The Assasin's Princess

Blades and visions

        Later that day Mora had her feet drawn up underneath herself next to the Queen on the veranda overlooking the valley. The Queen was showing her how to sew a tapestry when a servant cleared his throat, “your Highness. The Prince and Ravus the sword maker are here to see you and the lady.”

        “Mora,” Dorban pulled her into his arms and kissed her softly. “Ravus the sword maker.” He turned her to the man, a large covered table behind him. The man bowed low to her in respect, had Dorban spilled her secret?

        “My lady, I have brought my collection for you to see.” He turned and pulled the cover off of the table. There was nearly every possible shape, size and manner of knife and sword lying on the table. She reached out, lovingly running her fingers over the handles of a few, and fully caressing a few of the blades themselves.

        “Ravus, they are absolutely beautiful.” She sounded whist full, lost in happiness as she looked upon his work. “You made all of these yourself?”

        “Along with my apprentices help, yes. You seem to know your blades my lady.” He watched her as she continued to look through his work.

        “I do, a good blade is priceless.”

        “Then this,” he pulled back a cover she had not noticed. He picked up a sword and turned back to her, presenting it to her with it lying across both of his hands. “From what Prince Dorban has told me, this sword suits you better than any of the others.”

        Mora was speechless as she took the sword and looked at it as if it would bite her. The hilt was gold and silver, with white leather wrapped firmly around the grip. The blade curved near the end and ended in a vicious spear-pointed crescent shape. It was just like the Sarasin swords from Earth’s ancient middle east.

        “It is beautiful.” She whispered in awe of it in her hands. She held the grip and removed the scabbard of matching white leather. Ravus took the scabbard for her and they all watched as she lay the flat of her palm over the body of the blade near the hilt. She slid her hand down the cool metal, her smile growing the closer it got to the lethal end of the sword.

        “It is just like my old sword, save for the color of course. I didn’t know these were made anymore.” She stepped back from them and swung it through the air, testing the balance. “It feels amazing.”

        She took the scabbard back and sheathed it again, trying to hand it back to Ravus. He held a hand out, “keep it my lady. I insist.” He turned to the table again and picked up a short sword. “And this also is a personal gift from me.”

        “I couldn’t possibly.”

        “I insist, it is an honor to have an expert swordsman like you have just one of my weapons, you shall always have at least two of them.” He smiled at the disbelief on her face.

        “How did you know I was an expert swordsman?”

        “They way you hold it, and handle it. You give it reverence and respect, that speaks of experience.” He bowed to her, she looked down at the sword, then up to Dorban who nodded. She smiled down at Ravus.

        “Thank you Ravus, I will take great care of these. I swear.”

        “Well lets see it on you!” The Queen insisted causing her to laugh, Dorban took the short sword for her while she put the belt and scabbard around her slim hips. She took the short sword and slipped it into the belt as well. She felt whole again.

        “Back to our sewing my dear?” The Queen asked her.

        “Go on, I have a few things to tend to.” He kissed her, not expecting the melt him down to his toes kiss she gave him in return. “I will take another of those later.”

        “Your face lit up like the brightest sunrise when you saw that sword my dear. You looked so happy.” The Queen commented as they sat out on the veranda again.

        “I feel more secure, more sure of myself again.” She picked her sewing up, something she probably never would have even thought of doing in her life before she came here and met this woman.

        Dorban read over the reports he had been handed, “are these certain?” he glanced up at the soldier waiting for his reply.

        “Yes your Highness, directly from General Bana himself. This is the second attempted attack in four days. The second was more fierce than the first. No-one has died, yet.” The soldier nodded as they walked through the halls.

        “Yet is the optimum word here. I want you to get ahold of General Bana on the comm-link, let me know when you have him.” He handed the reports back to the man.

        “I will find you personally just as soon as he comes on.” The soldier quickly saluted him before he left. Dorban sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, what a mess this was becoming. There was one thing that could ease his mind, even if for just a moment.    

        He found Mora and his mother out in the garden they had been overlooking all day. They both had hands full of the dark purple roses that grew in abundance here.

        “Will there be any left in the garden?” He asked with a laugh.

        “Dorban,” Mora almost squashed the roses she held as she nearly knocked him over with a kiss. He wrapped his arms around her and sighed as he held her close. “I missed you.”

        “I knew you would make it better,” he ran his hand up her cheek to slip a whips of curls back behind her ear. He memorized her face, how her eyes were lit up at the sight of him, and how her lips were so firm and full.

        “What is it dear?” His mother asked.

        “The two men that Mora killed, they were Benats. I just received a conformation, they have ships stationed around the border. They have made two attacks so far, they are causing so many issues right now. Those two men were indeed messengers, and their deaths are spread amongst their kind like wildfire.”

        “What should we do?” His mother asked.

        “I will know more of the situation as soon as Bana gets back to me, I may go out with him myself to help solve this.” He said with a sigh.

        As if watching a movie, Mora could see a ship blowing up, fire consuming it level by level. The ship splintered into billions of pieces flying off into the nothingness of space.

        “No.” It came out a lot louder and harsher than she had intended. She blinked and was right back to reality, Dorban and the Queen both looking at her in shock.

        “What is it? What did you see?”

        “When you said you would leave I saw a ship get blown apart. I don’t know whose ship it was.” She looked up at Dorban, tears in her eyes. She was scared.

        “You saw it? A vision?” He sank a hand into her hair, his thumb rubbing her cheek to comfort her.

        “It was like I was standing right out in the middle of space watching it happen. Fire consumed it, it blew apart like a hammer through glass. The people on that ship died.”

        “Mora, you are just overreacting sweetheart, if anything I will blow their ship apart. I will be fine.” He tried to calm her, to sooth her with a calm voice. It was not working.

        “Your highness. General Bana is on the comm-link.” The soldier rushed up to them. Dorban turned back to nod to the man, he looked down at her one last time.

        “I will be fine. I won’t be long.” He kissed her and hurried out of the garden to get ready.

        “Mora, darling.” The Queen put an arm around her when she seemed too shocked to move. “He will be fine, he has done something like this numerous times before.”

        “This doesn’t feel right, this is all wrong. I can’t ignore this, your Highness if he goes he won’t come back.” She couldn’t hold the tears anymore, they fell down her face like rain.