Bound by Deception

29.1 Reflections of an Ex-Assassin

Aria had never known what it was like to be homeless.

When her parents were killed, she was left with their estate and inheritance. She owned large plantations and massive homes, as well as multiple boxes of her mother's jewelry. At her young age, she had probably become one of the richest girls in Bishops overnight, perhaps even in Rouver itself. Even though she had been orphaned, she wasn't alone, as she had the company of maids and servants until her uncle took her in the next day.

She would listen to Sterling tell her of his homeless days after the Drazek name was tarnished and his worthless parents had died. They shared the same backstory but their epilogue was written much differently. Sterling was the one who had suffered on the streets. He had tomatoes thrown at him. He stayed a week in a penitentiary. He would tell her all these stories and she would simply listen, enthralled by his woes but never once wondering what it would be like to be in his shoes.

As she stood in the downpour, allowing the water to cleanse her dirty skin, Aria realized that it was at that moment that she understood exactly what Sterling had gone through. To be abandoned by people who had taken care of you and to be tossed onto the streets was a punishment only God could allow, and Aria knew she deserved it. She had taken thousands of lives in a decade, and now she was paying the price for them. Each droplet was an essence of the dead men and women she had stalked and killed. They pierced her skin with a sting that could rival the prick of a poison-tipped needle.

It was in that helpless moment, with no idea what to do or where to go, Aria released a cry into the sky; a muffled curse. She dropped to her knees, begging for a second chance from the invisible Lord above them. The pain in her legs was ignored and she slammed her fists on the ground, sobbing and begging.

An assassin never begs for their life, Madame had once told her, back when she was a trainee. The words bit her head like a lion was attacking her. Aria was no longer an assassin...in fact, she had no idea who she was now. Being a murderer had become her identity. She didn't want to be simply Lady Aria Kumar, heiress to the Kumar estate (though she doubted that would be the case for long).

"I've become exactly like Sterling," she whispered brokenly, and at that moment she realized that she understood exactly what Sterling had felt when his name was tossed in the mud; when nobody believed him that he hadn't killed his parents; when he was stripped of his entire identity and tossed like a candy wrapper.

"I can't even go to him for advice or help," Aria muttered. "I fucked our relationship up. I should have listened to him...I need him."

Aria was never one to admit defeat. She held her head high and proud, but that was only because she had a cave to go cowering back to. She had Sterling holding her behind and her family keeping her perfect facade. Another wail of despair left her; she was truly all alone.

For five minutes she allowed the rain to punch and kick her, kneeling on the pavement in utter surrender. With her eyes closed she thought of nothing but repentance and wished for someone to give her the answer to the unspoken, unintelligible questions that struck her brain repeatedly.

"Aria!" Noah's voice reached her. His gentle footsteps pounded the cement and she felt him stand behind her. His hand gripped her arm, and another, burlier hand took her by the shoulder.

"Aria, get up," Bhuv spoke calmly, distraught to see the weeping, destroyed figure of his niece. "Stand tall, darling. A Kumar bows to no one."

"I'm not a Kumar," Aria said chokingly. "I'm no longer a Kumar..."

"You're my sister, Aria!" Noah snapped vehemently, the rain soaking his fresh bandages. "You are a Kumar. Mum's hysterical right now; she'll calm down and come to her senses. Please, come home!"

"It's not my home anymore. I'm a murderer. I don't belong to the aristocracy."

"Stop this nonsense at once!" Bhuv boomed. "Aria, I understand why you did what you did. I'm...honestly, I don't know what to think, knowing that you've killed people, but I know that at the end of the day, you're my niece. You are family, Aria, and you've never done anything to hurt us before."

"I-I did it to protect you...to protect myself," Aria whispered. "I...I was going insane, Uncle...I needed an outlet...I needed to keep you safe so that you wouldn't become like Mama..."

"Sweetheart, come home," Bhuv pleaded, tugging her limp arm. "Please, come home and clean yourself. We'll work through this together. Nobody will find out. Please, please."

"Ari, don't leave us!" Noah added, begging his sister by clapping his hands together and enlarging his beautiful eyes.

Had Aria's heart not been covered in stone, she would have crumbled at Noah's request and gone home with them, but she didn't. She stood up and shook her head like a dog, throwing water around her figure.

"I have to right my wrongs," she said sternly. "I have to make amends. I...I can't come home now. You must understand why."

Bhuv, gazing into his niece's eyes, nodded slowly. "Alright," he said at last, knowing that once Aria was determined to do something, she wouldn't stop for anyone. "Alright, I trust you. But, Aria...please, promise me that you'll come home."

"I..." Aria hesitated. The only promises she had ever made were promises of death. How could one promise a life with so many dangers in the world? Nevertheless, she lied and promised to return. She lied to their faces; a vile niece indeed, one undeserving of their love and trust. They left with the notion that she would return to them in full health; as the proper niece of an influential Lord. Aria didn't know if she'd return to Rouver - to her normal, soldier-infested town of Bishops. She was no longer an assassin, but she was determined to get answers to all the questions that she had left Hades with, even if it meant the end of her life.

~***~

Nela greeted her when she knocked thrice on the chipped, wooden door that was the only entrance to Sterling's shabby home. The young woman seemed surprised, if the bulging of her eyes said anything, and stammered her way through inviting Aria inside.

"You poor girl!" She fussed over her, wiping her skin with a fresh hot towel. "What were you doing in the rain? Silly child, you'll catch a cold!"

"I'm twenty-nine, Nela," Aria muttered, amused at her antics. She sat on what she decided was the only sturdy chair in Sterling's dining room, allowing Nela to dry her skin and hair. It didn't work much since her clothes were also sopping wet.

"And yet you are still a child in my eyes," Nela said. "Have you come to see the Master? I hope you can bring him downstairs if you have come for him. That boy hasn't come to eat since morning. All he's been doing is work, work, work, I tell you! That woman is driving him to death!"

"Ah." Aria dispelled the image of Madame from her mind. "Where is he? Is he in his bedroom?"

"He should be. If not, he's in his study." Nela stepped away to observe her handiwork. "Good, good. Look, go take a shower, will you? I'll dry out your clothes and find something else for you to wear. I hope you don't mind wearing a commoner's gown."

"Oh, not at all, thank you." Aria flushed and sniffled, unsure if the mucus in her nose was from an oncoming cold or from her crying. "I shan't stay for long, I promise you."

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Aria has gone back to Sterling, but what will happen between the two since they ended on bad terms? 

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