A/N: Hello everyone, I am so sorry for the delay! As a senior in college, life got busy so I didn't have much time to write until this week! Anyway, I hope you enjoy it!

Over the next two weeks, Rowan didn't have a chance to see Aelin or even talk to her once. She was always surrounded by people, laughing and talking, barely noticing him whenever their paths crossed.

It was just the way it should be.

Rowan knew he had no chance with her, not in the least because he seemed to have marbles in his mouth every time he tried to say anything around her. And he really, really needed to get control of his magic because, damn it all to hell, just seeing her with another man made whirlwinds appear out of nowhere.

Rowan leaned against the marble pillar behind him as he sipped the fae wine in his hand. He watched as she danced with the man on the ballroom floor, both of them looking to the world like they had nowhere else they'd rather be.

He was the flip side to her coin with hair just as blinding gold, eyes just as strikingly turquoise. He knew, he knew, he had no reason to be jealous of this stranger as they bounded across the ballroom floor, perfectly in sync with each other.

That didn't stop him from flicking his finger slightly as they passed him –

And a wicked smile stole over Rowan's mouth as the blonde stranger tripped over thin air.

Someone snorted off to the side.

Rowan didn't bother turning around as his cousin sauntered over. Noticing that he wasn't going to start a conversation or defend his antics, Erlin laughed, "You look like he just took away your favorite toy!"

Rowan's clenched his fist. He was not in the mood for his cousin's specific brand of theatrics. "Don't you have somewhere better to be Erlin?" He tried to keep the ire out of his voice.

"Better than bothering you, dear cousin?" Erlin placed a hand on his heart, pretending to swoon, "Never."

Rowan took a sip of his drink and didn't justify that comment with an answer.

Erlin sighed dramatically, "Oh, come on you spoilsport! It's the summer solstice ball! Lighten up!" He gestured at the crowd of people mingling below them, all laughing and enjoying the summer air.

Without realizing what he was doing, Rowan's eyes scanned the room for the princess. Erlin's soft laugh next to him, told Rowan all he needed to know about how obvious his search was. His scowl deepened at the thought.

"You know, you could just go and talk to her." Erlin said.

Rowan took a sip of his drink, face blank as he stared at the orchestra as they began to play one of his favorite songs. Deadpan, Rowan looked at his cousin and said, "I don't know what you're talking about."

Just shaking his head in exasperation, Erlin scanned the ballroom with his eyes. Seeing something he clapped his hands together and said, "Fine then! I guess we'll just have to bring the party to you!"

Jumping lightly out of his seat Erlin stretched his arms wide and waved them over his head, "Princess! Princess! Over here!"

Rowan could feel his heart pounding its way out of his chest, what the hell? That scheming son of a fairy.

Trying to be discreet, Rowan whisper yelled back at Erlin and grabbed for his arm, "Stop! What do you -"

But he was too late. All he could do was watch as the Princess looked around for the fae who called out her name, her deep red dress twirling around her feet. Rowan crossed his fingers under the table, maybe… maybe he'd get lucky and she wouldn't see them.

It seemed like Mala was not on his side tonight because in that second, Aelin's eyes connected with the two of them and she smiled, her teeth glinting in the chandelier light.

Every step closer she took, Rowan could feel his heart pump more and more wildly. He hated it, absolutely hated his reaction to her.

Trying to steady his shaking hands, Rowan looked down into his drink and twirled it. Maybe this time he'd actually be able to speak to her like a normal fae.

Quickly, he lifted his wine to his mouth and downed it in two large gulps – he definitely needed some liquid courage right now.

As he smacked the empty glass on the table, he looked up and saw -

Aelin's chest.

Dear lord, the things that dress did to them.

Shit. Look up Rowan, look into her eyes and stand up. Shit. Shit.

Finally tearing his eyes away from her chest, Rowan did just that. With the alcohol buzzing through his body, his mind was scattered in every direction. Her eyes, he thought, they looked like an ocean ringed in fire. He wondered if she could set fire to the ocean and if they would match?

With a small laugh, her hand rose to her heart, "Well maybe but I doubt the fish would be happy about it!"
Eyes wide, he blinked at her in mortification and squeaked, "Did I just say that out loud?" He could practically feel his ears turn scarlet, the contrast against his hair making it every more prominent.

This time she didn't even try to make her laugh sound dainty and princess like, instead she tossed her head to the sky, her long blonde tresses bouncing down her back.

At that moment, Erlin finally decided to step in and save him, "Princess," He swept his arms in front of him and bowed, "You look magnificent tonight."

Back under control, she turned away from him and towards his cousin, a smile that screamed etiquette lessons across her lips.

Rowan chanced a look down at her dress. In truth, it was stunning. Deep red like dried cranberries, it was high necked with a long open back and golden lace outlined her arms and upper chest. Tight all the way to below her hips, it accentuated her curves and the thigh high slit showed off her tan, long legs.

"Thank you, Erlin. It was a gift from my mother actually!" She looked down at herself, straightening out some unseen wrinkles, her eyes soft as she continued, "It seems that she knew, even if I didn't, that I would be staying here long enough to be in need of it."

"Do you miss home, Princess?" Erlin asked.

Finally looking back up, she answered, "Every day." She played with the small bracelet on her wrist, the only piece of jewelry she wore.

Never one to bask in nostalgia, Erlin said brightly, "Well, you will be home soon enough! But for now, let me go grab us a round of drinks! Its seems we are all out and what is a ball without a bottle or two of wine?"

Not one to be unguarded for two long, Aelin raised her eyebrows and answered, "A bottle?"

Smiling mischievously as he walked away, Erlin said, "A glass! Of course, I meant to say a glass!"

Her exasperated shake of head told him she didn't believe a word of it.

Rowan, alone with the Princess, turned to her and asked, "What is it like? Terrassen?"

"Oh, it's beautiful! Filled with pines taller than some houses, rocky mountain ridges peaked with snow." She gestured happily with her hands, so much passion about her homeland in her eyes. He could tell, then and there, that she would make an amazing queen in the future.

"We have ta celebration every year on the summer solstice," She gestured towards the ballroom, "Though, nothing like this."

Rowan looked back into the ballroom, at the tall marble pillars and elegant decorations, "Is it a ball?"

She shook her head, "No, it's a festival. There's a carnival and so much celebration all around Orynth." She glanced at him then, "We even open the doors to the royal estate for the day and everyone is invited in to partake in a feast with us."
She sighed then, as if just remembering where she was and more importantly – where she was not.

Feeling brazen from the alcohol and not wanting for her to feel melancholy on the first day of summer, Rowan asked, "Would you like to dance Princess?"

She stared at his offered hand for a moment contemplatively as if it held the answer to the question of the universe. Finally, she put her long covered hand in his, "Yes, that would be lovely."

As they walked towards the dance floor, they did not say a word. Rowan, all of a sudden hearing the new song as it came on, began to sweat. He recognized those sultry notes and realized that he would be dancing with Aelin, Princess of Terrasen, for the most intimate dance known in all of Dornelle.

Turning towards her, he opened his mouth life a fish. He couldn't dance with her for this!

She stared at him intensely then gestured, If you'd rather wait for the next one, we can?

His heart squeezed as he realized she was giving him a way out, that even now, when it would be social suicide to back away from a dance, she cared more for his comfort.

Taking a deep breath, he looked her in the eyes (once more thankful for the free flowing wine), "No need."

Lightly, he wrapped his arms around her and stared directly into her eyes. She too, stepped into his embrace and if not for his fae hearing, he wouldn't have noticed her slight intake of breath or the change in her heart beat.

Slowly, they began to dance, never breaking eye contact. The contilla, as the dance was called, started slow with partners dancing in a circle around the floor. But later it would speed up and depending on the skill level of the dancers, take on a whole other dimension.

As they ended the slow portion, Rowan spun her out of her arms. Her skirt flew wide as she shimmered in the light, so very much like the fire she controlled. Entranced by her beauty, he didn't realize the strength at which he pulled her back in, not until his honed reflexes were the only thing stopping them from falling over as she came back into his arms.

Flush against him, he could feel every contour of her body. Her fast paced breathing pushing her chest against his, her face so close that if he leaned in –

He stopped that thought right there and went to loosely step back as they began to speed up but then Aelin grabbed his wrist.

Not breaking their connection, she pulled herself tightly to him, pushing his hand into her lower back and whispered "Don't."

Gulping as they began to move faster, he decided then and there if this was all he could get – and it likely was with her being who she was – he would take it.

Steeling himself, he firmly pressed her center against his and looked into her eyes. It might have been his imagination but he swore he could see her pupils dilate as she licked her lips. Getting ready to hold her as she leaned backwards from him for a dip, he grabbed her leg, wrapped it around his waist, and sensually rubbed his thumb against her thigh.

A smirk played across her lips as she felt his fingers go further than was proper. She seemed to say, so that's how you want to do this?

If he was still thinking straight, Rowan might have stopped there but thankfully, he was no longer thinking with his head. Instead he bared his teeth in a growl, do your worst.

And she did.

She pushed his boundaries to the limit, her hands constantly skimming him and leaving a trail of heat in their wake. Never breaking eye contact, he pushed right back. When they dipped, he made sure lightly drag his canines against her skin. When he lifted her, she never failed to make her body was as close as possible to his.

Finally, when the song finished, she smiled blindingly at him, her hair wild and no longer constrained in perfect coils, cheeks flushed from exertion and said, "Another?"

What else could he do but oblige?

Before he knew it, the ball ended. Not once had he and Aelin left each other's side. The thrill of it made his magic stir, so close to the edge. He knew that it was the same for her, he could practically hear the sizzling of fire at her finger tips.

Not wanting the night to end but know it needed to, Rowan turned to Aelin and began to offer his goodbyes – but she interrupted him by saying, "Walk me back to my room?"

Feeling all the eyes of the ballroom on him, he tried to quell his nerves as he nodded and led her through the castle.

The walk to her room was spent in a relaxing silence, her body never straying far out of reach. As they reached her suite, Aelin led them into her living room. Interested, Rowan looked around at the place she has been living for the past two years since she arrived at Dornelle. He could tell, that while most of the items were Queen Maeve's, some were definitely not.

One of those things, he now held in his hand. It was a small wooden toy, no bigger than his palm.

Laughing Aelin came up behind him and looked at the figurine, "It was mine as a child." She gestured for him to hand it to her so he did. With delicate fingers, she traced the outlines of the horse, "My parents gave it to me because I kept lighting all the others on fire. They had this one spelled to resist flame." Then before he could even process her words, it was covered in flames.

Looking at him now, she said, "See?"

Intrigued, he cloaked his hand in air and reached for it. Taking it from her, he looked at her face as he felt the slight tickle of warmth around his hand.

She was looking at him searchingly again, as if trying to figure out a puzzle, "You're really not afraid of it, are you?"
Confused, Rowan asked "Of what?"

"My fire."

Tilting his head to the side, still confused he said, "Should I be?" Then shrugging his shoulders, he continued, "You have fire, I have air, what's the difference? It's all magic."

She turned away from him and walked further into the suite and leaned against her bedroom window, "Everyone else is, back home and even here." She looked back at him, the moonlight tracing her features, "It's always there brushing at the edge of my conscience, at the tip of me finger tips burning under my skin."

"For me it's like I'm always surrounded in a slight breeze of my own, if I don't let it out enough it'll make it difficult to grab a piece of paper sometimes."

Her smile turned melancholy then and she looked back at the toy in him hands, "You're lucky then, if I'm not always completely in control I can be a bit more destructive."

Remembering the ease at which she lit the figurine on fire just moments before, he didn't doubt it. He couldn't imagine how it must feel to be her in Terrasen, surrounded by people who feared her gift. Never truly feeling at ease with her fae heritage, who would even be there to teach her?

Just then, a realization came over him, "That's why you're really here isn't it? To learn control?"

She laughed a little at that and stood up. "Partially yes but I'm mostly here to secure an alliance with Maeve."

He nodded, that's what he remembered being told by Lorcan when she first arrived. An alliance of the two fae nations.

"I actually have a drop of water in me too." She waved at the water glass by her bed and bit her lip in concentration. Slowly, he watched as the water drifted into the air. It stayed there for a moment, before she lost control and it fell with a resounding splat.

Sheepishly, she grimaced and said, "There's not much there but it's something I guess?"

He jokingly poked her shoulder, "Maybe you should just stick with fire? Seems like you're a little better at that."

Playfully she huffed and walked past him towards her changing room, "Trust me I got power and then some to spare."

"Really?" Everyone always said that she was powerful but he'd honestly never seen anything to suggest it – bar their sparring match.

He could hear the shuffling of clothes falling off her body as she answered, "Why else would they make me travel to the other end of the world to get trained?"
He tried to keep his mind off the fact that she was now naked less than ten feet away from him. But gods help him – he had spent the last couple hours in close contact with that body and he had a good imagination.

As he finally got his body back under control and shifted about so the parts he couldn't get back under control were hidden, she stepped out of the changing room.

And he forgot how to breathe.

Gone was the long gown, in its place – dear gods – was a small slip of a thing. Squeaking, he quickly whipped around and accusingly asked, "WHAT in the name of Deanna, are you wearing?"

Her answering laugh was enough to tell him that she had planned this, "Oh this?" Her voiced laced with false innocence, "Just my pajamas."

Trying to get his breathing under control, he heard her snort. "Oh come on boyo, don't worry. I'm not going to do anything untoward towards you."

Eyes still closed, he heard her walk around him and sit on her bed. "Rowan," she said playing with the hem or her small barely their slip, "don't act like you've never seen a girl in less than this."

When he didn't answer she got up and stood in front of him. Meanwhile, he was fighting for control with everything he had. Some part of him, deep down, had seen her in that and needed to take her now – bite her and have his way. He didn't want her to see it in his eyes, the want. Thankfully, she was still in her human form and couldn't hear or smell what was going on with him.

"Rowan look at me." She lightly touched his shoulder and was about to continue when the door slammed open. They jumped apart from each other, startled out of their minds.

"Aelin!" The golden stranger from before happily exclaimed as he slammed the door shut behind him.

Then he stopped dead as he noticed what she was wearing and that she was not alone. Suddenly, his entire countenance changed, "What," he pointed at Rowan, "in hell is going on here."

"None of your business Aedion, come back later." Aelin said defiantly to her obviously drunk cousin.

Shit. Rowan couldn't help but think as he finally placed the male, it was her cousin. He was dead.

"None of my…" He shook his head and stared at her from across the bed, "None of my business! Everything you do is my business!" Then pointing at him, "You could have just lost us this alliance! He's part of Maeve's court, gods dammit Aelin, first trying to get yourself killed by walking around the slums and now this? What would your mother say?"
Her eyes turned to slits, "I am my own person Aedion, you do not control me and neither do my parents."

He could see that this was getting into dangerous territory, so Rowan slowly began to back away towards the door.

As if that small movement made them both realize he was still there, twin turquoise eyes turned their heated stares at him. Faster than Rowan could blink, Aedion spun, unsheathed his sword and had it under his chin, "Tell me, fae, why I shouldn't kill you for this. It's well within my rights."
Gulping, Rowan looked at Aelin, wondering what he meant. Aedion laughed, "Oh you don't know do you? She's the heir to the throne, meaning, anyone who wishes to court her – or just fuck her in your case - has to be approved by the head of the house under penalty of death. As it stands, the King is that head of house."
"AEDION!" Aelin's hair cackled with energy as she stalked towards them, "Get away from him right this instance and don't bring my father into this."

To entice him, Rowan saw Aelin carefully light his hand on fire. And with a shout, Aedion dropped his blade and nursed his burned hand.

Looking back at him, Aedion said in a forced civil tone, "Rowan Whitethorn, I believe it is time for you to leave."

Glancing quickly at Aelin, who nodded while not taking her eyes of Aedion, Rowan left the suite.

Racing quickly through the halls, Rowan's mind was buzzing. His thoughts were going a million miles an hour and his instincts were screaming at him to go back and protect Aelin, though he knew she didn't need it.

Finally out of the castle, Rowan leaned heavily against the stone wall and sank onto the cold hard ground. He put his head in his hands and tried to still his pounding heart. What in the name of Mala had just happened? What had he been thinking all night? How could he forget who she was?

And why did he still feel this incessant need to be with her right now?

REVIEW PLEASE!