Thank you guys so much for the support! I'm so glad you enjoyed the first chapter so much!

PS: I do not own any of the characters except my oc. All other characters referenced belong to the gifted writer Sarah J. Maas.

Cassandra and Celaena stared at each other with wide eyes for one long moment. Neither one moved or spoke. Neither one dared to breathe for one painstakingly long moment to process the situation. Then, without warning, they sprinted towards each other, and as they collided, Cassandra felt the weight of missing her sister crash into her like a battering ram. They squeezed each other in a tight embrace, neither one letting go, as though afraid this wasn't real. Their tears were soaked up by their robes and as they pulled away from each other, they stared. Only then, did Cassandra actually look at her sister. Celaena was definitely much skinnier and paler and far from her former beauty, but she probably looked worse. The assassin's twin felt rage boil in her veins when she saw Celaena's eyes gleam with the horrors she'd seen in Endovier. She made a mental promise to pay the overseers there a visit. But, first...

"How?" Cassandra whispered, the first that had been spoken between them.

Celaena studied her twin's face for another moment before leading her to her bed. They sat across from each other and Cassandra started to wonder if this were actually real. Did she faint from a heat stroke once again? Was this just a figment of her imagination? Did her mind like to mock her with all the things she couldn't have? Her thoughts were silenced when Celaena started to speak.

"Do I start from when you...left?" she rasped, her voice raw with emotion.

Yes this was real. It had to be real if she could hear her voice-in all her hallucinations she's never heard any voices-and gods, right now she couldn't think of a sweeter sound than the sound of her sister's voice. Cassandra nods silently, not trusting herself to speak, because she knew-knew that if she uttered a word she might fall at the seams. So she listened silently as the words tumbled out of Celaena's mouth, how she started with her punishment to the keep of the Silent Assassin's. She told her how she'd met Ansel and Mikhail and chuckled when she told her how she was rejected by Ilias. Celaena smiled a little at her laugh but was very confused. And annoyed. And very very embarrassed. The great Celaena Sardothien-beauty and all-got rejected by the son of the owner of the entire keep. She felt her face heat up when she asked,

"What's so funny?"

Cassandra shook her head and smiled, indicating that she wasn't laughing at her at all.

"I think I might know why he rejected you." Cassandra explained.

"Oh?" Celaena replied, raising a brow. "And why is that?"

Cassandra grinned at her triumphantly as she said sheepishly, "He and I were sort of together for a while."

Celaena made a choking noise before sputtering. "Wha-how did you even-"

It was now her turn to raise a brow. "What? Did you think you were the only one to receive this type of punishment?" She clicked her tongue and straightened her legs, before looking back at her and grinning again. "I got to him first."

She had failed to notice though that while shifting her position, Celaena caught a glimpse of her wrapped calf.

"Why is your right calf wrapped?" She asks, her voice becoming so terrifyingly soft. Cassandra's grin immediately vanished as her entire body tensed. She took in a deep breath as she stared at the pillows as if they were the most fascinating things she's ever seen.

"How about we make a deal?" She said, voice wavering. "How about you continue your story on how the hell I'm here and you're here-in the same place, safe and in the middle of luxury-and I tell you a bit about my time in Calaculla. You don't have to say a word about Endovier-I already have an idea on how you were treated there."

Celaena stared at her, momentarily stunned. She just nodded, wisely deciding not to ask how she'd gotten the information-how she'd even known that she'd been in Endovier. Good. Cassandra certainly didn't want to relive what she had to go through to gain that piece of information. So Celaena continued hastily her story. She told her that after she came back she got caught while trying to kill Rourke Ferran, told her-even though Cassandra told her she didn't have to-about her times in Endovier, further increasing her hatred towards the entire empire. She revealed to her that they were in fact in the household of their enemy. Then explained to her about the Crown Prince, the Royal Guard, and the proposition they gave her. However, Cassandra couldn't help but feel that a large part of the story had been missing. She shook off the feeling when she saw Celaena's expectant face. She held up a hand to indicate that she was still processing what she had told her.

She was in the castle. Celaena had bailed her out. The Crown Prince had offered her a chance of freedom after six years of being his tool. It was definitely better than nothing, but she didn't know to feel elated or terrified that she put her before anything else. She could've bargained for less time, but decided to make sure she was out of that hell hole. She would've done the same thing. She took a deep breath and collected her thoughts and looked at her twin, still patiently waiting, and lifted her robe to fully reveal the wrapped leg. With a shudder, she slowly unwrapped her wounded leg.

She knew what was underneath the gauze, and yet it still caused an unimaginable amount painful memories to resurface. She heard Celaena's breath hitch from behind her as they stared at her calf. It was barely more than a clump of burnt tissue, but she can still make out the deep ridge on her leg that runs from underneath her knee to just above her ankle. That was where they cut her leg open so brutally and let it bleed.

"During my two years in Calaculla, I snapped three times," she whispered softly, refusing to meet the assassin's gaze.

"The first time...they chose the wrong date to push me." She said with a fire in her eyes. She looked at Celaena to see that her face mirrored her own. She must've snapped too, Cassandra realized. "That day I made it about three feet away from the wall before they knocked me out and I killed about twenty-five of them on the way.

"The second time, I learned that you were sent to Endovier. That day I had intended to escape. I didn't think it through. I didn't have a plan. All I was thinking was that you were being sent to hell and I had to save you."

Cassandra didn't think Celaena was breathing anymore.

"How did you know?" Celaena asked.

"I heard my overseer gloating about it," she lied smoothly. If she told her what she'd done to herself to get that piece of information Celaena would never forgive herself. Cassandra sighed and continued.

"That day I had killed forty-two sentries and I had reached the wall-almost cleared it before my overseer caught me. To punish me for my crimes, and make sure I never attempted something like that again, he cut my leg right through here-" she runs a finger through the deep ridge and flinched, "-and let me bleed for days while performing my tasks. I almost died of blood loss and an infection before allowing me to use a salve.

"That's what he did for the longest time. He would cut open my leg in the same spot and wait for me to pass out-either from blood loss or a heat stroke-heal me, then start over again."

All of a sudden memories bombard her. It's like she was actually there. She could feel the blinding pain. She could hear screams of agony and realize they were her own. Breathe, she instructed herself.

Breathe

In. Out. In. Out. She made it out. She was no longer slave. She was outside, she kept telling herself. Away from the chorus of the moans of tortured men, away from the sounds of her overseer's laugh as he whipped her-

Breathe

"A-And the third time," she continues, her voice cracking. Oh gods, she might not be able to do this without falling apart-

She felt her sister's arms wrap around her reassuringly and murmured in her ear soothingly. Cassandra relaxed a little as she continued.

"The third time I saw one of the sentries try to molest one of the women. Rage took over me. I ran over to the woman and defended her killed the sentry attempting to do unimaginable things to her. All she did was run away. Two days later, she watched me-just like everyone else-as my overseer burned my leg as punishment. Then you came," Cassandra says quietly, tears flowing freely down her face. "I missed you so much."

The assassin looked at her then her injury and then back at her again, rage flashing in her eyes. She held her hand and gave it a squeeze.

"We're going to kill them all," Celaena said quietly.

Cassandra could've kissed her just for saying that. Her sister would always be behind her. Always. So she gave her a wicked, cruel smile.

"Hell yeah we are."

They both lied down on the bed together in comfortable silence. Cassandra thought about what Celaena had told her and couldn't shake off the feeling that something was off. She had the inexplicable feeling that there was something missing-

She gasps. All of a sudden the world stops. Time slows down. Realization crashed into her. Suffocating her.

Sam.

Sam. The boy she loved with her entire heart. The boy that she'd had the most passionate relationship she's ever had for the longest time before-

Her heart stopped. Celaena had effectively left Sam out in her story even though he was there. Something was wrong. Something was so, so wrong.

"Celaena? What the rutting hell happened to Sam?" Cassandra asked, her voice calm, too calm. She felt the assassin go rigid at the mention of his name.

"Cass, you have to understand-"

"I said: what happened to him."

Celaena took a deep breath her next words filled with sadness and regret.

"He was killed."

And there it was. There was her future, her hope, her life, her only wish. Gone. Suddenly she couldn't breathe. She couldn't think. She couldn't move.

Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Your fault.

She might've been trembling, but she wasn't sure anymore.

Dead.

And maybe it was her fault-maybe this was the universe's way of telling her that she will always be alone. Maybe if she didn't make such a foolish mistake, she wouldn't have been sent to Calaculla and would've been there to save him. She felt hands wrap around her waist pulling her closer and muttering 'I'm sorry', over and over again. She choked on a sob. She was unlike her sister in many ways, including the way of reaction. Celaena always shows a reaction-anger, sadness, emptiness...but her sister, she was always one to keep feelings inside. She refused to let anyone see her in her most vulnerable position, not even her sister. So she let her sister wrap her arms around her, but did not shed one year.

"How?" Cassandra rasped, her face still buried in the assassin's shoulder.

Celaena told her the story, deciding not to yeild any details. She didn't sugar coat how he was killed. Her sister deserved to know exactly what happened to her lover and Celaena's best friend. The assassin couldn't help but feel guilty. If she was just a bit earlier she could've saved him. The blonde pushed the thoughts away. Now was not the time to contemplate the what ifs. She needed to be here for her sister who-even though refused to show it-was breaking under the impact. So she held her sister together until they drifted asleep.

Cassandra Sardothien was standing in a dark room. The only light provided was a spotlight that presented a single metal table. She could make out the silhouette of a man strapped onto it. Cassandra stepped closer to see the mysterious man and she nearly collapsed.

It was Sam.

Except his eyes were wide and his lips trembled in fear. His brown hair was disheveled and slick with sweat. He was thrashing against the straps in attempt to get out.

Then, the screaming started.

Gashes started opening from his entire body, each claculated, meant to cause the most pain. The assassin's twin felt her knees buckle as she started sprinting towards him. She had to help him. She wouldn't-couldn't- let him die again. She ran and ran blindly towards him, but it seemed that the table was moving farther and farther away from her. His cries of anguish became worse when she heard and saw the sight of the sight of his bones cracking in all the wrong angles. She was pretty sure she was crying now or screaming. Probably both.

Suddenly the screaming stopped and looked up at her with blood-shot eyes.

"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!" he shrieked.

Cassandra stumbled back like she'd been punched in the gut. No, she wouldn't have been able to save him even if-

"YOU COULD'VE SAVED ME!" he bellowed. His eyes fell down halfway as he choked out blood from his mouth. He was dying now. Again. And she couldn't do anything to stop it.

"Why didn't you save me?" he whispered softly. Those were his last words before his body went limp.

Cassandrara woke in the middle of the night panting and sweating in places she didn't even know sweat. She was shaking violently as she tried to control her breathing. Gods, she can't breathe, she needs air-

She shook her head as she recalled her dream. She couldn't take it anymore. First day out of the- place-that-shall-not-be-named and she was already falling apart. She felt her stomach jerk violently.

And she was sprinting with feather light footsteps towards the toilet to vomit. When she squeezed her stomach emoty, she curled up into a ball on the cold tiled floor.

She had to stay strong. She could not and would not fall apart in front of anyone not even herself. She refused to be vulnerable. She will not be afraid. Sam is gone, but she will not let her grief and outrage an inch of space. She has other things to worry about.

So, Cassandra Sardothien cleaned herself up and went back to her sister's side, who was still sleeping soundly.

Kay before any of you throw tomatoes at me please hear my reasoning of why I chose Sam not to be with Celaena.

To me I've always felt Sam was more of a brotherly figure rather than lover. I always thought that Celaena only loved him or needed him for emotional support or someone to back her up. You could notice in Assassin's Blade that she's distanced herself from everyone, so I figured her sister would do the opposite and befriend everyone. I hope you understand my perspective even if you don't agree, please don't flame me for it.

Also, I know this is a bit of a filler chapter and a bit shorter. It was mainly meant for you to be introduced to the OC. The next chapter we'll continue on with the story.

Thank you guys so, so much for taking the time to read this gif and again I would like to thank every single one of the people who reviewed and followed this story!