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rowanaelinn · 3 years

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Slipped away - chapter one

prompt - single parent @rowaelinscourt

“It’s cold,” Fenrys complained, sitting on Rowan’s new couch.

“We are in the north, you dumbass.” Lorcan snapped. “Of course it’s colder than what you’re used to.”

“Doranelle is in the North too.”

Lorcan took a deep breath, apparently, he wasn’t feeling very patient today. “I don’t know, Fenrys, it might be because we are on a whole other continent, maybe?”

Rowan snorted at his friends, Fenrys was playing dumb just to annoy Lorcan and as always, it worked. They were enjoying their last day of rest before their first day of work tomorrow. It wasn't a new job, not really. The company they worked for had just moved from Doranelle to Orynth, and of course, Rowan and the other employees had to move too.

Rowan knew that with the opening of the new Valg Industries headquarters the next few months would not be smooth sailing, but he believed in himself. Maeve was so confident that she even promoted him. It was a new beginning for Rowan and he was happy about it, his life in Doranelle was the perfect definition of dull. Not that he hated it, he was just glad to be away from his cousins. He didn’t hate them, they were just so… meddlesome.

Rowan walked into his kitchen and opened his fridge, empty. He cursed under his breath. The few bottles of beer he had last night ran out very quickly, they didn’t even have leftovers of the pizza they ordered yesterday. Which was a problem because Rowan was starving and there was no way he would order food for the second night in a row, it had already bothered him to do so yesterday.

He checked his watch, six in the afternoon. He was pretty sure the grocery store didn’t close before seven, he had little time if he wanted to go there. He needed to be quick. “Going shopping, be gone when I come back,” Rowan told his friends as he picked his car key. He needed some time alone but he knew they would probably still be there when he came back, his friends weren’t ones to listen.

He slammed the front door behind him and got into his car. It still smelled new, the leather still a little too stiff under Rowan's body. He had gotten the car yesterday, he had decided that if he was going to change his life, he would do it all the way. Nothing in his life in Doranelle set foot in Terrasen except his friends and his job.

Rowan lived in an upscale residence in downtown Orynth. Between his family's money and the money he was making even before he was promoted, he could afford it. He didn't want to live in the apartments that the company offered to its employees, he needed some peace and quiet.

So Rowan took a house that was too big for him, in a suburb full of family, as if he wasn't almost thirty and wasn't still alone. He had never felt so out of place, but he would get used to it.

He had chosen the opposite of the life he had until then, wanting space. He had left to forget.

When he pulled into the grocery store parking lot, Rowan could have sworn he saw a familiar face. He blinked and it was gone, he shook his head. How could he recognize anyone if he had never been to Terassen? He needed to sleep.

He got out of his car and shivered slightly. Maybe Fenrys was right, it wasn't cold but it was definitely colder than Doranelle at this time of year.

He walked into the store, it was large. Everything in Terassen looked big. The houses, the buildings, the stores... Rowan could get used to it.

He took a basket from the entrance and went straight to the vegetables. The store was almost empty considering the time of day, he could hear a couple of kids laughing in the background but otherwise, everything was quiet. It felt good to be away from the world.

He selected enough vegetables for three days, preferring to shop for short periods rather than a whole week. It made less mess and allowed him to control what he ate. That's one of the things he needed, control.

"Gotcha!" He heard a woman's voice laugh rather loudly.

"Noooo!" A little girl said and Rowan heard her laugh and ran. Gods, children were loud.

A few seconds later, something hit Rowan's legs. He looked down to find a little girl. She was a brunette with blue eyes. She laughed and stood up. "Sorry," she said before running off again to lose whoever was trying to catch her, but it was too late. A tall blonde lady came running up and threw herself on top of the little girl, grabbing her under the arms and throwing her over her shoulder. The little girl screamed with laughter and tried to struggle as the adult spun around. "Stop!" the child screamed but continued to laugh.

Rowan felt like he was intruding but he couldn't stop the tip of his lips from rising slightly. The adult stopped spinning but did not let go of the child, the little one wrapped her arms around the woman's neck and hid her head. "Hey, little monster, did you apologize?" She asked, her eyes still on the little one. Rowan couldn't see her face with the hair hiding it. "Huh?" She shook the little girl slightly but she refused to look at her.

"She did," Rowan said, not wanting the little girl to get into trouble. When the woman looked at him, his heart stopped beating and his whole body froze. It was impossible.

Did the gods hate him that much? What had he done to them for them to punish him like that?

Her eyes widened and he noticed her body going still, her hold around the girl tightening. Her mouth opened and then closed.

As he had been years before, he was struck by the intensity of Aelin Galathynius’s gaze. These blue and gold eyes were mesmerizing, had always been and always will.

His only thought was that she looked older, but since he had last seen her when she was nineteen it wasn’t surprising. She looked like a woman now, and womanhood suited her. She was wearing a white shirt and black skirt, a simple outfit for a working woman, and yet Rowan couldn’t help but stare longer than necessary at her body. If she had been beautiful seven years ago, she was magnificent now.

He wanted to punch himself in the face, so much work to forget about everything that happened, so much work to ignore the guilt and pain just to be ruined by a meeting in a grocery store.

“Rowan,” she breathed.

“Hi, Aelin.”

The little girl looked at him and he noticed everything she had in common with Aelin. Her eyes first, and the same nose and lips. They looked so similar.

Suddenly he was struck by the truth standing in front of him. While it had taken everything in him to try to forget about her, Aelin had moved on. And she had a daughter. Aelin had a life and if the laugh she let out a minute before was any indication, she was happy.

“What are you doing here?” He blurted.

A snort. “What am I doing in a grocery store?”

“In Orynth.”

“This is my hometown.” She said, her voice so tight he couldn’t guess what she might be feeling. It had always been so damn hard to read her. Orynth was her hometown? How come he never knew that? He knew she was from Terassen, her accent betraying her, but didn’t know exactly where. He knew so much about her but at the same time so little. That little truth hurt. “What are you doing here?”

“I moved. For work.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.” Fuck, that was awkward. “How old is your daughter?” He asked, nodding toward the small girl playing with Aelin’s hair. Aelin looked at her and her expression softened a little.

“Oh, no. She isn’t my…” She took a deep breath. “She’s Aedion and Lysandra’s daughter. I’m just babysitting for the night.” Right, Aedion. That’s why the small girl looks so much like Aelin. “Remember Aedion?”

Of course, he did, last time he saw the man Rowan got his nose broken and a black eye. He wouldn’t forget his old friend so soon. But Rowan didn’t care about that, right now he only cared that Aelin, in fact, didn’t have a daughter. It was easier to breathe suddenly. “Yeah.”

“But she’s four,” Aelin said and he knew it was only so she had something to say. Talking was awkward but the silence was worse.

Before he could say anything else, someone interrupted them by hitting Aelin’s legs, hugging them. This girl was blonde, Ashryver blonde. Gods, how many children did Lysandra and Aedion have?

The youngest paused on the ground and did not waste time before leaving from where she came. Aelin seemed to forget Rowan's entire existence as she knelt down to face the child, though she looked even tenser than a few minutes before.

"Hey, pumpkin, what's going on?" She asked softly, delicately taking the girl's grip to force her to look at her. "Tell me."

"Asper pulled my hair!" The girl cried and Aelin smiled.

"Did you try to tickle his neck?" She asked, making Rowan choke. Aelin didn’t spare him a glance. He wanted to ask her why she wasn’t punishing this Asper for pulling hair but he guessed Aelin would beat him up if he questioned how Aedion chose to raise his children. “You know how sensitive he is.” She smiled at the child. The girl sniffed heavily and Aelin used her sleeve to dry her tears. "Go back over there, I'll be there in two minutes." The child nodded briskly and before she left, she turned her head to Rowan.

His blood ran cold as green eyes fixed on him.

She looked like Aelin on the little one before, of course, but not only that. Did she... No. Lysandra had green eyes too. Rowan could have sworn that Lysandra's eyes were much lighter, but he hadn't seen her in seven years. He was wrong. He had to be wrong.

"Hi!" She said with a big smile. She was missing a tooth in the front, but that didn't take away from her charm.

Rowan swallowed, "Um, Hi." He managed to smile but he couldn't help that she looked too little like Lysandra.

“Are you a grandpa?” The girl asked and Rowan choked. “Only grandpa has grey hair.” She smiled and looked proud of herself. Silver, his damn hair is silver, not grey.

"Go ahead, Helia," Aelin said before Rowan could answer, her voice firm. She pushed the little one toward the alley away from Rowan. Aelin stood up when the little one was gone and his eyes shot to hers.

"It was nice to see you again," she said but he knew she was thinking the exact opposite. Rowan's heart was beating so loudly that Rowan could hear it pounding in his ears.

"Aelin," He called to her, stopping her in her tracks. " Just how... How old is she?"

"Bye, Rowan." Her voice left no room for questions, but he didn't care. He didn't care about what happened in college and now wasn't the time to start.

"Answer me." Not a question and she knew it. He could swear he saw the gold ring in her eyes flutter, a sign he had learned to recognize as anger. Well, let her be angry, he deserved answers.

"Ace, is everything okay?" A man with nearly black hair and sapphire blue eyes asked him. A boy a little taller than Helia was sitting on the man's shoulders and when Rowan saw his green eyes...

He had to be wrong.

"Aelin?" The man asked again as Aelin hadn't looked at him yet, her gaze still on Rowan.

"Yes." She replied with her voice cold. "My friend was just leaving, right?"

The way she said the word "friend" was anything but friendly. Fuck, he wanted to yell at her, he wanted to demand answers now, but he didn't. The two little girls were behind Aelin and the man, watching what was going on.

"Answer my question first."

"Get out." She gritted through her teeth.

"Why do you have your angry voice, Mommy?" The little boy asked and suddenly Aelin's eyes softened and she looked at the boy. She grabbed him by the underarms and took him in her arms.

Mommy.

Her son.

Clearly not the son of the man next to Aelin. He looked about six, maybe even seven.

No. That was impossible. It was only one night. One night he had spent the last seven years regretting...

“Mommy’s not angry.” She smiled as she caressed her son’s hair. Their… No, her son. For all Rowan knew, Aelin only had a thing for men with green eyes. It meant nothing. “But she’s busy right now, go back to the car with uncle Dorian, okay? Then we’ll eat pizza, that’s your favorite, right?” The three kids cheered and Aelin gave her son to the man, Dorian.

“You okay?” He asked, touching Aelin’s shoulder. Rowan didn’t know why but he wanted to slap the man.

“Yeah, I’ll be there in two minutes.” She reassured him and he nodded, letting Aelin’s son on his shoulder as he held the two girls by their hands and walked back to the parking lot. Rowan wanted to stop him, wanted to ask that boy and girl how old they were but they were just kids. He couldn’t scare them. This was between Rowan and Aelin.

“I deserve the truth.”

“You don’t deserve shit. Not after what you did.”

“It was between me and you, not between me and-” He was cut off by her.

“There is nothing between you and them. Do you understand me? Nothing.” Them. So the girl…

He couldn’t take it. She had made it clear already, deep inside he knew the answer to his question but he needed to hear her say it. “Are they mine?” He finally asked and if looks could kill, Rowan would be buried already.

“They are mine.”

Why did she have to be so fucking complicated? He clenched his fists, trying to keep his anger inside him but it was so damn hard. “Am I their father?”

Both of them were breathing heavily and Rowan was glad for the empty store now, not wanting to cause a scene. “No.” Her voice was lethal and Rowan’s mind froze. He didn’t know if it was a good thing or not. But they looked so much like him… “If your question is whether or not you knocked me up, the answer is yes. But you are not a father. Never been and never will be to them.”

They were his. Rowan’s entire world stopped and he wasn’t sure how he kept standing. He was a father, no matter what Aelin said.

“How could you hide this from me? How could you take them away from me?” He was screaming now. He didn’t care about causing a scene anymore, he didn’t care about anything but the two kids in a car outside. “They are my kids!”

“You don’t even know their fucking name!” She was screaming too, cheeks red. Fuck, why did she always had to be the most attractive when she was angry? He hated her so fucking much. “I am the one who’s been raising them alone for almost seven fucking years!” She didn’t look alone, not with that Dorian by her side.

Suddenly, he knew Aedion didn’t punch him for what he and Aelin shared the last night he saw her. He had punched him for getting his cousin pregnant. He knew Aelin hadn’t been honest about what happened between them after the sex or he would have been dead by now, so now he was sure it was because of the kids. He had deserved it, deserved more than the five punches Aedion managed to give Rowan before Fenrys and Lorcan separated them.

“I will die before I let you treat my children like you treated me. Get out of Terassen, nobody wants you here.”

She left storming out of the store without her groceries and Rowan was frozen. He knew he should go back after her and apologize, he should beg her for a chance to know his kids but he couldn’t move.

He had children, twins. And Aelin had been raising them alone because of him, because of what happened.

He was so fucking screwed.

He didn’t care about what Aelin told him, he wouldn’t go anywhere. It was too late to save what could have happened between him and Aelin, it had been too late since the night she left his apartment in tears. But it wasn’t too late for his children and he would fight for them.

————

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#rowaelin #rowan whitethorn #rowan x aelin #rowaelin fanfiction #throne of glass fanfiction #rowaelin month #rowaelinmonth #slipped away

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rowanwhitethornisbae · 4 years

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Faking It Chapter 1

Rowaelin Fake Dating High School Au

A/N: This is going to be told through Aelin and Rowan’s POV’s but will also feature other characters.

masterlist

Aelin Galathynius had never been this pissed off in her entire life.

“I need to focus on myself.”

“You can be a lot to handle sometimes.”

If Aelin hadn't been so shellshocked she most definitely would've slapped that grimace off his ruggedly handsome face. Chaol Westfall and her had been dating for as long as Aelin could remember. Grade six graduation, he was there. Grade eight dance marathon, him again. First day of high school, Chaol. Junior prom night, guess fucking who.

Now, she was barely a week into senior year and everything was already going to shit. It’s not that she was completely torn up about the breakup - she wasn't - it was more about her pride. Aelin’s bitchy side could not believe that she hadn't been the one to dump him first. They’d barely spoken to each other all summer long. Aelin had been lifeguarding at a pool on the south side of town and Chaol had been a camp counsellor on the north. Still, their friend groups crossed over in every way possible. Aelin was the head cheerleader, leader of about every committee you could think of, and as Aedion liked to call her, “Queen of Terrasen High”. Chaol was, you guessed it, the football team captain and starting quarter back. They were the textbook couple in every way possible. Still, despite the cheerleaders and football players hanging out nearly every night, Chaol and Aelin had barely talked. It had been that way since their huge fight on the last day of junior year. They’d claimed to forgive each other, but never really had. They’d both said some really fucked up shit. Still, Aelin couldn't bring herself to be completely regretful of what she’d said to him.

“This is a good thing A.” Her best friend Lysandra was saying beside her. “You’re way hotter than him anyway.”

Snapping back to attention, Aelin smiled. “I am aren't I.” She laughed.

“Hell yes.” Lysandra assured her. “He was never in your league.”

Aelin laughed and threw her arm over her best friends shoulders. School was out for the day and they were heading out to meet Aedion for a drive home. Ignoring the faint anger in her gut, Aelin had to admit she felt more free. She hadn't been single since the sixth grade - save the small break her and Chaol had taken in 10th year. Aelin didn't like to ponder too much on that time in her life.

A blast of warm air hit her as they pushed open the heavy doors to the school. Aedion’s face broke into a wide grin as he spotted them. As soon as her and Lysandra reached him he pulled her into a bear hug. “Welcome to the world of miserable and lonely single people. You’re gonna love it.” He messed with her hair and she groaned for him to put her down.

“How the hell do you know already?” She asked.

“Oh my sweet naive cousin. Everyone knows.” He smiled sympathetically.

“Everyone?” Aelin said, a hint of desperation in her tone.

“Everyone.” Aedion echoed. “It’s the biggest news to hit the school since, well, you and Chaol took break.”

Aelin swore under her breath. “Can’t people focus on their own lives for once.”

Lysandra laughed softly. “We need to find you a rebound.” She said, bouncing on her toes. “I finally get the chance to be my best friends wingman.”

“I don't want a rebound.” Aelin said frowning.

“Would you rather Chaol find one first. He broke up with you, you’re already losing.”

Damn Lysandra. She knew that Aelin was probably the most competitive person alive and could literally never shy away from a fight.

“Fine. Who?” She swung open the door to Aedion’s car and climbed in the back.

Lysandra clapped her hands together and joined her in the back. “How about Fenrys Moonbeam?”

Aelin shook her head back and forth. “No way.”

“Why?” Aedion asked. “He’s unfairly attractive.”

“You date him then.” Aelin shot back.

“Maybe I will.” He smiled wickedly at her in the rearview mirror and pulled out of the parking lot.

“How about Sam Cortland.” Lys suggested.

For a moment Aelin considered it. Despite being a year younger than her, Sam was extremely cute. His messy brown hair and constant smile didn't hurt matters.

“Too nice.” Aelin insisted. “I’ll feel too bad about using him.”

Lysandra had just begun naming someone else when their car slammed into something else. Aelin’s body lurched forward uncontrollably, head slamming into the seat in front of her.

“Fuck!” Aedion swore. “Fucking hell!”

Aelin didn't even have time to revel in the fact that Aedion had actually cursed. Instead, she surveyed her body to make sure she was alright. Lysandra appeared to be doing the same and they both exchanged weak smiles of comfort. All three of them slowly got out of the car to see who exactly they had run into.

Aelin was stilling rubbing at her temples when a voice sent a chill down her spine.

“Are you fucking kidding me Ashryver?” He said.

Heart racing, Aelin lifted her head slowly and met the anger filled green eyes of Rowan Whitethorn. He looked absolutely flawless in his leather jacket and white tee. His too tight jeans were ripped around the knees and cuffed just above his black combat boots. Rowan’s silver hair was messy and unkept and his tattoo was just as beautiful as ever. The vibrant green of his eyes never failed to take her off guard. Eyes that were now staring directly at her.

He blinked twice, the only reaction he would show, and went back to yelling at her cousin.

“I’m sorry man.” Aedion was saying in the background. “I didn't see you.”

“It’s not his fault.” Lysandra jumped in. “We were all distracted.”

“Let me guess.” He snarled back, tone as pissed off as ever. “Discussing the recent breakup.” Rowan was looking at Aelin now, waiting for a response.

“Something like that.” She mumbled, not looking directly at him.

“Didn't hear that princess.” He said loudly.

“Fuck off Rowan.” Aedion yelled, subtly stepping between them. “It was accident, send me the bill for your bumper. We’re going now.”

“Whatever.” Rowan didn’t look at her once. He only got back in his dented black car, flipped Aedion off, and hit the gas.

“Come on A.” Lysandra said softly, wrapping an arm around Aelin’s trembling form. She pulled her gently back toward their car. Aelin could feel Aedion’s gaze on her, yet for some reason she couldn't bring herself to care.

After a few more minutes of silent and awkward driving, Aelin couldn't bear it anymore.

“I’m fine guys.” She said with as much confidence as she could muster. “Please stop looking at me like I'm a time bomb.”

Lysandra laughed and smiled. “Whatever you say A.” Aelin had never been this grateful for her best friend.

“How about Rowan.” Lysandra continued. Every thought left Aelin’s head and she jolted upwards in her seat.

“Are you insane? Are you literally fucking mental. I would get burned alive then have a conversation with him.” Aelin was practically yelling now.

Lysandra only shrugged. “What’s the one thing that hurts more than sleeping with the best friend?” She asked Aedion.

“Sleeping with the guy you told him not to worry about.” Her cousin recited, smirking in the rearview mirror.

“Absolutely not. No way in hell.” She paused. “Besides, he wouldn't even give me the time of day.”

Lys squealed. “So you’re considering it.”

“No.” Aelin murmured, ignoring her friend’s pointed glares.

“Alright.” Lysandra finally relented. “Just think on it.”

“Fine.” Aelin nodded, and went back to staring at nothing through the car window.

~~~~~~~~

“Lorcan!” Rowan yelled out. “Where are you guys?”

“Out back.” Came the booming yell of Lorcan Salvaterre.

Sighing, Rowan put his coat back on and walked through the house to the back door. Only, Fenrys greeted him, patting him on the back and moving over on the couch. “How was your day?” His friend asked.

“Horrible.” Rowan admitted.

Fenrys stuck out his bottom lip. “How come?”

“I talked to Aelin Galathynius.”

The rest of the group instantly stopped whatever conversations they’d been having and whirled towards him. Fenrys’ eyes were blown wide open as he struggled to find the words.

“Explain.” Lorcan said at last, falling back in his chair. Vaughn and Gavriel were staring at him cautiously, as if he might have another breakdown. “Her cousin hit my car.” He grumbled.

“The first time you speak to Aelin in nearly two years is because you crashed into her car” Vaughn reiterates.

Rowan only nods. Fenrys, bless him, somehow restrains from laughing.

“So do tell.” Gavriel gestures for Rowan to go into more detail.

“I made some comment about the breakup, she refused to look at me, I basically mocked and condescended her, and then Aedion told me to fuck off and I left.” He reached down into the cooler for a drink.

“Um wow.” Lorcan sighed. “Nice going asshole.”

Rowan just held his beer out in salute and took a long drink. He was more than ready to forget about the whole day and move on. Unfortunately, his friends seemed less inclined for his plan.

“The news of their breakup is all over the school.” Fenrys told them. He had always been their number one source of gossip, considering the rest of them despised most social interaction. “Guys are already placing bets on who can sleep with her first. Cairn bet Nox 1000$ he can nail her by Dorian’s party this Friday.”

Rowan tried and failed to ignore the tightening in his chest.

“Will she even go to that?” Gavriel posed. “Dorian is Chaol’s best friend anyway.”

“She’ll be there.” Rowan blurted before he could take it back.

All eyes again flipped to him. “Why don’t you make a move Rowan?” Lorcan asked, a smirk etched onto his lips.

“Fuck off Salvaterre. I hate the bitch.” Rowan snarled.

“You didn't seem to hate her so much when - “ Fenrys began.

Rowan was already up and moving before he could hear the end of the sentence. He ignored their calls of apology and to come back, instead getting into his car and pulling out. At last, he pulled into the parking space in front of his aunt’s house and leaned his head against the car window.

It had barely been a week and his senior year was already shaping up to be a fucking mess.

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

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charincharge · 4 years

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Cruel Summer, Part 7

cruel summer masterlist

AN: Usual warnings apply. Thank you for all your comments and interactions -- you are all wonderful.

Aelin is going to murder her family. Okay, not actually. But, for some reason, they’ve decided they haven’t been spending enough time together, and that this week is going to be completely taken up by family activities. Which, usually Aelin would love. However, the only activity she wants to partake in is making out with Rowan Whitethorn’s face, and her family is making that physically impossible.

She opens her messenger and reads through her meager back and forth with him, explaining her lack of presence in the park. Rowan’s not a big texter, she learned. He replies in clipped answers. It’s impossible to read him. She messaged him the day after Friending him, not wanting to look too desperate, but also, she can’t stop thinking about the way her whole body pulsed as he’d leaned toward her in the brewery back hallway.

She is fairly certain she’s going to combust when she actually gets to touch him. Their chemistry is undeniable. Like two pieces of a magnet, unable to stay away from each other. She can’t believe he thinks she was dating Dorian, when she thought she’d made it so incredibly obvious she wanted to jump Rowan. And now that it’s a possibility… Her heart pounds with frustration at her family’s unintentional cockblocking.

Aelin hears Gavin and Evie squealing in the foyer, despite the early hour, which means Aedion and co. have arrived for the day. Aelin decides to descend from her room, waiting to hear what family activity awaits today. Hopefully it’s more active than yesterday’s beach day where she had nothing but free time to fantasize about all the things she wanted to do with Rowan on a beach and stress about how long he takes to reply to her messages. She did get a great base tan, though.

“Ah, look who’s decided to grace us with her presence,” Rhoe jokes. “Just in time to leave for the park.”

Aelin lights up. “We’re going to the park today?” She racks her brain. “But it’s not Saturday?”

Aedion ruffles her hair, earning a frown from Aelin. “How could you forget what today is, kiddo?”

“Because time has no meaning during the summer? And don’t call me kiddo, old man,” Aelin says cheekily. Aedion pokes her side, and she swats his finger away. “No, seriously, what is today?”

“It’s the Ashryver Alzheimers Foundation Fair,” Rhoe says, his tone serious. “So, let’s all be very nice to your mother today. She’s already at the park setting up.”

Aelin frowns in apology. She can’t believe she lost track of the time so much so that it’s already her mother’s charity event. Evalin spearheads the foundation. It’s her life’s passion. She created it after her own mother passed away from Alzheimers. It’s the one day of summer the park turns into more of a County Fair, filled with local food booths, a petting zoo, a fashion show, a silent auction, animal adoptions, and a big band for dancing in one of the eating tents. All the proceeds go to the foundation. Her mother works relentlessly all year long to put together the event, and it’s always incredibly fun.

Aelin takes out her phone and opens her messages again as Rhoe tells them to be ready to leave in ten minutes. She grins when she sees a message from Rowan waiting for her.

So, am I ever going to see you again, or…

Aelin replies too quickly. YES! We’re actually going to the park today.

Rowan messages back immediately. Out of excuses to avoid me?

Another message arrives in rapid succession. Just kidding. I know it’s a big ~Ashryver~ day here. Lorcan is just about to give us our morning assignments. Who came up with these activities? They’re insane.

Aelin smirks, wondering where he’ll be assigned. It’s the most Rowan has ever texted back.

It’s for charity! And you’ll love it. I’ll see you soon :)

I’ll believe it when I see it.

“Who’s got you smiling like that?” Aedion hovers over Aelin’s shoulder, and Aelin clutches her phone against her chest as she whips her head around to glare at her brother.

“No one.”

“Uh huh, sure.” Aedion frowns. “It’s not Chaol again, is it?”

Aelin grumbles. “Oh my god, why does everyone always think that?”

Aedion laughs. “I don’t know, maybe because he’s been the only guy you’ve dated for the entirety of your life? Even though you keep breaking up for good reason?”

Aelin flicks him off. “It’s not Chaol. He has a new girlfriend. Thank you very much.”

“So spill.”

Aelin shakes her head.

“Nox? Cain? Archer? Mikhail?”

Aedion lists the names of Dorian’s friends, other board members’ sons, and surrounding neighbors. Of course those are the only people he would consider. Someone from the park wouldn’t even cross his mind. Mostly because her family would not approve in the slightest.

“Come on, kids, let’s go,” Rhoe calls, rushing past the siblings in the foyer and saving Aelin. She exhales quickly as they pile into the car. Since Evalin will have so much to transport at the end of the day, they forgo walking.

The park is just opening when they arrive, and they spot Evalin immediately. She works to set up signs and balloons at the entrance. Rhoe goes to stand dutifully beside her, holding her purse and other accoutrements. The woman is a whirlwind, but a productive one. The park has been transformed before Aelin’s very eyes. Aelin breathes in deeply. She can already smell the scent of roasting meats and fried dough.

“Need any help, mom?” Aelin asks, and Aelin’s never been so grateful as when Evalin shrugs her off and tells her to go find her friends.

Aelin is halfway booking it to attempt to find Rowan when Gavin and Evie run up to her, each grabbing a hand and pulling her toward the animal adoption booths. “Let’s go look at the animals, Auntie Ae!” Evie announces sweetly, and Aelin sighs. She guesses she’ll have to look for Rowan later in the day.

Aelin takes her niece and nephew through the petting zoo, giving funny voices to all the farm animals, which delights them. She gives the cow a particularly high voice, which sends Gavin into a fit of giggles. Next to the petting zoo is a long row of adoption booths, and though Aelin knows she shouldn’t, she goes and looks at the puppies.

“Oh my god,” she exclaims, looking at the little of small golden puppies in the pen. The attendant smiles.

“I know. They’re precious, right?” Aelin nods, her hands itching to reach out and pet them.

“Do you want to come meet them?” the attendant asks, and Aelin nearly jumps into the pen with excitement. She sits down, Gavin and Evie with her, and within seconds, they’re swarmed by little balls of yipping fur, trying to climb over them and attack them with kisses.

Aelin hugs a puppy tight to her chest, letting it lick her face. She’s so happy she could almost cry.

“Not who I thought I’d run into you kissing today,” Dorian’s voice calls from the other side of the pen. Aelin flashes him a warning glare, but Dorian just laughs. “You look like you’re in heaven, Ace.”

“I love her,” Aelin says, nuzzling the puppy in her arms.

“Ah, I was wondering where my children ran off to. We’re not getting a puppy,” Aedion says, telling his kids to get out of the pen. “You too, Aelin,” he says with a soft chuckle.

Aelin reluctantly puts the puppy back on the ground, and it starts crying immediately. “She loves me too!” Aelin’s heart tugs. “I’m sorry, puppy. I hope you find a good home,” Aelin says as she climbs out of the pen.

“We’ll be here until closing,” the attendant says with a knowing smile.

“Come on,” Dorian says. “The pig race starts in ten minutes.”

Aelin looks around, trying to spot that bright head of silver-blonde hair, but it’s nowhere to be found. Resigned, Aelin follows her family to the races.

The rest of the afternoon flies by, filled with delicious food and ridiculous activities. But with each hour that passes, Aelin becomes more and more anxious to see Rowan. By the end of the day, Aelin still hasn’t seen him anywhere. She told Dorian to keep an eye out for him, too, but they must be on opposite schedules because wherever Aelin’s family goes, Rowan is not.

“Aw, don’t frown,” Dorian coos, pushing her cheeks up into a smile. “Should I go win you a stuffed animal? Will that make you feel better?”

Aelin checks her phone. No messages from Rowan. She sighs and looks at her best friend. “Yeah, win me a giant stuffed animal, please.”

Dorian rolls his eyes. “Let’s not be greedy, okay?”

Aelin laughs as they head over to the long row of games. Dorian attempts a bottle toss and fails miserably, missing each time.

“They’re glued down!” he insists, and Aelin laughs loudly.

“Sure, tell yourself that.”

“Whatever, I want to try again,” Dorian insists, but Aelin convinces him to go down the row of games, trying a new one each time. Dorian successfully fails at each and every one, and by the last one, he’s practically fuming. “They’re rigged!”

Aelin tries her hand at the bean bag toss and wins her first try. She turns to Dorian with a wide smile. “Sucker.” She hands him the small teddy bear awarded to her.

“Is this a mirage?” a low voice rumbles from behind. Rowan’s hand brushes against the small of her back, making Aelin shiver. “Or do I actually see Aelin Ashryver in front of me?”

“I’m real!” Aelin insists, spinning around quickly to see Rowan’s frowning face. “Are you okay?” she asks.

Rowan sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose, exhaling slowly. “Really not looking forward to my final gig of the day.” He nods his head in the other direction. “I didn’t even think kissing booths were real outside movies, but apparently they are.”

Aelin is stunned silent at the words kissing booth, so much so that she doesn’t even clock Rowan saying he’ll see her later and heading to the booth. She watches as he relieves Fenrys of his duty and takes his seat behind the heart shaped awning. Aelin’s never participated in the kissing booth before, deeming it silly to pay $10 for a staff member to kiss her cheek, but the staff member giving out kisses has never been Rowan Whitethorn before.

Frantic, Aelin opens her wallet and groans. A single dollar bill sits inside. She looks up at an amused Dorian.

“Need a loan, Ace?”

“Don’t be mean,” Aelin begs. Dorian pulls out his wallet. He rummages through and pulls out a crisp hundred dollar bill. Aelin raises her eyebrows.

“It’s all I have.”

“I’ll pay you back,” she says, and Dorian’s laugh trails after her as she makes her way to the kissing booth line quickly. She can’t believe how much it’s filled up in the mere minutes since Rowan took over.

She hears the girls in front of her giggling about how cute he is, and Aelin can’t say she disagrees. She also can’t believe she’s actually doing this, but she can’t not.

When she arrives at the head of the line, Rowan looks remarkably surprised. He sits up straighter in his seat and clears his throat, a slight blush tinting his cheeks. He looks up at her with his wide green eyes, and it takes all of Aelin’s self-restraint not to lean in and kiss that blush right off his face.

“Hey,” he begins, startled. “I didn’t think…”

“You didn’t?” she interrupts, a glimmer of mirth in her eyes.

He rubs the back of his neck uncomfortably. “I may have really thought you were avoiding me. Which would be totally understandable. I definitely made things weird.”

Aelin laughs. “I’ve been texting with you all week!”

“I know,” Rowan chuckles. “I just… I didn’t want to assume anything anymore.”

“I don’t think I can be any clearer than this,” Aelin says and slides over Dorian’s money.

Rowan looks up at her through his flutter of blonde eyelashes. “Aelin, this is a hundred dollar bill.” He pauses. “It only costs ten.”

“It’s for charity,” she says, hoping her confidence outweighs the pile of nerves swirling in her stomach.

Though most girls had been turning their heads to the side, giving Rowan their cheek to kiss, Aelin leans straight forward, her face head on with his. She watches his internal debate rage, his eyes flickering from her eyes and down to her lips and back up again. Aelin leans forward a smidge further, and his eyes darken. Aelin’s stomach flips, waiting for him to close the distance. She inhales and exhales uneasily, and finally, Rowan leans in and slowly presses his lips against hers. It’s soft and perfect and ends far too soon.

Aelin’s eyes flutter open. She hadn’t even realized she’d closed them. Rowan breathes heavily as he pulls away, and Aelin is satisfied to see that his blush has bloomed further on his cheeks. With how flushed she feels, she’s sure she looks similarly.

“What time does your shift end?” Aelin asks, pulling her hair into a ponytail.

Rowan looks at his watch. “Forty minutes. Why?” he asks.

Aelin leans forward, hoping her voice sounds steadier than her legs feel as she whispers, “I’m going to be waiting under the pier. And I’d like to collect on the rest of my ninety dollars.”

Rowan brings his hand to his face to cover his wide smile and nods. Electricity crackles over Aelin’s skin as she walks away, and without even looking she knows it’s because he’s watching her.

She finds her family quickly and congratulates her mom on a successful day before letting them know that she feels like walking home alone. They’re all so tired and distracted from starting clean up that Aelin’s suspicious behavior barely even registers with them. Except for Aedion who raises an eyebrow at his sister, but she waves him off, saying she just feels like some quiet time.

Aelin climbs down onto the beach and heads for her spot under the pier. The sun fades over the horizon, giving way to a beautiful bright moon. The ocean seems to glitter under it, and the sound of breaking waves soothes her as she waits. She slips off her sandals and sinks her toes into the cool sand and leans against one of the thick wooden posts of the pier’s structure. She rolls her shoulders backwards and tries to loosen up and relax, but the anticipation is killing her.

It feels like she’s waited forever when she finally hears the sound of soft footfalls approaching on the sand. She turns nervously. She wasn’t actually sure he’d show up. But there, in all his silver-headed glory, stalking towards her is Rowan.

She’s about to greet him, but she doesn’t get a chance, because before she says a word, his mouth crashes to hers. Gone is the tender, sweet kiss they’d shared an hour ago. This one is desperate, a culmination of weeks of misunderstandings and tension and heated glares. Aelin opens her mouth against his, letting him in, letting him take whatever he wants of her. Her skin feels like it’s on fire where his hands roam across the fabric of her shirt and down to her ass. Aelin groans against Rowan’s mouth and wraps her arms around his neck, not wanting any space between them.

Rowan’s strong arms reach down and lift her legs, wrapping them around her waist, and Aelin can feel him hard against her. She pulls him even closer. Now it’s Rowan’s turn to groan. It’s music to Aelin’s ears. She rocks against him again – anything to elicit that noise from his mouth again.

Rowan backs them into the wooden post and braces himself with one arm. Aelin doesn’t have time to think about how impressively strong that must make him. To hold her up with one arm and his hips, pinned against her. The wooden pole of the pier scrapes against Aelin’s back, and she hopes her family is asleep by the time she gets home otherwise they’ll have some serious questions. But Aelin’s already thrown caution to the wind. She’s burning, completely electrified by Rowan’s touch. She lets her head fall back as his open mouth trails down her bare neck.

“If you leave a mark I’ll kill you,” she manages to croak out between pants. And Rowan chuckles against her neck but doesn’t stop his affections. “I’m serious,” she breathes out. “It’s summer, and I’m not wearing a scarf.”

Rowan lets his teeth drag across her neck, gently scraping the skin, and Aelin fully shudders in his arms.

He finally pulls his face away, but doesn’t let Aelin slide out of his arms, still keeping her pinned to the wide pole.

“Hi.” He smiles, his dark eyes staring into hers. The dark pine green glows with want.

“Hi,” she says in return.

He pushes her hair, which has fallen out of her ponytail, away from her face and tucks it behind her ear. Rowan smiles wider and kisses Aelin softly again. His lips lingering on hers until they’re practically breathing into each other’s mouths.

“I told you I wasn’t avoiding you,” she mumbles quietly into the space between their lips.

“I’ll never doubt you again.” He looks at her seriously. His eyes plead with silent apology and future promises, and they slice through Aelin, making her feel something that she’s not sure she’s ever felt before.

“I want to do this with you all the time,” she says as she unhooks her legs and finally slides to stand on the ground.

Rowan chuckles, and she can feel his chest vibrating against hers. “I think we can arrange that.”

She looks up at him, and he looks right back, his gaze unwavering, and Aelin knows in this very moment that she’s in trouble.

Oh boy.

As they resume their kissing, this time slow and languid and toe-curling, Aelin can’t help but think she’s not sure she’s ready for a Rowan Whitethorn.

~*~*~*~*~

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#rowaelin #aelin x rowan #rowaelin fanfic #rowan whitethorn #aelin galythinius #dorian havilliard #lysaedion #slow burn #what slow burn #cruel summer au #amusement park au #tog fanfic #throne of glass #charincharge writes

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brandyovereager · 4 years

Text

The Phoenix Effect - pt. 7

This is the longest chapter I have ever posted! The conversations in this chapter were so much fun to write, I hope you have fun reading them ;). Let me know what you think, I love to hear from you guys!!!

On ao3:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/22195906/chapters/60178285

Summary: Rowan is in Rifthold with Dorian when a strange phenomenon sweeps the land. Those once dead are popping up alive. Everyday, more and more are Reborn. One day Rowan encounters a Reborn young man who refuses to give his name, only asking to know the whereabouts of Celaena Sardothien.

Aelin Ashryver Whitethorn Galathynius lounged on her throne. Her posture was casual in a way that made her appear superior, but the grin on her face betrayed the childlike joy within her.

Aelin had heard about the reborn phenomenon in Adarlan from Rowan’s reports, and knew all the miraculous details of what was happening. It shouldn’t have been as much of a shock as it was for her to hear that reborns were showing up in Terrasen.

The first ones arrived in towns near the border between Terrasen and Adarlan. Within a week there were reborns appearing in Orynth. Luckily, Aelin was a swift and wise leader. She was able to quickly institute a procedure for helping reborns similar to the one in Adarlan.

The whole situation was managing smoothly, her mate would be returning home soon, and just three days ago Aelin found yet another reason to be happy.

It seemed there was no real logic to where the reborns popped up. It didn’t coincide with where they died—or even where they had lived most of their lives—because when Aelin last visited the reborn specialists’ center, she was reunited with a dear friend she thought was lost forever.

Somehow the magical force behind this phenomenon had brought Nehemia Ytger to Orynth, alive and well.

Their reunion was joyous and tearful. Aelin had so much to explain to Nehemia, things she never had the chance to say, but all she could get out were incoherent sobs of delight. Several minutes of heartfelt embrace later, the pair was sat close together and calm enough to delve into their much needed conversation.

The story spilled out of Aelin faster than she could think—along with a stream of pent-up apologies and guilt for what happened to her friend. Aelin had blamed herself for so much after Nehemia died, and all that shame came resurfaced as she sat across from the other young woman.

Nehemia adamantly denied any guilt on Aelin’s part, but made sure Aelin knew that she would be forgiven anyway. After sufficient reassurance and long overdue healing, the two friends jumped right in to all the wonderful updates on Aelin’s life.

The young queen excitedly took her old friend on a tour around her castle and introduced her to her court—most of it, at least. Nehemia and Lysandra hit it off wonderfully, and the three spent many hours together with broad smiles on their faces. It filled Aelin’s heart to see two people she loved get along so well. She couldn’t wait for Nehemia to meet Rowan.

Now, three days after their reunion, Nehemia sat beside her in the throne room while she held her court. The two friends exchanged many secret smiles as various courtiers made their—often ridiculous—remarks.

From outside the throne room, Aelin could hear a commotion begin amongst her guards. The Fae queen sat up straighter in her seat and focused her gaze on the large doors ahead of her. As expected, they soon opened and a servant entered.

“Your Majesty, two new reborns have arrived and wish to speak to you.” That was quite odd. Why would her guard have gotten in a fuss over a couple of reborns?

“Reborns should be sent to the specialists’ center to find help. Why should these two be brought to see me?”

“You know these ones, My Queen, they are your family.” A jumble of feelings rushed through Aelin with the servant’s statement, and the look on his face betrayed his knowledge of her reaction.

“My family? Send them in.” Aelin was tingling and buzzing down to her fingertips. The possibility of her own family being amongst those reborn had always been there, but she hadn’t let herself believe it would happen.

The doors to her throne room opened to reveal a male and female, each with golden hair. The male Aelin recognized immediately, and she leapt from her seat to meet him in an embrace.

“Gavriel.” The golden-haired male held her firmly to him with just as much enthusiasm as Aelin felt herself. She had missed him, and Aedion had too.

Stepping back from the beloved Fae, Aelin turned to look at the female beside him. Her heart jumped for a second before she realized that—despite the many similar features—the woman was not her mother. This was Aedion’s mother. There was no denying it, her face so blatantly Ashryver. It was easy to see why Gavriel had once suspected Aelin to be her child.

“I don’t think we ever met, but I am Aelin Galathynius—Rhoe and Evalin’s daughter—and you are Aedion’s mother.” There was no question in her voice.

“Yes, I am Andelin Ashryver. It is wonderful to finally meet you, Aelin. I loved your mother very much, and I owe her everything. You are her spitting image.” Aelin’s heart both warmed and grew heavy.

“I have been told that a lot,” Aelin smiled lightly, “as I’m sure you have too.” Andelin threw a wry smile back at her.

“The Ashryver genes are strong.” Aelin had to agree.

“Aedion got them as well. He looks very much like you.” Andelin’s face softened at Aelin’s mention of her son. Aelin continued, “You would be proud of him—for many reasons.”

“I am incredibly proud of who he has become, but I’m afraid I can’t take much credit for that.” Aelin recognized clearly the guilt and sadness Andelin felt over her son’s upbringing. “Do you know where he is? I need to speak with him.” Aelin grimaced slightly in response.

“It’s rotten timing but Aedion is actually in Adarlan right now fetching my mate for me.” Aelin reached out to grab the other woman’s arm in reassurance. “You are welcome to stay here as long as you’d like, though. I will have a suite prepared for the both of you immediately, right near Aedion’s.” These two were family, she would not have them be anywhere else.

A servant was promptly summoned and sent to ready their suite. Another servant was directed to find Lysandra, who arrived minutes later. Similar to Aelin’s reaction, Lysandra first recognized Gavriel and rushed to meet him in an embrace.

Aelin watched her friend closely as she finally took in the woman next to Gavriel. She could see the shifter piece things together and widen her eyes slightly in realization. Lysandra’s gaze flickered over to Aelin and the queen nodded in affirmation.

“I should introduce you to my dear friend, Lady Lysandra Ashryver. She is Aedion’s wife. Lysandra—you have met Gavriel—and this is Andelin Ashryver, Aedion’s mother.”

————

The journey back to Terrasen was too gods-damned long.

It wasn’t even that Rowan was sick of walking for hours on end, day after day—though that was certainly part of it. Rowan needed to get back to his mate. He had so much he needed to tell her. So much had happened that she would need time to process, and he would have to be by her side anchoring her as she did.

Even more, though—selfish as it may be—he just missed her. He had been separated from his love for too long. He ached with the knowledge that the other half of his immortal soul was not beside him. It was a challenge every night to lay down in a cold bed by himself and fall asleep without holding her. It was wrong. Mates were not meant to be apart.

For the past week he had been walking the long road back to his love, and it was awful. There were far too many miles between them. He wanted to forget about his traveling companions and just fly back to her as fast as his wings allowed. Surely they didn’t need him walking beside them—after all, Aedion had travelled all the way to Adarlan without Rowan. Terrasen’s royal caravan was more than enough enough manpower if they found themselves in trouble.

He couldn’t leave Aedion alone with Sam, though. The young Ashryver had not taken to the reborn assassin very well. Aedion had no great love for anyone from Aelin’s time as Celaena, often choosing to avoid that part of his cousin’s past. During the seven days they’d been on the road together, the male had only spoken to Sam a handful of times—each in a gruff and unfriendly manner.

Rowan supposed that might be for the best. He didn’t put it past Aedion to spill the truth about Aelin in some attempt to torment the boy. Needless to say, the unlikely trio travelled in a state of unending tension.

Rowan managed to keep himself as a buffer between the other two most of the time, but it was exhausting him. The Fae wasn’t exactly overjoyed at the presence of Sam either. The two had spent a fair amount of time together back when Rowan was helping Sam in his search, but ever since the young man’s identity was revealed it was awkward for Rowan to be near him. They had never spoken much—and that was certainly fine with Rowan—but the silent walking left Rowan alone with his thoughts, and he was a little uncomfortable with the thoughts he had when he knew Sam Cortland was beside him.

He was especially uncomfortable when he considered the thoughts Sam might be having himself as they travelled.

Sam knew nothing about what Aelin’s life was now. He had no idea she was the Queen of Terrasen, that she was an immortal Fae, that she was mated and married. The Aelin he had last known was Celaena, and Sam was in love with her.

Yes, those thoughts didn’t sit well with Rowan.

The three travelers and their caravan were currently surrounded by dense forest. Rowan didn’t mind too much—it shielded them from the hot sun—but it did mean they were farther from lodging and refreshment. They hadn’t encountered many others on their journey so far, and they hadn’t seen any intelligent life this entire day.

A bush about three feet to Rowan’s right rustled and the Fae turned to watch as a deer bolted away, startled at the sight of them. His hand relaxed from where he’d reached for his sword, taking notice of Aedion beside him doing the same. They might both be protected members of Terrasen’s court, but the warrior’s instinct to defend never went away. Rowan was sure the guards in their caravan had instructions to ensure Rowan’s—and Aedion’s—safety first, but if an attack did happen, the male doubted he’d be able to run for cover while others endangered themselves to protect him.

He and Aelin had similar opinions on that matter. They were powerful, immortal warriors. As the leaders of Terrasen, it was their responsibility to serve and protect their people, not the other way around.

For the first time that day, Rowan spotted what looked to be human figures ahead of them on the path. There were two of them, with hoods over their heads, unmoving on the side of the road. Beneath the cloak of one figure was a pair of high boots, and beneath that of the other Rowan could see full skirts, indicating the pair was likely a male and female.

As their caravan neared the two travelers, Rowan started to detect more details about their appearance. Their cloaks were high-quality and made from an expensive-looking hunter green cloth, not typical attire for two lone wanderers. Anyone of money or status traveled with a caravan, like he and Aedion were.

The pair turned slightly more towards the large group approaching them and the woman called out at the sight of Terrasen’s flag on their uniforms.

“Terrasen! The royal caravan!” The woman nudged the man beside her to draw his attention to them. “Are members of the royal family with you?”

The caravan’s head—Captain Algaard—stopped their advance and addressed the woman.

“We are of Terrasen, yes, and this caravan is transporting important members of the court.” The guard kept his answer vague so as not to reveal too much to a stranger. “What do you want of them?”

“We must speak to Aelin Galathynius. We need to warn her.” That was concerning.

“What must you warn Her Majesty about, traveler?”

“It may be difficult to believe, but my husband and I should not be alive. Someone has tampered with death, Captain, and we need to tell her.” Aedion approached the captain and grabbed him by the shoulder.

“We are alright, Algaard. Two reborns don’t pose much threat to His Majesty or myself. They are just confused.” Aedion then turned to the traveler woman. “Do you need help, kind woman? Are you in need of provisions?” The couple seemed to notice Aedion for the first time. The woman’s eyes widened in recognition.

“Aedion?” The Ashryver male paused in surprise—an emotion Rowan shared—before walking closer to the couple. Rowan could see the moment Aedion realized who the woman was because something in his face crumbled.

“Evalin?” Evalin. Even if Evalin were a common name—which Rowan didn’t believe it was—a closer look at the woman was all he needed to confirm that she was, in fact, Evalin Ashryver Galathynius. This woman, reborn to a body not much older than Aelin’s, was the near twin of his mate. It stirred something deep within the Fae to look at her.

Aelin’s mother was one of the dead brought back by this strange phenomenon. From the woman’s statement earlier of her husband, the man beside Evalin was likely Aelin’s father. These were his mate’s parents, ones she had grieved for years and missed every day.

Rowan snapped out of his thoughts to find Aedion in a firm embrace with Evalin and Rhoe. They didn’t appear to be speaking, but he had a feeling emotions were being communicated in other ways. These two were important to Aedion as well as Aelin. They had been his guardians during his early years.

Rowan felt a little intrusive watching such an intimate moment, so he turned to address the rest of their caravan. They would be adding a few more to their party, it would seem. Evalin had said she needed to speak to Aelin, and Rowan very much agreed.

“These are Her Majesty’s parents, Rhoe and Evalin Galathynius. We will be bringing them with us. They are members of Terrasen’s royal family and should be included in your protection the same as Prince Aedion and I.” The news was understandably shocking to the guards, but they remained serious and registered Rowan’s statement as the order it was. He continued, “Someone prepare them refreshment.” That was enough to set the group moving about.

When the king turned back to the reunited trio, he found them more composed than before. Aedion met his eyes and Rowan took that as his cue to approach.

“I am honored to meet you, Your Highnesses. I am Rowan Whitethorn—“ Rhoe cut him off before he could continue.

“The Fae warrior. I have heard many stories about you, Rowan Whitethorn. I have to say I have always admired your skill—the stuff of my childhood legends—but we have no want for Maeve’s presence in Terrasen. Thank you for helping Aedion, however you may have, but we should make the rest of our journey alone.” Rowan couldn’t help but smile slightly at Rhoe’s words.

“I can assure you, Rhoe Galathynius, that I no longer have any ties to Maeve. My allegiance lies solely with Terrasen and its queen, both of which I would protect with my life. You can rest knowing my particular skills will only be used for you, not against.” Rowan spoke firmly to hopefully convey how serious he was, and he would have continued had Rhoe not butted in yet again.

“You are blood sworn to Maeve, don’t think I am unaware, you have no choice where your allegiances lie.”

“That oath was broken by Maeve herself. I am now bound to Aelin completely, by ties even stronger than blood.” Rowan had to admit, witnessing Rhoe Galathynius’ face as he explained the situation was quite amusing. “As I was about to say before, I am Rowan Whitethorn Galathynius, mate and husband of Aelin Ashryver Whitethorn Galathynius, Queen of Terrasen. I will, in fact, be traveling to Terrasen with you. The whole purpose of this caravan is to bring me back to my mate, but we are more than happy to have you join us.”

The wry look Aedion gave Rowan indicated that he had not hid his satisfaction well. How could he blame him, though? It wasn’t every day you got to tell your mate’s resurrected parents that you were soul bound to their daughter.

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rosegoldannie · 4 years

Text

Living a lie

A Rowaelin Angsty/fluffy Hollywood!Au fic with a happy ending.

Also I had an idea for a quarantine TOG or ACOTAR fic. Comment which couple I should write it about! Also on a side note, my birthday was a few days ago, and now I’m 16!

Masterlist

They were living a lie.

In public, they were loving, and affectionate, and the couple that absolutely everyone wanted to be. They would walk down the street, Rowan’s hand around her waist, and smile for the cameras. She would smile, kiss him, and gush over her husband, how he was everything she could ever want. How their life was a blissful paradise.

Home was a nightmare. A neverending nightmare. They fought constantly, never able to go more than a few hours, maybe a few days if they really, really tried, without some form of an argument. And that was exactly where Aelin found herself yet again, fighting back tears, on her birthday no less. Reaching for her favorite eyeshadow, she contemplated how she, a twenty-three year old, found herself near-sobbing at the thought of attending her first major movie premier. Near sobbing, and not with joy.

Her emerald gown was set across her bed. Yes, her bed. Recently, they had been fighting so much that she couldn’t stand sleeping in the same room as her husband, but had been totally unwilling to stay with a friend. Something about the finality of that set her stomach turning. As if it were announcing to the world - because one way or another, if she spent the night at a friend’s, the whole world would know - that their marriage was over.

As she finished up her makeup, a single tear slipped out, which she quickly swept away, not having the patience to touch up the ever so slightly smudged makeup. She stood, making her way over to the bed, where that damn dress lay waiting . The gown whispered cooly against her arms, sliding smoothly over her skin. She sighed, almost wanting to forgo the entire event, and spend the night with her dog, a pint of ice cream, and maybe, just maybe, her husband.

There was a slight knock, then- “Can I come in?”

Aelin sighed through her nose, some strange sense of dread settling further in her gut, and turning the roasted salmon she’d had for lunch to lead. “Yeah.”

Her husband slipped through the doorway, and her jaw nearly dropped. Those pine eyes which were almost always so very cold were warm,and gentle, and brimming with love. He was in sweats, and clutching a bouquet of sunflowers, a box of chocolate, and a small, velvet box. “Happy birthday, Ace.” He murmured. On any other day, Aelin would have sobbed, and thrown herself into his arms absolutely showering him with kisses and sweet murmurs, because by the gods, Rowan Ellys Whitethorn, who rarely remembered what day of the week it was, let alone the date, had remembered her birthday, and all of her favorite things. But this wasn’t any other day. And she didn’t jump into his arms.

“What the hell are you wearing?” She rasped through the tightness in her throat.

Rowan blinked, the warmth in those green eyes cooling ever so slightly, as mild panic filled them. “What? Were we going out tonight?”

A sense of panic washed over her. “Yes! My premier? We have to leave in twenty minutes!” Some small part of her roared that this was why they fought: He didn’t listen to her. Didn’t hear her. She had been raving about how excited she was for this for weeks. He knew how much this night meant to her, and yet… he still forgot.

His face visibly fell as he placed the gifts on her bedside table, and slipped from the room. All the while murmuring that he would be ready to go soon. She nodded, telling herself that she trusted him enough to pick out his own suit, which was most definitely not a way of avoiding having to see his tattoo, and everything it promised and implied. Even though she couldn’t avoid it totally, as it weaved and snaked its way up the side of his face. But still. The most painful part was hidden under his clothes. For her eyes only, he had murmured in her ears years prior, whilst they were intertwined between the sheets and so irrevocably in love. Oh, where had the passion gone? The heat? The love?

Twenty minutes later, they were in the throes of yet another screaming match.

“If you had told me before hand, maybe-”

“Don’t pull that shit with me, Rowan. You have all your shit organized. There’s no way you could fuck up this badly on accident.”

“And? Did you forget I’m colorblind?” She flinched, and he paused for a moment before continuing. “Did you forget because it isn’t something in your phone?” Again, she flinched. Because he was right; she had forgotten that he was colorblind and she was an awful person for it.

Regardless, those gold-ringed Ashryver eyes hardened. “There is absolutely no way this is an accident.” She held his gaze as she gestured to his black shirt, green tie and jacket, and black pants. While he’d definitely had worse red-carpet outfits, she was still upset. Partly because this was her first premier in which she was the sole star, and partly because of a word that had been whipping around in her mind for days.

“Alright, fine! I was trying to match your dress but I ran out of clean clothes.” He snapped. Something small cracked in his voice, and there was such desperation that she had to clench her eyes shut.

When she finally opened her eyes, she forged ahead and prayed. “Ro, we have to talk about it. This isn’t fair to either of us.” Rowan inhaled, and she waited for the barrage of pleas and promises, but they never came. He only sighed, clenched his jaw, and nodded. And something within her cracked, something ancient and primordial which had long lain dormant within her, roaring that he couldn’t just give up.

But they weren’t what everyone thought.

The entire world thought they were perfect.

The entirety of their families thought they were blissfully in love. Even Aedion.

But they were miserable.

She - truly - didn’t know who said it, only that during one of their fights a week prior, someone had screamed at the other that if things were truly so awful, then they should file for divorce. And for the last week, it had been the only thing on her mind. She was young, young enough to find love again-

Aelin damn near gagged at the thought, unable to even look at her husband for several long moments, even as a metallic, revolting taste remained in her mouth for a long while. “Are you happy? Like this?”

The driver of their limousine called back that they would be arriving soon, and they chorsed back their thanks.

He at last semi-met her gaze. “Am I happy?” He repeated, as if not totally processing the words. “I’m not unhappy.” He murmured, eyes trailing over her, over the shoulders exposed by her gown, to her lips painted a dark red, to her jewelry. His pine-green eyes trailed down to her hand, and the blood drained from his face. “Your ring….”

Confusion lanced through her, until she followed his gaze. To her empty ring finger, a band of pale skin where that silver and emerald wedding band always sat. To where she had forgotten to put it back on after her shower. Then the panic set in, a thousand different scenarios playing out in her mind. What actually occurred was so, so much worse.

Somehow, he paled even more, then clenched his eyes shut. A single tear slid down his cheek, which her fingers itched to wipe away, as their limousine pulled to a stop in front of a mob of flashing cameras and shouting reporters. Silently, she begged him to yell or scream, or beg her for another chance. Anything at all, any show of emotion. All he did was let out a soft, “Oh.”

Her panic rose, as she internally begged him to meet her eyes. “Ro, please.” She pleaded, her small voice cracking on the last word.

Those eyes snapped open, and her heart clenched at how utterly unable to read the boundless emotions swimming in them she was. “No.” He murmured, gently taking her hand, and pushing open the door. “We’ll talk about this at home. Tonight is your night.”

And so their masks slipped into place, even as her chest tightened to the point of pain. Together, they weaved through the crowds towards the red carpet. Arm in arm, ever the perfect couple. They even paused to pose for the paparazzi, Rowan wrapping an arm around her waist, and pressing a seemingly sweet kiss to her forehead. But she felt it for what it was: a goodbye, and an apology. Her heart began to crack.

Then they were pulled apart, and it could have been her imagination, but it seemed as if he seemed eager to be away from her. Nevertheless, she was whisked away by a reporter, who was shoving a microphone in her face, and a camera flashed brightly behind him. “Mrs. Whitethorn, how does it feel to be the star of your own movie?”

“Amazing,” She answered robotically, “it feels like a dream.”

“And are there any mini-Whitethorns on their way to us?” He teased, shoving that damn microphone further into her face.

And suddenly she was nineteen again, wrapped up in Rowan’s hoodie, curled up in his lap in their favorite armchair, back in their crappy, old apartment with the leaky faucets and drains that never really drained.

“What do you think of children?” He murmured, nestling his face into her neck.

Aelin pulled back, giving him a coy smile, even as her gut erupted in butterflies, and a warm feeling seeped through her every limb. “I absolutely detest the idea.”

Rowan pouted, eyes pleading with her teasingly. “Oh really, and why is that?”

Grinning devilishly, she leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his lips. “Because I already have a man-child of my own, whom I love very much.” She then pressed another kiss to his soft, precious lips, and wrapped her arms around his neck.

Groaning, he pulled her impossibly closer, and she adjusted her position so that she straddled him, and plunged her fingers into his hair. Rowan’s strong hands trailed up and down her thighs, exposed by her athletic shorts that she wore purly to torment him.

After a long while, he reluctantly pulled back, his eyes serious. “In all honesty, what do you think of having children? With me?”

Again, she grinned, and again she attacked his lips. “I’d love them.”

She was pulled out of her reverie by a gentle arm snaking around her middle from behind, a chiseled chin coming to rest on her shoulder. Almost instantly, tears welled in her eyes for a multitude of reasons. When was the last time she had even considered that day? And how so very much she wanted children, with no one but the man wrapped around her. Her face flushed. And she prayed that Rowan didn’t notice, or if he did, that he thought it was simply from the constantly flashing.

Rowan smiled deeply, but his eyes remained sad on a level only she could see. “No, I’m afraid not.

The reporter sighed, then proceeded to hammer them with more questions, until they finally made a respectful exit and rushed into the theatre. And now, curled up unceremoniously in the plush chairs in front of that giant screen, she felt as if she might be sick.

And then the movie began.

There was one scene - only one - that she could barely stomach watching. It was when her love interest, played by Dorian Havilliard, was brutally whipped, as her character screamed in the background. It was all too similar to the worst night of her life, where she had watched her best friend had been so brutally killed. How she had been locked in a small, lightless room for weeks, listening helplessly as Sam was-

It was as if he had sensed her distress, for she had never truly told him what had occurred those weeks she had been missing from school, that his warm, gentle hand came to cautiously rest over hers. And when she didn’t push him away, he slowly drew their intertwined hands into his lap, to fully enclose her small, nimble hand in both of his. Hot tears slipped down her cheeks. It had been so long, and yet he still remembered

Once it had passed, Aelin breathed a sigh of relief, as her favorite scene was coming up, in which she - as Liliana - got to leap off a cliff, and soar through the air after escaping her captors. That scene had been such fun to film. Smiling, she thought back to the day she had filmed that, and had returned home so happy and excited that she and Rowan had actually had a pleasant evening, in which she had told him all of the details of the film.

Slowly, she glanced over to Rowan under her lashes, and was surprised to see him staring awestruck at the screen, tears rolling freely down his tattooed face. And it was as if the fog which had been clouding her mind, her eyes for months…. It was if that fog had lifted, and she saw him. She truly saw him.

Pride, love and awe were abundant in his incredible eyes.

And she simply couldn’t help but to press a kiss to his hands.

Rowan jerked slightly, his head whirling towards her, his handsome features comically surprised and confused. Aelin cracked a smile, and snuggled into his side. Immediately, he wrapped his arms around her and it felt like coming home.

And as the movie carried on, she allowed her mind to wander, back to their most recent fights in which that wretched word had been flung.

“I never see you.” He spat, pinning her in place with a livid glare.

“I come home every night, I made sure that-”

“You stay here, but I never see you. It’s like you’re avoiding me.”

She crossed her arms and huffed.

Rowan pursed his lips. “So you are avoiding me, then.” He shook his head, eyes lingering on the fireplace behind her, rather than actually on her. “Can I ask why?”

Aelin shifted slightly. “Because I’m tired of fighting with you.”

“Really?” He scoffed, those chiseled features hardening. “Then why do you find fault with every damn thing I do?”

“I do not.”

“Yes you do.” He hissed. “When I went to pick you up from the set last week, you refused to come home.”

“Because I had a meeting.”

“That you didn’t tell me about. I had told you I wanted to spend the evening together.”

“No, you didn’t!”

“Yes I did, Aelin. You were just on your phone.”

“And? I’m busy, Rowan.”

“Yeah.” Rowan huffed, crossing his arms. “Don’t I know it.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“That you’re always on your phone! You don’t listen to me!”

Fury began to set her blood boiling. “Oh, I don’t listen to you?” She shouted, face growing redder with each passing second. “You don’t hear a thing I say! It’s like I’m married to a brick wall.”

“You’re really comparing me to a brick wall? Are you serious, Aelin? You downright refuse to even be in the same room as me. You refuse to communicate with me. Hell, half the time you refuse to even acknowledge that I exist! Let alone the fact that I’m your husband.” Hesitation shone in his eyes for a brief moment before dissipating. “Half the time I wonder if growing up in Terrassen really did turn your heart into ice.”

Aelin could barely school her face into neutrality. “If you really feel that way, then maybe you shouldn’t have proposed to me.”

“Maybe I shouldn’t have.”

“No. You shouldn’t have.”

“So then you agree. We shouldn’t have gotten married.”

“No. No we shouldn’t have. It was a mistake.”

“Finally we agree on something.”

“Finally.”

Well. Since we both agree, I guess that means getting a divorce.”

“I guess it does.”

Suddenly she was blinking rapidly against the bright lights that now illuminated the luxurious theatre, as the credits began rolling across the screen. And the very first name upon that lengthy list was her own, scrawled in her cursive-printed combination handwriting that had so annoyed and upset her middle and high school teachers.

There was a loud, high-pitched squeal as a flurry of arms, legs, tulle, fluffy skirts and red-golden hair came flying at her, clambering down over the rows of velvety seats to wrap her thin arms around her and bury that scarred, adorable face in Aelin’s impeccably styled hair. And following close behind were several of Aelin’s close friends.

“Hello, Evangeline.” She chuckled, hugging the little girl back with equal fervor.

“You were amazing!” The girl squealed, beaming from ear to ear.

“Aww, thank you. You’re too sweet.”

“She’s right, Ace.” A deep voice murmured from behind.

Aelin whirled, after setting Evangeline safely down, to see Aedion. Clad in a crisp tuxedo, his hair brushed, and for once in something other than a hasty man-bun. “You made it!” She squeaked, throwing herself into her older brother’s arms.

Once they separated, he was grinning. “Of course! I couldn’t miss your first premier.” Then his grin turned positively sneaky. “And I brought friends.” Then out stepped Lysandra and Elide, and Aelin saw her friend’s boyfriend off conversing with Sartaq and Dorian.

The three women shrieked in joy, instantly wrapping themselves into a clustered hug. After only a second, Elide let out a squeak, as she didn’t even come up to either woman’s shoulder, and they leaned down to include her.

After they had at last pulled apart, Nesryn, Manon and Yrene came up to introduce themselves, followed by their respective partners. Once Aelin had introduced them to her childhood friends, and had established a flowing conversation, she looked around for her husband, the urge to speak with him nearly overwhelming.

Mild panic began to fill her when she didn’t see him anywhere in the theatre, so she excused herself and rushed as quickly as her stilettos and dress would allow. Bursting through the thick door, Aelin scanned the foyer for that telltale green suit jacket and white hair, but again, she didn’t see it anywhere. And again, she rushed as quickly as she could into the lobby of the theatre, once again scanning the crowds, but once again she didn’t find him.

That mild panic quickly rose and filled her, blurring her crappy vision - worsened by the fact that she had forgotten to put her contacts back in after her shower - and filled her eyes with tears. Quickly, she wiped them away and smudged her makeup, and rushed out of the lobby, into the cool night air, where hundreds of paparazzi instantly began snapping countless pictures of her.

Stumbling backwards, she rushed back into the lobby, and rushed for the back entrance, tumbling out towards the garbage cans. By now, her hair had come out of its beautiful waves and was now a messy, unkempt rats nest.

Any inhibitions she had gave way when she leaned against the slimy, brick wall and slid down to the ground, burying her face in her knees as the hot, hopeless tears began to freely slide down her cheeks. Her dress caught on a chip in the bricks, and ripped, exposing a portion of her scarred back. A new wave of tears began, and she tugged at her hair.

What had she done? How had she let him believe that she didn’t love him, that she truly wanted a divorce? And who could blame him, she had been a total bitch. She had yelled at him for his greatest insecurity, the one thing he was self conscious about. And all because he hadn’t worn what she wanted. And that was after he had brought her everything he knew she loved, because the man who would forget his own name had remembered her birthday, and had tried to make it special for her, because he loved her. And she had yelled at him.

So, really, was it so surprising that he had left? He had seen her empty ring finger, and thought that she was leaving him, that she truly did want a divorce. But…. she didn't though. Sure, things weren’t great, but… there was no one person responsible for it. At one point, they had simply stopped communicating, and simply expected the other to know or do things that they had no way of knowing.

She had stopped truly communicating with him, but Rowan had kept trying to reach her, and each time she had shut him down and berated him for it. And so, he had stopped trying.

Letting out a high whimper, Aelin wrapped her arms around herself as the chilly air soon seeped into her bones. Yet another wave of hot tears streamed down her face, but she again swiped them away, rubbing viciously at her eyes. When she pulled her hands back, she found that they were smeared with a mixture of eyeshadow, mascara and eyeliner, and Aelin knew that she most likely looked like a sleep deprived raccoon. Sighing, she used the hem of her dress as a tissue and again wiped at her eyes.

Overhead, the clouds rumbled ominously and rain began pelletting the ground around her. Again, Aelin sighed, and stood slowly, making to walk towards the street so she could order a taxi-

She froze. A taxi to where? Home? If Rowan was really leaving, he most likely was back at the house, packing her things. If she made it home, she could talk to him, convince him…. Convince him of what? That she deserved him? That she deserved a second chance? After everything that had happened, did she really even deserve a second chance? All she had done recently was find fault with every single thing he did, and make him unhappy. He deserved so much more than her.

But…. he had promised her. He had promised that no matter what happened, he would always love her. And he had meant it, because he had stayed by her side, failed audition after failed audition. Hell, he had even been the one to suggest that they move out to california once she had finally landed a role.

Sighing, Aelin hung her head as a painful revelation came over her: that she didn’t deserve a second chance. He deserved someone who wouldn’t close themselves off and leave him alone. He deserved someone who knew his insecurities and didn’t hold them against him when he made a mistake. He deserved someone else, someone better. Someone who wasn’t her.

The light drizzle became a full-fledged rainstorm, and she turned, making to go back to her corner, where she would be sheltered from the rain behind that rancid garbage can, but her stiletto gave a sharp crack, and she tripped into a puddle, soaking her dress.

She cursed, drawing her foot closer, to inspect the damage. The heel of her shoe had snapped clear off, her dress had begun to rip at the seam and was now soaked and stained with garbage, and her leg was now splattered with mud.

Cursing, Aelin stumbled back over to where she had spent the previous several hours: behind the dumpster.

No sooner had she resumed her earlier position, the door flew open, and she retreated further behind the dumpster, curling into a small ball. Whoever had come through that door stomped around for a good while, and then the door creaked open again.

Then she heard a sharp gasp, and her head jerked up.

Rowan, looking as dishevelled as she had ever seen him, was crouched before her, his tie completely undone and the top several buttons of his now wrinkled shirt unbuttoned. “Aelin,” He murmured, leaning forward to put his suit jacket around her. “What the hell-”

She interrupted him by throwing herself into his arms. “I’m sorry, Rowan.” She whimpered. “This is all my fault, I should never have shut you out, and I promise that if you choose to give me a second chance I’ll do better.”

“Whoa-whoa what?” He pulled back slightly, brushing the knotted hair from her face, and wiping away some dirt on her cheekbone. “What do you mean? This isn’t your fault, and why the hell are you out here?”

“I-I thought you had left, because… Fuck, Rowan we’ve been fighting so much, and…. And last week we all but said we were going to get a divorce, and all I’ve done for the last I don’t know how long is yell at you, and earlier when you saw I didn’t have my wedding ring on, I thought that you thought that was me saying that we’re done, but I promise that I don’t want that and if you’d only let me explain that I forgot to put it back on after my shower. But if you’ve already decided that we’re done, I promise that I’ll respect that and you’ll never have to see or hear from me again.”

Slowly, she watched him process what she had said, as he scanned her face. “Aelin… no. No, I don’t want this to be over, and of course I’ll give you another chance. That goes without saying. I know how busy you’ve been, and I’ve tried to be supportive, but I know that I’ve been distant. I had wanted to tell you that if you were willing to give me another chance, I’d be everything you’ve ever wanted.”

Silver began lining her eyes, and she pulled his jacket tighter around her to ward off the chill. “Rowan, I love you. You never have to ask for a second chance. You’ll always have it, no matter what.” Her cheeks reddened, and she found it hard to look at him. “Because, Ro, I…. you’re it for me.”

In less than a second, he had pulled her into a tight hug, wrapping himself around her. Hot tears began to dampen what little of her gown hadn’t already been soaked, but she didn’t care, because Rowan was here, and he still cared.

When he at last pulled back, his eyes were red and puffy. “You’re it for me too, Aelin. You’ve always been it for me.” With that, Rowan leaned forward and pressed a chaste kiss to her cold lips. After only a few moments, he made to pull back, but she gripped his shirt, and pulled him back to her, and she pressed her lips to his.

And as his arms wrapped around her, she knew she was home. With his lips moving sweetly against hers, it was as if they were seventeen, and sharing a kiss behind the bleachers at a highschool dance.

Once they had finally parted, she couldn’t help the words that tumbled out of her mouth. “You still love me, right Ro?”

Confusion filled his gaze. “Of course.”

“But then….why did you leave me?”

“What? I would never leave you.”

“Yes, you did. After the movie, I was looking for you and you were gone. I looked everywhere.”

“After the…? Aelin,” He smiled sweetly, cupping her cheek, “after the movie I went to the bathroom. I never purposefully left you. I’d never do that.”

She blinked. “So you’re saying I’ve been out here for no reason?”

Rowan grinned, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “You always did have a dramatic flare. It’s part of why I love you.”

Humming, she leaned into him. “I missed you.”

Another kiss was pressed to the crown of her head. “I missed you too, love.”

It wasn’t easy, and it most definitely didn’t happen overnight, and their fight in the limousine wasn’t their last, but they rebuilt their relationship. It took a lot of counseling, a lot of tears, a lot of talking, and a lot of patience, but, well over a year later, they were once again happy and in love. Some days were better than others, and it was by no means perfect. But they were happy.

Balancing work and their personal life wasn’t easy, and there were still many times that one person accidentally began shutting down communication with the other, but they now made a point to spend time together, and to schedule weekends off so that they could relax. Another improvement was that Aelin was no longer sleeping in the guest room.

Only a few weeks after her premier, she and Rowan had decided to move into another house, as they both agreed that it would be too difficult to repair their marriage in the house that had some so close to destroying it.

Now in a new house in the suburbs, Aelin felt as if they had been gifted with a fresh start, and another chance together.

Several months later, nearly two years after her premier, as they were wrapped together under warm sheets and in each other's arms, buttery sunlight streaming in through the large windows, with her head tucked under his chin, she smiled a secret smile, her thoughts drifting to the growing secret within her belly, whose existence she would soon reveal to her husband. But for now, she roused him gently from his light slumber. “Ro. Ro, wake up. I want to tell you something.”

“Mnggh.”

She could simply grin, and attempt to rouse him again. “Please, it’s important.”

One green eye slipped open. “Wa’sit?” He slurred, pulling her closer.

Bracing her elbows on his bare chest, she traced his collarbone with her fingertip. “I’ve been thinking about something for a while, and...I’ve come to a decision.”

Now he was awake. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes with his free hand, he met her happy gaze. “What do you mean?” He murmured, fingers combing sweetly through her hair.

Resting her chin in her hands, she gazed into his eyes. “So….I’ve been thinking that even though we’ve talked about it, and you’re completely fine with my acting career…”

“Mmhmm…” He hummed, smiling slightly.

“I’ve decided that I’m going to retire early, and get a real job.”

His eyes widened comically. “What?! B-but you love acting! Why-what… I’d never want you…. Aelin, you can’t! You-this is your dream job.” He sputtered, holding her gaze, and searching.

She cupped his cheek and brushed his bottom lip with her thumb. Trying to convey just how much she loved him with that gesture. “It’s my decision, Rowan. I decided to retire because I don’t like the strain it puts on our relationship.” Her husband began to protest, but she quickly silenced him. “No one made me do this. And, yeah, I know we’ve worked out ways to work through the stress my job puts on us, but… I don’t like it. I hate how we almost have to put on a facade for the paparazzi, and how absolutely everything we do is criticized and judged, and…” She took a deep breath, leading his hand to press against her stomach. “I don’t want our kids to grow up in the spotlight, where they’ll have no privacy be constantly scrutinized. I just...that’s not the life I want for them.”

Slowly, realization dawned on him, and he broke into a joyful grin, tears filling his eyes as he pressed a second hand to her belly. “Aelin, sweetheart, are...are you?”

She grinned from ear to ear, nodding her head vigorously. Rowan immediately wrapped her into a tight, loving hug and kissed her until their lips were numb and their stomachs roared for breakfast.

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booknerdproblems · 4 years

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Immortals Chapter 8

Hello lovely people, here is chapter 8 of immortals. This chapter is kind of rushed, so I apologise for the below average chapter. Its long and I’m not happy with it, but I’m going to post it anyway. Unfortunately, I am going on holiday by Monday 3rd, so I won’t be able to update for about another three weeks! Unless I somehow go on a writing spree this weekend. I should be able to write on holiday, however, so I will update as soon as I can!

You can find the link to my master list along with the rest of the chapters of this fic here.

TW: N/A

Let’s make this fight worthy of a song.

-Aedion Ashryver, Kingdom of Ash

Rowan’s shirt was slick with sweat, and he was panting heavily. He and Aelin had just reached the edge of the treeline, with Mistward just visible from where they stood. After running twenty miles, Rowan had stopped, giving them both time to recuperate before entering the demi-fae fortress. Taking a long drink of the water skin he’d brought with him, he silently passed Aelin a hunk of bread, that she promptly tore into.

He sliced another piece for himself, then grimaced. He preferred bread toasted. It was one of his few food requirements. But, he was a warrior. He could, and would, eat the fucking bread. He let out a sigh, and raised it to his mouth. All of a sudden, he felt warmth seeping into his hands. Rowan looked down, and sure enough, he was holding a perfectly toasted slice of bread. He looked up at Aelin in surprise, to have her shaking with barely suppressed laughter.

“You. Prince Rowan Whitethorn, are picky about bread.”

Rowan willed his cheeks not to redden as he met her gaze, her turquoise eyes filled with mirth.

“As if you're any better, Miss Where-Is-My-Hot-Bath?”

Aelin let out a short burst of laughter and lamely threw a twig at him, “That’s Queen Where-Is-My-Hot-Bath thank you very much.”

“My apologies, Majesty.”

“Not at all, Highness.”

Rowan rolled his eyes, flashing her a grin. It felt nice, to have someone who he could throw anything at, and they’d just throw it right back at him. He hadn’t had that with someone in a long time. Everyone had always been too intimidated, if not outwardly afraid of him.

“What's your favourite food, anyways?” Aelin asked him, a curious expression on her face as she chewed on her food.

“I suppose yours is some useless piece of confection.”

“Sweets aren’t useless!” Aelin protested, “and why would you say that?”

“That time in Doranelle, after our initial meeting” Rowan replied, “you were looking for some chocolate but you gave away the money to that youngling instead.”

Aelin’s face suddenly dropped, so Rowan hastily continued, “and they are useless, they don’t benefit your body at all.”

“So you only eat things that benefit your body’s health?” Aelin’s face was screwed up in distaste, “they aren’t supposed to benefit you, they’re just nice to eat!”

Rowan grunted, and Aelin continued, “So you don’t have a favourite food?”

“There’s a vendor in Doranelle who sells meat on a stick.”

“Meat. On a stick.”

Rowan nodded once in confirmation.

There was a pause, then Aelin burst into laughter. Real, genuine laughter. The kind that made your belly ache and cheeks hurt. Rowan hadn’t seen someone laugh like that in a long time. In Doranelle, it was all affected laughs and polite chuckles. But not this. Tears started forming at the edge of her eyes, and her mirth made Rowan start to smile. She took a couple of deep breaths, then was off into another peal of giggles. It made her seem… young. Innocent. Carefree. Even if that couldn’t be further from the truth.

After a while, she calmed down enough to talk to him. Rowan’s eyebrows were halfway up his forehead, and he was giving her his best unimpressed gaze. Still, his lips were twitching.

She stared at him until he finally broke,

“It’s really good!” He almost whined as she started laughing again.

“I’m sure it is, buzzard. You’ll have to show me when we get back to Doranelle, although,” she frowned, “I really should be leaving soon after we return.”

“Buzzard?”

Aelin shrugged, “It suits you.”

But her reply settled in him, show me. He had no business taking her anywhere beyond what his queen required of him. She was a powerful foreign queen, a threat, a danger to his monarch and his people. And Rowan could not let himself forget that. Even- even if, for a moment, the icy walls around his heart had begun to melt.

-x-

As they approached Mistward, Rowan could see the door to the kitchen’s open. He led Aelin down to the door, as he was sure she wasn’t one for an official entrance. He walked through the door, and was hit with the roar of the fire and the smell of fresh bread. There were three males in the kitchen, two of whom Rowan knew the names of. Emrys, the fortress’ cook, his mate, Malakai, the head of the guards, and a young demi-fae who he’d seen working in the kitchens before.

As Aelin walked in behind him, and shook off her hood, for it had started to rain, a barely audible gasp came from Emrys. Rowan walked further into the kitchen to watch this scene unfold.

As soon as the demi-fae showed the slightest hints of bowing, Aelin immediately waved them off, a small smile playing about her lips as she stuck out her hand.

“Hello. I’m Aelin.” Was all she said as the chef shook her hand. A human custom, he assumed.

“Yes, Your Majesty, I’m-” was all the male got out before Aelin interrupted,

“Just Aelin, please.”

Emrys nodded, and introduced himself and his husband, as well as the young male, Luca, who turned scarlet when Aelin nodded to him.

After a couple of minutes of polite chatting, Emrys said,

“I was distraught to hear of Eval- your mother’s passing last year. She spent a year here in her youth, not that She was a good woman and an even better friend. ”

“She spoke so highly of you both, always telling me stories of her friends at Mistward.”

Emrys smiled at that, squeezing Aelin’s arm. “Did you ever find out who killed them?”

Aelin tensed just slightly, her breathing barely hitching before she replied, “I have a few theories.”

Rowan looked up at that, eyebrows pinching before smoothing into an unreadable expression.

Emrys simply nodded gravely, and started telling a story involving the late Evalin Ashryver, a sponge, a misunderstanding, and a male from the East.

-x-

After two hours, Luca was tasked with showing Aelin to her rooms, Rowan already knowing his way around. Aelin was given the finest guest room they owned, complete with its own private bathing chamber, despite her protests. He supposed she could finally enjoy a hot bath.

As Rowan settled into bed that night, he realised how exhausted he was. His dreams that night were filled with musical laughter and swirls of embers, laced with the soothing scent of jasmine.

-x-

The next morning, Rowan headed down to the kitchens to see how he might be of service before he had to accompany the queen back to Doranelle, he stopped short, blinking. Standing next to Luca, chopping potatoes, was Aelin. The Queen of Terrasen. In a kitchen. Performing duties assigned to a scullery maid. It was barely dawn. She was laughing the same laugh that had haunted his dreams all night, before they had turned to screams and Rowan had woken with a start, sweating.

Three hours later, Rowan had just finished checking the fortress’s magical defenses when the scent of jasmine, lemon verbena and crackling embers filled his nose. He lifted the hem of his shirt, wiping his face clear of sweat before lowering it and looking at Aelin. He tried not to notice how her eyes lingered on his bare abdomen for a split second before they snapped up to him. She was dressed casually in a billowing white shirt tucked into high-waisted, tight black trousers and polished, finely-made boots. Her hands were on her hips and she was frowning slightly.

“You wanna show me the sights?” She said.

Rowan frowned at her and cocked his head.

“Is there anything notable around here? Anything cool? Anywhere exciting I can still tell people I’ve been in two hundred years?”

“Well, The Sun Godess’s temple, Bald Mountain’s lake and the healer’s compound.” Rowan listed off a few of the sights, as she called them.

“Bald Mountain near enough to be back for dinner?” She asked.

“Sure, Princess. Let’s go.”

-x-

A little way into their trek to the mountain, Rowan’s memory caught on something Aelin had mentioned earlier.

“Two hundred years? So you’re confirmed to Settle?”

Settling was the long, painful process a Fae went through in their youth, that froze their body into immortality. Rowan had settled when he was twenty-four, and only had hazy, pain-filled memories of the ordeal.

“Nothing is confirmed, but it’s always been predicted, and I think with my amount of power, it would be natural for me to settle.” It wasn’t a boast, just a simple fact of her power.

“Do you want to settle?” A harmless question, Rowan thought.

“I used to. Still do, in some ways. In other ways.. no.”

“What changed?” Now that was a dangerous question.

“I did.”

Rowan didn’t push any further, simply nodding and letting out a breath, happy to trek the rest of the way in silence.

-x-

A great lake stretched into the gloom before him, the mountain protecting it from the harsh glare of the sun.

“We’re here.” Rowan stated dumbly.

“I can see that, surprisingly. It’s almost like we aren’t under a giant mountain facing a giant underground lake.” Aelin’s voice, laced with sass, echoed around the chamber, and Rowan watched as she walked over to one of the walls, trailing her hand over the age-old stone.

“You think the creature is still in there?” Aelin spoke again.

“What?”

“Oh come on, the supposed one-eyed creature that lives in the lake, killed by Athril, your queen’s supposed former lover? You know, Goldryn was his sword. It’s the most famous bedtime story in Terrasen, aside from maybe a couple about Brannon.”

Rowan frowned, before the memory of the story resurfaced.

“I shouldn’t think so, the story was probably invented by some traveller.”

“At least we’ll have this to defend us,” with a wicked smirk, Aelin withdrew her hand from where it had been rooting around in some nook. Clasped in her hand, was a gleaming golden sword, the ruby in it’s hilt gleaming like a small sun.

“Goldryn.”

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#aelin galathynius #rowan whitethorn #aelin ashryver galathynius #queen of terrasen #fanfiction #fanfic #rowaelin #throne of glass #sarah j maas #sjm #heir of fire #kingdom of ash #emrys #malakai #luca

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sarah-bae-maas · 5 years

Text

Rowaelin AU! chapter two

AU! where the valg wars never happened, but Rowan and Aelin still stumble upon each other anyway

Chapter 1 Ao3 Masterlist

***

This was the worst possible thing that could have happened.

Rowan stood beside the king and queen, completely taken aback by the sight of the princess. When Rowan had gotten roaring drunk the night before and decided to sleep with a seemingly perfect stranger, he could never have imagined that the woman he'd bedded would be the one standing before him now. She was exquisite, and even through the haze of his hangover he knew her to be beautiful.

And to be a colossal mistake.

He was just glad Lorcan wasn't here to witness this embarrassment; he would never live it down.

"Princess Aelin, might I please introduce Prince Rowan Whitethorn of Doranelle, your new mentor."

Either she didn't recognise him, or she hid her expression perfectly. She had the snake smile of any royal plastered on her face, a unique expression in a humble court. The slight tilt of her lips was acknowledging, but nothing else.

"He comes to highly recommended my dear," her father, King Rhoe, said, beaming at his daughter. "Your Uncle Gavriel was the one who told us he would be perfect."

Rowan considered fleeing so that he didn't have to face the wrath of Gavriel if he ever discovered Rowan bedded his niece. Rowan had been saddened that he wouldn't see the male until Gavriel returned from assignment, now he was grateful. He had the chance to wash the scent of the princess off before anyone could notice he was slathered with her.

"He has been a teacher for Doranelle for over a century; he trains their army and is a leading commander."

Aelin's smile tightened, although Rowan didn't think anyone would be able to notice.

"And why would such a high ranking commander come to Orynth to help train me?" Her voice was melodic, and oh so incredibly fake. Did no one else see it?

Rowan looked over the courtiers gathered. He knew Terrasen was a prosperous kingdom, and it showed in their nobility. It was always obvious when wealth and health had been faked, but Orynth really was a dream for its inhabitants. Inhabitants who looked at their princess with concern - not for her, but for themselves. They were afraid.

Interesting.

"Aelin, please," Queen Evalin's voice was taught. "This could help you, don't you understand? We're running out of options, and after-"

"What your mother means to say, my dear, is that Prince Rowan is the best of the best, and we're thrilled to have him here with you. We believe that you could grow so much from this." King Rhoe turned to Rowan, a friendly smile on his face. "You have my full trust with my daughter."

Rowan tried to smile back, as if he hadn’t already devoured the woman he’d sworn to help. How he was going to fix this mess, he didn’t know, but one thing was for sure. He could not, under any circumstances, be involved with the princess.

___

Rowan was wrapping his hands as he waited for Princess Aelin. At first, there was expected to be an audience to their training. He dismissed them thoroughly, or, in the words of Lorcan, aggressively. Now, his commanding officer was the only one in the room, and he was grinning like a banshee.

"This is the best thing to happen to me all day."

"Shut the fuck up, Lorcan."

"I take you here for a break. I give you lots of space to be a moody little shit, and just when it's looking like you might smile again, you have your first one-night stand with the worst possible person."

"You tried to fuck her too."

"Yes, but I was unsuccessful."

Before they could continue bickering, the door to the side of the courtyard opened. They were in a square, outdoor space lined with columns. Behind them were mazes of paths, and high hedges to keep out wandering eyes. It would be an ideal space for physical training, which is what Rowan would start with. If the previous night was anything to go by, she had little control. She could use some refinement - her movement was too wild. Even in the throne room, she was practically vibrating.

The princess walked in with two men at her helm. One man was a brunette human, two swords strapped to his back. The other was a fae male, and Rowan would recognise him anywhere. It was Gavriel's boy, the one that made him leave Doranelle all those years ago. Rowan didn't begrudge him that - Gavriel was head over heels with his woman when they discovered the pregnancy. And as forgiving as the Ashryver's tend to be, they could be archaic in the worst ways.

"Princess, I have requested that there be no audience for our training sessions," Rowan said, voice as impassive as he could make it. He could feel his heart starting to beat faster.

"This is Aedion and Ren, they insist on following me wherever I go." She smiled, taking a step towards him. "They're very needy."

She was talking to him in the same voice she'd used last night, the kind of voice that made you think she was divulging her deepest secrets. It was as if she thought this whole situation was humorous.

Rowan would soon let her know that it was not.

"Prince Aedion, Ren." Rowan nodded at them. "I do not need babysitters, I have been training the most ruthless fae since before you were even a thought in your parent's mind. Lorcan, if you could escort them away while I train the princess."

"That's not happening," Ren smirked. “You may have come highly praised by Gavriel, but you are still a stranger.”

Aedion looked thoughtful. He tilted his head, and Rowan ignored the princess and her guard to take him in.

Gavriel had clearly raised the boy in his image. Everything about him - his defined muscles, scars on his body, posture - spoke of a well-trained soldier. He observed Rowan the way that Rowan looked over him, and he seemed displeased with what he saw. That, or he had quite the poker face.

“I’ve heard stories of you and him,” Aedion swept his hand in the direction of Lorcan, “my entire life. You could be the worst thing that has ever stepped foot into this court if you wanted to be. I know the best things about you, but I’m also well aware of the shittest. I suspect the only reason you are held in such high regard is because, so far, you have been on the same side as us. For only my trust in my father, I’ll leave you with her.” Aedion stepped around the princess, his gaze feral as he approached Rowan. “But if you cross her, be warned that it will be a signature on your death warrant.”

With that, the boy turned and stormed away, Ren following him after a quick scowl in their direction. As soon as they were out the door, Lorcan opened his big fat mouth with a rapturous laugh. “The unwarranted confidence on that boy is astounding. He couldn’t step an inch in our direction before he’d be dead.”

Rowan rolled his eyes. “Leave, Lorcan.”

He looked at him aghast. “Why?”

“I told you, no babysitters. Piss off.”

Lorcan bowed theatrically to Rowan and winked at the princess before escorting himself out, leaving Rowan alone, finally, with her.

She wore loose clothes that would help her body breathe in the heat. Her shirt was short sleeved and white, and dipped just to the top of her chest, hinting at what may lie beneath. A brown belt was at her waist, a few knives casually hanging from it. Her hair was up in a tight bun on her head, making her now-human face longer and sharper. This must be her animal form - how curious. A light breeze blew through, and he could still smell his scent on her. Any fae who came across them both and was worth their weight would know what had transpired between Rowan and the woman before him.

He was unsure of what to say now that they were alone.

“So, this was… unexpected,” she breathed, her face finally showing something other than indifference. “When I was told they were shipping someone in to train me, I expected some old bastard.”

Rowan swallowed hard. “I can assure you Princess, I am the best.”

“Aelin, please call me by my name.”

He ignored her plight. “Princess, stand with your legs shoulder width apart. I want to see what you can do.”

___

His offer had sounded sexy at first, but Aelin soon found out that he was gruelling. There was no chit-chat, certainly no flirting, and he pushed her to her limits. He handed her weapon after weapon and kicked her ass every time, assessing her skills in each. In hand to hand combat, her favourite, he’d had her on her back barely able to breathe in seconds. It was a far cry from the night before, when she had been breathless for very different reasons. Any time she tried to speak, he would invent some new way to torture her. More surprisingly, every time her flames rose to the surface of her skin and started to burn, she would feel a blanket of magic smother it.

“I don’t understand,” she said five hours into their session. “Why can’t I use my magic?”

He clicked his tongue. “The magic will come, but right now, I want to see what else you can do.”

She gritted her teeth and continued, pushing through the burning pain in her limbs. It was another forty minutes before Rowan finally called it. He looked barely affected while she was covered in sweat and barely able to breathe.

“An ice bath will help with the pain. I’ll see you at the same time tomorrow. At the behest of your parents, I’ve placed wards on your room so that your fire might be contained in the event of an accident. They won’t stop anything if I’m not there, but they’ll slow it down.”

“When did you go in my room?” she heaved, her knees and hands shaking. Blisters littered her hands, and if she didn’t think it would make her look weak, she’d run to the healers and have them soothe them.

“I did it from your balcony yesterday afternoon, I was told you were out with Dorian.”

“So you’ll call him Dorian but you won’t call me Aelin? Are you punishing me for forgetting to ask you name last night.”

Rowan was packing up the equipment they’d used, cold in his movements. Facing away from her, he said, “Gavriel may have given me a reason to come here, but it was your father who approached him, to ask if the rumours about my abilities were true. He’d heard about me from King Dorian the first, after I helped his son. That’s how I was able to get here so quickly, I came with him from Adarlan.”

“So you’re what, friends?”

“Some might say that.”

“Two friends for two countries.” Her lips tentatively turned up, hoping that even without her flame she could warm him.

Rowan didn’t smile back like she was expecting. He had been hard during their training, but she thought that was just because he was in instructor mode. She was still struggling to put the two Rowan’s she knew together. The one from the night before, that was playful and enticing, and the one here, who was a talking statue.

“So, a blacksmith?” she teased, wondering why he had lied about his profession.

“It’s a hobby. You aren’t a pianist.”

“I really do play every week at the theatre. I’m doing a solo tomorrow, if you’d like to come and watch.” What she didn’t say if that shewould like him to come. She felt inexplicably drawn to him, but that could just be from a false sense of connection driven by her horniness.

“I’ll be busy.”

“Next week, then.”

He sighed deeply, turning his face to the ceiling as he finished putting away the last sword. “Princess, last night was a mistake, one fuelled by alcohol and anonymity. It won’t happen again.”

She scrunched up her face. “I wasn’t asking you to sneak into my room and fuck me, I was asking if you’d like to see me play since we’ll be spending so much time together. We may as well get to know each other.”

“I’m not interested in knowing you. You’re a job. An obligation. I’m here as a favour to an old friend, and because your parents think you’re an incompetent heir who is more likely to burn her kingdom down than rule it.”

Aelin flinched at the words, knowing they were true. Not just his total lack of interest, which by now was starkly apparent, but also why her parents had brought him here. She saw it every time they looked at her, the love, but also the fear that she would destroy them all. Her eyes burned, and she blinked hard. Gods, what a pathetic picture she must have painted.

“Noted.” Aelin pressed her lips together and got up, striding off. She made sure her back was straight and shoulders were up, feigning so he didn’t know how much his words affected her. With her hand on the doorknob, she asked one last question before she would sequester herself away. “What kind of magic do you have anyway?”

“You may be fire, but I’m all water and air - everything needed to obliterate you.”

As soon as she was out of his sight, she violently vomited.

#rowaelin #elorcan #AU #fanfic #kingdom of ash #throne of glass #tog #koa

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hijustanotherfanficwriter · 4 years

Text

The Cold Sun and The Dark Moon- Chapter Two

A guard, a fae warrior, and a prince walk into a meeting...

Sixty years after the war, Fenrys moonbeam still traveled the world as Terrasen’s ambassador, working through his demons as he works to keep the world together.

Sixty years since things changed for the bette, and worse for some. Enedina Kane has always thought her only choice was to run, but suddenly she realizes she can’t run forever

note: Hope you enjoy this :)

word count: 1.3k

- - - - -

“Let’s begin” The King of Melisande’s voice filled the large chamber, now speaking in common tongue. Fenrys couldn’t help but feel a slight bit of embarrassment at the fact he didn’t know their language. “Everyone, this is our guest for the next week or so.” All eyes in the room shifted to Fenrys, some eyes thoughtful, others already seeming to assess him to see how much of a threat he was. “He is ambassador for Terrasen. Please stand and introduce yourself.”

Fenrys did as he was told and stood gracefully, meeting every set of eyes at the table before starting, “My name is Fenrys Moonbeam. I am fae and from Dornaelle. I am here in behalf of Queen Aelin Ashryver Whitethorn Galathynius of Terrasen.” He paused for a moment and then added, “Any questions?”

When none arose he took his seat and food appeared upon his plate. His shock must’ve been evident because the male Enedina was talking to before spoke to him from his seat beside the king, “My father has been blessed with a gift of moving things between the folds of the world,” the male paused to take a mouthful of beef before continuing, “much like I’ve heard of you and your powers.”

Ah. So this kingdom knew more than he thought they did. Fenrys nodded and took a bite as well before commenting, “What else do you know about me, or my kingdom for that matter?”

The male grinned and rose an eyebrow, “Why should I tell you?”

“Is that not how alliances work? Exchanging information, being friendly?”

“Well we haven’t formed one yet and I have been told I can be a real pain in the ass so I intend to put that to good use for a bit. You know, for fun.” A quiet laugh came from the corner of the room and the male threw a lazy grin to Enedina before turning his attention back to Fenrys. “I know you served Mauve, I know of your brother and that he was your reason for staying. I have heard of rumors of your powers which you confirmed for me, thank you for that by the way.” He took a sip of the red wine that has too appeared at the table before continuing, “I know more than you think I know, so don’t forget that.”

Fenrys nodded, trying to keep his composure at the mention of his brother. His dead brother. “I am glad that there is less to explain, less stories to tell. Although I know none to little of this kingdom.”

“That much is obvious.” Fenrys turned his attention the voice, a girl seated across from the male two seats down from him met his gaze. “What? You don’t even know the name of anyone here, you haven’t ventured into our city, you don’t even know truly who is king, much less his children.” The girl turned away.

“I arrived two days early actually to do all of the things you had mentioned but was instantly shown to my rooms. I didn’t think I was allowed to leave. I apologize.” Great. So much for starting off on a good foot, Fenrys scowled to himself. He certainly didn’t miss the way the girl huffed at his remark.

“Lighten up Zara,” a male who sat next to the cocky friend of Enedina’s, spoke up. He had pointed ears, kind eyes and tan skin that was crawling with intricate tattoos that would make Rowan jealous. “This kingdom has kept to itself for a long time, he should not be expected to know who we are or of us at all. If he did then that would defeat the purpose of us staying hidden in the first place.” The male turned to Fenrys, “My name is Amias.”

Fenrys nodded a thanks at the males understanding.

“I’m Ellery. Prince of Melisande. That is my sister, Zara, princess of Melisande.” The cocky friend of Enedina spoke from Amias’s side. “And this is my father, Favian, King of Melisande.”

Others went around the room and introduced themselves, some naming titles others simply saying their names. Once everyone had gone Fenrys gave a small smile to the king and was about to speak before the king began to speak again. “We can not forget our best warrior. Come here child.” He called out, beckoning Enedina from her corner.

She watched as the members of the kings council went around and introduced themselves, watching as Fenrys nodded to himself as if he were storing the information away, which he probably was. A small smirk played on her lips still at Zara’s sass from moments before, she loved the Princess very much.

Zara was a good deal younger than her older brother, Ellery being in his upper seventies while Zara was only nineteen. She had been the last of the crown’s children, fore her mother had died giving birth to her. The two had one other sibling, Sachi, their oldest sister who had no real interest in the crown and chose to abandon her birthright and began a simple life, as she called it. There was nothing simple about her life at all though. She traveled the world, doing Gods knows what, visiting a few times a year to cause a bit of chaos before leaving again on her ruk that she had acquired from the southern continent, most likely by wooing a general, or flashing her old status. She may not be next in line for the thrown, but she sure as hell still used the abandoned title for her own purposes.

Enedina was broken from her thoughts as the king called her to the table to introduce herself. She put back on her mask and stood between where Ellery and Favian were seated.

“Introduce yourself child.”

A small smile appeared on her lips as she gave a small bow of her head to the king before saying, “My name is Enedina, I am a guard here at the palace and a warrior in the kings army.”

“Also another real pain in the ass I must add.” Ellery stayed from beside her, as she lightly slapped his shoulder, laughter filling the chamber. She couldn’t help but notice Fenrys slight shock at the casualness she demonstrated with the prince.

“Together you are true royal ass hats.” Zara chided at the two, earning another laugh from the table, some nodding for experience.

She smiled and excused herself before going to return to her corner until the king waved a hand and a seat appeared next to Fenrys. “She is also a member of my council. Please take a seat.” Favian added.

So that’s why there had been such a large gap there, she thought as she nodded and made her way to her seat, noticing how Fenrys had tensed up a bit.

The king announced as she sat, “Tonight shall be a simple meal, as will the next few nights. We will not have an official meeting until the time is right.”

Everyone in the room nodded before breaking off into conversations of their own.

Enedina leaned slightly towards Fenrys and said, “I won’t bite you know.” Before leaning back into her seat to begin eating, not expecting a response.

Fenrys eyes flicked to hers for a few heartbeats before leaning in much closer than she had, “No promises here.” His breath tickled her ear before he leaned back into his seat, flashing a wolfy grin.

She couldn’t help the shiver that went down her spine.

- - - - -

Part three will be tomorrow!

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writersplanetarium · 5 years

Text

Facade: Peeling The Layers Away

Part 1 Part 2 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12

Aelin needed revenge, she decided after getting her car back from the shop. She'd hit his car on accident, he'd done it on purpose.

And she knew just how to get him.

They had a live interview today with Ren Allsbrook for his web show and Aelin had just purchased her perfect bottle of revenge. She'd had to admit it was tricky getting his skin color right since he had such tan skin, but lucky for Aelin, Elide had offered to help. She said she'd warned Rowan not to get revenge, but he hadn't listened, so she was looking for a little revenge of her own. Elide worked in makeup for the show, specifically on Rowan, so she had his exact shade for Aelin to match the foundation to.

So Aelin arrived early to their hair and makeup room. So early the artists weren't even there yet. But the makeup was. Aelin quickly switched her concoction with the actual foundation that was going to be used on Rowan and took a seat.

A few minutes later, the artists arrived, greeting Aelin happily.

"We are such big fans of the show," the older woman, Julia, gushed as she came to get started on Aelin, "Yours and Rowan's relationship is by far the most titillating ‘will-they won't-they’ I've ever seen. I mean the progression of your relationship has just felt so real and natural." Most people outside of the show didn't know Aelin and Rowan hated each other and they'd made a deal to keep it that way. Most of the time their bickering was seen as teasing between friends since they were careful not to snap at each other in public, no matter how badly they usually wanted to.

"Well our characters are written well," Aelin said with a grin. Aelin adored Charlotte and Daemion, truly. It was odd at first, to watch herself and Rowan interact so differently, but Aelin could see what they saw. Charlotte and Daemion were indeed perfect together. Aelin and Rowan? Not so much.

"What's it like to kiss him?" The younger woman, Fiona asked, sitting down in the chair for Rowan with a big grin, her chin in her hand.

"Between us?" Aelin asked, looking between them.

"Of course," both women said in unison, leaning in to listen to the secret.

"It used to be okay, but now… I don't know. I think he's getting sick or something. He's been off his game a lot lately."

"Really? Do you think it's bad?"

"I don't know," Aelin said, "But… today is the first day he's going to have been out of his house in a week." Aelin had been sure to keep him up extra late that night to ensure the dark circles under his eyes to continue her plot.

"My God. I hope he's alright," Julia said, setting a hand over her chest.

"The show can't go on without both of you. I hope he'll be okay."

"So do I," Aelin said. Just then the door opened and Rowan walked inside looking just as she'd hoped. Exhausted.

Fiona was up and out of the seat in a flash, offering it to him.

"Mr. Whitethorn, it's so nice to meet you. Just take a seat right here." Rowan sat down, setting his coffee on the table, enough bite in his brief look at Aelin to let her know he was having a bad day. And she smiled to herself knowing she was about to make it just a little worse.

She was careful not to watch him. Too many glances could set him off to her plan. So she waited patiently, letting the woman work through her hair and makeup. When they were done, Rowan and Aelin headed out to the stage.

"You knew we had an interview today," Rowan ground out quietly as they walked side by side, "What could you have possibly been doing up so late?"

"Stuff," Aelin said vaguely.

"Some of us actually need sleep," Rowan said, taking a long drink from his coffee.

"And some of us have lives."

"Well my life right now involves actually getting sleep for once, you should try it. God knows we won't be getting much when the new season airs." Aelin was about to remark when a voice cut in

"Aelin! Rowan! Good to see you two again. How’ve you two been?" Ren Allsbrook asked, standing with a grin and his hands on his hips. They’d been on once before when he’d just been getting his start. He reviewed shows and movies and occasionally had on guest stars to interview or just have a good time with. They had been some of the first people on as guests.

"Rowan's pouting because he's a baby who can't sleep if there's any noise." Rowan rolled his eyes, his fingers paling as they gripped his drink tighter.

"I can sleep if there's noise, I can't sleep through dubstep you're playing so loud it shakes your house."

"I was working on stuff. I work best with some music." That was a lie, she had just been messing with him.

"I hope you go deaf. It's the least you deserve," Rowan said with an annoyed huff as he set his coffee off to the side and took up his spot.

"Why me? If you went deaf it'd solve both of our problems. You wouldn’t have to hear it and I’d stop getting interrupted whenever I try to do anything.”

“You’d stop getting interrupted if you actually thought about anyone but yourself.” Aelin glared at him.

“I paid for a surround sound system and I’m going to use that surround sound system.”

“Alright one minute to stream,” Murtaugh Allsbrook said from behind the camera, “And it’s nice to see you again Aelin.”

“You too,” she said with a grin, crossing her legs as she took her seat. Anticipation rolled through her as she waited for her revenge to be enacted. She didn’t know how long it would take for it to work, but she had her fingers crossed that it would.

“Three, two, one… Action!” Aelin put on a big smile.

“Hello Terresen,” Ren said with a warm smile to the camera, “Today we have two much-awaited guests. They were here once and you begged to have them back again. Your pleadings have been heard. Back again is Aelin Ashryver Galathynius and Rowan Whitethorn!”

“It’s so nice to be back,” Aelin said, "It's been too long. But we've been so busy with the show that we haven't had much time. But now that we've finished filming this upcoming season, we were able to finally make it on."

"Now that you've finished, can you tell us something about this season?"

"It's going to be one you'll never forget," Aelin said with a sly smile.

"So last time you were here we talked about the characters, but this time people want to know more about the two of you. So what better way than to see how well you know each other. On the show, you two are best friends who know each other like the back of your hand, but how well do you two know each other?" Aelin and Rowan both looked at each other out of the corner of their eyes, knowing this was about to get rough. "We have a test and whiteboards for you two to write your answers on." They were brought over and Aelin and Rowan accepted them with thanks.

"This is a best friend test with answers chosen by your fans. You write your answer on the left and the other's answer on the right. So let's start. Question number one. It's an easy one. Favorite color?" Aelin blanched for a moment. She had no idea what colors Rowan liked. She didn't even think he had a favorite color. So she wrote as much and put down red for hers. She’d always thought she’d liked blue, but she finally admitted she loved red.

"Got your answers?" Ren asked.

"I'm ready," Aelin said.

"I'm ready," Rowan said as well.

"Alright let's flip them and see." Aelin smiled and flipped her whiteboard. She glanced over at Rowan's to see if she'd been right and frowned as she saw she wasn't right. But he wasn't either.

"Red?" He asked, "Seriously?"

"Yes red. It’s pretty!"

"Why'd you think I didn't have a favorite color?"

"Because I thought you'd be just brooding enough to not have one. But green? Seriously? How vain." Rowan was clearly resisting an eye roll, which made Aelin happy.

"That's too bad. Question one goes to neither of you. Let's hope you'll have better luck on this next one. Birthday?"

"Yikes," Aelin laughed.

"I've actually told you this one," Rowan said, writing down his answers.

"What? When?" Aelin asked, narrowing her eyes at him. He was just lying to make her look bad. She knew it.

"That's for you to figure out because I plan on winning."

"You don’t know my birthday," Aelin said.

“You throw a party every year. I can’t miss your birthday.” Aelin gritted her teeth, her eyes flicking between Rowan and her board.

“You never told me your birthday. You don’t tell anyone your birthday.”

“Well, then that just makes this easier for me if you don’t remember.”

Aelin wracked her brain, rifling through every conversation she’d ever had with Rowan.

“Alright, are you ready?” Ren asked.

“As I’ll ever be,” Aelin sighed, writing down a random date she thought might suit him.

“Alright! Let’s flip them and see.” Aelin flipped her board, her eyes trained on Rowan’s.

Her jaw dropped.

“How did you get it?!” He smirked, leaning back. May 3rd. She couldn’t believe he got it right.

“Doesn’t matter. But that's one point for me."

"One point for me," Aelin said beneath her breath in a mocking tone before realizing she was trying to win at being a better friend to Rowan that he was to her. She wanted to beat him, but at what cost to her pride knowing if she won it'd prove she paid more attention to him than she cared to admit. “You do not seem like a December baby.”

“Since when does your birthday dictate how you act?” Rowan retorted.

“You just have a November vibe!”

"Sorry Aelin,” Ren laughed, “One point to Rowan." She seriously hoped her revenge kicked in soon.

They went through other various questions, right answers bouncing between them. Aelin was surprised by some of the answers and answered others easily. Like she didn’t know his favorite activity was working out, though from the looks of him she should have guessed. She did know they were tied, waiting to see who got the winning point when Rowan finally did what she’d been waiting for. He rubbed his jaw.

Aelin pretended not to the notice the peeling, fake focusing on her answer that she was going to get wrong on purpose. Aelin knew his favorite food was just meat on a stick since he didn't have a very refined palate, but she was going to say garlic bread, just to spite him.

"Alright, final answer. Who will win? Turn your boards in three… two… one!" They turned them, Rowan guessing hers right as chocolate hazelnut cake. He had a soft promise of a slow death in his eyes as he saw her answer.

"No!" Aelin said, playing upset that she'd lost.

"That's a tough loss, but it makes Rowan the winner! How does it feel to be the better friend?" That realization that hit Aelin rounds ago hit Rowan and she saw him have to visibly restrain himself.

"Bet it feel great, huh, Rowan? To be the better friend?" Aelin remark, letting her eyes say everything her mouth couldn’t.

"Yeah, great," he said, rubbing his jaw. Now a considerable piece peeled back.

"Rowan, are you okay?" Aelin asked with feigned concern.

"Wha- What do you mean?" He asked, confusion at her concern playing over his face.

"Your skin." There was a gasp as a few people off to the side noticed as well. He touched his cheek, feeling where the foundation was peeling. He furrowed his brow pulling at it making a few people scream and freak out.

"Doesn't that hurt?" Ren asked with a furrowed brow.

"No," Rowan said, peeling more back.

"Well luckily that's a wrap for today," Ren said, "This is Ren Allsbrook signing off. Good day, Terrasen."

"Cut!" Everyone rushed around Rowan as Aelin slipped off, barely suppressing a grin.

"You were right! He must be sick," Fiona said, standing at Aelin’s side, "But how bad… He may be dying…"

"Dying? No, I think he’s just… out of his depth." She was going to win this war against him, even if it was the last thing she did. Aelin grinned as she slipped off, letting Rowan deal with the fallout of his “sickness”.

Tagged:

@captain-timetraveldreamer @tangledraysofsunshine

LMK if you want to be tagged!

#rowaelin fanfiction #rowaelin fanfic #rowaelin #aelin ashryver galathynius #rowan whitethorn #actor au #facade ch 3

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pitterpatterpot · 5 years

Text

Bachelor Party

Now. There are five requests I have been sent. Some have been in my box for months, and, for that, I apologise. But this is a story that includes ALL OF THEM. I hope you enjoy and that they are satisfactory for the requests!

Request list (in words):

“I had a nightmare about you, and I wanted to make sure you were alright.”

“Please don’t leave me.”

“When are you going to realize I don’t care?”

“H-How long have you been standing there?”

“I’m going to kiss you now.”

“I told you not to fall in love with me.”

“Go on then, tell me you don’t love me!” (number 94, I couldn’t get it in the photo).

___

Bachelor Party

“We,” Dorian braces his hands on Aedion’s table, “are throwing you a bachelor’s party.”

The prince barely blinks, instead focusing on the papers in front of him. “No.”

“Chaol is waiting outside!” Dorian scowls. “With Kyllian and Ren!”

Now those eyes flick up in annoyance. “Why are you throwing me a party? I haven’t exactly started planning a wedding.”

“You asked Lysandra on the beach.”

“She hasn’t said anything.”

“But you are planning to get married one day, yes?”

“If she wishes it,” Aedion leans back, arms crossed and eyes narrowed. “I thought you had a kingdom to run. And that you were over parties.” “I do and I am for the most part,” Dorian shrugs, blue eyes wicked. “But I need a distraction. Consider it, Aedion. When was the last time you did something such as this? A year ago? Maybe two-”

“Last week, Kyllian’s brother is getting married,” Aedion cuts in, scowl deepening. “Does Lysandra know about this?”

“Do you need her permission?” The king taunts.

“I’d prefer to have it before I run around with you lot,” Aedion growls. “If I do go then what is planned?”

“The night of your life.”

“I swear to the gods if there is one prostitute or anything of the sort-”

“Dinner,” Dorian holds his hands up, grinning brightly. “Come on, Aedion. You know we all need this. I’m tired, Chaol hasn’t had a free night in months and Kyllian himself seems quite enthusiastic.”

“Of course he is,” Aedion sighs, yet stands. “Fine. Maybe a night out wouldn’t be the worst thing in Erilea.”

“Fantastic,” Dorian claps him on the back. “Gavriel’s already at the restaurant.”

That causes the demi-fae to pause. “You invited my father?”

~~~

“Please pass the pork.”

Aedion does so, handing the dish to his father. Kyllian is leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling. Dorian taps his fingers against the tabletop. Ren sits with his arms crossed and glares. Chaol for his part eats his dinner, humming under his breath, clearly relieved to be out.

Ren snaps first.

“Why, the hell, are we just eating dinner?” He explodes. “And where is the alcohol?”

“It’s bring your own here,” Aedion frowns. “And it’s my favourite place.”

“I thought you liked alcohol?”

“Yes... I also like the food...”

“Ren is right,” Dorian sighs, standing and slipping on his jacket. “Let’s move onto the next location.”

Chaol coughs a little, placing his fork down. “How long is this evening going for? I don’t want to leave Yrene with all the work and-”

“It’s just a little party,” Kyllian grins, also standing. “It’s never killed anyone before.”

“I can testify against that,” Aedion can’t help but grin just slightly. “So there are multiple plans for this night?”

“Now you look excited,” Kyllian sling an arm around Aedion’s shoulders. “As long as you don’t mention monarchies, politics or Adarlan where we’re going we should be fine.”

Gavriel hesitantly follows them, leaving the money on the table. “Aedion is all of those things. And Dorian.”

“Exactly,” Kyllian smirks. “Should be a fun night.”

~~~

Gavriel feels his heart stop in his chest as soon as they enter the bar. It’s understandable. After all, there’s a section with a cage. It’s empty, yes, but the possibilities are all terrifying nonetheless.

“Please don’t leave me,” Gavriel murmurs to Aedion, eyeing a man sitting by the bar that holds a broken bottle. “I have a feeling that you aren’t the most celebrated patron here.”

“But Father dear, that’s half the fun,” Aedion says mockingly, already eyeing the would-be-opponents surrounding them.

“You’re not to leave my sight.”

“This is my party.”

“And my word right now is law,” Gavriel glares at a man with a stub for an arm that seems all too interested in Dorian, who has already made his way to the bar. “Why would Kyllian pick this place?”

“I like chaos,” said male comes up behind Gavriel, smiling widely. “I am unashamed to admit that I am the lover of a little discourse.”

“I finally understand your past relationship,” Ren muses to Aedion, seemingly at ease in the bar. “You fucked shit up together.”

“Now you’re getting it,” Aedion grins.

“I feel bad about this,” Gavriel insists, still frowning as they sit at the bar.

“I knew we shouldn’t have invited him,” Kyllian murmurs, withering under the Lion’s exasperated glare.

“I’ll be fine,” Aedion slaps Gavriel on the back. “I’m beginning to enjoy this.”

They order their drinks, the bartender glaring at each of them in turn only to wince at Gavriel’s glare. As the rest of laugh loudly, reminiscing in stories, Gavriel surveys the area and fends off anyone who strays too near with a small snarl.

He may be a bit overprotective. But this, in all definitions of the term, is asking for trouble.

He does not like trouble. He’s getting too old for it in all honesty.

“To the one-day-to-be-newlywed!” Ren announces, lifting a cup.

“That’s not how it goes,” Aedion grins, saluting the male back with his own beverage.

“Just drink, Ashryver,” Kyllian laughs, taking a cup from Dorian. “This is supposed to be a fun night out.”

“And it is,” Aedion nods his head. “Thank you all for this. I know I was reluctant but this has become wonderful-”

“Did somebody say Ashryver?”

All the younger males turn to the large man who’s spoken, all except Gavriel, who simply sighs.

“The cell. Now.”

~~~

“How the hell do you owe him so much money?” Chaol demands, rattling the bars. “Dorian doesn’t even have that on him!”

“I would also like to know that,” Gavriel says lowly, standing at a particular angle so that the owner of the bar can’t see Ren fiddling with the lock.

“I may have... scammed him a few years back.”

“Aedion!”

“He deserved it!” The prince scowls. “He was taking advantage of innocent people! I had no idea he owns this place!”

“Clearly you didn’t,” Ren mutters, hitting the lock. “I can’t pick this. It has a block.”

“I’ll break the bars,” Gavriel sighs, shaking out his arms. “Stand on the other side of the cage.”

“Perks of having the Lion as your father,” Ren rotates his wrist slowly. “I was getting tired of fiddling with it.”

“I’d just like to point out,” Chaol interjects, “that we are in a bar filled with his allies. If you do break the bars then we’ll have to fight our way out.”

The rest stare at him.

“I’m a father now! I can’t get into a bar fight!” Chaol elaborates, scowling. “I don’t want to go home covered in blood!”

“Gavriel’s a father and he has no problem with it,” Kyllian points out.

“Actually,” Gavriel pipes up, “I hadn’t considered the possibility of this leading to a fight. I’d rather we try to avoid that.”

“It’ll take us five minutes to fight our way out of here!” Aedion argues.

“And yet those five minutes will damage all of our reputations,” Gavriel solidly reminds them. “Two members of the royal family and two members that are sworn to such royalty. Something such as this could cause the people to question their safety around us.”

“Sure, just forget about the commander,” Kyllian murmurs, peering out the cage. “Aedion, you know this male. Is there any way to get him to let us go?”

Aedion hesitates, eyeing the large male across the room. “He does hold certain old fashioned views that he wouldn’t want to be displayed in his bar. That’s the only thing I can think of.”

“I really wish you’d elaborate on this plan,” Dorian frowns. “I could just turn into a mouse and steal the key.”

“Yes,” Aedion nods hurriedly. “Yes, let’s do that.”

“No, he’s drunk,” Chaol glares, one hand braced on Dorian’s arm. “Someone will step on him.”

“Have more faith in me,” Dorian scowls. “I’m your king.”

“You’re also drunk,” Chaol shakes his head. “Aedion, what’s your idea? Piss him off until he throws us out?”

“Essentially,” the prince shrugs, Gavriel sighing behind him and leaning against the wall in defeat. “I like that plan,” Kyllian agrees. “Very much. Nothing better than pissing someone off who holds horrible political views.”

“It can’t be you because he knows we’re not together anymore,” Aedion frowns at Kyllian. “Or Dorian because he’s known for love of females. Ren, do you want to help?”

“When are you going to realize I don’t care? I thought I was coming here for a free meal and alcohol.”

“Fair enough,” Aedion shrugs. “Chaol, you’re in.”

“I’m sorry,” said man barks, “but what am I doing?”

“Following my lead,” Aedion nods, then raises his voice louder. “You want to break the engagement?!”

Chaol takes a step back and blinks, everyone doing the same. A few of the men in the bar turn their attention towards the cage.

“You don’t have to go to those lengths!” Aedion chokes, his voice surprisingly full of emotion. “I told you not to fall in love with me!”

Ren drops his lockpick. Gavriel stops and turns to stare. Chaol gapes at Aedion. Kyllian grins.

“He’s always been a fantastic actor,” the commander murmurs to Gavriel.

Chaol bulks. “I-”

“How long have you loved me?” Aedion continues, all the patrons the bar now watching with rapt attention. “Was it before or after you decided to ask her to marry you, you bastard?”

A few gasps escape from the crowd. Chaol glances at them then back at Aedion, eyes frantic and terrified at the sudden pressure.

“B-Before?”

“You idiot,” Aedion sucks in a trembling breath. “Your father will disown you!”

The men sitting at the tables seem to lean in closer, listening to the act being displayed.

“I will- won’t... let him go... between you-us?” Chaol squints over Aedion’s shoulder, trying to make out the words Kyllian is mouthing. “Between us. I mean I won’t let him get between us.”

“Prove it!” Aedion demands. “I know it’s all lies! Go on then, tell me you don’t love me!”

“B-But I do...?”

Gavriel covers his face with his hand. Ren shakes his head. Kyllian drops his hands in defeat. The men outside the cage stare in confusion, the owner, in particular, tilts his head to the side with a scrunched up expression, his mouth in a gaping grimace as he tries to make sense of the scenario.

Aedion releases a faux gasp, reaching out to pull Chaol close. The other man releases a huff of breath, wrapping an arm around Aedion when the demi-fae kicks his ankle lightly.

“I’m going to kiss you now,” Aedion murmurs. “Purely platonic, I swear.”

Chaol releases a strangled sound as Aedion pushes him back only to pull him in, lips pressing against Chaol’s cheek, close enough to his mouth that it appears to the owner of the bar that it is a kiss on the mouth. He pushes Chaol against the wall, leaning their bodies together.

Dorian stares, blinking, wondering if he truly is as drunk as Chaol said he was. Gavriel covers his face with both hands. Ren’s shoulders shake as he tries to swallow down his laughter. Kyllain smirks and gives a thumbs up.

“Oh no! No, no, no, no! Not in my bar, Ashryver!”

Aedion grins as he’s hauled out of the cage, the owner handling him towards the door and leaving the cage wide open for the others to follow.

“I told you years ago I don’t want that kind of display in my bar!” The owner barks, shoving Aedion out onto the street. “Take your filth elsewhere!”

Gavriel immediately tenses at the words, a growl erupting from his throat.

Aedion laughs, placing a hand on Gavriel’s arm. “Don’t worry, he doesn’t care about things such as who’s with who. Public displays of affection just make him incredibly uncomfortable. He doesn’t experience sexual desire, it repulses him and has made it clear that all his establishments are to be free of such blatant displays.”

“Ah,” Chaol straightens his shirt. “I see. So that was your plan?”

“Yes,” Aedion winces, looking away. “We never have to speak of this again.”

“YOU ARE DAMN RIGHT WE WON’T,” Chaol suddenly roars. “You’re damn lucky I can’t kill you right now!”

“I want to talk about it,” Dorian raises his hand.

“Don’t worry, Your Majesty,” Kyllian wraps his arm around Dorian’s shoulders, leading him down the street, still beaming. “We will. Let’s go get a drink and remember this wonderful night.

“You will not,” Chaol chokes, following them down the street.

“This has turned out to be a better night than I thought it would be,” Ren grins, bumping shoulders with Aedion as he follows the rest.

“Please,” Gavriel sighs, patting Aedion’s shoulders, “next time just let Dorian turn into a mouse.”

“But he could have got hurt.”

“True, but it wouldn’t have strained my heart like that performance did,” a small smile tugs at the Lion’s mouth. “I thought you’d be better than that.”

Scoffing, Aedion shakes his head, watching his father follow the others.

“I hope the next place is more accommodating. Though I have to admit, I loved the show.”

Freezing, Aedion grimaces and slowly turns. “H-How long have you been standing there?”

“Long enough to enjoy the act,” Lysandra laughs quietly, pushing off from against the building. “I thought you would have noticed me in the back.”

“I was a little...”

“Distracted?”

“Platonic, I swear.”

“I know,” the shifter smiles, pressing her mouth against his. “Though I would have enjoyed it more if it was with Kyllian. Preferably with you against the wall.”

“You need to stop dreaming about that. It’s never going to happen,” Aedion laughs, keeping her close. “What are you doing here?”

Lysandra fingers at his collar, eyes darkening. “I had a nightmare about you, and I wanted to make sure you were alright.”

Aedion takes her into his arms, resting his head on top of hers. “I’m alright.”

“I know,” she huffs. “I just had to check.”

“Want to join us?” Aedion takes her hand in his, nodding his head towards the rest of the party. “I’m sure that we’re not done for the night.”

“Only if I can hide as a mouse in your pocket and play tricks on them all.”

“Gods, I love you.”

___________

Hi! I hope I managed to write something satisfactory to the requests!

#asks #requests #aedion ashryver #gavriel #renn #chaol westfall #dorian havilliard #lysandra

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dropletsofink · 6 years

Text

Iron and Steel

[Part 2]

Summary: The story of Lyria Whitethorn, daughter of Queen Aelin Ashryver Galathynius and King Rowan Whitethorn, and Tristan Havilliard, son of Queen Manon Blackbeak-Crochan and King Dorian Havilliard

A/N: Lyria!! This part focuses primarily on Lyria and her...problems. Also, her siblings that are mentioned are part of my Rowaelin Kids fanfic, so if you’re confused, just refer back to that. Enjoy!!

It all started when Lyria was twelve.

As the eldest child, she was destined for the throne, and felt its burden from a young age, but she didn’t let that stop her from living her life to the fullest.

She’d seen her mother and father spar repeatedly on the palace grounds, and begged for training. Rowan was reluctant at first, but after seeing the sparkle in her eyes and her fierce insistence, he agreed.

He gave her basic training of all forms of combat he could recall, and along with Aelin’s instruction, she became a fierce warrior at a very young age.

Even Aedion was impressed, watching Lyria and Tristan spar, and would marvel at the sheer grace and ferociousness she had.

However, there was one slight problem.

Out of all of her siblings and cousins, she was the only one who possessed not a single drop of magical talent.

At first, she wasn’t concerned. She could be whatever she wanted, and magic definitely didn’t define who she was.

But as the days went on, and as she saw her siblings train and hone their magical powers, her initial indifference began to erode.

Sam could summon monsters and demons with a simple flick of his blood, Connall, although he rejected it, could create swirling vortexes of flame that rivalled even Aelin’s, as their father said, and Marion could heal any wound at a simple touch.

She could do nothing.

Her insecurity began to gnaw at her even more when Tristan would train his iron nails with Manon, slashing at target after target at his mother’s command. It didn’t help when he discovered that he had also inherited his father’s ice. Dorian taught him to create anything from deadly fragmented shards, to jagged glaciers that rose as high as the Castle of Rifthold.

Tristan sensed it, and took care to only use his weapons when sparring with her. She would shrug it off and insist he use his nails, wanting to strengthen herself and her reflexes.

She kept up a happy façade, joking with her siblings about it, even going as far as to ask them to show her how they used their magic.

Connall, the more observant of the lot, knew that she wasn’t fine with it. Tristan too, and as much as they tried to talk her into admitting it, she never did.

So day after day, she’d watch the feats that those around her accomplished with the power thrumming in their blood, only heightening her own muted senses.

Lyria insisted her father be harder with the training, refusing to look weak to the people around her, and although Rowan knew why, he didn’t ask her to explain.

She’d return every night to her bedroom, muscles aching and multiple bruises blooming on her skin, but would only patch herself up and vow to train harder.

The exercise helped her to force down her insecurity, and before long, she could fight even Aedion and cause him several injuries.

One particular instance, she kicked him in the face so hard that his eye was blackened for a week. Lysandra never let him forget it. Neither did his son.

Tristan did what he could to help her train, giving her books to read and run with her through Oakwald until his lungs gave out. He wanted to be there for her, because he knew how much it hurt her. Being weak in a world rife with power was bound to wear anyone down.

But Lyria refused to.

By the time she was 15, she’d earned the nickname ‘The Steel Fury’ throughout the kingdom. The Sword of Orynth was her preferred weapon, and even at such a young age, she could best multiple Fae soldiers and emerge victorious with a wicked smile slashed across her face, canines glinting.

Her feelings of loss never completely faded, but she felt better knowing that she could prove herself just as well, magic or no.

She’d taken to cutting her hair herself with the edge of a dagger and never took to mind how she looked, often showing up to court meetings in a bloodstained tunic and ripped pants, hair bound in a leather strap. Court life bored her, but she knew that one day she’d be a queen, she took care to attend those meetings.

But what Lyria didn’t anticipate, was the reaction of the courtiers at her lack of magic.

She’d always thought that, if mortals could become kings and emperors and assassins, nothing would stop her from rising to the throne when her time came.

She’d always been confident in her abilities, albeit her ever-present insecurity.

She’d expected everyone to be fine with it, but she was hit hard when one day, sixteen years old, she stood alongside her parents in the throne room as an emissary from Wendlyn presented his case to her parents.

“We know that your heir, Princess Lyria Whitethorn, lacks the magical talent necessary to rule your prosperous kingdom, and so we would propose an alliance. Queen Selene Whitethorn, Faerie Queen of the West, has suggested that her second-born son take up the mantle of King of Terrasen when Princess Lyria’s time comes. We request a marriage between the prince and the princess, if it would be-”

Rowan and Aelin were having none of it, barely able to disguise the disdain in their voices.

“You can tell Selene that it’s not happening. Our daughter is more than capable of ruling. If Selene is so shallow as to think that magic is what makes a good queen, then she can come to speak to us personally.”

“But- Your Majesties-”

“That is all we have to say.”

Lyria could barely hear the voices of her parents over the roaring in her head.

Other kingdoms thought she was weak?

That she wasn’t fit to rule?

Because she didn’t have magic?

Aelin caught sight of her daughter’s tensed jaw and clenched hands. She inclined her head ever so slightly towards the door, and Lyria nodded and left.

Barely contained rage shook her hands in a feeble effort to remain calm in front of the emissary; the façade broke as soon as she left the castle.

She sprinted down the gardens, crashing into Tristan but barely registering him as the ran.

Tearing through the palace at a blinding speed, she wanted to make it outside, anywhere, where no-one could see her cry.

She ran along the Florine River until her breath came out in ragged gasps and her legs burnt with exhaustion.

And collapsed on the river back, hunched over, and sobbed.

Meanwhile, Tristan, still bewildered, ran to Rowan and Aelin and demanded to know what was wrong with Lyria.

As soon as they told him what must have happened, he almost knocked over the emissary to get out of the door, before being stopped by a firm hand on his shoulder.

Rowan.

“If you see her cry, she’ll shut herself off from you completely. Give her space.”

Tristan gritted his teeth in attempt to stay calm, but exhaled and turned to the emissary, who paled at the anger in Tristan’s eyes.

Over the following weeks, Lyria wouldn’t be able to set foot in the palace without hearing some whisper about her being married off to the Crown Prince of Wendlyn, even though her parents had adamantly refused.

Some of the nobles had taken to giving her snide remarks masked in praise. Lyria, with her explosive temper, wasn’t the most favoured around the court, and so they took it upon themselves to belittle her as much as they possibly could.

And at every comment, she could feel the chains of her throne tightening around her.

Chains that had never been there before.

She took it all, digging her nails so hard into her palms that she bled.

Lyria trained harder, and for longer, to distract from the loss eating up inside her.

She spent time with Tristan, but felt more distracted.

She didn’t want to tell him her problems. He knew something was wrong, in fact, he knew exactly what was wrong, but he knew that she wouldn’t want to talk about it.

Tristan wanted to help her, but he opted to do as Rowan had told him. Give her space.

That didn’t stop him from shooting murderous looks at the nobles that bothered her. They blanched as they caught his stare, and hurriedly turned away from the princess.

Although she didn’t tell him directly, she was grateful for his help and support.

He helped her train, he left her when she wanted to be alone, he joined her on her exploits when she dragged him into them.

She was infinitely grateful to have such a friend.

But she didn’t tell him about the nights that she’d curl up in her bed and cry hot, frustrated tears. Nor did she tell him the disdain she’d grown towards the idea of love.

Her parents had the perfect relationship. They were both carranam, mates, bloodsworn. They were equals in every way that mattered.

But Queen Selene had been prepared for Lyria to marry her son in order to ‘strengthen the kingdom’.

Which would mean that she’d be forgotten on the sidelines. No magic, no importance.

Although she knew her parents would never allow such a thing to happen, it still hurt that other kingdoms and rulers thought of her in such a way.

“Lacks the magical talent necessary to rule your prosperous kingdom…”

The emissary’s words had never left her.

So, as she grew into a mighty heir who would one day rule Terrasen, she vowed to never let herself be shackled, demeaned, controlled.

She didn’t want to marry. No lover, no consort, and that would ensure that no-one could deny her the power she deserved.

She vowed to renounce the idea of love.

But, there was one problem.

Tristan.

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ignisol-writes · 5 years

Text

carnations are the loneliest flowers of all ; chapter two

fandom ; Throne of Glass ship ; Rowaelin ao3 ; x description ; Rowan Whitethorn, a florist, receives a wedding order from his ex-girlfriend, Aelin Ashryver Galathynius

masterlist I prev chapter - next chapter

He’s completely tuned out the panicked voice of the customer standing just beyond the countertop; probably so over-forty husband who forgot his anniversary date and was desperately trying to get the last minute gift. Unable to focus on anything but the email he had received this morning.

Rowan had stayed up half the night. waiting rather desperately for a response to the email. Unsurprisingly, he had been forced to call it a night and head to bed once the grandfather clock in his apartment ticked at three o’clock in the morning. How much more pathetic can one man possibly get?

Apparently, much more. Cause the first thing he did when he got up at six o’clock the next morning wasn’t to immediately jump in a brisk shower as he normally did. It wasn't him grabbing a protein bar for a quick breakfast, either.

No, instead of the first thing Rowan did as soon as he had gotten up was lean over towards his nightstand, gripped his laptop, sat up and checked his e-mail.

No response.

As it should be, Aelin was getting married, after all. She wouldn’t be waiting by her laptop, hoping for a response instead of dead silence. She wouldn’t be mourning a lost relationship. No, Aelin wasn’t like that. She had dreams and aspirations, friends and family who wanted to so her succeed. There was no way she would still be so hung up on him breaking her heart. Not in the same way he was still regretting his decision to end it with her.

He had to stop. What was he doing? He had sworn to himself the night before that he would treat her as he would any other customer. And yet, here he was, fantasizing of what could have been like a love-sick teenager.

It didn’t help that when she finally responded to his email, at noon, she had mentioned she was undecided on what kind of flower she would prefer. He had always assumed that with her taste for luxury, she would have to have some kind of idea of what flowers she wanted.

But as she was undecided, and that had led to her requesting consultation. A service in which he offered. She mentioned in her e-mail that she was free later today if his schedule was open for it. And instead of telling the truth concerning his other clients for the day, he instead scheduled her consultation for four in the afternoon.

And Rowan did wind up canceling the consultation.

Canceling the other client, that is.

Rowan groaned to himself and face-palmed, and the old man gave him a quizzical look., but otherwise continued on his rant about how he needed the biggest, best bouquet that he could conjure up for him.

Rowan, eager to be left alone, just decided to make an arrangement of the most expensive blooms he had. The man, too distracted by his panicking to notice the outrageous price, shoved his credit card in Rowan's face and then left at breakneck speed.

Rowan figured he would probably get a tongue-lashing from his wife still; only this time it was about spending such an outrageous amount instead of forgetting whatever important date that it was.

Rowan quickly shuffled back to the countertop and took a seat on the wooden stool behind him. Resting his elbows on his knees and allowing his arms to dangle between his long legs, propped on the lowest bar on the stool, he sighed.

He couldn’t believe himself right now. What the hell was wrong with him? It was over, they were over. He shouldn’t be so hung up on Aelin, especially as he was the one who had broken up with her.

If Aelin could get her heart completely and utterly broken and manage to recover and find love again, then what was stopping him?

Everything was. He had panicked when she had asked him that one question. The one the would’ve decided the course they would take for the rest of their lives.

Stuck in his mourning and self-pity, he hadn’t heard the shrill ding of the bell positioned above his shops' entryway. Nor had he noticed the distinct click of high heels against the tile. He didn’t look up when a shadow cast itself over the countertop and thus, over him.

No, it wasn’t until he heard the woman waiting for his service cough into her hand, obviously attempting to get his attention, that Rowan had decided to look up. Because Rowan had heard that voice before, would be able to recognize it anywhere, even without it speaking a single word.

Without her needing to say a single word.

“Hello, I’m here for my consultation”, Aelin stated, as if there was absolutely nothing wrong with this situation at all. Nothing wrong with him at all.

They say that women become more beautiful with each passing heartbreak, and Rowan had always been a skepticism. But he had to give whoever made that observation first credit where credit was due.

Aelin was stunning.

She was wearing the pine green peacoat he had gotten her the Christmas previous, just days before he had broken her heart. In fact, most of her ensemble were gifts from him. The golden hoop earrings he had bought her that same Christmas. The black leggings and heeled, tan boots were a birthday gift.

Her hair was pulled up and into a bun, a few stray blonde strands delicately escaping their confines to frame her round face; cheeks obviously flushed with the cold. But her eyes, a beautiful turquoise with a golden ring, were cold. Not even an ember of the fire he had originally fallen in love with.

He should’ve expected this, that Aelin wouldn’t care about him enough to even hate him, despite what he had done. After all, he was just the florist she might or might not hire for her wedding, what right did he have to her time or energy? He didn’t know how he felt about that.

Rowan had instructed her to head in the back-greenhouse whilst he rose from his seat and made his way to the storefront, getting ready to flip the sign from Open to Closed so that no customers would interrupt them. Rowan certainly didn’t mind, after all, there was a reason he had scheduled this for the end of the day. But that wasn’t the only reason.

Perhaps he was a masochist who was more than eager to revel in his own pain.

He sighed and pressed his forehead against the cool glass to cal his nerves, and he knew he looked ridiculous to anyone on the street who would happen to look towards his store and see him through the window. But he couldn’t bring himself to care about what passersby would think.

Shaking himself from himself from his own pity party, Rowan straightens, turns and marches into the back of the store before he can think himself into a sorrowful stupor.

There was no way in hell he was going back his former self, not going back to that horrible life he had forced himself to live after the death of his first wife. He refused.

“Good afternoon, Rowan”, Aelin says, having already taken a seat in the cushioned wicker chair positioned in front of his desk. “I see you took my advice.”

He takes a seat then, avoiding eye contact for as long as he can. As he lowers himself into his seat, he notes her perception skills. “I’m surprised you remember that.”

“Of course I’m going to remember”, she replies, giving her nails a once over, ”I always remember when I’m right.”

Rowan remembers the little argument that they had gotten into when they were first starting their relationship. He had invited her up to his apartment after a very successful date, and he would be lying if he said he hadn’t hoped for something that night.

But while he had turned to lead her up the stairs, she had stopped and begun to pointedly stare at his consultation set up. And thus had begun the argument of how he should buy more comfortable chairs for his customers so that they’d be in a better mood when he was negotiating the bill. he had told her that he wasn’t going to waste money on fancier chairs.

That argument had become a little heated and before long they had found themselves in each other's arms due to the heat and ferocity of their yelling. Rowan supposed he got his hope after all.

“It’s particularly hard being right all the time though,” she smirks,” I have to remember everything!”

“Let’s stop the small talk,” he interrupts through gritted teeth, and he hates how disappointed her expression is at that. Shuffling through a drawer in his desk he grabs a yellow, weathered notepad that has seen better days, ”Seriously, let’s get started.”

She crosses her arms and huffs, Rowan’s icy mask that he's been preparing for this meeting thaws easily. Just as it had when they had first met years ago. he supposes he’ll always be a sucker for that adorable pout.

She relents, “Fine.”

“I’ll need you to answer questions for me.”

“Fair enough.”

“Under what name would you like to place this order under?”

“Ashryver.” Huh, Rowan would’ve figured she’d have used ‘Galathynius’. A lot must have changed over the course of a year.

“In what season is the wedding taking place?”

“A few months from now, in Spring. April, probably.” Soon. Too soon for Rowan’s heart. But he really gets no say in this.

Rowan scribbles down the information she’s given him thus far diligently. “What’s the color theme?”

“Um,” she starts, scratching the back of her head,”... Blue, I think?”

He starts at that. Again, a lot has changed over the year. Before, he knew Aelin would have been a borderline bridezilla. A big wedding she would have participated in the preparations for everything.

He stands and waits for her to do so as well, before leading her to the back of the greenhouse to take a look at the Springs selections he already has on display, despite it being January.

“Why did you pick me?”, he finds himself asking before immediately regretting it.

“Why do you ask?”, she answers his question with another question, a habit she;’s always had. Something that, before, used to drive him up the wall fiery rage. But now leaves his heart cold in his chest.

Before he can answer her question, she answers his.”It’s just that, flowers are important,” she starts, ”they’re important to you. So I thought of you. I trust your judgment.”

He can’t pinpoint this feeling right now. His heart is dead, has been for a year and yet it's being rapidly in his chest.” Alright, since it’s a spring wedding. I recommend these as they’ll be in season.”

She points to a misplaced Begonia, ”What about these?”

“Ah, those will be pretty pricey since there out of season.” He can’t help but glare at the flowers. Their meaning of misfortune and bad thoughts not lost on him, not an ideal flower for romance.

When he turns to her again, hoping to give her advice, only to find her smiling sweetly at him. He doesn’t deserve that sm-,” I'm proud of you, you know that?”

He doesn’t deserve her praise either. he can’t bring himself to meet her gaze.

Rowan coughs to clear the poignant silence.”Shall we continue looking?”

Aelin looks almost disappointed, before shrugging and says, ”That’s fine, I don’t need to spare an expense. I’ll take the Begonias”

He nods his head solemnly and begins to exchange more information with her. And once again he feels his heartbreaking.

#rowaelin #rowan whitethorn galathynius #aelin ashryver galathynius #modern au #bryanna writes

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highqueenofelfhame · 5 years

Note

“Early start to your morning?” “Late night, actually.” (Anything Rowaelin)

Because of the way that the door chimed with the little tinkling of a bell, Rowan was in the habit of always flicking his eyes up to the door when someone new entered his favorite little coffee shop Downtown. It had become his favorite for many reasons, namely because it didn’t have the hustle and bustle of the mainstream shops, free WiFi, nice staff, and some of the best food he’d come across - coffee shop snacks or not. It had been his favorite since moving to Orynth a few years ago, replacing his favorite haunts from Doranelle almost instantly.

So when the bell tinkled and he looked up to see a pair of fraternal twins walking through the front door, he was taken aback. Even more so because he had to do a triple take at the young woman - a girl with long golden hair and bright blue eyes that blazed with gold around their core. By the time his eyes landed on her for a fourth time, it hit him why she looked so familiar. It was Aelin.

Not only was she not in her usual business attire, she was completely dressed down in jeans, a sweatshirt, and black combat boots. The hoodie she wore was an emerald green for the Staghorns professional football team with metallic silver threading. There was little to no makeup on her face, despite how usually she looked like she was stalking out of a lingerie add with the smoky eyes and winged liner she usually wore. Not to mention that the mouth that was so commonly painted red was totally bare. Rowan, thinking back on it, realized he’d never seen her bare lips before.

Her face was flushed from the cold, cheeks and nose bright pink from the fierce wind that was starting to roll in this afternoon and had she not been wearing a hat, he would have been willing to bet that her ears were red-tipped, too.

What shocked him the most was how relaxed, how young, and how utterly, beautifully adorable she looked with her lips spread wide in laughter at something her apparent twin had said. Aelin nudged him in the side and tugged her beanie off her head, immediately moving to pull her hair into a messy knot on the top of her head.

He was right. Her ears were pink.

As if his staring had been some sort of a beacon, they made eye contact. Aelin tilted her head to the side, taking him in across the room before making her way over. As she unraveled her scarf from around her neck she sat down across from him. Rowan quirked a brow.

“Early start to your morning?” He asked, glancing at the time on his computer. Seven AM on a Saturday.

“Late night, actually,” she countered, grinning over her shoulder at the man she had come in with as he approached with coffee and pastries in hand. He slid into the seat next to Aelin, dropping her chosen treats before her as she gobbled them up with starving eyes. “We were at the Staghorn game last night in Rifthold, and were going to spend the night, but -”

“But Aelin wouldn’t stop grumbling about Emrys’s chocolate croissants and refused to settle for something from the Faliq bakery in Rifthold,” the man interjected, giving her a flat look. Aelin’s head fell back as she laughed, a bright and stunning sound that Rowan never seemed to tire of.

Despite how annoying he found her at the office, of course.

“I didn’t realize you had a twin,” Rowan said, sticking his hand out to the man, only for both of them to bark out laughs that sounded entirely too similar.

“Not her twin, thank the Gods. Flattered you think I look young enough, though. Aedion Ashryver. I’m her older, more handsome, and infinitely more responsible cousin.”

“He’s my only living relative,” she said with an eye-roll. “Aedion, this is Rowan Whitethorn. He’s the -- he works for Maeve.” The two shared a glance, something that Rowan couldn’t quite determine what it meant, before Aedion gave him a once over.

“You were right,” he said to her.

“I tried to tell you.”

“Tell him what?” Rowan looked at Aelin with raised brows as she stood from the table, swallowing the bite of croissant she’d taken in the process.

“That you’re quite handsome when you’re not being so broody.” Before Rowan could even begin to respond, before he could even hope to, Aelin winked. Two beats later, Aedion clapped him once on the shoulder and then the two were disappearing back out into the cold, nothing but empty seats and a golden scarf left behind.

@starseternalnighttriumphant @musicmaam @kandasboi @empire-of-wildfire @shyvioletcat @the-regal-warrior @city-of-fae @myfeyrelady @schmlip-scribble @ttakeitbacknoww @tangledraysofsunshine @tonystarksbish i know i’m forgetting so many people i’m just tired sry

#rowaelin #elevator au #rowan whitethorn #aelin galathynius #aedion ashryver #tog #throne of glass #fanfiction #tog fanfiction #throne of glass fanfiction #tog au

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starsbooksandcoffeetime · 6 years

Text

Zodiac Signs meets the Throne of Glass characters

Rowan Whitethorn meet Aries

WHERE DO I EVEN BEGIN?!

Aries, just like our boy Rowan, tends to be impulsive and temperamental. When he first met Aelin, he almost hit her because she managed to provoke him! Even though his element is wind, Rowan can act as if he were fire himself. A true warrior at heart, Rowan enjoys any form of battle, just like a true aries would. He is, after all, ruled by Mars, the planet of war and leadership. Also, who has better-hidden dancing skills than an introverted aries?

Aedion Ashryver meet Taurus

You know who holds a grudge forever? A taurus!

Just like a taurus, Aedion is hot-headed and stubborn, holding on to something that happened before a decade until the rest of his life! (being that a promise or a betrayal, it doesn’t matter!) But Aedion has an inner beauty and sensuality whilst forming words that come from taurus’s ruling planet, Venus. (remember in KOA the talk with Darrow about the sword? Something like that.) Aedion is also loyal to the bone and has a mind for practicality, like warfare for example.

Elide Lochan meet Gemini

Deceiving people and changing appearances? We have a gemini!

At first, I thought of her as a virgo, because of all the intellectuality the author wanted to portray her as, but digging deeper into it I released who Elide should have been kneeling to! Not the Goddess of wisdom, but the one of deceive and playfulness, like Hermes! Elide is curious, adaptable af and can learn something really quickly just as she can transform what she learned to her own advantages. Also, she is good at communicating with others, getting to the bottom of the problem but never dwelling too deep or too long. She sees what needs to be done, does it and gets over it.

Lysandra meet Cancer

A mother figure who is loyal to her friends but has her own boundaries that she will never cross? Check!

Lysandra, just like her powers indicate, is a true shifter and you may not recognize the cancer in her at first, but he can be seen if you look closer. Her need to protect Evangeline or help Aelin even though she knew what kind of danger she was getting herself into proves how deeply she cares for the ones she loves. Even when Aedion was acting like a complete idiot, she went to him, saw his perspective and forgave him, until he crossed the line. Cancer is a sensitive sign, ruled by the moon, but that does not mean a cancer can’t be cruel or heroic! They can go into battle, fight with all the strength they have until the very last breath. That gives them their idealism and the need to protect what’s theirs, even if it’s a piece of land like Terrassen.

Aelin Ahsryver Galathynius meet Leo

And at long last, the diva has arrived.

Golden hair? Dramatic and sassy nature but knows how to wield a weapon, sing and get the guy? A true leo, indeed. Both Aelin and leo’s inner strength and power come from the sun, their ruling planet! Aelin is passionate, creative, cheerful, having so many talents and interests! But... She can also be stubborn and reckless. Her ruling planet indicates her ‘’diva’’ act and the ability to stay witty and classy in any given situation. It also determines her feeling of worth, as if she owns the whole world! (Which is basically why we all love her, admit it!)

Yrene Towers meet Virgo

The best comeback is an arrogant comeback.

Virgo is like gemini, ruled by Mercury, which is a planet of communication. Remember Yrene’s relationship with Hasar in TOD? She was calculated and wasn’t impulsive with her words, until well... She’s also an excellent scholar, enjoying herself while learning. Yrene was at first a bit arrogant and snotty towards Chaol, holding onto the wounds of her past, analyzing her actions and their relationship. And she never lets anyone boss her around! Nonetheless, Yrene has a warmth that radiates off of her but mixes with her cold glances and a down to earth touch. Virgo is, after all, an earth sign.

Dorian Havilliard meet Libra

An air sign ruled fully by Venus? Does this not scream beauty and grace to you? And sexual energy?

Beauty, balance, inspiration, and romance. Many words to describe libra. They thrive when surrounded by people because you know why? Everyone likes them! They are the party animals or the charismatic president of the class or just the perfect boy next door. Dorian is from the start a love interest and always finds someone to be with. It is as if he has a mysterious yet intriguing aura around him. He’s not just handsome, but also a good diplomat, knowing what words to use and when to use them.

Manon Blackbeak meet Scorpio

This one screams Halloween!

Well, hero there, witchling with a grand passion for others, which is hidden behind an antisocial wall and enjoyment for the grotesque things in life! Manon may be cold and calculated (at first), but her deep desire for physical contact, meaning sex and sex and... did I mention sex? is a true sign of a scorpio. Even it’s ruling planet today is Pluto-planet of ‘’death’’! The scorpio can be seen in her need to protect the ones she loves and nurture and cherish them, even if she is a warrior at heart.

Sartaq meet Sagittarius

When I think of Sartaq, I think of fabulous hair.

Like a sagittarius that follows adventure wherever it may lead him, Sartaq went on a foreign continent to fight for a foreign country. He didn’t think twice about Nesryn, he saw her and liked her. It was enough for him to make her a few, khm, offers. He has shown his idealism whilst standing up to his father, and definitely lack of diplomacy. He likes to feel the wind in his hair, the freedom that any sagittarius loves! He also made some bold moves in persuing Nesryn.

Chaol Westfall meet Capricorn

I rooted for you from the start.

We can all agree that Chaol went through a lot, and yet, in the end, he still didn’t give up. With his sense of responsibility and duty, he helped Aelin and his country. Just like a capricorn, Chaol always expected the worst and had a hard time forgiving himself for the mistakes he did. His calculated nature and self-control helped him win in the end and also get the girl. Even as he may seem cold and cynical, he is caring and fights for the ones that he loves with every single piece of himself.

Nesryn Faliq meet Aquarius

‘‘Done with that.’’

Nesryn is a mystery to me till this day. She was a good warrior and her creativity helped her while fighting. But, she also enjoyed the feeling of the wind in her hair, the freedom without any boundaries, which is important to any aquarius. She never took shit from anyone and left when she got a sense that she didn’t belong somewhere. Aquarius is a sign of innovation, and what better innovating and new thing then the role that she got in the end. She is a fighter, yes, but a fighter for the good, for a better world. A true hero indeed.

Lorcan Salvaterre meet Pisces

It’s not a joke.

Just think about it. Even though Lorcan did some stupid things throughout the series, his actions where always true to his heart. Even his relationship with Maeve had been idealistic in the least. Like a true dreamy-eyed pisces, he could not, would not see the bad in her until it was too late. He was smart and intuitive, listening to the voice of his Goddess Hellas until the end. He was a bit critical and liked solitude, but also loyal and got connected to Elide really quickly. Once again, like a dreamy pisces falling in love with her in a ‘’short’’ period of time, becoming gentle and caring towards her. (Let's not forget the period scenes).

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