A/N – I am so, so, SO incredibly sorry about the delay with updates. Homework, finals, AP tests, research papers…procrastination finally caught up with me. This chapter was also incredibly difficult to write and I'm still not sure that I'm entirely happy with how it turned out. Hopefully the next one will be better; I'm having a lot more fun writing it, in any case. Long story short, I still love you all, and the next chapter will (hopefully) be up in a couple of weeks.

Disclaimer: The only thing I own is the writing. And a brand new copy of A Court of Thorns and Roses :)

…

"Aelin," Rowan called out in a singsong voice. "Rise and shine, sunshine! Are you ready to face this beautiful glorious fantastic day? Because it's waiting for you!"

"What the hell are you on?" she muttered, burrowing her head deeper down in an attempt to ignore him.

"Aelin, the sun rose hours ago. You can't sleep forever." He lowered his tone, dropping the lighthearted veneer that had coated his earlier words.

"I'm pretty sure I can," she mumbled. "Or I could, if you wouldn't mind leaving me alone. Go away. Shoo." Her words were accompanied by a halfhearted hand gesture, but the full effect of it was lost as her eyes drooped down again.

He recognized the sincerity behind her teasing, and backed slowly out of the tent. She had been dealing with a lot lately, and if she wanted to sleep, he wouldn't drag her out of it, not even for breakfast.

By the time he reached the entrance, she was already fast asleep once again. Rowan looked down once more at her sleeping face, amazed at the slight smile that was twirling the corners of her lips and replacing the scowl that usually resided there. The lines of tension had been smoothed over across her delicate cheekbones, and she looked completely and utterly at peace. It was times like these when he was thankful that he had been given a second chance with her, that he had been given the opportunity to help her overcome at least a little of her pain. When she had first come to him, sleep had provided no escape from the pain within. Her belief in herself had been torn to shreds, and he had been forced to watch as she was plagued by nightmares. Now, she seemed almost content.

He still regretted the way he had been forced to treat her when he first met her, and he was certain that he would feel bad about it for the rest of his life. It had worked to drag her out of her pained stupor, true, but it had torn him apart every second to watch her fall apart and know that he was contributing to her pain. It had been necessary, but it hurt him to know that he had done it nonetheless.

Rowan was still amazed that she had ever found it in her heart to forgive him for the things he had done. He supposed that she knew she had needed the push. Even in his wildest dreams though, he had never imagined that he could be treated as she dealt with him, especially after how he had treated her. She had not only forgiven him but had also come to trust him, and their relationship had evolved into something beautiful.

It had grown into something he wouldn't give up for the world.

Now that she had embraced her true self once again, he could treat her the way he had always wanted to. He could protect her and support her, tease her and cheer her up. He knew that it was an incredible privilege to be allowed to touch her, to hold her, and he treasured it immensely.

He knew about her past, and he knew that it must have been nearly impossible for her to open herself up to him. It had to have been even harder after the things he had said and done to her and the way she must have seen him because of it.

He had allowed himself to open up to her too, more than he had to anyone since…her. As much as Aelin claimed that he had saved her, he knew that she had more than returned the favor on countless occasions.

She had given him a reason to live. She had given his life a purpose. Because of her, he had a new goal – to protect her and restore her to her rightful throne, to serve and advise her all the days of her life.

Aelin had brought out the playful side in him. He had never thought he would ever smile again until she came parading into his life; he had never believed that life could be this good ever since he had lost the one person he cared about.

He had hoped that her life would begin to turn up as well, and for a time he had thought it had. She began to smile more, and she began to tease him back. Aelin had opened up to him, showing him some of the secrets that lay beneath the surface. He had been able to catch glimpses into the fears and insecurities she bore beneath her cool and confident exterior, and he cared about her all the more for it. Rowan knew that the characters from her old life who had hurt her so deeply would come back eventually, but he had assumed that he would have far more time before it happened.

He had thought that he would have all the time in the world to plan for when it happened.

They had come strutting in here as though they owned the place. It had killed Rowan that night, as he held Aelin's shaking body against him. She had been unprepared to handle their appearance, and he had been unprepared to hide his true feelings on the matter. He was furious that Chaol and Aedion had dared to show their faces around his queen. They were selfish pigs, self-centered and egotistical, for refusing to see what they were doing to Aelin simply by being here. They were refusing to leave, and they were even daring to throw themselves at her as though they had any right to do so.

Holding her that night, he had sworn yet another oath of loyalty to this woman. He had sworn silently that he would do everything in his power to ensure her safety and well-being, regardless of what that entailed.

He had come up with a plan that he desperately hoped would work. Pretending that the two of them were together would provide Aelin with a method of dealing with Aedion and Chaol that wouldn't involve wearing her heart on her sleeve.

Rowan hadn't mentioned his other reason for the plan to her, but it was even more significant. If she was to pretend to be in a relationship with him, it would give him a valid reason to be around her all the time. If something was to happen to her, or if either of the two were to try and confront her, it would be easy for him to interfere. It would be easy for him to rescue her from an awkward situation that might lead to more heartbreak. He was terrified that something would happen that would send her back to the person she had been when he first met her, broken and alone. He cared about her too much to let that happen under his watch, and he would do everything in his power to protect her.

Protecting her wouldn't injure her pride, either – if she was angry at him for stepping in to deal with either of them, he could simply write it off as being part of the plan.

He could see no flaws in it. Besides, a bit of entertainment was good for the soul – and he was more than certain that there would be quite a bit of it coming.

…

Celaena let out a long yawn as she got out of bed.

She was exhausted, both physically and emotionally, after a long night of deliberation. While Rowan seemed to love his idea, she still wasn't sure she approved. She had agreed, but it didn't seem like the wisest course of action. If Aedion was anything like the boy she remembered, when he threw a fit, he threw a fit.

She knew from firsthand experience that he had always been overly protective of her as well. Whether it was stealing the last cookie because it might "damage her health" or threatening to fight her playmates off in order to be able to sit next to her, he had always been there. His behavior had been especially off around Rowan now, and she was more than a little nervous that things could turn violent.

And that didn't even include Chaol.

Chaol would be even worse than Aedion. She remembered his reaction to her dress the night she had gone out to see Archer…and then forcibly shoved the wave of memories that accompanied that one back down into the depths of her mind. She knew that he wasn't handling Rowan's presence well, and rubbing a relationship back in his face would only hurt him more.

She didn't want anyone else to get hurt on her account, and Rowan's plan would certainly lead to that. At the same time though, she couldn't help but be drawn in by his idea. It was Chaol's and Aedion's own fault for being so overprotective of her. It wouldn't be her fault if their feelings were hurt by the situation. Besides…it might help her come to terms with them being here. Rowan had been there for her in a greater capacity than Aedion ever had, and it stung just to think about what Chaol had meant to her once upon a time.

She'd sort her feelings out later; she was too hungry to think clearly. Like a beast on the prowl she snuck through the tents, carefully avoiding the villagers (especially the men). She was an assassin, silent as the grave, and especially skilled in avoiding people she didn't want to see her. She was Celaena Sardothien, for crying out loud.

She successfully managed to make it to the food tent without being spotted by Chaol or Aedion, and she let out a silent sigh of relief. She crept around the back of the tent and slipped inside…

…and was greeted by a table full of men, gnawing on meat like a bunch of barbarians.

Celaena glanced down the table. She hadn't escaped notice; in fact, more than a few of the men were gaping openly at her. One even had drool dripping down his chin as he sized her up, and she would have liked nothing less than to wipe it right off his face with a well-placed punch. She wouldn't back down, though. She was capable of defeating any of them in any sort of fight, and she could look after herself.

She wandered down the table, searching for an empty seat. She smiled as she spotted one at last – and then grimaced as she saw who was occupying the surrounding chairs.

As if alerted to her presence, both Chaol and Aedion's faces perked up. When they made eye contact, she knew that it was over. She searched frantically for another chair, for an escape of any sort, but there wasn't one. There was no excuse for her; she would either have to leave the tent and be deemed a coward, or she would have to tough it out and go sit in between the two men she wanted to avoid more than anything.

It wasn't much of a choice.

She steeled her nerves and took a deep breath to calm her pounding heart. Its beat was resounding through her ears, and as hard as she tried to control it, she just knew that her face was blushing brighter than a tomato. Celaena forced herself to put one foot in front of the other, to take just one more step, and was reminded of her time in Endovier saying the exact same things. It made her feel more than a little faint – as did the prospect of spending an entire meal seated between Aedion and Chaol – but still she trudged on.

She was a few feet away from the seat when she heard the voice of an angel cry out, "Aelin! Over here!" Her head whipped up, and her gaze searched intensely for her savior, for Rowan. "Over here!" he called out one more time, and she saw him at last. He was sitting on the opposite end of the table, and she quickly whipped around. She didn't bother looking back at Chaol or Aedion; she was ashamed that she had been so willing to back down from their challenge, but she didn't care enough to go back.

Rowan was there, and everything would be okay. She rushed quickly to his side, looking for the chair she must have missed earlier, but there wasn't one.

The question must have been clearly visible on her face. Rowan smiled slightly up at her and calmly gestured towards his lap. "Take a seat, my sweet," he told her with an exaggerated wink. Damn it. She had wanted more time to think about his proposal, and this was moving too fast for her. The pompous tone of voice he was using made her want to smack him, but her only other option was going back to Aedion and Chaol, and that sounded far less appealing.

She would definitely have to have a little talk with him later about the extent of their relationship.

He extended his hand to her, softly and quietly, as if she were a frightened animal. It almost made up for his prior tone of voice, and she made her decision at last. Celaena knew that she couldn't handle Aedion and Chaol right now. Their mere presence was enough to scare her and bring about the months of self-doubt that had plagued her ever since Chaol's betrayal. She could deal with them, and she would, but it was painful and raw. It would take time.

Rowan knew that. His offer was for her sake, and she had to learn to take the generosity when it was offered. She forced a glittering smile upon her face and climbed up onto his lap, settling in for the rest of the meal.

Celaena blocked out the noise of the lewd comments, and she blocked out the voices of Chaol and Aedion as they echoed throughout the hall. She ignored the offended looks on their faces, and she ignored the fear that was simmering deep within her. Instead, she focused on the soothing motion of Rowan's fingertips along her skin, and she nestled her neck closer into his shoulder to smell the scent of his musk and calm her still-racing heart.

Everything will be okay, she told herself.

Everything will be okay.

…

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