The Scarlet Assassin

Chapter Ten

In. The princess, the king's rebellious daughter, wanted in.

"No," Rafe scoffed. "No! You are not going." Sophie turned.

"For the first time," Sorin grunted as he got up, "I agree with the kid."

Sophie's eyes narrowed. "It's not up to you," she spat. "Either of you."

Then, all eyes went to me.

Before I could deny her, before I had even considered it, Sophie quickly continued. "I overheard about your mission from my father. You have a very small chance of completing it alive, and I know you'll need all the help you can get. I can help. I can-."

"What?" I interjected. "You... can... what?" The princess fumbled for words.

"I-I can provide information. I've been to Targaryen on a military trip. I know the land, and I have allies there." Placing the side of the glass to my head, I exhaled.

"What you are, Sophie, is a liability." I drank from the glass. "And I'm not one to carry dead-weight. I have a very weak back." From behind Sophie, Rafe stepped forward.

"Yeah-," he started.

"You see, even your boyfriend agrees with me." Rafe glared at me.

Gritting her teeth, Sophie tried again. "I'm not dead-weight. I'll provide you with any information you need."

"Like what knife you think will look best in your father's back?" I asked, raising a brow.

Sophie's lips pressed into a frown. "I know I said I wanted to get back at my father, but that doesn't mean I want him dead, assassin." I sighed.

"It is true what they say. Royals really are boring." She ignored me.

"How am I a liability?"

"Easy. You're a princess. Your father is a king. People want you dead." Sophie scoffed.

"I can think of about 50 people that want you dead too, Ms. Drystan. Get to the point."

"The point is, no one will come for me, for such trash, if I'm in danger. They'll cut their losses and let me die at the hands of another bloodthirsty psychopath. But you? No. No, you are royalty. You'll have armies march for your name, men and women who are willing to bleed and die to see you home safe. It's hard being royal, isn't it? Knowing you have millions of enemies and allies? Not knowing which ones are which." I watched Sophie visibly swallow.

"And which one are you?" She whispered.

I smiled. "I'm the rare one in the middle, the one who is not on either side. Don't give me a reason to hate you, I'm not your enemy, but that doesn't mean I'll help you."

"Because you're selfish," Sophie finished.

"Because I'm clever." We fell into silence, one broken by Sophie.

"I can help. I know I can. If you're worried about my skill to defend myself, that I'll somehow slow you down, Rafe will tell you how much I've improved. He can even teach me on the road." I glanced at Rafe who reluctantly gave me a tight nod. "And I know how to get us into the castle." At this, I looked back to Sophie. My interest officially peaked.

"I'm listening."

"The Wintertide Ball," she said. "The royal family of Targaryen hosts it every winter to celebrate a year's good harvest and the first snowfall. Allies of Targaryen are invited. Wintertide lasts three days. It takes place in the main village, but the last night, there is a ball in the palace where diplomats, royals, ambassadors, and their guests dance and drink all night. Since the Targaryen's raided the southern beaches, Father isn't attending this year. It's in a month, tomorrow. That's our only way in." I inhaled deeply, knowing I'm going to regret this. I rubbed my face.