A Perfect World

Chapter 20

A FEW WEEKS EARLIER

AELIN POV

"Little girl, you're excused too," Ansel drawled. 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 high? It made her remember that if anyone had a right to do that, it was her. She was Heir of Terrasen—a fact that this woman was well aware of. If anyone had gall to be calling the shots, it was her. 

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 will not," Ansel challenged. 

"She will," Aelin reiterated, raising her voice a little. 

Ansel smirked. "Use your 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 stay here."

"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. Let me lay it out for you," Ansel said, "There's a war coming." She leaned back in her, throwing up her palms in a There It Is type gesture. 

"You're going to have to give me a little more than that," Aelin said. She tried to make it sound casual, as if she didn't believe a word that had left Ansel's mouth, but in reality, her gut was clenched with fear. 

"You're a weapon, plain and simple. Your heritage has imbued you with a fuck ton of power. That scares other nations."

"That doesn't explain why my parents sent me away. If I was the reason for some coming war they would have kept me locked up between those towers back in Terrasen. Not send me away." 

"Oh don't get ahead of yourself, sweetheart. No one is going to war because of you. This war is like all the others—a fucked up game between royals lusting for more resources, with the stakes being mere common lives. You're just a wild card that hasn't been played yet." Ansel leaned forward, cocking her head at Evangeline. "Scared little one?" she asked the girl. 

Evangeline sat up straighter as she said, "If there's a war coming, I'm not worried. There are lots of strong women who would protect me and whom I would help protect."

Ansel's glare sputtered, eyes softening, face melding into an expression of earnest admiration. It was a subtle shift in her face, but it was completely genuine. In that moment, Aelin felt like she really saw Ansel for the first time—saw who she was beneath her bitchy attitude and bad timing. 

So Aelin asked, "Why do you even care?"

"I care," Ansel said, "because I am from a small territory. I am tired of bigger players in this game treating my people like pawns. War will devastate me people... and my father is too much of a coward to stand up for them."

"So you're trying to stop this war... and you want me to help you?"

"Will you help me?" Ansel asked. The desperation in her voice was palpable, though it quickly morphed into contempt. "Or do you look down on Briarcliff like the rest of them?"