Life after the War - A Throne of Glass Fanfic

The Baby is here

Aelin sat on the chair in the sitting room of the castle, smiling at her manicured nails. Rowan and Lysandra had gone to shopping for the future princess. Rowan liked clothes too simple for an infant while Lysandra had a very different taste which is just too much for a baby so they could hopefully make a perfect shopping duo. Lysandra would stop Rowan from buying something too plain and Rowan would stop her from buying something too fancy. Plus Rowan could talk to Aelin through the bond for suggestions.

Initially, Aelin wanted to go to shopping herself but Rowan had made a good point. First of all, she is eight months pregnant during which, according to him, one should take complete rest and secondly if Aelin did go shopping, there was a hundred percent chance she would end up buying more clothes for herself than for the baby.

'Hey, I think we got one.' She heard Rowan speak through the bond.

'Describe it.' Aelin simply said. If they were going to be her daughter's clothes, they better be good enough.

'It is of the perfect size, lime green in color and soft fabric...' He started.

'Tell Lysandra to describe it. I want her exact words, Buzzard.' She sent through the bond a bit harshly.

"Fine." He murmured and told Lysandra to describe the dress.

"It is a kinda cute green frock with bold lettering saying Mama's Lil Girl." Lysandra said cheerily, standing beside Rowan with the said dress in her hand. They were in the best shop in Orynth and there were five servants trying to help them around for the clothes.

'It is a kinda cute green frock with bold lettering saying Mama's Lil Girl.' Rowan repeated into the bond.

'Tell her to rate it out of 10.' He heard Aelin order him.

"Definitely a 10. It is so cute." Lysandra answered at once.

'She says it is a 10.' Rowan said.

'Perfect. Take it.' Aelin said to him as she got up from the chair, walking towards her bedroom.

After four hours or so, they returned with half a dozen dresses for the baby and a gown for Lysandra because 'it would be a pity to go shopping and not bring back something for oneself'. She even made Rowan buy himself a pair of trousers.

MAGICAL TIME SKIP BROUGHT TO YOU BY ROWAN'S NEW TROUSERS

It was three in the morning, two days before the expected date for the baby. Aelin suddenly woke up with a sharp pain in her stomach. It was getting worse each passing second. She knew what it meant.

"Rowan." She managed to call and gave him jerks harder than she thought she could with so much pain.

"Yes..." The tattooed male slurred.

"The baby. It is coming. Now." She said through clenched teeth.

That was enough to wake Rowan up. He nearly fell off the bed but didn't forget to apologize before taking Aelin in his arms and running towards the door. He well-nigh barked at a servant to get Emma to the nearest infirmary. The servant didn't seem to be offended as he saw the Queen crying in Rowan's hands. He bowed before running to get the healer.

Rowan put Aelin on the infirmary bed as gently as he could and told the healer what they think it was. Emma sat near the Queen and put a hand on the baby bump. Raphaela had come too, not as the Head Healer but a healer nonetheless, and sat on a chair at the corner.

"It is still two hours." Emma said. Her hair was unkempt and the nightdress wrinkled all over.

Rowan sat down and placed his hand on Aelin's as he said, "I am here with you. I will always be there for you."

Two maids were standing near the door, talking to each other silently.

Evalin Ashryver had a very good reason to have stopped breathing during labour as Aelin too nearly passed out before a feminine cry echoed through the room. Emma gave the baby girl to Raphaela so she may clean her up.

Rowan and Aelin were both crying. The only difference was that Rowan's tears were of happiness while Aelin's were a mix of pain and joy. Maybe even Rowan's tears had a bit pain because his hand looked very blue with Aelin's finger visibly marked onto them.

Few minutes later, Raphaela came back with the baby cleaned and wrapped in a fuzzy pink towel. She gave it to Rowan who was well past trying to stop his tears fall on the girl.

"She's beautiful." He said as he placed her on Aelin's lap.

The girl looked so peaceful when asleep. So different from when she nearly woke the entire castle with her cry minutes earlier. Her silver hair so like her father and...

"Lord Aedion and others are waiting outside. Shall I let them in with your permission?" The elder servant asked.

Aelin nodded.

"Where's my niece?" Aedion and Elide asked at the same time. The girl was passed from one person to another. Everyone looking t her with so much love.

"I'll be the godmother." Lysandra and Elide said at the same time which made them look at each other with an expression that said 'what?'.

"I made you Garen's godmother." The shifter tried to influence Aelin but Elide wasn't having any of it.

"I am her godfather. There's no debating that." Aedion said as a matter-of-factly.

"Well, well, well. Looks like the little princess is going to have two godfathers and two godmothers." Aelin said which received smiles from all around.

Lorcan murmured something like 'I didn't even ask'. Fenrys came to the room a minute later and was furious when he heard that piece of information.

"I can't believe you did this to me." He said, his face set in a scowl.

"You were late, pup. It is your fault." Lorcan told but that didn't improve the situation.

"Not being a godfather doesn't stop you from becoming her favorite uncle." Aelin helped.

Fenrys smiled at that and took the baby in his arms and mouthed the words 'I am your favorite uncle'.

"What's her name?" He asked.

Rowan was about to say that they hadn't decided it yet but Aelin spoke, "Elena Evalin Galathynius."

Aelin knew the name the moment she had seen that silver fuzz.

"Wait, what?" Aedion asked. He looked bewildered.

"Don't get me wrong but you and the ghost princess didn't seem to get along too well." He piped up.

"It is because of her that I am alive today. She knew that defying those cold-hearted gods would have a price higher than death but she did. Gave me the borrowed time. Paid it with her soul." Aelin said softly. It was a part of the reason for the name. The other, bigger part was so that Brannon can rest in the afterlife knowing that someday, an Elena Galathynius would meet him there. Aelin had never felt sorrier for someone than when she saw him hug his daughter's lifeless body. 

Elena was back in Aelin's arms who looked at her daughter affectionately.

Suddenly, the girl opened her eyes – bright turquoise eyes ringed with gold but the turquoise had become greener that would make people from a distance think it is green. The girl began crying again and Aelin didn't know what to do.

"She's hungry." Raphaela told her.

Personally, I loved this and as this has become the new longest chapter, I am quite proud of myself. Please tell if I could pull this off nicely as I think I did.

I am planning to do a major time skip from the next chapter where Elena would be like four or five. 

Love,

Memeismeme : )