Morrigan's Assassin

Chapter 2

Lifting the tight shirt over my head and throwing it on the bed helped let out my last slip of energy I would have for the next few hours. That's the problem with being who I am and doing what I can do, energy is a must. Hunger is a constant state for me, and sleep is important. Falling onto the bed in nothing but my underclothes I started to feel drowsy. My eyelids felt heavy and weak, my eyes stung as they started to close shut. A click from my door shocked my eyes back open. It shook me suddenly as I was so peaceful for those few seconds. I stared at the person entering my room. Onysious. His dark shaggy hair was mattered with dirt and grime.

He leapt to my side, the door slamming shut behind him. His eyes stared at me with an intense longing. I knew that look. His hand laid rest on my bare hip, the skin-to-skin contact sending warmth through me. He leaned forward; I sat still, letting him take control. Soon our lips were locked in a battle. He was still dressed in his gear. Onysious began pushing harder into me, his weight pushing me down until I lay flat on the bed. His hands gripped at the material of my clothes, pulling at them, begging for them to be stripped away from me. I returned the gesture and started to pry the straps of his gear from his body. Soon enough a pile of clothes had been made at the end of the bed.

Warmth hit my face, my open window letting through slight sunlight from over the castle wall. Scrunching my eyes and stretching my arms over my head I woke. Another day, another day of training and maybe even an assignment, if I'm lucky. As I rose from the bed my door clicked open. I stared at the person who began to enter my room. Quickly reaching for the sheet to cover my open skin as the person poked through the gap. One of the messengers for Morrigan looked in, his face-stayed blank when noticing my appearance. He kept a hold on the door handle.

"Morrigan wishes to see you madam," he advised, as he had finished he stepped back and closed the door behind him. I grunted and fell back onto the bed releasing a few feathers up and into the air.

Dressed in a frilled black strapless dress I made my way into the throne room. The walls stood high, big wooden doors marking the entrance, black and gold drapes hung beside wide-open windows that looked out upon the kingdom. Standing on a centered podium stood a large throne. Its dark pointed feathers made from stygian iron pointed up towards the sky holding as the back of the throne, the body of the throne was decorated with black markings and the seat was lined with red velvet.

On each corner of the room stood armored and weaponised guards. Sitting center on the throne was Morrigan. Her red hair matched the room perfectly, her drapes long and wavy. Pale faced, she looked to Cartren who of course was standing next to her patiently waiting. He bent down to her as she whispered something into his ear. With a flick of his fingers every being apart from Morrigan, Cartren and myself exited the throne room via the windows in a hurry.

My mother stood and slowly walked her way over to me, Cartren on her tail.

"My darling, I have news to share" she started. Whenever she had news...it always involved something big.

"Good Morning mistress, what is this news?" I replied to her. Her fingers laced together and landed softly on her dress.

"Cartren, is my most trusted and loyal guard and warrior" she began, her finger reached up and traced under his chin,

"He is a good boy, strong, wise, and such the gentleman." I didn't like how this was going.

"Yes I have noticed this, what does this contribute to?" I asked, Morrigan shot me a quick gaze, eye-to-eye with Morrigan - goddess vs. her demigod daughter.

"It contributes, as it is the reason I have chosen Cartren to be your husband", my stomach flipped, I was aware of the blood pounding in my ears, the speed of my heart rate intensified. I felt sick to my stomach.

"Excuse me mistress, husband?"

"Yes, I have arranged for the both of you to get married, to be bound by the kiss. This marriage shall commence within a fortnight."

The back of my eyes stung, my legs shook, head pounded. I cannot marry him, not Cartren, of all people. For a first: I love Onysious,

Second: Cartren is a horrible person to me, and

Third: I'm not ready to get married. Being bound by the kiss means that I will never be free again, I will be under Cartrens command for the rest of my life, and I'm planning on a long life.

I grasped at my stomach, I could tell my mother was still talking to me, but I could not hear her, the pounding sound of blood in my ears was too much for me, I had to leave.

"-Forever"

"-Excuse me, I must leave" I interrupted Morrigan as I spun and walked away. I didn't turn back, even when I felt my mothers confused gaze watch me as I slipped out of the throne room. A guard stood at attention at the door, I felt his eyes slide over me as I ran down the hall with my hand covering my mouth as tears streamed down my face.

No, no I couldn't, I couldn't, I can not get married. I turned a corner of the corridor, my room was just a few steps away, but I collided with a body. One of the guards appeared and I ran into him, my body was pushed back as I slipped and fell on my dress. I hit the ground in a puff of dust. Before i saw whom it was I was already being helped to my feet. At least I had stopped crying.

I looked up about to curse the guard when I saw the confused face of Onysious staring back at me. I stared for a second, the next round of tears forming up in my eyes. My lip quivered, I didn't want to cry, didn't want anyone to see, but he could tell. I grabbed his wrist and dragged him down the hall and into my room.

I collapsed on the bed and that's when the tears fell. Just let me sit for a moment; let me go over it all, figure out what I'm going to do now. Onysious crouched down in front of me and gripped my hands. He pulled them up and kissed them softly, his touch making me shiver from worry.

I never cry, like I never lose a fight. So when Onysious sees how bad I am he knows something is terribly wrong. I didn't have the guts to tell him, it's just too difficult, but I have to sometime right?

Instead of sitting there and constantly sulking I came to a conclusion. I stood quick shocking Onysious. I started to grab some of my belongings: clothes, personal items and stuffed them into a sack that hand thin rope tied around it as a bag.

"What's going on?" Onyious asked finally.

"I must leave, it's the only way," i say,

"Leave? Why do you need to leave?"

I froze for a moment and turned to him.

"The Morrigan has arranged for me to marry Cartren within a fortnight" I admit to him. His gasp was audible and had the sound of a shudder in his throat.

"So are you going to leave now?"

"No mud brain, I shall be leaving tonight, I will collect some weapons before i go and leave without a witness" I tell him. He was continuously staring at me whilst I was packing.

"Where will you go?"

I didn't think about that.

"I'm not sure, I'll head ... east, keep moving. I'll last until midday before the search begins. I'll keep moving, I won't come back until I know this marriage is off."