Aelin threw a large pile of clothes on the bed and began to sift through it, trying to pick out useful clothing that also made her look good. Not that would be something Rowan would notice, or maybe he would. But from her latest memory-sleep-diving she knew one thing he definitely would notice.
A knock on the door snapped her attention as the door opened and Lysandra snuck in.
«I got what you requested.» Lysandra said wiggled her eyebrows suggestively at her, while pulling a piece of clothing out of the small bag she carried. Aelin grinned broadly, taking the clothing Lysandra handed her and held it up in front of her.
«Thank you, Lys. You're the best.» She said and hugged her friend.
«Don't mention it,» Lysandra waved her off. «Rowan will fall to his knees when he sees you in this.» she said and grinned like a hellion. Aelin stroked her fingers over the fabric.
«Oh, he'd better.» Aelin laughed.
«You know, if someone had told me a few months ago, that I would run around looking for scandalous nightgowns for you, I would never have believed it.» she said, and sat down at the edge of the bed and frowned at the huge pile of clothes there. «You're not bringing all of this, are you?»
Aelin snorted at her. «Of course not, just looking through it. Are you and the guys ready to go to Banjali?»
«Yes, everything is packed and ready to go. Actually, you are the only one still packing.» she said with a pointy look. Aelin gave her best innocent smile.
But before she got to answer her, someone knocked on the door. Aelin quickly scented the air to find out who it was, then stuffed the nightgown and the small bag Lys had brought into her own bag. «Come in!» she said. Rowan entered already with a frown on his face when he too spotted the large pile of clothes.
«If you bring that, you'll carry it yourself.» he said. Aelin crossed her arms and huffed at him, and pursed her lips.
«Such a charming gentlemale.» she click her tongue. «But no, I'm not bringing all of it. Just a few different outfits for different occasions, in case I'll need it.»
He frowned at the pile again. «None of these are fit for fighting.» he said curtly. Aelin rolled her eyes at him and sighed dramatically.
«I haven't gotten to that part yet.» she narrowed her eyes at him.
«The ship leaves in an hour, Fireheart. Now hurry up, or you won't have time to say goodbye to everyone.» he raised an eyebrow at her. He went for the closet, rummaged around for a bit, then came back out with two sets of black clothing. When he approached the bag, Lysandra snatched the clothes out of his hands.
«We can take it from here, but thank you for your assistance.» she said sweetly, then proceeded to push him out the door. «We'll be out in a few minutes.» She shut the door behind him, and when she turned back to Aelin they both burst out giggling.
«That was close.» Aelin managed to breath out.
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The docks were bustling with life as people hurried to either load crates unto the ships, or were boarding. Aelin walked over to Elide, who had come to see them off, and hugged her. «Stay close to Manon, she might be a snarling bitch on the outside, but she's really just a big softy on the inside.» Aelin said and winked at her.
A snarl came from behind Elide, and Aelin chuckled quietly. Elide grinned hesitantly at her. «Stay safe, Aelin.» she said.
Aelin gave her a bright smile, then turned to Manon. «See you later, Witch.»
Manon smirked. «We'll be here.» she said and stepped up next to Elide. Right, not one for emotional goodbyes, that one. Aelin just smirked back, then moved on to the trio that was leaving for Eyllwe. She hugged Lysandra first.
«Say 'hi' to Nehemia for me, and don't let her boss you around too much.» she said to the shifter.
«I will, and I hope you get use for it. And be careful, we can't lose you.» Lys whispered in her ear as they hugged.
«Careful is my middle name.» Aelin said jokingly. Then she moved on to Sam and she flung her arms around his neck, and he held her firmly to him while burying his face in her still slightly pink hair.
«Don't get married while you're away, alright? I want to be there.» he mumbled into her hair, and she laughed a little.
«I won't, I promise.» she pulled away to look at his face. «Thank you, Sam, for everything.» he smiled at her and tapped her nose as he always liked to do, making her grin while waving his hand away.
«If he hurts you in any way, tell me, and I'll kick his ass.» he said and winked at her, and she laughed out loud.
«I will.» she said, grinning widely at him. «Until we meet again, Sam Cortland.» she said and hugged him again.
The captain announced for final boarding, and they all quickly said their goodbyes to everyone. Then Aelin, Rowan and Aedion hurried unto the ship, while Sam, Lysandra and Wesley went to theirs a bit further down the harbor. The rest of the gang stayed where they were to wave them off into the distance.
Soon the ships set sail for their destinations, and she waved at her friends until they were no more then a small dot in the horizon.
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On the fourth day on their voyage towards Wendlyn, Aelin snuck down into their cabin earlier than usual. Aedion was on lookout duty in the top mast for the first half of the night, but she and Rowan had nothing to do this night. At least not officially.
She wanted him, badly, but he was being awfully chaste and had made no move to bed her. Maybe it was the fact that she was seventeen that made him pause, but she sure as hell wasn't going to make it easy for him. Besides, she had been nineteen when they first did it, and that wasn't much older than she was now.
Once inside the cabin, she pulled out the nightgown Lysandra had helped her get. A feral grin spread across her face. Metallic gold.
Footsteps sounded from the stairs leading down to the cabins, and she hurried into the small bathroom and listened to the footsteps. But they walked past her cabin, not Rowan then. She sighed with relief, then began to undress.
She slipped into the smooth fabric just as she heard the door into their cabin opened. «Aelin?» she heard Rowan say. She detected worry in his voice that he tried to hide, he was probably wondering why she had gone down here earlier than normal.
«In the bathroom, I'll be right out!» she told him, while ruffling her hair trying to fluff it up a bit. She hadn't informed him that she remembered this, about the gold nightgown, and she couldn't wait to see his face. One last check in the mirror, her hair was back to its golden glow, eyes were sparkling. Time to shine.
She opened the door slowly and leaned against the doorframe, watching Rowan as he turned to look her way.
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Breathing suddenly became very difficult as he looked her up and down, as he watched how the golden nightgown hugged her curves and the spark in her eyes. He scented her, and her desire hit him. He took a step closer as she began walking towards him.
«Do you like it?» she asked innocently, too innocently. A wicked, clever fox, his Fireheart. She stopped in front of him, close but not close enough. He stroked his fingers down her bare arms, then placed them on her hips pulling her against him.
«You know I do.» he said, voice thick with desire for her. «You look spectacular, Aelin.» he muttered, his hands traveled down her curves, then he bent down slightly and lifted her up. A small gasp escaped her as he put her back against the wall pinning her with his body. She wrapped her legs around his hips, and snaked her fingers into his hair. His heartbeat thundered in his ears as he moved in and kissed her. He broke from the kiss and moved on to her jawline, kissing every inch, making his way down her neck. She moaned his name, and her fingers tightened their grip in his hair.
Enough, enough of waiting. He moved her away from the wall, and carried her to the bed and gently laid her down. Her flushed face peered up at him, the nightgown looked molten in the moonlight that streamed into their room. «How long are you going to make me wait, buzzard?» she said breathlessly, and the lovely smile on her face got him moving.
Quickly his clothes where discarded, and he climbed into bed beside her. He stroked her thighs, followed the curves of her body. He met her lust filled eyes. «Are you sure you want to...?»
«Yes, I do. Isn't it obvious?» she said and laid a hand to his chest. «I love you, Rowan.» she leaned in closer, making the gap between them shrink.
«I love you too, Aelin.» he whispered against her lips, then kissed her deeply.
They did not emerge from their cabin until long into the next day.