Set Fire to my Atmosphere

Bonus for 10k!

It had been the night of Elentiya's sixth birthday celebration and the skies were clear. Not a single cloud in sight.

Aelin let out a breath and let her shoulders sag. It had been a while since she got a day to be with her family. Rowan, Elentiya, and herself. She looked down, Rowan was carrying Elentiya in the courtyard, picking flowers for her, which Aelin would undoubtedly help her make a crown with later.

Her lips curled up as Rowan tickled their daughter.

"Elentiya, sweetheart, come get ready!" Aelin yelled from her balcony.

Her daughter let out a groan before Rowan set her down. "Okay!" Then she ran off.

"And you?" She asked her husband.

"I look fine?" He said looking her in the eye. He was still in gear from training.

"Come change," Aelin giggled.

Rowan winked at her and took his shirt off. "This good enough?"

Aelin rolled her eyes and walked inside to help her daughter get ready.

"I can't believe you're six already!" Aelin said as she undid Elentiya's braid.

"I'm almost old enough to start weapons!" Aelin smirked at that. She didn't know whether she told her dad that Aelin told her she can start weapons training at eight years old, and if she did, whether that gave him a heart attack or a joyous attack.

Aelin put up her daughters almost white, platinum blonde hair in a braid. "Go wear the dress you chose yesterday," she said patting her on the back.

She ran off into their closet.

Aelin looked herself in the mirror.

Time took her in different places, but one thing remained consistent.

Her undying love for her family.

She found a clean and tattooed hand snake around her waist as she looked out the window behind the mirror.

"I can't wait for tonight," he said burying his face in her neck.

Aelin turned around, "What's tonight?" She brought his face back to admire the black speckles in his pine green eyes. And she thought, damn I will never get tired of those.

"We," he said, pointing his finger from her heart to his, "are going to make a sibling for Elentiya."

Before she could respond, Elentiya burst out of the closet.

"How do I look?" She said twirling in her green dress, with a black buckle in the middle and puffed sleeves.

"Absolutely beautiful," Rowan said. Aelin couldn't help but smile at Rowan's pureness that replaced his comment from earlier. "Come here princess."

Elentiya ran up to his arms.

She was getting tall but Rowan would always find room and time to carry her around.

"What does Elentiya want for her birthday?" Aelin asked tickling her daughter.

She giggled and squirmed in Rowan's arms. "A prince charming like the stories you read me."

Before Rowan could reply, there was a knock in the threshold of their door.

"Did someone say 'prince charming'?" Dorian said from the doorway.

"Uncle Dorian!" Rowan once again set his daughter down so she could run to her favorite uncle.

"How are you, baby?" Dorian asked.

"Good, how's Aunt Manon?" Elentiya asked playing with Dorian's rings.

"Grumpy as always," he said with a wink that made Elentiya giggle. "I have a gift for you."

Elentiya jumped out of excitement.

He pulled pulled a silver bracelet from out of his pocket. "To match with the earrings I got you last year." He refused to admit, Manon got them because he's so indecisive.

"Thank you," Elentiya hugged him.

Dorian smiled, "I'll see you at your party." And he walked off.

Rowan already changed into party clothes, warrior speed Aelin thought.

"Let's go downstairs?" Aelin said.

But Elentiya was already rushing out the door.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Aelin decided she needed to make Lysandra Terrasen's royal party planner.

For this party was absolutely breathtaking.

Sliver and light green curtains draped their staircase handle while streamers of glitter hung down from the foyer.

"Aunt Lysandra! Uncle Aedion!" Elentiya yelled, running towards them.

"Rascal!" Aedion said ruffling her hair.

"I just did that you prick," Aelin said descending the last stair, Rowan right behind her.

"Aedion, have some respect, your hair is almost the length of your niece's," Lysandra crooned.

Lysandra wanted him to cut his hair so badly. She placed bets that would have her winning and him chopping his locks off. She lost every time.

Aedion rolled his eyes. "Your mom tortures me." He said to Elentiya.

"Come on, everyone's in the back, let's cut the cake!" Evangeline said running inside from the front yard.

The five of them headed out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lorcan was leaning against the wall watching Elide light the candles on his niece's cake.

As she lit each of the six, he watched her beautiful hands curve around the flame and his heart skipped a beat every time.

"I know how to light a candle without burning myself," she teased him.

Lorcan laughed. Something he learned to do when he met Elide, and hasn't stopped doing since.

"Come on, let's go sing Tiya a song," Elide winked at him and walked over to Elentiya, Rowan and Aelin.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Aelin watched as her husband, her cousin, her best friends, and her court sang her daughter happy birthday with smiles on their faces.

Smiles that went through hell and back, and four more times.

But still lit up her whole yard.

And then she looked at her eight year old daughter's face and thought of Nehemiah.

Do not let that light go out.

And here it was.

Burning on through her daughter. Her legacy. A piece of her.

Then her turquoise eyes ran up to her husbands. Her mate's. Her equal through it all.

To whatever end.

And she thought,

This. This is bliss.

Author's note - I wrote this in celebration for 10,000 reads! Still cannot believe I made it to this point and I am ever so grateful for every single read, vote, and comment.

P.S. I cried three times writing this chapter!