More Then We Bargained For

1

"Goddamnit Nehimia! Get back here!" Aelin screamed after the toddler, chasing her down the palace halls. From behind her she heard a deep chuckle, making her stop dead in her tracks. She turned angrily and began to walk back towards the figure. She jabbed a finger into his muscled chest and glared up at him. "You mister, could actually help chase after your daughter." Rowan laughed once again, "Oh fireheart. You know I would but I'm busy enjoying your suffering." 

She continued to glare, "I will gut you myself after I catch my daughter." With that she turned, and raced down the hallway. As she reached a corner she looked to find the tanned skinned girl about to run around another. 

At first she was fair, but now she was tired and annoyed. Aelin quickly shifted from her human form to her fae. With the speed that came with it she caught up to her daughter in seconds. 

The girl was tanned, blonde haired and carried the defining Ashvryer eyes. She was chubby too, and. . . Naked. After Aelin had bathed her she took off before she could be wrestled into a royal gown for the meeting they needed to attend later in the afternoon. Now they had an hour, and the queen was stressing. But now with her little girl in her arms she hoped that would mean the family would be ready in time. 

Now as she carried Nehimia on her hip she ran into Rowan once more. "Did you get Evalin ready." He nodded, "of course. And while you were busy I also got Lyria ready." He gave her a kiss on the cheek and her tension eased slightly. "Oh, thank God. Thank you." He nodded, moving so she could bring their daughter to the triplet's room. 

"No!" Aelin screamed. She saw that just as Rowan had said Lyria's hair had been brushed and done up. As well as the fact she had been changed into a simple dress in Terrasen's royal colours. But what she saw was not a pretty princess. She saw a troublesome four  year old spilling bright red juice all over her face, chest, and the white part of her dress. 

"Lyria put that down!" She quickly put Nehimia down and rushed to grab the juice from Lyria's sticky hand. As she looked for a cloth to wipe off her daughter and  dress she noticed Evalin was asleep on her small bed. Now Lyria' s dress was stained, Nehimia had taken off again and was still yet to be dressed, and Evalin was messing up her hair and wrinkling her dress. 

Aelin wanted to curl into a ball and sob. How was she supposed to rule an entire country if she could barely control three little girls? But somehow she steeled herself, wiping off the young child's sticky face. And her neck, "Okay. Let's find your nicest tunic and you can wear that instead." 

As she began to look through her daughter's closet Rowan returned with a screaming girl of his own. "Oh thank you. Can you get her ready for me? Please." She gestured towards the messy girl still sitting in the middle of the room. He nodded, and joined her at the closet. "Can you also wake up Evalin." He just nodded again and pulled out the dress he needed. "You should wash her hair again too." 

Aelin looked back to find Lyria's silver hair as stained in her dress in some places. "This is your fault, if you could of had darker hair she'd be fine." Pulling out the tunic she determined best she turned to find her mate giving her a tight smile. "Sorry." He tried hard not to laugh at her. She glowered. 

"Okay come on Lyria." She led her into the small bathroom attached. "We need to wash your hair again. You got juice in it." Aelin quickly rinsed her hair out and did her best to wash the stains away. "I don't know how your father did it." She told her, "so long and light. I'm surprised it's still silver." She pulled away then, satisfied with the clean hair. "Alright. Now into the tunic." 

After that she braided back her hair and fixed Evalin's. Trying her best to smooth out the wrinkles as well. With little time to spare Aelin Brought her two little girls to the meeting room. She sighed in relief as she saw Nehemia was dressed and sitting in her assigned spot. And Rowan. . . Her breath caught in her throat. He looked amazing with a shining, golden crown a top his silver hair. Green eyes matching the fabric of his Royal wear. 

Quickly she sat the princesses down beside their sister. They sat just to the side of the room. A small out of the way place for them to witness their first few meetings. She then moved to sit beside her mate at the end of the table. "Fireheart." He whispered, she looked up at him, her expression showing how tired she really was. "You forgot to get someone ready." She looked around frantically, all the girls were dressed, and Sam was asleep up in his room. Finally her gaze rested on the old blue dress she still wore. She had put it on simply to get the girls ready, and by now it was wet, stained and she never put on a corset to start with. Her golden hair was simply braided back and she could tell strands were falling out. And she didn't have a crown. She was holding an important meeting with all the important people from Terrasen, Ardalan and the emperor of the southern continent. . . Without a symbol of her status. 

She knew she didn't have time to change, somebody insisted on coming before the given time. There was a knock on the door and she jumped. "M'lady our first visitor is here." She gave a nod to let them in and sat up straight, Rowan fashioning a crown out of ice to at least fix that problem. 

As the door opened she saw the black hair and colours of ardalan. His blue eyes revealed themselves next. "Dorian!" Aelin screamed. They hadn't seen each other in forever, in pure excitement she jumped up and hugged him. From behind you could see Rowan smiling at his wife and who some might call his friend. 

When Aelin pulled away she faced Dorian, "Oh you don't mind if I change quickly do you? They kept me occupied all morning." She pointed at the triplets and Dorian nodded, looking towards the stains on her dress. "I'll just wait her and hang out with Ro- the triplets." "Oh thank you!" She ran down the hall, and Dorian almost went to sit beside Rowan. Because he after all, would call them friends. 

But he was still Rowan, and once more Dorian decided it be better to just be in the company of the small four year olds.