Ashryver eyes

Chapter 1: Celaena

Celaena Sardothien was the kings champion. And she had no idea how she got here. She was surprised that the King of Adarlan didn't remember her from all those years ago, that Dorian didn't remember her. Had she been so unnoticeable back then, or had they just seen what they wanted to see when they pulled her out of Endovier? A notorious assassin, not the long lost queen of Terrassen.

Even If she didn't miss being a princess-- In fact, she was happy that she wasn't-- there was some parts of it that she missed. Not that terrible power, not the shackles of the crown, but her court. Her parents, her friends. That was the type of thing she missed.

"Psst, Celaena," Celaena was snapped back to reality by a voice at her side. Dorian. Wow, she had dreamed her way back a long time if she hadn't touched the food yet.

They sat in the Great Hall eating lunch like every other day. The smell of roast meat and spices was thick in the air. The food wasn't bad, not at all, but she wasn't hungry right now. It was a day when she missed her family a bit more than usual. She hated these days. She was supposed to have gotten past this by now, her princess life was behind her and there was no way to ever bring it back. There was no reason to dwell on it.

"Celaena," Dorian said again, sounding frustrated. Celaena looked over at him, and worried sapphire eyes met her own. "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing Dorian, I'm just tired after training." That wasn't technically a lie. Celaena was exhausted after her and Dorian's training session this morning, but that was low on the list right now.

She knew Dorian didn't believe her in the slightest, but he could sense that she didn't want to talk about it and let it drop.

Celaena looked around the Great Hall, and noticed something she hadn't thought of before. The Hall was tense, no one really ate and either looked at the king or at the door. Celaena sat up a little straighter, what was going on? What was everyone waiting for? She looked over at Dorian again, and found his gaze on his father as well, expectant, but not in a positive way. He looked like he was bracing himself for something

"Dorian, what's going on? What are we waiting for?" She asked him carefully. She could feel her body locking up, the assassins instincts kicking in. Dorian frowned.

"The general of my fathers armies is coming to visit, and he is an asshole. He is also terrifying, so please Celaena, stay the hell away from him." Celaena scowled at him and Dorian let out a quiet laughter. Celaena smiled a little before her brows furrowed.

"Who--" she began, but a loud boom, like a sword hitting a shield, echoed through the hallway and into the Great Hall. All chatter stopped immediately and Celaena was sure that if someone dropped a needle on the floor, you would hear it when it hit solid ground. Dorian pressed a finger to his lips and looked over at the door. Celaena followed suit just as the big front doors opened. From her seat, she had a clear shot of the doors. And of the person walking in.

Celaena distantly heard her knife clatter on the table as she dropped it, but she didn't care. No, no it wasn't possible. He couldn't be here, he couldn't.

But he was. The first thing she saw was the golden shoulder length hair, then the heavily muscled body, and then his face. He had the same features as her, the same nose, the same cheekbones, the same eyes. Hell, their hair was even the same shade of gold.

Celaena's vision blurred, and she felt a hot tear slide down her cheeks as she took in the person in the door, the person she had missed every day these past ten years.

Because the person standing in the hallway was Aedion Ashryver, Celaena's cousin.