All characters belong to the lovely Sarah J. Maas
SEVEN
Sam loved running. He loved the burning feeling in your lungs and the strain in your muscles. To him, it helped him know that he was alive. Chaol told both him and Celaena to stay in the middle of the group of Champions. Judging by Celaena's harsh breaths, he could tell she was having some difficulty so he kept in pace with her even when she slowed. He was surprisingly fitter than Celaena.
Cain lead the pack and had a ten metre distance between the other Champions. If Sam wasn't ordered to stay in the middle he would be way past Cain but he didn't need to draw attention to himself, he just needed to survive.
Seeing Cain wave his hands in the air meant that he was at the finish mark near the stables. Only a few more metres to go. The gravel path hurt the soles of his feet, the thin material of his shoes not being much of a help.
Breathe in and out. His lungs were on fire but it comforted him. It reminded him of the long days when Abroynn made him run around the whole of Rifthold five times –down every alley and through every street. He had a time limit then, he an hour and he always had a minute to spare.
Meeting up with the other champions, Sam slowed to a walk with Celaena beside him, her face red and sweaty. She looked like she was going to die of exhaustion.
"Good job," Brullo said, "We have more training, get water."
Reining his horse, he joined the guards on their horses and started murmuring to them, taking occasional glances at the group who first returned.
Still watching Brullo, Sam hears Chaol speaking, "Where do you think you're going?"
He turns around to see Celaena walking back into the woods, passing Chaol on his dark horse.
She waves a hand, "I dropped something, my ring," she took a gasp of air, "Just let me find it."
Celaena wasn't wearing a ring. Watching her from a distance, he saw her drop to her knees and vomit. Vomit a lot. Knowing Celaena, he didn't approach her. It would kill her pride. Chaol gazed at her as well, pursing his lips with something glinting in his eyes. Disgust? Empathy? Pity? It soon subsided once she turned around, wiping her mouth and not even looking at either of them as she walked towards the castle.
He began to follow her when a articulate voice calls his name. "Nathaniel."
Sam whirls around to see Chaol staring at him. Obediently, he sauntered towards him, still dizzy from the run.
"Yes?" He asked, taking a quick glance at Celaena to make sure she wasn't fainting. She looked horribly sick.
He could feel Chaol's eyes on him then trailing to where he was looking. Sam looks at him and sees him frowning.
"Celaena is a very… different compared to other women," Chaol whispered, still watching her.
He was going to say obviously because she's an assassin but Sam nodded in response instead.
"So make sure you look after her," Chaol took off on his steed before Sam could comprehend his words. Look after her? Why would he care?
Watching the Captain of the Royal Guards riding on a horse towards the woman he love, he realised something that was plainly obvious. Things were going to get troublesome and all he wanted to do was sleep.
By the time Brullo finally dismissed them, it was lunch. Only lunch. He just wanted to go to his silky bed and envelope himself in its soft blankets, that was all he wanted. Sam sat across from Celaena in her dining room with Chaol seated at the end, eating a plate of salmon.
On his own plate, he had roasted potatoes and chunks of beef. Celaena makes a disgusted sound. He glances up and sees her scowling at Chaol.
"How can you eat that?" she gagged and covered her nose. Her hair was wet from the bath she just had and it laid limply over her shoulder. Now that he thought about it, her hair has always been the same length ever since he's met her –just above her waist and not a centimetre over.
"What's wrong with Salmon?" He asked, wiping his mouth with the embroidered napkin. He had a scar across his knuckles. No ring.
She crinkled her nose, "I'd rather die than eat fish, I hate it."
"That's weird because you smell like one," he pointed at her with his fork, his smile smug. Sam ate silently as he observed their exchange, chewing quietly so he wouldn't disturb them. It felt awkward being there.
Sam watched Chaol as he continued to smirk at Celaena. There it was again, that something twinkling in his eyes and now Sam knew what it was. The sound of a chair scraping against the marble floor fills the room and he turns to see Celaena stretching her arms a over her head.
She sighed, "Chaol, do you think it would be okay if Sam stayed in my chambers with me for the duration of the competition."
He choked on a potato, surprised. What was she thinking!
Chaol leaned back on his chair and gazed at Celaena, then Sam, and then Celaena again. The silence in the room was daunting.
"Fine," was all he said before he left the room. Well that turned out better than he expected. They stood there staring at each other, stunned by Chaol's sudden harshness until Celaena broke into a laugh.
"What's his problem?" She scoffed, taking a sip of water from her glass. Everything she did was graceful… Except for her eating habits. She ate ravenously like it was the last meal she was going to have but he didn't mind because he understood why she ate how she did.
He grinned and got out of his chair, "I should go get my stuff then."
"Yes, that's a good idea," she returned his smile and went over to kiss him briefly, holding him like he might disappear.
He could feel her smiling as she kissed him, raising her hands to play with his hair. Her lips were softer that spider silk and he just wanted to kiss her over and over again. He stumbled as she took a step back and went to open the door for him.
"Hurry back Sam."
Making his way to his chambers, Sam couldn't help but get the feeling that he was being followed. With the endless hall ways and uncountable doors to rooms that held the most random things –he came across a room that was solely used to store empty cardboard boxes- he found that it was impossible to tell if someone was following him because there were so many servants and nobles everywhere.
Though, a nagging voice in he back of his mind screamed danger!
A turn away from his door, a figure covered in black intercepts his path. Who in the Wyrd is this-
"Sam Cortland," a deep remote voice said. His face was hidden in the shadows of his coat and he couldn't see his feet or hands. He didn't reply or make a sound.
"Abroynn has been looking for you," it breathed like it was tired and bored. At that, he stiffened and he could feel the colour of his face drain. His tongue was dry. Sam wanted to run to Celaena but he knew the man would only follow him, putting Celaena in danger, so he didn't.
"This may hurt," he could sense the man smiling and before he knew it, his world went dark and hands were on him.
Celaena sighed as she stared at the grandfather clock. It had been two hours and Sam still hadn't returned. Maybe he was angry that she stop kissing him. Maybe he was having trouble packing. Or maybe he was in trouble…
No, stop, she thought, You're safe here, away from The Assassins Guild.
But she couldn't help thinking about the last time he disappeared for hours and hours and of her being told of his death…
She stood up from the couch and stuffed a spoon into her pocket. It was better than nothing. She was just going to walk to his chambers to check if everything was okay. Throwing the door open and running to his room, Celaena couldn't stop a sick feeling in her stomach. Sam had to be safe.