The Lies of a White Rose

Raven

Celeste

"I'm tired." I said drily. She took in my face and winced.

"Gods, Celeste! What happened? And what could you do that has possibly made you so tired?"

"Sleeping and eating is tiring work, I'll have you know." I pointed to my face. "I also took a wild tumble down a few flights of stairs."

The expression on her face worried me. "Doubtful. You got out again. What do you do outside the castle, Cece?"

"Nothing." I said too quickly.

"I'm on to you Celeste, and I am pretty sure Conayn and your brother are too."

Hardly. I was sure as hell Duncan cared not, and Conayn was too blind to know any better. Blinded by the prospect of marrying me, no doubt.

"I don't care," I lied to her, "It doesn't matter anyway."

"Then why did you tell me not to tell anyone?"

I didn't like her asking too many questions. I should answer them like Rowan did. Answer questions with more questions, send the ball rolling back in her direction. "Then how would I be able to have fun with my parents on my back all the time?"

She shrugged. "I suppose even you might get bored locked away in here all day. Tell you what, how about I give you the benefit of the doubt and say you've done nothing wrong for now. Stay out of trouble and avoid getting hurt, and I'll help guard your back. But if something happens, I'm telling your parents."

My lips played a rueful smile. "If you tell my parents when it's too late for me and you knew all along, they'll have your head."

She scowled at that. "That's called blackmail, Cece."

"I know."

She shook her head and left my room.

Conayn returned later that evening with an arm full of books, and they were fair menacing looking. The first was a book bound in black leather, with silver letters printed in the vellum and a skull depicted on the front. Quite appropriate reading material for the princess, no doubt.

"You sure this is your type of read?" I didn't blame him for asking. It looked like the work of the devil, but I had to learn as much as I could about the Guild I had joined.

I turned open the book and begun to speed read.

"What about the book about The Assassin Queen?" he asked, taking a seat on the edge of my bed. "When will we get round to finishing that?"

"When I get the time for it."

"Well? We got time now, don't we?"

"Perhaps, but not time I can spare."

"Why is that?"

I tapped the novel cover. "Because now I have these bad boys to finish."

He blinked outwardly. I must admit, I had a bad habit of annoying people. "You are going to read all of these now?"

I nodded. "As much as I can get done before now and tomorrow."

He shook his head, but when I looked up at him he was smiling. "I hope you don't mind me saying, but I think you are quite insane, my lady." I don't think I realized that at the time he was blushing mightily. He took out some notes on A.C Sienna and pulled out a folder of documents we were going through.

"Likewise, my lord."

The book that I had splayed open explained the bare history of the Guild, starting with the very foundation of its roots. It seemed that long ago, before the ages of kings and queens, numerous tribes and clans of barbarians lead by fierce warlords savaged the land, fighting and bringing conflict and many more hostilities to the people. One hero, a farmer's son by the name of , took a stand against these harsh warlords, and in doing so had sparked an unbelievable rebellion. The man established a Guild of twelve highly trained and skilfully adept warriors in secret in an underground chasm, and had them sent across the land to find and kill the warlords.