To the Stars | Throne of Glass

6

Someone hammered their fist on the door. 'Get up. Breakfast in ten minutes.' Aelin rolled over - and choked herself in the overly stuffed pillow. Her throat felt raw and dry, so she crawled to her bedside table where a glass of water sat.

As Aelin stood in front of her mirror brushing her hair, she debated for a moment whether she should plait it or not. She left it down. Wriggling out of her nightgown, she donned a light blue dress (with some difficulty due to the lace ties), and as a last minute thought, tucked the knife under the folds. Just in case. Then she went downstairs.

There were only two recognisable faces at the long dining table. Sam, whom she brushed past without a second word, and Arobynn, gesturing for her to take a seat next to a man sat on his right, probably a few years younger than himself. He greeted her with a friendly smile. 'Hey. I'm Ben.' Aelin wouldn't normally have returned the smile, but she needed some... friends... or friendly people, at least. So she strained a smile back. 'Celaena,' she said as sweetly as possible. It came easier than she thought.

Pushing away the events of last night, she put all the friendliness she could into her smile. Her face hurt. The smile dropped, and she made no effort to bring it back. Ben frowned after studying her face. 'How old are you? Nine?'

She shook her head. 'Eight.' Bread crumbs sprayed from her mouth as she talked. Politeness fell a long way away from Aelin's standards, but Ben didn't seem bothered - so she offered him a mischievous, brutish grin. The dress didn't seem quite appropriate, now. He smiled right back.

~

Aelin stood in the training room at midday, now dressed in a plain brown tunic and trousers. The huge room was almost empty, and contained little equipment save for some dummies and a cupboard in the far corner. Large mats lay on the ground, some in rolls, at the opposite end of the hall where men of all ages trained leaps, jabs and kicks on the various mats. There was practically no noise apart from the small thuds, or hisses of breath. Aelin thought that if being in a room full of trained assassins wasn't daunting, then nothing else was.

The sun poured in relentlessly through the slits in the windows, but the air was cold. The high ceiling towered a good few metres above her head, supported by tall wooden columns, the latter themselves marred by deep slashes and scars. It was all rather beautiful, in a way.

Someone elbowed her out of the way as she stood in the doorway gawking. Snapped out of her trance, she sniffed in disdain at Sam. 'Why are you here?'

Sam widened his eyes in exasperation, then gave her a look which read duh. 'Training.'

Aelin blinked. 'Who's training you?'

'Dunno. Depends. But not Arobynn. He never trains any of us. Only the best.'

Aelin began to pick at the edge of her tunic, refusing to meet his gaze any further. She wasn't interested in interacting with Sam in any way. Back home, her old home, Aelin hadn't had many friends either. Even the few children who lived in the castle stayed away, and she never knew why. Everyone, except from Aedion. Aedion Ashryver - her cousin whom she hadn't seen in ages; she missed him like hell.

A hand clasped Aelin's shoulder, and she jumped, instantly regretting the movement which revealed her uneasiness. Ben chuckled down at her. 'Sam. Mullin's waiting for you.' Sam darted off. Then Ben guided Aelin to a mat. 'What do you know about self-defense?'

Aelin shrugged. 'Quite a bit.'

Ben smiled. 'I'll cover the basics. There's no harm in running through the manoeuvres again.'

Aelin nodded in agreement as Ben stepped behind her and placed two broad hands on each of her shoulders. 'People - men usually - don't hunt for women who look like they'll put up a fight. They'll pick you because you look off guard or vulnerable or like you'd be sympathetic. They'll usually try to move you to another location - somewhere they won't need to worry about being interrupted.'

Aelin nodded, expression grim. Ben realised that she already knew all this. But she let him go on. Ben continued, 'Do not let them move you to another location. Fight back enough to convince them you're not worth it. And make as much noise as you can. I'd advise you start screaming about a fire - not rape, not theft, not something cowards would rather hide from. And if shouting doesn't discourage them, then there are a few tricks to outsmart them.

'Some may make them release you instantly, some may take them down temporarily, but as soon as they let go of you, your biggest priority is-'

'Getting the hell away from whatever shit-hole you're in,' Aelin said.

Ben raised half a smile. 'Not the words I would use, but, yes. Now-' His grip tightened on Aelin's shoulders.

She thrust her elbow into his throat, and quickly stomped on the bridge of his foot. Ben gagged, and stumbled backwards. In an instant, Aelin was facing him, teeth bared. 'Very... good,' he choked. 'But I don't think baring your teeth is the best idea. You run after you've either downed or disabled your opponent.'

Aelin shrugged. 'I know.'

Ben chuckled, properly this time. He went back to Aelin, and before she could do anything, had her in a headlock. 'Now, listen and pay attention. These next manoeuvres may save your life one day.'

~

Just as Aelin had finished mastering the ear clap, Arobynn stalked towards them, with an array of weapons sheathed at his side. Ben dipped his chin to acknowledge Arobynn, and gave a wide smile to Aelin. 'Have fun.' Then he strolled away.

Cocking her head to the side, Aelin asked, 'Is the cloak necessary?' The billowing black cloak fastened around his neck certainly looked grand. Arobynn laughed. She didn't like the sound of his dark chuckle. He slipped on the hood.

His eyes disappeared, and suddenly he didn't stand out as much. 'Disguise, my dear, is essential. Especially if you need one to hide all these blades.' He ran a finger across the hilt of each one. 'I will not be dispatching you on any missions any time soon, so the cloak is unnecessary for you.'

Aelin frowned. 'Missions?'

'Worry about those when you're fifteen. Unless you're exceptionally outstanding. Then... I might consider slightly earlier.'

Aelin clenched her fist. 'So I'm basically trapped here until the day I die?'

A tight smile. 'Not trapped. You will be allowed to leave the Guild if you are accompanied by a senior assassin. If I have allowed you to do so. But yes, you will remain here probably for the rest of your life. And don't look so disappointed. Be grateful I've given you a home. You would be dead otherwise.'

In truth, she wanted to be dead. Aelin missed her parents. Her chest almost cleaved apart at the thought of them.

Let go of the past.

Those damn words rang in her head again.

Well... she certainly would try.

So with a heavy heart, Aelin walked aside and away

Down

Down

Down

Into the endless depths of the yearning hole in her fractured heart until her bright firelight was swallowed by the darkness.

The ember flickered.

And went out.

~

Celaena Sardothien slowly lifted her head to look up at the King of the Assassins. She met his stony face with a cold smile of her own.

'So...' she drawled, 'What now?'

***

*music dramatises*

lol i'm editing now about a year later (summer 2020 now summer 2021) and realising how cheesy my a/ns were.