Heir to the Empire

31. Assassin - Ethelston

The wind rattled the window sporadically during the dead of the night bringing Ethelston crashing back to reality.

He sighed, frustrated. Sleep had been so hard to achieve recently. The last few days had been taxing. With a member of his city guard and their families being brutally murdered by the Black Knife Syndicate every single night, morale in the ranks was at an all-time low, and murmurs of questioning Ethelston's ability to deal with the threat had started to surface.

Then there was the lack of information from Lionmane. The term 'no news is good news' was anything but accurate as far as the capital was concerned. He had sent his raven to inform Erdudvyl of the threat in Kirken Merrithorpe and in return he had heard nothing. Not from Erdudvyl, not from Loldirr, not even from anyone who had travelled along with them.

He mulled in his head whether he should prepare for the worse and expect an army at his doorstep, however, doing so at this tumultuous time would raise more questions about his leadership.

Longing for the opportunity to return to sleep, Ethelston lowered his head back onto his goose feathered pillow. There was no moon tonight, therefore, closing his eyes seemed to make little to no difference to his visual senses.

He remembered a much simpler time as a mercenary when the only person he was responsible for was himself. He remembered lavish banquets with local lords, kings and emperors and then he remembered exciting dances with the hilarious, but simple townsfolk. He remembered how no two days were the same, how each task was different and each mission required a unique way of being dealt with.

He longed for that life.

Then he remembered all who relied upon him. The people of Ravenscourt, the surrounding villages, towns and liege lords, the fiery Loldirr with the illustrious destiny, and most importantly Erdudvyl, the determined Elf whose passion and wisdom was something he longed for. If she was here, she would expect him not to give up, demand that he find a solution and resolve it with steel that would resonate throughout Isovine.

As the wind rattled the window once more, Ethelston recalled some words of his father. "Sometimes you lead with the carrot, other times with the stick. Your subjects must respect you above all else. If they can't respect you through love, they must respect you through fear."

Anger gripped him as he recalled his father's words. How could he idolise a man he barely knew, a man who spent most of his years protecting a child, not of his own? Why did he not prepare him for moments like these, instead of instilling his knowledge to someone, not of his blood?

His anger faded just as quick as it had arrived. His time with Loldirr had been eventful, and if he had a younger sister, he could imagine that she would be like the young fiery redhead. Chuckling to himself as he recalled the moment they first met. Standing there, stark naked, as she hid between the potatoes at the Rose of White Road. That encounter, when his life got flipped upside down, would not be a day that he would regret.

As the window rattled again, he heard another noise, almost hidden in the background. The sound of click from the corner of the room, a sound that he was not overly familiar with, but was enough to cause alarm.

Focusing on the sound, he felt a small gust of wind floating throughout the room before he could hear the faint sound of slippery footsteps edging their way closer to him. Reaching underneath his pillow he grabbed the knife that slept soundly there. With his eyes failing to recognise his surroundings, he focussed solely on the steps as they carefully moved closer.

The figure was now standing over him, their breaths measured and relaxed. At any moment, they would be ready to strike.

Without warning, Ethelston struck like a viper waiting for its prey. With all his might, he drove the dagger deep into the assailant's thigh causing them to whelp in agony. Spinning off the bed, Ethelston prepared himself for combat before feeling the chill of nakedness around his body.