Flash Fiction Fridays – Ansiel’s Quest

This week’s flash fiction is about a new character, Ansiel. This particular character features in a short story on the Fae Queen of the London Fae Court. If you haven’t gotten your free copy of Revelar’s Queen and read through it, then I’ll let you know now that the Fae Queen in my short story, Unseen, is the same one who was in charge of the London Fae Court during the events of Revelar’s Queen. With that note out of the way, let’s dive right in!

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Ansiel leaned on the railing of his balcony with a sigh. A quest to scout out a bride for his king was quite a weight. And while he felt honored that his master had seen fit to send his personal bodyguard to do the scouting, he wished it didn’t have to be him. He wasn’t cut out for all of the diplomatic nonsense and courtly fawning required of ambassadors. It wasn’t even in his job description. Or it wouldn’t be if he’d had a job description. But, he couldn’t tell Faread no. So, here he was on the night of his departure, moping.

Soft footfalls alerted him to an intruder, and he spun on his heel. A slender figure stepped from the shadows, and he sighed. Then he shook his head with a soft smile. “Still at it, Ceili? When will you accept that you can’t sneak up on me?”

“Never.” Ceili matched his grin with one of her own. “So, what is this I hear about my brother becoming a diplomat?”

He put his hands on his hips. “Where did you hear that?”

“‘Read may have let it slip.”

Ansiel crossed his arms. “Nicknames, now, eh? Have you moved from mistress to prospective bride?”

She snorted. “Really, Ansi. Is it necessary to be that way? When are you going to accept that your baby sister is old enough to make her own choices? If I choose to warm my mate’s bed, that’s my own decision. Given what we went through over my career choice, I assumed you’d learned I was an adult.”

“That’s hardly fair! I’m your older brother. It’s my job to protect you, and I can’t do that if you give your heart to a man planning to wed another and risk your life protecting his kingdom from the threats he sees in every shadow.”

“He’s my mate.” She crossed her arms. “What do you want me to do? Abandon him?”

“He’s abandoning you.”

“Mates only happen once for us. You know that. And there’s only a fifty percent chance that you will.”

“I know that too,” he noted.

She shook her head with a huff. “And as for my career choice, I like what I do.”

“You enjoy killing people and living in the shadows. Never thought I’d hear that coming out of your mouth. A year ago, before he finally noticed you, you hated it.”

“Well…” Ceili groaned. “Well, I guess I still hate some aspects.”

He laughed and turned his back on her to watch the moon rise over the Irish countryside. “Ceili, he’ll be the death of you. Marry a man who can love you. A man who won’t make the woman he should cherish into a glorified prostitute.”

She didn’t answer him, but her soft intake of breath spoke volumes. A rustle of cloth filled the silence that stretched between them. When he finally turned, she’d already gone. He dragged his fingers through his hair with a groan. He shouldn’t have said that. Even if it was the truth, he didn’t like that it separated them and caused anger between them. And he really didn’t like that it meant leaving her with a bad taste in her mouth while he traipsed off to the Fae Court in England. Unfortunately, the words had been said, and she was already long gone. Probably headed off to cry in Faread’s arms. The man would console her like he always did, give him an earful about hurting his sister’s feelings, and then move on without a care in the world.

Ansiel gritted his teeth and stomped over to his four-postered bed. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the man wanted to marry a woman besides Ceili. The king wanted to make a ruined woman out of his baby sister, and she seemed determined he should. That alone was enough to make him want to kill the man. But he always bit his tongue and held back his true feelings towards the king. Admitting his hatred would be the best way to his job and his head. And when it all fell apart, Ceili needed someone to be there. He was all she had. He slid into bed and yanked the covers up over his head. For her sake, he would continue suffering this charade of a child in a man’s body and pretend that it didn’t make him sick. For her sake, he would turn a blind eye. And for her sake, he would pick up the pieces when it all shattered.

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That’s it for this week! What did you all think? Have something you’d like to see in future Flash Fiction Fridays? Share your thoughts and comments in the comments below!