"How long until Zoey returns, and will she still be considered a princess?" Sasha asked, pretending yet again to worry for the sibling she felt was just in her way. She didn't need Zoey even if she became an assassin, whatever those were.
"She will return home when she is eighteen years of age. It is the amount of time needed to train her to protect you with her life properly, so you never know the shame I have had to bear these last few days. She will be the Pride's first assassin princess. A mandate I intend to put in place should two girls be born to the royal line the youngest shall hold this mantel. The only exception to the rule being if the firstborn is male, he may be sent as well. Our line carries through from mother to daughter only. It shall never pass to a man. That is the way of all lion tribes." The Queen said, reminding Sasha in one small rant how much power she would hold when she stepped into her mother's place. Nothing could take it from her except a battle challenge during her coronation rights, and that was only if she lost.
"Mother, I wish to train in battle skills as well as the arts of a princess, I feel it necessary to defend our line at all cost," Sasha said abruptly, she knew by instinct if she didn't ask now any request she made later would be denied.
"I will grant you the basics only; you may also choose weapons that have no sharp edges, for it would be very rare if you were to be challenged on your coronation day." The Queen said one eyebrow raised in puzzlement.
"I would beg for at least intermediate mother. What if you are wrong?" Sasha cooed, hoping to show a bit of fear with a bit of cunning. If she could appeal to her mother's dual nature of predator and parent, she might end up stronger than many would guess.
"Very well, but this training must be carried out in secret, and no one can know of your skills. If I find out that word is spreading that you are training too, I will deny it and send your trainers away. Are we understood?" She asked.
"Yes, your majesty," Sasha said, bowing low before her mother knowing she would see her effort at conveying respect, and her mood would cool. Instead of further instructions, her mother grabbed for the bell summoning the attendants to take her away. Sasha longed for her to hug her instead of stern warnings, but she would heed those warnings and then take what her mother guarded so fiercely by force. Sasha had no intention of waiting for her mother to pass in old age. She already had a plan in place that would be the Queen’s demise. All she had to do was find a fool willing to execute it. She had time, though, at least thirteen years by her count. If she worked within the time frame, Zoey would come home to find a much different ruler and Pride then she left behind. While Sasha could not take her title, she could banish her from the court and the Pride if she chose to. Sasha rolled the thought in her mind, still undecided on how she would act. She would begin her game as soon as she had gathered her pieces. Her confidence was leading her to believe Zoey would be able to do little to stop her. Only the nagging question in the back of her mind wondering if she could be wrong posed any roadblocks or hesitation? Little Zoey would still be weak when she returned, wouldn’t she?
Chapter 3
Assassin in Training
Five Years Later
Zoey pushed hard against the ropes that bound her, another test another day of continually working to survive. If she were truthful with herself, she was beyond tired and pissed because it was her birthday. Couldn’t they give her one day to be left the fuck alone? She had faint dreams at night of sleeping in a warm fluffy bed surrounded by attendants that would react to her every whim, but she couldn't tell if this dream was a memory or just a childish want from a girl who had been pushed farther than her mental limits. She had no friends in this den of jackals. In fact, she was ridiculed by every last piece of shit in this guild house.
They never let her forget she was a princess or a shifter. They treated her like an animal, far from the royal she had been before, but she bore it for now. Tonight she would change her status in the guild. She had worked her way up through the ranks a little faster than most of these idiots due to her natural inclination for magic. They called it cheating, and she called it shadow walking. A gift she found hidden inside herself the first time they had tried to kidnap her.
Facing the current task at hand, Zoey relaxed the muscles she had flexed when the kidnappers had grabbed her from her camp along the road and tied her up. Her wrist were slick with sweat from the fatigue of holding her body flexed to gather room within her binding ropes. Now that her captors had tucked her away in one of their wagons, she would begin her work. Twisting her left wrist in a subtle movement allowed her thumb to slip past the binding line; a few more choice movements and her left hand was free. Working quickly, she unbound her feet first; her right arm still bound to her belt loop against her back. It was awkward, but she needed the knife in her boot if she was going to free her other arm.
As a little girl, she had never thought to face such a task, the mission her mother had given proved to be more than she had ever bargained for. Had she understood the beating, the torture, and the mode of operation they used for training, she would have never agreed. As it stood now, she still balked at the anxiety and fear that filled her chest as she worked to free herself. Her target was the woman who controlled this den of thieves. Her mission for her master was simple, kill the leader so the body may die. Master Rajendra had shown her through a series of mediations why the Bandit Queen had to die and the repercussions should she fail. Sometimes, she felt as if the master’s teaching were nothing but magical dreams, he invented to get her to kill, and other times she was taken by her own disgust for the trash she had to clean up.
This mission was no different than any other except that this particular band of thieves had set their sights on her sister as their next victim. It had been told throughout the spy guilds that the nameless bandit queen and her bands of misfits planned to kidnap Sasha as she traveled home from school for the holidays; Zoey’s master saw it as a perfect opportunity to test her skills.
She was supposed to get caught and then work as a ghost from within; the key to her mission was to stop the threat before it even became one. With both feet free, she freed the knife from her left boot. The covered wagon she sat in contained a myriad of articles, furs, jewels, and other stolen goods. An amethyst hilted dagger among the piles caught Zoey’s eye. Drawn to the magic in the weapon, she claimed it as her own before slipping out of the wagon to scout the bandit camp.
As she slipped into the night, a spell spilled from her lips, a shadow rose around her and enveloped her in arms of darkness. Zoey crept forward careful to stay out of the light made by torches or campfire. She spied a greedy class of people prone to drugs, drink, and sexual fantasies. The bandits seemed to live only for the treasures they gained and the woman they stole. Zoey heard many cries of anguish in the night as she rolled through the camp like a deadly fog. A pulse of magic trickled through her body, the dagger hot on her hip; a mere thought passed before she found it in her hand, it's grip hot yet not unpleasant.
In her mind, the dagger showed her the tent she sought, and Zoey plunged into the canopies like a swift-moving shadow. She pulled up short as she heard voices arguing in the shelter before her.
“The child in the wagon should be dead. You risk much by keeping her alive.” A man’s voice said laced with warning and malice in tone.
“I will not kill a child! Perhaps she can be trained in our ways and become a useful asset.” A woman argued; her pleas evident to Zoey’s ears.
"And who will teach her? I don't have time to lug a brat around, and neither do you! Kill her, I say!" The man roared his patience at an end; Zoey could hear it in the rise and fall of his words.
“I. Will. Not!”
“Mark my words, she will be the death of you and the end of this!”
Zoey watched as a short, rotund man left the tent's doorway at a quick pace. His harsh, angry pants as he muttered to himself a warning to Zoey that she would not have long until it was discovered she was missing. She had to act n
ow and be gone. Listening at the edge of the tent Zoey eased the bottom up just enough so she could peek inside, the spider crawling across her hand the least of her worries should she be caught. The bandit queen lay face down on her bedroll of lavish silk and pillows, her shoulders moving with the sobs that escaped her throat in harsh croaks. Zoey almost felt sorry for the woman, but in a few moments, whatever had broken her heart so thoroughly would not matter anymore, the pain she felt would have vanished under Zoey’s dagger.
Zoey stood gazing down at the crying woman, a woman fated to kill her sister Sasha, yet she wept at the thought of killing Zoey herself, it was confusing. Zoey could not fathom why, nor if there was any difference between her life or her sisters, all she knew was that the woman before her had to die. The woman’s whimpering slowed as she fell into a fitful sleep. Zoey slipped her blade beneath her neck and said a prayer for her soul as she pulled fast and quick across her throat just as she had been taught.
As tears slipped from her eyes, the ache and guilt in her heart, a crushing weight Zoey ran into the night. She had a man with a carriage to meet and a bath to take.
Chapter 4
A Queenly Tantrum
(Eight Years Later)
Sasha ruled her school like she ruled the court, and the students were lowly subjects. At the tender age of sixteen, the princess believed herself loved, while those around her secretly loathed the temperamental beast she had become. She pranced and preened and was given adoring praise in everything she did. Her tutors had long ago given up correcting her, for the tantrum brought trouble and punishment upon their heads. The few servants that had blurted honesty about the beast princess had disappeared and left everyone fearing for their lives.
Sasha lived her life uncheck and able to bedevil even the most patient of noblemen and women. The Head Mistress had long given up on the spoilt child; she was the evil incarnate and would take no direction. The Head Mistress had requested corporeal punishment but was denied as the Queen wanted the princess as pure as she could be. No harm could befall his child or whatever nonsense the messenger sprouted. The headmistress believed none of it. In fact, they could kiss her ass, and she would make sure that the child was handled and molded into a queen if it killed her.
She had found ways to punish the young princess, but it had not been enough; she never seemed to learn anything from the lesson the Head Mistress tried to teach her. She had no other recourse; the little bitch child had almost killed another noble student over a piece of candy! It was beyond ridiculous! Sasha had to be stopped! The Head Mistress followed Sasha to her last class of the semester; Sasha was too engaged with her entourage to notice her presence.
"Sasha." The Head Mistress called loud enough to be heard over the students gathered around what she had deemed the devil's daughter.
"Head Mistress, so nice to see you," Sasha said, feigning politeness, the worry on her face evident, and she gave a small courtesy bow.
“You will come to my office when you finish your last class; we have much to discuss.”
Before Sasha could answer the Head Mistress turned away, in her pocket, she clutched the letter she would send to the Queen and disappeared into the shadows. Sasha would be taught humility or rather how to be a lady by any means necessary.
Sasha watched the Head Mistress go, the confusion on her face lending no retort for the boos and hisses of speculation she heard behind her. How dare the Head Mistress approach her in such a manner? She was, but a subject to Sasha's whim and Sasha would see her punished for her actions. Sasha watched the clock like a cat coiled to spring, if only she had worn her communication earrings! She could have had a call into her mother before the bitch mistress could leave the room. With a sigh, she pushed it to the back of her mind; little could stop Sasha once she got started, and she knew it. It brought an evil smirk to her lips and a glint of frost to her eyes. She had plans for the Head Mistress; the battle of wills had begun.
The clock seemed to move at a snail's pace as Sasha lost interest in the “before you leave for holiday break” speech. She had already turned in all of her assignments. It was easy when you had a servant to write down your answers as you spoke them. Other students had fingers stained in ink, but Sasha's were pristine as always. Everyone around her was nothing but a peasant. She cared not what royal house you came from and had even abused her third cousin to prove her point. Not that it mattered, Scarlett was a useless ninny anyway. Sasha had a much bigger game to devour and would worry about the small fry later.
As the teacher droned on, Sasha slowly pooled her power till her mind felt like a vast chasm of everlasting energy. Her eyes had brightened, and her forehead was lined with sweat from her efforts, it was a shock when the teacher called her name to rouse her from her concentrated efforts.
"Sasha, can you explain what Zeus meant when he explained humans as moments of dust in his argument with Hera?" The teacher asked. Sasha could feel her cheeks redden; she had absolutely no idea what the hell the teacher was talking about or why she had even called on her. Her burst of emotion caused the magic she had been spooling in her core to erupt in a little spurt of chaos. The classroom lit up into a blaze so white you had to close your eyes or lose your sight.
Sasha screamed along with her classmates, not because she was afraid but because she had just wasted a spell worth of magic that she had planned to use on the Head Mistress. Today was the worst day ever, and Sasha would make someone pay for her anger. It was simple; Sasha was the princess, and everyone must obey her. It was the obeying part that most had trouble with as everyone had free will. Once they got it, though, it could be magnificent, at least for Sasha.
The bell rang, startling her from her dreams and punishments, stretching like a cat for all eyes to see. Sasha gathered her things and headed for the door; the teacher never receiving an answer to his question.
"Hey, Princess Sasquatch! Why do you have to be such a bitch?" One of the upperclassmen yelled. Sasha kept walking her fury far more complex than the upperclassman bully could handle, she did throw a small spell at him, and that was when all hell broke loose.
As Sasha walked away, the screams began as the boy; she had thrown magic at hit the floor, his shoulder looking more like pounded steak than a joint. His screams were high pitched before they cut off. She shrugged, assuming the whelp had passed out, and someone would attend to his injuries. It wasn't like that was a killing blow. No, those she was saving for the Head Mistress herself.
Security grabbed her and locked her magic down with null cuffs. The damn things were made out of rose quartz rock and bless by the Holy Fire Church to negate all magic. Sasha could barely contain her fury as she berated the guards, refusing to walk and forcing them to drag her to the Head Mistress’s office. She was their Princess! “What had she done to deserve this?” she thought as she continued to wail in misery as they dragged her down the hallway. Everyone stood watching, no one made a move to help, and all of them were clapping?
Did they truly hater, all her people? The ones the very heaven had seen fit to send her to guide. Her confusion and shame were so great her mind shattered. The parts that held her true darkness stepped forward. Sasha knew one desire, and one desire only revenge. She would have it before the sunset if she could get out of these cuffs. Laughing like a madwoman, the guards hauled her into the Head Mistress's office and closed the door silencing her screams from the hallway.
The headmistress raised a hand and silenced Sasha's screams with a spell that left her mute. The guards placed her into a high backed chair with no arms, Sasha felt another spell lock into place; her limbs immobilized. She screamed mentally; she had no idea the Head Mistress was this powerful; fear crept into her shattered mind for the first time. The shadows whispered that she was doomed, and Sasha began to shake as she found that part of her believed them.
"You are here for a reason, and I'm sure by now, you would like to know exactly what it is, am I correct?" The Head Mistress asked her eyes gleaming with a secret
no one in this room had told her yet. She waved a hand, and Sasha felt her lips come free.
“You may answer princess, but the spell limits you from casting verbally so I would not try it if I were you. “
“You are correct. I also want to know who the fuck you think you are?” Sasha all but spat her voice, becoming enraged at her treatment.
“I was given the task of turning you into a proper lady, and all I have seen of you is malice and whim. That ends today, per your mother’s orders I shall be using a therapy designed to rearrange your personality. You will become the ruler your mother desires; she often questions her decision to send Zoey away. I feel she should have sent you in her stead.”
Sasha's blood boiled as she struggled to form words; her rage was far beyond anything she had experienced, and her eyes pulsed with the edge of blackness creeping in. She took a deep breath to steady her thoughts but could think of no response to the woman standing in front of her. Why was she always being compared to a sister who spent but a few scant years at the palace before being sent away? Everyone talked about her like she was a diamond, precious, priceless, and something to cherish. Never had she heard a kind word from any servant in her employ.
Her friends, she thought of as minions, yet not one of them had stepped forward when the guard hauled her from the hallway. None had inquired about her condition or even if she would be allowed to go home for the holidays. She knew there was a spring ball in her honor, but she had no idea if she would be the same person if she were allowed to attend. She screamed her fury, for there was nothing else she could do. She just wanted to know why they didn't love her?
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