broodings

ardalan's assassin

written to one of nosebleedclub on tumblr's prompts and based on throne of glass by sarah j. maas. you can read it even if you haven't read the series, it'll just have a slightly different vibe.

I— NO MAGIC
no magic here / just dust bitten boots / wind whipped hair / a desolate red desert / without magic / girls spin around / boys dance with them / men look on / leering / women hold the leering men's arms / yet there's still no magic here / just the empty heavy air / empty of magic / just the dull grey sky / void of sparkling coloured magic / there's babies crying / mothers smiling / shapeshifters stuck in their forms / healers children dying / because there's no magic to save them / no magic here / although there used to be

II— PORTFOLIO
she keeps a portfolio / of the people she's killed / each page marked by / a splatter of blood / a lock of hair / if there's any left / their name / their age / why she killed them / most read assignment / although some read revenge / and she looks through it / disinterestedly / like it's a piece of work / to turn in by a deadline / and the deadline is her death / for the portfolio must be full / by then

III— CONTAINMENT
her boss / is scared of her / of her snapping his neck / even as he pretends he isn't / so he piles on debt / for her to pay off / and he tricks her into killing / loved ones / not that she has many left / and he keeps her in containment until she has turned in that portfolio / payed off that debt / finished her assignments / her keeps her in containment / until she dies

IV— NATURAL TALENT VS. DISCIPLINE
is natural talent / or discipline / the reason she knows how to / snap every bone in their hand / with a flick / the reason she knows how to / hit him hard enough to hurt / but not hard enough to leave scars / is it natural talent / that lets her do those things / is it discipline that stops her / or is it natural talent versus discipline / or is it both

V— VISIONS
she wakes up / middle of the night / visions of her parents / of her victims / of her lovely cousin / who she hasn't seen in years / visions of the family who died / visions of the icy water / plunging over her head / of her master dragging her out / giving her / a new name / a mask / a cloak / and some discipline / some training / until she becomes the best assassin in this godforsaken country / she wakes with shouts of visions on her lips / flashing across her eyes