Future of Terrasen

Chapter 4

So here's just another one-shot. If you have any ideas of what you would like to see please do comment and I'll see if I can do it. I have continued on from the fanfic that happens after EoS but before ToD just because I cannot be bothered to go back and change it and not everyone has read ToD. Again, all rights to Sarah J Maas.... Enjoy :)

"Shift," Rowan ordered.

"Don't start that again," Aelin placed her hands on her hips. "If she's not ready, she's not ready."

Rowan ignored her. "Shift, Elentiya."

"I can't," Elentiya said, her bottom lip wobbling.

"You've done it before, you can do it again," Rowan told his four year old daughter.

"Let her go play with Fleetfoot," Aelin said and Elentiya skipped back inside the castle.

"She's never too young to start learning control," Rowan said to his wife.

She raised her brow. "Yes, but you don't need to be as hard on her as you were me. I was only had a short amount of time to learn. Elentiya has years."

Rowan shrugged. "Would you like to train with me?" He grinned at his mate.

Aelin shook her head. "Elide and Lorcan are visiting today."

"Are they bringing Finley?" Rowan asked, draping his arm across Aelin's shoulders.

"Elide hasn't left his side since he was born," Aelin laughed.

Elentiya chased after Fleetfoot, who came barrelling towards them. Fleetfoot jumped up at Aelin and settled to standing beside her.

"Try to shift once more, and then you can play fetch with Fleetfoot," Rowan said to Elentiya.

Elentiya scrunched up her little face as she tried to shift.

"She might not even have an animal form," Aelin pointed out. Her daughter's small pointed ears turned red at the effort.

Rowan shrugged. "If she can control the shift, she'll have better control over her powers."

Elentiya squeezed her fists shut as she tried. A blast of water from the nearby fountain sprayed all over them. Aelin chuckled. Rowan just wiped his face. Fleetfoot barked and shook the water from his fur.

"At least she's not as dangerous as I was," she murmured.

"I'm tired," Elentiya wailed.

Rowan scooped her up into his arms.

"No 'shift one time and we can call it a day'?" Aelin teased him.

Rowan gave her a flat stare and said, "that's for certain fire-breathing queens."

Elide and Lorcan appeared at the garden's entrance. Elide was indeed carrying ten-month old Finley on her hip.

Rowan set Elentiya down and she ran - despite her claims of being tired - to Lorcan and flung her arms around his leg. The fae warrior patted her head.

"Lorc," Elentiya said.

Elide kissed her head and passed Finley to Aelin. Aelin bounced the child in the air before giving him a cuddle. She passed him to Rowan as Elentiya stuck her arms up at Elide, who picked up the child, despite her crippled foot.

"You're just in time," Aelin grinned at Lorcan. "We finished getting Elentiya to shift...unsuccessfully..."

"She'll do it in her own time," Elide assured her.