Terrible fate: rook following (5)
I believe the answer is:
after
'following' is the definition.
(following can mean after or as a result of)
'terrible fate rook' is the wordplay.
'terrible' is an anagram indicator.
'rook' becomes 'R' (chess abbreviation).
'fate' is an anagram of 'afte'.
'afte'+'r'='AFTER'
(Other definitions for after that I've seen before include "Following, consequent to" , "Following - behind" , "back along > deck" , "In pursuit of, behind" , "Searching for" .)