Doraelin OneShots

Comforting a Friend (PART 1)

*****DO NOT READ IF YOU ARE PRO ROWAELIN***** This follows current Cannon, set after EOS. This is my what would happen if Rowan were to die fic. It will be released in three parts. Here Dorian and Manon are still technically together....... Enjoy!

(Dorian's POV)

Dorian ran his fingers through his hair, as he raised his hand to knock on the door in front of him. Losing courage he flattened his palm against the wood surface while resting his forehead against its cool rough surface. Behind him Aedion nudged his shoulder. Dorian raised his eyes to meet the defeated stare of his friends cousin, the Wolf of the North. Sighing Dorian straightened, took a deep breath and... knocked.

He waited ten seconds, nothing happened, so he knocked again. Still silence remained on the other side of the door. "Should I just go in?" Aedion shrugged, as he stepped forward. "Aelin, I have Dorian here with me. He arrived this afternoon." Silence. Aedion gestured for him to say something. He starred back at the door. For the first time in his life he was utterly speechless. Aedion elbowed him in the ribs. "Uhh...." he coughed. "Hi Aelin" Really? Hi thats what he had to say right now.... stupid. He inhaled a deep breath and gathered his thoughts. He had to be strong. She would be strong for him. "Aelin, I'm coming in okay. I didn't travel all this way to stare at your door. As beautiful as the Terrasen carpentry is." There was still no answer, so he turned the knob and stepped inside.

The room was dark, and cold. Aelin's heavy curtains pulled shut blocking any light from the sun. The only light in the room came from the dimly glowing embers in the fireplace. With half a thought Dorian set the embers into full blaze, and surveyed the Queen of Terrasen's chambers. He was in the drawing room. In front of him near the fire was a plush couch with stacks of books scattered about it on the floor. Aelin's reading spot. A smile formed at his lips, but quickly vanished as he remembered why he was here. There were three doors off this main room, one of which would be the Queens bedroom.

He called out her name, but again received no answer. Sighing he walked to the stack of books, and randomly picked up the one closest to him. Not bothering to read the title he walked towards the door that he guessed would be the bedroom, and paused just before opening the door. He still didn't know what to say to her. What did you say to someone who had lost their mate? Dorian shook his head to clear his thoughts as he opened the door.

This room was just as dark, and cold as the last, but on the enormous bed was a ball shaped mass underneath a pile of blankets. Dorian crossed the room, and pulled back the curtains letting the sunlight spill into the room. The mass didn't stir.

He stood there for what felt like eternity, trying to decide what to do. What could he say to her that others had not? His footsteps were the only sound as he made his way closer to the small mass in the middle of the bed.

(Aelin's POV)

The bed dipped downwards behind her, and she could make out the sounds of shoes being untied and slipped off onto the plush carpet. Aelin pulled her knees closer to her face as the mattress groaned with the weight from her visiter as they made themselves comfortable on their bed. She didn't care who it was. Didn't care who had come to check on her this time. She knew who it wasn't and that's all that mattered.

A familiar voice filled the room, saying familiar words. Her mind supplied the source. It was one of her favorite books a story about revenge and love. She listened to the words, letting her mind form pictures to accompany them, and for the first time in months she thought of something other than his death.

(Dorian POV)

Glancing up from the book in his hands he surveyed the room. The sun was setting outside, the dim light making it harder to read. He knew this story by heart, he had read it at least a dozen times, but his voice was starting to become hoarse from hours spent reading aloud. Sighing Dorian closed the book and placed it on the nightstand near by.

The mass of blankets located a few feet to his left stirred. It was the first movement he had noticed out of the half day he had spent in here.

Reaching his hand across the mattress, he grabbed onto the pile of blankets tugging downward slightly so that they would fall back to reveal the occupant beneath. Lying just a few feet away from him was the Queen of Terrasen. She was deathly pale, skin and bones, her spine painfully visible through her silk night gown. Dark circles had taken root underneath her eyes, her cheeks raw from the shedding of many tears.

Giving her his signature Dorian smile he squeezed her cool hand, and after what seemed like an eternity watched as her fingers tightened their grip around his.

"I'm here for you, Aelin. I want you to know that. But I'm not going to sit by and watch you throw yourself away. He wouldn't have wanted that." She flinched slightly at the mention of her mate, but she needed to hear this needed to know that he would not coddle her, but he was here to save her. To save her from herself.

Leaning closer to her face he sent a cool breeze to blow her hair out of her eyes, while simultaneously using his magic hands to yank all of the covers off the bed leaving her completely exposed. The only response he received was Aeiln pulling her knees closer to her chest. No fight. There was no fight left in her.

Using his magic he started drawing a bath in the adjoining bathing chamber. The sound of water seemed to startle her causing her to jump slightly, eyes raising to meet his gaze.

"There are two options your majesty, but both end with you soaking in the tub." When she didn't respond he continued. "Option one is you willingly walk to the bathing room on your own and take a bath. Option two is that I make you" He added with a magic hand pulling her chin upwards to look at him. Still she remained motionless. Smiling broadly Dorian bent down to pick up the Queen, trying not to think about how much lighter she felt from the last time he had held her in his arms, or of the assassin he had rescued from Endovier. She had come too far to be broken like that again.