The King's Assassins

Chapter 2

  Willow lay in her bed, thinking about training. Ivy had decided on hand-to-hand combat for today's
lesson. Willow was pretty good, but Ivy was better. She excelled in hand-to-hand combat, sword fighting, throwing maces, and any number of fighting techniques. Over the past four days, Willow had thrown hatchets, lifted huge logs and thrown them, learned about fifty different ways to kill a person, made bonfires, thrown axes, learned how to take down an enemy from the back of a horse, and hand-to-hand combat. She had been okay at best. She sometimes felt that she wasn't learning anything. And she couldn't stop thinking abour the fact that someday she might have to tak her another person's life with her own hands...
With a sigh, Willow rolled over and went to sleep.
...

The next morning, Willow walked down to the dining hall to eat breakfast. Yawning, she walked into
the kitchen to ask what was for breakfast. Elspeth, the cook, was stirring something in a large pot.
Willow walked over to the pot and peered inside over Elspeth's shoulder. It was a light gray sludge. Porridge. Willow wrinkled her nose.
"Looks unappatizing," Willow said, only half joking.
"Go away, you ungratful thing," Elspeth replied, waving her spoon at Willow in mock anger. Laughing,
Willow went back out into the dining hall. The king was sitting at the head of the table, reading letters while he waited for breakfast. He looked up when Willow came in.
"Breakfast almost ready?" He asked. Willow nodded.
"Porridge," she told him. "Looks kind of strange, but very good with strawberries." The king chuckled. Willow sat down by him.
"What're the letters for?" She asked politely. The king looked at her.
"I am trying to organize a ball for Rose," he answered. "She is ready for marriage and I am arranging a ball so that she may pick a husband. Though they will not know that is the whole reason they are here, of course." Willow gave the king a small smile but silently groaned. For the king did not know Princess Rose's true secret. A secret she has only told Willow. A secret that could change hers and Willow's life forever.
"Well, I'm happy for her," Willow lied, trying to hold back a frown.
"So am I, altough I am not quite ready to lose her," the king admitted. Willow nodded.
Suddenly, a servant called Gavin walked in, carrying a large bowl of porridge. He set it down in the
middle of the table. Gavin bowed to the king, then looked at Willow and nodded to her. She smiled and
nodded. He headed out of the dining hall.
"Can you tell Lira to bring us some strawberries please?" Willow called after him. Gavin waved a
hand to show he heard. Willow turned back to the table and started scooping porridge into the tin bowl
in front of her with the wooden spoon inside the bowl of porridge. Soon, Lira came in with a bowl of
strawberries, blueberries and blackberries. Willow nodded her thanks as she took the bowl. Lira bowed and left.
Just as Willow and the king were finishing their porridge, Ivy walked in, yawning, followed closely
by the queen and Princess Rose.
"I thought we were supposed to wake early for training," Willow teased Ivy. Ivy didn't smile.
"I was up very late last night trying to decide on today's training exercise," Ivy said coldly. "Try not to assume things before knowing the whole story."
"Geeze, I was only asking," Willow muttered to Rose as she sat down next to her. Rose shrugged.
"Ivy has always been a little mean to everyone," Rose pointed out, "especially to Gavin. She REALLY
doesn't like him. I've always wondered why." Willow felt a flash of anger.
"What has he ever done to her?" She whispered to Rose furiously."I've known him since I came here
seven years ago! He's so nice to everyone! What can he ever have done to her?" Rose shrugged.
"Don't know," she said. "All I know is she doesn't like him and never has."
Just then, Ivy finished her breakfast and stood up.
"Come on, Willow," Ivy said. "Time for training." Willow sighed dramatically as she stood up. She quickly hugged Rose and whispered something in her ear before walking over to follow Ivy. Rose gave a knowing smile and a quick head bobb so slight that if you weren't looking, it would be easily missed. But Ivy was trained in the art of observation and she indeed caught the small moovment.
"Why can't we take a day off?" She complained with mock tiredness. "I'm sore all over, my bruises have bruises, and I've still got cuts from swordfighting. With REAL swords, I might add." Ivy was unsympathetic.
"You know why," she said. "We have only three more days until we have to go on a mission."
"You still haven't told me what sort of mission we're supposedly going on," Willow said as they
headed out of the dining hall and to the trainning area.
"We are going to assassinate Genral Theobald Bennett of Stoneyard Castle," Ivy responded. "He has
been sending spies here to Firegate Castle." Willow stopped. Ivy turned to look at her as a ghost of
a smile flitted across her face.
"Something wrong?" Ivy asked Willow. She shook her head in response and continued walking. Ivy shrugged and fell in step beside her. Willow sneaked a sideways glance at Ivy. Upon closer inspecion she was really quite pretty, with thick black hair that went just past her shoulders. She looked to be about thirty-
six or so, with a straight nose and a forehead that jutted out over her eyes, making them look like
they were in a small cave. And where Willow was tall, with dark brown hair that went all the way down
her back, and bright blue eyes that showed every emotion, Ivy was short, and had light gray, almost
white, eyes that looked like they were sucked of all color. When close up, they were very intimadating,
especially when searching yours, as if to find the answer to a question that you hid within yourself.
Willow shuddred slightly.
They reached the training area and Ivy picked up a small bag. She reached inside and pulled out a
long, lethal looking silver dart with a feather at the end.
"This," she announced, "is what we'll be working with today."
"Finally!" Willow exclaimed. "Something I'm good at!" Ivy looked surprised.
"You can throw darts?" She asked.
"You might as well be asking if a bluebird can sing. Or if the sun can shine," Willow scoffed. "I've
been throwing darts around since seven years ago when I was ten. I am the dart-throwing master."
"Oh, really?" Ivy asked sceptically.
"Really," Willow boasted. "I can throw a dart at that tree from twenty feet away and still hit that
tiny little branch sticking out the side there."
"All right," said Ivy, folding her arms."Show me." Willow reached inside the bag and pulled out a
dart. She walked to the other side of the field and carefully took aim. She threw the dart and skewered the branch right off. Willow looked at Ivy. Ivy scowled. "Beginners luck," she said, turning away. Willow smiled smugly as Ivy picked the dart up off the ground.
"You must be very careful when handling these," Ivy told Willow. "They are very sharp and tipped
with a poison made from nightshade and hemlock. It will bring a slow and painful death. Try not to get
yourself stabbed." Willow nodded, fascinated by the power in the small darts. Ivy put the dart back
in the bag and then handed the bag to Willow. Willow took it and attached it to her belt. Then she
pulled out a dart and shot it at the tree. She hit. After shooting a few more times, Ivy stepped
forward.
"OK that's enough," she said. "We will now do dagger throwing." She pulled a dagger out of her belt.
It had a black handle that curved slightly upward at the end, with a short silver blade. Ivy
aimed at the tree, then threw. She hit right on the side. Willow retrieved it, then walked back to
stand next to Ivy. Willow carefully aimed, then fired. She hit dead center. Ivy retrieved it and
handed it back to Willow. Wilow threw the dagger but missed the tree. Ivy retrieved it and Willow
tried again. Ivy and Willow practiced until Willow hit every time. Then, they moved on to archery.
Finally, just as the sun started to set, Ivy called a halt. They walked back in the castle. As they walked to the dining hall, Ivy quickly grabbed Willow's arm and pulled her close. Her eyes dangerous and questioning
"Where did you come from, Willow?"