Reign of Embers

Chapter 1- 10 years later

A/N This is my first fanfic so it won't be perfect, all votes and comments appreciated.

Characters, references and events may be slightly off - feel free to notify me of this!

I take no credit for anything that I did not create, all credit to Sarah J Maas. (I also take no credit for any other books mentioned)

~Annabel~
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Aelin

10 years after Erawan and Maeve fell at the battle of Orynth, we have finally recovered enough that Terassen once again flourishes. We have spent the past decade rebuilding the once great country, and have even been able to start living, not just surviving. The best things are the huge theatre and Library, the magic school and public schools for all children - not just the wealthy. But despite our best efforts to remove the physical destruction, the psychological scarring has been a difficult time for everyone - leading for us to train healers that specialise in both mental and physical health.

Everyone has their own scars and trauma to deal with, some more than others, but I thought I'd got over mine enough to at least sleep through the night untroubled.

Apparently not.

I had spent the past five minutes hurling my guts up into the bathing chamber toilet, hands braced on the rim, my mate holding back my sleep tossed hair and rubbing my back in soothing circles. Although ten years had passed since the end of the war, occasionally the horrifying events they endured crept into our sleeping and waking moments – and the past few weeks had sent a new onslaught of dreams to send me lurching from sleep, the ghost of a scream on my lips.

Id originally dismissed her morning nausea as being caused by my reoccurring dream – iron chaining me to a wall, blood trickling down my body from injuries I could no longer identify, screaming ricocheting off the dark stone walls. A white wolf sometimes joined me in this room, often just as badly brutalised as I was. This scene seemed different to those of my time in Maeves clutches, equally as painful and confusing, yet I had never dreamt of my companion being tortured as well. Maybe it was just forgotten memories finding their way to the surface as we finally had some peace in the kingdom.

I groan as the acidic taste of vomit rises in my throat and spills out into the basin before me. Blinking away the tears pricking my eyes, I wipe a hand across my mouth and sit back on my calves, grateful for the brief respite.

Thats every day this week Aelin, are you sure you dont want to see a healer to get a tonic? Rowan mutters beside me, hair still grasped loosely in his fist.

Im not wasting their time when Im perfectly capable of making my own. I snap back, or at least try to with the lingering taste of my insides still coating my mouth.

Rowan passes me a glass of water from the low table beside us, I know but you havent done it yet. He says softly, and I sip slowly from the glass, spitting out the first few mouthfuls to rid my mouth of its vile coating before answering.

Ill get round to it, just not right now.

Aelin-

I refuse to look at him as I say innocently; What?

You know what. I know he means my relationship with healers – they healed me so well with Maeve that I no longer had the scars as a reminder of how I fought for ten years to protect the kingdom Id never forgotten, even when everyone thought otherwise.

I stay silent even as Rowan lets my waist length hair drop to my sides and wraps his arms around my middle, before pulling me onto his lap.

Do you want to talk about it? He mumbles quietly.