CHAPTER 6

"You weakling." She mumbled in disappointment as her reflection stared back at her in the mirror. Sneaky Erik. She huffed and walked over to the bed, falling face first into the pillowy covers. Her mind back to when they were leaving the dining hall, the servant girl leading her away.

"What else is in this hallway?" Aya asked, curious as to why there were guards posted.

The servant girl looked back at her and hesitated for a moment. "Master Erik's quarters." She said, sounding unsure if she was suppose to say such a thing.

"Ah." Aya said with a nod. She guessed the servant girl had grown a liking to her if she was willing to answer her questions.

The servant girl said nothing else and continued leading her back to her room.

Her mind ticked. Erik's quarters were in that hallway. She already knew what she was going to do, but how was she going to do it? She needed answers, she needed to get back to Lisa and Connor. They had met in the resistance, Aya had been close with them but when her parents died they took her in and raised her like their own. They were her family. Her heart ached wondering if they were okay. Maybe Erik knew? He was there like the other soldiers, they must have reported back. Maybe the information trickled to him somewhere in the pipeline. She stared at her ceiling thinking for a long time before finally falling asleep. It was an uneasy slumber, dreamless.

The next morning the servant girl brought her breakfast. Aya sat up in the bed and greeted her. "What's your name?" Aya inquired curiously. The servant girl looked up from the tray she had placed beside the bed, hesitating for a moment. "Mina. My name is Mina."

"Mina." Aya paused. "How long have you been working in the palace?"

Mina smiled at her. "A long time. My mother served in the palace and she taught me how to as well." She paused and gave a sideways glance at Aya. "You use to live in the palace didn't you?"

"How did you know?"

"I overheard master Erik talking about you as children once." She flustered a bit knowing servants weren't supposed to listen so openly.

"Is he kind to you?" She asked Mina, watching her face intently. She lit up a bit. "Yes, he is kind. He has a bit of a temper," She chuckled. "but I have never seen him turn it on anyone that didn't deserve it. He is much kinder than some of the others here...", She paused and Aya looked at her, egging her to continue. "Like the General Kinely. He is not a kind man." She trailed off and turned her face away and pretended to play with the silverware on the tray. Aya thought back to when she arrived on the airstrip and remembered that fat man's face. She felt anger rising inside of her; knowing he had done something to Mina. "I could tell he was not a nice man." She concluded out loud. Mina turned to her and nodded, her eyes lowered to the floor. "You might see him at the ball unfortunately, if Erik decides to have you attend."

Ah, the ball. She remembered attending it once or twice as a child once she was considered old enough. It was held every year and all of the most prestigious families in Ferelian attended. The Council Members would no doubt be there. Her mind ticked at how she could manage to kill all of them and concluded she couldn't get very far by herself. She let out a visibly annoyed sigh.

Mina laughed, having no clue as to her murderous intent. "I am sure Erik will let you attend if you bother him enough. You can get under his skin, unlike the rest of us." She threw her a small mischievous smile. Aya laughed.

"Yeah, maybe I can."

Mina left the room and Aya sat there for awhile not touching her breakfast. She could get under his skin and she knew it. She didn't like to be manipulative but she had to admit she had a way with people. Maybe she could convince him to come with her - back to the resistance. She remembered their conversation and how he had said his parents had returned back to Wakanda. She contemplated for awhile longer and by the time she remembered her food it was cold. She sighed and gobbled it down, It was certainly better than expired field rations.

She spent most of the day walking the palace grounds with Mina. The northern part outside the palace was all gardens and parks for recreational activities; it was nearly the same as she remembered it. They were resting in the shade of a beautiful fountain when Mina's head jerked and she rose to her feet, bowing. Aya already knew who it was before she turned her head to see Erik standing there.

"You are relieved of babysitting Mina."

Mina smiled and bowed before slipping off through the hedges and blooms of roses. Aya snorted and rolled her eyes. "So you are my babysitter now are you?" She jested. Erik smiled and walked to her side.

"A someone told me you wanted to go to the ball."

"Can I?" She raised an eyebrow. "You sure someone won't try to kill me?" She inquired, only half joking. He looked down at her, a smirk on his face. "You are under my diplomatic protection. No one is going to touch a hair on your head." He said, matter of factly. The tone in his voice told her he meant it. There was a silence between them for a moment as she formulated her thoughts into sentences. "Erik." She said, hesitation in her voice. This was going to be harder than she thought. She directed her gaze up at him and his face remained stoic but softened somewhat as he tilted his head. She looked around before regaining eye contact. "Why are you still here?…you could..." She trailed off her brow furrowing with the complicated thoughts running through her head. God she was doing worse than she thought she would. He sighed.

"I have my reasons, you need to trust me." He shifted his body weight and his gaze was now contemplative. Dissecting.

She let out a huff of laughter as she turned her head away, looking at the ripples in the fountain. "Okay."

"I know we've been living in different worlds…" He started - "And Lisa and Connor?" She interrupted him. "Have you heard anything?"

"The two in the hover." Erik stated and she nodded. The pause seemed like an eternity in her mind, she knew she heard his answer but for a split second it all sounded muted. Distant.

"Alive."

She exhaled before she even realized she was holding her breath. She looked down at the ground briefly before meeting his eyes. "Thank you." She could tell he knew she was still agitated with him. "Let's train." He said, a mischievous smile crossing his features.

So predictable Erik.