The Assasin's Princess

        Mora looked up from the store counter she was standing at when the woman behind it shook her head, clucking her tongue, with both hands on her large hips. “I was wondering when it would happen.” The woman sounded disappointed with what ever was going on outside.         “What is going on out there?”         “The young Prince is looking for a new bride,” they both walked over to the window at the end of the counter and watched the mass hysteria going on just outside. “The poor girl up and disappeared over a month ago.”         “Mysteriously of course?” Mora asked as she paid for her things.         “It isn’t wise to say such things about the royal family like that!” The woman leaned closer over the counter and whispered loudly.         “And Just why is that?” Mora laughed, she wasn’t afraid at this point in her life.         “You tempt fate when you do such a thing that’s all. Have a good journey.”         Mora stuffed the small bag into her knapsack and slung it over her shoulder. She stood in the doorway of the shop watching the very large men rifle through the local women like clothes on a rack. Swallowing hard she gripped the strap of the knapsack tighter and cast her eyes down in hopes of being avoided.         “Hey you!” Mora ignored the male voice and tried walking faster. Just keep going, she told herself, don’t stop! A large hand with meaty fingers grabbed her shoulder and spun her around, “let me have a look at you.”         The man took a long look at her as he nodded his approval. With his free hand he took hold of her thick, dark braid of hair and ran his hand down the length of it. He brought it to his nose, “are you as soft and sweet as your hair little one?” He whistled loudly, circling a hand in the air, His men instantly stopped their searching and circled them. Each one ugly and burly with a sword on their hip and more muscle than brain. “You are coming with me little one.”         “Who do you think you are? I am not going any where with you!” She tried pulling away to no avail. He still held her braid in his hand and jerked on it when she initially tried to move. He shook his head as a sick smile spread over his face.         “I am the prince, I do what I want, when I want to and I want you.”         “I am not for the taking. I don’t want to marry anyone.” She never stopped trying to get free or wiggle lose of his grip.         “She is a feisty young thing isn’t she your highness?” One overly large guard pushing up against her back laughed as he attempted to slip a hand around under her arm to her breast.         “You know I enjoy taking the fire out of girls like this one Gore.” He pushed her back into the guards hands as he spoke to him, and it turn Gore lifter her and threw her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.         “Let me go you big i***t!” Mora pounded on the man’s wall of a back and tried kicking her legs but he clamped one arm around them nearly cutting the circulation off in his tight grip.         “Miss, you be quiet now or I’ll shut you up myself.” The man grunted as he talked due to the fact that she hadn’t stopped trying to get away.         “You will have to make me, let me go!”         The man shifted her around in his grasp and slammed her as hard as he could to the ground. Her back and the back of her head bounced off the hard ground knocking her out cold. The guard kicked her with a big boot, she didn’t move.         “Damn it! This is just great, now it will be hours before I can have her. Next time just shut her up.” The prince shook his head as he looked down at her.         “Maybe it will help you take the fire out of her? A much needed task if you ask me.” Gore simply threw her back over his shoulder with a grunt and they were on their way back to the castle.         Curtains blew open as Mora burst through them. She was quickly followed by a frustrated growl as the Prince threw them open and chased after her. She was so worried about getting away from him that she ran into a woman standing in the great hall. When she hit the floor on her butt she knew there was no chance of escape now so she curled up into a ball and covered herself fro the impending attack. The Prince reared back to hit her with a long, wide strap when the woman spoke, “Saven stop!”         “Mother, she needs to learn her place!”         “Her place is NOT with you! Get up child,” the woman bent down and lifted Mora to her feet. “I am sending her on her way and don’t want to see such a thing again.”         Seven left with a disgusted growl, it grew quiet as they stood there watching him leave, Mora was glad they were alone now. The Queen tilted Mora’s chin to see the bruise across her lower jawbone. The woman’s face was full of regret and sorrow as she gazed at her.         “I apologize. Not all of my family are such brutes.” Her eyes traveled down the girls tiny frame, “you would be better suited for my oldest son.”         “I…I don’t want to be married, I have things I have to do.” She wouldn’t look the Queen in the face until now, “will you let me leave?”         “What kind of business do you have, perhaps I can help you? It is the least that I can do after what my son did to you.”         “NO.” Mora looked to the ground again, “nothing can help me now. I have to see this thing through to the end alone”         The Queen recognized the hollow echo of those words, the far away look on the girl’s face, and the silence afterwards. The girl was at the end of her roe and may just let go of everything tying her to this world. She would not stand by and let that happen to such a beautiful girl as the one before her.         “Let me propose a deal to you little one.” The Queen walked her over to a bench and sat her down. The girl looked as if she could burst into tears at any moment. “To tell you the truth I don’t believe that your business is a good one. I think you are about to do something bad to yourself. Nothing could be so bad to want your life to be over.”         “I don’t have anything left that I can go back to.” Mora couldn’t hold back the tears any more. The Queen gathered her close, holding her tight to reassure her, and let her cry. Having only sons never afforded her such a luxury before, she absolutely loved the simple embrace, there was no way in all the galaxies she would let this girl hurt herself now.         “I think you do.” She raised Mora’s head after she had cried for a bit. “I will send you out. If you and my oldest son Dorban cross paths then you will come home with him, and stay here with he and I. IF not, you can go about your business.”         Mora sniffled as she wiped away her tears, “since you were kind enough to save me from Saven I will try. But I won’t promise you anything will happen.”         “Don’t worry little one,” The Queen squeezed her tight one last time before they stood. “My oldest is the opposite of my youngest son. If you meet him you will know exactly what I mean.”