So I have an original character called Alisha Ashryver who is Aedion's younger sister. She was ten at the time of the fall of Terrasen and at the time of this one-shot is 21. Forgive the long build up, I just couldn't bare to jump straight into the action. Also please be kind this is my first really intense fight scene and writing in this style.
…
Aedion always hated when he was summoned to Rifthold, even if it allowed for easier contact with the local rebels. He hated the opulence of the glass castle, the grandeur of the court, and most of all the smugness of the King when Aedion bowed to him.
Aedion finished torturing the crown prince in the gardens a few hours ago when he decided to go see the welcoming of the ambassador of Wendlyn. He sneered as he walked down the hall, those bastards couldn't come to his homeland aid, their sister kingdom, but ten years later had the gall to try to appease the King of Adarlan. He vowed that if the ambassador is his kin he going to make their visit very unpleasant.
He turned down one of the long garish hallways and smoothed his features, there was no use in not smiling at the pretty court ladies that fluttered down the hall. They grouped closer together as he passed, waving their ornate fans in fake modesty.
They were practically fawning over him.
Aedion waved at Chaol's guards as he past them, mentally marking where each was placed, and they all stood straighter. Even they wanted to impress The Wolf of the North, he could laugh, as if one of the royal house of Ashryver could loyal serve this king.
The grand hall was alight with chatter of the coming visitors, all the player in their neat little places. He saw that the captain of the guard was sitting with his men Aedion couldn't help but sit next to the rigid boy. Because that what his was, a un-battle tested boy, plus annoying him was almost as fun as tripping the crown prince.
As expected Chaol face darken when the Aedion sat next to him, "Why captain you look so glum did something happen?"
The captain lips pressed into a thin line, the poor boy is old before his time the Prince of Wendlyn thought, "Why yes someone had the audacity to convince my men to leave their post." Aedion smiled gleefully, yes messing with the captain was most fun, and was conjuring a spiffy reply as the doors opened to the hall.
A servant announced in a loud booming voice that quieted the hall, "Presenting the ambassador of Wendlyn, Princess Alisha Ashryver of Wendlyn!"
And time froze for Aedion, slack jawed he stared, he thought her dead for eleven year. Tall and willowy she stood thin but athletically build filling out the small frame that she had in childhood. Her dress was a simple elegant affair that allowed for free motion as she pushed onward towards the King. When she reached about ten feet from the King of Adarlan (the proximity made Aedion's blood boil) she bowed in a polite and extremely low curtsey, "Your majesty it is an honor to be in your presence again." Her voice was as sure as when she was young, soft like their mother's with a thick Terrasen accent still present in her. When the King motioned her to rise (Aedion gripped his silverware with thinly veiled rage at the King's dismissal of her) he saw her sharp fae like features, much more severe than his own, and wondered if her Ashryver eyes still sparkled with mirth. Her hair was paler than in their youth with almost white, and her skin was much too tan to have spent all that time in Wendlyn.
The King spoke in a disinterested tone, "I hope you will have a productive stay." Alisha nodded respectfully (she was always the respectful one) and followed the lead of a courtier to sit at a table with the ladies of the court.
Aedion felt the stares on him, but he couldn't take note because she was here, his baby sister was here.
…
As soon as she entered the room she saw him, it almost caused her to break. However the years spent with the silent assassins trained her to always maintain her cool. Well at least to maintain her facade for the time being, because she was going to beat Aedion into oblivion at the nearest convenience.
Emilea Sephim, as she was known in the desert, went through the court niceties. It took her a whole year to convince her uncle to allow her to leave Varese after returning from the bloodshed in Terrasen. It sicken her how he could act so concerned when they did nothing to save Terrasen and their kin. But at least Galan help convince his father to allow her to act as an "ambassador" to Adarlan, he was the only one I allowed to know my true whereabouts the past ten years.
Emilea would never truly be Alisha until she freed her queen. But until then she would be a spy and work in the shadows of the castle hopefully feeding information to the rebels in the city and find a way to free Aelin. She missed Aelin when she went on a mission three years ago when Aelin spent time at Silent Assassins Keep as Adarlan's Assassin. By the time Emilea returned and they had rebuild enough that someone thought to mention that Celaena Sardothien had the same eyes as her, Aelin was in Endovier's salt mines. Emilea knew that she couldn't free Aelin by herself and traveled to Wendlyn in the hopes that her kin had some semblance of familial bond. But alas, only her cousin Galan believed her that this was true and not some rumor.
Emilea was eternally grateful when the endless (in reality it had only been an hour) dinner was over. Lady Maribel was her designated guide by order of the queen. Emilea was not impressed by the dark haired beauty who head only seemed to contain information on eligible bachelors in the court. But she nodded along and when an ungodly (reasonable) amount of time passed she daintily asked (internally cringing) if it was alright if she could retire to her quarters. In all reality Emilea just wanted to stretch her muscles after the long distance and to do something physical, like going through the drills she learned in the red desert. That always eased her mind. Then there was the fact that all the knives and poisons hidden on her person were starting to dig into her soft flesh.
Lady Maribel just bobbed her head apologizing profusely they whole way to her quarters. Emilea wanted to roll her eyes but her good breeding and years of discipline stopped her. As they approached Emilea's room she noticed a shadow along the wall, tall and silent, Emilea lifted her nose in contempt just to let the wolf of the north know she saw him. She saw him and it brought her rage just boiling under her skin, even after eleven year he was the only one who could get a rise out of her.
…
Emilea couldn't sleep, during the day she had to attend the flamboyant court of Lady Georgina much to her dismay. And at night she was to entertain other foreign dignitaries that were equally disregarded by the king. The King of Adarlan was no fool and keep her from anything remotely resembling doing her duty as ambassador. And if that wasn't enough to enrage the young assassin then it was hearing tales of Aedion's debauchery and conquest in the north ensured her constant irritation. It had been a little over a week since she arrived at the castle and there hasn't been a single moment in which she wasn't being watched. Emilea was thoroughly irate at not being able to do a single thing she set out to do. Maybe it would have been better to truly come as Emilea Sephim and not the pretty caged Alisha Ashryver.
Emilea couldn't stand it anymore, her spacious suite allowed for a decent workout couldn't substitute for a good run. Even in the unforgiving Red Desert running made Emilea feel alive. She may not be the strongest person around but she is surely the quickest. It reminded her of when she could feel the magic in her soul, water cool and soothing, and the wolf inside her. Oh some days she wishes that she was stuck in her wolf form instead of her human one.
The sun was rising surely in the sky, Emilea felt the warmth on her skin. She wished that her resolve to play the amenable princess would have lasted a little longer, but Emilea couldn't stand not running any longer.
Within five minutes Emilea dug out her favorite pair of trousers and a loose white shirt. She bound her shirt and trousers to her out of habit (in the desert it kept the sand at bay) and pulled over her leather coat in the hopes it would shield her from the cold. And she set off for the gardens not caring what the guards thought of the sudden change.
…
Aedion knew his younger sister, even as a child she always had to run. It was the only time anyone ever saw the passion and free spirit of the Ashryver line in his normally reserved sister. Aedion might have been named the wolf of the north but he only took that name because of his sister. She inherited more fae traits than he did, she had a miniscule amount of water magic. But her real talent laid with her ability to shift into a tiny wolf.
Aedion was honestly surprised it took so long for her to cave into her natural urges. But he supposed Alisha practical nature was to blame. Aedion let it be known to all the guards that Alisha was his little sister and was to be protected. And since Aedion was a pragmatic person and knew that giving out that piece of information would cause them all to update him on her daily routine.
What he wasn't expecting was Alisha to be so compliant with the king's wishes. Out of the three of them (them being Aedion, Aelin and Alisha) she might have been the most respectable of them. She was always the voice of reason for the trio and listen to their elders. Aelin had to beg to get her to do anything fun. But even if Alisha followed all the rules she still let her discontentment show if she was displeased.
But this Alisha was as placid as could be and even acted, dare he think it, frivolous. Even at ten years old she was poised, she hated anything frilly and abhorred when Aelin convinced her to play dress up. Alisha was always striving to be the best lady-in-waiting for young Aelin and such couldn't afford to be carefree. Aedion knew something was up, and he was right. Always a tricky one Alisha must have been trying to fool the royals into divulging important information.
But lucky for the prince Alisha still couldn't resist the urge to run.
Aedion pushed off the wall and made his way to catch up with the fleeing form of his sister.
…
Emilea was not pleased, it was her first time in ages that she got to run and the Wolf of the North just had to ruin it. If she wasn't breathing with the labor of trying to lose him her lips would have been in a thin line.
The fool just had to be smiling too. Demi-fae pointy ignored the man that heart wretchedly look like her father. "So little Shay," arrogant bastard, "I'm surprised that it took you so long to break down and run." The traitor broke into a sing-song voice reserved when he wanted to be most irritating, "Oooh she doesn't want to talk to me, I guess eleven years isn't enough to make dear Shay miss me."
Emilea's eyes narrowed turning into gold slits, she was most definitely not amused at the cavalier use of her old nickname. "I don't talk to turncoats." Acid was boiling in the pit of her stomach, a rising need to punch something was rearing its ugly head. Not even the dismissal of the bastard King could cause all the long years of training to vanish in an instant.
Aedion saw the rage that rolled underneath the skin of all the people of Terrasen surge in his sister's eyes. He knew that riling her up was a bad idea, that it could ruin her plans, but seeing that hate in his sister's eyes directed towards him…. It made him want to shout at her the truth, to make her understand. So Aedion did the stupidest thing he's done since the fall of Terrasen, "I challenge you to a spar little Shay, I think you could use the workout."
…
Chaol was walking towards the armory. He needed to make sure that his guard that went on the "field trip" to one of Aedion's outrageously stupid parties were polishing each and every single piece of equipment. However, before the captain could ensure that his prescribed punishment was carried out he heard the commotion in the training room. Jaw clenched he wonder what exactly had gotten into his men at eight-o'clock in the morning.
What he saw made him realize how much he wanted to kill the pet general of the king. There in the middle of his men was Aedion and Alisha standing in fighting stances.
Aedion huge figure was less adorned than normal, he only had a simple white tunic and trousers on, and his face had a gleam of sweat but was set in a maniacal smile. Aedion had a loose boxer's stance his two fists in guard in front of him feet crossing over as he and his sister circle each other, completely ignorant of the crowd forming. The pulsing hate shown freely on his face.
Alisha was reported to be the perfect lady, the complete opposite of Celaena. The ambassador was apparently very agreeable and even a little vague at times, she had fit right into Queen Georgian's court. The only reason why all his men didn't fawn over the princess was that Aedion loudly proclaimed that if anyone went near his sister they were going to meet a painful death. Chaol didn't see that at all right now.
Alisha hair was bound tightly into a braided bun, she wore men's clothes that were plain but obviously tailored for her. Her arm extended one out like she was presenting a gift, the other hand hovered over her arm close to her chest. Both her arms and legs had the clothes she was wearing secured with wraps. The princess was low to the ground as they moved, making a small of a target as possible. The anger Chaol sees that pluses in Aedion and crackles in Celaena was boiling in Alisha eyes. Chaol knew better than to try to stop this spar right now, anyone who got in the middle of these two would be slaughtered.
Aedion, cocky as ever, rolled his neck, "Are you ever going to make your move?"
Alisha snarled back, "Never the elderly always go first." But it was like a knife cut the tension in the room and the two sprung at each other. Aedion went for an undercut aimed at Alisha chin but she used her extended arm to redirect the blow. Spinning on her heels she went back to back with her brother for a moment and took her momentum into her elbow aim at Aedion's chest.
Aedion took the blow to his arm and used his free hand to grab the now extending fist. Alisha expected as much and tuck her head towards him, using the leverage in her right arm to free herself. But this left her back exposed so she rolled backwards to gain distance.
It was obvious from the first blow that had Alisha not be flexible Aedion would have already knocked her out. But for what she lacked in strength she made up with dance like moves. Every blow sent her way she found some way to either deflect it or use Aedion's size against him.
Aedion threw another head on punch towards her face, but a trained warrior could tell he was holding back. Alisha deflected the blow by catching his fist in the X of her arms and pushing it above her head, this cause Aedion to pitch forward. He couldn't right himself before Alisha clapped him on the ears with cupped hands.
The ringing in Aedion's ears was something terrible, and Alisha just kept coming with blow after blow showing off her incredible flexibility. She had definitely improved since this last spar eleven years ago. He was done playing around, grabbing a right hook aimed at his face he yanked her arm behind her back. Then Aedion kneeled into the backs of her knees causing, her to fall.
Immobile, defeated, and face a hot red her brother added insult to injury by sneering, "Are you done little Shay? I told you I'll always impress my sovereign." Understanding quickly passed through Alisha's eyes.
But it disappeared and an identical sneer appeared on her face as her brother released her. Alisha faced her brother, her eyes no longer boiling with hate, "I'm glad to see some things never change." She spat out with what sounded like conviction and stormed out of the training room. And at that moment Chaol knew, the Ashryver's reputation was well deserved. Aedion, Alisha and Aelin would burn Adarlan down if it would return their homeland. Chaol feared the day when the three would be united.
