The Assassin's Court

Chapter 3

Loving someone can be a weapon and a weakness all at once. Learning to separate the two is a difficult challenge. One that Vivian thought the Leader of the Knights had accomplished. He is the most feared yet hated assassin known in these lands and beyond. He must know that to be such a target comes with dangerous attention. That the people he cares about will always be jeopardized.
That is the one clue they have on finding Xavier Knight. They know who his Secondary Leader is. The one person that has shown to be of importance to him.
Owning that title is of utmost honor. One that she is very familiar with since she is the Secondary Leader of the Ravens.
You do not receive that label unless you are related to the Leader. That is just a common rule, established by the assassins who first created the courts. If you were to break it, you'd be in trouble with The Law Court, where they would sentence the most degrading punishment anyone could commence.
Abolishing your Assassin's Court. Your family name. Your honor.
A sacrifice too heart-rending to risk.
And the worst part is that false titling your Secondary Leader is not the only way to destroy your Assassin's Court. There are many other conducts. Ones that you learn by heart if you are a Leader, to be certain that no one will ever break them.
Though, it has happened once. Ten years ago to be exact.
His name was Rei Fang—Leader of the Fangs. And although good word has been spoken about him from companions and people he has crossed paths with, in the public eye, he is far from praiseworthy. It is said that only those who he confined in, knew him for who he truly was, and not for the mistakes he had made.
His downfall began when he ordered his most vicious assassin's to slaughter a small village.
The village was running low on supplies, and traveling into town to collect more, was a brutal journey since it was a long distance away. They'd have to cross raging rivers, hungry animals, and devious thieves that liked to prey on travelers. Not to mention that Winter was nearing and once those freezing temperatures arrived, there would be no more time to prepare. So, they figured their best option was to find people who weren't as far away to negotiate with.
That's when they came across The Fangs.
Normally, town-folk aren't allowed to trade with Assassin Courts, but some residents in the village were related to those in the Court. Plus, the village was fairly close to The Fang hideout, which would save the village resource gatherers' months worth of energy and time. Besides, the Fangs were thriving in riches and goods at the time, so they were willing to give.
When the resource gatherers' arrived at the Fang hideout, they received a decent amount of food supplies and warm clothing, enough to last the season. Originally, those were the only provisions The Fangs agreed upon, but once the resource gatherers' were left alone to leave, they thought otherwise. No longer did they want the items needed to survive. No, they desired something of more value.
Riches.
As they were walking through the hideout tunnels, they stumbled upon a room that beheld thousands of shiny, golden coins. Never in a peasants life did they see such luxury. Just a handful of those nuggets would make them one of the wealthiest villages in the land. It was a tempting risk, but a wondrous opportunity. One that the resource gatherers' had no trouble contemplating.
They stole a pouch worth of The Fang treasure. The decision was both stupid and ignorant. I don't think they realized just how ruthless assassins can be. Especially those of Fang blood.

As they were running through the tunnels, trying to find the exit, a member of The Fangs took notice of their rush. After all, why would someone of innocence feel the need to escape so rapidly? He stopped them before they could reach the outside and scanned them from head to toe. As a member in an Assassin's Court, you are trained to observe certain details that occur when someone is either lying or hiding something. And apparently, the resource gatherers weren't at all skilled at concealing the act they had just committed. When the member searched their pockets, he found the pouch of stolen gold. And when he did, no hesitation was present when alerting Rei Fang of their so-called nefarious deed, as described by Rei.

Commenced by Rei himself, the resource gatherers were not only murdered on sight but were also given a message that they would take to their graves. Rei would send his most savage assassins to destroy all that they love. It was ironic, really. The people they were trying to save from a harsh winter and ultimate death, were still fated to a sorrowful end.

First, the assassins forced the residents of the village to watch them destroy what little crops they had left, as well as the burning of their only shelters, not knowing that it wouldn't matter what the assassins demolished; they would all be dead.

Once all hope was lost in the eyes of the villagers, one by one the assassins killed not only men but also women and children.
Vivian may be a cold-blooded assassin, but never in her wildest nightmares would she commit such a monstrous act.
Those villagers were nothing but an impactful warning to anyone who dared to steal from The Fangs. See what happens to thieves? That's what Rei had announced to his entire Assassin's Court. Gods forbid an actual member would try to loot.

Even though that massacre of Rei's was evil enough, he continued to showcase his wickedness through a series of events that followed shortly after. No one knows why he had a sudden change in leadership style, but some Fang members started to become wary and almost rageful of his decisions. Whenever he would command assassins to complete another one of his disgraceful deeds, they would refuse to complete it. And when they did, Rei would simply force them out of the Assassin's Court, stripping away their title as Fang assassins. Some were furious that he had removed them from the Court, while others were grateful. This was very alarming since it is unheard of a member being happy that were no longer apart of a Court. That's when the remaining members began to talk amongst themselves, quietly but surely forming a rebellion. No longer did they care for riches or honorable titles. No, they wanted revenge. Revenge on Rei for all that he had done to not only innocent people but also themselves. Every day, he would force his assassins to train until they were ready to faint and duel each other until one would bleed. That is not how an Assassin's Court is supposed to perform. It's a fellowship, not a competition. But, Rei thought otherwise. He believed they weren't strong enough, and not good enough for his Court. No, in his eyes they were weak. And being known as weak when you're an assassin is beyond insulting. They would not stand for such a label.

Uprisings broke out within the Fang hideout as the assassins demanded change in the system. They offered Rei an agreement of truce but only if he promised to stop committing these appalling crimes, and show respect to his fellow Fangs as he once had. Of course, Rei declined their offering. He was furious that his members had even the courage to not only question him but to challenge him. In a matter of days, he had become a madman, picking fights with anyone that looked at him strangely, which did happen often. And constantly threatening to keep all of The Fang treasure for himself, making him the most half-witted hypocrite that ever lived. All the while, members of the Court were actually somewhat frightened of the Leader before them. Because even though Rei was a rotten person, he was still their Leader. Most of them had grown up with him, had formed a meaningful fellowship with him. The man that now sat on the Fang throne was not the same man that they came to love. He was a monster. And the saddest part is, no one knows why. One year he was as caring as an assassin could possibly be, and then the year after, a raging, unapologetic tyrant. He was to the point of unrecognizability.

Finally, it was agreed upon by the members of the Fangs that they would contact The Law Court and disclose everything that had happened within the years. To the judges of The Law Court, it was obvious that something chaotic had been occurring, but they thought nothing of it at the time. Investigating an Assassin's Court is a lot more troublesome than what it's worth.

The members of the Fangs had no understanding of what the judges would decide. But, one thing was for sure—if The Fangs were to be abolished, then so be it. They had spent too many years suffering at the hands of Rei. They were done---legacy be damned.

The choice was not difficult for the judges. The Fangs were no longer.

When Rei heard news of this, he was surprisingly sad. Not angry nor distressed. Just full of sorrow and desolate. That was his Home. His Life. And it had been ripped away from him in the blink of an eye.

Not caring what would be done with The Fang hideout, he ran as far away from it as he could. The memories would just be too much to bear. To this day, no one knows where he went, nor where he is currently.

Only his reputation remains, and the long history of what was once the greatest Assassin's Court known.