If Sam Cortland Lived
In this au, I think Sam was still tortured. They never found his body, but Farran confessed to killing him and there was so much blood that nobody except for arobynn thought he survived
Celeana goes to Endovier, and Sam regains his strength in arobynns dungeon. He fights to get stronger so that he can break her out.
He tries, once. And realized he couldn't get to her. He spends literal months coming up with a plan to get her out
But alas, she is called to the champions tournament. He waits a few months to scope out the castle, to get a layout to rescue her
But she's happy. He sees that she has moved on from his 'death' and is flirting with Dorian. He's crushed and doesn't really know what to do with his life
Arobynn sends him on missions still, and is the only person who knows he's still alive. He becomes very depressed. About the time of Heir of Fire, he goes apeshit. He tries to kill Arobynn, and when he fails, he runs. He takes the hell off. His POV in the book is about him surviving and evading Arobynn. But he runs into some valg and we learn more about them in his POV.
Then in queen of shadows, Aelin has fallen for Rowan. The revolution is forming. Literally three days after killing Arobynn, Aelin feels like she's being hunted. She and Sam have a huge fight scene and then she realizes. Nobody else has this skill. Nobody else can tumble like that.
Cue an emotional reunion scene
Sam struggles because he very much still loves her. Aelin struggles because damn, she missed him. But she's moved on.
Sam learns to accept this and move on.
Magic falls and he learns he has powers. He can control the earth itself. Where Aelin is fire, he is earth. He helps take down the castle.
Empire of Storms, he rides with Aelin and the rest of her court into Terrassen, but then when they race to go to skulls Bay, he knows what he needs to do. He has to go to the southern continent and meet up with Nesryn and Chaol
He and Chaol do NOT like each other. They are just too similar.
He just loves the ruk riders! He and Sartaq become good friends. If it wasn't for his home being in Adarlan, he definitely would have stuck around.
When he gets back to Anielle with the others, he has a whole arc with his powers. He swallows half the army with his powers, and then gets gravely injured or something. Like half of KOA, he is unconscious.
I haven't read the other half yet but FEEL FREE TO ADD ON
