Aelin had a difficult time explaining the water all over the floor to the servant she had called. She had said she'd begun to draw a bath and got distracted, causing the tub to overflow. Nobody needed to know that all that water had sloshed out as a result of… other activities.

She walked back into the bedroom where Rowan was standing in front of the fire, a towel wrapped around his waist.

"Shouldn't you get dressed?"

"Why bother putting on clothes when we both know you're just going to be taking them off later?"

"Oh? You sound so sure." She ran a finger down his bare chest.

Mischief glimmered in his eyes. "Just trying to save you the trouble."

"How noble." She walked over to the bed, trailing her finger across his chest as she went. "But I think I'll just be reading tonight."

"Is that so." He wasn't asking; he knew what she was doing. He knew that she was just taunting. Fine. He would go with it. He got dressed and slid on the bed next to her.

He put an arm around her shoulders and she settled into his chest, her eyes on her book. One of his hands rested on her waist while the other traced lazy circles on her thigh. The hand on her waist slipped under her shirt to the small of her back, and he let his fingers graze her bare skin.

"I don't know what, exactly, you're trying to do. I told you," she held up her book. "I'm just going to be reading tonight."

He rested his chin on her shoulder. He could tell that she was trying not to smile, and he fought a smile of his own. "I'm not trying to do anything." He turned his head and placed a kiss behind her ear. She merely turned the page, but he saw the spark in her eyes and knew he almost had her.

He nipped at her ear, and she sucked in a breath. He knew what was coming as she carefully folded the corner of her page to mark her spot and set the book down on the bedside table. Her eyes gave away how badly she wanted him when she turned back to face him. He propped his head up with his hand and bit his lip expectantly.

She lunged for him, pushing him onto his back, and he laughed as she pulled his shirt off and straddled him. She silenced him with a deep kiss as she pressed her body against his.

He pulled away. "I told you it would've saved you the trouble," he said, gesturing to his clothes.

"Shut up," she mumbled as she kissed him again.

In the hallway, Emrys paused outside their door. He'd had news to tell Aelin, but after hearing the noises on the other side of the door, he decided it best to wait until morning. He would send Luca to tell her during breakfast, then. He hurried back down the hallway, but not before he heard the moan coming from their room. It was too deep to have been Aelin, so it must have been... He shook the thought out of his head. He busied himself with the morning shift in the kitchens, keeping his thoughts away from what he had heard.

Sunlight was beginning to spill in through the window. It cast a soft glow over Rowan, making his green eyes seem brighter than usual. Aelin looked up at him, her head resting on his shoulder. She shifted, resting her chin on his chest. He was gazing down at her, his eyes warm as he held her close.

After a while, he was the first one to speak. "We should probably get up and get some breakfast." Despite his words, neither of them moved.

A loud grumble disturbed the silence. Rowan laughed softly and propped himself up on his elbows. "You might not want to, but your stomach says otherwise."

Aelin grinned sheepishly as she slowly began getting out of bed. After a few minutes, they were both dressed and following the scent of eggs and bacon coming from the dining hall. "I hate to say it, but breakfast today might actually smell better than you."

Rowan feigned offense, putting a hand on his chest and widening his eyes, and Aelin giggled at him.

They sat beside each other at a table during breakfast. They ate in relative silence, listening to the chatter of Mistward. Aelin noticed how much more lively it sounded now than it had just a week or two ago. The attack had been hard on everyone, but it was obvious that Mistward was recovering. Between the reconstruction and rising spirits, she knew it wouldn't be long before things would return to normal.

Aelin was focused on her eggs when she noticed someone slip into the seat opposite her. She glanced up and saw that it was Luca. He glanced between her and Rowan, and she could tell he had noted how closely they were sitting. She was about to give him a warning look when he spoke. "Someone showed up last night demanding to see you. He said you would want to meet with him, but we're keeping him in the east wing just to be safe."

"Did you get his name?"

"No. He only talked about meeting you. He didn't seem to have bad intentions, but you might want to bring… reinforcement, just to be safe." He looked pointedly at Rowan.

Rowan set down his fork. "And why are you the one telling us about this? Why did I not know sooner?"

Luca fidgeted. "Emrys was the one that intercepted him. He would have told you sooner, but he didn't want to disturb you two last night, and he's busy in the kitchens now."

Rowan's irritation began to turn to anger. "Emrys was on border patrol?"

"Well… yes. He's perfectly capable of border patrol."

Rowan clenched his jaw. "It's not safe."

Luca sat up straight and looked Rowan in the eye. "He may not be a warrior, but he doesn't spend all of his time chopping carrots. He knows his way around a knife."

Rowan held his stare for a moment, but Luca didn't falter. "Very well," he said finally.

Aelin looked over at Rowan. "We'll go meet this visitor as soon as we finish breakfast."

Rowan nodded. They resumed eating, but it was more hurried than before.

Aelin swallowed the last bite of eggs left on the plate and placed a hand on Rowan's arm to let him know that she was ready to go.

They rose and set off for the east wing. Despite their brisk pace, it still took them a few minutes to reach the heavy oak door that the visitor was being held in. There was a guard – a regular demi-fae that was deemed capable of handling a sword – stationed at the door. He stood up straighter when he saw them approach, and nodded at Rowan. Rowan paid him no attention as they stopped in front of the door. "Ready?"

"I'm always ready." Aelin pushed the door open and strode into the room. The man was standing on the far side of the room, and he whirled to face them as soon as he heard her footsteps.

She stopped. That face… It had been so long since she had seen that face. She couldn't help the smile from erupting on her face as she beheld her cousin.

Sorry it took so long to update... I had absolutely no idea how I should continue it, but now it should actually have a little more structure (or something). Thank you to everyone that's reviewed! I'm going to do my best to incorporate your ideas :)

Page After Page - Can I just write you a seperate fic? Love the idea (though it'll probably make me cry more tears than I'll ever admit)