Aelin walked in to her room in time to see Remelle lift her face and kissed Rowan. She expected him to pull away but he didn't; instead, he kissed her back, stroking her blonde hair. A painful ache flared in her chest and tears filled her eyes.

She fled from the room, unable to bear the image of them together. Aelin lurched to the only other who could understand, the one who she trusted above all others. To one she had been bonded with since birth, someone who she hated to be separated from. Aedion.

She went to the west branch of the castle, nearly sprinting before she was halfway there.

The lights were on so she knocked. Waiting, the tears leaked out.

...

Aedion was working on some plans when a knock sounded. He sniffed before calling out, "come in." The scent belonged to Aelin and she stood in his doorway, her eyes glazed over with pain and tears on her face; she had been so happy hours before, even just minutes.

He stood up immediately and gathered into his arms. Leading her to the bed, her face filled with agony and grief. His cousin, who had always been steadfast and reliable not to break down, sat down staring at her lap.

Aedion wrapped an arm around her shoulders. What happened? he asked.

"Rowan and Remelle," she choked out, "were in my room-" Aelin couldn't finish but he got the message. That bastard. He's going to kill the Prince.

"Oh, Aelin," he murmured. "He's an idiot."

She started saying something but her voice cracked. He lifted her up, clambered into bed and set her in his lap. Laying his cheek on top of her head, she sobbed her heart out until there were no tears left.

"Can I stay with you from now on?" she asked, her voice strangled.

"Of course, my dear Aelin," he told her. "Anything. Anytime." She nodded her thanks and her breath hitched then broke. When they evened out, she was asleep. He lay there with the last of the Galathynius line in his lap, her head on his chest. He sighed, his poor Aelin. Always hurt by someone she loved. He hoped to hell that he would never do that. He was certain he wouldn't.

He was going to rutting kill that prince.

...

Rowan had looked up in time to see Aelin back out, hurt obvious in her scent, then hadn't realized why until a moment later. Aedion was going to kill him for that if she tells him. Remelle pulled his head back to hers but he pushed her away and sat down on the bed, head in his hands.

Remelle asked what was wrong and he waved her away. She actually had the nerve to lie down on Aelin's bed and promptly fell asleep.

He had never wanted to hurt her. But he had, so badly. He had promised never to hurt her. As if their bonds were a living thing, Aelin's agony barreled into him, Aedion's anger washed in. But suddenly they disappeared as if Aelin had stopped feeling, as if Aedion had forgiven him.

He was so dead. Gods.

What had he the done?

...

Aedion's cousin stayed with him that night. Aelin stayed in his chambers the day after, unable to face the outside world. Lysandra came by a few times, sensing something was wrong; Aelin left for a bit to go to Lysandra's for "girl talk", then came back smiling faintly. She deserved the comfort and teasing with Lysandra, perhaps more than anyone. When she came back, he had lunch ready for her; after that, they trained together. Aelin had had a personal courtyard built for him too, equipped with everything hers had.

"I am not using magic," she announced before they started. "Because I want to have an even field with you."

He laughed. Typical Aelin. She picked daggers and throwing knives as well as fighting knives. Then she launched herself at him. She moved like a midnight storm: strong, fast and lethal. He could see why people called her Queen of the Underworld and Adarlan's Assassin; if given proper targets, she would eliminate them without a problem. Aedion wondered if a new replacement had risen up in her place to become the next Queen of the Underworld; he highly doubted it. The King of Assassins, the best there was, had trained Aelin. He'd had her shipped off to the Silent Assassins of the Red Desert, gifted her with an assassin's suit fitted and measure to her. Every type of training imaginable; even made her break her hand so she could use both hands in combat. Aedion knew that she could make clean shots in more than a mile; she had told him about her days eliminating targets for Arobynn, ever the loyal prodigy.

He'd been too distracted and she landed a punch, which broke his nose. Aedion readjusted his nose, knowing that his Fae heritage will heal it, and lunged back. They danced back and forth, the other gaining advantage before losing again; he was taller and more powerful but she was faster and more graceful. He and Aelin were evenly matched in combat.

They paused panting, eyes on each other's movements. She quirked an eyebrow. Off?

He nodded in assent. They needed to get ready for dinner, dusk approached at a steady pace. They took turns washing up and he was walking around without a shirt for a good half-hour, since Aelin took forever to bath. When she came out, she was already wearing a dress with long trailing white sleeves, an indigo bodice, the skirts spotted and streaked with orchid purple. He smirked.

"Your love of clothes hasn't changed, has it," he asked mockingly. She laughed; gods it was a relief to hear her laugh and she handed him a dark navy tunic with gold embroidery.

"Never," she told him. Resigned, he pulled the tunic over his head and offered her his arm. She flashed her teeth at him and he chuckled, but she took his arm and they dramatically swept out his chambers.

On the way, they ran into Lysandra and Evangeline, the red-gold haired girl wore a simple dress of white, in stark contrast to her hair. Lysandra was wearing something similar to Aelin's but in shades of green, which brought out her green eyes. Aelin grinned at the once-courtesan-and-now-Lady and hooked their arms together, Evangeline following suit. Aelin whispered something to Lysandra that made her eyes narrow. Aedion thought it best not to ask what, he wouldn't want a certain ghost leopard jumping at him later.

When they went in to the Great Hall, Rowan and Remelle were nowhere to be seen. That rutting asshole. He was going to murder the Prince. Lysandra and Aelin were talking about whether they should do the speech the day after.

"Maybe not," he interjected. "Not yet." The look he gave his cousin said why. She nodded her agreement. Elide entered silently, laden with a plates of fruit. Aelin jumped up to help and set the platers down before them.

"That's good," Lysandra added. "I do not want my best friend going into her past like this." His mouth twitched into a smile. Aelin deserved to have Lysandra as her best friend, and vice versa. They understood each other. He was glad she had found a girl companion.

The servants, of their own will of course, brought in the rest of the food. The three of them dug in.

When they had finished, Aelin announced, "I am going to die from eating so much!"

He, Lysandra and Elide agreed. They exchanged light banter for a bit before dessert came. It was chocolate cake.

"Chocolate!" Lysandra exclaimed in delight. "And I don't need to worry about minding what I eat!" They laughed.

Just when they were about to start on the chocolate cake, Rowan and Remelle walked in. Aelin took one look, paled and stood from the table. Aedion could tell that she barely stopped herself from running out, unable to stay near with the pair around. He and Lysandra shared a look and she nodded for him to go after her. He stood up and calmly walked out, purposefully passing the idiot of a prince on the way. A hand on his shoulder made him turn around and he found himself glowering at the male.

"Go hurt someone else," he said harshly before shrugging off the prince's hand and in pursuit of his cousin.

...

Rowan stared after Aedion, stunned. He'd thought that he and Aedion had gotten over their differences, bonded over their overprotectiveness of their queen; maybe in accidentally hurting Aelin, he had lost Aedion's trust too.

He turned to the table to see Lysandra glaring at him, lethal rage in her eyes. If looks could kill, he'd be dead by now. Dinner passed awkwardly, Remelle chattering cheerfully beside him, oblivious, Lysandra and Elide beyond infuriated with him.

It was a relief when they left the hall, but Lysandra wasn't done. She dragged him off into an abandoned corridor before whirling around.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" she asked, eyes narrowed.

"I didn't mean to hurt-" he started but she hissed at him.

"You did more than just hurt her, Prince, you broke my best friend!" she yelled at him. "She's been broken enough! How dare you add to her burdens!

"You could have told her you weren't interested!" she went on. "Instead you led her on! She's been head over heels in love with you ever since we got back, and now you had to go and break her heart! For that piece of shit woman!" By the end, she was full on screaming at him.

"I-"

"She's going to have to tell her people about her past and you just messed her up!"

"Remelle isn't-" he began but she shrieked at him with tears glazing her eyes and stormed off, shifting into a ghost leopard halfway through a step.

...

Rowan went back to once-Aelin's room to find Remelle already asleep on the bed, wearing one of Aelin's nightgowns.

This was beginning to feel normal, and it shouldn't. It shouldn't, not when Aelin was a wreck over what he had done and was still doing. Not when she had been avoiding him for the past few days. Not when Aedion and Lysandra were infuriated with him. But it did, and he didn't know what that meant about himself.

He slept on the couch, unable to bear sleeping next to Remelle, in the bed where Aelin's scent still lingered. It tore holes through his heart and he didn't know how to stop it.

He was glad when sleep took over, Rowan hoped he could dream of somewhere where he hadn't hurt Aelin, hadn't enraged Aedion and Lysandra beyond belief.

He hoped Aelin would forgive him. He doubted she would but hoped for it all the same. He gave up on sleep after that, his mind too active to relax, and padded out towards Aedion's chambers.

...

Aedion looked everywhere for his cousin and, to his relief, found her sitting on the steps to the courtyard in his room, still in her finery. Her head was down and her shoulders curled defensively, he sat down beside her and wrapped an arm around her, resting his cheek on her head. Tears dripped into her lap, and some were staining her face.

After a few moments of comfortable silence, the door creaked open and Aedion glanced up when Lysandra came in as a ghost leopard and shifted back, a look of pure rage on her face. He guess she'd chewed the Prince out. Serves him right.

Lysandra's face softened when she spied him and Aelin sitting on the steps. She sat down on Aelin's other side, her delicate arm coming round her shoulders. Sitting together, the watched the sunset, which brought out spectacular clouds of orange, yellow, red and gold.

The door cracked open tentatively, and he and Lysandra watched as Evangeline peeked in.

"Can I come in?" the girl asked hesitantly. When they nodded, she closed the door and came over, curling up on the step above Aelin. Evangeline softly asked Aelin whether she can play with her hair; Aelin swallowed before nodding. Elide came in and sat beside the girl, laying a hand on Aelin's back.

Evangeline's fingers expertly braided her hair then undid it. Then re-plaiting it, before undoing it again. This went on for quite some time, until Evangeline plaited the queen's hair into an intricate updo. The girl started standing up to get some pins when-

Unexpectedly, another knocked sounded. He, Lysandra, Evangeline and Elide shared a look. Evangeline was too young to know what heartache was like but she was old enough to know that Rowan had broken Aelin. That he had hurt her beyond what she can endure.

"Evangeline, stay with Aelin," Lysandra told her ward before standing up. The young girl nodded and sat down next to Aelin, leaning her head on the queen's shoulder as elide exited the chamber through another door off in the hallway.

Aedion and Lysandra stalked over to the door, their fury growing with every step. When Aedion reached the door before the shifter, he flung it open to see a certain Fae male standing there. Lysandra stalked past him and Aedion followed suit, motioning for him to come with them. Rowan paused, glancing at the queen with an expression of-sorrow?-in his eyes, and upon seeing the red-gold head resting on Aelin's shoulder, he backed out.

They were going to settle this.

...

Evangeline was left alone with the sad queen.

"My lady," she said. "Do you wish me to bring you anything?" The sky beyond had darkened into a velvety blue.

"Dear Evangeline, I only wish that this pain would go away," the queen lamented. "That I can stop feeling this terrible ache every time I see him." She guessed him referred to Rowan.

"It's what makes us human," Evangeline told the Aelin. "That we can feel pain, loss, fear. And love; without love, there would be little point in living."

The queen huffed a laugh that might've been a sob. "Love?"

"Well, you love Aedion, Lysandra, Ren. Your parents, Elide, your uncle. Chaol and Dorian. Sam. Lady Marion. Love does not stop when someone dies. You know this."

"When did you become so wise, young Evangeline?" she murmured sadly.

"Oh, I would not call myself wise," she replied lightly. "Only that I have lived enough to know. You have lived longer, so you have experienced more. As we grow, we learn. To love, to heal, to survive the pain that comes with loss."

The queen gave her a soft hug, surprising the girl.

"Thank you," Aelin whispered. "For saying that. I needed to hear it."

Hesitantly, Evangeline returned the embrace. When Aelin pulled away, she was smiling faintly.

"Now my sweet child, what books have you read?" she asked. She named a few and the queen grinned.

"Do you like C.S Lewis? If you do, we shall be great friends."

She nodded. "I absolutely adore the Chronicles of Narnia!"

"Who's your favorite character?"

"How dare you ask that!" Evangeline laughed. "You know we can never, ever pick one! They always change!"

Aelin grinned. "Precisely why I asked. I love Aslan though. He's one of favorites."

"Ooh, yes! And Susan, I love how she can shoot so far-she's like you! But it's so sad she stopped believing in Narnia. She and Caspian had been in love."

Aelin pouted. "You had to bring that up. Nearly all of them were reunited in the last book though. It was so funny and cute but sad at the same time, that the adventure has come to an end."

The conversation carried on for an hour, until Aelin noticed it had gotten cold and they went in, shutting the doors.

Evangeline realized the queen had been right. They would become great friends. She and the queen bonded over banter on books, authors and their many misdemeanors over the years.

They somehow got back to the topic of books.

"I think books are for people who wish to be somewhere else," Aelin commented.

"You're right," she agreed. "Books are another world we can escape to, to be in another adventure instead of the pain of life."

"They're not just stories. They never are. They're all real for us book lovers. They always will be."

Evangeline nodded. She agreed wholeheartedly with the queen.

...

Rowan followed Aedion and Lysandra as they stalked towards Aelin's room. He felt a stab of fear at the thought that they were going after Remelle. What the rutting hell is wrong with you? Common Sense inquired. One minute you're head over heels for Aelin and now you want Remelle back?

Rowan hung his head. Common Sense was right; what is wrong with him, playing with Aelin's hopes like that. He had no right to do so, no one did.

"Aedion, her Majesty's former courtyard," Lysandra snapped. "We're having a duel."

Only a fool would think Aedion's grin came from amusement.

When they got there, Remelle was still asleep in... Aelin's bed-he winced inwardly. Lysandra and the General shot her poisonous looks that sent a shiver down Rowan's spine.

Aedion drew the sword of Orynth as Lysandra shifted onto a ghost leopard, her favorite form. Without warning, the shifter lunged; Rowan wasn't fast enough to dodge her and four long scratches appeared on his arm. It hurt but he had endured worse, and Aedion stabbed towards his shoulder, he ducked in time that the blow wasn't fatal. He hadn't had enough time to scent Lysandra from behind him before her teeth pierced the spot between his neck and shoulder. He yelped as he unsheathed the daggers that he kept hidden on him. Even with all his training, he was no match for a shifter and the Wolf of the North, not when they were beyond angry. At him, because he had broken Aelin, when he had promised-sworn-to never do so.

Aedion's sword clanged as they met his daggers and Lysandra circled around them both, snarling and hissing. Aedion bared his teeth.

"Bastard." Lysandra just threw daggers with her eyes, snarling even more violently than before.

The noise had woken Remelle up and she panicked when she saw him bleeding profusely, fighting with a ghost leopard and the Wolf incarnate. She rushed over to help, wearing one of Aelin's nightgowns but Lysandra pounced, dragging Remelle away by the neck of the gown. His distraction cost him. Aedion slashed a long slice down his pectoral. Aedion danced out of the way of the spray of blood, not a spot on him.

Rowan knew Aedion had slipped into the killing calm and when he was this angered, Aedion would feel nothing for him.

...

Lysandra had dragged a screeching Remelle off back to Aelin's room. Remelle was terrified that a ghost leopard was attacking her then Lysandra shifted again, back into her finery, right before becoming Aedion. It was strange, seeing as Aedion was a few meters away, battling Rowan. She decided that maybe a female form would be better and shifted back to her 'actual' form before dragging the other female to the bathroom. The makeup Remelle always wore was smudged, making her look terrible. Lysandra snarled at her when she tried going for the door and she sat back down on the ground.

"What do you think you're doing?" Lysandra hissed at the female. "Do you think it's funny to make us watch our queen break down?"

"N-no," the woman replied, stuttering too brokenly, too perfectly. LIAR. "I didn't do anything."

"Oh, so making Rowan believe he loves you isn't something you planned?" she asked snidely. This woman had no idea how cruel she can become when someone hurts her friends.

"I-I didn't do that," she said, her voice shaking. "He loves me of his own free will."

Lysandra cocked an eyebrow at her menacingly. "So, one second Rowan is head over heels for Aelin, everything is great, then you come into the picture and suddenly he loves you?" she spat.

This woman... willing to betray her own sex to get what she wanted. Bitch, she thought savagely.

...

Remelle was terrified. A shape-shifter ghost leopard had nearly torn her throat out, and the crazy ghost leopard girl was snarling whether she thought hurting the queen was funny.

Rowan was injured and this woman wouldn't let her go to help. She had seen through Remelle's plans too easily, sensing what had happened with a woman's sharp intuition. Yet Remelle continued to lie.

This woman will pay for interfering, so will the golden-haired male outside that was hurting Rowan.

...

Rowan knew he deserved being injured by Aelin's soul-twin that he didn't fight back.

"Fight back, you coward!" Aedion yelled at him. "Fight back, you rutting coward!"

When he didn't respond, Aedion just glared at him and stalked off, wiping the blood from his sword. Rowan's blood.

...

Lysandra had gotten the truth from the fucking useless woman named Remelle. The cowardly bitch had thought it would be funny to break the queen and make them watch. Remelle wanted Rowan for herself so she devised this plan to separate the prince from the queen; she was insane, screaming that Rowan belonged to her.

"A person doesn't belong to anyone but themselves. You should know that, idiot," Lysandra said contemptuously. "I could kill you now but I won't; Aelin deserves your death blow but I doubt she'll do it. So I shall hand it do Aedion, the queen's cousin."

Without another word, she strode out, locking the door from outside so Remelle couldn't get out. Rowan can dig her out if he cares so much, the bastard.

She couldn't find it in herself now to forgive the prince, or to ever trust him with Aelin ever again.

...

Aelin and Evangeline had fallen asleep curled up on the couch, their hands entwined when Aedion got back to his room. He was still in a shit mood from the 'duel' with the prince but his expression softened when he beheld the queen, some joy evident in her face. He flopped down in front of the couch, waiting for Lysandra. Lysandra came in a few moments later; she looked pissed off. Extremely pissed off.

"That-" she started but stopped when she noticed him pressing a finger to his lips, gesturing to the pair behind him. Aedion motioned for them to talk outside.

The queen couldn't possibly hear but Lysandra kept her voice down all the same. In whispers, she explained how Remelle had planned for this, all so she can have Rowan, that she wanted to distance the queen from him, and that she thought it would be funny to make them watch Aelin break down.

"Fucking bitch," he swore. "Sorry Lysandra."

She just waved off his apology for the rough language. "I want to swear my head off at her right now, so it doesn't matter if you do. In fact, you can swear for me too.

"I also told her you get her killing blow," she went on. "Because you're Aelin's cousin. Rowan can't do it since he's still attached, so he might spare her-"

"Coward and a bastard. A cowardly bastard," he interrupted. "He wouldn't fight back because of some noble crap."

"I know," Lysandra sighed. "I want to murder him myself. I don't think we can ever trust him with Aelin ever again. Actually, I don't trust him anymore, period."

"Neither do I," he admitted. "Whether he knows it or not, he's lost everything from us."

"I have a feeling he knows, but he just won't accept it."

"Maybe because he believes that Aelin still loves him, no matter what he's done," Aedion suggested.

"That may have been true once, but not anymore. I can't see anything but hurt in her gaze whenever Rowan's near."

"I can see the guilt," he added. "Maybe she regrets ever liking him in the first place, or thinks that maybe this was how it should have been. I should stop talking, I sound cruel."

Lysandra laughed under her breath. "Don't shut up, Aedion. We're in the middle of a conversation."

He shook his head. "We'll talk more about this more tomorrow. After we see if Rowan's healed himself."

"Yes. One thing though, I locked Remelle in Aelin's old bathroom," she said, raising an eyebrow, a mischievous grin appearing. "If he unlocks the door, he shall never hear the end of it from us and Evangeline."

"Yes, and the servants, our people, everyone. Anyways, Aelin seems happier after talking with Evangeline, doesn't she?"

Lysandra smiled. "I agree; maybe we should have Evangeline visit her daily. I expect that Aelin will be staying here from now on."

He nodded. No way was he going to let Rowan near their queen. "Evangeline and Aelin have no doubt been talking about books. You've said she's become an avid reader."

"Hai, maybe we should have Evangeline stay as well," she said mockingly. Aedion shook his head vehemently.

"No. I will not have her see me walking around shirtless," he frowned.

"Or we can just have Aelin move in with Evangeline." Lysandra smirked.

"Come on! Can't we just talk about this tomorrow?"

She chuckled under her breath. "All right, Aedion."

He and Lysandra went in, shutting the doors softly as to not disturb the pair on his couch. "Good night, Lady."

She curtsied. "General."

...

Remelle was pounding on the door for Rowan to let her out and he couldn't even bother to get up. All his mind could focus on was Aedion and Lysandra, both attacking him, then Aedion yelling at him, the bridge of his nose scrunched up in a snarl, teeth bared.

"Bastard," he said simply. Lysandra shot Rowan a glare that showed she agreed with Aedion. He earned that.

Aedion bared his teeth at him, snarling. Lysandra circling and hissing.

"Fight back, you coward!" He deserved to be called that too.

His mind wouldn't stop replaying the scene; and for the first time in his life, he felt shame burn through him. They would never trust him again. Ever. With Aelin, with themselves. He had lost everything with only himself to blame. And Remelle? Common Sense asked. What's her part in this?

Common Sense was right. What was Remelle's part in this? Was she to blame for his hurting Aelin? She might. After all, Aelin had interfered in his behalf in Mistward; she might hold a grudge against her for that and used him to get to her. As he puzzled it out, Lysandra knocked and he jumped, not having heard the shape-shifter.

"Hey, Rowan," she greeted him. "I imagine you heard some of my screaming at the bitch." She chuckled under her breath.

Bitch? Oh, she meant Remelle. "Hello, Lysandra. Yes I did, but why are you calling her that?" he asked warily. Rowan suspected that Remelle had used him and wanted a second opinion.

"Haven't you figured it out yet? I thought you were smart," she replied, her eyes narrowing dangerously.

"Would you mind telling me?"

"Sure," she consented. "But on one condition."

"Anything," he confirmed. He was desperate.

...

Lysandra had been walking back to her section of the castle, having left Evangeline at Aedion's for the night when she decided to drop in on the Fae Prince.

She'd poked her head in and he had been gazing hollowly at the ground. No doubt coming to the conclusion that he had lost the four of them; maybe he was figuring out whether Remelle had anything to do with this. Might as well, she thought. Maybe then he will realize what an idiot he's being.

Rowan jumped when she knocked, looking up to the door, confusion in his eyes. She raised an eyebrow; he hadn't heard her or scented her. Unusual for a Fae warrior.

"Hey, Rowan," she said. "I imagine you heard some of my screaming at the bitch." She snorted knowing she had indeed been screaming at the woman.

"Hello Lysandra. Yes, I did," Rowan replied warily. "But why are you calling her that?"

Her eyes narrowed. Was he kidding? Does he not see that Remelle loves seeing Aelin like this? "Haven't you figured it out yet? I thought you were smart," she said.

"Would you mind telling me?" he asked. Wow, she couldn't believe he hadn't figured it out yet. She'd have to tell him, he'd never consider Remelle had something to do with this.

"Sure," she said then thought of a condition he must adhere to. "But on one condition."

"Anything."

Here it goes. "You have to either kill Remelle or threaten her badly enough that she never hurts Aelin ever again."

Rowan gaped at her, not believing she had just said that. She gave him a pointed look in the direction towards Aedion's rooms; realization dawned on his expression as he understood for whom what she had requested. All this, she thought. All this for Aelin.

He nodded. Immediately, he asked, "What does Remelle have to do with Aelin?"

"Remelle... holds a grudge against my queen," she started. He winced, having caught the words my queen. Not our.

"She admitted to wanting to separate you from Aelin, believing that you belong to her," Lysandra went on. "She used your... past relationship with Aelin to get to her before hogging your attention."

He flinched again when she said past relationship. Lysandra pitied him but it was true; Remelle had exploited then ruined that bond.

She was going to exclude anything that mentioned Aelin being happier now. She wanted him to stew for a while longer.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Yay!!!!!! Even longer! Phew. Good gods, I had to spend some time on both my phone and laptop to write this... Anyways, enjoy!

Thanks again to Phantomhive1875  who is now Lembas-bread for encouraging me!

Might not be updating for a bit, because I want to plot it out in a bit more detail first. So yeah.

Byeeeeeee!

Updated 19-03-15: Hey, idk why but you all seem to like this chapter better for some reason.
Anyone mind telling me why??