Like a shadow in the night, he slips through the window, landing nimbly on his feet. 'He' refers to the man known as The Shadow. He's an assassin skilled at striking in the dead of night. His skills are often desired by vengeful beings. Tonight, a prince was desired dead.
The Shadow stalks the corridor. Neither servants nor guards notice him as he slides past. He is unnoticed all the way to the nursery where the newborn prince sleeps. Once he is inside, only then does a nurse notice him. She hits the ground without a word.
A rustle and a quiet cry draws the Shadow to a cradle in the next room. He walks over to the cradle. There, a small baby with big brown eyes stare up at him. The young prince. His body looks so vulnerable and soft. Nothing to stop a knife.
As the Shadow observes the little body with blank eyes, the prince starts to cry. The cry startles the assassin. For the first time in his life, the Shadow is startled at the helpless sound coming from his target. He has never encountered such helplessness.
Afraid the baby would give him away, the assassin draws his knife, pushing all thoughts away. He raises the blade above the prince. But the prince has stopped crying. Instead, the assassin hears a giggle from below. Confused, he glances down at the prince to see the little boy giggling and reaching for the knife.
The sight captured the Shadow, making the assassin lower the blade slowly. He decides to offer the prince the handle of the knife. This delights the child very much making him laugh more.
Something glints in the eye of the Shadow. Is that... Affection? Abruptly, he shakes his head to dispel these unusual feelings. The cold man pulls the knife from the child's grasp and raises it once again. The child makes a disappointed noise as the knife is taken away. He ignores it and raises the blade...
No. He can't do it. He can't kill a helpless infant. The Shadow doesn't know why he can't. But, never before has the assassin been sent to kill a child. It has always been a grown man or woman who deserved to die. This is a child who has done no evil deeds, no heartless choices. His only crime is being born to the wrong parents.
After moments of warring with his feelings and thoughts, the Shadow came to a decision. A part of him would always despise himself for it and his employer would kill him if found out, but that night, the little prince was chosen to be the Shadow's apprentice. The hard-hearted, supposedly insensitive assassin picked up the child and disappeared into the night.
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My Stories
लघु कहानीThis is a compilation of short stories I have written over the past couple of years. Some for contests, so for fun. Let me know what you think of them.
