Aedion Ashryver is Aelin Galathynius's maternal cousin. He served as a general in Adarlan's military before reuniting with his cousin and joining her court.
Biography
Early Years
Aedion's mother, Evalin's cousin, was Gavriel's lover until he was forced to leave because of the blood oath he had taken to Maeve, which compelled him to obey her commands whether he wanted to or not. Fearing that Maeve would discover Aedion's parentage and use that knowledge to exploit him, she never shared with Aedion the identity of his father.
After his mother's death, Aedion was raised in the Galathynius household in Orynth. He and his maternal cousin, Aelin, were very close friends growing up. He trained to be her guardian, and he planned to take the blood oath to her when she ascended to the throne.
The two of them first encountered Dorian Havilliard as children, before the conquest of Terrasen and war with Wendlyn. Aedion taught Dorian a lesson after the latter spilled tea on Aelin's dress.
Aedion was in Orynth at the time of the slaughter, and thus escaped the fate of his aunt and uncle. Even though he was not at fault for his family members' deaths, Aedion blamed himself for many years, thinking that he should have rode to the countryside estate where they were staying as soon as news of Orlon's assassination broke. From that time onward, Aedion strove to rise in the ranks of Adarlan's army in order to reclaim the Sword of Orynth and gain a position of power that would help him avenge his family. He and the Bane, his squadron, won their first battle when Aedion was eighteen; the King of Adarlan offered him a reward, and he requested the sword.
As a general, Aedion frequently staged battles and exaggerated body counts to aid the rebels in the Staghorn Mountains. He eventually was reunited with Ren Allsbrook and Ren's grandfather, Murtaugh Allsbrook, both of whom he had believed to be dead. At this point, he began working with the rebels in Rifthold.
Crown of Midnight
Dorian mentions Aedion as the heir of the Wendlyn bloodline, and one of the fiercest generals of the King of Adarlan, commonly called the Wolf of the North.
Heir of Fire
Aedion makes his first physical appearance in Heir of Fire. He approaches the King of Adarlan, who snaps that the general's arrival is a month overdue. Aedion astonishes their audience by casually dismissing his tardiness, blaming a winter storm. When the King inquires where the Bane is, Aedion informs him that they will arrive within a week. Aedion informs the King that he comes bearing gifts, but as the pages enter the room with the satchels, the King orders them to take the packages up to his chambers to avoid offending other people before ordering Aedion to attend a war council the following day. Chaol notices the black ring on Aedion's finger and believes that the general is under the thrall of the King by Valg possession.
Aedion joins Chaol and Dorian at their table. He snidely compliments Chaol's scar and taunts him, then expresses interest in meeting the King's Champion. After getting a rise out of Chaol, he moves on to discuss the killing of Baba Yellowlegs.
Much to Dorian's displeasure, the King orders the prince to keep Aedion company for the afternoon. Aedion rejects Dorian's suggestions, insisting on walking through the garden. He hums inappropriate songs and eyes some women; when the guards aren't looking, he trips Dorian, sending the prince sprawling into a rosebush.
Despite the Bane's absence, Aedion hosts a party in a rented-out tavern in the city, and invites many of Chaol's men, including two senior guards who abandoned their posts to join the festivities. When Chaol notices this, he goes off to the party to find his missing guards and Aedion, but despite asking numerous people where they last saw the general, they all say he is somewhere different, and Chaol doesn't find him. He resolves to come to the party the next night, and find leverage against Aedion.
The next day, Chaol watches as Aedion does an excellent job of making sure everyone notices him enjoying his own party, but slips away when no one apart from Chaol is paying attention. Chaol continues to follow Aedion through the slums, until Aedion stops outside a building and begins talking to a cloaked stranger with twin blades. He sees the two of them go inside, and considers that Aedion might be buying illicit substances, but is so distracted that his is caught.
Inside the building, Chaol recognizes it as the one where he had once been held hostage as leverage against Celaena. Along with Aedion is the man with the twin blades, and an elderly man who is still fit despite his age. He also recognizes them as the man who taunted him in the warehouse, and the old man who tried to stop Celaena from killing all the rebels when Chaol was kidnapped. When he is asked, Chaol explains that he came to the warehouse because of Aedion, and tells the two other men that no matter what they think, the King of Adarlan still controls Aedion, and pointedly looks at the Wyrdstone ring. Aedion becomes interested in Chaol for his knowledge of the ring, whose powers he doesn't understand. He then reveals that when the King gave him the Sword of Orynth, he also offered Aedion a Wyrdstone ring, but thanks to his Fae heritage, he could tell that the ring smelled strange, and instead had a copy made, while he threw the real one into the sea. Aedion tries to get Chaol to tell him more about the King and the Wyrdstone rings, but when Chaol refuses he answers that his life is already forfeit and that he either can tell them willingly and meet a quick end, or have them torture the information out of him. Chaol is disgusted by the thought of dying this way, and as he thinks of Dorian, he realizes that he must protect his best friend. Chaol finally looks at Aedion and tells him that Aelin is alive.
Aedion is standing on an empty dock with Chaol who is coughing up blood from the slight beating he received as a warning from the man with the scar and twin blades, who is in fact Ren Allsbrook, heir and Lord of Allsbrook. Together Ren, and his grandfather, Murtaugh, who is the elderly man, escape from the butchering blocks when Ren's parents created a diversion that costed them their lives, and the scar on Ren's face. It is revealed that Aedion is often called Adarlan's Whore by those who don't know him, for his apparent betrayal of Terrasen by working presumably willingly for the King of Adarlan. However, ever since Terrasen's fall, Aedion has always hated, undermined, and betrayed the King, as the Bane is comprised entirely of both rebels and rebel sympathizers. Despite his supposed loyalty and subservience to the King, Aedion has been loyal to Terrasen and especially Aelin all this time. While the King did summon Aedion and the Bane to Rifthold, Aedion had come looking for the people who were spreading rumours that Aelin was building an army, which Ren and Murtaugh admitted had been created by Archer Finn. Even though he has spent the last ten years secretly defying the King, Aedion feels incredible guilt over what he has done, even though he won back the Sword of Orynth when the King granted him a boon after his first victory. Before hearing about Aelin, Aedion had been perfectly content to let people believe him to be a traitor to his family, but now he feels more guilt than ever for what he has had to do to maintain his disguise and false loyalty.
Aedion is shocked to hear that Aelin truly is alive, even though the rumours had been a lie. He is even more shocked by the story that Chaol tells him, which is the story of Celaena Sardothien, the most infamous assassin of Adarlan's empire, and Aedion's beloved, long-lost cousin, Aelin. When he realizes that Aelin was the King's Champion, Chaol explains that he hadn't known Celaena's identity when he sent her to Wendlyn. He explains that he'd found out about her Fae heritage, and simply meant for her to find refuge amongst the Fae that live there. Aedion scorns Chaol for having told him all this vital information when Chaol had originally believed him to be possessed and in the service of the King, but Chaol tells him that he knew the risk. Chaol also explains that in other men with Wyrdstone rings, he'd seen a sort of physical darkness in them that he hadn't seen in Aedion. When Aedion asks, Chaol tells him that even Dorian doesn't know about Celaena. Aedion recalls how back in Terrasen, there had been so much worry and stress about Aelin's magic, that they'd considered sending her to multiple schools and teachers, all except for Maeve in Doranelle, who, thanks to Chaol, she ended up seeing anyway. Aedion asks Chaol if Celaena will return, and Chaol admits that he doesn't know. Aedion ponders whether to trust the captain, and Chaol tells him that the reason he'd been tracking the rebels was because they might have valuable information. Aedion considers killing Chaol, but then remembers that Chaol had been Celaena, and therefore Aelin's, lover, and decides that Chaol is more useful alive than dead thanks to his invaluable information. Aedion asks to know more about the Wyrdstone rings, but Chaol refuses and instead offers to bargain.
Aedion and Chaol later meet in the tomb, having agreed to trade information for information, as Aedion knows about magic's disappearance, and Chaol knows about the Wyrdkeys and the King. As Chaol shows the Eye of Elena which Celaena gave to him before leaving, he explains the Wyrdkeys and the King's possession and use of them. However, Dorian, who had been keeping books about magic in the tomb comes along, and overhears their conversation. He hears his father's power and Celaena's identity before Aedion and Chaol find him. He asks them why they didn't tell him, and Chaol says that it was better for him not to know anything in case it put him at risk. Dorian is upset that they thought he would tell on them to his father, and understands that Chaol and Aedion are working together to free magic. He disapproves of Aedion and Chaol working together, and both he and Aedion are sceptical about one another. Dorian tells them that he will keep their secrets, but he won't have any part in what they are doing and leaves. Aedion leaves through the underground waterway, and contemplates the King's power and Baba Yellowlegs' visit to the castle. When he reaches the warehouse in the slums, he meets Ren and Murtaugh, who, while knowing Aelin is alive, do not know that she is Celaena Sardothien, since Chaol refused to talk to anyone about Aelin except from Aedion.
More to be added.
Queen of Shadows
At the start of Queen of Shadows Aedion is imprisoned by the King and is scheduled to be executed on Dorian's birthday. Aedion rescued by Aelin but not before being injured. He and Aelin share a heartfelt reunion and is surprised to find that Aelin does not judge him for the what he did during the 10 years they were separated. He soon meets both Lysandra and Rowan and seems to be very territorial towards Aelin when he is around Rowan.
More to be added.
Empire of Storms
More to be added.
Personality
Aedion has Aelin's snarky, sarcastic attitude and her self-confidence. He is unfailingly loyal, willing to die for his queen and even besmirch his own name for the good of Terrasen. Over the last few years, he has come to enjoy lavish parties and become licentious to the point where it makes Dorian look celibate. However in Heir of Fire, it was revealed that he held such parties to distract people from his true motives of working with the rebel movement.
Aedion is pansexual, revealing to Lysandra that he is attracted to people regardless of gender.
Physical description
Aedion is tall, heavily muscled, and handsome, with a tanned complexion from years in the snow-bright mountains of Terrasen. He has long, golden blonde hair and turquoise eyes ringed with gold, common for members of House Ashryver.
In Heir of Fire, Chaol states that Aedion and Aelin could have been twins, since both of them shared the same golden-blond hair and Ashryver eyes.
Relationships
Aelin Galathynius
Aedion cares very much for his cousin and was often called her best friend, as other children in the castle were scared of her magic.
Lysandra
He and Lysandra meet in Queen of Shadows and he comes to care for her very much to the point of saying that one day he'll marry her during Empire of Storms.
Gavriel
Gavriel is Aedion's father. Aedion first finds out that Gavriel sired him during Queen of Shadows. They meet during Empire of Storms, they have a very strained relationship at first, Aedion blaming his mother's death on him. Their relationship improves towards the end of Empire of Storms.
Trivia
- Aedion is bisexual.