From Ash to Fire

Afterworld

Enjoy this haphazard afterlife AU because I was missing Sam!

Afterlife, angst tags apply to this shot. 

Sam Cortland never really believed in the Afterworld. He always thought you would either be punished for your life, or maybe float in and endless void. He wasn't sure. But the idea of Hell seemed to be the most fitting for the way he lived his life, and while he was dying at the hands of Rourke Farran, he was sure that's where he'd ended up.

So, to say he was surprised to finally pass through the veil and find something close to peace is an understatement.

But, hey. The universe works in odd ways sometimes, and sometimes it takes pity on those with questionable lives.

As soon as he was able, he'd asked about Celaena. Was she safe? Alive? He'd made sure she'd stayed home, made sure she'd stay safe. When he finally heard she was, he relaxed.

But, for a long time, that was the last he'd heard of Celaena Sardothien. He wasn't sure what happened, but as long as she was alright, he was happy.

Life in the Afterworld was nice. It was similar to the real world in some ways, with streets lined with houses or stores, all of them beautiful. There were jobs you could pick up to pass time, and plenty of people to talk to. They heard from the outside very, very little. Most of the time what was happening in the living world didn't bother them at all.

That is, until Terrasen became big news, even in the Afterworld.

Rumors of magic, and more importantly, Terrasen returning from ash became so widespread, it was hard to tell fact from fiction.

Through this, Sam had one thing on his mind. Celaena had something to do with it. He didn't know what, and he didn't know how much, but she loved her kingdom too much to not be helping. He just hoped she was safe, happy.

Not two years after the rumors of Terrasen returning, there was an official announcement for a coronation of Terrasen's new Queen. What surprised everyone in the Afterworld, though, was that they would let the spirits of those from Terrasen into the living world to see their new Queen.

Sam had to get out to the living world, to see Celaena. Make sure she was okay. Even if he wasn't from Terrasen, he had to get out.

There was a line that seemed to stretch on eternally, full of the dead children of Terrasen leaving to see their new Queen.

From what Sam gathered, the new Queen's name was Aelin. She is the heir of two magical bloodlines, and the rightful heir to the throne. She fought tooth and nail to get her kingdom back, in a war that lasted months, but she'd been working toward getting her throne for much longer than that. Sam also gathered that she's married to a Fae prince. His name is Rowan.

Sam stepped up to the door leading to the outside. Someone asked for his name.

"Sam Cortland."

An older Fae woman shuffled through papers, looking for his name, when a surprised grin spread across her face. "Not a child of Terrasen, but you might as well be. Off you go, then," she said, waving him off.

Might as well be? What did that mean? Sam didn't try to think about as he passed through the door, leading him straight to a street in Terrasen. He has a mission: find Celaena.

He followed his gut through the streets, past stores of all kinds, until there was crowd. Sam looked up to find a glimmering castle, and a balcony set for the coronation. He ran to the courtyard, where the crowd was so packed the spirits took to floating above everyone's heads. There was nobody up there yet, but he knew it would start soon. The crowd filled the whole palace courtyard and then some, into the streets. People cheered and talked. Spirits saw loved ones, daughters and sons and grandchildren that survived all these years. Sam still looked for Celaena.