After Empire of Storms

Chapter 1 - Aelin

This is my first time writing a story so please bare with me if it's bad especially with the first few chapters!

I would love any comments or tips to improve. Please comment it would mean a lot to me.

All characters and places are owned by Sarah J Maas. Cover art also doesn't belong to me, credits to the artist.

Aelin didn't know how long she'd been stuck in her iron coffin. She kept drifting in and out of consciousness, so far she had had no visitors not even from Cairn to fufill out his promise of pain. Perhaps they thought that waiting for the pain to come was torture enough, alone in the darkness with nothing but her thoughts. Her back was in agony even the slightest movement sent a stabbing pain that echoed throughout her body and her magic was non-existent the iron snuffling even an ember of her glorious flame, a power she had relied to heavily on. 

At least her friends were safe. She was the only one who needed to suffer. At least Terrasen had a king to rule them to greatness again. At the thought of Rowan her body crumpled even more. Aelin hated the idea that her suffering was causing Rowan pain. This was why she was better alone, better to love and trust no one so that only she could ever get hurt. She'd only made that mistake once before, with Sam. She was stupid to have made it again. They would all be better of without her.

"God i wished I could've seen their faces, when they found out." Aelin muttered out loud to no one. Aelin could imagine it, Aedion angry and upset that she had kept them all out, that she had kept him out. Lysandra, who knew what was coming, but would still be upset perhaps facing the wrath of Aedions anger and the weight of the responsibility to come. Rowan. Rowan would be distraught. He would find out they were mates, that she had kept it from him. He would be thinking about Lyria about the last time he was apart from his mate. This would break him and he no doubt hated her for doing this to him.

Aelin cried at that thought. Cried for all she had lost, cried for her people she would never see, cried for her friends who would live on without her; but most of all she cried for her mate, for the eternity they would've had together, for the happiness and protection Rowan provided for the short amount of time they were together for. She should have treasured it for longer. Now it was all gone and she would give anything to have it all back.

Immortal. Aelin was immortal, if Maeve was to be believed. She could be stuck here for thousands of years. The tears kept falling dripping down her face, her neck, infiltrating the countless of wounds they passed on their trip down, soothing them. For these would be the last tears she would cry for Maeve. Aelin would not give her the clean victory. Whatever she felt on the inside she would keep hidden, however bad they shattered her she would keep it hidden. She would put on an act no matter how crazy it made her.
She could do this.
She was Aelin Ashryver Galathynius Whitethorn and she would not be afraid.

"Morning, your majesty!" Cairn exclaimed happily, mocking a bow as he opened the door which let a blast of light in. "Ready for your first day?" Cairn walked closer to her to peer into the gaps in her iron mask so that she could clearly see the smile which spread across his face, the smile which promised the pain she'd been waiting for. He began to remove the mask which enclosed her face. Unbuckling the clasps which lined either side. He did with the slowness of someone who knew they were in control, of someone who knew they'd already won. He did it without ever looking away from her eyes. So that if she showed or felt any fear he would see. But she didn't, she hid it all and locked it deep inside of her. She wouldn't let them win.
She was Aelin Ashryver Galathynius Whitethorn and she would not be afraid.

Disappointed with the lack of fear Aelin showed, Cairn ripped of the rest of the mask with so much force her head banged against the side of the coffin, creating a ringing in her ears which wouldn't go away. Cairn grabbed her chin so hard it would definitely bruise and lifted it up so she had to look into his empty eyes. With the other hand he gently ran his rough fingers over her lips. Aelin thrashed, her shackles rattling, she couldn't get away there was no where to run. "I wonder what Whitethorn would do if I ruined these for him ?" He began to trace the outline of her lips, examining them as though he was plotting where exactly to cut them. "If I removed you of them so that your smart ass mouth will never have to go through kissing him again." Aelin tilted her head away from him as far as she could go but he held on to her chin hard so hard that she thought bone would break. "Afraid Fireheart?" He whispered leaning in closer so that his lips skimmed her ear. Fireheart. He knew, he knew what words to use, he knew what that name meant to her. She couldn't take it anymore, barely an hour in Cairns present and she was defeated. She deserved to die.