A Rude Awakening
A/N: I am a diehard Chaolaena fan/member of Team Chaol. I always will be, despite my realization post-QoS and especially post-EoS that my ship may be long since sunk. It is my second-biggest ship in literary fandom after Nessian. Due to the dearth of recent Chaolaena fanfictions, I wanted to give an example of what a canonical Chaolaena story could entail. I hope you enjoy, especially fellow members of the ever-shrinking Team Chaol crowd!
The Queen of Terrasen opened her eyes, groggy, and tried to take in her surroundings. She was standing up, her breath muffled behind the iron mask she wore, the only slit a sheet of iron so thin around her eyes, that she could see a sliver of the room with it. She instinctually tried to move, then remembered her arms and legs were similarly bound. Her back erupted in pain as her body fully woke up, and she tried to cringe, but the iron prison she was in prevented her from moving a single muscle.
"She's awake!" Maeve's voice was recognizable to Aelin even through the trappings of her iron surroundings, and she tried to struggle again, though she didn't know if she was strong enough to move even if she wasn't encaged. "Fenrys, go get our special guest!" She saw the male enter her vision at the far end of the hall, exiting the room, before Maeve's face appeared right in front of the screen. Her core recoiled in a way her body couldn't. She saw Maeve fiddling with the outside of the mask a bit, realizing soon after she was letting her speak.
"Mae–"
"Don't speak unless you're asked to." Maeve's gaze turned dark, then she took a few steps back. "You're in no position to negotiate or threaten here; I suggest you enjoy your brief moment of freedom. After all, aren't you interested for the show I'm about to put on for you?" She didn't answer, and Maeve shrugged, a vicious smirk lining her face. "I'm going to finish the job that fool Nehemia started, Aelin. I'm going to break you. I'm going to break you so completely that you'll bend to my will even without that iron restricting you. And do you know how I'm going to do that, Aelin?" Again, she didn't answer. "I'm going to make you kill your mate." Aelin's eyes shot open.
"I would never hurt Rowan." Maeve's eyes flashed, and she smiled.
"Are you sure about that, Aelin?" She walked right up to the screen, peering in. "Let's test that theory, shall we?" The doors opened behind her, and Maeve looked behind her, wicked delight lighting up her face. Fenrys was dragging in a man who was completely chained up, a bag over the top half of his body, and holding a knife against the man's neck.
"We're going to play a series of games, Aelin. You get the choice! As you no doubt know, Rowan will soon be here, coming to 'rescue' you. So here's your choice; you can agree to kill him at that time, or you can choose to have Fenrys here kill this random stranger." She motioned to the male, who barely stirred in response. Aelin wondered how badly they'd injured him to strip him of his will to fight, but her thoughts were quickly consumed as Maeve resumed speaking. "And just so you know, I have a long list of people to drag in here, until you choose option A. So what will it be?" She saw Fenrys's hand shaking with the knife, but knew he would have to kill the male if she picked that option, unable to stop a direct order. She responded, anger lining her voice.
"Rowan is too powerful to be killed by you." Maeve flashed her eyebrows.
"Is that so?" She looked at the man, then back at Aelin. "Willing to risk your mate's life on it?" Her smile turned sadistic. "Just so you're aware, Cairn would be the one killing Rowan. I won't let this pathetic fool behind me–" Aelin saw Fenrys grit his teeth. "–make it quick." She cocked her head. "So what's your choice?"
Pain struck Aelin's gut at the thought of Cairn with Rowan. But...if she chose this person, they would die for sure. Although...she breathed through her teeth at the knowledge that Rowan would take unnecessary risks to try to retrieve her from here. It wasn't out of the question he might be captured, despite his power.
"If you don't choose in the next ten seconds, I'll personally kill both." Maeve flipped another smile at Aelin and looked bored. "And I won't make it easy for either."
Aelin sucked in her breath. There was no real choice. Even if she chose this person, Maeve was going to try to kill Rowan, anyway. "I choose Rowan." Her voice came out soft, the words hard to verbalize even with her choice being one of strategy, not of intent. Maeve shrugged, motioning to Fenrys.
"I'll make sure to let Rowan know. In the meantime, you might be interested in who you saved." Fenrys lifted the bag off the male's head, and Aelin gasped. It was Chaol, but he was barely recognizable with the amount of blood and bone showing across his body. He raised his eyes to hers, and she saw a flash in his otherwise-defeated expression, before his neck dropped again. She was surprised he was still alive, though she darkly realized Cairn was likely trained in keeping his victims from dying. She focused her eyes on Maeve.
"I chose Rowan; let him go." Maeve turned back to her in response.
"I'm sorry; I don't remember ever saying I would let himgo if you didn't choose him, just that Fenrys wouldn't kill him. Instead, you will."
Pain shot through her entire body, and she choked out a word. "...what?"
"As I said, Aelin–" Maeve's face became dark, as her eyes flashed again. "–I'm going to break you."
"With Rowan. There's no reason to bring Chaol into this, too."
Maeve studied her for a few moments, then scowled. "You really are that stupid, aren't you?" Aelin's face blanked, uncertain how to respond, and Maeve just laughed ominously. "Oh, that's rich. Come on, Aelin, do you really think I would just blurt out my whole plan to an entire beach full of your allies?" Aelin's eyes narrowed, as Maeve smirked back.
"You don't get it at all, do you?" Maeve took a step back, disbelief covering her features. "Well then, I guess I'll give you a story beforehand. I can't expect this to have much impact on you, otherwise. I suppose I gave you too much credit." She took a breath, then began her story.
"You see, my plan with Rowan was the original plan. But when you came here of your own accord, I was alarmed to find out that you had not only found your mate, but had consummated your bond with them." Aelin's eyes widened, but she didn't believe a word from the woman. She knew her own bond; she had felt it with Rowan. Maeve laughed.
"Rowan's mating bond with Lyria was real, Aelin. But it was easy for me to manipulate your carranam bond, especially once he strengthened your magical connection by binding himself to you; I appreciate your...husband making things even simpler for me." Aelin gritted her teeth; Maeve had to be lying; she had to be...
"You don't believe me? You honestly believe that you just went back to Adarlan, and suddenly had no feelings whatsoever for a male you used to be willing to lay your life down for? You never questioned why he couldn't be comfortable with any other female, no matter how much you pushed him on that other woman? Nesryn, I believe?" Thoughts were flying through Aelin's mind, but she was trying to push out Maeve's words, trying to prevent herself from being manipulated. Maeve continued.
"Now, I must give my entire thanks to your friend Nehemia. As I said, she did my job for me, intentionally setting up Chaol in an unwinnable situation so that you would hate him for eternity, with the added bonus of emotionally shattering you and removing the possibility of you exploring the bond further. If it weren't for her, I wouldn't have had any way to manipulate you, as I have no doubt you would've left Adarlan, settled down with him, and never come here, and that you would have ensured Chaol was protected at all times." Chaol stirred behind her, willing his body to move, and Maeve glared at him.
"Quiet." She turned back to Aelin. "She may have done it for other reasons, but...let's just say noble idiots are the most useful of all fools." She stepped right up to the screen, baring her teeth to Aelin. "Now I'm going to give you a gift Aelin; I'm going to remove my psychic block on your mating bond, so you can see your mate for what he is one last time, so you can let Chaol know how you married another male, how you want nothing to do with him, how you tried to kill him, your mate, once before." Her eyes flashed. "And then you're going to succeed this time."
Aelin opened her mouth to respond, but a jolt shot through her head as Maeve stepped away from her coffin, and she caught her breath. Witnessing Chaol in his current state nearly broke her by itself. Memories shot through her; bits and pieces of the bond that she had felt, the way he had felt like she was meant to find him originally...
She suddenly found it hard to breathe, Chaol's eyes still nearly-lifeless in front of her. She tried to mouth some sort of response, but her body refused to cooperate with her. Maeve quickly returned, holding a Wyrdkey in her hand. Aelin's eyes widened sharply.
"I won't lie; that trick you pulled in hiding the other two Wyrdkeys was a pretty good one, Aelin." Maeve smirked delightfully at her. "But unfortunately for you, there are three, and I only need one for a task like this." She walked around the coffin, and Aelin tried to struggle, tried to do something. The chains on her limbs hurt as they pulled at her, and tears formed at her eyes. She felt her power start to accumulate against her will, and she pushed harder against the chains, trying to move something, break the connection somehow. Maeve returned in the corner of her vision, holding the Wyrdkey in her hand, light shining from it to the coffin Aelin was in.
"Well, this whole night has been fun, Aelin. Wyrdkey, use the power of Aelin Ashryver Galathynius to kill this mortal before her!" The light quickly drew more energy, and Aelin started to cry, as she tried desperately to prevent her power from being drained. She opened her eyes, watching as the light shot out...
...and hit an empty floor as Fenrys teleported Chaol out of the room with him. Maeve's face became enraged, and she turned to Cairn.
"Find him immediately and kill him. Enjoy doing it. And I want the mortal back here as soon as possible." Aelin glanced at Maeve out of the corner of her eye as Cairn quickly hurried out of the room; if she could keep her distracted...
"Perhaps you should remember to command your soldiers properly next time, Maeve." Maeve swiveled quickly to her, gripping the Wyrdkey tightly as she stalked over.
"Perhaps you should have enjoyed being able to breath." Maeve worked on her mask, and Aelin gasped, as it was tightened against her neck so firmly she could barely take in air. She kept her focus, pushing, pushing... "We'll have our fun soon enough., anyway. That pathetic fool can't get far."
Aelin gasped as she channeled the last of her power outward into the Wyrdkey. "Neither...can...you." Maeve barely flickered her eye back to the now-blinding Wyrdkey before it burned out in an explosion, taking out the entire room.