I'm honestly surprised how many people reviewed. I know this fandom is quite small compared to others, so I was absolutely blown away. It made my day. :)

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters, lands, dialogues, or anything else from the Throne of Glass series. Everything belongs to Sarah J. Maas.

Aedion Ashryver, Wolf of the North, was completely, undeniably, thoroughly and utterly gobsmacked.

He resisted the urge to rub his eyes, knowing it would only look suspicious on his part. The last thing he wanted was to draw attention to himself, or someone might notice the similarities between himself and the teenage girl standing proud and arrogant in chains.

Gods, they were similar.

Her striking gold hair of many colours was roughly cut short and ragged, tangled with blood, mud, and other unspeakable things. She was taller, leaner, and (naturally) older than when he last saw her, and it was like looking into a window to the past, from when she and he would come home dirty from playing outside in the famously beautiful but rough Terrasen landscape. Except the image was distorted, with scars of all shapes and sizes consuming her filthy pale skin, a testament to her violent lifestyle. He'd come the this meeting having heard the rumours of Celaena Sardothien's youth and hoping to possibly save a young misguided girl from a cruel end; instead he'd found a much more valid reason to fight for her freedom.

A freedom that was now being compromised by her stubborn silence. Trying to keep his voice level in his desperation, he intoned "You are required to answer, Miss Sardothien." Her name felt unnatural as it was dragged across his tongue and he wondered if it was evident how difficult it was for him to say.

She froze.

It was a tiny movement, so minute that even the Lords of Adarlan who were gazing at her hungrily probably didn't notice it. But Aedion did, because he was expecting it.

Her eyes flicked, an infinitesimal motion, to meet Aedion's.

The gold rims turned to wildfire. Rings of fire with the blue shadows waiting behind them. He imagined a million thoughts and questions cramming her head, but she schooled her face in an indifferent expression, and she revealed nothing.

Aelin Ashryver Galathynius, the beloved cousin he'd lost, didn't speak.

And a moment later he felt the consequences.

The King of Adarlan now stood before her, commanding her to look at him... And she looked, but by some strange miracle he didn't notice the stunning irises that screamed who she was, and why he should kill her... And then he was walking away, but Aelin's voice was calling him back, spitting out the masochistic words Make it quick... And then the King was smiling at his arch nemesis (though he didn't know it) and was saying something of undeniable cruelty to her... and then the final sentence had fallen onto Aedion's ears like a dropped anvil and he fought not to cry out.

Nine lives' worth of labour in the Salt Mines of Endovier.

Nine lives' worth of labour.

In Endovier.

Where no one survived for more than a month.

And then Aelin was being led back out and everyone was rising and Aedion was expected to rise with them.

So he did, all the while staring at the door and vowing to rescue his Queen before it was too late.

"Thanks a lot, Chaol. We missed the trial."

"How is that my fault? Besides we got here in the end. We're still allowed to see her."

"That's beside the point."

"Then what is the point?"

Disjointed snippets of bickering and banter roused Celaena from her half-slumber. The floor of her temporary holding cell wasn't comfortable enough for her to fully embrace sleep, and she was already feeling the effects of sleep deprivation. She blearily cracked open her left eye to make out the figures of two young men standing in front of her and staring through the bars at her. She let her training wipe away the cobwebs in her head, and waited as her vision cleared to distinguish the men's individual features.

The one on the left was clearly in charge, with a mop of tousled ink black hair and clear blue eyes, like sapphire monocles. He was sweeping his gaze over her with amusement and a faint impressed air. However, she didn't particularly like the places where his gaze lingered.

The second man - looking a few years older than Celaena herself, like his companion - had chestnut-brown hair that fell down to his ears and around his neck, framed a chiselled face set with copper-coloured eyes that were dark in the dim lighting of the prisons. His gaze, in contrast to the blue-eyed man's, was analytical, and he surveyed Celaena like she might be an actual threat.

Good. It would be mortifying to lose all of her notoriety in a few unlucky days.

"You're Celaena Sardothien?" The first man blurted out. His friend looked faintly embarrassed and Celaena just glared at him coolly. Her mind was ticking. She knew these people from somewhere...

"Evidently." She replied in a clipped tone. A set of golden-brown eyes narrowed. The second man elbowed the first, but it did nothing to dissuade him from speaking.

"Have I met you before, Miss Sardothien?" He clearly didn't believe her to be the assassin, not for one moment. She sighed. When would her age stop convincing people of her inadequacy?

But where had she seen them before?

It came to her when she saw that flirtatiously insolent look cross the first man's face. If she were to close her eyes, she could see pictured behind her eyelids that night, with circles of dancing girls she'd been pulled into, Sam's honest face with his lips shaping the words I care what you think of me, and the four mysterious noble men who'd come in at three am wearing masks.

She was certain that this was the one who'd asked her to dance, and the other was the companion who'd held the sword.

She leaned forward. "My name is Wind." She whispered, though the sound was smooth and clear in the confined space. She saw him tilt his head as the memory resurfaced. "And Rain. And Bone and Dust. My name is a snippet of a half-remembered song."

His head, which had been dropped in thought, snapped up again as the pieces clicked together.

"I have no name," she continued, directly quoting what she'd said to him that night. "I am whoever the keepers of my fate tell me to be."

He smiled at her then, but it was an echo of the smile he'd given her. "I thought you were from Melisande," he admitted candidly. She saw his friend's eyes widen as he remembered what they referred to, and realised what they were talking about. He squinted at Celaena, no doubt some dark sinister reason for why she'd been at the celebration that night brewing behind his shining eyes.

She leaned back again. "Many people think many things about me," she countered cryptically. It only appeared to intrigue the blue-eyed man. That one, she decided, had a burning curiosity, and seemed unafraid to wander into troublesome topics. So different from his friend, who seemed perfectly willing to keep his horizons narrow, provided no unseen force stabbed him in the back. "That does not mean all of them are true."

"Where's your friend?" The sensible one asked. "The one who looked ready to rip Dorian's arm off for asking you to dance."

In the nanosecond before the boiling waves of sadness poured in at the thought of Sam, the name clicked in her mind. Dorian. Crown Prince Dorian, The King's son. She remembered him from when she was younger, and had still held the right to the title of princess.

Then she felt every pore, every cell, swamped with an agonising blend of guilt, grief, and anger. Her posture tightened significantly, like a thread of elastic from one of her dresses was suddenly pulled taut, almost to breaking point. Her jaw and lips trembled. Apparently her face showed something akin to murder, because both men took a hasty step back.

She lowered her face, stomping down the emotions and locking the memory of Sam up in a treasured part of her heart. When she tilted her chin up again, her face was blank.

The copper-eyed man wore the faintest of smiles, but it wasn't cruel. She wasn't sure what it was. Maybe he was pleased to see that even Adarlan's assassin had a heart?

The Prince - someone had been referred to as Chaol on the way in, so if this was Dorian, Chaol must be the other one - tapped his fingers against the bars of the empty cell opposite hers. A shudder tried to run through her with every dull metallic ring. "You know, I didn't believe you, a teenage girl, could possibly be Celaena Sardothien, Adarlan's Assassin, but having seen your anger, and your scars, I'm forced to concede."

"Good to know," said a new voice, one that was low and familiar. All three people looked to see Aedion Ashryver standing a few feet away. How he'd gotten in without Celaena - or Chaol for that matter; he looked sharp - detecting him was a mystery. "Good to know that the court's evidence seems sufficient to you, Your Highness. Now if you please, your father, His Majesty, The King of Adarlan, requests yours and Captain Westfall's presence in his throne room."

To anyone else, it would look like her cousin was trying to intimidate the two into doing what he asked by using the extravagant titles. But Celaena didn't miss the slight glance her way. He was purposely giving her as much information his could about these people, in as inconspicuous a way as possible.

Dorian huffed, irritated. "Very well. I will grace my ever-patient father with my presence." He paused on his way out, the Captain almost bumping into him as he stopped in the doorway. "But General," General? "You should know better than anyone that I am not afraid of my father."

Aedion didn't face him as he spoke, staring at the wall instead. "I'm well aware of that, Your Highness. But perhaps you should be. After all, your father has two sons."

No more words were exchanged as the two men exited the room. After their footsteps faded, Aedion fully turned to face his cousin.

"Aelin." He whispered. "You're alive." His eyes - identical to hers - roved over her face. "Thank the Gods."

I really need a beta for this story. Is anyone interested?

Question: What ship would you like to see in this story. I ship Sam and Celaena, personally, which is the only one that won't work. I'll try to incorporate most but... (That isn't limited to just Celaena/Aelin ships. It includes things like ChaolxNesryn, DorianxSorscha, LysandraxAedion, etc).

Tell me your thoughts on this chapter! Review?