Snow Fights And Delights (Throne Of Glass fanfic)

A/N To get in the holiday spirit, here's a fun little fanfic I decided to write! It's not set at any particular time in the plot but it features some of the main characters: Aelin, Rowan, Lysandra, Dorian, Manon, Aedion, and Evangeline. It won't spoil the overall plot but if you haven't read all the books (including TOD) it might spoil what characters are currently together. Have a great Christmas everyone!

Snow Fights and Delights

Aelin snuggled into the warmth radiating from her mate's body under the thin blanket. It was almost Yulemas; surely it was far too cold for it to be acceptable for them to have to continue camping out here in this little forest? They had been lying low for about a week now, taking the time to heal and regain their strength after their latest battle. Aelin knew they all needed a break, but surely they could have found somewhere more comfortable to take it.

"Good morning, fireheart." Aelin looked over to see Rowan smiling at her with a sleepy grin on his face. He reached out to hug her closer to him and Aelin gratefully burrowed further into his arms. She did not understand how he could sleep shirtless - not that she was complaining. Despite the cold it was hard to restrain her instincts when she was so closely pressed up against his muscular chest, but unfortunately there was no privacy in these woods. Just another reason to leave all the sooner. In fact, ideally she wanted to leave and move on to their next location today, which meant she should really get up and start organising things. With a groan, Aelin reluctantly got out from the blankets, and walked over to the campfire. Using her magic to make it burn stronger and hotter, she stood there for a minute, warming her hands and gazing at her mate's beautiful face, illuminated by the glowing embers of the fire.

---

Dorian made his way down to the little stream that ran past their campsite. Aelin had kept it from freezing over so they could use it to drink and clean supplies, but it was still bitterly cold. He could smell the crisp scent of hare cooking, which probably meant Aelin was awake and preparing breakfast. He should collect some water, then hurry back. Rowan and Aedion both needed lots of food to fuel their large bodies, and all the female at camp seemed to be able to devour three times as much food as any normal person. If Dorian took too long, there would be nothing left for him.

He dipped the flask into the river and waited patiently for it to fill. Something caught his attention out of the corner of his eye; a shimmer of black and brown. His breath hitched - had someone tracked them here? He turned quickly, readying himself to use his magic.

But he need not have worried. It was only Abraxos, coming to the river for a drink. Dorian finished filling up the large flask and walked over to the magnificent beast, running a hand along his back. Abraxos nudged Dorian affectionately. On the battlefield, Abraxos was a sight to behold, a ruthless killing machine, but when not fighting he was a huge softie. Dorian heard a soft bark and bent down to see Fleetfoot hopping around under Abraxos' wing. The two creatures had struck up an unlikely friendship and were now almost inseparable, much to Aelin's and Manon's dismay. Dorian would swear on his life that he had seen Abraxos flying around with the little dog on his back before.

"Jumpy this morning, princeling?" called a familiar voice behind him. Dorian accidentally confirmed this as he sprung up from the ground and whirled around, to see Manon smirking at him from the other side of the river. "It seems Abraxos gave you quite the scare."

Dorian relaxed and called up his magic, sending his invisible hands to play with Manon's hair. She looked so perfect this morning, her red cloak contrasting against the frost lingering on the leaves of the trees, her gold eyes cutting through him. She raised an eyebrow as he flicked her hair around, toying with her. The challenge in that one movement was enough - he sent his hands other places, caressing the soft curves off her body. By now he knew her most sensitive spots and he took pleasure in touching her in a way he knew she couldn't resist. He could see her struggling to stay in place and not give in to the feeling as he moved his touch to even more intimate areas. The forest seemed to stand still, the only noise the gentle rushing of the river, as he and Manon continued to lock eyes in a battle to see who would give in first. Unfortunately, a snort from Abraxos interrupted them. Manon's eyes flicked away as her wyvern turned and hurried back in the direction of camp. Breakfast must be ready.

Manon's eyes returned to Dorian's. "Later." She said, the words a golden promise dripping off her deadly tongue, and in an instant she was gone, already on her way back to camp. Dorian stood still for a moment with a satisfied smirk, before remembering the huge appetites of his friends and hurrying back to camp.

---

Lysandra listened to Aelin's plans as she dug into her breakfast of hare and wild berries. She agreed that it was time to move on from this spot. They needed to find a safer place to drop off Evangeline, firstly. Lysandra was dedicated to the little girl and her safety was top priority over whatever battle Aelin wanted to fight next. She caught Aedion's eye just as he took too large a bite out of his chunk of meat and it spluttered out of his mouth. Disgusting. Aedion looked at her apologetically and Lysandra rolled her eyes, trying not to show her affection. Why did she find him so endearing? Now was not the time to think on romance, they had a war to win, a world to save.

Lysandra felt something cold touch her arm and she looked around suspiciously. Was Dorian messing with her? Or Rowan perhaps, but she doubted the male was doing anything than paying absolute attention to the fierce female talking by his side. She felt something else, this time on her forehead, and looked up in annoyance.

Snow!

A few more drops fell down, before it began to fall thickly. Aelin stopped talking and they all gazed up in wonder. They did not often get proper snow in Rifthold, and Lysandra had missed it's gentle touch. She closed her eyes and leant back to catch some in her mouth, sticking out her tongue to catch the frozen flakes. Her moment of peace was interrupted when, wham, something cold and hard hit her in the face. She opened her eyes in shock, ready to tear out the culprit's throat with her claws, and saw little Evangeline looking cheekily up at her, a small snowball in her hands.

"I'll get you!" laughed Lysandra, and fell upon the small girl, tickling her all over. Evangeline shrieked and tried to make another snowball, but not enough had fallen yet.

"A snowball fight!" declared Aedion. Aelin rolled her eyes but stood up ready, as did the others.

"There's not enough yet," said Lysandra, gesturing at the lightly sprinkled ground. "We'll have to wait."

Dorian scrunched up his brows in concentration, and the snow began to fall thicker and faster. Rowan followed his lead and using their combined magic, the ground quickly layered up with snow. Resigned that they would not be able to travel today, Aelin quickly divided them up into teams. On one side: Rowan, Aedion, and Manon, on the other, Aelin, Dorian, and Lysandra herself. Evangeline had decided she would be on her team with Fleetfoot and Abraxos, and although the others quietly decided to go easy on her, Lysandra suspected Evangeline would be a formidable opponent.

And so it began.

There was instant chaos. Dorian and Rowan were attacking each other with their ice powers as well as the snow, sending frosty whirlwinds spiralling through the air. Manon was throwing snowballs with deadly accuracy, but nobody could hit Aelin as she simply melted any snow that got too close. Lysandra shifted into the form of a huge bird and picked up a big pile of snow, which she dumped on Aedion's head. He fell over but managed to send a few snowballs back at her, sending her back to the ground. Both sides were pretty evenly matched, and the game could have continued forever were it not for Evangeline. Whilst the two teams had been wearing each other out, she had hidden away to make dozens upon dozens of snowballs, and now she came swooping in on Abraxos (Lysandra hoped Manon would not be too mad about that), with a great pile of snowballs balanced next to her. She threw them with surprising force, and with the help of Fleetfoot who was running around kicking snow at everyone, she quickly destroyed both teams.

Lysandra lay in the snow, laughing at Evangeline's proud face. She knew they shouldn't have underestimated her. Aedion flopped down beside her, covered in the white powder.

"Merry Yulemas." He said, linking hands with her underneath the snow where nobody could see.

Lysandra allowed herself to smile this time. "Merry Yulemas."

#originalwriting #sarahjmaas #throneofglass