No One

Chapter Nine

She frozen on the spot as she heard someone on the stairs. She had a few moments to react, she hid under them, watching and listening as the man's armour rubbed, shaking with every step, she could hear his sword tapping against it and she knew exactly what he was, a guard using her home as his own home. Such a thing violated every rule in her book, it was unforgivable to say the least. She gave herself moments to sneak behind him as he sat on her father's stool, ripping into a large piece of cooked meat, like an animal. He was so distracted, he had not even noticed her.

Luck sung to her, finally the gods had given her some help, offered her a way to take her revenge in the form of a dagger on his belt, her brother's favourite dagger. She drew it and he merely flinched, but she was too fast for him, he had little time to react, she pulled his head up and made a small neat cut, letting him struggle to breathe as blood poured from his wound. She let him see her face before she swirled the blade in her hand and plunged it into his heart.

She left the body there to drain, to fall forward, hopefully off her father's chair. He was not worthy enough to sit there and she had no problem killing the monster who sat in it, no matter what or why he was there, it was not his home, it was her home and she was not going to give it up to a monster like him, who butchered her family for nothing, for a bit of sport, just to be a monstrous creature, evil and sick and twisted inside, it seemed only fair to let the body sit there, drained of blood, sinking where it was unlikely to be found.

There was a lighter feel in her heart, she did not feel so sick or weak as she once did, she felt stronger, tougher and it was just her first kill, she could not imagine what it would be like, when she felt her last kill, when her entire list was done. She wanted to feel again, feel something other than her victim's heart racing before it died. She felt like a wolf, chasing down and kill its prey but she was not done, she had barely started, made a mark on her list that was like a drop in the ocean, but she was not complaining, she was going to enjoy every second of it.

The rush was not going to last, she was going to want to kill another guard, only she guessed it was not going to be as easy as the first murder or as delicious, as beautiful but the monster got what he deserved, and others would get what they deserved for the part they played in the murders, the game they played with her family. It only meant she was going to play their game, by their rules and kill them in exchange, a life for a life after all.

She left the body there, walking up the stairs to see if they left her any clothes that were not ruined by blood or bodily fluids. She was surprised to see her things untouched, her bed, wardrobe was still intact, untouched by their disgusting hands. She chucked her prison rags off, changing into a corset, a decent shirt and a nice pair of trousers, throwing on a pair of boots perfect for the woods, if she needed to go into them. Her hair was a little mattered, soaked by sweat but that was nothing water could not fix, she just let it hang by her side, wrapped in a large blanket to dry it off. She ignored her fears, deciding to put away childish things and continue life as 'No One'.

She hid as another person entered through the backdoor, she listened in wait for the footsteps, soft and steady like her heartbeat as she waited. She jumped out, her dagger resting on his throat, smiling to herself steadily as she held him there, the man just a few years older than her, his skin worn and leathery, once grey in the moonlight, the man she did not trust to give her answers, yet oddly trusted with her life. He cleared his throat, guiding her eyes down to the dagger aiming at her stomach, pressed gently against it. She moved her dagger, letting him move his own, sheathing it quickly.

"What are you doing here, Bowin?", she asked rudely.

"Bowen", he corrected her with his famous, evil smile. "You have proven yourself trustworthy."

"By going home?", she questioned innocently.

"Because I saw your first kill. Was that the only person you wished to take your revenge on?", he asked as if it was nothing, just like buying food from the market for him, a walk in the park, something he did weekly, if not more often than weekly. In truth, if he had told her that he killed on a daily basis, she would have believed him, he knew how to kill and hide the bodies.

"No, why? Are you here to kill me?", she asked.

"If I were, you would be dead. I have been watching you since your left my company, I followed you here, I watched you kill the guard."

"What do you want?", she repeated.

He flipped the coin in the air, she was not even sure how he got it, but his haunting smile told her that he had it all that time. He caught it quickly, nodding at her as he tossed it, letting her catch it.

"Who are you?", he repeated.

"No One."

"Then you are to be called Merewina, my apprentice."