A/N:

The card game is one of my own making. It's kind of a play on Last Card. Me and my friends play it all the time so it does work. (Yes I appreciate that they would probably not have had modern playing cards in Erilea, but I am writing this at three am and my brain is officially dead.)

Aelin:

She was strong. She was a warrior. She would never admit defeat. Never give in to her foe.

Dorian slammed a Three of Spades down onto the pile and Aelin snarled in frustration, throwing her own cards down on the table. "King's Ransom." Dorian said smugly, and sure enough, held up the King of Spades. The only card left in his hand. Chaol remained stone faced as ever. They were playing without betting any money but Aelin was still sacrificing her dignity on this game. Chaol collected the cards up, shuffled and then dealt again.

They began to play again.

They sat in silence for a few turns, each placing down a card and then looking to their right.

"I'm winning." Dorian finally said, looking down at his cards.

Chaol rubbed a hand over his face, "I really don't think you understand how this game works."

Fenrys, who had his huge wolf head resting in Aelin's lap, barked a laugh. Aelin looked down at him. " You can change back now, you know." The wolf huffed and lifted its huge shoulders in a shrug. Aelin rolled her eyes and placed a Four of Diamonds down on the pile. Chaol to her right, looked down at his cards and started drawing from the pile. He drew at least five cards until he found something that he could play. Placing the card down he looked at Fenrys. "That's becoming creepy. It's like he is attached to your hip." Aelin ruffled Fenrys' fur.

"Don't worry about it. He's just a big baby."

The wolf bared its teeth but lolled his head to the side to allow Aelin to scratch under his chin.

Dorian threw a Jack on the pile, "Chaol, do you have a king?"

Chaol didn't lose his poker face as he drew a king out of his hand and tossed it to Dorian.

Aelin put a Queen on the pile, "I'll take that King please." She told Dorian.

The dark haired prince groaned and handed her the playing card.

Aelin kept her eyes away from her cards, trying her best not to smile.

She only had one card to get rid of. Chaol apparently had no moves to make because he started picking up at an alarming rate. "This is your fault." Dorian told him. "You have a crappy shuffle."

Chaol glared at him and plonked a joker down on the pile,
"You're skipping?" Aelin scoffed, " Chicken, be like a woman and pick up." Chaol shook his head, "I'm not planning to lose that badly."

"How do you know you'll lose?" Dorian asked.

"Aelin has an ace." Chaol said.

Aelin put the ace down "I change the suit to Clubs." She said, "not that it matters," and flicked her king onto the table. "King's Ransom!" She crowed. "Also, how did you know?"

Chaol leveled her with a look. " Your Poker face is awful."

They both shot him unimpressed looks. Chaol rolled his eyes. "Also, there's a mirror behind you."

Aelin looked over her shoulder at the offending piece of glass. "Cheat" She accused.

"It didn't make a difference, did it?" Chaol protested, "You still won."

"Hmmm." Aelin sucked on a tooth. Her mind drifted off to other places. She remembered how fervently Aedion cheated when they played these games back home. The good natured bets Lysandra and Lorcan and she put on the matches.

The way all the games seemed to deteriorate into Elide and Rowan steadily trying to beat each other, (because, lets face it, with those two playing, the rest of them didn't stand a chance.)

And that just made her think of her friends. And, gods she missed them.

Especially Rowan.

"Wake up, sleepy." Dorian waved his hand in front of her face. Aelin jerked back to reality.

"Sorry." She said, scrubbing a hand over her face. "I guess I'm just tired, s'all."

Fenrys cocked his big head to the side, and a moment later, Aelin heard footsteps echo through the halls outside. The door was pushed open and Ansel of Briarcliff strode in. She took in the cards on the table. Dorian's expression and grinned wickedly, "I would have smoked you all." she said.

Aelin scoffed, "Yeah, right!"

Ansel rolled her eyes, "Wouldn't be too rude to me. I have a package for you." She turned and beckoned someone inside the room.

Alin's world shrunk down to a single point and all she could see was, Rowan, Rowan, Rowan. She didn't even notice when all her other friends walked into the room, she just stared at him. And he stared at her.

And then she was flying towards him, leaping over the table and sending the playing cards flying and Chaol sprawling out of his chair.

She locked her legs around Rowan's waist, her arms wrapping around his neck, her mouth locking on his and she just clung tight. He stumbled back into the wall and they stayed there for a minute, each kissing the other like they hadn't seen them for years.

A throat was cleared in the background. A cough that sounded like Aedion and a retching noise that sounded like Ansel. Aelin didn't pull away, didn't do anything that would stop Rowan from roving his hands up and down her back, but she unwrapped an arm from his neck and showed them her fingers. Or rather, just one of them.

"Rude." Dorian muttered, and Rowan pulled away from her with a shaky laugh.

Aelin unwrapped her legs and dropped to the floor, brushing at her disheveled hair and fixing her rumpled clothes. She took in her friends. They all looked bone weary and disheveled. Aedion was leaning on Lysandra's shoulder. Lorcan was hovering about Elide like a vulture. As silent and pissy as ever.

"Ahem." Aelin motioned to Rowan. "Ansel, Dorian, Chaol. This is my mate Rowan, and the Cadre. Lysandra, Elide, Aedion, Mr. Broody Eyebrows in the corner is Lorcan and you have already met Fenrys."

"Is he okay?" Lysandra asked, gesturing to Fenrys. "Why is he a wolf?"

"No idea," Aelin sighed. "We can figure it out later. Anyway, Cadre. This is the childhood gang, Ansel, Dorian, Chaol and you'll meet Nehemia at dinner."

She smiled at her friends. " Now that introductions are over, sit down. I'm going to smoke you all at cards."

…

As it turns out, Aelin did not beat her friends. This time, it was Elide who had the winning hand. She slammed her king down on the table, poker face still painted on her features. "Kings Ransom." She said.

Chaol glared down at his cards. The Fae all looked like they wanted to murder something.

The rest of them were pretty much resigned to their fate, (as mentioned. When Elide and Rowan were playing, they rarely ever won.) All except for Ansel who had not joined them in playing and was sitting in the back of the room, picking her teeth with a small dagger.

Fenrys had apparently taken a shine to the girl and was lounging by her feet, tail curled around the leg of her chair.

She was snickering under her breath. 'Bunch of fools.' Aelin heard her mutter. 'Beaten by a cripple.'

Aelin had known Ansel since they were both in diapers, so she knew that Ansel wasn't actually being rude. It was just tough love. Tough albeit mentally scarring love.

Aelin was more than certain that the girl had already made up insulting nicknames for all present.

Dorian collected up all the cards and filed them into a neat pile with a tap on the table. "Another round?"

Lysandra scoffed. "You think you'd get tired of losing."

Ansel heaved a sigh and got to her feet. "I'm bored of you losers. I'm going to the weapons room. Drowning my sorrows over my lame friends in a pair of Kopis."

Fenrys snapped to his feet too and began trotting after her out the door.

Ansel stopped and turned around to look behind her. "Where do you think you're going Wolfie."

It did not escape Aelin's notice that the nickname was not in fact, that insulting.

"Fenrys?" Lysandra said uncertainly. Even Rowan, who hadn't spoken more than two words since arrival, looked cautious.

Fenrys cocked his huge head to the side then nudged the back of Ansel's legs. She rolled her eyes and strutted out the door with a final, "Later Tools."

Lorcan and Rowan, both of whom had never met, and heard the less mild of the stories about Ansel, looked startled.

"Don't worry," Aelin told them, "You get used to it."

"I think she's gotten worse since the last we saw her." Elide mused.

Chaol snorted. "Oh, she's definitely gotten worse."

"Sooo." Dorian flicked his gaze to Rowan. "You're the guy mated to our Lin-lin?"

Quicker than a whip Aelin snatched a knife out of her boot and buried it, hilt deep in the table.

"Call me that again-" She snarled. "And you die!"

"Lin-lin?" Rowan looked extremely amused.

"Don't even-"

"Oh my god!" Elide laughed. "I forgot about that nickname!"

The rest of the table jeered while Aelin flushed a dark red.
They continued playing cards, banter and good natured slurs flying around the table as if they were all old friends.

Aelin breathed out a sigh and leaned into Rowan who slipped an arm around her.

She took the time to just relax. Surrounded by her friends and family. Just for a while. Not for too long. After all. This was war.

A/N:

I sincerely apologise for the mess of a kissing scene.

Also, Ansel is one of my favourite characters so she will be featured quite a bit.