Aelin:
They were to leave for Morath this afternoon. She was currently having her last training session with the boys, and they were working on archery. "Don't take your eyes off the target. Pull the string back to your ear. Just like when throwing knives, breath in then release when you exhale."
They were doing good. All of them had improved at an impressive rate. She hoped this would help them while they were fighting.
She smelt a familiar scent coming towards them. Pine and snow. Rowan.
She cursed under her breath, "Shit." Noah laughed at her. "What?" She was supposed to be helping him.
"Rowan's here."
He laughed at her. "Good luck with that mess."
That's when she heard him. "Aelin, can I have a word?"
She whispered to Noah, "Wish me luck."
He only grinned at her and whispered back, "Don't worry. I'll come to your funeral."
She stuck her tounge out at him and walked towards Rowan.
"Hello, Rowan. Isn't it a nice day. No clouds in sight."
"Aelin, this is what you didn't want to tell me. I don't care if you train other people. I think it's amazing."
She just had an idea. "Which is why you're going to help me."
She dragged Rowan towards the boys. "Rowan, this is Liam, Noah, Nathan, Alfred, Isaac, Jacob, and Jonathon." She pointed to each of them as she said their names.
"Boys, this is Rowan. He's going to be helping us today."
She turned and smirked at Rowan. "You are going to spar with me, so we can show them how it's done."
He fixed her with a serious look. "Aelin, you know I can't. We're mates. I just got you back. I'm not going to hurt you."
Oh he was in for it now. "One, I love how you think you can hurt me, and two, nothing stopped you back at mistward. Try me."
He finally gave in to her. "Fine. Will you still talk like that after you get a mouth full of dirt."
She was taking him down. "Oh, you're on."
The men were about to see the show of their lives. "Boys, pay attention to our technique." She burned a large circle to make a small arena. "Don't step into the circle."
She turned on her heel grinning like a maniac. "Let's begin."
She moved to run forward to him, but Rowan froze the ground under her feet causing her to slip. "So magic? Guess we're all in."
He replied, "Wouldn't have it any different."
She sent a fire ball to his chest, but he dogged. Not in time. It managed to hit the sleeve of his arm. He quickly sucked the oxygen out of the fire to put it out. She was not going to take it easy on him.
While he was still putting out he fire, she ran towards him and swept him off his feet with a kick to the back of his knee. She was on him in an instant, punching him in the jaw. "You know I love you. Right?"
He responded by flipping her over punching her cheek bone. "Always."
With a quick knee to the groin, she got out from under him and landed a kick to his side. Yrene was a healer. She could fix them up later.
He came up and cut her in the calf with a knife she didn't know she had. "So, weapons too. This is how it's going to be?"
He came up and punched her in the mouth drawing blood. "You asked for a fight."
Her magic healed her cut in no time. He was going to eat his words.
She sent fire towards his feet causing his rubber boots to burn. While he was trying to get his feet out of the burning leather. She stabbed him in the thigh with his dagger. He would be fine. He could heal himself.
They went on like that for a while. Fist to fist. Weapon to weapon. Magic to magic.
Before she knew it, a huge crowd had gathered around the circle. Was it already breakfast time?
They were there to watch two of the strongest fae on earth spar. She wouldn't disappoint.
She sent a wave of fire blasting towards him. He barely dodged the blow sending dozens of ice arrows flying in her direction. She dodged and melted most of them, but one of them got past her shields embedding itself in her upper arm.
She yanked the arrow out, healing her arm with her magic.
She burnt the grass around him in an attempt to trap him. He only sucked the oxygen out of it then sent the ashes to her eyes with a strong gust of wind. Damn it. She couldn't see.
While she was momentarily blinded, he snuck behind her and kicked her in the back where she was still recovering from the lashings she had recently received. She fell to her knees grabbing at her back and crying out. He immediately knelt down with her trying to help her. Saying he was sorry. What Rowan didn't know was that she had developed a gigantic tolerance for pain while she was held captive by Maeve. She spun around and pushed him to the ground. Holding a dagger to his neck.
He smirked at her and said, "I've been in worse situations."
She flicked out another dagger and held it just above his groin. "Sure about that."
He seemed genuinely worried. "You wouldn't."
She only stared him down. "Oh yes I would."
He sighed, "Fine, I surrender. You win."
She got off of him standing and holding out a hand to help him get up. "Let's go get some help."
They were getting checked out by Yrene just before they had to leave.
Once she was done she stood up to leave. "You're all healed and ready to go. Now, don't do anything like that again any time soon."
They both nodded as she said her goodbyes and left them to sit alone.
Rowan turned to face her. "Are you sure you're okay?"
She gave him a quick peck on his lips. "The only thing that is still hurt is your dignity."
He leaned forward to kiss her again. "I guess you'll just have to heal my wounds."
*Hey. I hope y'all liked this chapter. This was sooooo fun to write. Fighting scenes are always the best. So, we're getting close to the part everyone's been waiting for. The face off against Erawen. I've finally decided how I want to do it. I also decided that I didn't want to stop it just there. I always hate it when you finish the last book in an amazing series and you want to know what happens after that. Well I won't leave y'all hanging. I'm planning on continuing it and writing about life at the castle after the war. Comment on what you think should happen after the war is over or how you think the war is going to end. Take a guess. I'm excited to hear what y'all think.
—Anna