The Assassin

Through the Window

Luella told her father she wanted to go to bed , she had had enough excitement for tonight and she didn't necessarily want to fake having a nice time with strangers, so she went up to her room and got ready for bed. Oliver stood next to her room while she slept like he always and he especially didn't want to leave her alone after tonight's encounter, no matter how "nice" they are.

It was another contemplative night for Luella. There were a lot of questions running through her mind. It felt like everyone was trying to attack her. Why did her father have to make so many people angry? 

She attempted to suffocate the little voices in her head under her pillow but the only person it was suffocating was her. At the very least the loud music that could be heard through the stone walls making it harder for the princess to listen to her loathsome thoughts. Luella laid her head on her pillow hoping she could go to sleep as quickly as you could snuff out a candle light. 

She tried to drown her thoughts out by imagining a white void with nothing in it, just her and her bed where she could fall asleep with no worries. It almost worked but a tapping noise started to poke her head.

What was that and where was it coming from? Why was in here? 

She was getting more and more irritated as the tapping got louder, she began to realize that the tapping wasn't coming from her head but rather her bedroom window. She threw her blankets off of her and ran to the window, unlocking it and opening it up for the man somehow hanging on to the side of the palace walls. Vernon stepped into her room and dusted himself off once he got fully inside. 

Luella closed her window carefully and turned toward the man, she could faintly see his slightly swollen and very bruised face caused by Oliver. 

They stood there a second just looking at each other until the man opened his mouth to speak but the princess waved her hands telling him not to, then she leaned to him close.

"My guard is right outside my door, you'll have to be quiet." She said, he nodded in understanding. 

"So...you came back." She whispered. 

"Yes, I...wanted to see you again." He said, he realized how sappy that sounded. He certainly liked to think about romantic gestures and sayings but when they came out of his mouth they didn't sound exactly right. 

"Good because I wanted to see you again too." She said. Her sentiments gave him a little bit of hope that she could be interested in him, even if he was an assassin who was banished from his kingdom and now lives in a forest community, not that he didn't like The Dens it's just most other people don't.

"I, um.." Vernon started. "I heard from a friend that you were going to be hosting a ball but I wasn't sure if I was allowed so I sneaked in to see but then..y'know." He said.

It was funny seeing what she thought was a scary man was actually just a man trying to do a job who then became friendly with his victim. 

"Sorry about him." She said. "He's very protective." 

"I like that he cared about you so much but it's not so nice when you're the person he's protecting you from." Vernon said. Luella was going to laugh but then remembered that same protective guard was standing right outside her door, she placed a hand over her mouth.

To Vernon making the princess laugh was one of the best accomplishments he had done that night, it was a shame he couldn't get to see it though.

"Um, actually, I came in here to dance with you since I didn't get the chance to..downstairs." He said. Luella beamed.

"I would love to dance with you." She said.

Oh was Vernon so right. Her smile was one of the most radiant things he's ever seen in his life, he could feel something tug on his heart but he wasn't sure what. 

"Great." He said breathlessly. He held out his hand and she took it, her hand in his was a nice feeling. When she placed her hand on his shoulder he could pass away a happy man, my goodness was he dramatic.

 The muffled music that came through the walls was enough music for them to begin swaying while looking into each others eyes. Vernon thought the warm and inviting lights was where Luella and him were going to waltz away and fall in love but it turns out the cool and distant light of the moon was where he was destined to dance. The washed out illumination coming from the rock in the sky made a charming blue filter over the princess' frame, her white sleeping gown made her all the prettier. It almost appeared he was twirling a ghost but her hand intertwined with his felt very real.

This was all real, this was all happening. 

The song was coming close to its end to Vernon's dismay.

He enjoyed the last few moments of the song until it went silent and the ballroom music floated into the room no more. Those seconds felt like forever as they held their dancing position until the next song began. They let go of each other.

"Thank you, for the dance." Vernon said, Luella just looked up at him as if she were staring at him with awe. He started to feel a bit awkward.

"Sorry." The princess finally spoke. "It's just.." She gently touched his bruise with her hand, he liked the feeling of her cool skin against his contrasting the hot flesh. 

"Hide." She said. 

"Huh?" He said confused. 

"Hide under my bed for a second." She said.

"Um, okay." Vernon followed her instruction. 

Luella could be heard breathing heavily and rubbing her hands together. What was she doing?

He could hear her footsteps across the floor as the door opened, the now very familiar voice of Oliver was heard in the hallway. Luella told him she felt hot and needed a damp towel, the man's stern steps walked quickly to go get her a towel Vernon assumed. 

The hidden man's heart started to pound heavily when Oliver could be heard entering the room and urging Luella to get back in bed if she felt sick. The sheets could be heard moving on top of him, he was sure the stern guardsmen could hear his heart beating against the floor but nothing happened. Soon, the door of the bedroom closed.

"Okay, you can come out now." He heard Luella's soft voice say. He squirmed his way out from under the bed and stood up to see the princess holding a wet towel. She crawled on her bed over to the edge where Vernon was standing and she tenderly patted the bruised area on his face. 

Vernon didn't necessarily like getting hurt but if Luella was going to be the one taking care of him every time then he didn't mind.

The princess looked like she was very concentrated on making sure she was being gentle. Vernon couldn't help but want to leave a quick peck on her lips, was he being creepy? A p*****t? He wasn't sure but he tried to erase the thought from his mind if it made him any of those things. 

"There." Luella said self satisfied. She drew back the towel and laid it on her lap.

"Thank you." Vernon replied, he wish could do something more than just say thank you.

"I really do appreciate what you're doing, you didn't have to do any of this." He said trying to express his gratitude as much as he could. 

"I know, I just wanted." She said in return.

"So." She started. "You said you heard I was having a ball from a friend, who's that?" She asked. 

The went the princess again with her questions, not that he minded, he wanted to answer all of them. He wanted her to know him more.

"My friend, Gavin, he's my roomate or tent-mate rather." He said.

"Tent-mate?" Luella said with a grin.

"Yes, him and I live in the same tent together." Vernon said, he mentally called himself an i***t. He has just told a princess that he live in a tent and with another person at that.

"You live in a tent?" She asked. Oh, how it hurt him to repeat it.

"Yes..I do." He said.

"Are you a gypsy?" Vernon almost laughed.

"No, no nothing like that I just...I was kicked out from my kingdom so now I live in a forest community called The Dens." He explained.

Luella made an 'O' shape with her mouth.

"..Do you mind me asking why you were..kicked?" She asked. 

Vernon sighed. 

"Same reason Queen Ruth isn't going to be happy when I return to her kingdom." He said. "My mother was a very..outspoken woman." He started. "King Harper, was a tyrannical king for sure. He'd always send me to kill other tyrannical men just like him so he could take their riches and women mostly."

Luella cringed at the idea of living in a kingdom with a king such as that. 

"My mother was disgusted with the king's tendency to sleep with women much, much younger than him and because she berated him for it in public he wanted me to kill her...of course I didn't want to." The princess started the notice that Vernon started to accumulate an uncomfortable energy.

"So...he killed her himself..and banished me." He said. Luella now felt guilty for asking such a question. 

"Oh, I'm sorry." She said, she rubbed his back hoping it would comfort him in any way.

"It's fine, I've been having a better time living in The Dens than working for that nasty man." He stated. 

"We are having a bit of a hard time now." He said. Luella listened with interest.

"We've been low on food and I'm not sure how I can help get it. Queen Ruth promised me food and bedding if I killed you but now that I've decided not to do that.." The man trailed off.

"How about you ask my father for food and bedding?" Luella said to him. Vernon looked up at her.

"Really?" He asked.

"I mean you aren't living in his kingdom so you will need to give him something in return but I can assure you it'll be something far easier than killing someone." She said.

Vernon thought about it. Will it really be that easy? 

"What about your guard?"

"He doesn't have a say on what the king decides."

"But what if he tells the king I was the one who broke into the palace?" He says.

"Trust me, he'll listen to me if I put in a good word for you." She said assuredly. The man was still unsure, Luella put her hand on his arm.

"You can at least try, if you aren't going to do Queen Ruth's task then how else are you going to help The Dens?" She said trying to convince him.

She was right. He can't let Cassandra and Gavin down by being a coward, not that he wasn't already acting like one.

"..Okay then, I'll do it." He finally agreed.

"Good, we'll tell him tomorrow." She said.

"Tomorrow?" He said. The princess nodded her head. 

"No, I-I can't do it tomorrow." He said

"Why not?" She asked, he pouty face was enticing him to change his mind and say yes but he didn't let himself get sucked into her beauty.

"I need time to gather myself and go over all of this with my tent-mate, how about in...two days?" Vernon said. Luella was a bit upset she had to wait but she agreed.

"Fine, two days." She said.

"Two days." He repeated. "I should be on my way now." He said.

"Goodbye, Vernon." She said.

He wasn't sure if it was the wisest idea but he picked up the princess' hand and pecked it.

"Goodbye, my princess."

The gesture made Luella's heart jump as she giggled, giddy that he had kissed her hand. And like that, he was gone.