat, she couldn't pick up on her spies, and the fast approaching presence of Lorcan was weighting heavier on her with each second,

Fenrys was tense beside her as they both shifted into their Fae bodies, he clasped her hand, pulling her to him in one swift movement, until their shoulders brushed.

He and Gavriel would both be feeling the presence of Maeve's kill order which was like a price over Lorcan's head. The itch began to burn the skin beneath her sleeve, ignoring it was easier than expected as the group corralled into the complex.

Looking skyward, the looming darkness of Ilken flapped towards them, their leathery wings beating in tandem. Brielle tightened her grip, Fenrys reciprocated it.

"We'll use the ruin to our advantage. Force them to bottleneck in key areas."

Brielle heard Rowan's words, but couldn't look away from the legion, not as they only seemed to speed up as time slowed down. The palm of her hand grew cold, as Fenrys pulled from her grip, to tie back the growing lengths of his hair. Brielle watched him, as she so often did.

"We divide it up, take them out. Before they can get close enough. While they're still in the air." he began to fidget beside his mate, rolling out his muscles and tapping his foot.

There was no hiding what was bothering him, the Blood Oath was a never ending tug that gnaws at your ever sense until there is nothing else but a taut line which could shatter at any second. Brielle worriedly shot a look over her shoulder to Gavriel, who despite his body being relaxed his eyes were squeezed shut in concentration. As though sensing his sisters stare at him, he opens an eye, catching her worry.

His chest heaved but he moved closer, until he was beside her, if simply to let her know that despite the effort of the Oath; he was not going anywhere yet.

Brielle tuned back into the surrounding conversation as Aelin's sharp stare leveled at her cousin.

"You blame me for this?" her voice was a hiss of hot air,

"We should have stayed in the North." Aedion's expression had darkened to glare at his Queen, seemingly forgetting she was just that.

"I had no choice, I'll have you remember"

Although not being there, Brielle knew of which meeting Aelin referred to,

"You did." Came Aedion's retort, "You've had a choice all along, and you opted to flash your magic around." his voice was venom in its own right, but something in Brielle couldn't help but grow in defence of the young Fae female.

Aelin's expression shifted to fire and rage as she stepped up to her cousin, "So I guess the 'You're perfect' stage is over, then."

Aedion's lip curled back in an expression that was once more so inheritably Gavriel that Brielle's breath staggered.

"This isn't a game. This is war , and you pushed and pushed Erawan to show his hand. You refused to run your schemes by us first, to let us weigh in, when we have fought wars-"

Those words were like alarm bells, bleating loudly in her head, over the centuries she had amounted to many mistakes whilst arguing, and none like this ever ended well. Shrugging off Fenrys's grip as she stalked closer to the Aelin and her nephew.

"Don't you dare pin this on me."

Brielle didn't stop her approach,

"This isn't the time" Gavriel voiced, eyes trailing his sister as she stalked closer to his son as though he was her next target, his voice his only advance to stop her from pouncing, Aedion whirled in his direction, throwing out a hand as an order for his father to shut his gods damned mouth, when he did, Aedion's expression faltered before it hardened once more, when he finally spotted his aunt coming closer.

Choosing to ignore her as he turned back to Aelin,

"Where are our allies, Aelin? Where are our armies? All we have to show for our efforts is a Pirate Lord who might very well change his mind if he heard about this from the wrong lips"

Aedion didn't get a second longer to look at his cousin, as Brielle stepped into his line of sight, Blocking Aelin entirely from view. Head tilted down to reduce her gaze to glaring through her lashes.

"Alright, That's enough." Aedion stepped closer, squaring out his shoulders as he glowered down at her. He may be Brielle's own flesh and blood, but unlike her brother she had no issue with putting him back in his place, boxing back in the chip on his shoulder.

Brielle need not use more words; not as every ounce of her power manifested around her, making it as though Aedion's vision blackened at the edges, robbing him of sight, There was a panicked gasp from him, and only when he backed up a step did Brielle lift her head and release him.

"I don't like repeating myself, Nephew."

There was a childish placement in his eyes, he may be close to Aelin, But he needed a reminder of just who his cousin kept for company, whose help she had enlisted when she needed it most.

Aelin was silent behind her, but Brielle didn't miss the hidden thanks and message in her stare. Brielle of all people knew what it was like to keep secret such as this, knew exactly how it would be eating Aelin live inside, to not even tell Rowan.

As though an unspoken reminder to herself, Brielle met Fenrys' line of sight,

"If we're going to stand a chance we need to get into position." Rowan, perhaps the most level-headed of them in that moment, nodded to Brielle and spoke softly,

Aelin, despite the embers dancing at her finger tips, dipped back into the killing calm, she always seemed to wrap around her senses, a deathly poise of action.

"We do this together." She ignored the stares they all shot her way, "Magic might not last against them. But steel will." she jerked her head to Rowan, and then after a second; Aedion. The simple command following a second later, "Plan it."

Brielle stopped next to Fenrys, Pushing her side into his, for warmth. Rowan moved to Aelin, now that Brielle cleared from her side, getting his hand to her lower back.

"How many arrows?"

Gavriel was flexing his straining fist, "Ten quivers, fully stocked."

When Lysandra emerged onto the bank, Aelin moved to her, and seemed to block out the males as the continued planning, Brielle offered small inputs, earning the attention of Aedion who watched when she spoke, he was more silent after their previous interaction, but something new flashed in his expression.

They were still planning when Brielle felt the body beside her lean closer still, felt the warmth of his breath behind her ear before he spoke. "I don't know what you did." His hand bunched into her waist, "But you being protective like that is hot." A tight smile graced her lips, her hand rising to rub at his which still gripped tightly to the bone of her hip, she rubbed a thumb over the ridges of his knuckle,

He sighed against her skin, before leaving a feather light kiss to the space behind her ear, inclining her head to give him perfect access.

"You three herd them- to us" when the coupe realised, Rowan was including them, they pulled from each other slightly. Not missing the way, Gavriel rolled his eyes their way,

"Care to listen, you know, So we don't die" he chimed lightly, Brielle flipped her brother off with a smirk.

"And you lot?" Aedion seemed content to ignore his blood relatives for the time being, focusing on sizing up the group as a whole with his stare.

"I get the first shot."

Rowan inclined his head to Aelin when she spoke, "My lady wants the first shot. She gets the first shot. And when they're scattering in a blind panic, we come in." Rowan's words were clear as starlight on an unclouded night.

"Don't miss this time" Aedion snarked to Aelin as everyone began gathering weapons for themselves in preparation,

"Asshole" came Aelin's reply, the group moved around,

Brielle casts her gaze to Rowan as he moves to Dorian's side, "Short bursts, Find your target- the centre of the group - and use only what magic is necessary, Don't waste it all at once. Aim for the heads, if you can."

Even as Rowan's words rung truth, Dorian shifted nervously, "What about once they start landing?" Rowan, as though sensing her stare, caught Brielle's eye, as he turned to respond to the young king.

"Shield yourself, attack when you can. Keep the wall at your back at all times" Dorian's reply was almost instantaneous.

"I won't be his prisoner again."

The air was ice cold with the possibility that any of them would suffer that of which the king had already endured. A movement atop the crumbling ruin wall, drifted their attention as Manon leaned to chime in,

"If it comes to that, Princeling, I'll kill you before they do."

Aelin spun, "You will do no such thing." the command had a glare shooting from the Witch. Brielle couldn't let this happen, not here, not now.

Ripping into each other was not the way to go, not if they needed each other to survive. Angling her head to Dorian, she traded her expression to one that forecasted nothing but her conviction, Sensing her impending speak, the three royals hushed,

"That won't be necessary," flicking her stare to Manon, the Witch tilted her head, Brielle blinked her stare back to the King, "Because I'm not going to let them reach the ground; not alive anyway."

Dorian held her stare for a few seconds longer, taking the moment to puzzle out exactly what the commander meant, from the stories he was told as a child, one could only imagine.

"Thank you." Dorian's words signals the group's movement, as everyone shifts to collect their weapons, mentally preparing themselves for the fight ahead.

Brielle watched as Aelin moved for the water's edge, Rowan following her pace. Turning around in her mate's arms, Brielle fumbles to secure her hold against him, but the shake in her hands withered her every attempt.

Fenrys released a sigh as he watched the others, over her shoulder, as they began to move into position.

"Fen. . ." It had been so long since they had fought side by side, they had been doing this for decades, and putting on a brave face was far easier than facing the reality that one of them might not walk away. It had become a habit to ignore what she did not have to face. But now, with him here...

He clasped the sides of her face, no words being passed, he simply inclined his head down to rest it against hers. When she closed her eyes, she missed as he continued to watch her, admiring everything he could before they pulled away,

"I reinstate my comment of hating couples." an approaching voice had them pulling away, despite the tugging in her gut to not let go,

Alexi's lanky figure moved closer still, "Where you want me, Commander?"

Narrowing her eyes, she smirked, plucking her own bow up from the ground, she held it out to her spy, Alexi frowned before taking it,

"Up you go." her words seemed to spark confusion within him, turning slightly, Brielle peered up towards where Manon stood tall, despite her gaze fixating on the oncoming legion, Brielle knew the female was listening in,

Alexi's eyes widened, "Brie- Commander," his eyes were pleading, but he still moved towards the wall, when she didn't respond, Alexi swung the bow onto his back, and began the short climb,

Brielle watched as he situated himself away from the Blackbeak-Crochan heir, body stiff as he began to toy with the feathered fletchings on the ends of the arrows. There wasn't any more time to find the amusement in Alexi's fear of the Ironteeth, or in-fact ponder on where exactly Vera had stalked off to, not as Aelin wandered closer to the field which would lay her exposed to the Ilken.

A kiss was pressed into her temple, as Fenrys also moved off quickly to take his place in the reeds.

Catching onto the young queen's movement out onto the plain, Brielle moved towards where Rowan stood.

"He's here" Rowan wasn't referring to the Ilken, but in-fact their old companion, Lorcan. His approach meant many things for the group, Brielle said nothing to her friend, not even when she could sense Rowan looking at her.

"Bri-"

"Don't say anything," Rowan's expression twitched when she turned her head to meet his stare, she couldn't cloud her judgement right now. Not when she needed to focus.

Stepping forward to following Aelin onto the plain, she was stopped when Rowan reached for her, "You shouldn't go out there,"

"You will thank me for this." he released his grip, Brielle turning back around, "Please remember your promise" she only allowed her mask to crack for a second, Rowan's chest rose as he inhaled, nodded he didn't attempt to stop her again when she turned back around.

Even at her approach, Brielle could sense Aelin's magic, the air around them warming in answer to her call. Even from this distance, Brielle could feel the eyes of her nephew, mate and brother tracking her from where they all hide in the reeds. Hidden from the view of the horde flying straight for the two Fae females.

Brielle stopped a few paces back from Aelin, and got to work. There was no hiding that Aelin had been conserving as much of her power as possible, and good thing she had. But that put her at risk of a burnout if she moved her magic too quickly.

Brielle began to concentrate, as the air grew hotter, she pushed her magic outwards, wrapping it around Aelin's body, around them Brielle could sense the faint noise as Lysandra riled up the nesting sites of the marshes creatures,

Paying little mind to it, Brielle focused on Aelin, on the Queen's internal inferno. The magic was battling with her, the pressure was rising within Aelin. If she was going to hold out long enough to defend them all, Brielle needed to make sure Aelin stood long enough to let out every last ember.

As the burnout was rising, the pressure pushing Aelin's body to breaking point, Brielle got to work, forcing the cells to repair themselves, using her own magic to keep Aelin steady enough to continue rolling out the inferno.

So when the rain of arrows came down from the male hiding in the reeds, Aelin was ready. They both were. Ready to make Morath scream.

☽⋆❈⋆☾

Merle was a few paced behind Lorcan and the young women, Elide. As they ventured up the incline, Both women being rushed on by the demi-fae male, who seemed to be on a death streak.

She felt the temperature shift in the air, as the metal mask covering half her face began to heat, Lorcan had stopped at the edge of the hill, looking upon the valley in the marshes.

Merle jogged the last few steps, jerking to a stop beside him.

The sky was darkening, descending upon a ruin, they had tracked the aerial legion for hours as they tried to warn the young fae queen of fire.

The female didn't seem to back down, not as Merle could just see her figure standing at the head of a group, another very familiar female behind her. The Lioness.

"Merle!" a feminine voice yelled, a body racing up the hill towards them, her expression frenzied.

"Get down!" she shot a panicked look back to where the heat was emanating,

Lorcan seemed to get the idea as he threw himself down on top of Elide his shield being spung up around them, Two second later Merle didn't even get a word in to Vera, as the half fae female tackled the fellow Pride member to the ground as the whole world erupted into fire.

☽⋆❈⋆☾

Brielle kept the grip of Aelin's body with her magic, keeping the burnout from completely consuming her friend, where the young queen's body lacked and fought to stay standing, Brielle fortified her strength by giving up her own.

The own thrum of her blood pounding in her head, there was nothing else as she split her magic into two. When Aelin's fire began to slow, Brielle could already sense the impending power of Dorian ad Rowan as they too prepared to rip the Ilken to pieces,

Stalking closer, Brielle waited for the Ilken to drop low enough, that's all she would need. She knew Rowan and Dorian could cover the sides, ash was bellowing down from the sky, Keeping a loose leash of her magic wrapped around Aelin to keep her standing, She focused the rest on the remaining Ilken.

The second one flew down from the rest of the pack, the few stragglers struggling to stay in the air, bracing her feet at a width apart, Brielle wasted not a second more, before blasting her magic straight for the lone Ilken.

The sheer force of the strike itself could have been enough to knock the beast straight from the sky, but she was not finished with it yet, and as a second one dropped, she shot out another string of power.

Once she got into its system to begin work, she could just disintegrate their insides until there was nothing left, but that wasn't deserving enough. It was like seeing a picture in her mind, felt around with her magic as she went straight to the muscles of their wings. Felt out the taught ligaments and tendons that held the appendage to their bodies.

Constricting the joint at where it connected to their backs, she could hear their inhuman growls of pain as she completely severed the connection. The leathery wings fell away as they tumbled downwards. Pouring every ounce she could, Brielle filled its body with so much of her magic until its body simply could not contend with the pressure that was rising inside it. It imploded mid air.

The wind and ice of Dorian and Rowan pulled back, leaving only her to contend with the few left in the air, repeating the action, of ripping the wings off their back then letting the pressure do the rest of the work. She imagined it might feel like their insides were swelling until they exploded. Their blood and misshapen insides joining the piles of ash their brethren left behind.

☽⋆❈⋆☾

Merle could sense the magic of Vera's power around them, the shield buzzing, like the sound of her lightening, being one of the Wandering Spy members of the Pride Vera had come to Merle more times than once, to seek information, protection, help.

Their network was endless, It was good to finally see one another again, the family slowly making their way back to one another, her chest constricted at the thought. Perhaps her mind running along the same line, Vera's arm tightening around her.

When the heat died down suddenly, and the sound of Lorcan rising up from Elide's form, Vera finally dropped her own shield. Looking upon the outcast commander of Maeve's Cadre.

"Who are you?" he jerked his chin at Vera, she smiled at him, propping herself up. She simply held up her left wrist, where the imprint of the Prides symbol lay tattooed against her skin. The Lionesses's Paw.

Lorcan's head lowered down, "So there's more of you."

"Well you are old enough to have heard our stories."

Lorcan's head snapped upwards at her words, glowering at her. Merle struggled to hide her smile, just as Vera shot a kiss to the male. Elide laughed under her breath as Lorcan rose, and offered a hand to her.

Vera and Merle got themselves up quickly, both turning to intake the carnage which is now laid across the marshes. There was light conversation passed between the others as the two spies followed them, going down the hillside towards the group, the Terrasen royal had assembled, amongst that group, their own Commander.

They trailed behind the two at a distance, watching them from afar. Until Elide stopped, Merle reached for the small blade at her hip, as Vera stopped tilting her head to listen.

There was something in the grass with them, stalking through the reeds, following.

That was when the beast burst from the reeds closer to Elide, A golden mountain Lion, at first Merle's wanted to leap in excitement, but this was not their commander. The build was too big, Unless she had grown her Lioness form since their last meeting. Merle doubted it of course,

Elide screamed for Lorcan as she ran for him, sensing the panic the two spies took off after the pair, they leveled pace with Elide as the Lion sprung at Lorcan, when the Lion made contact, it took them both to the ground. Lorcan's mighty frame went down like it was nothing.

The Male and Lion tumbled across the ground, Until Lorcan managed to throw the beast off, blood streaking from his limbs.

That was when Merle tracked the white flash, She knew that wolf. Vera was still beside her, as they raced after Elide who had now ducked down behind, well rather fell between two mounds of earth.

Even as they moved they both kept eyes on the fighting bodies, looking for weakness and preferred fighting stances, and the wolf continued to leap between spaces, only confirming Merle's suspicion of who exactly the wolf was.

Even with their trained reaction time, neither spy had time to stop Elide as she surged up over the hill, when the wolf circled around the back of Lorcan, the male too preoccupied with the Lion at his front to pay mind to the wolf that now launched for his exposed back,

The human girl hurled herself into his back just as the Wolf's row of white teeth clamped down on her arm. The two spies, rounded up, following Elide's track, she landed on top of Lorcan when the both fell, His shield flickering up around them.

He flipped the girl over, "ElideElideElide-" she was struggling for a breath, in panic or pain, it wasn't clear.

Lorcan was gripping her face in an frantic blindness that gave him all the composition of a flabberinf fish out of water. "Why did you do that? Why?"

Merle's breath lodged in her throat when she saw the extent of the damage done to her arm, Lorcan whipped his head up so violently it was an amazement that his head didn't snap clean off his neck.

"You're dead, you're both dead-"

There was a flash of light, and in an instant the white wolf shifted to the face every member of the Pride knew. Knew the face of the male who brought their commander the peace and love she so often deserved.

"Lorcan, we were ordered," the voice of the Lion filled the air around them, he made a quick note of the two spies now standing there, dipped his head to them.

"Damn your orders to hell, you stupid bastard-"

Fenrys response was sharp, "We can't fight against the command much longer, Lorcan-"

Gavriel inched closer carefully, "Put the shield down, I can heal the girl, let her get away" his tone was calm despite the situation.

Vera froze beside her, from the corner of her eye, Merle tracked as Vera signed to her. The small gestures made up with slight movements of her hands, so fine that any none pride member wouldn't have been able to detect them as something to note.

There were others approaching, Vera could sense them. Looking on at the makes, she doubted any of them would notice. Especially as Lorcan dropped his shield.

Gavriel hurried forward, grabbing for Elide he pulled her off Lorcan's lap, the other male rose.

Vera crept off towards where Merle presumed she could sense the others coming. Merle moved closer to Gavriel and Elide. Ready to grab the girl and remove her from harms way once her arm was healed enough to not kill her.

Lorcan has risen and when he finally faced Fenrys once more they leash finally snapped.

☽⋆❈⋆☾

Brielle rushed after Rowan, knowing full well where he was going.

However as Whitethorn got ahead, a body slunk out from seemingly nothing. Vera's hair stuck to her face but she seemed fine, especially being this far across the line of Aelin's fire. The relief ebbed through her.

"Merle's here"

Brielle smiled, but continued past, Vera spinning to follow,

"I know, I called upon her to track down Lorcan"

If Vera had the mind to say anything she kept her mouth shut, especially after they came into view of the others.

Lorcan and Fenrys both lay on the ground, both were quick to their feet. Rowan between them. Brielle spotted Gavriel on the floor with a young woman, her arm and his hands covered in blood. She should have smelt it before arriving, but that didn't matter.

Not as she felt magic, ancient magic snap around her body. It took everything within her to resist it's call.

A sob almost broke from her. It felt like every bone in her body was being grinded down into powder the longer she went.

All the males drew their attention to her when she leaned forwards, every nerve in her was on fire.

What had happened? Why hadn't they just killed Lorcan.

"Bri.."

Her mate never finished her name.

Not as everything in her resolve collapsed and she ripped the dagger at her rib free, swinging straight up for his exposed neck.

. . .

Taglist: @dreamiezpsycho@lunaralaraspace@mis-lil-red@mali22@the-fae-are-taking-over

Next Part

#throne of glass #fenrys moonbeam #fenrys x o.c #empire of storms #tower of dawn #kingdom of ash #aelin #gavriel #rowan #sarah j mass #throne of glass fanfic #throne of glass fanfiction

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tomtenadia · 2 years

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Aelin’s week - Day 7 - Rowan admiring Aelin

Last day of this lovely even.

This is a short one and set in the ALB universe. It’s somewhere after Aelin goes back on full time duty after the airport crash. Enjoy Rowan drooling.

MY MENACE

Rowan loved to get free from the airbase earlier than planned. He had finished his lessons and had call it a day. Paperwork could wait and so could Lorcan.

Without even a moment of hesitation he jumped in the car and knew where to go. He started heading south toward his new favourite place in Orynth with his new favourite person.

Since he started dating Aelin, he had found himself spending a lot of time at east station. The team was great and he enjoyed watching them in action, or training. It was all very fascinating.

He parked the car near the pavement and slowly walked to the station. It was a lovely spring day and when he arrived he noticed the big red doors wide open and truck and engine parked out on the apron. The truck had the aerial deployed, reaching a window of the training building, and this time it was not on fire. The engine was surrounded by unfolded hoses. Training of some sorts…

Without distracting anyone he leaned against the wall of the firehouse, lifted his shades on his head, folded his arms at his chest and watched the training session with deep interest.

He could not spot Aelin. After the airport accident and all her trials she had finally been cleared to resumed her duties full time and, although the docs were happy, he still had a bad feeling nagging at him. Maybe he was just a fussy buzzard as she loved to call him.

The door of the building burst open, letting out a big cloud of smoke. He looked at the figure emerging from it and he’d recognise her. Rowan would spot Aelin anywhere in a crowd. She removed her SCBA, he had learned the correct term, and watched her walk to Aedion.

She smiled at her cousin and her face lit up in joy. He could never tire of that smile it was so bright it could lit up the evening sky.

Ress passed her a water bottle and Aelin poured it all over herself and then drank a bit of it. He smiled, her face was covered in soot, her braid messy.

Aelin was stunning. Even in her bulky turnout gear, and dirty face, she was the most beautiful woman he had ever set eyes on.

Aelin peeled off her turnout jacket and remained in her white polo shirt of a captain. She took Aedion’s place and knew she was now in leader mode and running the show.

He was happy she hadn’t noticed him yet. He loved watching her at work, being in her own environment. It offered him an other insight on the woman who held his heart. She was fierce, he had discovered that from day one. The way she stood up to him. It had wrecked havoc with his poor brain. Fireheart had been the perfect nickname for her. The woman in front of him had fire in her even when she was just standing still staring at a building. She had been so different from Lyria. Sometimes he wondered how they had wounded up together. With hindsight he realised they had been a bad match.

A powerful explosion woke him from his thoughts, fire had broken out all of a sudden and whereas a bit of panic was etched in the other team member’s faces, Aelin had a hint of an evil smile. The hint of mischief that would have him on his knees ready to do everything for her. She knew it was going to happen.

Rowan followed her giving orders and bring a sort of control on the situation outside. When she turned to climb on the truck she finally spotted him. Her face broke in a big smile and tilted her head in a silent question but he shook his head as if to tell her to ignore him. They were due to get off shift in two hours. Rowan had been eager to see her, there was no need for her to stop working.

“Ok, people, we have an audience, let’s look professional.”

A set of eyes turned on him and Aelin gave him a smug smile. Gods, he wanted to wipe it off her face with a kiss.

Aelin went to the aerial and moved it to a new window, then climbed down, grabbed her turnout jacket and put it on. Then Aelin talked to the red-haired woman and he followed them climb up the ladder with a very brisk pace. He chuckled. No wonder the woman was always famished.

He had always considered himself fit. Until he met Aelin and her team. And he had discovered it on the day they had drills with them that perhaps his fitness was lacking. The stairs had killed him. That was their running joke. Aelin would not take the lift under any circumstances so he would trail behind her in an exhausted mess.

At the top of the aerial she grabbed a dummy that someone passed her, let Ansel squeeze through and began reversing down the ladder with some impressive agility. A chuckle burst out of him. Every time he saw her climb a ladder his mind would always remind him of the day of the fire when she had sat on his jet. When he acted like a fussy man and had felt the need to guide her and use his arms for protection. Gods, she could probably carry him down the ladder without blinking. He shook his head and laughed lightly. Never underestimate Aelin Galathynius.

The team slowly emerged from the building all safe and with their dummies in tow. He watched as relief fell on her features. The explosion, although controlled, could always cause injuries and he knew she cared deeply about her team.

Aedion walked to her and pushed her playfully and Aelin laughed. He could not hear the words but her happy face told him that Aedion might have made some remark and she bit back with their usual banter. They were like brother and sister, that had been clear from the start. It reminded of how he was with his cousin Enda back in Doranelle.

Then Aelin peeled off the group and started walking to him.

“You could have come to say hi, captain.”

Rowan stooped for a kiss “and give up watching you train? You know I love doing this.”

“And admire me in all my magnificent persona?”

Rowan pulled her to his chest. Gods, the woman’s ego was bigger than his.

Another kiss “menace.”

“Your very sexy menace,” her finger trailed on his uniform along his chest while her lips brushed his.

Rowan groaned loudly while his body screamed for her.

Aelin pulled back playfully “we have one more drill before we can go home,” her hand twinned in his “you can watch me now… then…” he voice low all of a sudden “you can admire me tonight while I strip naked in front of you and then play with myself while I watch you break in front of me.”

Rowan groaned again and pushed the image away. They were in public and had to keep his body under control.

“Is that a challenge, captain?”

Aelin kissed him in provocation and walked away with her mischievous smile and with a pronounced sway of her hips meant to break him.

After that it had been very hard to concentrate on the exercises.

TAGS:

@rowaelinismyotp @swankii-art-teacher @courtofjurdan @whimsicallyreading @themoonthestarsthesuriel @aelin-bitch-queen @bruiseonthefaceofhumanity @acreativelydifferentlove @mis-lil-red @thegreyj @sailorsassley @leiawritesstories @clairec79 @morganofthewildfire @sv0430 @heartless--aromantic @autumnbabylon @rowanaelinn @backtobl4ck @susumaus98 @gracie-rosee @mybloodrunsblue @tanvee1231 @avenrebekah @whoever-you-choose-to-love @theywillnotsingforme @universallytreepost @black-daisy-water @goddess-aelin

#aelin week #aelinweek #rowaelin #rowan whitethorn #aelin galathynius #aelin #aelin x rowan #rowan x aelin #rowaelin fanfic #rowaelin fanfiction #rowanwhitethorn

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emeriethevalkyriegirl · 2 years

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Nesta Archeron (Harry Potter AU)- Chapter 10 (Slytherin House)

Summary: Nesta was confirmed to be a Slytherin and meets the third year Rowan and the second years Aelin and Lorcan. But what happens when she realizes that the other Hogwarts wizards and witches can’t visit each others common rooms?

All of the first years have been separated into their houses. Nesta and Nora had gained 9 new Slytherins not including themselves. Ravenclaw earned 15, Hufflepuff 12, and Gryffindor 4.

When the last student had sat in his seat, Kallias brought his hands up and said, “Let the feat, begin.” Kallias clapped his hands twice and instantly, an entire buffet was placed on all four tables. The choices were chicken, corn on a cob, mashed potatoes (with gravy on the side), sliced carrots, and kale. Nesta’s mouth watered as she dug her mouth into her chicken leg.

Nora was currently chewing on her corn on a cob when she accidentally bit her finger. “Ouch!” she exclaimed as she quickly put her cob back on her plate before rubbing her injured finger on her robe. “You alright?” Nora turned her attention to a young boy about a year older than her. He had short hair and he word his Slytherin robe on one side. He looked at her with concern.

Nora nodded showing off her finger to indicate that there was no blood. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just wish I didn’t have to bite my fingers to eat some corn.”

“I have something that can help.” The replied as he handed Nora two corn holders. “Put them on each side on the cob and try it again.” Nora smiled and did just that. Nora lifted the cob by the holders and finished off the cob. “Wow, those really helped. Thanks...um...”

“Lorcan.”

“Thanks Lorcan.” Nora blushed as Lorcan ruffled her hair. “Anytime Nora.”

“Nora, you gotta try this chicken.” Nesta said as she handed Nora a chicken leg. Nora happily accepted it and focused on finishing her chicken.

Nesta looked over to the teachers and saw a tall man with blond hair and green eyes. He looked at her with stern coldness. Nesta also noticed that he had bags under his eyes and he was separated from the other High Lords.

“That’s Professor Tamlin. He’s also the High Lord of the Spring Court.” Nesta looked to see a girl with long blond hair and blue eyes. She was just finishing her kale when she responded. “He teaches Potions. Don’t take the glare personally though. He just as charming to all the students.” The girl sarcastically revoked as Nesta sighed and continued to eat her dinner. Either he may be one of the strictest teachers she’s ever going to meet. Or he may be one of the people that want her killed.

-------------

“This way Slytherin.” A Slytherin named Rowan said as they made their way to the common room.

After the feast, the house Perfects (Rowan, Azriel, Yrene, and Rhysand) led the first years to their houses. While they were making their way there, Nesta and Nora took in the sights of the castle. “Emerie was right. It does look like a castle.” Nora said as they made their way to the stairs. “I must warn you, the stairs may change a bit.” Nesta didn’t listen to Rowan’s warning. She was too busy admiring the stairs.

The stairs were rotating slowly for the other students to get around. But that wasn’t the only thing that made Nesta stare in awe. Looking to her left, she noticed that there were paintings on the wall. But they weren’t ordinary paintings. These paintings were moving. Some of them were even talking.

“Nesta!” Nesta yelped and jumped back into reality. Rowan was with the other first years who were waiting for her. She hadn’t even realized she stopped walking until she noticed how far away she was from the group.

Nesta ran back, trying to hide her blushing red face. Rowan gave her a stern look. “Keep up, Archeron. I’m your Perfect, not your babysitter.”

“Sorry.” Nesta mumbled as the Slytherins continued their journey to the common room.

Along they way, the Slytherins met up with the Hufflepuffs, giving Nesta, Nora, and the Bedara twins a chance to chat with each other. “Did you see the paintings that they had? It’s like they’re actually talking to you.” Gwyn asked, as Nesta nodded in agreement. “yeah. One of them complimented my hair. My hair is in a braided bun. It never gets any compliments.” Nesta replied, poking at her bun.

“You all seem to be becoming fast friends.” Yrene, the Hufflepuff’s Perfect, pointed out as Nora spoke. “We all met on the train.” Catrin clarified.

“Maybe once we’ve all settled into our rooms, we can visit each other on the common rooms and-”

“NO!” Both Rowan and Yrene yelled, making both the Slytherins and Hufflepuffs stop in their tracks. After a moment of silence, Yrene spoke first. “All common rooms are forbidden from entering, unless it is yours.”

“It’s been like this since the 7th years were still first years like you. Maybe even longer.” Rowan added.

Nesta looked at Gwyn and Catrin, trying not to let her sadness show. Catrin sighed as Gwyn looked at the ground, the floor patterns more interesting then her peers. Nora looked liked she wished she didn’t have to hear those words.

Realizing that yelling wasn’t the best move, Rowan facepalmed and toned down his voice. “It’s not that bad. You can still hang out after classes. Maybe during study hour.”

“Rowan’s right. You only have to go into your dormitories by 9:00.” Yrene added trying to make the kids feel better. “Why are we separated?” Gwyn asked making Yrene and Rowan look at each other like parents trying to talk to them about the birds and the bees. “That’s enough questions for now. Hufflepuffs, our dormitories are this way.” Yrene said as she made a left turn towards a staircase that went up. Nesta took one last glance at the twins before they followed their Perfect to their common room.

“Slytherin, this way.” Rowan said as the Slytherins followed their Perfect. Turns out the only good thing about being a Slytherin (in Nesta’s case) is that her friends’ dormitories are just a door down from hers. The Slytherin door was guarded by a painting. The painting was of a man dressed in a 19th century coat, with a curly mustache and slick-back hair. He had a stern look on his face as he looked at Rowan and said, “Password.”

“All blood is thicker than water.” Rowan said as the painting nodded and the wall that the painting was hanging from opened up to a secret passage that led whoever was a Slytherin down. The stairway had a greenlight trailing down, lighting the way through the tunnel.

The first years looked at Rowan, some of them frighten while the others were intrigued. “Your dormitories are just down the stairs.” Rowan said as he walked down with ease. One by one, the first years made their way to the dormitories, being mindful of the cobwebs and spiders.

As the Slytherins moved closer to the light, they stumbled into their new home. The green light that they saw was lit with 3 lamps that were sitting on the desk. The room was a bit messy with some rags on the two armchairs placed near the fire place. There was also a little cushion stool standing in the middle of the armchairs.

What really caught the Slytherins attention, was the girl that Nesta saw earlier was laying in one of the chairs sideways, her legs resting on one of the arms on the chair.

Rowan glared at her like an older brother about to scold his siter. “Aelin! I told you to clean up the place.” The girl named Aelin stuck her tongue out at him. “No, you said only ONE of us has to clean up the place. You didn’t say me in particular.”

“I was basically talking to all of you.”

“Come scold me when you’re a 7th year.” Aelin proclaimed as she turned her attention to the first years. “Hello freshmeat. The name’s Aelin Galathynesis. Second year Slytherin. Girls, follow me to the feminine dormitories. Boys, stay here with ‘Mister Grump.’“ Aelin said referring to Rowan who only rolled his eyes.

Aelin got up from the chair and walked over to where the girl dormitories were. Nora, Nesta, and all the female Slytherins followed her.

Over to Nesta’s right, Lucky rubbed her body against Nesta’s leg, trying to keep up. “How do you like it so far girl?” Nesta asked as the cat meowed at her. Nesta chuckled. “Yeah, I like it too.”

“Are you talking to the cat?” Nesta turned to look at a first year Slytherin named Bryce Quinlan. She had copper skin and red hair, tied in a ponytail. “Y-Yeah. Sorry if it’s weird.”

“It’s not weird. I talk to my mom’s sphinx all the time.” Bryce replied as Lucky went over to Bryce to brush her head on her leg. “What’s her name?”

“Lucky.”

“A lucky black cat. That’s even cuter.” Bryce’s eyes beamed.

Aelin stopped at a door making the other girls stop as well. “Here we are girls.” Aelin said, opening the door to the dormitories.

Inside, there were 40 pairs of bunk beds, 10 bathroom stalls, and 3 other girls that were already in their pajamas. “You guys done with the bathroom?”

“I think Ansel’s still in the shower.”

“Great. Alright girls your stuff is already in the bathroom and your school supplies will be here tomorrow morning.” Aelin clarified as the first years started to claim a bed that wasn’t occupied. Aelin plopped herself on her own bed. “See you in the morning freshmeat. Tomorrow, you’re officially witches.”

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luxmaeastra · 4 months

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"Gran-papa!! I have my magic!"

"Einar!"

Sebastian knelt down, sweeping Einar into his arms. He kissed his forehead.

"You do? Let's see it then, can you show Gran-mama?"

He turned Einar to look at Natalia. Einar concentrated, his little tongue sticking out as fire erupted in his hand. Aelin beamed, plucking his nephew from her father.

"That means I get to train you Ernie! Yes! Auntie Angelika! Look!! Look we have another fire weilder."

------

"I blame this entire predicament on you Einar."

Einar frowned and shot Lorin a look.

"You're the one who wanted to chase the hare deeper into Winter!"

She frowned and looking out over the snow.

"It was injured, Mama would have known how to help it."

Einar didn't respond, trying to focus on his magic and not the cold. He beamed when the fire finally caught. He looked to Lorin.

"Come here, it's warm. We can wait till our parents come and find us."

"Haven't you been to Winter?"

"Haven't you?"

Lorin sighed and curled closer, the Winter cold seeping into them, pushing them closer and closer.

Xaden sighed, gently pulling Einar from the dying fire. He huffed at Rhysand, as he picked Lorin up.

"Please, Einar made them a fire Rhysand."

------

Einar moved along the training room, his magic bound like Creon's. They lunged, their swords reverberating along the wall.

Orion looked to Cormac and then to Ruhn with a smirk.

"Cormac is going to wipe the floor with you."

Ruhn scoffed and set his water down.

"No he won't."

Sebastian watched them, his eyes narrowed as the fight continued. They weren't sparring, he sighed and stepped toward the mat.

"Alright, how about -"

He stopped as Einar twisted the blade from Creon's grip and held another blade to his stomach.

They were both panting, Einar slowly stepped back turning and walking out of the room.

Sebastian looked to his grandson.

"You want to explain what just happened?"

Creon rolled his eyes turning to grab his water.

"He's pissed I asked Lorin out. Not my fault he's a fucking coward about her."

//Einar focused!!//

Boys, boys and their way of handling things. Sebastian sighed as he rubbed his race, knowing now the weight of what was going on. Why there was so much tension, why the two of them were going at it so hard.

He looked back towards where his grandson had gone, sighing once more before he looked towards his other. "Just because he didn't ask her doesn't make him a coward, and the two of you need to mend this before it gets out of hand."

He remembered the days when friendships were almost destroyed over things like these, families made to take sides.

"Fix it, before I get your grandmother involved."

#Muse | Sebastian

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fragmentalyze · 3 years

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Oh for fuck’s sake that Sarah J Maas sure can write a “rising to the occasion” scene.

Also it occurs to me too late that this could be interpreted as referencing the spicy scenes but truly I just meant people showing up and saving the day lol

#when manon summons the witches to war?#the shivers down my spine were out of control!!!!#or when the mycenians show up?#or or or or when aelin stops that wall of water????#when papa archeron finally shows up?#gosh darn it the tears #throne of glass #acotar #sarah j maas #sjm #manon blackbeak #mycenians #aelin fireheart #archeron sisters #feyre archeron #nesta archeron #elain archeron

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highqueenofelfhame · 3 years

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rowaelin month day ten

rowaelin month day ten -- single parents. masterlist // buy me a ko-fi // redbubble

The morning truly couldn’t have been going worse. Aelin had woken up to the nanny telling her she’d come down with the stomach flu. Aelin wasn’t cruel enough to tell the poor girl she had to work through it; instead encouraging her to drink as much water as she could and get some much-needed rest. Evangeline had apologized profusely, but Aelin was having none of it. She reassured her that she could figure it out.

It turned out she couldn’t. Her mother and father both worked sixty hours a week. Aelin knew that her mother would take a day if Aelin called, but she couldn’t bring herself to make the call and disrupt her week. Evie’s father had died in a car crash before she was even born. Everyone who was a viable option worked full-time jobs, leaving her three-year-old in her hands. She could call out, but she had a mountain of a workload that she’d left last night, reassuring herself she would get it done today. Everything she needed was at her office, so working from home was out of the question. All signs were pointing to an impromptu “bring your child to work” day.

The CEO of the company was a good friend of hers, and Aelin knew that Dorian wouldn’t mind seeing his goddaughter toddling around the office. In fact, she knew that he would eventually steal her away for a snack time at some point so Aelin could get some work done. It would likely be a snack that wasn’t mommy approved, but she would give him a free pass today.

It would be okay, she reassured herself as she struggled to get Evie to cooperate with getting her tiny arms through her yellow long-sleeved shirt. She was mumbling in an indecipherable language as Aelin nodded along, chiming in here and there like she understood every word. The reality was that she only understood a handful of words. One of them was juice, so Aelin made a mental note to make her a full cup of juice for the car ride to the office to keep her happy.

It didn’t take long to brush her hair into the tiniest pigtails to exist, with two little orange bows holding them in place. By the time she was fully dressed in her fall garb, complete with a tiny gray vest so cute that Aelin wanted to cry, she looked like a baby Gap model. Without a doubt, everyone at the office would be cooing over how precious she looked the second they walked through the door.

“Where going?” Evie inquired, her little head tilting to the side as Aelin packed her go-bag full of snacks and an outfit change just in case.

“Momma’s gotta go to work today, baby. You get to come, too. Do you want to see Uncle Dorian?” At the mention of Dorian, Evie’s eyes lit up as a broad smile pushed her chubby cheeks up until her eyes squinted closed. Aelin grinned and kissed her cheeks until she giggled wildly. Thank the gods that Evie was in a good mood today. Some mornings she woke up on the wrong side of the bed, fussy as all get out while Aelin tried to push along their morning. Thankfully today, she was full of smiles and giggles. It would make everything much easier if she cooperated.

After grabbing a sippy cup full of apple juice and shoving the bottle in her bag, making yet another note to put it in the fridge in the break room when she arrived at the office, she swooped Evie into her arms, and they were on their way.

Upon arriving at the office, Aelin was right. The two receptionists immediately fell in love with Evie’s tiny pigtails and her outfit. They cooed over her bright eyes, twins to Aelin’s own. It took longer than usual to make it to the elevator, where even several men commented on how adorable she was. It brought a smile to her face, but it dropped when she thought of her office neighbor.

Rowan Whitethorn was the hardass of the office. She was pretty positive that he hated her, and there was nothing she could do to change his mind. They spent their days arguing back and forth about anything and everything. Some days she was sure that he only did it to get a rise out of her.

Aelin had never seen him smile-- he only scowled. His assistant was constantly rushing around, losing his damn mind trying to meet all of Rowan’s demands in a day. More than once, she’d caught tidbits of his conversations with Aelin’s own assistant, the poor boy begging to swap just for a single day. Aelin could only imagine what Rowan would say about Evie being such a workplace distraction. She was positive there would be complaints about her squeals and giggles that he would hear through the wall.

There was truly nothing she could do, though. Too much needed to be done at work to take a personal day, and Evie was typically well behaved enough to be occupied until her mom got off work and could pick her up.

As she made her way down the hall, everyone oohed and ahhed over Evie. Aelin thanked everyone for their compliments, her heart spilling over with joy. Until she saw Rowan in the kitchen while she put away the juice. He was making coffee and, upon noticing Evie in her arms, an emotion she couldn’t quite place flickered over his face.

“I didn’t know you had a daughter,” he said, eyes going from her pigtails down to the boots on her tiny feet.

“There’s a lot you don’t know about me.” She closed the fridge door and left the kitchen, gone as quickly as she had come. When she arrived in her office, she shut the door and put Evie down, watching as she ran straight for the couch and flopped over the side with a giggle bubbling out of her lips.

The single mother took a few minutes to take Evie’s toys out of her bag, even laying a few puffy snacks out on the table for her to snack on while she played. She went straight for them as quickly as Aelin sprinkled them out of the container. Aelin chuckled as she watched her for a moment, hands on her hips while she decided she was okay to sit at her desk and begin her work.

Evie was surprisingly self-sufficient while Aelin started her daily tasks. She played with the toys her mother provided and munched on her treats. Aelin heard a lot of babbling and a slew of giggles, a loud squeal pulling her from her work as her door opened.

Dorian leaned in the doorway, giving her a running start until he followed, darting across the room to scoop Evie into his arms. He spun her in circles with her legs flying behind her. She was laughing in a way that she only did with Dorian. Aelin seldom got that sound to come out of her daughter, but somehow, she wouldn’t change it for anything.

“I heard tales of a little princess fighting dragons in my office,” he said to no one in particular, but Evie seemed to understand that she was the princess. If there was anything that she liked in this world, it was being called a princess. She understood that word more than anything because Aelin read her fairy tales of princesses every night. Tangled was constantly on their TV, only to be replaced by Beauty and the Beast. They utterly enchanted her, and everyone in her life was constantly calling her a princess. She loved it.

The giggling continued while he tickled her sides and blew raspberries on her belly until the shrieking got so intense he made a face at Aelin and merely brought her into a tight hug as he said, “Sorry. Nanny out today?”

“She’s got a stomach bug. I had no other options; I’m really sorry.”

“You don’t need to apologize. You know I love any chance I get to see her. I’m not going to penalize you for being a mother, Aelin.” Evie was chomping her teeth near Dorian’s face, causing her best friend to laugh and hold her at arm’s length. “I’ll even take her across the hall for a bit so you can get more done.”

“You’re a lifesaver,” she replied, sighing and leaning back in her seat. Aelin really did have so much to do, to the point that she couldn’t even bring herself to tell him he didn’t have to do that. She would take whatever help she could get.

Her door was left open as he took Evie out into the hall, Aelin noticing that they weren’t going in the direction of his office but rather toward the kitchen. Her eyes rolled as she swiveled in her chair to face her computer and really dive into her work, leaning forward and exhaling a deep breath, willing herself to focus.

Quite a bit of time passed, and she was able to get a considerable amount of work completed. All of her emails had been caught up when Dorian edged into her office and cleared his throat. Aelin looked up, half expecting Evie’s outfit to be ruined by chocolate, but her little ray of sunshine was nowhere to be seen.

“Where is she?”

“I… may have taken a phone call and looked away for two minutes, and she vanished.”

“What?” Aelin was on her feet in an instant, rushing across her office and out into the hall. “What the fuck do you mean? How long has it been?”

“Since I lost her and started looking for her? Half an hour. I was scared to tell you.”

“My daughter has been missing for half an hour, and you’re only just now telling me? What the fuck, Dorian?” She hit his chest rather abrasively as she shoved past him, eyes scanning every room while she ran down the hall. How she was able to do it without toppling over in her heels, she wasn’t sure. All she could feel was the panic from her heart pounding in her chest to the shaking of her hands. The roaring in her ears made everything else sound muffled and distant, like she was standing at the edge of white water rapids. Even with her hands in fists so tight she could feel them shake, nausea building up in her chest.

“Evie?” She called out, a tremor rising in her throat that caused her voice to sound shaky and weak. Tears were pricking in her ears as she turned to run back to her office. She would call down to security to see if they could scan the cameras, and call reception to see if anyone had carried her out. From there, she would--

Her heart stopped beating when she glanced into Rowan’s office. It was the office directly next to hers, and behind his desk, Rowan held a snoozing Evie. Her little fist was gripping the lapels of his suit jacket, and he seemed relaxed while he flipped through papers with one hand.

“What are you doing with my daughter?” Aelin asked, stepping into the door. A few tears of relief slipped down her cheeks, and she was quick to wipe them, lest he make an asshole comment about it.

“I told that little shit to let you know I had her,” he murmured, barely glancing up from his papers. “I think that’s the final straw. He genuinely can’t do the most basic of tasks, I--”

Rowan paused when he looked up from his work. Something soft flashed in his eyes for a split second before he continued, “She was laying on the couch by the kitchen when I found her. She babbled something about Dorian, I think, and when I looked in his office, he was on the phone arguing with someone. You looked busy, and I know you have a lot to do, and when I picked her up, she let out the biggest yawn I’ve ever seen. By the time I’d walked back to my office, she was asleep. I told my assistant to let you know. I’m sorry that he didn’t, and I’m sorry that I didn’t follow up with an e-mail or a phone call. You just seem like you could use the help so you could get work done. I’m sorry.”

Not only was it the most that Rowan had ever said to her in a single conversation, but it was the kindest she’d seen him be to anyone. He wasn’t complaining about the little bit of drool coming out of the side of Evie’s mouth and soaking into his jacket. He was just holding her like he was so at ease with the situation and truly didn’t mind.

“You don’t wear a ring, and I’ve never heard you mention a significant other. Divorced?”

“Widowed,” she replied, sitting in one of the leather chairs in front of his desk. Again, his face softened as he looked down at Evie.

“She looks just like you. She’s beautiful.” Ignoring the implications of that comment, Aelin smiled softly.

“Thank you. She is… everything to me.”

“I… I have a daughter, too. Briar. My wife died two years after we were married. Briar is six now, but Evie is… so much less temperamental than B was.” Aelin tried not to let the shock show on her face. Shock that Rowan Whitethorn was a father and shock that they shared a sad history. The curiosity to ask how she had died was strong, but she wouldn’t ask. Sometimes she hated it when people asked how Sam died. It was like opening a wound all over again.

“Oh, she has her days. Don’t let this fool you,” she laughed, dragging her fingers through her hair. “I didn’t know you had a daughter, either.”

Rowan flipped his computer screen so she could see it, and she was welcomed by a smiling little girl with stunning green eyes and brown ringlet curls. Her heart squeezed at the image, Rowan holding her in his lap and grinning so wide he had dimples. Rowan Whitethorn had dimples.

“She’s absolutely adorable.”

“She is.” Aelin smiled again, looking down at her hands and twisting the ring on her left finger that her parents had given her when Evie was born. It was her birthstone.

“You can keep working if you want to. I’ve got her.”

“She’s not bothering you?” There was hesitation evident in her voice as Rowan looked down at the sleeping girl in his arms. He smiled, brushing a few wild strands of hair back against her head.

“Nope,” he said firmly, looking back at Aelin. “Really. You must have a lot to do if you didn’t just call in a personal day. She’s sleeping. It’s okay. I’ll bring her back when she wakes up.”

“I-- okay. If you’re sure.”

“I’m positive.” Aelin chewed on her fingernail for a moment before she nodded and stood, walking across his office and toward her own. Aelin paused in the door, looking over her shoulder at the man with such a harsh reputation around the workplace. This man seemed entirely different, a man that was brushing his thumb against her daughter's side while she slept with his shirt in her tiny fist. He seemed so utterly relaxed while he adjusted their position in his chair to keep working. It was almost out of character, his offer. But she wasn’t going to complain.

Rowan Whitethorn may have been the hardass of the office, but maybe he had a soft spot after all. @rowaelinscourt

#rowaelin #rowaelin month #rowan whitethorn #aelin galathynius #tog #throne of glass #throne of glass fanfic #tog fic #tog fanfic #fluff #fluffy #rowaelin fluff #single parents au #briar whitethorn #evie galathynius #writing #my writing #masterlist

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morganofthewildfire · 2 years

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Tied Me To You - Chapter 4

'tis the damn season

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masterlist

a story cowritten with the amazing @rowanaelinn

~5k words

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There's an ache in you, put there by the ache in me

Doranelle, 1972

Rowan’s breath was heavy and echoed as he panted, locked into the small bathroom. His hands on the white sink held him up right. His knuckles were as white as the ceramic of the sink, his grip just tightening every time his mind started thinking again.

He’d stupidly thought his day would go well. That the last two days were nothing more than a bad dream and that things would be fine at work. That was until he stepped behind the bar on the side of the pool, with a direct view of the water.

She was right there. She wasn’t a fragment of his imagination, she was real and she was right there. But she wasn’t the only one relaxing into the pool in the early afternoon. Her husband was there too, his arms around her waist as they soaked into the water.

For two days, Rowan had held on. He kept his head up and pretended as if everything that happened between them was history. That it was forgiven and even forgotten. But watching her kiss him, smile at him… He couldn’t.

He rushed to the bathroom, and had been hiding there for almost an hour now. He was sure to be in trouble if a manager found him there, if they knew he left one side of the bar unattended.

It took everything in him to not punch the mirror hanging on the wall. He had to take his anger out on something, but he didn’t want to hurt his hand. If he did, cooking would be a pain to do for at least a couple of weeks.

What had he done to deserve that? He’d always been rightful, he never went out of his way to hurt anyone, and yet these entities were having fun with him lately. Why did it have to happen? Why does what he will never get had to be shoved and rubbed into his face?

A loud pounding startled him, he’d been too deep into his hideous thoughts to notice anything else. The banging on the door didn’t stop, and he heard Lorcan’s voice through the wood calling his name.

He sighed, unlocking the door, letting in his friend into the room. He closed the door behind him, resting his back against it. “What the hell is wrong with you?” He hissed. “I have been looking for you for more than an hour.”

“Leave me alone.”

Lorcan shook his head. “You’ve been looking like shit for two days now, Rowan. Are you ever going to tell me what happened?”

“I don’t particularly want to,” Rowan grilled through his teeth, splashing nearly freezing water onto his face. Maybe this would stop his brain from working, from remembering what she looked like in his arms.

“Too bad,” his friend answered. “I’m not leaving until you speak. And we both know how much you enjoy people’s company,” he said with amusement in his voice.

Bastard.

Rowan took a deep breath. Lorcan knew Aelin, he knew more than anyone else about their complicated history. His fists shook, his hold on the sink tightening even more as he said. “Aelin is here.”

It wasn’t often that Lorcan was wordless, but today it happened. He swallowed before whispering, “Shit.”

Rowan snorted. He didn’t even know the worst. “She is here with her husband.”

“Her what?”

He threw a look at his friend, he had perfectly heard what Rowan said. It took a few seconds for Lorcan to take this information in. He passed a hand over his face, letting out a small groan. Rowan huffed a laugh, at least he wasn’t the only one reacting that way. “Has she done it on purpose?”

“No,” Rowan couldn’t answer fast enough. That was the problem with Lorcan, he was always quick to imagine the worst when it came to the woman who still held Rowan’s heart years after. “She was as surprised as I was. It’s just fate screwing up.”

“Have you talked to her?”

Pain sliced through his chest as he remembered the two interactions he had with Aelin. So, so different from the dreams he allowed himself to create in the dead of the night for the last six years. “She pretended like she didn’t know me. Then her husband came in and went all territorial on her. That was…”

“Disgusting?”

“Yeah,” Rowan sighed. He still could remember how much he drank that night to try to forget the sight of her kissing his cheek. His goddamn cheek, as if she was no more than a schoolgirl in love with her first boyfriend.

And the next day, when she came to him with her chin high and they started bickering… Did no one notice that small sparkle of insecurity in her eyes? Did everyone fall for the lie she presented for the whole world to see?

He shook his head. It wasn’t his problem. Not anymore, not after what happened all these years ago. She had made her choice back then, it was too late now. The damage was done, but a small, tiny part of him wondered if it hadn’t wounded her as much as it did him.

“What are you going to do?” Lorcan asked, and Rowan shook his head, staring down at the sink.

“I don’t know,” he admitted, “try to avoid her, I guess.” He sighed. He didn’t know how in the world he’d accomplish that, but he had to do something besides letting the shit storm of tension between them boil over into something even uglier than it already was.

“How well has that worked so far?” Lorcan asked derisively, and Rowan shot him another glare.

“Fuck you,” he shot, without too much venom. The brunette man just snorted.

“Fine,” Lorcan said, “I’ll let you sort out your own shit.” He roughly pushed open the bathroom door. “Just get your ass back to the bar before we both get in trouble.”

He slammed the door behind him, leaving Rowan in silence once again.

“Fuck,” he cursed under his breath, scrubbing at his face, before standing up straight, balling that same hand into a fist. This wasn’t sustainable, he knew that. He didn’t even know how long she was going to be here.

How long he’d have to put up with her presence, pretending like it didn’t affect him. She was the one who’d ruined things, she should be the one flustered and embarrassed, the one in pain. But no matter how long it’d been, or what happened, he couldn’t wish her any sort of pain at all.

He wouldn’t.

And the truth came to him unbidden: to get through this… this ordeal, he’d have to talk to her and sort this mess out.

------

It wasn’t hard to find Aelin. Every afternoon for the past few days, she’d come to the swimming pool.

The hard part, on the other end, was thinking of a way to talk to her alone. She was constantly surrounded by her herd of women. All of them were drinking the same things, all of them dressed the same way. All of their hair was the same, their make-up, even down to their nails they all looked alike.

Aelin had fallen into that, too. And yet, she still managed to stand out to him. Everyone around him would see a group of women, while all he saw was Aelin who happened to be surrounded by other women.

His eyes were always drawn to her.

The one good thing he noticed was that her husband didn’t seem to be around her all that much, besides a few times that continued to make his stomach turn. Rowan supposed he was off with the other rich men, talking about business or other women or whatever they did to entertain themselves.

So he wouldn’t have to work around him, whose name he’d discovered to be Arobynn Hamel. He’d heard of him, surprisingly enough. Arobynn Hamel was a rich businessman from Rifthold, though what business he didn’t know. Idly, Rowan wondered how they’d met, when Aelin had decided to move to Rifthold, if that’s what had happened.

Was it after what happened between them? Just next door at the rundown beach hotel she’d probably be scandalized to stop in now?

There was so much about her life he didn’t know anymore, yet he knew it wasn’t really his place to know. But all he really wanted to know was: is she happy? It was difficult to tell, Aelin was always good at putting on an act, even if the two tequila shots she’d downed like water just the other day worried him.

He knew drinking had been a vice for her, at least it had when he’d known her briefly six years ago. Was it still? Or had she matured from that since then?

So many questions, and absolutely no answers.

None of it really mattered anyway. She’d broken his heart. The lingering tenderness left for her didn’t change that, nor change their situation. She was married; she’d be here for another week or two at the most; and then she was leaving again.

Again.

He’d set boundaries with her, and then let her go about the rest of her vacation, hopefully with both of them in peace.

He got his chance early afternoon the next day, when Aelin left her gaggle of women at the pool to head toward what he assumed was the bathroom.

“I’ll be right back,” he said to Lorcan, his eyes still on her as she headed up the nicely paved path toward the bathrooms. His coworker just grunted, and Rowan took that as a signal to go, slipping out from behind the bar and trying to casually catch up with her.

He’d be heralded as a creep if he was seen chasing after her, and likely berated by his manager or even fired if she decided to complain.

Walking quickly behind her, he got a view of her profile from behind, the only thing recognizable about her the color of her hair. Said hair was smooth and wrapped up in a clip on her head, not loose or in a braid like she always used to have it. Sunglasses were propped on her eyes, to combat the sun beating down on them, even through the palm trees placed on the path for some semblance of shade.

She was wearing a semi modest one piece, different from the bikinis she wore when she was eighteen, with a tasteful skirt wrapped around her waist as a sort of coverup.

He took his chance the moment they were finally out of view of the pool, silence creeping into the air as the trees absorbed some of the fading sound.

“Aelin,” Rowan called, slowing to a stop, and he watched as she went a bit rigid, turning to face him with a blank expression. She didn’t speak. “Can we talk for a moment?”

He couldn’t see her eyes, but her soft pink painted lips pursed as she undoubtedly considered the offer, before nodding tensely. He glanced around, looking to see if anyone was coming.

It was empty.

There were more private places they could go, but if someone managed to come across them there, it would look a lot more suspicious than them talking here, where he could excuse it away as a service request of some sort.

There was so much he’d planned to say, so much he’d had ready to demand and question, but now, looking into her unreadable face, not even being able to see her eyes, there was only one thing that came out of his mouth.

“Are you okay?” He blurted out, successfully shocking both of them. But he didn’t take it back.

Aelin lifted her sunglasses to the top of her head, her eyes narrowed slightly at the question. But now that he could see them, he could see the wariness behind the ice.

“What do you mean?” She asked, an edge to her voice. A warning to stop talking. But he didn’t.

“Look,” Rowan said, “I don’t care about what happened last time.” Lies. It was such a lie, and he was almost convinced she knew that. “I just want to know if you are doing… okay.”

She crossed her arms, looking around. “Look at where I stand, look at what I am wearing. How could I not be alright?”

“Because this,” he said, talking about her new-found wealth. “Is not everything that matters.”

Her fingers dug into her sun tanned skin where she was holding her arms, tension visibly pouring through her. “That’s subjective,” she said, keeping her chin up. “Who are you to say what matters to me?”

She was so damn stubborn. She always had been.

He huffed, trying to figure out where to go from here. He’d already strayed so far from his original intentions, but maybe this was really what he needed to set his mind at ease.

His gaze settled on the diamond ring shining brightly in the sun.

“Is he good to you?” Rowan asked quietly, and she blinked. “At least tell me that,” he continued, shaking his head. “I can put what happened behind us, and I can be civil while you’re here, but I at least need to know that you’re safe, and that you’re happy.”

Aelin didn’t say anything, her face carefully unreadable, and Rowan took the risk of stepping closer to her, slowly setting his hand on her cheek, giving her plenty of time to pull away.

She didn’t.

Her skin was smooth under his palm, and he softly brushed his thumb across her cheek, looking down into her eyes. They were wary as she looked up at him, but there was no hint of protest so he dared another step forward, only inches separating them.

They were out in the open, for anyone to see walking by, but his mind ignored it, completely focused on her. On the way her breath felt against his lips as he tilted his head down, his heart beating fast.

“Tell me you miss me,” he murmured, the tension sparking between them, “Tell me you miss us.”

“I can’t,” she whispered, but she didn’t pull away. He lightly dragged his thumb over her bottom lip, and the way her breath hitched did dangerous things to him. He leaned in even closer, watching as her eyes fluttered closed and she lifted her chin, preparing for their lips to touch.

But he couldn’t.

So he pulled away, stepping backward and putting space between them. Her eyes opened, her cheeks flushed in the heat. Clearly embarrassed, her mask went back on, leaving him staring once again at a stranger.

Or so he told himself. But it was a lie, because the woman standing in front of him was suddenly much less of a stranger, and much more the girl he used to know.

And with that, he knew he’d just made everything a lot worse.

------

Aelin couldn’t stop shaking. Sitting by the pool for the rest of the day, she couldn’t get the feeling of Rowan so close to her out of her mind. She couldn’t forget the way she’d wanted him to close that gap, to kiss her and steal her breath, make her feel everything she used to feel when she was with him.

Her stomach was a mess of heat, and her hand was trembling as she pressed it against her cheek, right where his had been only hours before.

It wasn’t fair of him to do this to her, to say that to her. Tell me you miss us.

How could he put that in her head? This was not right, and he knew it. They couldn’t talk, they couldn’t act friendly without this sparkle between them, and he knew it. He still sought her out, though.

And she had accepted to talk to him, if only because she longed for his voice. And then, he started touching her. In the open, in public. As if it was right, as if Aelin hadn’t been risking every bit of security she had fought for.

Now, all she could think about was his lips. Their warmth, their softness and how rough they could feel on her skin. All she could think about was how she hadn’t known true pleasure in six years, so much that she had convinced herself it only existed around him.

She had kept her sunglasses on her nose the entire afternoon, avoiding any eye contact with him. And even if she was almost in need of a cocktail, she wouldn’t address him or his brute of a friend she now recognised as Lorcan Salvaterre.

The less she had to remind herself of Rowan Whitethorn, the best it was. For both parties.

Arobynn would come back soon, this was all the distraction she needed. She would get ready for yet another meal in the hotel dining room. Another night of not being talked to and being shown off.

But Aelin welcomed the distraction of getting ready, the distraction of pretending for a night. She was good at that, pretending. Except when Rowan was around, then he could read her too easily.

When he was around, she was not the woman she had grown into. The woman she created, the woman she was learning how to love. No, when he was around, she was that little girl who refused to wear skirts and cried the first and only time his mother braided her hair.

Aelin hated that girl. She was so… weak. She wouldn’t be weak anymore, not ever. She was a new person now, a better one.

She looked up from her book to find Rowan’s eyes on her. Did he never have a break? She had barely seen him leave his place behind the bar the entire afternoon, actually the only time he left was when he followed after her.

But even the other days… She hadn’t seen him take a break, neither had his coworker, not that she particularly pitied that one. As teenagers, Aelin and Lorcan couldn’t stand each other and she still had enough pettiness in herself to admit she didn’t want it to change.

Another reminder of her former life.

She hadn’t worked a lot in her life. Her only work experience had been shortened by her meeting with her then-boss, now-husband. But even then, while working as his secretary, she had at least a break every few hours.

Aelin stood, gathering her belongings and informed her companions, who were just the other wives who couldn’t care less about her, that she was returning to her rooms. She wished she could leave without having to warn people, but her image was also Arobynn’s. So Aelin was careful.

On her way to the elevator, she stopped by the reception and asked to speak to a manager. Then, with a sweet smile but cunning eyes, she expressed her worries for the working staff under such high temperatures with so little time to rest.

The man she was talking to couldn’t care less, but when she flashed her diamond ring by passing a hand through her hair and slipped her last name into the conversation, she knew that he would listen. If only for the money her husband had invested in this hotel.

She hoped word of this exchange wouldn’t reach Arobynn, or anyone else for that matter.

The less questions the better, instead of leaving her husband wondering why she was suddenly so invested in workers’ rights. He certainly wasn’t. And he hadn’t married her for her intellectual prowess, he’d told her many times.

But, she left the manager with a half baked promise to see to some changes, and satisfaction at the slight fear she’d put into his eyes with a few subtle threats. She had some power, due to her social status, that she wasn’t allowed to use often.

It made it fun when she did.

Her head was still all over the place as she made her way back to her hotel room, her sandals clicking on the marble floor. Arobynn wasn’t in there when she made it to the door, using the keycard to unlock it.

Aelin had thought the plan was to go to dinner, but the note she quickly found on the coffee table in the living room proved her wrong.

Going Out. I’ll See You Later.

With his initials signed at the bottom, like she wouldn’t know who it was from.

“Okay,” she said, to an empty suite. No one replied, no other sound was made, it was silent. She sighed into the open space, kicking off her shoes.

Who knows when he’d be back. She had no means of contacting him, she was just supposed to sit here and look pretty, maybe call room service and watch a movie.

And if she sat here all night, by herself, she knew for a fact she’d got lost so far into her head, she may not make it back out.

She had to do something. She had to go somewhere.

Without thinking, she found herself quickly changing, throwing on a flowy white dress instead of her bathing suit, and grabbing her purse. She slid back into her sandals, and left the hotel room quickly, heading down to the lobby.

The hotel had some fancy cars for the guests to take on “drives” down the coast, just yet another feature they had to boast over the other resorts around here. She could take one of those, and… and do something.

She just couldn't stay here. Or she’d do something stupid. Like drink herself into oblivion, or cry, or even worse, go find Rowan and beg him to kiss her, to pick up where they’d left off earlier.

Down on the first floor, in the hallway to the lobby, she was walking so quickly, a frantic energy nipping at her heels, when she nearly ran smack into another woman heading her way.

“Oh!” Aelin exclaimed, steadying herself as she took a step back. “I’m sorry.” She blinked, pushing hair back behind her ears, and got a good look at who she’d ran into. “Clarisse, hello,” she said, forcing a smile. “Where are you off to?”

The blonde woman was all dressed up, her makeup meticulously done and her hair in a curled updo. Much more done up than she’d been earlier at the pool.

Clarisse just smiled oddly, like she knew something Aelin didn’t. “I’m going out for the evening,” she answered. “What about you? You look… nice.”

Aelin couldn’t even blame her for the lack of a compliment, because she was sure she didn’t look nice. She probably looked manic, or at least edging the line of agitation.

“Just taking a walk,” she answered back, trying to hide her still shaky hands.

“Well,” Clarisse said, beginning to continue her journey. “Have fun.”

And then she was gone, leaving Aelin wondering what the hell just happened.

-------

Within fifteen minutes, Aelin was flying down the road in a red convertible, having no idea where the hell she was going.

She’d whipped out of the hotel parking lot, probably a little too quickly, leaving her now just driving along the coastline, with no clear destination in mind, getting onto the highway even, and speeding down the streets that her mind was unconsciously taking to.

It had been so long since the last time she had been behind the wheel of a car. Arobynn refused to let her drive anywhere if he was in the car as well, and as she didn’t do much that didn’t include him, she didn’t have a lot of time spent driving.

Back when she was still eighteen, right after they had married, Aelin begged Arobynn to let her take driving lessons. He didn’t enjoy the idea but he hadn’t fought her on it either, and she had been gifted a magnificent red car when she finally passed the test.

The roads of this city seemed familiar to her, even if she had spent most of her life in Rifthold. Still, Rifthold had never felt quite like home. Doranelle always did. Maybe it was why she hated it, why she hadn’t enjoyed the idea of coming back here for this summer.

She found herself driving through the street of the neighborhood she knew too well. It wasn’t wealthy by any means, but she also knew there were worse parts of the cities. In the streets, as a kid, she’d always felt safe. Only in one house did this feeling evaporate.

Kids were playing outside, getting their last few minutes before being called inside to dinner, moving to the side when they heard her car’s engine. Some parents glared at the red, bright car. Aelin felt guilty, exposing her wealth here. She didn’t know why it was here, but it wasn’t to show off how better than anyone there she did. She had nothing to be proud of, she had just married into wealth.

But Aelin didn’t care about that. She was in a stable, calm life now. It was all she dreamed of when she played hide and seek in those very same streets.

She turned left and found herself where she spent a few years of her life. She ignored the old, plain-looking house on her left and came to a stop in front of the one on its left. Warmth spread into her as she remembered all the days she spent in that house, all the laughs she had with Rowan and his family, when they invited her to play board games with them.

A curtain fluttered in one of the windows, a tiny sign of movement, and Aelin was pressing the gas pedal, moving down the road to escape any notice of whoever may be inside. The thought of seeing his parents now… especially his mother.

Aelin didn’t know what she’d do. She wondered sometimes if Liana Whitethorn ever knew how much she truly meant to her. If she knew that Aelin wore her hair in a braid down her back every day for over a decade, just because of her. That chocolate cake became both her favorite dessert, and the dessert she could never get herself to eat.

The thought of Rowan’s mother seeing her now made shame curl in her gut, the one thing to finally get past the crusted layers of self flagellation and fear.

What would she think? What would she say?

That line of thinking brought her to another dangerous one.

What would life be like if she’d ended up with Rowan? If she hadn’t done what she’d done, and his mother was her mother too?

The path she’d rejected years ago was suddenly paved with gold.

Unconsciously, Aelin found herself not heading back toward the highway to go back to her husband, but instead circling back around and entering that quiet neighborhood yet again. And this time, when she carefully slowed to a stop in front of Rowan’s house, again ignoring the one next door, her eyes landed on something she hadn’t seen before, something hidden in the shadows of the trees.

“Fuck,” Aelin cursed, letting the language slip out. Arobynn didn’t like it when she cursed, so she tried not to around him. But she was alone.

She put the car in park, scrambling for her purse, and the cigarettes inside.

Another thing Arobynn didn’t like. But she ignored it as she used the lighter to catch the end of one, sticking it in her mouth and shakily breathing in the smoke and the nicotine it promised.

She hated this habit herself, she hated where it’d come from and what it meant for her, who it connected her to, but she was weak. And she needed it.

Because Rowan had built her a treehouse.

It was right there, built carefully into the trees lining the border between his property and hers, looking as cozy and safe as he’d promised. Promised, right before she’d left for the first time. She was always doing that - leaving. But what else was she supposed to do? It was for both of them, not just her, she just bore the brunt of the sacrifice.

But every time, it became harder and harder to push him away.

He’d built her a godsdamned treehouse. Even after she’d left. He’d built it, because he wanted her to have her own place, even if he didn’t truly understand why. Because he was good, and he cared for her, more than anyone else ever had and much more than she deserved.

“Oh gods,” she breathed, pressure forming behind her eyes, making her head hurt and feel dizzy. She couldn’t cry, she couldn’t. If she did, she’d never be able to stop.

She hit the steering wheel with her fist, before resting her forehead against it, squeezing her eyes shut to keep those burning tears inside.

Tell me you miss us.

She sighed, her voice quiet as death in the still night. “I do.”

------

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#rowaelin #rowaelin au #rowaelin fanfiction #throne of glass #throne of glass au #throne of glass fanfiction #tmty

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anyoneseenadam · 3 years

Note

You write fenrys so well 🥺

Can I request something for him falling in love with a lady who works in a library and is friends with aelin and he keeps finding excuses to visit the library and one day they realize they’re mates ? Can you plz include alot of longing looks & touched and his friends noticing ?

pairing: Fenrys x reader (throne of glass)

warnings: drinking, small argument, mainly fluff

a/n: kay so it's been a hot MINUTE since I've posted and I am sorry my loves, also I comepletely modified this but I hope you still like it, comment and shiz pls it really helps with writers block lol <33

---------------------------------------------------

You had met Aelin sometime after the war. She had been wandering around town a couple days after the coronation, smiling at children and waving at the elderly, observing the way the town was slowly filling again, people returning home now it was safe. There weren’t many people about however, it just being seven in the morning.

She had walked past a shop then. It was small and rickety, the door barely on its hinges as a girl fought with it, swearing like a sailor.

“Do you need some help?” she asked, moving to stand beside the girl. You screamed instantly, jumping out of your skin at her sudden appearance, having not heard anyone coming due to how absorbed you were in your job. Aelin screamed when you screamed, and it left the two of you staring at each other with wide eyes before you fell apart in fits of laughter.

You stood from where you had bent to clutch your stomach, wiping tears from your eyes as you calmed down.

“Jeez you fucking gave me a heart attack,” you laughed as she apologised, still giggling behind her hand. You then turned, hands on your hips as you glared at the door of your shop.

“Rude men should be put down,” you muttered and Aelin was laughing again.

“That I can get behind,” she said as you opened it, giving up on fixing it completely, Aelin gasping when she saw the inside.

“You have a bookshop!” she exclaimed, and you laughed.

“Had, now I just have dusty books and a broken door. It was my mother’s before…” you trailed off and Aelin put a hand on your shoulder.

“I’m sorry,” she said, and you shrugged.

“It’s fine, it was ages ago anyway,” you stepped further into the shop, going to the large window up front and tugging of the white sheet that obscured it from light. “However, this shop isn’t dead yet so might as well get it done.”

Aelin looked around the shop, the paper on the walls was peeling, the paint on the shelves cracked and the books covered in a fine layer of dust. “Damn, where do we start?” she asked, rolling up her sleeves and grinning at you when you whirled around, frowning at her.

“Doesn’t the queen have better things to do?” you asked, and she shrugged, laughing at your bewildered expression.

“I’m sure my husband will cope.” You gave her an unsure look at that, and she laughed, “He’s competent.”

“If you say so.”

“If you knew I was queen you really have no fear of authority do you?” she asked as you started pulling books down and pilling them onto the sheet you just pulled off the window.

“Respect is earned, plus you’re the one who made me shit myself.” She laughed again, smiling widely, and helping you take down more books as she realised this was the most she had laughed since the war ended.

The worked all day. First removing the books and putting them upstairs in the rundown apartment you lived in, filled with plants, blankets, and somehow even more books. Next the repainted the shelves, setting them outside to dry while they re-wallpapered the walls and cleaned the floor until it was shining.

When the sky got darker you swore as you realised neither of you had eaten all day, going up to your new friend and asking her what she wanted for dinner.

“I make really good pasta,” you had suggested, and she had nodded enthusiastically as you went upstairs to your apartment, drinking wine as you cooked together. As you ate on the floor, drinking yet another bottle of wine, this time straight from the bottle Aelin asked about your past.

You assured her it was relatively normal, asides from the whole ‘evil tyrant thing’ as you put it. You talked together for hours, going back downstairs, and bringing the now dry, sage green shelves back in and putting all the books away, setting them in categories.

Hours later Aelin decided to go home, not wanting to worry so much and she opened the still broken door, the both of you laughing as you realised you had forgotten a pretty integral part.

“Hey, you could just name the shop, ‘the broken door’,” she suggested, and you smiled.

“That would work.”

When Aelin got home she was met with a concerned Rowan, asking where she had been all day.

She smiled at him, pausing before answering, “I think I have a new best friend.”

Rowan frowned at that, “And what brings you to that conclusion?”

“Today was the first time I’ve laughed since…” she trailed off as silence fell at the thought of their past few months, Rowan then bringing her in for a hug.

“You know this means I have to meet her too then,”

“Nope my best friend get your own.” She shoved him playfully, falling asleep next to him that night with a smile on her face.

They went to see you the next morning and Aelin laughed when she saw your dishevelled state.

“Did you sleep?” she asked when she walked into the shop and found signs put up and plants dotted around the room as you sat on the floor, drinking a coffee that smelt so strong she almost gagged, much preferring sweeter tastes.

“Sleep is for the weak!” you said, half-heartedly raising your hand.

“And what’s with all the plants?” Rowan asked, frowning as he almost walked into another and you sat up straighter, glaring at him.

“What you too good for plants?” you asked your hands moving over-exaggeratedly as you got to your feet. “Don’t listen to him, he’s just a stinky man,” you whispered to the plants and Aelin laughed at her husbands offended face.

You stood and started walking upstairs, your feet dragging as you went to get breakfast. You heard them follow you and you pushed open the door to your flat.

You had even more plants up here and Rowan rolled his eyes as you moved to open the large windows, letting in fresh air, you then moved about making pancakes, mixing enough for the three of you and adding blueberries when you were finished.

You cooked them up while chatting idly with Aelin and Rowan, only receiving a small amount of judgement when Aelin discovered you didn’t actually have a bed and instead just a mattress on the floor with a sheet for warmth and some soft pillows. Your house was newly decorated, art hung on the walls, plants and candles decorating every surface.

“Tea, coffee, water, vodka?” you offered them drinks and Aelin whined.

“No vodka, we had too much wine last night,” you laughed at that as you served up coffee and pancakes.

“Yeah we’ll have to go properly drinking some night,” you muttered, Rowan chuckling under his breath and nodding in agreement.

The three of you ate the rest of your food, laughing and joking together and Rowan really noticed the difference in Aelin’s manner. She hadn’t been truly comfortable or at ease in months, always looking over her shoulder, but now she sat laughing with her friend and Rowan wanted to thank you a million times over for bringing her back out of her shell.

Since you first met Aelin you were meeting up almost every day, discussing books over tea and hanging out at your shop, or drinking from expensive glasses in her castle while trying on elaborate dresses. Soon you were practically apart of the family, but that didn’t stop the confusion Fenrys felt when he walked into the castle and found a young girl sleeping on Aelins’ bed, a book opened but abandoned on her chest.

He tentatively walked forward so he could see her more clearly and felt his heart clench when his eyes fall upon her peaceful face, her eyes closed, and hair spread around her head like a halo. He was about to reach a hand out to brush a strand of hair from her soft hair when he heard the door open, turning to see Aelin run in, wrapping her arms tightly around him.

“Fenrys I didn’t know you were back,” she said when she pulled back, bouncing on the soles of her feet excitedly and he laughed.

“Are you going to explain why there’s a girl in your bed, or do I need to break some news to Rowan,” he joked and she shoved his shoulder before moving to the bed and shaking the girl awake.

“It’s just (y/n),” she explained as the girl huffed and rolled away from Aelin.

“Ah of course this person who I definitely knew existed,” Aelin stuck her finger up at him as he laughed, unable to stop his eyes from trailing back to her.

He watched as she breathed in deeply, her eyes opening slowly as she took him in, before she pulled her covers up to over her chin and frowned at him and Aelin with a small pout.

“I was having the best dream every asshole,” she complained and Fenrys smiled as she sat up on her elbows and reached a hand out to him to shake, introducing herself. He brushed the shake of and instead brought her hand to his mouth pressing a kiss to the back of it as sparks show through her skin at the sensation.

“I’m Fenrys, ambassador of Terrasen,” he smiled cheekily as she shrunk away slightly, nerves taking over her, “hope to see you around more.”

He left, pressing a quick kiss to Aelin’s temple, and winking at you as Aelin moved over to you with wide eyes.

“Aelin…” you started as she squealed.

“He was totally flirting with you! You would be such a cute couple, please, please ask him out I need you two to get married and have to worlds prettiest babies!” she was bouncing in hr seat as you moved to shut her up.

“Okay ONE, I just met him. And TWO, he was far too pretty for me,” you said and Aelin frowned.

“Nope, nope you are incorrect, and he is going to fall in love with you,” she demanded, and you laughed, kicking her with your foot.

“Mhm sure.”

The next few days, Fenrys was coming to your shop every day. He would bring chocolates and flowers some days, or coffee and pastries other days. Always dropping them off with a smile, before lounging in the plush, green chair in the corner of the shop and talking to you for hours. He has also started coming to your and Aelin’s weekly cocktail night, wrapping his arm around your shoulder’s and laughing drunkenly into your neck as you told stories.

However, through all this you remained ‘friends’. He would press kisses to your cheek and hands, keep an arm slung around your waist when men came to speak at you at bars and primarily referred to you using pet names and rarely ever your actual name. And it was getting frustrating.

You were having to start putting genuine effort to not kiss him every time you had a drink and he sat extra close to you. Or when you were invited to parties, and he moved smoothly through the countless questions asking if you were dating.

And while you revelled in the attention it was tearing at your heart slightly as insecurities told you that he would never actually be interested in you. You wanted to scream at him every time he kissed you but wanted to melt into him every time he hugged you, your brain constantly at battle with itself when he was near.

You knew you were due to explode any time soon. So when you were out one night and he was holding you extra close, you pulled away, muttering an excuse about getting another drink.

Standing at the bar as you waited you rested you head in your hands for a second before you saw a man begin to approach you. He was attractive, not like Fenrys, but honestly you would take anything to get your mind of him at the moment, so you smiled at him, tilting your head.

“What’s a doll like you doing all alone?” he asked, his voice rough and gravelly, unlike the smooth, deep timbre you were used to, but you just laughed.

“Waiting for a man to not dehumanise me,” you bit back, and he raised his hands sheepishly.

“Sorry about that, what would you prefer?” he flirted, sidling up closer to you as you turned to face him.

“Can’t go wrong with ma’am,” you joked, and he laughed, looking down and shaking his head, only to look back up, his eyes going wide. You felt a familiar hand wrap around your waist and looked up to see Fenrys, resisting the urge to roll your eyes as he glared at the man in front of you.

“What do you think you’re doing?” he asked, his voice deep and full of authority, the man in front of you shrinking under his gaze.

“Shit sorry man, didn’t realise she had a boyfriend,” he apologised and this time you did roll your eyes.

“He’s not my-“ you began but Fenrys cut you off.

“Yeah she does, so back the fuck off.” You looked down as he spoke, shaking your head as tears of frustration built in your eyes. You harshly pulled out of his grip, leaving the bar as quickly as you could, wiping away the escaped tears as you heard Fenrys follow after you, shouting your name.

You whirled around when you got outside, your glare murderous.

“You do not get to do that!” you shouted as he moved closer to you.

“Sweetheart I’m sorry,” he began but you cut him off.

“NO! I am not your girlfriend! You have never once asked me to be so you don’t get to try scare away any guy that might have genuine interest in me!” his shoulders slumped as you spoke. Truthfully, he has been working up the courage to ask you out for months, and while he knew it was unfair how he treated you, he couldn’t help himself. He was addicted. He thought of you constantly, the texture of your skin, the smell of your hair, the way your eyes lit up and the way you moved your hands as you spoke. So when he saw you engage with the man that had the audacity to talk to you, his grip tightened on his glass so much it shattered, ignoring the worried looks from Aelin and Rowan as he stomped over to you.

“(y/n) listen, I’ve been an asshole I know,” he raised his hands, tentatively stepping towards you, “But I really care about you, and I want to be yours.”

You laughed bitterly, “You’re just saying that.”

He shook his head vehemently, stepping closer to you again and wrapping his arms around your shoulders so gently, one would think you were made of glass.

“I love you darling, please be mine,” he said into your hair, and you pulled back, looking up at him through glassy eyes before nodding slightly.

“I love you Fenrys,” he smiled down at you before leaning down and pressing a gentle kiss against your mouth, pouring his heart into the action. You gasped slightly as your lips met and he smiled widely against your mouth as the bond clicked into place.

“You know this means I now have an excuse to break the nose of any man that talks to you,” he whispered against your lips, and you giggled, shoving at his shoulder gently.

“I’m still annoyed at you,” you muttered, and his eyes darkened.

“Well I’m sure I can make it up to you.”

#fenrys moonbeam x reader #fenrys moonbeam #fenrys x reader #throne of glass

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pvrkacciosan · 2 years

Text

The Heart of the Lioness : ☽⋆3⋆☾

Crimes Of What's Right

The Heart of the Lioness Masterlist

Previous Part

Fenrys followed behind Brielle out of the training room. His body parallel to hers like the odd sides of a magnet.

"He'll kill you for this"

He knew she was smiling without even having to look at her face.

"Lorcan has centuries to be mad at me, he'll get over it eventually"

Fenrys reached to clasp her hand which swung at the side of her hip, his fingers wrapped tightly, holding onto the pieces of her which seem to fall apart even more each time he saw her. Brielle's hand tightened around his and Fenrys skipped a step or two to get in line with her,

"what if Maeve sees?"

Fenrys tried not to let his panic spike at her words, she hadn't turned to look at him when she spoke, trying to keep away the attention of anyone who may be watching. They all knew of how Gavriel lost contact with someone he believed to be his mate, all to keep her safe and far away from the reaches of Maeve. Fenrys's didn't have that choice, couldn't make that choice not when Brielle was here with him. Bearing witness to everything Maeve had her do. She needed him, even if she did not voice it.

They rounded a corner of the hallway, a few people were at the end, they dropped their hands, the soldiers's bodies snapped into attention when they passed.

"I don't know how much longer I can keep this up Fen"

Her words were hollow, voice broken and when she looked at him, in that moment all he wanted to do was hold her as tight as their bodies would prohibit. His hand found hers once more, pulling them both to a stop. Checking the hallway quickly— the soldier had walked off already.

Tugging her closer by a hand at her waist, clung to the waistband of her training wear, Fenrys looked down at her, head only slightly inclined. Brielle sighed into the space between them, closing her eyes which looked far to heavy to keep open she leaned into his warmth and pressed her forehead to his.

Fenrys closed his eyes over as well, if someone walk into them he couldn't care less right now in this moment, because everything was well... perfect— she was perfect.

In this moment Maeve could not get them, the blood oaths did not exist, the tension stringing across the two continents was loosening, and Fenrys had already claimed Brielle to be his, in everyway possible and in every way that mattered.

"We shall just endure it a little while longer"

Brielle's responding sigh was heavier then before, she bit into her lower lip and a muscle twitched, as though she were holding in a wall of emotion, a damn of water trying to break out. It hurt him so to see her not open herself in front of him, but she still had things to do.

"Perhaps Aelin of the Wildfire may be able to help us one day" Fenrys knew his words were a stretch, what use would the young queen have for anyone of them? She already had Rowan and was free of Maeve for now. Though he held out hope, even if it was only a little bit, if not to save him, but at least his brothers and mate.

A pair of footsteps began there way towards them, and some part of him resisted the urge to pull away from Brielle when he could feel her body fighting itself as well. But upon instinct their bodies separated once more, only just in time before Gavriel and Connell appeared at the end of the dimly lite walkway towards their personal quarters.

"Did we interrupt something?" Connell asked the same time Gavriel muttered

"Please do not mount my sister so quickly, she only just got back" his brow was pinched as he took in their rigid stances and Fenrys couldn't help himself as he replied.

"I find it amusing how you assume it's me who does all the mounting"

Gavriel's usually tan faced seemed to changed to three different shades of pink in the span of a few seconds, Connell snorted a quick laugh and patted Gavriel on the shoulder before making his way off towards his own quarters. Fenrys watched his twin leave but said nothing, even though he longed to

Brielle was smiling now, a sight that set Fenrys slightly more at ease,

"Oh do loosen up brother your not dumb" she began to walk and both males followed on either side, keeping a healthy distance between each other, "And besides we're a lot more alike then you may think"

Gavriel seemed to be looking at anything but him and his sister, a picture which had Fenrys laughing silently from beside Brielle,

"No dear sister I don't think we are" the female turned over her shoulder, just enough for even Fenrys to notice the clipped smirk on her lips, which vanished a fraction before they reached the door to her room.

She swung the door open to find two familiar figure already waiting inside.

Teyra leapt up from Brielle's bed which despite not having her in it for a while was still a mess of ruffled blankets and excess pillows. Fenrys didn't doubt Brielle knew it had been him who had been taking up residence in her bed since she left. If only to hold onto the sense of her while she was gone.

The other female skipped across the room until she was close enough to actually throw herself at Brielle. Fenrys and Gavriel took this as their que and wandered over to Isaiah who was leant into a standing wardrobe in the corner, beside her washroom.

Gavriel started a quick conversation with the quiet male as Fenrys turns and tuned out their words to watch Brielle as she returned Teyra's embrace and was quickly dragged over to the bed only for her to be tackled backwards onto the mattress, the two females now a tangle of long limbs and loose hair.

Their laughter drew the attention of the other two males, who halted conversation to watch the reunion. The two figures on the bed both continued to laugh and whisper away amongst each other and their hug seemed endless and Fenrys would have loved nothing more then to watch the female who had flipped his life upside down since the moment they met to continue to be happy but there was a reason two of her most trusted sentries were here, and they must attend to that matter.

He was just glad it wasn't him who broke their bubble of warmth the two had built around themselves for their reunion however brief it was destined to be. Isaiah walk a stepped forward.

Fenrys looked the male up an down, he was a few centuries younger then them all but yet he held himself in high regard, Fenrys had great respect for him for he had managed to do the one thing he could not. From what Fenrys had heard from Brielle Isaiah had a wonderous mate and children, despite the Fae struggle to reproduce Isaiah seemed to have no trouble with his four children all within a decade of each others ages.

He cleared his throat and the duo of the bed stopped moving, Teyra's head popping up from their bundle a second before Brielle's both their hair gone wild and faces flushed with warmth.

Isaiah gave Teyra a quick gesture and look, the females grunted before they began to untangle themselves. When Teyra sat up, her lengthy dark hair cascading down at her side, she pointed a finger in Fenrys's direction. He lifted a brow,

"If you don't wife her up I might steal her from you"

He gulped, "Duly noted" he gave a small two finger salute to her, she cracked a smile which heeded just as much warning as her words. Fenrys tried to not let his expression display his slight panic.

Brielle ungracefully clamoured off from the bed, almost falling in her efforts as her ankle got snagged in a sheet of bedding. Throwing her arms out to try and catch herself, Brielle managed to correct her balance shaking the blanket from her foot. Straightening her core and flicking back a stray piece of hair Brielle looked to them all.

"Right tell me of these reports"

Teyra tensed, Isaiah move to sit next to her, Brielle turned to look at them both, Fenrys and Gavriel stayed where they were next to the wardrobe, they had learned their lessons before in not getting in the middle of her business. Fenrys could still remember the telling off they had received, he hadn't felt so young in such a long time and in those moments of her getting mad he felt as close as he was going to get to being young and being told of by his mother again.

"The latest group didn't make it across" Isaiah said from his place beside Teyra, the female at his side peaked up a shimmer of shame flashing in her deep blue eyes, she was wary of disappointing her commander.

"We were overseeing their transport ourselves but there was these soldier..." she shook her head and Isaiah reached to clasp her hand when Teyra choked on her words "They were... dark— different" Isaiah finished for her.

Brielle shoulders were stiff and she soothed over their words, her two sentries awaited her response or reaction.

"They hadn't used magic in so long, they struggled to defend themselves" Isaiah added referring to the group that had all lost their lives during the attack.

The air around them seemed far to thick to breath in, and the seconds dragged sending a side glance to Gavriel Fenrys wasn't surprised when he looked ready to jump in and help his sister at any given moment. They didn't have to wait a second longer as Brielle finally spoke.

"At least you two are okay"

"I wouldn't use the word 'okay'" Teyra said,

"Surviving better suits" Isaiah finished,

"Those... things" Teyra breathed giving another shake of her head, "They looked human, but where anything but that, we couldn't save any of those we travelled with"

Brielle started towards the female of the bed, Teyra rose as her commander approached, and as Teyra began to sob Brielle hugged her tightly, the sheer pressure of the embrace turning her muscle white with pressure, and so she squeezed her friend.

"Some were children" Fenrys was not sure how the words had managed to get past the clot which had undoubtfully formed in Teyra's throat.

The room was silent as Teyra cried, there was not a single hint of shame with this, they had all cried for moments of this. Gavriel had tattoos for those he had lost, and Brielle would spend a day in silence for every souls she lost whilst they were under her care. Fenrys was sure this would be no different.

The two female finally pulled apart and Brielle held Teyra by the soldiers,

"And you're sure Maeve hasn't caught onto anything"

"Positive" Isaiah responded quickly from his place still rested on the bed.

"Good" was her only response.

Teyra spent another few minute crying in the arms of her commander and friend before she and Isaiah took their leave, Leaving Brielle alone with the wolf and Lion of Doranelle. The three of them rested on her bed, it was a little cramped with the males full sizes but that was just how Brielle liked it.

She was sat up, with Fenrys curled around her back, Gavriel laid along the bottom of the bed with his head propped up with a hand.

"It wasn't your fault, no one could have predicted those things would show up, you cannot blame yourself for this" Fenrys spoke sitting up to press his lips to the skin of her shoulder, while he pulled back the collar of her shirt.

Gavriel averted his eyes from the sight but patted his sister on the lower leg,

"You have spent years helping them all get out, surely the lives saved outweighs those lost"

Her silence was a deafening response, they shared a look, if time was what she needed then they would grant her that, but they would both be here for her, Damn if he knew, Lorcan would even be here for her. Despite his demeanor the other male would do anything she asked even if it was a request for a hug. He would do so begrudgingly but would do it regardless.

"You did what was right, getting those people out"

Brielle cast her gaze up from the pillow she fidgeted with, "did I?"

"I helped them escape a king only to lead them into the land of our queen, I'm not sure which is worse, perhaps doing the right thing now is simply a crime" she looked to them both, Gavriel first then turning to Fenrys, "and I'm not sure if I regret committing it or not"

Her words hung in silence.

"You helped those people when no one else would, not even our queen, When their homes turned hostile and they started to turn on each other, You gave them a way out. No one faults you for doing what was right, even if you think such acts a crime" Gavriel said sharply, his sister looked to him, like glancing into his own eyes, a mirror of his own it cracked his heart in two when a tear slide down the bone of her cheek.

She didn't sob, or even make a sound, but the tears kept coming and it was in her face that it became clear to him that she was trying to fight them, if it was for their sake he was going to kick her ass in training next time they sparred but for this moment Gavriel did and became the thing she needed him to be right now.

Simply her brother.

Propping himself up he moved across the bed to wrap arms around his little sister, Gavriel didn't move as Fenrys wrapped around her from behind.

If anyone came into the room now they would find two of the most powerful Fae males on the Continent cocooning a smaller figure between them, protecting her from everything even if it was at the cost of their own lives.

None of them kept track of how long they sat like that, but eventually Gavriel left and Fenrys stayed by her side, until she willed him away, but she uttered no such words, so they simply lay awake staring into the darkening room surrounding them.

It was silent until Fenrys began to chuckle, Brielle still said nothing as she went to look at him with a quirked eyebrow in question.

"Lorcan" was all he said

Brielle cursed and began to sit up, but Fenrys was quick to snatch her around the waist and pull her back into him, he would be damned if Lorcan, despite him probably still being stuck downstairs, he wouldn't allow this rare moment between him and his mate to be interrupted.

"The old bastard could use the time to cool off" he tuck his arm around her securely, leaning up on his elbow he looked over her shoulder to gaze down at her face.

She was a wonderous sight to witness.

Without thinking he leaned down to capture her lips in a full kiss, Brielle pushed herself into it, a hand coming up to cup her mates face. Fenrys pulled away with a smirk,

"And what's a few more hours anyway?"

Brielle was finally smiling again by the time he leaned back down to kiss her.

Once more Lorcan tried to shimmy into finding some crack in the wall of her magic, but no, it was still the same as it had been the last time he checked. Giving a low growl of discontentment, he squinted when a small candle light began to urge towards the now cold, dark and very much empty training room.

Connell appeared a small bowl of steaming foot in hand, a grin on his face.

"Fuck off" Lorcan growled

Connell paused by the archway frowning,

"Still snappy I see," he continued towards Lorcan, placing the small wooden bowl down, he smelt the warm freshly cooked bread a second before he spotted it. Connell went to move to feed Lorcan. But he paused.

"You're not going to bit me are you? you look like you bite"

Lorcan glared at him,

Connell nodded before putting everything down in front of Lorcan, damn his knees where really beginning to go numb. Then Connell left, Lorcan wanted to call out for the male to come back and help him reach the food, but he couldn't let it get passed is pride.

So for the rest of the night, Lorcan watched the bowl of food and fresh bread, as they began to cool. He couldn't do much else so wait he did.

. . .

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