I’m not sure if anyone else has made this announcement, so I’m going to go ahead and do it so that you all know what’s going on.
The deadline for our fanfiction battle has been pushed back because a few of us still need to work on our fics. We’re sorry for them being pushed back, but a few of us do live in different parts of the world and are quite busy these days with school work and jobs and other things like that. I hope you all don’t mind that the seven of us are going to take a little longer before posting our fics (but hopefully the wait is worth it!).
Also, for those that are just seeing this for the first time: me and my friends ( real-bad-wolf, fallenaelin, kingdorianhavilliard, prince-rowan-whitethorn, aedionwhitethorn, wishingonthenorthstar) are having a fanfiction battle between the seven of us. The fics that we’re all writing are revolved around a post by aedionwhitethorn, mentioning Rowan’s cousins. We’re really all excited to write the fics and hope that when we publish them (the new deadline is August 25th) that you’ll all really enjoy them (as much as we loved writing them).
If you guys have any questions, feel free to message any of us :)
Just wanted to let you all know that we ( arobynnwhitethorn, real-bad-wolf and I) are starting to work on Part 2 of our colab fic. It should be up sometime in the next week (maybe Monday or Tuesday depending on how busy we all are this weekend.
So here is a little treat for you guys. Myself, arobynnwhitethorn and real-bad-wolf decided that we wanted to work together on a fic. We decided that there wasn’t nearly enough Rowaelin stuff out there, especially not with Rowan coming to Adarlan and joining Aelin, along with Aedion, Chaol and Ren. We really hope you like this and please be sure to tell us all what you think of it. It is also uploaded on my wattpad account if you want to check it out here and vote for it :) Hope you enjoy it, it is under the cut!
It was funny, how after months of being apart, they still fit together like matching puzzle pieces.
Aelin had received word from Rowan after her letter had been sent to Wendlyn, saying that he was coming to Adarlan, coming back to her. That had been a week prior. A week too long, it seemed. The gods knew, Aelin Ashryver Galathynius was not a particularly patient woman.
When he had arrived, in his hawk form no less, Aelin had to physically restrain herself from jumping on him immediately. Of course, the sounds that had escaped up her throat had caused Aedion, Chaol and Ren to come charging into her room, wondering what the hell was going on.
They had found her pressed up against the Fae prince, both crushing each other in a tight embrace-as if to erase the time that they spent apart. And Rowan did not allow his usual hesitation towards physical affection stop him from molding Aelin’s body to his, and breathing her now too familiar scent in. He had missed her-his carranam-this queen of ash and fire.
Now came the explaining…
“Aelin…” her cousin started when she finally pulled away from Rowan, his pine and snow scent lingering. Filling up the hole in her soul that had opened up during their separation, her body a pine and snow filled vessel-stuffed to the brim, and waiting to explode. She hadn’t realized just how much she had missed him, missed even the smell of him. He smelled like home.
“Oh,” she said, unsure of how to explain Rowan-a Fae prince, no less-to Aedion. “This is Rowan.” Aelin paused, lost on how to continue-unsure of how to explain her bond and relationship with Rowan to her cousin.
“He’s my…” Aelin hesitated, looking towards Rowan, his pine green eyes pinned on hers. They seemed to urge her to continue, seemed to encourage and strengthen. But how could she tell Aedion that he no longer could claim the title of being the first member of her court? The title that he had knowingly and wrongfully claimed and adored, no less.
Thankfully, Rowan finished for her. “I trained Aelin whilst she was staying in Wendlyn.”
Chaol’s gaze cut to hers when Rowan spoke, accusingly, almost as if he didn’t trust the words that came from Rowan’s mouth. That could have very well been the reason Chaol was staring at Rowan, but Aelin knew that the additional Fae presence in Rifthold was making Chaol uncomfortable.
Even if they had managed to eliminate one of the towers, with the witches helping them take down the other two, it still left all of their magic a little weakened. Aelin had just been glad that she could assume her role as Queen. A Queen without a throne, a Queen with trapped subjects, but a Queen nonetheless.
And Aelin swore to the gods, to anyone up there who was willing to listen, that she would free Terrasen-free her people-from the clutches of Adarlan. She would free Eyllwe too; free the entirety of Erilea, if she could. The scar on her palm, now joined with her bond to Rowan, was a constant reminder. Nehemia did not die in vain. Aelin would see her dreams-her wishes-become a reality. She owed it to her friend-to her country, to all those who had suffered because of her.
Aedion stepped forward, subconsciously puffing his chest out-an attempt to intimidate the Fae warrior. Not that he really needed to, not when Aedion was almost as tall as Rowan. Rowan-a few inches taller-found it slightly amusing that Aedion found him threatening enough to actually puff his chest out. Rowan’s knowledge about Aedion, Aelin’s childhood friend-her only friend, if Rowan had remembered correctly-was limited, but he was impressed, from the little that he knew. That is, if the ridiculous expression on Aedion’s face could be classified as impressive.
“Rowan, this is my cousin Aedion. I’ve told you about him.” Aelin rubbed the back of her neck nervously, watching Rowan for a reaction, and almost sighed in relief when he gave Aedion an approving nod. Aedion didn’t seem to comprehend Rowan’s gesture, but he seemed particularly intrigued that Aelin had even mentioned him to this Fae prince. She almost wanted to laugh at how strange they all looked, standing in her room, the men all facing eachother, nervous and unsure of how to proceed.
Aedion nodded his head too and extended a hand toward Rowan, which the cold and hard Fae prince took with a small grin.
“Nice to finally meet you,” Rowan said, hoping that he sounded sincere. Aedion nodded again, looking back at Ren and Chaol, the other two men in Aelin’s apartment. Sometimes the apartment was crowded and full of endless chatter. Other times, like today, it was quiet, as if the entire world had come to a standstill while she and the men that she loved kept running.
Aelin’s turquoise and gold rimmed eyes darted between Rowan and Chaol, then back to Aedion, and Ren. Ren, who was being awfully quiet, unable to interpret the situation before him. She was sure that no-one, not even Aedion, had told him that there would be Fae royalty involved in this rebel movement. Well, except for Aelin herself, of course.
Chaol took a step forward, his shoulder brushing Aedion’s, and extended a hand towards Rowan. Their eyes met for half a second before Aelin could practically taste the animosity that was brewing between the two of them. Aelin wasn’t sure if it was Chaol or Rowan who initiated the spark, but either way, it was there, and she didn’t want to see them fighting. At least, not as soon as Rowan had arrived.
“And this is Chaol Westfall. Rowan, this is Chaol. Chaol-Rowan.” Chaol’s body tightened at the formal way that Aelin introduced him, but he brushed it off. There was no way he was going to show weakness, especially not in front of...him. Rowan. Gods above, even thinking his name made Chaol angry. Made Chaol want to do things-stupid and crazy and terrible things-to stop the Fae from looking at Aelin in that way.
Despite Aelin’s general happiness at having Rowan by her side again, she hadn’t really stopped to consider the outcome of it. Not that she could have possibly foreseen all of these men in her apartment either. The only truly funny thing about the situation was that Aedion and Chaol had decided to share a room.
Rowan, managing to suppress the memories of Chaol-the memories that Aelin had told him of Chaol-squared his shoulders and took Chaol’s hand in his own.
Well, that that had to be the most awkward and stiff handshake Aelin had ever witnessed.
She turned to Rowan, a slight smile etched onto her lips, nodding her head toward the rest of the apartment. She might as well show him around now, especially if he was going to be staying for a while. And she hoped that he would.
Chaol, Aedion, and Ren trailed them, seeming almost like lost puppies, unsure of their place and of what to do. Though, even when Aelin thought that, Aelin noticed that Chaol and Aedion were both glaring at Rowan’s back, as if their eyes alone could spear Rowan’s heart.
Despite knowing Aedion and Chaol for longer, Aelin felt like a piece of her soul was tethered to Rowan’s-making their connection stronger, timeless and eternal.
And despite the scowls that were shot Rowan’s way, and Aelin’s doubt about the next few months, Rowan acted as if Chaol and Aedion’s reactions did not faze him and Aelin was thankful for that.
“And this is the kitchen,” Aelin said, finally turning around to face the men that were trailing along behind her. They all wore varying expressions on their faces. Rowan looked like he was observing her apartment like a hawk watched it’s prey, taking in every minute detail and imprinting it into his memory.
Aedion, on the other hand, had a slightly melancholy and woeful expression painted onto his features, his opinion about their current situation obvious. Eventually, Aelin hoped. Eventually they will get used to this living condition. The gods help them if they didn’t.
Aelin had to admit that she was curious about how long it took Aedion-her slightly hard-headed cousin-to grow accustomed to and somewhat enjoy Chaol’s presence.
After a few minutes of awkward silence, which seemed to drag on for hours, Rowan finally nodded back towards her bedroom, a somewhat stern look suddenly crossing his features. Aelin arched an eyebrow-perfectly groomed at her favourite salon as of yesterday-and waited for Rowan to speak.
“We need to talk about things.” And though it might have seemed strange from the others’ point of view, Aelin understood what Rowan meant by things and nodded. Aelin glanced back towards the others as Rowan began walking towards her bedroom.
“We just need to catch up,” she explained, because she felt the need to do so. Aelin gripped Aedion’s hand in her own and was surprised at how firm and stiff his hand felt on her own. His eyes met hers-identical turquoise ringed in gold-and they seemed hesitant-worried even. Aelin almost wanted to burst out laughing at the absurdness of the situation, but she held it in, unwilling to risk dispersing the sincerity in Aedion’s expression.
After all, Aedion barely knew Rowan. It was only second nature to want to protect her, despite the fact that Aelin did not see Rowan as a stranger. Not at all. Either way, she attempted to settle Aedion’s nerves with a devil-may-care smile, giving Aedion a nonchalant shrug and a small kiss on the cheek.
Aedion relaxed slightly when Aelin kissed him, some of the visible tension gone. He must have read the trust and assurance in Aelin’s eyes, or simply given up because Aedion waved a hand towards Ren and directed him back towards the dining table. There sat a map of Erilea, points and plans vividly outlined in Aedion’s slightly messy and scrawling script.
When Aelin finally reached her bedroom, she found Rowan opening and snooping through all of her drawers, admiring all of the different ornaments scattered around her room. “Why do I feel like I just caught you doing something wrong?” Aelin asked, flopping onto her bed. She sighed as the softness enveloped her, relieving some of the tension and stress that she had unconsciously carried throughout the day.
Rowan looked towards her, holding up a silver dagger rimmed with gold paint. “Remind me why you bought this again? It’s barely strong enough to hold itself together, let alone actually kill someone.”
Aelin scowled, snatching the dagger from Rowan’s fingers without getting off her bed. “That was expensive, Rowan. Don’t go touching and destroying my things.”
Rowan raised an eyebrow, picking up three of her precious glass figurines and began tossing them into the air. “I’m not destroying. I’m just...observing. I didn’t know that you’ve travelled to so many places.”
“Not as many as you have,” Aelin said with a sigh, falling back onto her pillow and tossing the dagger aside. On some days, Aelin cursed her mortal timeline, and today was one of them.
“Well, you made it seem like you barely explored your continent, but I’m seeing a lot of evidence to the contrary.” Rowan gave the figurines a final spin, then tossed them in the direction of Aelin’s face.
She snatched them with a glare, placing them gently on her bedside table. “These are gifts from a friend.”
Rowan sighed, and walked over to sit next to Aelin. She scooted over, her hips pressing against his thighs, and Rowan felt a strange, but comforting feeling rush up his skin. “I’ve missed you, Fireheart,” he whispered, slowly stroking her golden hair.
Aelin smirked. “You must have been bored, without anyone to torture.”
He pinched her sides and she twisted away with a shriek, grabbing Rowan by the biceps and pinning him down. “No fair, Rowan. You’ve only been back for half an hour. You should be nice to me.”
The glint in his eyes told her all she needed to know about Rowan’s intentions to play nice. Preparing herself for the worst, Aelin started tickling Rowan with all her might.
He didn’t budge. He just stared at her, in both confusion and sudden realisation and burst out in laughter. It was one of the most beautiful sounds that Aelin had ever heard, so carefree and different from the old Rowan-the one under the blood oath to Maeve.
“You think tickling me is going to work? I was trained to overcome the tickling weakness ever since I was a child.” Rowan pinned her with a glare, scowling at the amused look on her face.
She grinned at him, taking his hand and holding it in her own. “I’ve missed you too, Rowan. The gods know, I’ve missed you so much.”
And in that moment, Rowan and Aelin looked into each other’s eyes, looked deep into each other's souls and saw themselves. They were one soul in two bodies, made to be together for eternity.
Aelin rested her face in the crook of Rowan’s shoulder, and he wrapped his arms around her middle. With his other hand, he pulled the blankets over them both, and pressed a small kiss to Aelin’s forehead, which Aelin smiled softly at that, if only because it was slightly out of character. He must have truly missed her, if he was going so far as to kiss her.
“I’m tired.” Rowan grumbled, glaring at Aelin-as if it was her fault that he was tired. Which, of course, it obviously wasn’t. She almost glared back, almost tried to force some semblance of venom into her expression, but she found herself simply enjoying looking into Rowan’s eyes. They reminded her of home.
“Well...we are currently lying on a bed,” Aelin noted, raising an eyebrow at Rowan’s body, snuggled under the blankets next to hers. “The logical answer is probably to go to sleep.”
Rowan flicked her nose, causing her to snort softly, and nodded towards the door. “Sure your rabble won’t mind?” Aelin let out a dry laugh at that, flicking a perfectly manicured hand against Rowan’s cheek. He caught the hand, and held it in his own.
“They’re my friends, Rowan. And incase you’ve forgotten, I don’t answer to them. I’m going to be the queen of an entire country. I doubt they could really make me do anything.”
The expression that Rowan gave her suggested that he certainly did not fall into that category, but Aelin-wisely-decided to ignore him.
She felt guilty saying those words, especially because Aelin did care about what Chaol and Aedion thought about her, and of Rowan. She cared because she wanted them all to get along. And she cared because all three of them were dear to her, albeit in different ways.
She sighed and turned her attention back to Rowan, one hand gently brushing a silver strand of his hair away from his face. Her fingers moved over his tattoo slowly, noting the fresh black swirls and characters of the Old Language that adorned his cheek. She wondered if his tattoos had needed to be re-inked, or if there was a reason for the new and unfamiliar letters.
Rowan closed his eyes at the comforting feeling of Aelin’s fingers on his skin, and the slow wispy caress of her breath on his face.
It seemed like second nature now, the way they interacted. Almost as if they had never been separated in the first place. Aelin almost wanted to give into her own tiredness, almost wanted to take her own suggestions to heart, but she remembered that Rowan had wanted to speak to her.
With a heavy sigh, Aelin untangled herself from Rowan, and pulled the blankets against her chest as she sat up. Rowan shot her a quizzical look, but he sat up next to her-their arms touching softly without complaint.
“So what happened while you were in Varese?” Aelin asked, preparing herself for a night without any sleep...
