by Ivy Clyde
The other thing I couldn’t ignore was the way my body reacted in their presence. The intimate place between my thighs throbbed along with my heart. It was a heady, addictive emotion that I wanted to explore further.
I knew my decision before I’d even finished contemplating the consequences of taking on the mission to assassinate the emperor who ruled over the four kingdoms.
I wanted to be close to the princes. The feelings they brought out in me were addictive and I desperately needed to see where they would lead me to.
My hand brushed over the silk of the gowns in the cabinet. After going through the stacks, I chose a bright red one. It was new. I’d unconsciously been saving it, unwilling to wear it on a mission. The hair ornaments that went with it were red beads and gold pins. A smile hovered on my lips as I took them out and laid them on the bed.
I began taking off the dress I wore. The layers of lavender silk fell down my body, leaving me in my white linen robe. A sudden realization crossed my mind. Naya would always stay perched on the cushion while I undressed. My cheeks turned hot at the thought. Prince Norvin had seen me naked! Heat gushed through my body at the thought, leaving me flush and breathless.
Tightening the ties of my robe, I wore my straw slippers and came out of the cottage. The late afternoon breeze felt cool against my hot cheeks. The bath house was close by, so it didn’t take long for me to reach it.
The wooden tub was already filled with steaming water. Sprigs lavender and rosemary floated on top, adding their scent to the mist. Letting the robe fall off my shoulders, I stepped into the deliciously warm bath. When my body was immersed fully under the water, I pulled on the bell rope nearby, hoping someone was around to help me bathe.
There was a shuffle of footsteps behind me.
“Help me wash my hair, please,” I said without turning towards the maid.
With gentle hands, she took out the ornaments and pins from the tight braids of my hair. I felt even more relaxed as I stretched out my legs and leaned back against the tub. The maid poured hot water over my shoulders and head. A murmur of absolute relief escaped my lips as my eyes closed shut.
After a while, I felt thick, hard fingers massaging my scalp. It felt a little strange because most of the maids had soft skin. I didn’t feel like complaining because she was doing a good job but I turned around to see who it was, making up my mind to call her the next time I took a bath.
A heavy hand closed around my mouth, drowning the shriek that rose up within me.
“Sshh!” said Prince Norvin, putting a finger to his lips. “I’m letting go. Just don’t scream.”
My heart was beating wildly in my chest. “What are you doing here?” I hissed, shrinking under the water.
“I missed you,” he said simply. “Besides, it’s nothing I haven’t seen before.” My cheeks warmed at once. Leaning close to me, he caressed my cheek. “I never got the chance to say how beautiful you are, Daria.”
“Thank you,” I murmured, looking into his beautiful purple-hued eyes. “I’ve missed you too.”
He chuckled softly. “Me or Naya?”
“Naya,” I admitted with a smile.
“I would turn into a snake for you, Daria,” he said, moving behind the tub to gently massage my shoulders. “There’s no way for me to return back to Redfall. My stepbrother is on the throne now. He would capture me the moment I set foot in the castle and do the same thing to me once more. Don’t you think it’s better to stay here with you?”
I tried not to let myself get distracted by the feel of his warm, rough hands on my bare shoulders. It made my insides throb harder. I had to keep my thighs pressed tightly while he spoke.
“What about the plan you discussed earlier? Don’t you want Emperor Ivan to die?”
“I want him to die a thousand deaths for what he did to me and my people,” he hissed.
“Your friends need you. They have been very worried for you. You can’t imagine the pain in their voices every time they spoke of you. It’s rare to have people who care about you. I’ve never had such a relationship with anyone, so let me tell you how precious it is.”
Norvin’s hand slipped under my chin. He turned my head around so I was looking at him. “I care for you, Daria. Truly.”
“Really?”
“You’re beautiful, kind and smart. I don’t think I would have survived the ordeal if you hadn’t taken me in. The Ice Elixir was in my system for days, keeping me weak and on the verge of death. Only by sapping some of your inner power I could stay alive.”
“I am glad I could help, Prince Norvin.”
“Call me Norvin.” He leaned so close to me I could feel his warm breath fanning the stray strands on my forehead. My heart beat hard as his lips brushed over mine. “You’re mine, Daria.” There was no mirth in his purple-hued eyes. He was being serious.
“If I take on the mission, you’ll come with us?” I asked.
He moved away from me, going back to massage my shoulders. “Are you sure you want to do it?”
“It’s the most dangerous thing I’d ever do in my life but things have never been easy for me. I don’t remember anything that happened before I came to live to Linmoor. Every lesson, every advantage I gained, came with a price. I have killed men without a question.” I stopped, feeling the tension rising in my muscles. “Linmoor is familiar but I have no ties to it. Death is always a companion when you’re an assassin. You do your best to hunt but you never know when things will fail and you’ll be the one to end up dead.”
“I wish I could take you away from it all,” said Norvin, pouring water over my head. “Can you ever be free of the old hag who commands you?”
I chuckled at his choice of words for Elga. “I am always free to leave. It’s just…there’s nothing out there for me. This place, its people…this all I’ve ever known.”
“So if you get a chance, you can leave?”
“Yes.”
“If our mission succeeds, you’re welcome to live with me in the castle of Redfall.”
“You’ll make a concubine of me, Prince Norvin?” I asked in a soft voice.
“No. You’ll be my one and only wife.”
I smiled at that, treading the water before me in playful swirls.
“Does that please you, Daria?”
I gave a nod, flushing with pleasure.
“Cain and Adal seem to like you too,” he added after a while.
“I like them too.”
“What?”
I laughed. “I like all three of you.”
“You have to choose.”
“I don’t want to choose.”
Norvin chuckled softly. “You’ll drive us crazy fighting over you.”
“There’s no need to fight, Norvin,” I said. “From this moment on, I’ll belong to all three of you.”
Suddenly, I realized I’d spoken my mind very clearly. I wanted all three princes beside me. The notion of belonging to them felt right. “I have made up mind.” I rose to my feet and stepped out of the tub. Norvin came behind me and covered my body with a fresh linen robe. Tying it at my waist, I turned around to face him. “I am going to assassinate Emperor Ivan.”
8
Back in my room, I sat near the hearth fire, combing the long strands of my jet-black hair. The dry heat from the crackling fire dried my tresses as I continued to smooth out the tangles. The loose robe slipped off my shoulder but I didn’t bother to pull it up.
While my decision was made up, part of me reminisced the years I spent in Linmoor. The only thing certain about the future was that I wasn’t coming back here again. While Linmoor was home, it hadn’t been easy growing up there. I was the youngest person to ever set foot in the valley run by assassins. Without past memories of who I was, I heavily depended on others to guide me.
Lady Elga was strict with me since I was a child. True, without her training I would be nothing today, but none of it had been easy. I was beaten, starved and driven close to an inch from death. Standard
assassin training when Elga was your master.
Then, came the extra tutorials for harnessing the magic in my blood. While I could control fire and stay unburnt, it wasn’t always like that. During a meditative practice, I set the cottage on fire. While the other girls ran out, I remained absorbed in my mind, unaware of the flames growing all around me.
When I became conscious, I felt death would have been easier. I was badly burnt, barely holding onto life. The agony from all the burns on my body was unbearable. Lady Elga kept me drugged over the next few weeks until my body was healed mostly with her healing magic.
It took two years of intense patience to get rid of the scars on my body. The elder girls ridiculed me. I was even afraid to look into mirrors during that time. I cried until I couldn’t cry anymore. Only then I realized no one was coming to comfort me. My tears had no value. No one was moved by them.
My gaze flickered towards the ornate mirror set up against the wall on the far side of the room. My complexion was flawless now. The skin on the exposed part of my shoulders was smooth and pale. None of the scars remained, but the memory of the pain lingered. My green eyes glittered like gems as I held onto the tears, not allowing them to be shed.
The experience hardened me against the assassins I competed with. As time passed by, I steeled both my heart and body. My control over the magic in my blood grew stronger. I became cold and distant, shielding my emotions from everyone.
I spent the last five years being one of the best assassins in the guild. The status didn’t make me prideful. I’d paid a heavy price to control my magic, after all. Even now, I woke up in a sweat, thinking I was twelve years old, my body crying with burn wounds.
Over these years, I remained aloof. There was no reason to smile or feel joy. I would either spend my days practicing my martial arts or go on missions. The first time I smiled was when I got Naya. The little snake creature was lively and seemed to understand everything I said, responding to my questions and squeals of delight. He was able to open my heart once again.
I wondered if I would have bothered to help Tilly if Naya hadn’t opened up my heart to other people’s feelings. If I was my old self, I would just leave the girl behind, not caring whether she lived or died.
Elga often preached about keeping our emotions under control. But I didn’t want to do that anymore. It was exhausting. It was more liberating to feel them. I loved how the three princes made my heart and body throb with desire. I would never wish to suppress these feelings.
A dark shadow flew in through the open doorway. Tuto flopped beside me on the floor, his snowy-white wings spread wide. A mouse dangled from his beak.
“Go on,” I said, stroking it head. “Gobble it up.” His large, tawny eyes stared up at me before starting on his meal. “We’re going on a journey,” I told him while he tore into the mouse. He made no response. Tuto was like that. He listened but never responded.
Sighing, I got off the floor. Pulling the robe over my shoulders, I fastened the tie securely around my waist. It was time to get dressed and see Elga.
I began with my hair. Taking sections of it, I began braiding the strands. While my hands worked, my mind went back to contemplating the meeting to come. That morning, Elga called me to give the mission of assassinating Emperor Ivan. If she hadn’t been interrupted by Cain and Adal, she would have directly given me the command. And once an order was given, there was no way to refuse it.
Anger shone in my green eyes as I stared at my frowning reflection. It was definitely the right choice and time to get out of Linmoor. Elga would never care for me, no matter how long she’d known me. Still, the lost little girl inside me hoped she would have shown some shred of affection after all this time.
My hair was fashioned into an elegant bun perched high over my head. Selecting gold ornaments from a box before me, I began decorating my dark hair with them. I tried to stretch my lips into a smile, hoping it would make me feel better. It didn’t. With a defeated sigh, I began putting on the red silk gown. Its sleeves were longer than the tips of my fingers. The ends flared out and hung close to my ankles. I secured the waist with a tight sash of gold fabric.
I added more gold jewelry to my wrists and ears. Soon, my reflection looked like a traditional bride from Baledonia who wore kimono-style robes on special occasions. It’s fitting, I thought, considering how I was leaving my home to belong to the three princes. There was no need to add rouge to my cheeks. All I had to do was think of Prince Cain or Adal or Norvin, and they would be flush with pink.
Satisfied, I turned away from the mirror. Putting on a pair of dainty shoes, I headed out of the cottage. Tuto flew over my head, his wings slapping me with a blast of air as he soared up into the night sky.
Golden lanterns dotted the path leading to the center of the village. Following it, I reached Elga’s hall.
She was alone. A steaming terracotta cup sat before her on the table. She raised her head as soon as I stepped inside the room.
“You’ve come at a good time, Daria,” she said in her high, clear voice. Gesturing me to come forward, she pointed at the table. “I just brewed some tea.”
Moving forward, I sat on the reed mat placed by the low table. I sat in the traditional position, supporting my body on bended knees and tucking my feet under my bottom.
“The princes gave you a choice,” she said without preamble, pouring tea into a cup. She pushed it towards me. “Have you decided?”
I nodded. “I will do it.”
I looked at her weathered face. There was no way to know how old Elga was. A sly smile stretched her thin lips. “You don’t seem very happy, Daria.”
Great. She’d seen through me.
“Why did you choose me for such a mission?”
“You think it’s because I dislike you, child?”
“You don’t seem to like anyone.”
Elga chuckled but her voice was cold. “You already seem to think you’re no longer a part of Linmoor.” Before I could say anything, she continued. “Even if you decide to travel the four kingdoms, you will always be an assassin of Linmoor. No matter how much you dislike your fate, that’s what you are. Without the skills taught to you, you would be nothing. Just think of the girl you dragged in this morning. You would be someone like her or worse.”
I swallowed the bitterness welling up inside me. At least I gave Tilly the choice. No one asked the five-year-old child whether she wanted to live in a village of assassins.
“You asked me why I chose you. It is simple, Daria. You’re the best assassin among us. Your magical prowess surpasses even mine.”
I stared at her like she’d grown an extra head on her bony shoulder. Elga just praised me!
“It’s the truth,” she said, taking a long sip from her cup. Looking up, she gestured at my cup. “Drink.”
I took a sip of the nettle tea she’d served me.
“You will face your past soon.”
“What?”
“The memories that you’ve so adamantly locked away...you will face them soon. You should be prepared for that.”
“I don’t understand. Do you know something about me that I don’t?”
“There are many things I am privy to, child. I won’t disclose them to you.”
I brought the cup to my lips in a bid to hide away the annoyance on my face. Elga always left me feeling frustrated every time the subject of my past came up. There were never any straight answers. Not even when I was on the verge of leaving Linmoor.
“You must have your wits about you while you face Emperor Ivan. He cares for nothing. In his hands, death is the least of your worries.” Her grim voice sent a chill down my spine. “He and his sons like playing with their prey before devouring them.”
I nodded, grasping the cup tighter. “He is a dragon.”
“He is a beast.” Elga’s gray eyes glittered in the dim light of her room. She was being deadly serious. “Those three princes are the last hope the four kingdoms have of recovering. Protect the
m with your life. It is my command.”
Placing the cup on the table, I moved backward and lowered my head to the floor in obeisance. “Yes, Lady Elga.”
9
I walked out of Elga’s cottage into the cool night air, inhaling deeply. Elga gave me so much to think about. Not only was I supposed to be assassinating a full-fledged dragon but also ensure the safety of the three princes. The latter task seemed even more daunting than the first. I was used to killing people, not keeping them safe.
Up ahead, I heard the soft whispering of female voices. Moving closer to them, I saw two maids heading towards the kitchen.
“Where is Tilly now?” I asked.
“Who, Miss?”
“The new girl who came in this morning. Have you seen her?”
“Oh, her?” said one of them. “She looked exhausted, so Megga sent her to rest. The girl is probably in the maids’ quarters to the west.”
“Thank you.”
I watched the glow of their lantern disappear down the bend in the path. Tilly was already being taken care of. Megga was the head of the kitchen and watched over every woman under her. While the chores were harder, she didn’t drive them like slaves. Deciding to see Tilly after knowing what the princes planned, I headed towards the place reserved for guests.
The guest cottages were located far from the main village center. It was isolated, hiding the rest of Linmoor from them. Most days, it was dark. Today, however, the place was bright with lit lanterns hanging from the trees surrounding the area.
The doorway to the nearest cottage was open, so I decided to step inside there. At once, my heart sped up at the sight of the three princes sitting around a low table and drinking from flasks of wine. They looked relaxed, their long tresses loose about their shoulders.
Adal glanced up at me. His blue eyes widened in surprise but he was quick to hide it. Clearing his throat, he called out to me. “Daria. Please, come inside.”