#rowaelin kids

[tomtenadia]

Rowaelin Month - day 7

Hi all, a bit late with this but inspiration did not until an hour ago.

It's a very short fic with a lot of fluff. Hopefully you will love it For some reason is very mostly in Rowan's POV.

@rowaelinscourt

THE LUCKY ONE

The room was chaos. Dresses and shoes lay scattered on the bed and floor as if a tornado has swept through the room. That natural disaster was called Aelin and Rowan stared at his wife planted in front of her dresser with a disgruntled expression.

“Fireheart, not to put you any pressure on you, but our taxi will be here in half an hour.”

Rowan was an architect and his firm had won the contract to rebuild the Opera house that had been destroyed ten months prior by a fire. 

That night the place was finally reopening and of course they had been invited. The venue would officially open to the public the following night, that evening was a high end affair with the high end of the society and famous people. 

He was not a big fan of black tie events. He was an introvert. His company had won the contract and then asked some of the best architects to design a new venue. His project had won by a landslide, he got a promotion and became project manager. It had been a dream but he would have been happy to stay in the background and watch people enjoy his vision.

But unfortunately he was meant to go on stage make a speech and cut the ribbon with the mayor.

Aelin, always the extrovert, had been delighted at the idea and of bragging with her friends of how famous her husband was.

But her next grunt made him realise that even Aelin at that point would have gladly stayed at home in sweatpants with their kids and a movie and a lot of ice cream.

Aelin was three months pregnant with their third child and had reached the stage where clothes had stopped fitting.

“ Can I just show up with one of your hockey jersey and sweatpants?”

Rowan walked closer to his wife and puller her to his chest. She was just in his underwear and his hand gently covered the small bump that has just started showing “Fireheart, you are stunning.”

“I am fat.”

A gentle kiss on the spot behind her neck “Get dressed and tonight I will show you how hot I think you are.”

Aelin turned, facing him “you are biased.”

“No, I love you.”

Five minutes later he had manged to help her in a stunning black dress that showed all the curves he loved so very much. He had not lied. She was stunning. Stretch marks and all. 

They were finishing getting ready when the door of their bedroom opened and their two children appeared and Rowan smiled. Maya, their seven years old daughter, was wearing her princess dress with tiara and all. But the best view was Thomas, their five year old son all dressed up with his sister’s princess clothes too. He had a pink fluffy dress with a puffy skirt, a few fake pearl necklaces, clip on earrings and a red hair wig that Maya had used for Halloween. While his sister was wearing a tiara he had a big crown that was too big for him.

“Dada, we are ready too!” Screamed Maya.

“Mama, dada, look! We pwetty!” Thomas added while showing his attire proudly. 

Aelin burst into tears and knelt in front of both of them “you are both stunning, I am sure auntie Lys will give you a wonderful party for tonight.

“No,” said Thomas “We go with mama and dada.”

Rowan sat down near his son “Tom, you and Maya will have to stay with auntie Lys and uncle Aedion tonight. It’s grown up boring party,” explained Rowan who, all of a sudden would have preferred to attend the party his kids had in mind.

“But we dressed up,” protested Maya.

“I know my love,” added Aelin grabbing their kids hands then she looked at Rowan “what about you and Tom plan a party for tomorrow? Dad and I will dress up with you both.”

All of a sudden the kid’s smile grew “can I keep crown?” Asked Thomas timidly.

Rowan hugged his son “anything.”

The two screamed in joy and ran out of the door.

Rowan helped Aelin to stand up and she melted against his chest “Their party sounds much better.”

“I know, Fireheart. Tomorrow.”

“Can I be your queen for a day?”

His mouth met hers “you have been my queen every day since I met you.”

*

The following day the Whitethorn-Galathynius’ household was transformed in a fantasy wonderland. Aelin had transformed in queen and had sat all day on the armchair that Rowan had converted in a throne. He had dressed up as knight and both kids had put up a fashion show. Maya’s room had exploded and all her clothes had been everywhere while she had her brother paraded in front of their parents. It had been the perfect day. Rowan had even let Aelin and Thomas paint his nails while Thomas tried to braid his hair. 

Yes, the event the previous night had been the celebration of a career.

But this, with his family around him, was the only goal he really cared about. 

He stood and grabbed Thomas in his arms, "come on, let’s go and make mama and sis tea and biscuits."

And with his son still dressed like a fairy in his arms he waltzed to the kitchen thinking that he was the luckiest man in Terrasen. 

taglist

@rowaelinismyotp @swankii-art-teacher @whimsicallyreading @elentiyawhitethorn @aelin-bitch-queen @bruiseonthefaceofhumanity  @mis-lil-red @thegreyj @sailorsassley @leiawritesstories @clairec79 @morganofthewildfire @sv0430 @heartless--aromantic @autumnbabylon @rowanaelinn  @susumaus98  @gracie-rosee @mybloodrunsblue @tanvee1231 @avenrebekah @whoever-you-choose-to-love  @theywillnotsingforme @universallytreepost @black-daisy-water @goddess-aelin @whispers-in-the-darkest-heart @lovely-dove-zee @athena127 @mariaofdoranelle @yashiw @renxzs  @aelin-gods-killer

[acourtofquestions]

HC:

When Aelin is pregnant with their first child she tells everyone “if it’s a boy I’m naming him after his dear lost uncle… Vaughan.”

Lysandra & Aedion: keep giving Rowan pleading looks, with increasing fear that she is indeed NOT joking.

Rowan: agreed to it without hesitation. *thanks to knowing it’s a girl from the dream* though this was to no one’s surprise unnoticed reasoning; as even the gods know he would do anything for his mate… including naming their firstborn after someone barely anyone knows.

Lorcan: just hopes it’s true so someone has a silly name to distract from “Lord Lorcan Lochan”

[riorsonxaden]

Yeah, we never got Rowaelin babies. But we got Ace and Brann. Those boys, those attitudes, those personalities. Yeah that's a Rowaelin bloodline 😂 FOR SURE.

[manonblaqkbeak]

Rowan would invent mother's day for Aelin and no one can change my mind

[azrielsbxtch]

Tabrett Bethell really gives me Celeana vibes…

It’s the way you can see the arrogance in her eyes😂I love it

[myfriendscallmeraba]

HoFaS spoilers

So you’re telling me that in another world

AELINS FREAKING BLOODLINE AND RHYSAND FREAKING BLOODLINE

mated

The two bloodlines that gave the universe two of the most powerful beings run years and years gave us Ruhn and Lidia AND THEYRE MATES

Daaaaaaamn I do not know how to process

Tho I do wanna comment that it fees like al the fanfics and head canons of shipping the feysand and rowaelin kids😂

[mariaofdoranelle]

when the rowaelin kid was born

aelin: you want to hold him?

lorcan: yeah sure

lorcan: *leans forward to hug rowan*

aelin: the baby lorcan

credits

[rowaelinscourt]

Rowaelin Month: PROMPT LIST

HERE IT IS! The Rowaelin Month 2024 Prompt List! We're so excited to spend the entire month of September celebrating our favorite Fireheart and Buzzard! By popular demand, we're posting the list early this year to give everyone plenty of time to plan and work on their lovely creations!

We’ve included a handy calendar image for you all, but if for any reason the image isn’t working or is hard to read, the full list is written out below the cut.

Please Remember:

1. Participation every day is not a requirement! You can create submissions for as few or as many of the listed prompts as you like! 

2. Please remember to tag your creations with #rowaelinmonth so people following the tag can find your works and give us a mention @rowaelinscourt so we can reblog it!

3. Please remember that all works MUST have appropriate tags/or content warnings. NSFW content is welcome, but MUST be tagged clearly and hidden below a ‘Read More’ cut. We want everyone to have a fun and safe time engaging with content!

4. All genres of work are welcome, but please note any major warnings at the top of the work so that readers or viewers can have some idea of what to expect. 

5. Canon week will be September 15th through the 21st ( indicated by the green squares on the calender/prompts marked with C on the prompt list below. As well as a special canon day on the 30th to end the event. While we encourage Canon Week prompts remain specifically for canon scenarios, remember that any and all prompts are welcome to be interpreted as a canon/canon inspired setting as well. With creativity and imagination, the possibilities are limitless!

6. Any kind of fanwork can be submitted for this event so long as it can be applied to the prompt. Fanfiction, fanart, headcanons, playlists or anything else you can think of! There are no requirements and you can submit multiple works for the same prompt if you so wish! 

HAPPY CREATING AL!

- Your Friendly Rowaelin Month Admin Team

2024 Prompts List

1. Long Distance Surprise 

2. Spies / Heist

3. Idiots in Love 

4. Accidental Nude

5. Birthdays 

6. Misunderstanding Leading to Disaster

7. All Dressed Up 

8. Ocean/Beach

9. Meet Ugly

10. Concert/Music Festival

11. Song fic

12. “But Daddy I Love Him!” / Forbidden Love

13. Rowaelin finding out they’re pregnant 

14. Survival

15. C: What if...?

16. C: Opening of the library or royal theater

17. C: Hobbies

18. C: Anniversary 

19. C: A day with the kids

20. C: Nature

21. C: What happens next?

22. Performers

23. Second Chance Romance

24. Family

25. Strangers on a train

26. Matching Tattoos

27. Single Parent

28. Eloping

29. Percy Jackson / Star Wars / Barbie & Ken au 

30. C: Alternate/Missing Scene from Canon

[bluiela]

So, last year on our anniversary I asked my bf to tell me when he knew he loved me, and he told me how initially after spending time with me he could only plan a future with me. He said all the future goals he made or every vision he had of his future I was in it. He said his ultimate goal for us is to get disgustingly old together He said he couldn't imagine his life without me. And his actions show he actually means it.

And that is one of the main reasons why I will never find "He hadn't planned for Elain beyond sexual fantasies" endgame material.

Like my human bf (he is also literally not even romantic at all) after spending a couple of months with me wanted to grow old with me. And I have to read IN A ROMANCE BOOK. About a guy who even after YEARS, A GUY WHO PLANS FOR SNOWBALL FIGHTS FOR AN YEAR, DIDN'T PLAN BEYOND SEXUAL FANTASIES?

That to by a writer who made Nessian plan for ANOTHER LIFE. And rowaelin and feysand literally thought of having kids even if there was uncertainly of them surviving?!

Yeah no, Maas writes about couples who CANNOT HELP but think of the LI.

She really made it obvious.

[leiawritesstories]

Practice

Rowaelin Month 2024, Day 19: A Day with the Kids (canon) @rowaelinscourt

Word count: 1.7k

Warnings: none!!! enjoy the fluffy fluffs!

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

“Mama?” A knock pattered softly against the half-open door of Aelin’s study, and a pair of irresistibly huge emerald eyes peered into the room. “May I come in, Mama?” 

Aelin set aside the stack of letters she was reading through and turned in her seat, opening her arms to her youngest daughter. “Of course you can, my little love.” 

Rielle Whitethorn Galathynius, all of seven years old, came slowly into the study, looking curiously around at the shelves of leather-bound books, journals, rolled-up maps, and scattered artifacts that lined the walls of the queen’s study. After a moment, though, she raced to her mother and all but threw herself into Aelin’s lap. Aelin laughed and caught her daughter, kissing her wild silvery-blonde curls. “Hi, lovey.” 

“You’re so busy, Mama,” Rielle murmured, small hands curling into the soft cotton of Aelin’s loose blouse. 

“Never too busy for my family,” Aelin promised. “What’s going on?” 

Her daughter’s eyes glossed over with tears. “When are Dada and Lana gonna come home?” 

Oh.

Aelin pulled her youngest close, rubbing a hand up and down her back. “Well, according to the letter that Lana just sent me, they should be home in a couple of days. Definitely by the end of the week.” Gently, she brushed a stray tear off Rielle’s cheek. “I know they’ve been away for a while, lovey, and I know Dada misses you too.” Rowan and Lana, their oldest daughter, had gone to Doranelle for a few weeks to visit Sellene and give Lana the chance to train at the Academy that the Fae Queen of the East had established for all young magic-wielders. 

Rielle’s lower lip quivered. “I miss Lana,” she whispered. The oldest and youngest Whitethorn children had a close bond, even though they were nearly fifteen years apart in age. 

Aelin kissed her baby girl’s forehead. “I know, lovey.” She glanced out the study’s wide, arching windows, looking down into the courtyard, and an idea sparked. “Do you want to go practice with me?” 

“Practice?” 

Nodding, Aelin curled a ribbon of golden flame around Rielle’s head. “Practice.” 

The little girl beamed and jumped off her mother’s lap, ecstatic. “Yes!” 

“All right.” Aelin stood up, reshuffled the papers on her desk, and left the study hand in hand with her daughter. Rielle chattered excitedly as they came out to the courtyard, where two of her siblings were already sparring with a mix of wooden practice knives and their magic. 

Light as air, Charlotte danced circles around her brother Brannon, flicking ice darts against his shield of hard air even as she slashed at him with the wooden dagger in her free hand. Bran fended off each stroke, but Aelin could tell that her son was starting to flag under the constant strain of Charlotte’s offense. He broadened his shield, pushing wind behind it to propel him forward against her onslaught, lunging at her with the short wooden sword in his left hand, but she swiftly gathered her darts into a long ice sword and batted away his lunge. 

“Watch your right, B!” Aelin called across the courtyard, and Bran flicked his sword sideways just barely in time to dodge the sly jab that Charlotte was sending towards his unprotected right side. 

“That’s…cheating,” he panted, clenching his fist so that his shield shrank in size. He wove a breeze around one of Charlotte’s legs and tugged, yanking her off balance. 

She swore at him as she wrenched out of his magic’s grasp. “Says the dirty cheat himself.” With a flick of her wrist, her ice sword shattered into tiny, bladed crystals that she shot at Bran’s shield. He grunted under the onslaught and focused hard enough on blocking that attack that he didn’t notice her swoop in with her wooden dagger and jab him hard in the thigh. He topped with a yelp, and she had her practice blade at his throat in seconds. “Do you yield?” 

He grumbled in frustration and tried to wriggle free, but she pinned him with ice around his wrists and ankles. “Gods damn it! I yield.” 

Charlotte retracted her ice and let Bran up. He shook out his wrists and begrudgingly gave her a short bow. “You would’ve had me if Mum hadn’t said anything,” she said graciously. 

Some of Bran’s grumpiness—inherited directly from his father—ebbed away. “Yeah, I guess.” 

Rielle tugged at Aelin’s hand. “I can practice too, Mama!” she declared. Aelin nodded encouragingly, and Rielle walked a few paces away, closed her eyes, and pressed her hands together in concentration. After a long moment, sparks flickered between her palms, and she carefully brought her hands apart, growing the ball of red-gold flame between them. Scrunching up her little face as she focused, she grew the flames into a sphere, then a ring, then two rings that turned in circles. 

“You’re doing so good,” Aelin praised, and she spun out a ribbon of blue flame, weaving it through her daughter’s flickering flame rings. Her magic brushed up against her daughter’s power, greeting it warmly. 

“Look, Mama!” Rielle’s grin was infectious as her flames fell apart into ribbons, and she wove them through the air. Her small fingers flexed with the strain of control, and she clenched her fists, trying to spool the flames back into a ball. 

But the red-gold fire just winked out. 

Frustrated, Rielle let out a half-sob, half-yell and slumped down to the sandy ground. Aelin snuffed out her flames and dropped down next to her daughter, tucking her fingertips under Rielle’s fallen chin and lifting her face. 

“That was so good, Rielle,” she said, comforting her daughter. “Lovey, when I was your age, I could barely hold onto the fire for a few seconds, and you’re already making shapes.” 

Rielle sniffled. “Really?” 

“Really,” Aelin reassured her. “Can you show me again?” 

Slowly, Rielle nodded, and she curled into her mother’s warm embrace as she clenched her small fist and brought forth a shuddering ball of flame. Aelin cupped her hand under her daughter’s and wrapped Rielle’s flame in her own wildfire, guiding the flames into the shape of a sword. Together, she and her daughter slowly brought the sword down as if striking a blow. 

And it struck a shield of ephemeral silver flame. 

Rielle’s flames flared bright and disappeared, and she shot across the courtyard in a blur of silver-blonde curls and eager shrieking. “LANA!” Indeed, her oldest sister leaned against the archway at the entrance to the courtyard, and as Rielle launched herself up, Lana caught her, hugging her tightly. 

“That was so good!” Lana praised, grinning at her little sister. 

“Really?” Rielle’s eyes were big and hopeful. 

“Really,” Lana beamed. Unlike either her mother or her sister, the crown princess of Terrasen wielded flames of silver—moonfire, a gift that ran parallel to the Galathynius wildfire. A gift that had lain dormant until the goddess Deanna co-opted Aelin’s body that fateful day on the ship, leaving behind a remnant of her gift that had passed down to Aelin and Rowan’s firstborn. 

“Lana’s right, little love.” Rowan wrapped his arms around both girls from behind. 

Rielle shifted from her sister’s arms to her father’s embrace, beaming. “I missed you, Dada!” 

“I missed you more, little love,” Rowan murmured. He swung her up into the air, and she shrieked with joy, a cascade of laughter echoing around the courtyard. 

Lana crossed the courtyard to Aelin and wrapped her arms around her mother. Aelin smiled into her daughter’s hair, marveling at how she had grown so tall. “How was the trip?” she asked. 

“It was…a lot, but in a good way.” Lana wove a thoughtful strand of sheer fire around her wrist. “Aunt Sel and the instructors at the Academy know so much, and I hardly had any time to absorb even a little bit of it.” 

Aelin raised a brow. “And the rest of it?” 

Pink crept into the edges of Lana’s cheeks. “The rest of it was fine.” 

Aelin chuckled and took pity on her oldest. “We can chat about it later, if you want.” 

“Hopefully without half the castle snooping on us,” Lana mumbled. She turned to go and greet the rest of her siblings—which meant spar with them, probably—but flashed her mother a sly wink and a little smirk. “I hope you won’t be too scandalized.” 

“I believe your father and I are plenty scandalous enough already.” Aelin winked right back. 

Lana groaned loudly and covered her eyes. “No!” She headed across the courtyard, seeking refuge from her mother’s naughty humor in the laughter and companionship of her siblings. 

Have we not scandalized her enough already? Rowan’s amusement curled around the corners of her mind. 

Never. Aelin winked slyly at her husband. One might think, though, that after twenty-two years and, perhaps a love of her own, our crown princess wouldn’t be quite so shocked. 

Do not get me started on Lana’s lover—life. On her love life. 

You know I heard that. 

You’ll forget about it soon enough. Rowan slid his arms around Aelin’s waist, one broad hand landing squarely on her hip, his thumb moving in a languid, heated touch. 

She dipped her fingers under the hem of his shirt, dragging her nails lightly across his smooth, warm skin and reveling in his tightly leashed inhale. Is that a promise, buzzard?

It is. That quickly, he turned her own game right back around at her as he brushed a teasingly light kiss against the side of her neck. 

Welcome home, love. She rose onto her tiptoes to kiss him, and he cupped the back of her head, supporting her. We missed you. 

Missed you more. He kissed her again. 

A shower of snowflakes burst over the queen and king’s heads, abruptly yanking them apart. From the other side of the courtyard, their children were alternately catcalling or groaning with theatrical disgust, though they’d all long since grown used to their parents showing affection. 

“Are you done yet?” Lana teased, snickering. 

Aelin laughed. “She’s got the commanding voice, for sure.” 

“She’ll be a wonderful queen one day,” Rowan agreed, his eyes soft, distant. 

Naturally, Charlotte chose that moment to drop a handful of conjured snow down Bran’s shirt, and he shrieked like a small child and chased her around the courtyard and into the gardens, as if the two of them were children rather than nearly adults. Rielle, seeing the fun, hurtled after her older siblings, yelling “You’re it! You’re it!” and Lana, with a flash of a wildfire grin, followed suit. 

“They’re a handful,” Rowan chuckled, pulling Aelin back against his chest. 

She smiled, the warmth of it radiating from her face. “They’re our handful, love.”

~~~

TAGS:

@live-the-fangirl-life

@superspiritfestival

@thegreyj

@wordsafterhours

@elentiyawhitethorn

@mariaofdoranelle

@rowanaelinn

@house-of-galathynius

@tomtenadia

@julemmaes

@swankii-art-teacher

@charlizeed

@booknerdproblems

@earthtolinds

@goddess-aelin

@sweet-but-stormy

@clea-nightingale

@autumnbabylon

@llyncooljones

@silentquartz

@renxzs

@anarchiii

@fauna-flora11

@cynthiesjmxazrielslover

@mysterylilycheeta

[spookyseasontime]

Would genuinely sell my soul for SJM to write a little happy Rowaelin novella of them with their kids in the future

*or equally them dealing with their kids being absolutely feral

[tomtenadia]

Detours to you - 19

Hello all,

I am off on holidays to Lisbon tomorrow for a few days to celebrate my bday so I will leave you with a new chapter. It's Maya's bday too (she is a January girl like me).

Hope you will enjoy the fluff

MASTERLIST

A week elapsed and Maya’s birthday had finally arrived. They had waited until the Saturday for the celebrations and Aelin had closed the shop for a day so they could host the party there. They had invited her parents, Lys and Aedion, Elide was coming on her own since Lorcan was on shift, a few kids from the school that Maya liked and Rowan had the day off but was on call. Aelin just hoped nothing would interrupt the day. He needed a day of celebrations. His week had been hellish. She had accompanied him to the funeral of his three firefighters and had seen how broken he had been. Rowan had been grieving and had been so busy with the investigation that she worried about him. 

Now he was at home with Maya while she was at the bookshop getting it ready for the party.

They had gone for a mix theme of hockey and space. Rowan had started teaching her basic astronomy with the telescope he had gifted her and Maya had fallen in love with it.

A knock came at the front door and she saw her parents. Aelin invited them in with a hug “Hi mum, and dad.”

“Hi Aelin, where’s the birthday girl?”

“Rowan will bring her here as soon as I gave him the okay that the shop is ready.”

Evalin walked around the shop and looked at the decorations “This looks lovely.”

Rhoe looked at the space decorations and Aelin walked up to him “Rowan had been teaching her about the stars.”

“I know,” her father added “She is actually teaching me all about it now.”

Aelin laughed “she is teaching me too.”

“I brought a lot of biscuits and a cake too.” Added Evalin, showing her daughter the box she was carrying. 

Aelin grabbed the containers with food and placed them on the table that they had set up..

“Mum she will love your cake, it has the perfect level of chocolate.”

Evalin laughed “I also have a box for Rowan. I know he is not a fan of sweets so I made him the orange oatmeal biscuits that he loves so much.”

Aelin thanked her mother and she knew that she had always had a special place in her heart for Rowan.

Lysandra, Aedion and Elide arrived not long after together with the other few guests. She had texted Rowan that it was time to bring Maya. When later on he texted her that they had parked the car and walking to the shop, the group had switched off the lights and got ready for the surprise.

Rowan walked with his daughter on his hand and at the shop, he used the key Aelin had given him. As soon as they were inside, the darkness got replaced by a starry sky and slowly the people appeared and Aelin walked to her daughter and Rowan was at her side “Happy birthday, Maya.”

Maya hugged them both and then looked at the stars “mama your shop has stars.”

“Yes, baby, do you like it?”

“I love it so much.”

Slowly they turned up the lights and allowed her to see all the guests.

“Nana.” Maya ran to her grandparents.

“Happy birthday, my love, you are a big girl now.”

“Yes, nana I am six.” She proudly lifted her fingers.

Aelin encouraged the kids to gather in the children section where they had created a corner for them. She had also organised a story telling session with cake after the presents. But most of all, she was looking forward to see the present she got from her and Rowan. They had bought her first bike. She knew Maya was going to love it.

Rowan walked to her side “you have done a wonderful job with the bookshop. The starry sky  is perfect.”

Aelin leaned her head against his shoulder “You should see my mum’s hockey themed cake.”

“She will feel like the queen of the world today.” His arms wound around Aelin’s waist and pulled her closer “she is definitely my princess.”

“I found this young lady running around, does anyone know her?” Aedion was carrying Maya potato sack style and the girl giggled at her uncle antics “Dad save me, the dragon has taken me.”

Rowan laughed and followed the two, pretending to fight Aedion while he growled.

One of the mums walked at her side “He is so good to her.”

Aelin nodded while sipping her juice.

“You know that at school he has won the title of DILF, right?”

Aelin knew. The news had reached her and a lot of the mums had a crush on him. It had pissed her off to no end and she had been jealous too. Just as she was jealous of Lyria. The whole relationship between them was still very frail, they had not set on a label but she wanted to be possessive. Rowan was hers.

“I know and I hate it.”

“My husband was their target until Rowan came up. I know how you feel.”

“I hate them and that Remelle woman and her son caused so much grief to Maya.”

The woman gave a nervous laugh “I had my running ins with Remelle. She almost messed up my marriage with her lies.”

“Mama, we are opening presents!” Maya walked to her grabbing her hand to drag her where all the presents were gathered. 

The adults they all sat down and Aelin took Maya where all the gifts were, and started to hand out all the parcels. 

“Ok birthday girl, let’s open up a few present, shall we?”

Maya started jumping up all excited “Yes! Yes! I want the presents!”

They started with the ones from her school friends then it was then time of Elide and Lorcan who had bought her a pass for the observatory and then a limited edition jersey of the Stags. Maya ran to hug Elide. Lorcan could not be present because he was working  “Thank you auntie Elide. I love it.” 

“Mama, can I wear it?”

“Not yet, after cake maybe but not now. We don’t want to ruin it with chocolate.”

“Ok.”

Aelin placed the item of clothing aside and grabbed a present she knew was from Aedion and Lysandra. They had gifted her a super special edition book of Terrasen folktales and then her own hockey stick with the Stags colours.

Maya screamed happily and grabbed her stick swinging as if she was playing “I am playing hockey!”

They all laughed and Maya kept playing happily until Rowan pulled her back to attention for her grandparents presents who had given her a tent for her bedroom that had a space theme and then a projector for her bedroom so she could project the sky in her room.

“Nana and I thought they would be nice for the days you can’t go out in the garden. So you can have the sky in your room.”

Maya ran to her grandparents and hugged them tightly “Thank you.”

“Come on now, you have the last one from us.”

Maya walked back to her parents and Aelin and Rowan sat down beside her and Aelin handed her a small packet. When she struggled Rowan helped her opening it and she looked at her present with a curious face. Rowan lifted the passes “Maya, this is a ticket for a special event the Stag are doing and meeting the fans.”

Maya looked at her dad with big green eyes “Dorian too?”

Rowan caressed her face “yes baby, we are going to meet all the Stags again.”

She threw herself at her dad and Aelin moved closer brushing her back. They remained in silence while they cuddled their daughter then Rowan pulled back “we have one last surprise for you.” He passed Maya to her mum and walked at the back of the shop. When he came back he was pushing a green bicycle and Maya ran to him “Is it for me?”

“Of course,” he grabbed her hand and helped her sit on. The bike still had stabilisers and Rowan showed her how to use the pedals and within minutes Maya was cycling, with a fussy Rowan hovering over her.

“I think you guys topped her presents. Aeds and I tried to give her a cool one.”

“Lys, your presents were great as well.”

Lysandra stared at Rowan with Maya “He is so cute with her.”

Aelin nodded.

“So, are you getting married next?”

She chuckled “Elide asked me the same thing a while ago.”

“Because you both have made some strides and are improving, that is the next logical step.”

Aelin was silent for a moment “As I said to El, we are not there yet. For now, let’s all concentrate on your wedding.”

“Mama look, I am cycling.”

Aelin looked at her daughter on her bike and smiled. Rowan had approached her one day saying that Maya had mentioned about having a bike like the other kids. He said that he wanted to teach her and Aelin had agreed. She loved that Rowan had involved her too after the hockey classes fiasco. Classes that were going to start next week and their daughter was the most excited person ever. 

“You are doing so well, Maya.”

They were all in the middle of having cake when Rowan’s radio became alive. Everyone fell silent and he grabbed it running away to a quiet corner.

Aelin watched him with a tightness in her chest. She knew he was on call and that if an emergency happened he’d have to leave. She just hoped that for one day Orynth would have no drama so he’d be able to celebrate his daughter’s birthday in peace. It was the first one for him and she wanted it to be special for both.

He came back at the front and she knew from his face that it was not good. She had forgotten how easily she could read his expressions “What is it?”

“I need to go. I am sorry.”

Aelin hugged him tightly “Be careful, please.” A soft whisper against his neck, the scent of pine and snow soothing her soul “Come back to me. To us.”

Rowan kissed her on her lips and pulled back, kneeling in front of Maya “I have to go to work and help people.” His heart broke at Maya’s wobbly lip “I will see you later at home, baby.”

Maya threw her arms around him and softly sobbed.

“Happy birthday, my love.”

Rowan then forced himself to stand and take a step towards the door. He cast a last glance at the party and then walked out in a run.

Aelin watched Rowan go.

There was an ache in her chest. An ancient fear rising in her. It was the anguish she had felt when he was on active duty and a regular firefighter. Waiting for him to come home after his shift and knowing he was safe. Aelin had accepted the dangers of his job the day she had confessed him she was in love with him. 

Gods, she loved him. She had to tell him. She let him go to his job without telling that she loved him.

Aelin prayed Mala to bring him back to her.

I will come back to you.

taglist

@rowaelinismyotp @swankii-art-teacher @whimsicallyreading @elentiyawhitethorn @aelin-bitch-queen @bruiseonthefaceofhumanity  @mis-lil-red @thegreyj @sailorsassley @leiawritesstories @clairec79 @morganofthewildfire @sv0430 @heartless--aromantic @autumnbabylon @rowanaelinn @backtobl4ck @susumaus98  @gracie-rosee @mybloodrunsblue @tanvee1231 @avenrebekah @whoever-you-choose-to-love  @theywillnotsingforme @universallytreepost @black-daisy-water @goddess-aelin @whispers-in-the-darkest-heart @lovely-dove-zee @athena127

[acourtofquestions]

Aelin.

He had no voice here, but he spoke her name. Threw it across the gulf between them.

Slowly, she turned to him.

It was her face—or it would be in a few years. When she Settled.

But it wasn't the slightly older features that knocked the breath from him.

It was the hand on her rounded belly.

She stared toward him, hair still flowing.

Behind her, four small figures emerged.

Rowan fell to his knees.

The tallest: a girl with golden hair and pine-green eyes, solemn-faced and as proud as her mother. The boy beside her, nearly her height, smiled at him, warm and bright, his Ashryver eyes near-glowing beneath his cap of silver hair.

The boy next to him, silver-haired and green-eyed, might as well have been Rowan's twin.

And the smallest girl, clinging to her mother's legs ... A fine-boned, silver-haired child, little more than a babe, her blue eyes harking back to a lineage he did not know.

Children. His children. Their children.

With another mere weeks from being born.

His family.

The family he might have, the future he might have. The most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.

Aelin.

[goddess-aelin]

Hide And Seek

Day 19 of Rowaelin Month: A day with the kids

@rowaelinscourt

Masterlist

Word count: 1k

Warnings: none other than this is unedited and not at all coherent because I wrote it in the dead of night 😂

Aelin watched over her book as her daughter’s blond curls bounced by for the third time. Aelin lounged on the settee near the small, personal, library, romance novel in hand and a glass of iced tea by her side. These were the moments that Aelin lived for: the quiet times where she could take a breath, only interrupted by her daughter’s sweet giggles.

Only, she had no idea what her daughter was actually doing. Alma’s little feet pattered across the wooden floors, quieting as she receded down the hallway and getting louder as she came nearer. The three year old’s cycle seemed to last a few minutes, a ceasing of her footsteps entirely as she ran into the other room.

Aelin was just about to get up and see what exactly Alma was doing in the other room when a muffled “psst,” sounded from nearby. Aelin’s head swiveled, looking for the source of the sound. Her gaze landed on a cracked door to what she assumed was a supply closet considering its position in the middle of the hallway. As she got closer to the door, a familiar tattooed hand pulled her into the dimly lit room.

“Rowan! What are you–.” The rest of her sentence was muffled by a hand over her mouth.

“Shhhh! You’ll give us away!”

Aelin went to bite his fingers, still over her mouth, but Rowan always had a mind for exactly what she was thinking. He pulled his hand away just in time, glaring at her slightly.

“And what, pray tell, am I giving away exactly?” Aelin tried to school a bored tone to her voice but amusement still leaked through.

“Alma and I are playing hide and seek. I’m hiding, she’s seeking.”

“Rowan, you’re playing against a three year old. She’s never going to find you if you’re hiding in here with the door closed.”

Rowan rolled his eyes. “She will. Our daughter is very smart. She has the mind of a future queen.”

Now it was Aelin’s turn to roll her eyes. “Okay, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. She’s three.” Even if Aelin was half-joking (her daughter was, indeed, very smart in her opinion), she couldn’t help but get caught on Rowan’s words: our daughter. Even years after the end of the war, after their second wedding, after having a baby together…sometimes it didn’t seem real. That she was here with her family, that she got to have all of this…that she deserved all of this.

Rowan, the perceptive buzzard, was again able to immediately tell where her thoughts went. “This is real, Fireheart.” His hands came up to cup both of her cheeks, the calluses of his palms a grounding comfort against the softness of her cheeks. “We are here. And we are hiding from our daughter, who we get to love every damn day. It’s real.”

Aelin could’ve sobbed. How he knew her so well, she’d never know. But she was certainly grateful for him. “Thanks, Buzzard.” She gently pulled him toward her, placing a gentle peck on his lips, a kiss that was over before it really started. Just as she was about to go back in for a more hearty kiss, the door was yanked open. Aelin pushed herself away from Rowan, as if they were getting caught by a parent for making out in a closet.

“I found you, papa!” Alma was giggling, her blonde curls bouncing up and down with her movements. “And mama! You’re here, too! I’s found you!”

Aelin swooped down to her little menace, picking her up and snuggling her in her arms. “You found us, little sunshine.”

A feline smile crossed over Alma’s features, looking a little too similar to Aelin’s own expressions. “I fink you guys were kissin’ in here.” Alma put her hands over her mouth and snickered.

Aelin glanced to Rowan, who was already looking back at her with eyebrows raised. “And who told you that?”

“Uncle Moon!” Aelin couldn’t help her chuckle at her child’s nickname for Fenrys. Alma heard him use his full name once and never let it go. “Uncle Fen” was less common than “Uncle Moon,” or “Moon Moon.”

“Well what if we were kissing in here? Huh, sunshine? What then?”

Alma crinkled her little nose, “YUCK! Mama and Papa no kiss!”

Aelin could feel her face mirroring Alma’s earlier expression. “And what if we give kisses to….” Aelin made a good show of thinking about her next words. “...ALMA!” At her words, Aelin peppered kisses all over Alma’s face, Rowan joining in from her other side. Her daughter’s sweet giggles would never get old. The girl didn’t calm down until they all emerged from the closet. Aelin’s cheeks hurt from smiling so hard.

As they made their way back to their rooms, Alma gasped and looked right into Aelin’s eyes. “Mama, ice cream?”

“Hmm…I’m not sure. It’s pretty late already. Someone has to go to bed soon.”

Alma pouted slightly, her lip doing its job well. Aelin was about to give in when the little stinker turned her pout on her father. As their matching green eyes met, Rowan took one look at the pouty lip and was done for.

Aelin laughed as her husband sighed. “Fine, we can go get some ice cream.”

Alma bounced up and down, trying to escape Aelin’s grasp. She ran ahead of her parents, who just shared a look of both happiness and knowing they both had been played by a three year old. She wouldn’t have it any other way.

Tagging:

@cretaceous-therapod @morganofthewildfire @tomtenadia @live-the-fangirl-life @charlizeed @violet-mermaid7 @euphoric-melancholyy @kritical24 @rubyriveraqueen @dealfea @wellofnothing @ayaashryver @moonknight-spector @leiawritesstories @whoever-you-choose-to-love @holdthefrickup @heirofflowers @thecrispypotatochip @shanias-world @rowanaelinn @bruiseonthefaceofhumanity @hanging-from-a-cliff @fantacysoup @swankii-art-teacher @thegreyj @fromthelibraryofemilyj @westofmoon @lovely-dove-zee @books4eva04 @cookiemonsterwholovesbooks @mariaofdoranelle @dreamer-133 @elentiyawhitethorn @writtenonreceipts @shyvioletcat @aelinchocolatelover @captain-of-the-gwynriel-ship @athena127 @tothestarsandwhateverend @highqueenofelfhame

[ggukgoldensoul]

THRONE OF GLASS

ROWAELIN

Bring her home

Home

Got a secret, can you keep it?

what happens in the forest stays in the forest

love marks

housewife

nightmare

anime fan reader

baking

our doll

Mini series; under the water

sleep little one

out of the woods

AELIN

You draw stars, around my scars

i hate you

photoshoot

ROWAN

I'm sorry

Yes, sir

good night

sick

little bunny

MANON

Happy birthday

Morning routine

Sweet mornings

Mine

my girl

keep my heart

ELORCAN

Drooling over me

FENRYS

I see red

DORIAN

Like a kid

womanizer

always know what to say

my present

babygirl

LORCAN

Praise

fight for you

ELIDE

the blush one her cheeks

LYSANDRA

nsfw alphabet

all rights reserved to ©ggukgoldensoul. no tranlations allowed. no copy theme. don not copy my work.

[writtenonreceipts]

Rowaelin Month Day Nine: Meet Ugly @rowaelinscourt

Month Masterlist // AO3 Link

Remember when I went to a rage room?

.*.*.*.*.

All the Rage

She comes in late one Saturday afternoon during the middle of summer and the heat has driven everyone inside for some taste of air conditioning.  It’s been a miserable week, and Rowan wants to just close up early so he doesn’t have to deal with the silence.  Fenrys should have been here, but the little asshat decided it was more important to call out with no other reason other than I don’t want to come in.

Rowan is going to kill him the next chance he gets.

But first there’s this customer to deal with.  At first Rowan thinks she’s lost and he’s going to have to explain that her phone is perfectly capable of giving her directions and not him.  He hates giving directions.

And he would have done just that if he weren’t caught up by the blonde curls that tumble over her shoulders and fire that burns in her eyes.  She’s beautiful and determined and he’s certain that turning her away will get him scorched.

She’s wearing a pair of jeans that hug her lean curves and an oversized t-shirt displaying a grunge band Rowan’s never heard of.  Her eyes hold no room for argument, condescension, or play of any sort.

“Can I help you?” Rowan asks, leaning across the front counter.  

“I need to break something,” the woman replies. 

She doesn’t look at him but examines the shop.  It’s small, smaller than Rowan would like, but they’ve got four stalls for throwing hatchets and knives and two soundproof rooms for customers to use to beat out their frustrations on bottles, computer equipment, and the likes.  

Everything else is decorated with black paint and frames of records, music posters, and few black and white photos of early Terrasen that Rowan had inherited from his da.  It’s simple enough, but that’s what makes the shop what it is.

“Sure,” Rowan says, “bottles, computer equipment?”

“Both,” she says.  She approaches the register and hands over a credit card. “I signed your waiver online.”

Rowan raises a brow, but she doesn’t seem to notice or care about how she may be coming across.  Though, he’s never minded an assertive woman.  So, he accepts the card and looks at the waiver that came through recently.

“Aelin?” he confirms, her name rolling easily from his tongue.  It’s an old name, one he’s only seen in the history books.

“Yeah,” she confirms.  

Rowan can feel her patience waning and it only spurs his interest in what she’s doing here.  He confirms her card information and her license to make sure it's her and is surprised to find that she’s from way up north, nearly an hour away.  He thinks better than to ask her about it so he instructs her on a few extra safety precautions.  They provide their clients with gloves, goggles, and jumpsuits and as long as they wear closed toed shoes, there never has been much of an issue.

“You’re the last person I have on the books today, so take your time,” Rowan said.  May as well, he’d be late cleaning up the rest of the shop anyways.

Aelin accepts all his instructions and heads back to one of the soundproof rooms.  There is a distinct look of rage in her eyes (fitting for any one of his customers that wants to break things).  Rowan quietly shows her where she can pick a box of bottles and a box of electronics as well as how to get her choice of music playing.

He leaves her to her own devices, only partially wondering where all that rage had come from.  The other part returns to Fenrys when the younger kid asks if he can take tomorrow off too.  Rowan wonders if having a staff meeting about work ethic will have any sort of effect when the music starts blaring from the room where he left Aelin.

Even with the soundproofing work they’d done on the rooms, there was still a bit of noise that happened.  Not that it got too bothersome, in fact it could get pretty humorous in learning what people listened to or screamed in their sessions.  It ranged from the usual rock to Adele.  He always found the Adele rage roomers to be the most concerning.  The rooms also had large viewing windows so if a large party came in, they could watch before switching off.

Still, Rowan can’t help but look up and smirk to himself when the opening notes of “Master of Puppets” began beating through the walls.

…

Aelin has never considered herself an angry person.  She’s never had reason to hate anyone with too much of a burning passion or talk negatively about them.  She’s always been a live and let live, a forgive and forget kind of a person.

Until her dad died and she lost her job.  Until her boyfriend left and she had to pick up the pieces of a life that she has come to realize is a bit of a joke she has no idea what to do about it.

To say the least: rage is child's play in comparison with what she’s feeling.

So she throws bottles against the wall and beats a printer until a plume of toner coats her jumpsuit.  And she screams.  

Metallica, AC/DC, Skillet, and artists she doesn’t know continue to beat through the speakers and she continues to scream.

It isn’t until she has a sheen of sweat on her forehead and she’s out of things to break that she pauses.  Her heart thrums in her chest with a mix of exertion and energy.  It’s the most alive she’s felt in months.  The metal bat in her hand clatters to the ground, crashing against the broken glass laying at her feet.

She wants to do more.  She wants to destroy everything she can get her hands on.  But not tonight.

Aelin leaves the bat where it lands and stalks back to the exit of the small room.  Overall, she’s rather pleased with the destruction she weaved.  Certainly, she got her money’s worth with the hour spent and attention she gave the phone.  She’d beaten that thing to a pulp.  All she wanted was to see the guts and innards spilled out.  

At her job—the phone had been the bane of her existence and seeing its destruction was more therapeutic than actual therapy.

Once out of the room, she strips out of the jumpsuit and gloves, settling the goggles and earmuffs in their respective bins.  Sweat still clings to her skin and she can feel bits of hair sticking to her neck.  But it’s a good feeling, the sense of accomplishment that comes after physical labor.  Rolling her shoulders, she glances back at the man who’d checked her in.

When she’d first entered the shop, she’d been so intent on getting into the room and breaking things that she hadn’t really paid him enough attention.  Sure, she’d noticed he was attractive in the rugged, tortured soul sort of way but she hadn’t taken the time to really look at him.  Like she does now.  He’s built like a brick wall, well over six feet tall with broad shoulders and muscles barely restrained in his black t-shirt.  His silver hair is pulled back in a half knot, leaving the rest to fall to his shoulders.  The styling offers a view of his chiseled jaw and sharp nose.  His golden-brown skin gleams in the overhead lights.

He looks up as though sensing her.  Just like when she first came in, he doesn’t smile.

“Finished up?”

“Yes,” she says. “Is there anything else you need from me?”

“No—” he begins, then stop when he glances up at her. “You’re bleeding.”

Aelin freezes, frowning as his words register. “Bleeding?”

She glances down.  Her jeans and t-shirt look fine, the bare skin of her arms normal, just the nearly invisible scars at her wrists, her forearms.

The man moves from around the desk at a quick pace, scowl cutting across his handsome features.  The look in his eyes shocks her enough that Aelin steps back.  Either not noticing or not caring about her reaction, the man continues towards her.  He reaches out a hand and snags her chin before she can pull away.

“What are you doing?” she demands.  Being manhandled was not on her list of things to have happen to her today.  Been there, done that.

“Cut,” the man says succinctly.

Aelin stares up at him, because of course he has to be a giant. “So?”

Later, she will berate herself for such a stupid response.  For now, all she is concerned about is how close he is to her and the scent of pine that wafts off his skin.  He also has a scar along his jaw, small but there.  Which she has no business noticing.

“A piece of glass must have flown back and nicked you,” the man says to her oh so pithy retort.  He raises an eyebrow and forest green eyes bare into her.

It is only then that Aelin feels the sting on her cheek.  Her sweat has finally rolled down into the wound.  She inhales sharply before trying to pull away.  The grip on her chin remains too strong.

“I’ll fix it up myself,” she says. “No big deal.”

She’d signed a waiver about injury anyways.  And if this is just a little cut, she really doesn’t care.  She doubts it will leave much of a mark after it heals anyways.  It’s not like she doesn’t have any other scars.

“I’ve got a kit,” the man replies in a way that tells her no amount of arguing will be tolerated.  It makes her hackles rise and her scowl deepen.  She doesn’t care much to be bossed around like this.

“And I said I’m fine,” Aelin insists.  She manages to pull away from him, her skin still burning for where he’d touched her.  It’s not that he hurt her, rather the way it lingers.  The feel of his skin on hers and the brush of calluses from his fingers.

He jerks his chin toward a stool sitting by the register. “Just sit down.”

“I signed a waiver,” Aelin reminds him.

A glare in return.

Damn he really needs to work on his customer rapport.

“I’m leaving you a mean review on Yelp.”  

“I’m terrified.” A deadpan response.

She thinks briefly about making a break for the door.  Having someone else touching her…being so close…well it makes her a little jumpy and desperate to leave.  But she saw how quickly he crossed the room once he noticed the blood.  Reluctantly, Aelin shuffles to the stool and huffs as she takes a seat.

The man goes around behind the register to grab said first aid kit.  What she is not expecting is a giant canvas duffle to slam onto the desk beside her.  The camo design is scuffed and beat to hell and back, duct tape slapped on in a few places, and faded Sharpie marks.

“It’s a scratch, not a gushing wound,” she says.  Why she bothers, she doesn’t know, her comment is ignored as the man unzips the bag and grabs a pack of gauze, disinfectant, and band-aids.  “Seriously.”

“My shop, my rules,” is his only reply.

Aelin sighs again and crosses her arms in front of her. “Fine.  What’s your name then?  Or can I keep referring to you as Asshole?”

Not even a twitch in his lips. “Rowan.”

Not the name she would have first associated with him, but Aelin’s not the best at naming things.  She named her dog Fleetfoot for crying out loud.  Really, what kind of a name is that?

“Do you even know what you’re doing?” she asks as he takes her chin again to tilt her face up.

“Sure,” he says, far too casually. 

Aelin wonders for a brief moment if she is possibly running the risk of being murdered.  Or maybe some sort of smuggling ring?  Rowan has enough dark surliness roiling around him that really, she won’t be surprised if the worst happens.  

She shifts on the stool.  Well, she does take self-defense classes.  And she knows where to find a metal bat to hit someone with.

“Relax,” Rowan says, as if sensing her discomfort. “I was a paramedic.”

“And now you run a store where people beat the shit out of things,” she says, “interesting.”

Rowan douses the gauze with disinfectant. “This’ll sting.”

That’s all the warning he gives before pressing the gauze to her cheek.  Aelin hisses out a curse, trying her best to sit still.  She can deal with pain.  She knows pain.  And this is hardly more than a mosquito bite.  One deep, slow breath later and she is fine.

“Good job,” Rowan murmurs.  He sets the gauze aside, leaning in to examine the spot on her cheek.  His fingers have gone soft as he gently probes the skin around the injury.

Aelin feels her heartrate ratchet up and she has to fight to keep a blush from rising on her cheeks.  There is no reason for her to be reacting the way she is.  No reason to be focused on the way his fingers are light as air against her skin.  Nor how close he is.  Apparently, assholes can still be attentive to the injured.

“It’s not too deep, but I wouldn’t argue against a stitch or two, though, no use getting a scar.”  

“Just a butterfly band-aid of steri-strip is fine,” Aelin tells him.  “No use going to the hospital for this.”

She’s had enough hospital visits to last a life-time.

Rowan fixes her with another frown and Aelin drops her gaze from his.  She doesn’t owe him an explanation, no matter if he is helping her.

“It doesn’t even hurt that much,” she adds. 

Her mutters under his breath and the only thing Aelin is somewhat sure he said is “damn woman.”  She can at least pride herself that she’s giving him a hard time.

“What’d you even do in there?” he asks, surprising her.  She really thought he was only capable of giving one or two syllable responses.  “Haven’t had an injury in six months.”

“Six months?” she frowns. “That’s how long you’ve been open.”

“Yeah, well opening night a bachelor party reserved the whole place with a bunch of idiots that didn’t know how to listen,” Rowan says.  He shakes his head and grabs a small tube of ointment for his bag-o-tricks. “And then they were drinking and we don’t have a test for that.”

Aelin read something like that in their waiver, something along the lines of an honor policy mixed with they didn’t have that proper authority to ban, even on suspicion of drinking.  Which seemed like a stupid rule, but she wouldn’t bring that up.

“The groom didn’t release his ax properly,” Rowan continues, “his wedding night could have been a disaster.”

Aelin lets out a startled chuckle.  Rowan too finally releases a smile of his own.  Though, when she blinks, it disappears.

“We’ve been a bit more careful about how we take reservations,” he says.  As he dabs some of the ointment onto her cheek, they fall into silence. “This’ll help with infection and keep it clean.  But you should go—”

“No.”  Aelin reaches for the bandage he set out; the butterfly strip doesn’t require too much thinking. “This is plenty.”

Rowan plucks the bandage from her fingers. “Stubborn.  That why you had to smash things to pieces?  Work out some anger?”

She doesn’t feel the need to reply to that, so she only adjusts her face up for him to apply the adhesive.  He may not have smiled again, but his eyes do have a bit of a gleam in them.

“I’m not the one who opened the shop, seems to me you’ve got more anger bottled up than me,” she says.  Granted…it sure feels like she has enough anger boiling up within her to fuel the sun.  Everyday.

Rowan flattens the bandage with his thumb.  His dark gaze sweeps over her face one final time before he steps back to start collecting the trash and other discarded items.

“All good,” he says. “But—”

“Good-bye, Rowan,” Aelin interrupts as she rises from the stool.  There is still a flood of endorphins running through her body over not just the rage room, but what came after.  And that’s what spurs her on.

“Do I need to prepare for a negative review?” Rowan asks.

She is already at the door, ready to burst out into the early evening warmth.  Aelin glances over her shoulder and offers a delicate shrug.

“We’ll see.”