[On Hold] The Assassin's New Beginning

6

Blood, everywhere.

It was night. Her parents laid in the bed, limp and freshly wounded. Her hands were bound together with a thick rope and a gag was shoved in her mouth.

She began to thrash and moan. Tears sprang up in her eyes.

A dark figure came into view. A dark hood concealed his face as he walked towards her.

Cold hands grabbed her by the neck, and she was forced to stare into the killer's dark, bottomless eyes. His fingertips were freezing and his hair was disheveled, as if killing her parents took some effort.

"I made my mistake, by not killing you," he whispered. "I came back to fix it."

She screamed through her gag as the shiny metal found its way through her heart.

She woke up with a start. Her left hand was propping her up and her right hand was clasping over her heart. Her breathing was heavy and her face gleamed with sweat.

That was only a dream, she thought. Only a dream and nothing else.

But it felt so real. The image was still vivid in her mind and she could still feel the coldness of the dagger lingering in her chest.

But where am I? she thought.

She looked at her surrounding, amazed at what she saw.

The room was wide and spacious. Under her was a huge canopy bed of red and green material. The floor was covered by a white carpet and light had penetrated through the dark veils of curtains covering the windows. On the wall opposite of her sat a huge wooden wardrobe.

Wherever she was, the owners must have lived in luxury. Confused, she began reflecting on what happened.

The fight. That man.

She must have been in that Keep he mentioned about. She should be safe here right? As long as she doesn't reveal herself.

Her stomach growled. She suddenly noticed how hungry she was. After going towards the wardrobe, she faced the mirror to inspect herself.

Her hair almost looked brown. Her eyes seemed to be covered with fog and were no longer the rich blue it once was. And her body. It seemed like she hasn't eaten in days. Which was true. Her fair skin seemed to lose its shine.

She was craving for a decent meal. But she couldn't go out while wearing her black dress. She opened the wardrobe to be greeted with fabric of every kind.

After taking forever awing at the dresses, she finally got herself dressed into a dark green dress that had a thick gown. The corset was loose enough to allow her to breath. It was modest, and was able hide her pitiful body.

Her fingers traced the delicate patterns that traced around her waist.

She walked toward the door, before hesitantly opening it. Before the entrance was the other man she saw at the carriage. Though surprised, she was happy it was this man and not the other.

His face lit up to see her. His warm brown eyes greeted her and wrinkles appeared at the end of his eyes. She slowly began to relax and immediately found herself trusting the man.

"I see you're awake," he laughed. "Any later and I'd be coming in to seek you."

She was about to reply, but her yearning stomach beat her to it. She blushed furiously.

The man laughed even more. The rich sound echoed through the corridor.

"We better get you breakfast," he replied before offering his arm. "The name's Ben, by the way."

She opened her mouth to reply but shut it before she made a sound. She mentally scolded herself. She can't reveal her identity.

"Quiet, aren't you?" Ben said. "You know. Many people make a new name so they could start fresh again. But I don't see why an innocent girl like you would have a bad past."

As they walked through the hallway, they made their way down the marble staircase. She noticed that most of the people, more like all, were men.

They passed a room filled with weapons. In there, were two men, just past their adolescence, sparring each other with swords.  She stopped for a moment to watch, they noticed her just as quickly and look at her with a confused expression. Embarrassed, she turned and went to catch up with Ben.

"Here we are." He said. In front of her was a long table filled with food. There were some people seated around, but it seems that most had already left. "Breakfast was already served. I hope you're ok with left overs."

Though it was likely cold, she reveled at the sight of food. She sat down and began to binge on the food left.

"For a girl like you, you eat an awful lot." Ben says.

"Happens when you haven't eaten for days." She laughs.

"And she speaks!" He laughs. "I was afraid that you would be silent forever."

She smiled. She was definitely right about taking a liking for Ben.

After devouring everything until her stomach could hold no more, she nodded to Ben, and they began to leave.

As she passed the doorway, she ran into someone the same height as her. She caught a sight of brown hair and tan skin. Within a few seconds, she found herself staring into a pair of brown eyes.

She expected warmth and welcoming, but instead, she received a glare and sneer.

"What's wrong with you?" he scolded, before turning around and leaving.

She was dumbfounded and stood there wide eyed. What did she ever do to him? Sure, she faced hostility and fights, but she never expected to be yelled at by a guy her age. If he knew who she was.....

"Sorry about Sam," Ben scratched his head. "He's usually not like this."

She nodded quietly.

"We'll need to go to Arobynn now," Ben said. She stopped on her tracks. That name sounded familiar. Ben noticed her unusual behavior and laughed. "Sounds familiar, huh? Arobynn Hamel, known all over Adarlan and beyond. He's the king of all assassins."

He turned around and started walking again, as if nothing with what he just said was wrong. It took a while before the worlds registered to her.

She was going to meet the world's greatest assassin. This person could've been the man who killed her parents. The sight of blood filled her mind again. What will she do?