Hey there! I honestly had this long and boring AN written out, explaining that I never planned to publish my writing online, and how that I'm practically forcing myself to do this, and blah blah blah, but then I realized that you probably don't even care, so I'll just get on with it, but I do need to give a huge thank you to R5AAFAN, as she played a big part in convincing me to upload a story onto here, even though it's taken me a year to do it, I pulled through in the end! So…yeah, I highly doubt anybody will actually bother reading this, but if by some miracle, you stumble upon this story and you don't lose interest, be sure to tell me what you think!

Disclaimer: I have no idea how these things go… I don't own any of these characters. Sarah J. Mass does. Good enough?

Celaena Sardothein strode into the dining hall, drumming her fingers against the pommel of her sword as she casually pulled up a chair beside the Captain of the Guard, Chaol. Seated around them, were his men, they always seemed to be on edge in the few times where the young Assassin decided to sit with them, rather than in the comfort of her room, where Fleetfoot, the little monster, would stealthily steal a bone of her plate every now and again whilst she had her nose stuffed in a book, or she was too engaged in a conversation with her beloved friend Nehemia, to think much of the food on her table. She gave a brisk nod to them and began piling her plate high with food. Gods, she was hungry, she'd been up on the rooftops of Rifthold, studying the movements of her next victim that the King of Adarlan assigned her to be rid of. She all but attacked the roasted chicken on here plate, guffawing a piece of bread every now and again, much to the amusement of a certain Captain of the Guard sitting next to her.

"What's so amusing Captain?"

"You're acting as if you haven't eaten in months, when you've only without food since morning." Chaol chuckled.

"Well, I'd like to see jump roofs for hours without getting famished! I've seen you eat more than everybody on this table combined just by sparring with me." Celaena answered back smugly, sipping some tea as she noticed the guards on the table struggling to hide their amusement, after all, it wasn't every day somebody could take a jab at the Captain and get away with it.

Celaena was one of the few exceptions. Ress, one of Chaol's most trusted men choked on his water, trying his best to keep a straight face. Chaol glared jokingly at her.

"Well played."

"Indeed."

Celaena went right back to scarfing down her food, completely unperturbed by the comment. She was a growing person. She needed food.

Celaena sat back in her chair, eying the last mound of potato on the platter. She knew she shouldn't, she'd already had the amount of food that three fully grown men would eat, yet she couldn't resist picking up her spoon, and scooping up the last of the potatoes onto her dish. She savored the taste of it, hoping she'd never again have to nearly starve to death. She shuddered. She hated thinking about her times at Endovier. Hoped that the next time she went down there, it was to free the slaves, not to become one again. She was so lost in thought that she didn't notice the utter silence that fell upon the dining hall until it was broken by the sound of loud footsteps entering the hall.

Celaena looked up from her plate. Her breath caught in her throat. She forgot how to breathe. Standing in front of the King, was one of his most lethal Generals. The Wolf of the North. Aedion Ashryver.

Chaol noticed Celaena tense beside him, he could have sworn he saw fear flash through her eyes before she quickly concealed it under a carefully blank face. Did she know the General's reputation? His stories of him in battle were not the types you'd tell to children, or even adults that couldn't stomach much. Though she was Adarlan's Assassin, surely she couldn't be that intimidated by the General, right?

It was him. Aedion, who was her only friend. Whom was fiercely protective of her. Whom would pummel anybody who dared say a word against her. Whom she had betrayed by watching her own county turn to ashes whilst she cowered in Arobynn Hamel's shadow. She had to get out of here, but she couldn't without calling attention to herself by being the only one to leave in the midst of a guest entrance. Attention was the last thing she needed right now. Her thoughts were cut off as the King began to speak, his voice piercing through the blanket of silence like a blade,

"Your Majesty." His deep voice booming across the entire dining hall. Aedion bent his back so slightly that it barely counted as a bow. He would have been be-headed had he not been so good at his job. The man was a warrior on the battlefield, and the King knew it, but that didn't mean he was happy about it, any day now, Aedion's arrogance might be the thing to end his life, if he just pushes the buttons a little too far…

The King merely gestured to an empty seat next to Dorian, much to the Prince's dismay. As soon as the General pulled the seat out, it was like a spell had been broken, all of the dropped conversations were picked up again, women gossiping and guards laughing and the dining hall was once more filled with the constant chattering of people. All except one certain Assassin across the hall.

"Dorian, always a pleasure" Aedion said with his signature smirk. Dorian wanted to punch him. It was very hard to keep his temper intact around the General. He supposed he never really liked Aedion, ever since he threatened to harm him after he accidentally spilt tea on his little cousin's dress. She died the next day. Aelin Galathynius. The Prince managed to fake a smile.

"Aedion, it's been awhile."

"Indeed. I see you don't have your usual Guard Dog next to you."

The Prince clenched his teeth, yet he couldn't help but give a sidelong glance at the table across the hall at his friend, and for the first time that night, noticing that Celaena was there as well. This action didn't go unnoticed by Aedion as he said "Ah, I see the Captain is a little to busy for you, eh? I wouldn't mind meeting his new friend." The General said, already getting up. Dorian knew Aedion's reputation for courting women, and if this was to go as he expected, he better accompany him to make sure Chaol didn't rip the General's throat out. Even worse, Celaena didn't rip his throat out...

Celaena just stared at her plate for awhile, refusing to let the panic inside her rise. She kept telling herself that is was a big castle, and that the odds for them meeting were slim to none. Just as she thought it Chaol mumbled a few colorful words that made he lift her head up in curiosity, she caught where his gaze was heading and her heart nearly stopped. Dorian and Aedion were walking towards their table.

"I swear, if that arrogant brat tries anything with you…" Chaol mumbled, clearly not liking Aedion's presence heading towards them. She could't let him see her upclose. He'd know it was her. She stood up abruptly.

"I have matters to attend to." She bid the table a quick farewell and walked briskly our of the dining hall before the duo could reach the table.

When Dorian and Aedion reached the table, Chaol's expresson was of puzzlement. Why did she leave so quickly? She hadn't even stayed for dessert, which means something had to be wrong. Was she that intimidated by the General's presence? He would ask her later, but right now, he had to deal with the pain in the neck himself.

"Hello, General." The Captain said, annoyance clearly laced in his tone, not bothering to hide his disdain. Aedion merely put a hand to his heart in mock offense.

"I am wounded by your unwelcoming tone, Captain, I thought we were friends!" Aedion remarked.

"Speaking of friends…" He continued.

"Who was that blonde haired beauty that just left? Did you manage to drive her away already?" Aedion asked.

"That is not to your concern. She's off limits General." Chaol snarled. Dorian put a hand on his shoulder, letting him know not to say something he might regret. Aedion raised his hands in mock surrender.

"I only asked who she was, but it seems like you're the territorial type." He smirked. Dorian knew Chaol wouldn't be able to answer without blowing his top off, so he took it upon him to answer instead.

"I would not recommend going after her, General, you do not want to deal with her." Aedion seemed to think of it as a challenge. "We'll see about that" Was all he said, before strutting off to a table full of giggling noble blood ladies.

That night, a girl with blue eyes ringed with gold stared at the stars all night. At the stag that always showed the way home.

Dorian and Aedion were taking a walk through the gardens, under his Father's orders to entertain the General. Aedion would every now and then wink at a passing lady, which wasn't at all surprising, really. As they were walking, the young General's interest was piqued as he spotted the Captain of the Guard with that golden haired girl again, he couldn't see her very well from across the garden, though.

"Remind me again, Dorian, how exactly did the Captain manage to get that girl?" The General meant to get on the Prince's nerves, and he got what he wanted when the Prince suddenly growled.

"She's off limits." That raised his curiosity. A lot. So, of course, the General decided to have some fun.

"Oh? And why would that be, Prince? Did you already call on her next?" He smirked, but to his surprise Dorian merely chuckled.

"You know what, I'd like to see you try to go after her, because not only will you have to deal with a fuming Captain, you'd be lucky to leave the castle in one piece, because she is fierce."

"Oh please, nothing I can't handle." Aedon smirked. The Prince smirked right back.

"You are staring at the King's Champion, her alias is Lillian Gordiana, but seeing as you are a part of the King's court, you should know her by her true identity, Celaena Sardothein." Dorian couldn't help but slip a little smug smile as the General blanched.

"But she's barely a woman! Celaena Sardothein is in Endovier!"

"Not anymore. Do you still feel like flirting with her?"

The Prince attempted to hide his amusement, but to his surprise, the General merely lifted his chin up higher.

"Let's see if this little girl can live up to her image, shall we?" Aedion said, already striding towards the pair. The Prince's heart turned cold, as he came to the realization that the two of them put together would either end with a menacing pair, or the bloodiest battle ever to be seen in Adarlan. With that thought, he quickly followed the General.

Calaena finally convinced Chaol to take a walk with her through the gardens, instead of being cramped in his stuffy room all day when he had no work to be done.

"Isn't it lovely to actually be able to smell fresh air for once?" Celaena teased.

"You're acting like I never see daylight" Chaol grumbled.

"You sure act like it." That caused the Captain to pinch her.

"Tsk tsk. Such a violent child." The Assassin mocked. The Captain just shook his head with a small smile tugging at his lips, until he looked across the garden, then all signs of happiness melted off his face and he started muttering under his breath. Curiously, Celaena looked towards the direction of the Captain's gaze, only to see a pair heading towards them, Dorian and…Holy gods. "Isn't that Aedion Ashyvier?" Celaena asked, attempting at keeping her panic at bay.

"Yes, that brat will probably try woo you into his bed, so please try to refrain from choking him-though I can't say I'll stop you if you do." Chaol added as an afterthought, clearly annoyed with their approaching presence. She couldn't let him see her. Once he looks into her eyes he'll know who she really is…

"Oh! We really must be going now, I have matters to attend to." She really must start thinking of a different excuse. She grabbed his arm, attempting at pulling the Captain away before the duo reached them.

"As much as I'd love to leave, Dorian and the General are coming towards us, and unless you want them to think we deliberately do not wish to speak with them, then we must stay." Chaol said, keeping his feet in place.

"Well, you seem to care about their opinions. I don't. So goodbye." Celaena said as she attempted to walk around the Captain, but he held onto her arm.

"If I'm suffering through this, you have to as well." Chaol said playfully, not realizing Celaena's rising state of panic.

"I can dislocate your arm in one move, I suggest you let go of me" Celaena snapped.

"Oooh, seems like somebody got on the Assassin's bad side." Boomed a voice behind her. She froze. She muttered a few curse words that only Chaol could hear, and he all but choked upon hearing them.

"I really must get going" She said trying to leave without turning her face towards the pair. A hand grabbed her arm to stop her. "Going so soon, sweetheart?" Aedion said arrogantly. She stopped.

"I suggest you let go of my arm right now." She said coldly.

"Or what?" The General replied cockily. Before anybody had the chance to blink, Aedion was on the floor in a heartbeat, and the young Assassin was striding away at a fast pace. The Prince and the Captain were watching with barely concealed laughter, they were not to interfere unless it got too bloody, because they knew that both of them would not take too nicely of somebody defending them as if they could not do it themselves. It would wound their prides too much. Aedion quickly got up and ran after the Assassin, who had now raised her hood over her head and was swiftly turning and avoiding obstacles with grace, weaving her way back to the castle, when he finally reached her, he decided to provoke her a little more, to see how far he could go, and this time, he was prepared for another attack.

"That wasn't very nice of you." He said mockingly. she didn't even falter a step, like she knew of his presence behind her before he spoke.

"I never claimed to be a nice person." She said sweetly. Aedion swerved in front of her to block her path. He was vaguely aware of the Prince and the Captain trailing them a few feet away, both amusement and wariness shown on their faces.

"Neither am I." He replied.

"I never said you were, now get out of my way" She said flatly.

"First, I'd like to ask a favour of you."

"I owe you nothing." She replied coldly.

"Just spar with me once." He wanted to see if this girl could live up to her reputation. It seems like the stories may have been exaggerated if this girl was the same assassin whose name was never spoken of too loudly in villages even after her capture.

"I have better things to do than have a petty little fight with a boy with a low self esteem that wants to prove that I am not a threat." She said. They briefly heard muffled laughs coming from behind them. An idea came to his head.

"As General, I command you to spar with me. Just once." He said. The laughter behind them came quiet.

"You command me?" The Assassin said menacingly.

"Okay, General. You brought this upon yourself, One spar." She said dangerously calm. And with that, she pushed past him and walked to the direction of the castle, over her shoulder she called.

"Are you going to accompany me instead of just standing there General or is this going to be a one man spar?" That drove them all not action as they moved to follow Celaena into the sparring arena. Chaol and the Prince strode on either side of Aedion.

"You do not want to fight with an angry Celaena, Aedion, this will surely end in bloodshed. I cannot tell who's blood though…" Mused Dorian. Chaol merely smirked

"She is a worthy opponent, this is sure to be an interesting fight…"

"I am Aedion Ashryver, Wolf of the North! I will not be intimidated by a little girl." He made sure that his voice was loud enough that Celaena would hear it. "

"Every jab you have at her will be given right back to you in the spar" Chaol warned. Aedion scoffed.

Soon enough, they had reached the sparring arena, Celaena went over to the sword rack and picked one up at random. She could work with all of them just fine. Arobynn had taught her not to get picky with her weapons, for that can only cause weakness on her part in the favored weapon's absence. She marched to the middle of the arena and waited for her opponent, surely enough, he strode inside moments later flanked by the Captain at one side, and the Prince on the other, both looking faintly amused at the situation, yet on high alert incase they needed to send somebody to the castle's infirmary at a moment's notice.

"Will you not take that cloak off whilst sparring?" Over her dead body.

"I was not aware that there was a dress code for kicking your ass." She said as she got into a position.

"It seems like I will never be able to see your face." He replied, also getting into position.

"Consider yourself blessed." And with that, she aimed the first slash, which Aedion quickly deflected and put a slash of his own in, which Celaena deflected in an almost bored manner. Aedion narrowed his eyes and pushed harder, their swords a whirlwind around them for gods knew how long, neither of them giving up as they danced around the entire room, sometimes Aedion taking the lead, others Celaena, it went on until Celaena managed to kick his chest and simultaneously disarm him, but she was having way too much fun to end it there, he was a worthy opponent, but still not good enough to beat her, instead of pointing her sword at his chest, she simply threw her sword aside as well and aimed a punch for his stomach, which Aedion quickly deflected, and aimed one of his own to her jaw, which she simply dodged and with a lethal grace, dropped to the ground and kicked his feet, making him lose his balance and fall to the floor, right where her fist was waiting, a second later she had him pinned in a way even though he was twice as large, he wouldn't be able to get up. Aedion was slack jawed. So were the Dorian and Chaol. Calaena was breathing heavily, but not enough to indicate that she'd been fighting for a good half hour.

"Now, would you like to underestimate me again?" She said sweetly. She simply got up and strode over to where her two friends were standing. Aedion was curious as to what her face looked like, to see if it was as maliculouse and lethal as her fighting.

"Will I ever be graced with the honour of seeing your face?" He asked curiously.

"No." And with that, she walked towards the door. She couldn't let him see her face. It was already risky enough agreeing to spar with him, but someone had to take his arrogance down a notch. And she was happy to do it. Suddenly, there was a hand pulling her hood off. She quickly closed her eyes, in a final attempt to not let him recognize her.

"Don't you respect a person's wishes?" She snapped. She wanted to pull the cloak up, but it was being held away from her face, though she could just as easily spar with her eyes closed, a small part of her may have actually…wanted Aedion to know who she was, because gods, she missed her cousin, though she wouldn't let herself admit it. Yes, she doesn't know where his allegiance lies at the moment, but this was Aeidion. The same Aedion that snuck into her room late into the night to comfort her. The same Aedion that would beat the other children to a pulp when she was made fun of. The same Aedion that loved her fiercely and wholeheartrtedly. It does not matter if he would hate her or not for what she has become. Aedion would never turn her over to the King. She felt Chaol and Dorian stand next to her.

"Hey, Celaena, why don't you want Aedion to see you?" Dorian asked with curiosity. Shoot. She forgot about how they might react about her wanting to stay hidden. So slowly, she opened her eyes, and was met by her own, infront of her, was standing Aedion Ashryver. Her cousin.

He couldn't breath. He was hallucinating. This can't be real. She's dead. She died ten years ago. He could have sworn he saw fear flash through her eyes before they were quickly masked into a careful blank face.

"I would have liked to stay mysterious a little while longer." She snapped at the Prince by her side, but he knew she was lying, not because it was obvious, but it was because he knew Aelin well enough to know when she was lying. It took all of his willpower not to tackle her into a hug right now. All of his willpower not to sob. He had to clear his throat to speak again.

"Would you two mind leaving us alone for a little while?" He asked, keeping his face a calm blank that he had mastered over the years. Chaol and Dorian looked skeptical.

"As long as you don't kill each other." Dorian shrugged. Chaol reluctantly nodded, and after one hard stare towards Aedion, he left along with the Prince. Once the door was firmly shut behind them he whirled towards his cousin

"Aelin?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. She nodded, finally letting her emotions show on her face, she looked guilty, they both ran into each other's arms at the same time.

"I'm so sorry" She whispered.

"For what? I'm sorry! I failed you as a protector, I should have been there, it's all my fault." They both started sobbing. Both people considered unbreakable, sobbed into each other's arms.

"It was not your fault, cousin, you were a mere child, as was I. I am so sorry I abandoned my heritage. I abandoned everything." Calaena sobbed into his chest.

"What happened to you? Where did you go? I thought you were dead!" Aedon asked with tears flowing down his cheeks.

"I'll tell you everything, but not here." She said as she pulled away.

"How are we to walk out of here with our tears going unnoticed? That will surely arise questions" Aedion said.

"I know a servants passage through another exit." And with that, they left for Celaena's chambers, where they talked all night.

Hope you enjoyed it! Hopefully next time this'll be a bit more put together on my part, but frankly, I want to upload this before I lose my nerve. Tell me what you liked! Tell me what you didn't like! Tell me what to do to fix this blob of writing!

Hope you have a great day!

AND OOHH! I JUST LEARNT TO EDIT THIS RIGHT NOW! AND THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH FOR THE REVIEWS! AND I'M SORRY I COULDN'T REPLY TO THE GUEST ONES! I HOPE YOU KNOW HOW MUCH I APPRECIATED THEM! :D

BYE!