The King's Assassins

Chapter 1

  Ivy walked up to the castle, slipping a knife into the sheath at her waist as she went. She entered the throne room, where she met the king.
"I have another mission for you," the king announced. "But first, is it done? Are the bandits tracked down and dead?"
"Yes, my king," Ivy answered sullenly as she pulled off one of her black gloves.
"Good," said the king. "Your next target is General Theobald Bennett of Stoneyard Castle. He has been sending spies into our land. I know this because General Lief captured one of the spies and he confessed that it was not the king sending them, but the general. Take Willow with you. Train her well."
"Willow!" Ivy exclaimed loudly. "But she's clumsy, and loud. I doubt she even has a sword!"
"That is why I want you to train her," the king said sternly. "You have one week to train her before you kill General Bennett. Understood?"
"Yes, Your Majesty," Ivy replied frowning.
"Good. And one more thing. Remember to hold your tongue when you speak to your king or else I will have it cut out."
Ivy bowed. "As you wish." Turning on her heel, she strode towards the door at the end of the room.
"You will find Willow at the top of the tower at the West Wing!" The king called after her. "Don't let me down, Ivy! You know the consequences!"
Ivy shuddered slightly as she walked to the west end of the castle. When Ivy reached Willow's room, she hesitated at the door. Then, she sighed heavily and knocked.
"Come in!" A high-pitched voice called from inside. Ivy prepared herself, then pushed open the door. Willow was sitting on her bed, combing her long, shiny blond hair and humming a tune of a child's nursery song.
"Willow, I need you to come with me," Ivy commanded as she strode into the room.
Willow immediately stopped humming and cocked her head "Why?" she asked, suspiciously. "You don't even like me."
"True" Ivy thought.
"Be that as it may," she said annoyed, "the king told me to train you and take you with me on a mission."
"You mean... Train... To be an assassin like you?!" Willow asked. Ivy massaged her temple, irritated.
"Yes, let's get this over with as fast as possible please" she sighed as Willow looked at her with a confused look on her face.
"But.. I don't want to be an assassin!" She yelled, frustrated. "You can't make me come down with you!"
"Keep it down!" Ivy hissed. "If you don't come with me, I'll be forced to tell the king that you are disobeying his direct orders and you don't want that, now do you?" she said on the edge of storming out of the room and telling the king she had failed.

"Well no, I suppose that wouldn't turn out well for either of us..." Willow replied quietly, on the verge of tears.
"Do you have a sword?" Ivy asked impatiently. Willow wiped her eyes and nodded. She went to a large chest in the corner of the room and pulled out a long silver sword. The handle was gold, encrusted with gems and rubies.
"Flashy, but it'll do," Ivy said. She pulled out her own sword and showed it to Willow. Ivy's sword was silver, edged with obsidian, with a black handle. Simple, yet it had its own kind of strange beauty. Willow let out a soft sigh of admiration, her adamant disapproval of becoming an assassin evidently forgotten. Ivy smiled proudly like a new mother showing off her child.
"Can I hold it?" Willow whispered. Ivy's smile turned into a small frown.
"My father gave it to me," she said, "but, yeah, I guess." She placed it carefully in Willow's dainty hands. Willow held it gingerly, testing its weight and running her finger carefully along its blade.
She handed it back to Ivy and pulled out her own.
"Ok, so you have a sword," Ivy said. "We'll start with hatchets today. Follow me." She led Willow down the stairs, past the throne room, and into the outer court, where a small training area had been set up. Ivy gestured to a small, stunted tree.
"Try to hit that tree," she instructed. Willow nodded and picked up a small hatchet. She narrowed her eyes, focusing on the tree. She threw the hatchet and missed by inches. She retrieved it and tried again. Willow missed the tree by a foot. She retrieved the hatchet and tried twice more. She missed both times. Ivy shook her head.
"I knew it was pointless to train her," she thought as Willow missed for the fifth time in a row. Willow dropped her head. Ivy watched her, waiting to see what she was made of. Suddenly, Willow lifted her head. She looked at the tree and narrowed her eyes. She drew back, threw, and hit the bark with an ear shattering crack! Willow whooped, punching the air with her fists.
"Not bad," Ivy said. "Now let's see you do it again." They trained until dark, when Ivy finally stopped the training exercise so they could eat some dinner. They went back inside, past the throne room again, and into the dining hall, where everyone was just sitting down to eat. Ivy met the gaze of the king at the head of the table and he gave his head a tiny jerk to the empty seat on his left, indicating that she should sit there. Ivy walked over and sat down, giving a polite nod to the queen,
who sat next to the king at the head of the table.

"How is the training going?" The king asked as he took a bite of a potato. Ivy heaped her plate full of food as she considered her answer.
"I think she might have some potential," she finally said. She glanced at Willow as she talked with Princess Rose. Something caught Ivy's eye. Willow was moving and eating the same way as the princess. Ivy thought back to when Willow bowed to the king upon entering the dining hall. She had curtsied, not bowed. Like a princess.

The king saw Ivy watching Willow and Rose.
"They have always been good friends," he told Ivy. "Ever since we found Willow wondering about in the forest and brought her back here." This caught Ivy's attention.
"Wait," She said slowly. "Willow wasn't born here?" The king shook his head.
"Her backstory remains a mystery," he said. "Whenever I try to ask her about it, she always quickly changes the subject. I have enough respect not to ask her about it. If someone wishes her past life to remain a secret, we should respect that." Ivy nodded.
"Surely you have an idea though?" Ivy inquired.
"She was found in a tattered dress," the king remembered. "A dress fit for a princess. We asked her about herself when we found her seven years ago, but she refused to tell us anything. Rose knows, but she also refuses to tell us anything, saying she would rather die than betray her best friend's trust. I believe that she was once royalty." Ivy nodded. She again glanced at Willow. Watching her,
Ivy could believe that maybe... Willow was the daughter of a king.