AELIN POV
Even though being kidnapped by a band of gross male pirates was entirely worse than waking up in the middle of the ocean, on a dinghy, with a friendly shapeshifter and adorable eleven year old, Aelin was in a better mood than yesterday.
What she had since realized was that the whirlwind that had become her life was not something she could control. The resurgence of her fire magic, whatever secrets her parents were keeping from her, the schemes random people had that might affect her kingdom? As much as she hated to admit it, there wasn't really anything she could do about any of those things. And that was terrifying.
But if there was one thing she had learnt from Lysandra's story, it was that worrying about the things she couldn't control was a waste of time. So when Aelin found herself faced with a group of illiterate, Vitamin C deficient, greedy pirates, she realized that this situation was one of the few that she actually could control. And that was empowering.
Aelin grew up in a royal court, meaning that she had learnt the art of manipulation before she was even taught how to read. Then came the reading, then came writing and with that came figuring out which hand was her dominant one. As soon as that was uncovered, her father's men had begun thrusting weapons into her right hand. She was only meant to learn basic self defence. "That's all a princess needs to know," Quinn, her father's Captain of the Guard, would say. She hadn't really disagreed back then, but after realizing that she was the most talentless magic-wielding demi-Fae in all of Terrasen, Aelin felt like she had no choice but get good at something else—something equally as impressive. What was being able to dance or play the pianoforte compared to wielding magic? Since then, she had decided that she needed to be deadly in other ways. Just as Elide was deadly in her own right with her sharp mind, Aelin soon learnt how to dance to a different beat. She realized that her graceful steps and musical mind made for a surprisingly impressive combination, especially where combat was concerned.
So Aelin found that she actually wasn't all that worried when she and Evangeline were put behind bars in the lower deck of a pirate ship. Not at all. She was a walking weapon and, better yet, a woman. In other words, she was both talented and underestimated, the best combo one could possibly hope for in this type of situation. The crew hadn't even bothered to restrain her limbs, which were all she would need if it came down to a fight.
As menacing as people made pirates out to be, they were just shitty thieves and even shittier fighters. She witnessed that almost half of the crew were missing at least one body part. "Warriors don't lose body parts." That was another one of Quinn's maxims. It was funny how all of Quinn's wisdom was suddenly coming back to memory—not that she was complaining. After the last two days, she was utterly grateful. Those memories reassured her of her capabilities. They grounded her. Just like Lysandra's presence did.
Not that the shifter was actually present. The ladies had quickly realized that there would be no escaping the pirate ship—their paddling would only get them so far. Lysandra made the brilliant move of shifting to a spider and stealthily hid herself in one of Aelin's inner pockets... The same one which now contained the Amulet of Orynth. As soon as Aelin and Evangeline were ushered into their little holding cell, Lysandra had crawled out and went to work, trying to deduce where the ship was headed. The shifter hadn't made it back yet when a tall, gruff, one-armed pirate came and opened their cell, making deft work of his lock with his different ability.
"The captain will see you now," he said.
Aelin and Evangeline followed obediently as the pirate led the way to the Captain's Quarters.
"What's your name?" Evangeline asked the pirate.
No response.
"You're being very rude," the girl continued.
Aelin was a little shocked at the girl's bravery but admired her all the more for it.
The pirate stopped, turned around and bent to face her at eye-level.
"Aren't you scared of me, little girl?"
"Why should I be?" she asked defiantly.
He held her gaze, narrowing his eyes at her. Evangeline didn't blink. Then he stood up, leaned back and held his belly as he roared a deep and delighted laugh.
"I'll tell Rolfe to go easy on you ladies," he said, eyes twinkling. "And you can call me Trev, little lady."
Aelin vowed then and there to make the girl a part of her court. She already had the manipulation down, and was irresistibly adorable to top it off. She would surely wreak havoc in court one day.
Aelin and Evangeline entered a surprisingly plush office. It was quite the opposite of the pirate-squalor she had expected. A rich mahogany desk occupied most of the large room, which was littered with navigational equipment and exotic tapestries. One one side of the desk was a few cushion lined chairs and, on the other, a big leather one where the captain sat, scrutinizing his ledgers.
He didn't even look up as they sat.
"You better not make the little lady cry, Cap, or you'll find yourself short one crew-mate," Trev said.
The captain, Rolfe, apparently, finally deigned to look at them.
"Do you think he even can?" Evangeline asked.
Aelin was amazed at the girl's ability to make something so sassy sound so sweet. Rolfe smiled at her, utterly charmed. Damn Evangeline, save some work for the rest of us, Aelin thought.
"You're excused, Trev."
Trev winked at Evangeline before exiting the office.
"So," Rolfe began, "Care to explain what you ladies were doing on a dinghy out in the middle of the sea, so close to my territory?"
"We were kidnapped," Aelin said, putting on her best damsel-in-distress face.
"By who?" Rofle asked. Despite the disbelieving nonchalance he tried to portray, Aelin could tell that he was genuinely curious. He didn't seem disinclined to believe them.
"That's the money question," Aelin replied.
"Huh," Rolfe said, drumming his fingers thoughtfully on his glossy desk. "There was an... energy wave of sorts yesterday. It's what led us right to you, as a matter of fact. Did you experience it?"
Shit. Aelin held her breath, willing her heart rate to slow down. She couldn't not afford to go supernova again. Not here, not now. Rolfe watched her carefully.
"We did," she said, "but we were already on the dinghy when it occurred. What was that, anyway?"
Rolfe's gaze remained on her as he ignored her question.
"And how exactly did you end up on the dinghy?"
She had already prepared her lie while waiting in the cell, but before she could answer there were two heavy knocks on the door.
"I'm busy," Rolfe shouted.
"I don't particularly give a shit," an irreverent female voice barked back.
Rolfe rolled his eyes, leaning back on his chair as the woman burst through the door.
It was all Aelin could do to not look shell-shocked. She stopped breathing entirely, counting each of her own heartbeats. Not here, not now, she chanted in head, even as she felt the lid on her magic wanting to fly off.
It was the woman from the bathroom of The Ruby Tavern. Ansel.
She sauntered in as if she owned the place, steely and arrogant, though not giving anything away. If she knew Aelin, her face didn't reveal it. Aelin schooled her face to match. The last thing she needed was a group of wealth-mongering pirates knowing her identity.
"Captain Rolfe," Ansel started, "As I am the one funding this voyage, I would say that I get to decide how our guests be treated. Wouldn't you agree?"
Rolfe just rolled his eyes and got up from his seat. His movements were as quick and agitated as his face was red. Clearly, this Ansel loved giving orders and the captain was not used to being on the receiving end of them.
Maybe it the fact that the pirates didn't seem so horrible, or maybe it was the fact that Ansel certainly did, but Aelin felt bad for the man.
Only Rolfe's angry footsteps were audible as he exited the room, slamming the door shut behind them. Ansel took that as her cue to occupy Rolfe's chair. It was much bigger than her but her presence somehow filled it up more than he did.
"Little girl, you're excused too," Ansel drawled. "My personal guard is just outside that door. He'll watch over you while the grown-ups talk in here." Her voice wasn't gruff and demanding the way Rolfe's had been, yet it radiated power. It instantly ticked Aelin off. She wondered who the hell was this woman was, that she walked with her head held so damn high? It made her remember who she was. If anyone had a right to act like that, it was her. She was Heir of Terrasen—a fact that this woman was well aware of. When she caught Evangeline's eyes, she saw that the sweet girl seemed timid for the first time.
Fuck this Ansel woman.
"She can stay," Aelin said, steeling her voice.
"She cannot," Ansel challenged.
"She will," Aelin reiterated, raising her voice a little.
Ansel smirked. "Command me in a true Queen's voice and maybe I'll let you keep her here."
"You will not let me do anything. I do as I please and it pleases me that she stays here."
"Hmmm... you're not quite there yet, but not bad. Have it your way then, Heir of Fire."
"Who are you?" Aelin demanded.
"Haven't we been through this? I am Ansel of Briarcliff."
Aelin leveled her a flat, deadly stare. Ansel looked her squarely in the eye.
Minutes passed and the two held each other's gaze, until Ansel finally relented. The red-haired woman sighed.
"Fine. We've got no time for chit-chat anyway. Let me lay it out for you."
LYSANDRA POV
One minute, Lysandra had spotted Evangeline and Aelin and was scurrying behind them in the form of a mouse, the next she was fainting. The last thing she remembered was the air leaving her lungs and a large pair of bird's claws wrapping around her body.
Suddenly she was being poked in the belly. Her eyes flew open in a panic to see that she was surrounded by a group of tall, burly males. She was so startled that she unconsciously shifted back to her human form. As soon as she realized her nakedness, she tensed her muscles, readying to shift into her favourite snow leopard form and rip these males to shreds.
"Wait," a soft female voice said.
A petite pale girl with long, black hair pushed through the circle of males surrounding her. As the seconds ticked by, Lysandra recognized two of the males: Fenrys and the white-haired Fae warrior who had taken Aelin.
"Aelin! Evangeline!" Lysandra exclaimed, as everything clicked in her brain.
Aelin's party had without a doubt been looking for them, likely thinking that Lysandra was the bad guy.
The girl narrowed her eyes at her and before she could react, the blonde male had a knife pointed at her throat.
"How do you know who she is?" the blonde said, voice deathly quiet. He had the same eyes as Aelin. A relative, it seemed.
"There's been a misunderstanding," Lysandra explained. Her throat grazed the edge of the blade as she said it. "On my part. I saw him taking her at the Ruby Tavern and thought she was being kidnapped. I thought I was saving her. She came clean to me, but not before she freaked out. Let out this blast of power. A pirate ship stumbled upon us before we could sail back in your direction."
Everyone was silent.
"Fenrys, I have to go back," she pleaded. "Evangeline..."
"She's with Aelin, right? She'll be fine. Look, I believe you," Fenrys said. He looked at his companions before continuing, "She wouldn't lie if Evangeline's life was on the line. I know that I don't know her that well but—"
"We trust your judgement," the dark-haired one interrupted, "Drop your weapon, Aedion."
"Lorcan—" Aedion began to protest.
"Drop it," Lorcan commanded.
Aedion reluctantly lowered the blade and Lysandra shot him a withering look.
The white-haired one stepped forward then. "Tell us everything we need to know about that pirate ship," he said.
Lysandra obliged.