Killing Never Lasts Forever

Chapter Two

"Who?" he asked once more.

"Avillele Mewende," I repeated, keeping the irritation out of my voice. "The princess Calea's new lady-in-waiting."

"Ah," he said, nodding. "They had no name for you. ID, please." I held it up, having changed it on my way there. "Looks good. Proceed." I walked through the now-open gate, nearly laughing out loud. They just admitted Noelani's most skilled assassin into the palace without so much as a "proceed." I walked in through the door but was immediately stopped.

"Hold," a guard said, scanning me with a staff. It beeped loudly toward my ankles. "What do you have there?" I pulled out my bloodred sparkling daggers, a gift from Areth when I became an official assassin for her.

"Please don't take these," I said in a timid voice, even though I was anything but afraid. "They're my mother's. She gave them to me before she died." I hiccupped slightly as if about to cry. Sprites are suckers for crying. They hate crying. Which is why I learned how to do the perfect fake cry.

"Oh, please don't cry," the guard said, slightly panicking. "You can keep them, just... don't... you know." I nodded, shrinking under the guard's gaze and walking past him, averting my gaze, again to make him think I was scared. That's one of the worst guards if I ever saw one. I thought. He's going to get fired once this is all over. I walked forward and found myself in a grand entrance hall, with high ceilings and carpeted double staircases.

"Stay there," a sprite said as she walked down. She looked me up and down. "So, you're the new lady-in-waiting, huh?" I nodded slightly. "Speak, girl!" I jumped to indicate a sense of surprise, though I was expecting it.

"Y-yes, ma'am. My name is Avillele," I whispered with a sense of fear.

"You do realize the last lady-in-waiting was murdered, right?" the faerie told me. I did know that. One of my comrades had killed her.

"Yes, ma'am," I replied.

"Do you know how to defend yourself?" she asked.

"Yes, ma'am," I answered obediently.

"Good. You'll be expected to know how. My name is Livvea, and I'm the head of all servants here, particularly the ladies-in-waiting," she said. "Now, come on. We haven't got all day to just stand here, do we?" Livvea led me right outside a door blocked by two guards. I assumed that was Calea's door. Here we go. I thought.

"Now, you'll be expected every day to change, bathe, and wait on princess Calea. Fail to do your duties and you'll be replaced. Understood?" I nodded in response. "Good. If you'll just keep your head down and only speak when you are spoken to, you should be able to stay here, as long as no one kills you. Now, I must leave you. Calea's room is right here. You have much to do, young one. I expect that you should perform your chores accurately and without hesitation. Goodbye." And with that, Livvea walked off. I knocked on Calea's door.

"Who is it?" a breathy voice responded.

"Your new lady-in-waiting, Avillele, Your Highness," I replied. Calea opened the door, and I instantly dipped into a neat curtsy.

"Oh stop it," Calea said, ushering me in. "If you curtsied every time you saw me, we'd never get anything done." Surprised, I nodded. "So, what was your name again?"

"Avillele, Avillele Mewende, my lady," I whispered.

"And stop with the fancy titles," Calea added. "I hate them. They take far too long to say. Just call me Calea." I stared at her, stunned. I'd never heard of a princess so informal as her.

"Um, yes, my — Calea," I stuttered.

"So," Calea said as she slid a door open to reveal hundreds of fancy gowns, "Where do you come from?"