(Hello, there! I have written a few fanfics on here and have just finished the latest Throne of Glass novel, Heir of Fire and I won't lie... it broke my heart when I realized that Rowan and Celaena are just FRIENDS. Yeah, they are on the highest level that friends could ever become, but I know that I wasn't the only one whose heart dropped upon realizing that it would never progress farther than that! So, I decided that I would feed the hungry souls, like mine, that weren't satisfied with Sarah J. Maas's final decision. That's right, your very own Rowlaena fanfic!
Ps. If any of you are tumblr users, check out my Throne of Glass blog at this website, you won't be disappointed! I will be discussing the fanfic and anything else Throne of Glass related with anyone who decides to have a look-see. Follow me! )
I woke up to the sound of rapping, being pulled out of a dream that was already fading away fast, leaving me with a strange emotion I could not put a name to; but I decided that I found the emotion unpleasant. My hair tangled around my hand as I moved to roll over, thinking that somehow that would block the noise out.
"Wake up. You are already late for your morning duties."
The unpleasant voice broke through my thoughts as they were already fading back into a deep slumber. Groaning, I pulled my hand free from it's confinement of hair and pulled my pillow over my head, making it more uncomfortable seeing as it is my only pillow; but I didn't care, the annoying voice wouldn't go away if I didn't cover my ears somehow.
"Do you want me to come in there?"
The voice, although muffled now, resonated through my thin pillow and I recognized a threatening undertone. Even though my eyes were covered by half of my pillow, I squeezed my eyes shut, as small pieces of realization began to break free from my grogginess. I am in a guard camp in the wild part of Wendlyn, closer to Doranelle than the human city I had been in not less than a couple weeks ago. I am stuck here due to the Fae Queen, Maeve, making me train under her loyal servant, Prince Rowan Whitethorn until he decides that my skills are good enough to grant me passage to Doranelle, the heart of the Fae country here. This was a mess. I need Maeve to answer my questions about the Wyrdkeys so I can-
Suddenly my thin, scrappy excuse for a blanket was pulled off of me with such ferocious speed that it practically whipped me. My automatic instincts were to reach out and grab it before it was gone so I could pull it back over me, keeping out the cold damp of the morning still clinging to the air. As I tried to reach out and grab at it blindly, suddenly my pillow was hurled off of my face as well, letting the cold sunlight blind me as my eyes opened in shock and seething anger.
Before I could even stop reaching out for my blanket pathetically, someone's warm but rough hand enclosed over my wrist tightly, squeezing just enough to the point to make me wince at the pinching of the joint. Trying to pull my hand out of their grasp angrily, I was suddenly pulled up against my will, my half closed eyes bringing a face into my vision. Sharp features, rugged expression, and silver hair. The main things that sprung to my vision were the pine green irises and bared canines. Rowan did not look happy... in fact, he looked as if he were about to tear a few chunks of my throat out and hurl them across the room.
"Get. up." His hot breath made the wisps of my pale blonde hair part like curtains to get out of the way of the sharpness of his words. I squinted my eyes shut with each word he said, especially with the finalizing "Now."
Upon his last word, my wrist was dropped from his grasp like a hot coal, and I grumbled to myself as I rubbed one of my eyes with one hand and ran my fingers through my tangled mess of hair with the other. "You know, with that tone, I think you are less of a morning person than I am. And that's saying a lot."
As I gazed at him blearily, yawning in the process, I watched him retreat, his back straight and obviously seething as he walked out of my room. "If you are not in the kitchen in the next two minutes, I will drag you out there, dressed or not dressed." With a slam of my door, I could not help but roll my eyes and quietly mimic his condescending tone as I got out of my bed, grabbing the new set of clothes that had been left here at some point in the night. I still was not sure who was doing it, but it could definitely not be Rowan based upon him being an inhuman, emotionless bastard.
Me and him were not getting along in the least. After the first few days here, getting a split lip from him fighting me when I baited him, not to mention the black eye after he slammed my head onto a rock from my failure to shift upon his command, I definitely did not see him as anything more than someone who I begrudgingly had to train with in order to get Maeve to see me. Although, with my luck so far, I was never going to see her.
My Exhaustion this morning was due to the fact that yesterday Rowan had gotten so upset that I was not shifting, he forced me to split wood well into the night, making me miss dinner and only throwing me a small loaf of bread as he finally let me go off to bed. I grumbled once more out of anger as I glanced at my now calloused and blistering hands from handling an ax for such a long amount of time.
As I managed to pull on my boots, I walked over to the threshold, opening the door, half expecting to see a snarling Rowan about to barge in, but as soon as I stepped into the hallway, I glanced towards the end of the hall, only to see a flick of silver hair before it disappeared around the corner. This was the first time I had not woken up on time for my scullery duties, and it would be the last if I had to deal with that raging Fae again.
Shrugging my jacket on from the cold chill in the air, I headed down to the kitchen. As soon as I walked in, Emrys glanced at me, then hobbled over to the ovens pretending he did not even see me, but I knew that he was waiting to see if I was going to walk in this morning. My black eye was still just as nasty looking this morning, and I bet my life that he was wondering if I had received even more damage from yesterdays training with Rowan, maybe even enough to keep me in bed. The thought of the old man pitying me or worrying about me made me want to retch. An energetic greeting from Luca pulled me from my thoughts as I headed over to the counter to begin cutting the vegetables as per usual, and I nodded in his direction.
The morning went by as it always did, non-stop vegetable cutting, glares from Emrys mate every time he entered the kitchen, and listening to Luca's prattling on to anyone and everyone who would lend an ear. Even though the entire scene in itself was a nuisance to me, it was far better than having to be around the cold and heartless Rowan Whitethorn. I would be lying if I were to think that I even tolerated having to be alone with that male; the morning duties went by far too quickly due to the ever growing dread rising in me that I was soon to have to be training with him again this afternoon.
As the morning bustle finally died down, I sat at the table and began to tear into the leftovers from breakfast, feeling as if Emrys always made sure that there was plenty left for me. I resisted the urge to glare as I felt both his and Luca's eyes on me. They always seemed amazed at how much food I could take in. This morning was not an exception due to Rowan tossing a loaf of bread at me as I shuffled back to my rooms well into the night. Halfway through with my food, feeling the black hole within my stomach slowly beginning to be filled in, I felt a new presence enter the kitchens, pulling Emrys's and Luca's gazes off of me, making them turn away quickly to return to their duties.
Ignoring the presence, knowing full well that he knew I knew he was there, I continued to scoop potatoes and eggs into my mouth, keeping my eyes focused on my plate. Quiet, but enforced footsteps approached the table and I tried to keep from flinching as the loud scraping of a chair resounded through the now silent awkwardness. I gritted my teeth for a moment as Rowan sat down right next to me, and rested his elbow on the table out of the corner of my eye. He was staring right at me, I could feel it. His cheek resting on his fist in a somewhat out of character position, obviously making a point. Oh well, it was better than being pulled away from the table and dragged outside right in front of Emrys and Luca. For a few silent moments, I ignored him, refusing to acknowledge his staring, but my willpower broke for a split second, allowing my eyes to slide over and glance at him.
There he was, sitting there with an expression that I can only describe as pissed off, yet mocking. Before I could stop it, that thing where I could practically hear what he was thinking resonated through me. Enjoying your food, princess? Take your time, don't mind me. His eyes almost gleamed with a smugness, but it couldn't be possible. I must have imagined it.
Straightening up, I now gazed at him full on, my eyes narrowing into a glare, practically snarling in response back to him with my own silent words. Bastard.
Before the telepathic communication could continue any further, I lurched up from the table, my chair almost falling onto its back as I stormed out of the room, not even grabbing my plate to set near the sink with all of the other dirty dishes for Luca to clean up. I didn't care. I was getting so sick of this. I hated Emrys's and Luca's pity, I hated the silent glares from Emry's mate every time he saw me, as if I were somehow a threat to his mate. I hated waking up before dawn, and the restless, freezing nights with nothing more than a thin, old blanket to cover up with. But first and foremost, I hated Rowan. I knew that it was Maeve's decision to have him train me, and he obviously did not want to be doing it as much as I did, but gods! The mans cold-heartedness was beginning to drive me into a corner. One minute he is snarling in my face, and the next he is making snide remarks, obviously trying to agitate me. The only reason being his own gain at getting under my skin.
As I stepped outside, I could not help but feel a small break in my growing stress as I noticed that at some point while I was working in the kitchen, the sun had broke through the spring clouds, making the day warmer than it had ever been since my arrival here. I stopped for a moment as I stepped out of the cover of trees. And looked up at the sky, closing my eyes and enjoying the warmth for a moment, latching onto it as if it were the only tether holding me in the middle of a stormy sea.
"You can sunbathe when you get back to Varese." A gruff voice resounded right behind me as Rowan's tall figure brushed past me, indicating that we were to begin our trek to the ruins once again. He walked with an effortless grace that somehow emanated the aura of the danger of a warrior. I glared daggers into his back as I followed him after a few moments of seething rage.
Shoving my hands deep into my pockets, I walked after him, biting the inside of my cheek to keep from yelling profanities at him in front of the tower guards as we passed beneath them. Normally, I would not have cared, but ever since my arrival here the first night where I taunted him and he beat me to a pulp with far too much ease than I would like to admit, I did not want to have it happen again with an audience this time.
As we made our way to the ruins, I could not help but be pulled back into what had happened a couple days ago when he had me walk through the barrows by myself. That creature had been haunting my nightmare's ever since. It was beautiful, whatever it was, but the pain it caused... it was like trying to close up a gaping wound with nothing more than my bare hands. I could not help but glance around, wondering where on earth it had gone to after that. It was still around here somewhere...
Shuddering even though the sun was beating down on me so hard that I found myself removing my jacket, we finally reached the godsforsaken ruins. I went through the motions that I was getting used to as I sat down and began to pretend I was actually putting in an effort to shift. As I my eyelids closed, I could feel Rowan's eyes on me, making my eyebrows furrow. He usually didn't stare at me this long. Normally, he would walk around the perimeter of the ruins, sometimes making snide comments that I needed to try harder, or threatening to make me chop wood again.
Feeling his gaze still upon me after a few moments, I peeked at him through one squinted eye, seeing him standing not far off, leaning against a tree, arms crossed and focusing on me with an intent that startled me.
"Is there a problem?" The words escaped my mouth before I could even attempt to reel them in
He stared at me for another moment before straightening up, taking a few steps closer. "You are not even trying, are you?"
Gritting my teeth, both eyes opened now, I looked up at him, practically spitting. "Are you kidding me? I have been doing everything you have told me to do. I can't 'just shift' as you always put it."
He bared his canines at me, leaning down, getting right in my face, making me want to scamper back. "No. I felt something this morning, when you were agitated there were flickers of something coming from you... but now, it's gone. There is nothing there, just as there is never anything there every time we are up here."
I was getting ready to retort, my mind slowly falling into a small panic at his nearness, not to mention the fact that he was even smarter than I gave him credit for. I didn't notice any flickers of magic inside of me this morning, but if he could sense that, then he now knows that I have not been able to conjure anything when he takes me here. He knows we have already wasted two weeks.
"You think this is some game?" Suddenly his hand was on my shoulder, his nails digging into my muscle as he pulled me up to me feet, his face so close now that our noses were practically touching.
"Get the hell off!" I wrenched free from his grip, backing away without even meaning to.
He stalked towards me quickly as I continued to back up, glancing around me as I searched for some type of defense. "You think you are clever don't you, Princess?" His tone dropped to a deadly, gravelly volume. "Well, you may not have been smart enough to figure this out, but while you were wasting my time, you are losing your own time as well."
My eyes widened when I suddenly backed right up into a tree, my back slamming against the rough bark with a wince. Before I could turn and walk away though, Rowan's arms were on both sides of me, blocking my way as his canines glistened, an expression of loathing on his face.
"Do you even care about your friends you have left behind in Adarlan? Do you even care that the people you love could be close to death if not already there?" His hot breath once again assaulted me, but I was beginning to go numb to his words. Or at least, trying to. I had to pull the walls up, if I thought about it any further then I would break. I would break, and he would see. About to bring my hands up to cover my ears, he spoke a final sentence. "No wonder Terrasen fell. You should have died along with your pathetic parents."
That was it. The final straw. I had fallen off of the ledge, and there was no going back. Without a seconds hesitation, my fist had connected with his jaw, my own canines snarling back at him. I watched the millisecond of surprise run across his features before I landed the next hit, this one the side of his head with such a force that he staggered back, now giving me leeway to stalk after him now.
"You... you don't even know what you have just said!" The world around me suddenly seemed brighter, I could hear the snaps of twigs and the crack of leaves as nearby forest animals fled in fear of the sudden raise in my voice. I could smell the dampness of the earth beneath my feet, and the awakening of the earth in spring.
He straightened up, putting himself in a defensive stance, lingering shock still on his face. "Celaena-"
"Fuck you! You do not know who I am, you do not know what I have been through and you insulted me in the-"
"Celaena! Stop. Look at yourself right now."
If his hands weren't raised in such a placating way, I would have smashed that small growing smile on his face clean off, but I faltered for a moment. Wait...
Reaching up with one of my hands, frozen in place, I felt the tip of one of my elongated ears. I ran my tongue over my sharpened canines, and took in a deep breath confirming my growing suspicions... I shifted.