#Arobynn’s Protégé

[acourtofquestions]

QUEEN OF THE ASSASSINS

sounds so nice, doesn’t it?

[inlovewithquotes]

She’d chosen to leave Arobynn. She’d paid off her debt to him, and Sam’s debt to him, and had moved out. She’d walked away from her life as Arboynn Hamel’s protégée. That had been her decision—and one she didn’t regret, not after Arobynn had so sorely betrayed her. He’d humiliated and lied to her, and used her blood money to win Lysandra’s Bidding just to spite her.

-Celaena Sardothien

[foxybananaaaz]

I... don't know if "We're giving SJM way too much credit" is fair too say.

Let me start this with saying, this is not in any way at all, to come across as an attack, or anything negative at all. I am saying this, not because I think you will take it that way, but because I know if I got this response, my anxiety would flare up, and would make me think this way myself. So not knowing, I want to make sure I make it clear, this is NOT an attack. This is NOT meant with ANY negative feelings AT ALL!

For example, I'm currently re-reading The Assassin's Blade and...

MAJOR THRONE OF GLASS SPOILERS UNDER THE CUT

So, the first Throne of Glass book was released on August 2nd, 2012. The ONLY novella to be released AFTER, is The Assassin and The Healer.

The Assassin and The Pirate Lord, novella No.1 released January 13th, 2012, and we have the following passage.

She walked until a surprisingly cold breeze swept past her. She halted.

Slowly, Celaena turned north, toward the source of the breeze which smelled of a faraway land she hadn't seen in eight years. Pine and snow*-a city still in winter's grasp. She breathed it in, staring across the leagues of lonely, black ocean, seeing, somehow, that distant city that had once, long ago, been her home. The wind ripped the strands of hair from her braid lashing them across her face. Orynth. A city of light and music, watched over by an alabaster castle with an oral tower so bright it could be viewed for miles.

The moonlight vanished behind a thick cloud. In the sudden dark stars glowed brighter.

She knew all the constellations by heart, and she instinctively sought out the Stag, Lord of the North, and the immovable star that crowned his head.

Back then, she hadn't had any choice. When Arobynn offered her this path, it was either that, or death. But now ...

She took a shuddering breath. No, she was as limited in her choiced as she'd been when she was eight years old. She was Adarlan's Assassin, Arobynn Habel's protégée and heir-and she would always be.

It was a long walk back to the tavern.

The Assassin's Blade, Page 44. The Assassin and the Pirate Lord, Chapter 5

This is clearly foreshadowing how Celaena is Aelin. But before this, there is no mention of Aelin. No mention of a lost Queen. No mention of Terressen. But anyone who reads this after Crown of Midnight, knows what this scene is foreshadowing.

But there are those who didn't read it before Crown of Midnight, because this novella was published before Throne of Glass was published. Meaning, SJM was foreshadowing not only Celaena being Aelin, but the scents of Pine and Snow since BEFORE Throne of Glass was even released into the world.

* We know she thought of scents when describing ships, because Terresen, Aelins home, smells of Pine and Snow. Rowan, Aelins mate, ALSO smells of Pine and snow. I know for a fact that Aelin mentions smelling Pine and snow, this time here, as well as other times before she meets Rowan, before the Rowaelin ship was born. Then it turns out he was always her mate.

Then we move on to the second short story. in the bind up, but the last novella to be published, The Assassin and the Healer. Published in the bindup, on March 4th, 2014.

This short story(along with the whole bind up book) was released between Crown of Midnight, and Heir of Fire, with the intention of introducing Yrene Towers. There is also a lot of Foreshadowing in this short story as well.

You have tidbits like Yrene likening Celaena to wildfire, only to later remark(on page 102 of TAB) "This girl wasn't like wildfire-she was wildfire." Foreshadowing Aelins powerful fire powers.

But then you continue on and you have Celaena and Yrene talking about if Yrene went to the Torre Cesme, what would she do after her healers training is finished, and Yrene mentions how she would come back to Erelia, and become a healer, as "There are a ... a lot of people who need good healers."(TAB page 103)

But the best piece of Foreshadowing SJM inserts into The Assassin and the Healer would be when she straight up tells us how Kingdom of Ash ends. Four(or is it five?) YEARS before the massive yellow book even was published!

The young woman turned her back to the door, but stopped again. "Whether you stay, or go to Antica and attend the Torre Cesme and return to save the world," she mused, "you should probably learn a thing or two about defending yourself."

The Assassin's Blade, Page 104. The Assassin and the Healer, Chapter 4.

Sarah, in the form of Foreshadowing, just laid bare the ending of the series, by telling us Yrene would save the world, because it is Yrene who killed Erewan. Yrene who defeated the main villain of the series(Aelin defeated Maeve, badass she is, but Maeve became a villain like halfway through, where Erewan always was).

I've also been counting, and while I'm only on Chapter four of The Assassin and the Desert, I've been counting how many times Sarah has foreshadowed Sam's death in this book.

And so far, in one hundred and fifty-three pages Sam's death has been foreshadowed nine times. Four by Sam himself, and five by Celaena.

I've only JUST started my SJM Re-Reading Journey, before HOFAS comes out, but I've already seen so much foreshadowing. So to say SJM foreshadowing a ship through scents is giving her too much credit, isn't entirely fair. Especially when she's done so already, with Rowaelin.

any thoughts on why elain smells like jasmine, a flower that flourishes at night? i really want elucien but i think this could prove otherwise😭

or did you already do anything on this? sorry i didn't check

Hi there!! 😊👋

Jasmine blooming in the Night Court is mentioned on page 45 of ACOMAF

I smelled jasmine first—

But....

The first introduction we actually have of Jasmine is in ACOTAR, page 209:

There was no tangy metallic stench—no, the smell of magic had become like jasmine, like lilac, like roses.

It's the scene where Tamlin allows Feyre to experience their world through fae senses and the first thing she notes is that smell of Springs magic is like jasmine, lilac, and roses.

Some try to connect Elain to the NC because of Jasmine but that is choosing to forget all that we know of Elain's scent.

Her sister’s delicate scent of jasmine and honey lingered in the red-stoned hall like a promise of spring, a sparkling river that she followed to the open doors of the chamber. Elain stood at the wall of windows, clad in a lilac gown

The first note is jasmine which could go Night Court or Spring but the second note is honey (definitely a spring thing) and SJM follows that up with "promise of spring".

It's extremely obvious that SJM is connecting Elain's scent to the scent of the magic of spring, she literally adds the season that is associated with that court into the phrase

If she wanted us to tie it into the jasmine of the Night Court she would have said something like jasmine and moonflowers or her scent a promise of darkness.

Not only are both jasmine and honey associated with Spring but she then included that Elain was wearing a lilac gown (yet another "scent" of Springs magic) and we know Elain is often associated with roses (that wooden carving in SF, "rose bloom in a mud field",etc) the third scent of springs magic.

I like going one step further and saying this not only hints at Elain in Spring but as it's High Lady (considering SJM gave her the scent of that courts magic) but I know some are divided on that too.

[longsightmyth]

15 and 16 for the WIP asks! ☺️

Kat specified when I asked that she meant the most recent thing I’d been working on, so here is to date my biggest spoiler for Shatterglass, though I think a bunch of people have already figured it out (I mean it, if you’re somebody who doesn’t like spoilers, do not look under the read more). It’s MULTIPLE lines and a spoiler, but yeah

“The officers all liked to tell stories,” her father said. “The Galathynius line weren’t human, and then the heir married an Ashryver prince – well, that made the children even less human. They said one of the whisper troops had already been dispatched, probably already taken care of them, and we were to go and mop up any pockets of resistance.”

Celaena’s face didn’t change, but her fist clenched on the bench near Lillian’s thigh. 

“We were there,” her father said. “It wasn’t pretty. There was a nursemaid killed, laying across the door like she’d tried to block it with her body, and they’d already set up the parents – it was bad.”

Set Celaena’s parents up on pikes, Lillian thought, draped for best display. Celaena hadn’t seen, but Lillian had, when they had paraded them through the capital when her father came home.

Or maybe Celaena had seen. Lillian didn’t know what Arobynn would have done with his protégé, or if they had even been in the capital.

“Then they had us out searching,” her father continued, as if lost in the memory himself. “Someone had gone missing – they didn’t tell us who. My squad had a part of the woods, and we combed it in pairs. Penric was with me, grumbling about the wet, and I saw the girl.”

Lillian blinked. Celaena froze.

“Silver-gold hair, green eyes. I knew what that meant, there. They’d lost the princess, and they didn’t want us to know, and she was hardly older than Lillian. I couldn’t kill her – I couldn’t even shout. She had a knife in her hand, and she was going to use it, I knew, so I just tried to go a different direction, but Penric saw her.”

Her breath caught in her throat. She had no doubt of what happened next: Lillian knew Penric hadn’t survived the north, and the Celaena she knew was a survivor through and through. However young she had been at the time, Celaena was still a girl who had chosen to become an assassin.

And you did too, when it meant not going back to Endovier, Lillian reminded herself.

“He was going to shout,” her father said. “He had his mouth open, and I – she didn’t look anything like you, but she was a child, and I had one at home, and I didn’t know how to go back and explain to you that I had killed a child for no other reason than I had been ordered to do it. So I stabbed him.”

He smiled crookedly. “I didn’t do a very good job of it. I guess I was lucky he did worse – he got my leg, and then I stabbed him again. It took, that time. By the time they found me I had passed out from blood loss, and they assumed whatever. I had a knock to the head, and I told them I didn’t remember anything. They believed me.”

“I didn’t see you,” Celaena said hollowly. “I never saw-”

Lillian’s father furrowed his brow. “Why would you have seen me, mistress?”

“You saw the princess,” Lillian reminded him. “You saw-”

“Me,” Celaena finished for her. “Aelin Galathynius.”

“No,” he said. “The princess. The eldest. The heir. That night, I saw Hellan Ashryver Galathynius.”

[goforwardgreenwriter-blog]

The Worm Reads: The Assassin’s Blade, Ch 19-20

SJM either cuts one measly scene into three chapters or crams 100+ long scenes into on chapter so this one is gonna be super fucking long

Celaena dressed in the nicest tunic she’d brought—which wasn’t really anything to admire, but the midnight blue and gold did bring out the turquoise hues in her eyes.

SJM gotta stop bringing attention to Celery’s Mary Sue eyes because I laugh every time I think about them.

Ansel takes Celery to dinner.

Staying alert as they entered the hall was an effort of will. Yet even with her exhaustion, she instinctively scanned the room. There were three exits—the giant doors through which they entered, and two servants’ doors on either end. The hall was packed wall-to-wall with long wooden tables and benches full of people. At least seventy of them in total. None of them looked at Celaena as Ansel ambled toward a table near the front of the room. If they knew who she was, they certainly didn’t care. She tried not to scowl.

This paragraph right here. This sums up everything wrong with this book.

At first while I was reading this, I was like “Yes finally!! Celery is acting like an assassin! It took us two short stories to get here, but we finally did!” And then SJM immediately ruins it by having Celery cry and wail about nobody giving her special attention.

Boo fucking hoo! You’re an assassin, you’re not supposed to stand out, you fucking spoiled asshole!! This character is utter garbage and I hate her so much, this is actually making me enjoy the ending of E0S where she gets the shit kicked out of her and shoved into an iron coffin. Fuck her. Fuck this book.

Ansel mentions some Lord Berick guy, who Celery has never heard of before.

“He’s the villain,” said a curly-haired, dark-eyed man across from Ansel. He was handsome in a way, but had a smile far too much like Captain Rolfe’s for Celaena’s liking. He couldn’t have been older than twenty-five.

Nuance who?

Ansel blathers on about Lord Berick and how he’s the most Evil Guy Ever who wants this part of the desert or some shit. No doubt Celery will beat him in one paragraph if they meet, so who really cares.

Outside of the markets in Rifthold (...) she’d never seen such a mix of different kingdoms and continents. And though most of the people here were trained killers, there was an air of peace and contentment—of joy, even.

This place is way tf better than Arobynn’s shitty assassin joint. Please let us stay here?

Vows of silence, Ansel had explained earlier, were taken for as long as each person saw fit. Some spent weeks in silence; others, years. Ansel claimed she’d once sworn to be silent for a month, and had only lasted two days before she gave up. She liked talking too much. Celaena didn’t have any trouble believing that.

That is quite fucking rich coming from you, Celery.

Celaena felt someone’s attention on her, and tried not to blink when she noticed a dark-haired, handsome young man watching her from a few seats down. Stealing glances at her was more like it, since his sea-green eyes kept darting to her face, then back to his companions.

oh no

Their eyes met, and his tan face spread into a smile, revealing dazzlingly white teeth. Well, he was certainly desirable—as desirable as Sam, maybe.

oh god no why this

SJM has basically skipped out on love triangles (Dorito never had a chance in T0G and Tamlin never had a chance in AC0TAR, and you all know it) but nope, she just had to hit all of the shitty YA tropes. Fucking great. Poor Ilias is probably gonna be put down so Celery can realize Sammy is her one true love.

“I’m surprised you caught Ilias’s eye,” Ansel teased, keeping her voice low enough for only Celaena and Mikhail to hear. “He’s usually too focused on his training and meditating to notice anyone—even pretty girls.” (...) “I’ve known him for years, and he’s never been anything but aloof with me,” Ansel continued. “But maybe he has a thing for blondes.” Mikhail snorted.

Holy shit, is this... self awareness? I mean, both the protagonists of SJM’s big ticket series are skinny blonde white girls who have men drooling left and right for them. I bet that new Creamcheese City novel will also feature a blonde “””strong female character””” as the lead.

Celaena pushed around the food on her plate. It wasn’t that she wasn’t romantic. She’d been infatuated with a few men before—from Archer, the young male courtesan who’d trained with them for a few months when she was thirteen, to Ben, Arobynn’s now-deceased Second, back when she was too young to really understand the impossibility of such a thing.

Dude he’s like a fucking adult and she’s barely 16. Get this nasty shit outta my face. So Celery rescued Ben’s body not because he was a good guy, but because she used to have the hots for him?? This is actually gross.

Mikhail asks why Celery’s master beat the shit out of her, and she kisses her own ass for a moment or two while telling the story of freeing the slaves.

“But if the two hundred slaves that I freed are telling the story, then no, I suppose I didn’t deserve it.” None of them were smiling anymore. “Holy gods,” Ansel whispered. True silence fell over their table for a few heartbeats.

HFAKHDKAHDKAHDS I AM GOING TO LOSE MY SHIT

STOP!! MAKING!! EVERYONE!! SPLOOGE!! OVER!! CELERY!! IM SICK OF READING IT GET IT OUT OF MY FACE

The next day (I think?), Ansel takes Celery out to do some running and Celery is pissy that she isn’t immediately getting special attention from the Mute Master. Good to see Celery will never change in her selfish, whiny ways.

Celery fucking sucks at the run to the oasis and everyone continues to lap her.

A small oasis, mostly a ring of trees and a giant pool fed by a shimmering stream, was barely an eighth of a mile away. She was Adarlan’s Assassin—at least she’d made it here.

Stop reminding me she’s Adaran’s Assassin, I fucking know. Remember how I said at the beginning that Celery doesn’t splooge over herself as much as Alien does? Yeah I take it back, Celery is even more obnoxious.

Later on Ansel tries to stroke Celery’s fragile precious little ego by saying she did worse on her first run.

“My first run, I collapsed. Mile two. Completely unconscious. Ilias found me on his way back and carried me here. In his arms and everything.” Ilias’s eyes met with Celaena’s, and he smiled at her. “If I hadn’t been about to die, I would have been swooning,”

No Ilias/Ansel/Celery love triangle, please.

Celaena blushed, suddenly too aware of Ilias’s attention, and took a sip from her cup of lemon water. As the meal wore on, her blush remained as Ilias continued flicking his eyes toward her. She tried not to preen too much. But then she remembered how miserably she’d performed today— how she hadn’t even gotten a chance to train—and the swagger died a bit.

Celaena made her best attempt to look casual as she, too, stood and bid everyone good night. As she turned away, she noticed that Mikhail took Ansel’s hand and held it in the shadows beneath the table.

Apparently Ansel and Mikhail are a thing? I literally don’t care. Mikhail has said like what, five words this entire story? They’re literally just together because SJM can’t stand the idea of having any single characters (unless they’re evil).

Celery chases down The Master to demand her special snowflake treatment.

The Master paused, his white clothes rustling around him. He offered her a little smile. Up close, she could certainly see his resemblance to his son. There was a pale line around one of his fingers— perhaps where a wedding ring had once been. Who was Ilias’s mother? Of course, it wasn’t at all the time for questions like that.

Yeah, no shit Celery. Why are you such an idiot?

The Mute Master is like “wait your turn” and leaves. Ilias shows up for shipping fuel I guess?

“I have no plans to hurt him,” she said softly. But Ilias gave her a half smile, his brows rising as if to ask if she could blame him for being protective of his father.

Maybe I’m a softie, but this endeared me to him somewhat. He seems like a nice guy, which is more than what you get with 95% if SJM’s male characters. How come all of Celery’s love interests Rowboat who are waaay better characters than her?

His eyes were vivid in the torchlight, his hand firm and warm around hers. She let go of his fingers. The son of the Mute Master and the protégée of the King of the Assassins. If there was anyone here who was at all similar to her, she realized, it was Ilias. Rifthold might be her realm, but this was his.

Human brain: don’t get attached, Celery is an asshole

Monkey brain: hhhhhh parallels between partners in a ship...love....

Not that Ilias and Celery are/will be a thing, but you know. I’m a sucker for shit like this.

Ilias suddenly began making a series of motions with his long, tan fingers, but Celaena laughed softly. “I have no idea what you’re trying to say.” Ilias looked skyward and sighed through his nose. Throwing his hands in the air in mock defeat, he merely patted her on the shoulder before passing by

Ilias is a good, pure boy. I’d read a story where Sammy goes to the desert instead of Celery and him and Ilias fall in love and hold hands under the shade of the desert night. Hngh, I really wish I could be reading that fanfic instead of this novel.

As she walked back to her room, Celaena had a horrible feeling that here, being Adarlan’s Assassin might not count for much.

Celery says this like we’re supposed to feel sorry for her, but back in Arobynn;s Assassin joint she flaunts her title around and rubs it in everyone’s face so yeah, you don’t get sympathy from me.

“How long have you been seeing him?” Ansel was silent for a long moment before answering. “Since I was fifteen.” Fifteen! Mikhail was in his midtwenties, so even if this had started almost three years ago, he still would have been far older than Ansel. It made her a little queasy.

Oh. My. God.

See, I personally don’t like huge age gapes in ships (that’s just my personal preference, don’t fucking @ me) but Celery you literally said earlier you were in love with Ben, a fucking grown man, when you were a young teenager you fucking hypocrite!!!!!!!! God I fucking hate Celery!!!!!!!

With nothing else to distract her, Celaena eventually returned to thinking about Sam. Even weeks later, she had no idea how she’d somehow gotten attached to him, what he’d been shouting when Arobynn beat her, and why Arobynn had thought he’d need three seasoned assassins to restrain him that day.

Pretty simple answers. You got attached to Sammy because a) SJM wanted you to so she forced you to start thirsting for him, and b) you realized “oh hey Sammy is a good guy maybe I shouldn’t imagine myself slitting his throat”. What Sammy was shouting will be revealed later to my knowledge, and as for the 3 assassins thing... idk, tbh. I mean, Sammy is just a teenager boy, one big buff assassin should be enough to restrain him.

This chapter finally ends thank fucking god. We still have one more to go for today.

[Celaena] did run farther the next day. And the day after that, and the one following that. But it still took her so long to get back that she didn’t have time to seek out the Master. Not that she could. He’d send for her. Like a lackey.

Stop trying to make me feel bad for Celery being ignored if she’s just gonna splooge about how ~special and uhmayzing~ she is.

Like the assassins in Adarlan, the Silent Assassins weren’t known for any skill in particular—save the uncannily quiet way they moved.

That seems kinda odd. Assassins should be talented at many ways of disposing of people yeah, but wouldn’t it make more sense for some of them to have a knack for a certain type of killing, such as using poisons?

Still, even as [the assassins] corrected her posture and showed her new ways to control her breathing, she tried her best not to snarl at them. She knew plenty—she wasn’t Adarlan’s Assassin for nothing.

If I have to read that fucking sentence one more time I am ripping this book in half. No joke, I am a hair’s length away from not finishing this fucking book. Even E0S never got me to want to throw  the towel in completely and quit like this.

Perhaps if she demonstrated that she was skilled enough in these practices, the Master might take notice of her. She’d get that letter. Even if she had to hold a dagger to his throat while he wrote it.

Wow, asshole! You have to put in the tiniest amount of effort to learn and talk to people and you’re already resorting to violence??? You really are a weak and stupid protagonist and I hate you with every fiber of my being.

The attack by Lord Berick happened on her fifth night.

This made me sit up in my seat, to be honest. We finally get.... plot? Promises of action? Assassins versus assassins? Holy shit, I’m hype!

Apparently the attack happens oh so conveniently when the Mute Master and a bunch of assassins are away on a mission. Celery acknowledges this as extremely convenient, which leads me to believe there may be a rat in the assassin fortress. If not, then this is laughably stupid and convenient.

“We’re not going to kill [the soldiers]?” Celaena whispered back. (...) Ansel shook her head, watching Ilias down the line. “No, though I wish we could.” Celaena didn’t particularly care for the casual way she said it

Why would that fucking bother you?? Don’t act all high and mighty asshole, you’re an assassin the same as her. You both kill people for a living. Jesus fucking christ.

They all fire some burning arrows at an oil ridge in the sand or something which scares off Lord Berick’s goons. The scene ends.

I’m not even joking, this entire scene takes up a page and a tiny paragraph of another. I... I’m fucking speechless. You promise us an action scene and you give us this shitty, glossed over pile of garbage that serves no point? No named characters were even injured!!!!!! Holy fucking shit, SJM, you are a terrible terrible terrible writer! Please fucking stop, I can’t handle any more of these dumpster fires of novels.

The next day Mikail tells Ansel she has orders to go to Xandria, and she invites Celery to go along with, I assume Xandria is a place.....? This chapter ends. I am going to drown myself in chocolate chip cookies to heal.

[fenrysisbae]

The Heir of Dimensions: Five

Yes, I used lines from the actual books. Those and plot of Queen of Shadows are property of Sarah J. Maas. I am just a fanfiction writer. --------------------------------------- Allana stared at the dress laid out for her and sighed. She changed from the towel wrapped around herself into the silken dress. There were two diamond shaped holes in the arms of the dress and then one at the back that the edges on her sides were drawn so her sides, including the numbers on her ribs were visible. She let her straight hair fall around her shoulders. She had Aedion cut it because she was tired of the long hair. She pulled on some shoes and walked out and into Aelin's room after knocking. "It looks much better on you than it did myself. Sit." Aelin ordered and Allana sat on the stool. She fidgeted, "Aelin, what does family mean to you?" There was a brush running through her hair and there were a few tendrils of hair in between her shoulders. Then a comb was dragged into her hair, a jeweled comb that was like the skies of night and the ocean. Aelin brushed some kohl across her eyelids and then painted her lids a deep burgundy. "Perfect, and family, Allana, is those like my cousin and Rowan. They are my family. As are you, no matter what happens in the end, you are family to me now." The queen spoke and she had a hard time not crying. She stood and hugged her tightly. They stood silently until she drew back. "Since I've been here... In your world, I haven't felt comfortable or felt like I have a place here. Now I know what I need to do." She swallowed, "If we... If there is no way back for me, I am yours to command. I will be a loyal subject, or if you'll have, member of your court, but that will have to be filled by now, no?" "I can always make room for you." The queen grinned and they walked out arm in arm. Aedion faced them, dressed in a tunic of deep green, and whistled, "Well, if you didn't already scare the living shit out of me, you've certainly done it now." Allana grinned at her mentor's gaze on the form fitting black velvet then to the golden dragon on the back. It made her feel better when Aedion looked at her gown rather kindly. "You look nice." He noted to her and she turned to show him the opening where her tattoos were stark as day. "I rather enjoy this. At home, people would frown at the tattoos." She laughed and the males noted the true joy in her eyes for once. ~*~ As the rode up to what she now knew as the Assassin's Keep, seemed inviting. She knew otherwise due to Aelin. "Be on your guard, and you two keep your fat mouths shut. Especially with the Blag commander. No matter what you hear or see, just keep your fat mouth shut. No psychotic territorial bullshit." Aelin ordered and Allana hugged her friend. "Remind me to tell you tomorrow how charming you are." Aedion grinned. Aelin stepped out first and Allana followed with a blank face. She was slightly behind Aelin on the stairs when the front door opened. She was rather unhappy on the inside, but she kept her face blank as her ears twitched. A man with auburn hair and white teeth greeted them. "Welcome home." He purred. It took everything not to cringe inwardly. He beckoned them into the hall, "And welcome to your friends." His eyes lingered on her figure generously. "Your favor." Aelin noted. The Vlag commander made Allana's skin crawl and her eyes were narrowed slightly as it hissed. "I would have preferred the servants' door for our guest." He spoke tightly. She noticed his green tunic and was suddenly grateful she was in a deep navy, offsetting her eyes instead of her hair. She stood beside Aelin and Rowan towered over the two women. She was uneasy and watched as her friend held the man's hands. "You look ravishing, but I'd expect nothing less. Not even a bruise after trapping out guest. Impressive." He sniffed her causing Allana to look away slightly, "And you smell divine, too. I'm glad my gift was put to good use." Rowan was bristling and she left her hands at her sides. The slits up the sides of her legs were meant to distract most of the men there, she knew. Aelin wanted her to utilize her eternal beauty to entice them, draw their attention elsewhere and it was working. "You look well, I suppose you already know my companions." Aelin smirked. He turned to Aedion, "I haven't had the pleasure of meeting your cousin." His eyes looked over the golden haired male as if trying to find any weakness, "You've recovered well, General. Or should I call you 'Your Highness,' in honor of your Ashryver lineage? Whichever you prefer, of course." Aedion grinned lazily, "I don't give a shit what you call me. Just take this rutting thing off my hands." Arobynn slowly turned to Allana and Rowan. "You two, I don't know," He mused, "It's been an age since I saw one of the Fae, let alone two. I don't remember them being quite so large." Rowan walked deeper into the hall and stood over the women, "You can call me Rowan. That's all you need to know." He tilted his head and she knew something was coming. "Thank you for the oil, my skin was a little dry." Arobynn blinked in surprised and looked to the smaller female. "You may call me Allana." She stood with her hands folded in front of her waist. He then turned to Aedion, "Third door to the left-- take him downstairs. Use the fourth cell. Allana, dear, how about waiting in the drawing room? It's the fifth door to the right." She bobbed  her head slightly and looked to the three before going into the drawing room. Lysandra stood and hugged the smaller woman. "I want to talk with you." She smiled and she noted as she took in what Allana wore, "That looks wonderful on you." "Thank you, and what exactly would you like to chat over?" She saw on the couch and the two women leaned close. "Where exactly do you come from? Fae normally aren't as... Small as you or come looking as if you're something else." "I'm from a different world, Lysandra. I'm afraid that this can be saved for later though." She looked to the doors where Aedion and Rowan walked through. The two stood while Rowan paced impatiently. She waited with them chatting with Lysandra until called to dinner. She stiffened when she was forced to sit to the left of the King of Assassins. She sat silently as Rowan sat to her right and Aedion was sitting on the other side of her mentor. Lysandra was silent and she was grateful to know what went on in the shifters mind. "I have to say," The tall man to Allana's left mused, "You're a rather quiet group. Or has my protégée scared you into silence?" Allana bristled unhappily when she saw his hand on her knee. Aedion watched Aelin eat, but she was silent. "You want us to make small talk after you just interrogated and butchered a demon?" He lifted one eyebrow. Arobynn took his hand off her knee, waving it, "I'd like to hear more about you all." Allana heard the quiet, "Careful." "Shouldn't I be concerned about who my protégée is living with?" He questioned. His hand was back on her knee, causing her lips to turn to a frown and had to bite back a growl. "You weren't concerned about who I was living with when you had me in Endovier." "Is that what you think I did? Lysandra can tell you the truth: I fought tooth and nail to free you from the prison. I lost half my men to the effort, all of them tortured and killed by the king. I'm surprised your friend the captain didn't tell you. Such a pity he's on roof top duty tonight." Allana gritted her teeth and closed her eyes slightly. "He did try, you know. For months and months." Lysandra spoke. She was instantly glad she was on their side and she would feel even better when they left. "Do you plan on telling me why you insisted we stay for dinner?" Arlin drawled. "How else would I get to see you? You would have just dumped that thing on my doorstep and left. And we learned so much-- so much that we could use together." Her skin crawled even more, "Though I have to say, this new you is much more... subdued. I suppose for Lysandra that's a good thing. She always looks at the hole you left in the entry wall when you threw that dagger at her head. I kept it there as a little reminder of how much we all missed you." Arobynn began to rattle on about a few moments Lysandra and Aelin brawled. They were interesting until Allana felt the table rattle. She glanced to her mentor and almost laughed. His eyes were lust filled and she knew she would wish to stay in the warehouse possibly for the rest of the night. Her attention went back to the conversation when it went silent. "Did you ask me something?" Aelin glanced at the man at the head of the table, who had a good grip on her thigh. "I asked," He spoke, "if you've had fun these past few weeks, wrecking my investment properties and ensuring that all my clients won't touch me." -------------------------- Just ask to be tagged!

[acourtofquestions]

So, I (of course😂) have a LOT of thoughts after finishing The Assassin’s Blade — heading into Heir of Fire, so I still don’t fully know the series… this is current non-spoiler thoughts — but let’s get into it:

First off let’s deal with a big one: Celaena and Arobynn.

…Mostly “big” because their entire relationship is so severely f*ed up it take’s a LOT to understand… However, the biggest thing that keeps sticking out to me is the fact that it does makes sense (I am NOT saying it’s right, or healthy; to be clear it is most definitely NOT) it is a disturbingly realistic portrayal of what THAT kind & level of abuse does to a person.

It is infuriatingly painful to watch; as the reader you can clearly see the issue; you want to scream at Celaena to RUN already, get out, NOW; you feel for Sam’s frustration at times becoming fury & terror at the fact she does not stop him.

Yet, it is not a lack of knowing or agreeing with this that makes Celaena stay; it isn’t even wanting to stay, often she confirms the opposite; it’s the fact that she is utterly terrified. At times Arobynn makes her revert into a terrified state of childlike fawning. All centered around the idea; I can only seem to explain using this quote (because Shakespeare has nothing on Taylor Swift; though the context of this is 100% NON romantic; that question mark on their relationship is utterly skin crawling) “Who’s going to know me?” if not Arobynn who is going to know Aelin Galathynius ever even existed?

… Everything Celaena has become she has been (falsely) taught into believing was “Arobynn given”; even her notoriety as the prized “Adarlan’s Assassin” is not by her mark but by his word. He has ensured at every opportunity that she does not forget it; that she feels small & one breath away from being prey, that she does not feel sure of herself or anything aside from him (and even that is a pendulum) that she is haunted by her past; and never forgets what it is to lose EVERYTHING. She lost everything. In that she had to destroy every piece of the girl she was; the one that had a family she loved; the one that had a home, a country, a purpose; anything she was before the one Arobynn pulled out of the river. And if not him; does anyone even remember? — Does it all cease to be nothing more than forgotten; her grief, her love, Aelin herself; is it any different than if Aelin had drowned in the river?

— This is Celaena’s obsession with being remembered; on the surface it appears shallow, selfish, full of nothing more than pride & arrogance alone; in truth it has more to do with fear (a key point of her character’s driving mindset) & purpose (a key point of humanity/morality).

… How does she make any sense of all she has done & become at Arobynn’s hand; every life she has taken, every terrible thing she has done; if not for him?

And this is why for so long she stays; because she is more afraid of the unknown & so tired of loss; it feels much safer to be known, to know the loss that will come, to hurt with familiar pain, to exist within a tether to his realm; then to feel as if she is risking everything over again.