The end of Mirror Memories. *sobs*

Whispers greeted Celaena as she lazily came into consciousness. Strangers. She kept her eyes closed, breaths even and slow. "She is a lucky, lucky girl," a kind, deep voice rumbled.

"Indeed," another voice replied. Articulate and calculated. Educated. "If the dagger had shifted just a few inches to the left..." he paused, contemplating the odds. "She would have died for sure."

"Who do you think did this to her? The poor thing. And such a pretty girl too. No one deserves that kind of death." A hand lightly brushed her hair to the side, smoothing the stray hairs down in rhythmic stokes. "Do you think she was..." he trailed off.

"Touched inappropriately? Perhaps. But at least she's alive. The wound missed the heart, it only punctured a bit of the lung, thank the gods. She should be waking soon anyway." Celaena shifted a bit and groaned. There was a throbbing sting where the dagger pierced her, but other than that, the men did a good job of patching her up.

"And our sleeping beauty awakes. Are you alright?" Celaena peeled open her eyes haltingly as to let her eyes adjust to the bright candlelight. She lay on a dark green canopy bed. Gossamer silk throw pillows were scattered artfully around the mattress and she was being smothered by heavy feather down sheets. Celaena batted the fabric away from her face and struggled to sit up. Her body gave one unified painful throb as all her bones and muscles worked against her. She fell back onto the bed with a gasp, gritting her teeth against the miserable tenderness of her skin. She felt as if a horse had run her over.

"Here, let me help you." Gentle but impossibly powerful arms lifted her smoothly, effortlessly into a sitting position. Celaena's blue, gold eyes flickered over the two men at her bedside. The man that had helped her gave her an awkward smile probably meant to seem reassuring. But Celaena didn't let down her guard. From the moment she had woken up here, she had know that she was at a disadvantage. She didn't know anything. Celaena didn't know the men that had healed her. Didn't know where she was, or what had happened since... Let's not dwell on that.

The man who smiled at her was in his early twenties. Handsome with warm brown eyes that radiated a sweet compassionate sorrow. A man who had seen many things and heard much more. He would have been pleasant... if not for the fact that he was currently pitying her. Celaena clenched her jaw. She absolutely despised being felt sorry for. Her life was none of their business.

The other man though... He was the most gorgeous creature she had even seen. Celaena's eyes widened and, well, she was probably gawking in the most unladylike manner, but she didn't care. Cold, unfeeling silver-gray eyes flashed at her, in them a wealth of knowledge. But there was also a dangerous vibe to the way he examined her, like she was prey, a mouse to a lion. While he would not be described as heartrendingly stunning, the man had a undeniable aura of authority and allure that Celaena found intriguing. She was not attracted to him in that way, obviously. She had seen her fair share of handsome men and they had all eventually disappointed her. But she did admire the way he held himself. All his movements were smooth and graceful, elegant and swift. He moved like a predator.

She liked that.

A slow smile spread across her face. "It is my pleasure to meet you both," Celaena lilted in a soft musical voice. Standard court speech. "Though I wish we hadn't crossed paths in such a unfortunate manner." She paused cocking her head in a demure maiden fashion. "I -I don't exactly think I caught your names?"

The smiling man looked to Silver-eyes. He gave him a nod and the other man disappeared though the door with a slight bow in her direction. "My name is Arobynn Hamel," the remaining man said calmly. "And that was my second in command, Ben." Celaena inclined her head in greeting to hide her shock. Arobynn. The King of Assassins. What was she doing here?

"I supposed you know my name already," she said with a raised brow, after she had properly masked her rampant expressions. Arobynn smiled slightly and conceded with a nod.

"I do have a guess in mind, though I wonder what would have forced Terrasen's crown princess into a half-frozen river." Celaena gave him a tight smile, and gestured to her chest.

"I'm sure you have your suspicions. After all, it shouldn't be too hard to guess what had happened. I'm sure you had heard many rumors about the massacre of the Terrasen royal family." He shrugged.

"Just a bit. They all say that Isensta Brannon is dead, though they never found the body. I wonder what happened there and how you came to be, floating face down in the Florine River. It is winter, as I'm sure you realize."

"I have no reason to tell you anything."Arobynn only smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. He was still, cold, angry, a statue.

"As you are not familiar with the ways of interacting with assassins, shall I remind you to never say 'no'?" Celaena blinked.

"For me to say 'yes', you would need to ask me a question, and you did not." Celaena pinched the covers and rubbed the fabric with her thumb and index finger thoughtfully. "And also, as you are not familiar with court etiquette, shall I remind you that a man should not enter the bedchamber of a princess and interrogate the royal, threatening her life." Celaena's gaze rose and held the assassin's steadily. To her surprise, Arobynn gave one sharp laugh.

"Fine. Then I'll ask you this one question," he speared her with an intense look. "Will it please your highness to train as an assassin?" She froze, mouth opening, but no sound came out. Arobynn ignored her silence and continued. "You cannot go back to Terrasen even if I let you go free, which I won't," he said with a stern glance. "You are in Rifthold at present, the centre of Adarlan's empire. If you run, you won't get far before the king's minions kill you. If you run from me, the consequences from me or the king will not be pretty." His voice softened at Celaena's frightened expression. "If you accept my offer, you will be fed and clothed properly, paid for your missions-though part of the money will go to me-and trained to be one of the world's best assassins. You will have your revenge on Adarlan with the kills you make, a definite bonus for you I'm sure. You will have a second chance at life, a different identity. The no one will ever hear from Isensta Brannon again. Instead Adarlan and its empire will come to fear an assassin. Adarlan's Assassin. I am offering you a way out of death."

Arobynn's voice was a soft persuasive whisper. The promises he offered. Celaena trembled and kept her gaze on the carved rosewood bed frame. "And if I decline?" Celaena kept her expression neutral, calm and blank. She needed to hear the answer. An alternative to murder. The sheen vanished from his eyes.

"If you do not take the offer, you will be sent to the king and left for dead. I did not save your life to have to die again," he said coldly. "Choose carefully." Celaena drummed her nails against the sheets. There was still dirt in them. She was a mess.

"Well it isn't much of a choice, is it," Celaena said sighing. She fell back into the pillows. "Fine, I'll take your offer. I hope you don't make me regret this," she warned him. "I'll make your life miserable." Arobynn rose and flashed her a grin.

"I think I am able to make your life even more miserable. You better rest. As soon as you have healed properly your training begins." She nodded. Arobynn's eyes widened on the way to the door. "Oh, I almost forgot. You will need a new name. Nobody knows who you are in the Keep, your present company excluded of course." Celaena hesitated.

"My choice?" he nodded. She wanted a exotic name, something so different no one will never guess her true identity. A name that will reflect her future self, someone powerful, deadly, and beautiful.

"Celaena Sardothien," she said at last, a wicked smile forming. "My name is Celaena Sardothien."

Later that night, Celaena Sardothien stared out the window. Frost dotted the shutters as they swung in the wind. A gust of freezing air swept in whipping her blonde hair around her face. It was so different from what she was used to. In the distance, the silvery ribbon that made up the Avery River wove through the buildings of Rifthold. With their emerald roofs so different from the bronze topped structures of Orynth. She turned her gaze toward the shimmering blue-green glass castle. What was the king doing now? Planning more conquest? More deaths? She gripped the railing, knuckles whitening, but then she relaxed. It was not her problem anymore.

Guilt twist her stomach into knots. Was she right to abandon her kingdom as she did? Give up on her people? Forget everything that had happened to herself and her family? She had no choice. Not if she wanted to survive in this new world. Celaena looked up into the sky. The stars were out tonight. She automatically sought out the stag. The Lord of the North. The constellation that always leads to Terrasen. She tilted her head up closing her eyes with a sigh.

Then, they opened in a flash. Blue and gold burning together, fusing, scorching, searing. Part of her will always belong to Terrasen, but now...

She was changed. I am Celaena Sardothien, Adarlan's Assassin, and I will not be afraid. Celaena smiled and looked north. To a land of pine and snow. I will not be afraid.

The mirror image faded. "So, that's my life," Celaena said with a small shrug. Chaol and Dorian stared at her eyes comically wide. "And before you pity me, I'm over it. You can't change the past. No matter how much you want to," she gave them a sad smile.

"Have a goodnight. We leave early tomorrow." Celaena bowed and walked out.

So this is the end. The last chapter. Of course, this isn't the end of all the Throne of Glass fanfics I am writing, but this was the first major one and I hope y'all readers, reviewers and followers enjoyed this story as much as I loved to write it. I know in the beginning, the summary says that the threesome go on this mission thingy, but that wasn't exactly the point of the story so, no, I am not continuing Mirror Memories with that adventure.

Although I might write another fanfic based on that. Maybe. But I think that won't come for a while since school is coming back and everything. You probably won't hear from me in a while so thanks for everything.

And of course, reviews are always great. *hint, hint*

See y'all around!

~Silverleaf~