19 Days - One Shots

An Assassination Attempt - Part One

One Day

In the year of 1564, China had a sense of peace and tranquillity about it. The sky had turned dark and all lights across the town had long since put out. No movement disturbed the quietness that had settled across the town.

Suddenly, something darted across the rooftops making no sound, it jumped from a roof into an alleyway like a graceful cat and ran along the darkness, never letting its presence be known to the few that lurked around the town. Flashes of ginger hair could be seen from the entity as he ran through spots of moonlight.

The silent man was making his way through the town towards the large palace that sat atop a hill. When he reached the palace outer walls, he found a deserted spot and perched upon it, his red eyes darting back and forth looking for soldiers on patrol. From the inside of his black jacket, the unknown man pulled out some parchment and unrolled it, gazing at the face of the man that was painted on it.

His next target.

The man rolled the parchment and placed it back inside of his jacket as he watched the open grounds one last time. He jumped from the wall into the palace grounds and worked his way towards the palace and scaling the walls to the upper floors, always remaining silent. From a young age, the man had be taught how to move silently and quickly, his profession as an assassin counting on it.

Usually, the assassin wouldn't have taken such a high risk job - going after someone at the royal palace was like giving your soul to the devil - but the gentleman that had paid him had given him an offer he couldn't refuse.

The assassin found an open window and made sure the hallway was clear before he slunk inside, landing in a crouched position. The palace was silent except for a few scuttling noises from the rats that ran around inside of the walls. His plan was to work his way around the palace until he found his intended target, kill him, and receive the rest of his payment before heading back to the run down shack he called home in the next town.

Suddenly hearing voices to his left, he darted into the room slightly to his right, closing the door with the smallest of sounds. He looked around, ready to kill anyone that might have caught him but found himself inside a empty room that looked to hold the maids' cleaning supplies. He pressed his ear against the door and listened as the footsteps passed the room.

The assassin pulled the door open ever so slightly and peeked out at the lone stranger wondering around in the middle of the night. His eyebrows raised slightly in surprise as he recognised the man that had just disappeared around the corner. His hand brushed over the jacket where the parchment lay inside of his pocket.

Sneaking out of the room, he silently sprinted around the corner towards his target and caught sight of him walk inside a door. The assassin presumed it was his chambers. Looking to his left, the assassin climbed out a window and made his way up the wall. Now he knew where his target resided, he would climb in through his window if there was one. Going through the door was too risky and this would give him a chance to plan his escape route. If no such window was available for him then the assassin would have no other choice but to go through the door.

Luckily for him, there was a window and it had been opened slightly. He waited one hour, lurking in the shadows before he slowly and silently made his way down to the window. He peered inside to make sure it was a bedroom and nothing else and to make sure the man was still inside. Spotting his target in a mess of silk sheets and a mountain of pillows, he crawled inside the window.

Leaning over the man, he looked over him for a second. His black hair displayed across his forehead and his face was set as a peaceful picture, his mouth twitching up into a small smile every now and then. The assassin closed his eyes and whispered a small prayer as he slid his blade out from his other jacket pocket. He didn't like killing but this was how he was raised. A natural born predator. If he was going to kill the least he could do was ask for forgiveness before and after his evil deeds.

He raised the blade above his head and pushed down. The assassin's eyes widened as hands grabbed his wrists, stopping him from committing his heinous crime. He looked into the grey eyes of his target and something akin to fear prickled at his skin as a smirk worked its way across the target's face.

"I was having quite the nice dream." The man sighed wistfully before he pulled, dragging the assassin into the bed with him. They rolled around until the target was sat on the other's thighs holding both wrists in one hand above his head. The assassin gripped the knife tightly as he struggled to release himself.

"Let go of me you Chicken Dick!" He cried out.

"Chicken... Dick?" The man tilted his head as confusion crossed his face. He scratched his cheek, not seeming to mind the struggles of the man underneath him. "Is that an insult because I can assure you I don't have a chicken dick. I can show you if you want." He purred with hooded eyes.

The ginger man blushed profusely but said nothing as he remained struggling underneath the larger male. Grey eyes raised to the knife, as if just noticing it for the first time, and he reached forward, plucking the blade from his hands with both ease and grace, yet again shocking the assassin. He threw it across the room and they heard it slide across the stone floor.

"Now, my good sir, I wish for you to tell me who sent you to my chambers. I wish to send them my gratitude." He grinned lazily. "You can call me Lord Tian or Prince Tian or," He reached down and whispered into the assassin's ear. "He Tian. I shall allow it only for tonight. What can I call you, Redhead?"

The ginger snarled at him. "Fuck you. I'm not here to serve you but to end your life. Give me back my knife and you won't suffer."

A dark look crossed He Tian's face and he leaned forward again, grabbing the redhead's cheeks. He squeezed a little, sending frightful shivers down the assassin's spine. "And who, pray tell, sent you to kill me? Tell me and you will get to keep all ten of your fingers and toes. Tell me and I'll pay you double- no, triple the reward money they were offering you for my head."

The assassin stopped squirming then and gazed into the grey eyes that stared back at his red ones. Usually he would ignore such requests, mostly since they came from beggars and liars, but he felt the man was telling the truth and would keep his word. "The head of the She house. Master Li wants you dead. He never told me why, however."

He Tian seemed to be deep in thought for a moment before the bright, cheery look he had before returned. "Good to know. Now, since you tried to take my life, I think it's fair to say that you owe me, don't you? You shall work as my personal attendant and I shall pay you whatever you want."

The assassin gaped at the strange man before him. "Fuck no! You think I can leave my life behind and work for the stuck up royal prince? You have lived a deluded life of luxury, bastard." He snarled.

He Tian raised his hand and traced the back of his index finger over the redhead's cheek and down his jawline. "You don't realise it, do you? How sad you look when you raise that blade above your head. I know this is not the life you want for yourself and I can help you. Let me help you, Redhead."

The ginger boy closed his eyes and turned his head away, a troubled look on his face. "I didn't choose this life, it was chosen for me. I grew up with this life, living this way to make enough money to buy medicines for my sick mother. I have no choice."

"And you have no choice now, either. I wasn't asking or offering. Bring your sick mother to me and I shall provide the best care for her. No more killing either. I'm sure you've done enough of that to last at least five lifetimes, even at such a young age. What are you, eighteen, nineteen?"

"Fifteen." The assassin whispered, still trapped underneath the man that was once his target. He wasn't sure why he was confessing everything to this man but for the first time in his life, he felt safe and serene.

A grin spread across the princes' face. "Same age as me. Perfect. Then it's a done deal. Bring your mother to me and become mine, Redhead. I shall bathe you in riches until the day you die, and in return you shall serve my every need and protect me to the best of your abilities. Only then will I forgive you for your attempt on my life tonight." The prince moved and the assassin stood and walked over to the window. Holding onto the frame, he whispered something. "What did you say?" He asked.

"I said my name is Mo Guan Shan, your Highness." He bowed slightly before escaping out of the window.

He Tian sat on his bed and watched the night sky shine with stars, the white top of a mountain glistened in the background and he smiled softly, his cold heart finally warming as the words touched his lips.

"Little Mo."