Rowaelin: 71. “I never imagined myself in a wedding dress.” please :)
I know you sent this months (and months) ago, but I hope you enjoy, Alex! *mwah* In return for all the amazing cat posts you send me 😂
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A lazy weekend morning was a rarity in the Ashryver-Galathynius household, so when Aelin woke up and the sunlight hadn’t yet begun pouring into her bedroom, she turned over lazily and buried herself deeper in Rowan’s arms.
If she closed her eyes tight enough, she could pretend that she never had to leave their bed. And if Rowan played along long enough, she might allow herself to admit that she was happier than she’d ever been, sans the overwhelming responsibility of a crown.
Without lifting her head, Aelin raised her eyes to try and spy on Rowan. He’d tightened his grip around her, but he did that as naturally as breathing. She shifted just enough to make room for her arm to reach up and tap him lightly on the nose.
“Are you awake?” Tap, tap.
Rowan opened one eye, made a scowl tinged with the slightest grin, then closed his eye.
“No. I’m asleep.”
Aelin huffed and squirmed in his arms until he held her so tightly that she could hardly move. Grabbing a hold of a bit of skin at his waist, she pinched until he gave in.
“Fine! I’m awake. What do you want, princess?”
“Queen,” Aelin corrected, “And you were already awake,” she said accusatorially. She snuggled in closer, though there was already no space between them. “What did you dream about?”
“You,” Rowan answered, and then placed a kiss on the top of her head. “Always you.”
“Liar,” Aelin said. “What did you really dream about?”
Rowan sighed. “It was dull. Affairs of state, the bet that I have going with Aedion, what we’re going to do if we ever have Dorian and Manon to visit at the same time.”
Aelin raised an eyebrow. “What bet?”
“Nevermind that.” Rowan propped himself up on an elbow and looked down at his wife. As he brushed Aelin’s hair out of her face, she purred at the attention. “What did you dream, queen?”
“I had a dream about my parents.” At Rowan’s concerned expression, she placed a hand on his chest. “It was a good dream. But I thought about their wedding, what it must have been like. How happy everyone must have been, all of that. I’m glad that had that day, at least.” Aelin paused, considered her words, then smiled slowly. “It was nice to think about how happy they were. How much they were able to live.”
Rowan tilted his head and ran his fingertips along Aelin’s temple, down her cheek until he gently grasped her jaw. “And what about us? Do you want something like that for us?”
“Lysandra asked me if we’re going to have a more public ceremony. Something that the kingdom can celebrate. I think she just wants an excuse to buy a new dress.”
Aelin could feel Rowan smiling as he kissed the top of her head. “And what do you think? Would it be worth the effort?”
She pulled away slightly, just enough to look at Rowan without letting the heat escape their closely entwined bodies. “It would be a lot of work. But it would be a good sign of strength. Uniting the families, all that political stuff. But I think it would be nice for us, too. When I was a little girl I would tie my favorite blanket around my waist and pretend it was a long dress, that I was being showered with attention and that at the end of that aisle, there was someone I could love and trust, no matter what happened.” She paused. “Did you ever think about it? Getting married and all of that? A real wedding?”
“Well,” Rowan said. “I never imagined myself in a wedding dress.”
Aelin glanced up long enough to glare at Rowan, and he grinned in return.
“No,” he continued. “Until I met Lyria, I never thought about it. And then after all of that…” He trailed off, clearing his throat. “I assumed I wasn’t meant for it.”
“And now?”
“Now, Aelin, I believe in miracles. And I believe that I’d like to be the person standing at the end of that aisle, waiting for you.”
