The Failed Assassin

Tarnished

Emma had awoken and managed to fix everything up making her clothingback into the clothing except for one thing. Her knife she did redoto a very long necklace which she wrapped twice around her neck andthen let it hang down to her chest all silver with little blueteardrops. She also carefully undid her dress and with a little bitof concentration she redid it so the top was the exact same but theskirt was turned into a pair of slacks. She as still stuck with thekitten heels, as there was nothing she could do but she managed toalso tame her curly fiery hair into a braid and some semblance ofnormal.

She was sitting kicking her heels when she heard the sounds offootsteps. She kept quiet watching the door expectantly wondering whowould come into the room and was visibly surprised when once againthe crowned prince entered.

"Good morning little Maker." Prince Wilhelm smiled at her and sheglared but couldn't hold back the quick of her lips as they fought tobe pulled into a smirk when he saw the clothing she was wearing. Thesame and yet so very different. "You changed...?"

"I don't care for dresses, especially ones so ostentatious." Sheanswered simply and kicked her foot with practiced casualness.

"And the jewelry?"

"I'm not much for rings of any kinds or bracelets." Natasha puther elbow on the table resting her freckled face against her fist.Emma was no where to be seen, seamlessly slipping into Natasha, apersona she formed just last night, one to deal with what she wouldbe. It would not be Emma Ostenburgen who would be tried and executedfor attempting to assassinate the prince.

It would be Natasha no last name. Nate would be okay, her fatherwould be okay.

"So then what is it your majesty?" She asked her voice slippinginto an easy disgusted tone. She made the normally respectful if notreverent, and the very least fearful, words into something that waslike she said 'criminal' or 'evil'. She called him 'your majesty'like it was something to be ashamed of...

That lit up a fire inside of him.

He was no simply child, he was a grown man, the rightful heir to thekingdoms, he already had planned out how he could get the IronKingdom to be part of his empire by the time his grandchildren,perhaps great-grandchildren if a lot went wrong, even if that didrely heavily on her.

What right did she have to pass such heavy judgment on him? Thiswould-be assassin? The one who had tried to kill him. If he hadn'tcaught her knife she would be a straight on murderer.

"Nothing, failed assassin." He shot back and she did winceslightly and he smirked at the win but she had recovered faster thenhe liked but it was technically a good thing he supposed. It wouldmean that she would be able to stand up to and make everything thatthey needed her to, since the ability was tied to the mental fitnessof the person. And he could see the fire in those glacier green eyes.Made him wonder if she was more ice or fire though, as both hadpowers and weaknesses and if he could just figure which she was, hecould get her to agree so much easier.

"Easy for you to say, isn't it?" She asked and despite himself,and the topic, he had to let out a laugh. Not just a deep chuckle heused when Opal was trying to ensnare his mind, not a polite laugh atall the appropriate times for the court, not even a slight guffawevery once in a while when he was surprised for something funny. Itwas a deep belly laugh one that, though short, rocked his entirebody.

"Oh, and how well?" He asked with a smirk and Natasha hummed andthen let out her own chuckle. It wasn't the kind he was used tohearing women make but to him it was almost endearing; this one wasinteresting, unlike any of the highborn lords and ladies. "What?"

"You truly think my being more filthy then yours?" She asked andseemed genuinely shocked at that.

"Do you say that my essence has any evil in it?" He asked andwent from slightly good natured and intrigued to offended.

"I know my essence would be tarnished for doing this, but perhapsthe saints will pardon me for having good intentions. Even so; Iwasn't hoping for clemency." She hummed closing her eyes serenelyand if he wasn't paying attention, as seeing just how powerful shewas, he was not going to underestimate her. She was either ready todie, or ready to attack if it was a play. He wasn't going to riskeither.

"So you have tarnished essence?" He asked and as she seemed to bea pious woman, in her own way, then perhaps he could get to that.

"Not as tarnished as yours."

"Why is mine tarnished?" He asked fighting to keep his cool, shewas so easily answering him. To hear her say so many things and hefought himself not to scream at her.

"You think that it is okay, do you? Truly?" She asked andcontinued on before he could ask leaning foreword with her hands onher knees, her body open to communication to him. "You are finewith taking the good of being a royal; the parties, the good food,the servants, the warmth of constant fires when it snows, the coolshade when it is hot, the constant candles in the night, the parties,the never hungry, the parties of pleasure for no reason at all, allof it." She sighed as if thinking of it herself, he wondered ifthis could be how he would entice her, seemed that all he needed tooffer her was the simplest-she kept speaking before he could say aword.

"But you do not take the responsibility, as I've seen." Shewhispered and he looked at her as her green eyes got a far off look,"you allow your subjects to starve, you do not care if the peasantsnever learn anything leaving them with no way of fighting backagainst being taken advantage of by the merchants, you do not care ifthe urchins have a place to stay or are on the streets, that peopleare starving while you and your friends feast, that soldiers die forpetty scrimmages that have no basis but posturing." She let out agroan and then seemed to sink back into that cold exterior of hers.

"Need I go on?" She asked and it wasn't until that moment thatshe was already promised to another cause then his kingdoms.

This chapter was hard to write, I don't want to throw you guysinto the deep end of the politics but need to make sure its enough tounderstand where Emma "Natasha" is coming from. I hope you guyslike it.