The Throne of Glass belongs to the amazing Sarah J. Maas.
Stella was confused.
Stella was had been playing with her mother, then all of a sudden Adarlan's soldiers had ripped Stella's mother from her and slit her throat. She had run from their house and hid in the forest,where she couldn't be found. The little fae girl stayed in that forest for three days and when she came out... she wished she had stayed in hiding. "Mother?!" Stella's eyes were met only with death. Horrible black decay that wrecked havoc on her tiny Terrason village.
Rough hands grabbed her from behind. "Help!" Stella screamed desperately. A sadistic sort of laughter cackled through the air."No help will be coming for you." Stella screamed again when those vile hands started to roam. She was saved only when she bit his thumb and he dropped her. "You little bitch! How dare you!" He pulled her long silver hair and kicked her before loading her into a cart heading god-knows-where and left her to rot with the other filthy captives.
The smell was horrible but what really made her tremble was their eyes. Their eyes were empty, dull pits, not a spark of life to be seen.
When Stella looked at them she was glad her mother was dead, if her mother was dead, that meant she was not among those broken prisoners. It would be a mercy to be dead.
The wagon bumped on the road jarring Stella from dangerous thoughts of death.
I am a Line-break
It was three days before they reached the mines of Endovier. Three days in hell. There was no food, little water, and absolutely no stopping. The captives stunk of waste and bile. As soon as the wagon stopped the smell was quickly dealt with. Buckets of water flooded over them from grimy buckets. Stella sputtered and hissed at the guards. They only laughed at her. Stella didn't even have time to catch her breath before she was shoved head first into the black girl hesitantly picked up the pick ax at her feet and touched the stone wall. "What are we mining for?" her voice was tiny and quiet, but the guard heard her. The brute smiled wickedly," You are mining for death." Her ax rang true against the craggy rocks.
One beautiful voice was heard in the resounding echo spewing foul curses. It was one that filled Stella with hope.
...….….
Eleven years later
A weary soul aged only seventeen years grunted as calloused hands gripped an ax with sound surety. Stella pushed her hair back and blinked dust out of pale violet eyes. She tried to remember to appear dull, just as broken as the rest. She hunched her shoulders and dragged her feet. "Get your lazy ass moving!" The overseer jeered at her. She showed no emotion, though she felt anger surge through her veins, and stared straight ahead. Her pointed fae ears strained, listening for any sign of that voice. She had found that a golden haired young woman only a couple years older than herself belonged to it. Stella was determined to find her. Some days it was the only thing that kept her going.
She dug her pick ax deeper into the rocks. A dim glow broke through the ruble. Stella bent over slowly to examine the shining thing. It was a rock. A silver rock with a blanket of magic attached to it. The stone was about the size of her palm and Stella quickly stuffed it inside her tattered shirt. A forbidden treasure just for her. Strength raced through her blood when it touched her skin and she smiled demurely to herself. Soon it would be time. The girl with Ashryver eyes felt it too. So Stella would watch and prepare along with her golden haired queen. That night Stella crept to the girl and shook her awake. A hand darted to Stella's throat. She kicked the young woman until she looked at Stella. She took in her pointed fae ears and long, lean form and let her go. "Who the hell are you." it was an order."My name is Stella Gildwen, I am from Terrason." She swallowed roughly, her eyes lined with silver."Adarlan destroyed my city and brought the survivors here...eleven years ago." The teenaged queen stared her mouth gaping,"Are there more of you?" Stella shook her silver head sadly," I am all that is left of them." Aelin Ashryver Galathenius was silent. It was the assassin, Celaena Sardothian, who spoke," Well let's go kill the bastards."
In near silence they planned and plotted. Scheming to finally, FINALLY, be free.
It was another month before their plans were complete. And three more days until they were ready to act on them. But soon they would be far away from their personal hell hole. It would be worth the wait.
Stella smiled while she worked that day. The clanging of axes striking the mines' walls matching her heartbeat. Stella waited for the signal.
"You! Why don't you come with me, you filthy slave!" The overseer spat at the dirt. Stella cautiously held her ax but followed the man.
As soon as they were outside the mine the man grabbed her roughly, making her drop her ax. She fought back, kicking at him. He smiled sadistically, " I like 'em feisty." Then they were on the ground, her arms pinned. The overseer forced his tongue in her mouth and she screamed and bit him. He pulled away and started to beat her. "Help me!" Stella cried and curled into a ball.
A large shadow was poised above her, ready to strike. She shrieked preparing for the worst. Then the man's shadow fell ,landing with a thud.
Her queen stood with a bloody ax in one hand and the man's head in the other. She dropped the head and put her hand on Stella's shoulder. "Aelin." It was barely a whisper. "I was scared." Aelin smiled reassuringly," You don't have to be scared anymore." Aelin helped Stella to her feet and handed her the ax she had dropped. "Let's do this thing." Stella's Cheshire grin was as wicked as they come.
Just then the guards found them and charged, swords drawn. Stella and her assassin queen started swinging.
Men fell like frail stalks of wheat and blood fell to the ground like rain. They plowed their way through the legion, passing awestruck slaves as they fought tooth and nail to escape, or if escape was impossible, die. Stella moved with the brutal grace of an immortal, striking with the speed of an adder. It was a beautiful, terrible feeling.
The lethal pair were three feet from the wall to the outside when an arrow was trained on each of their foreheads. In the moment of hesitation, several guards seized them. Manacles were squeezed on like vices before Stella had time to comprehend what had happened. Soon after something blunt struck Stella's temple and the world went dark.