The Assassin

Patience

    The morning sun finally rose over the lofty clouds and warmed the busy streets of Astor. Alas, the princess wasn't able to see the fiery ball emit its radiant light for she was stuck down below in the dimly lit room hidden behind the corner bookshelf of the library. The king and queen had already left the room, a tireless day ahead of them. 

Luella had walked circles into the ground as her boredom started to drive her mad. She's already asked Oliver to bring down half the items in her room but nothing seemed to cure the princess's yearn to leave the safe room. The soles of her feet began to go numb from all the pacing she's mindlessly been doing. Luella finally flopped down on a seat and grabbed the deck of cards Oliver brought her. Her hands automatically began shuffling the cards and lining them up, her father thought it would be funny to teach the princess card games after her mother specifically asked him not to. Of course, Luella loved the game and loved it even more after realizing the queen was rather upset to find her shuffling the deck as if she were an old sailor playing a game with his crew.

Luella began to play a game of patience. She rolled her eyes, oh the irony. 

Her stomach growled at her for the third time this morning. 

"Oliver better be taking this long because he's bringing me a feast." Luella muttered. Bored, by herself, and now starving. Could this day get any better? She swiped at the cards causing them to become a mess on the wooden table in the middle of the room and for some to fall on the floor.  

Her head swayed slightly from the lack of sleep. Maybe if she took a nap she could sleep away the lengthy hours. Her stomach rumbled again.

"And this hunger." She whispered to herself.

Luella crossed her arms on the table and rested her head on top of her limbs hoping to fall asleep quickly. Meanwhile, the mysterious figure that was in the princess's room last night made a hasty retreat to The Queen of Gritthian's castle. It was a sizeable castle, It's gray stone walls felt despairing surrounded by under-sized houses and gloomy streets. The man's heavy and worn-out brown boots kept an even pace on the mostly mustard yellow carpet decorated with patterns of red and black. His head was kept low avoiding the gazes of the untrusting and intimidating guards as he made his way in front of the monarch.

"Were you successful?" Queen Ruth sat upon her golden throne with her raven hair tied into a bun a tad too tight. Her almost black eyes stared the man down as well did the blonde man who stood closely to the queen. She had a dark complexion with a dark red dress to match, she almost appeared a shadow if it weren't for the necklace laced with various colorful stones hung around her neck. 

"I apologize, It'll take me a couple of more days to rid of the princess. Their palace is swarming with guards." It wasn't a lie but he dared not mention the part where he had the princess right in his arms then...let her go. His heart pulsated much harder thinking about it. He knew why he was doing this and yet he's dragging out this simple job, and for what? He's going to have to do it anyway and he is going to do it...it would be a shame if he let this happened twice.

Ruth took a second to process this information then nodded with a seemingly empty gaze, he swore he could see her biting the inside of her cheek. 

"I recognize the orderly fashion of the quite large Astorian Royal Guard, but you will take no more than a week or you can leave here empty handed, do you understand?" 

Of course. The whole reason he took this job was for the food and warm bedding he could bring for The Dens and he's risking the survival of his community for some girl he doesn't even know. The blonde man exuded haughtiness with a condescending look clearly judging the man for being unable to finish the job at the time he said he would. 

"Understand?" Ruth repeated a bit more aggravated but the blank expression on her face was unwavering.

"Yes, your majesty. I shall return in a week." The man turned around and began to leave, he wanted to keep their interactions brief. 

"Vernon." The queen called out. A puff of air exited his nose and he faced Queen Ruth once again. He wasn't too fond of his name being used so casually in a foreign kingdom, especially in front of that vexatious advisor of hers. He could almost see him longing that the queen would threaten him once more. 

"Yes, your majesty?" 

"I would like to give you something, just a good luck charm to help you on your mission. Lawrence?" She called to the blonde man beside her, he gave a quick side glance to the rugged man in front of him but quickly retrieved a bracelet with an orange stone. 

"Thank you." She quietly thanked Lawrence as he did a small bow.

Ruth approached Vernon with the bracelet and positioned his arm out so she could place it on his wrist.

"This is a Citrine stone, it's said to place protection and good luck onto the wearer." Vernon eyed the glinting rock curious to how it would even begin to do the things the queen claims it to do. 

"Thank you." He said.

"And please try to complete your task sooner rather than later." 

"Yes, your majesty." He was starting to grow tired of repeating that.

"You are dismissed."

At last. He could now begin his journey back to The Dens and somehow think up an explanation as to why they have to wait seven more days to fill their voracious stomachs. An activity that he is just dying to do. 

Queen Ruth and her advisor Lawrence Cook watched the craggy man walk out the front place doors onto the uneven streets of Gritthian. The second the heavy wooden doors were closed again the queen walked to her darkened room with purpose, Lawrence didn't stray far behind. 

"Ruth, are you alright?" He asked gingerly. She didn't answer until she reached the red doors to her room. 

"I'm fine." She said walking into the dimly lit space, she didn't bother lighting anymore candles either and flopped onto her ebony silk bed placing her hands over her face and dragging them over her narrow features.

"I just really hoped he'd get it done quickly, it's been agonizing waiting for him to make the long trip to Astor and back just for him to return with...nothing." She suspired.

Lawrence cautiously walked toward the queen and stood next to the bed looking over her. 

"I could only imagine how you feel but I can assure you his journey wasn't fruitless. If not for his first venture he wouldn't have known the extent of the defenses of the Astor Kingdom but now that he does he can properly prepare for his next attempt." He says self-assured as he sits down next to Ruth's head. She looks up at him.

"I guess you're right." 

*     *     *

"Slow down, it isn't going to run from you." Oliver stated.

Luella looked up at the guardsmen with her cheeks filled to the brim with chicken. Oliver's eyebrows furrowed. 

"Sorry." She mumbled, food almost falling out of her mouth.

"Luella." Oliver pinched the bridge of his nose. "Don't speak with your mouth full. You should know this by now."

The princess nodded and gulped down whatever was in her mouth. "Sorry." She repeated. "It's just I was starving and you were taking forever." She huffed.

"I apologize, I was just taking extra measures to ensure that the palace is safe." He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "And now that I have...I will allow you to go into the garden-"

Luella jumped up from her seat and collided into Oliver giving him a suffocating hug. 

"Thank you!" She yelled into his chest. His previously serious demeanor softened a tad, his eyebrows unfurrowed and the corners of his lips lifted.

"But please stay close to me." He said. 

"I will!" She exclaimed.

Together they went to her room so she could bathe and get dressed. The leaping princess hopped down the stairs and pushed open the light blue-rimmed glass doors leading to the grand garden. 

"Remember, stay close." Oliver reminded her as she quickly nodded her head and bobbed on her tip-toes making her puffy sleeves flop along with her as she waited for Oliver to catch up. They entered the gated area surrounded by tall, green plants decorated with flowers of all colors. Luella restrained her urge to race to her favorite part of the garden and walked with false poise to the pale blue gazebo in the center of the yard. She skipped up the two steps up to the gazebo and quickly sat down on one of the light blue benches, vines growing between the dents of detail on the chair, and started picking flowers off the high bushes growing all around the structure. Oliver stood next to the bench and assumed his statue-esk appearance scanning the garden for any sign of danger.

 Luella piled the the small flowers by color and began to weave them together. Oliver's eyes caught on the skilled and rhythmic way the princess' hands intertwined the stems and held the delicate florets, somehow keeping them unharmed. Soon a charming and aesthetic flower crown sat in her hands. Luella stood on the bench as he averted his eyes and stared straight ahead. 

Suddenly he felt his uniformed cap lift off his head to be replaced with a feathery weight, he calmly turned to the princess with a hint of a curious look on his face.

"I made you a flower crown." Her face beamed, a pink glow softly came from Luella's cheeks. Her shoulders were shrugged up as her hands were clasped together holding his cap.

One of Oliver's gloved hands gently touched the crown on his head. 

"Oh, thank you." He gave a small smile.

She giggled and stepped off the bench as he helped her off, taking his hat off of her hands. She meandered to the other side of the gazebo and peered slightly past the towering Sky Pencil Holly trees that marked the perimeter of the garden. The princess could see glimpses of day dresses and suits stroll by. Oliver walked next to Luella and placed a light pink rose on the left side of her hair. 

"Matches with your dress." He says before returning to his stiff stance. Luella grins and lays her head on her hand continuing to watch the quick blurs pass by her garden. Another blur passes, then another, then one more. Then-

Luella shoots up. Oliver sharply pivots towards her. 

"What's wrong?" He asks.

Luella stares at him confused for a moment. "Wrong? Oh, my bad. I just thought I saw Phillip, from the ball last night, which reminds me, didn't he say his mother was a hatter?" 

Oliver's position didn't relax, in fact it didn't change at all. His perforating eyes slowly blinked.

"Yes. He did say his mother was a hatter." Oliver responded. She let out a short high-pitched noise then clutched her hands together in a begging motion. 

"Can we please go today?" Luella pleaded. His statuette façade dropped immediately and his face molded into a stern one.

 "Absolutely not. I barely wanted to let you go in the garden and I let you anyways. Going out onto the streets of Astor is out of the question." 

Luella crossed her arms, mimicked his cross face and leered at him. 

Though she put up a scrappy front she knew she wouldn't be able to convince him, his words were final. So, she decided to go to someone who would be able to make him do what she wanted.

Her black boot heels clacked against the wooden planks of the gazebo and marched into the palace. She started searching the rooms with haste while Oliver chased after her.

"What are you doing? Luella? Luella. What are you looking for?" He barraged her with questions as she ignored every single one. 

The guardsmen saw the princess heading for the king's war room and hastily caught up with Luella gripping her arm. She whipped her head around to tell him to let her go when she realized his stern attitude had faded. 

"Your father is in there with his council, you cannot burst in there to distract him with nonsense." His voice was quiet and was slightly laced with panic. She knew her father didn't appreciate behind intruded on, especially when he was planning for battle but that was simply because none of those people who did barge in on him were her.

Luella pried her arm from his grasp. 

"If you don't want to come in then you can stay out here." She says with an imperious conduct. 

Oliver's posture straightened. He didn't show but she knew he was insulted. The guard took post outside of the war room.

Luella placed her hands behind her back and smiled with complacency. She walked over to him and stood on her tippy toes to align the crooked flower crown on his head. 

He didn't flinch nor look at the young girl.

"You look pretty." She said before sauntering into the room. 

The group of men circled around the large, ebony table that was almost entirely covered with a map, all looked at the princess. Charles looked up with a concentrated gaze before it quickly turned into a pleasantly surprised guffaw. 

"Luella! My princess." He walked around the table and enveloped his daughter in a bear-hug. 

"Hello, father!" She said returning his energy. 

"We were just talking about you, I wanted you to come with me on a trip to Nostar."

"Nostar? I thought you've already captured Nostar?" Luella asked confused. 

"Well, I did but most of the survived residents had refused to join me, I let them live but they began to rebuild else-where and it's rumored once they have enough man-power they're going to attempt to steal back their land." The king vociferated. 

"Oh." Was the only thing the princess could think to say.

"Luckily, they are now where near a match for our army, to me their village is more of a campsite."

"So what are you going to do?" 

"I really didn't want to have to do this but to protect my kingdom I'm going to have to make sure they won't be able to rebuild again. I'm going to have to kill them. All of them."

Luella thinks about this for a moment.

"Well, of course. If they didn't accept your mercy the first time and they turn around to attack us what else do they expect?" 

The king smiled and hugged her once more. "I knew you'd understand. I wanted you to come with me since it'll be a low-risk mission but I'll let you decide if you'd like to come, there's going to be a lot of bloodshed." He says.

Did she want to go? Well, yes but she wasn't sure if she'd be able to handle it. Luella tried to imagine the worst case scenario, her father surely would protect her if anything went wrong. She can't remember the last time he's ever lost and besides, she's grown now. If she's going to be queen she's going to have to be able to go on quests like these. A new fiery passion blossomed in her heart. 

"Yes, I want to go." Her voice rang out in the room. 

Her father shook her by the shoulders with excitement and turned to the other men. 

"See, men? I told you she'd want to go!" He boasted. 

Fredrick sat towards the front of the room, thoughts of doubt swarmed his head. Surely the king was out of his mind, letting his daughter on her first passage with no formal training of any weapon. 

"Shouldn't she learn how to at least use a dagger first? A sword maybe." The earl suggested. The king clapped his hands together in agreement. 

"Wonderful idea! I'll have Oliver teach you how to use a sword. We'll begin our trip to Nostar in a few days."

Luella gasped at the idea of her learning how to use a sword. How exhilarating!

"A few days? That won't be enough time for her to learn properly." Fredrick urged.

The king walked back toward the front of the room with his mind already made up. "Of course it isn't but it's enough time, it's just for her to have the experience. Besides like I said Nostar is synonymous to a campsite I'd hardly deem them a threat for my incredibly capable daughter." He says stretching his arms out with a smile, motioning to Luella. 

The princess beamed with joy.

"By the way Luella, where is Oliver? I must tell him to start teaching you swordsmanship right away."

"He's right outside, Oh! I've just remembered why I've come here. I would like to go a hatter today, can I?" She asked. 

"Certainly, certainly." Charles says poking his head out of the room.

"Oliver." He says. 

The guardsmen immediately faces the monarch. "Yes, your majesty?"    

There was a pause.

"Did Luella make you that flower crown on your head?"

"..Yes.."

King Charles found the delicate ring of flowers on top of the serious man's head to be amusing but kept it to himself.

"I would like you to teach Luella how to fight with a sword and take her to a hatter today." He stated indifferently.

"With pleasure." 

The king returns inside the room and hugs Luella once again. 

"Thank you, father!" The princess says radiating.

"Of course." He places a kiss on her head before she leaves the room. She strolls out and gives Oliver a sly smile.

He takes off the flower crown and carefully puts it in his pocket before returning his uniform hat on his head where it should be. He simply begins walking as Luella laughs skipping close by and humming. They pass by her room so she could put on one of her "old" bonnets, lavender silk with practically a bouquet sewed into it and a white ribbon framed her face.

"You're a contentious girl, you know that?" Oliver asks after a while. 

"Yes, I know."