A Guild of Moonlit Shadows (A KOTLC FanFic)

~5~Lies, Questions, and Confusing Truths

Super unedited.

Iphi ran up to Sophie, "Morretti, wait!"

Sophie smiled at the Spartan, blessed to just be in her presence. Iphi unrolled the palla from her shoulders, undoing the clip and handing it to Sophie. Sophie stared at it, her eyes wide, and Iphi just laughed.

"It is for you now. Just to keep a bit of Inalia with you in all of this godly nonsense." Iphi smiled.

Sophie took it and ran her hands over the lining. It was a pale red, faded from time, the lining a delicate golden thread to secure the hems. The golden clasp was a simple golden circle the palla ran through; there was some gentle rust adorning the sides but is still was polished.

"Sorry, it is a bit worn throughout my years, but I feel like you need it more than I do." She pointed her head up the massive mountain, "That mountain is no easy hike."

Sophie gently wrapped the palla around her shoulders and secured her fur cloak over it.

"Thank you, Iphi." Sophie smiled.

Iphi gave Sophie's arm a small nudge, smiling wide, "When you get back down, maybe I can tell you a bit about ancient Inalia. Maybe even show you some Spartan moves?" She proposed.

Though Sophie's heart slammed with excitement at the thought, she looked at the mountain again.

"What is waiting for me up there, Iphi?" Sophie asked, her voice quiet. Iphi took a deep breath, shaking her head slightly.

"No one really knows. Very few have taken the hike up there and walked back down alive. The Guardian of the Keep is fickle and temperamental." Iphi looked at Sophie with a seriousness she had never seen before, "I have a feeling the hike up there is going to be the easy part."

Sophie sucked in a breath, "Great."

Iphi's face was still stoic, but a small smiled split her lips, "We wouldn't send you up there if we didn't think you could handle it."

"And why do you think I can handle it?"

"The Morretti family has always been different than the average Vatarian, their blood and soul meant for danger and adventure. You are the Queen of the Assassins for a reason, right?" Sophie still worriedly looked at the peak, Ricin waiting for her at the gate blocking the path upwards.

"You remind me of our last Queen, you know. Before we went into hiding." Iphi whispered. Sophie tensed; the fact that she could be compared to an Inalian queen made her fumble.

"I thought you served under King Leonidas? He was the one who decided Inalia would go into hiding with the other cities." Sophie asked.

"He was only handed the crown right before the Vatarians went into hiding. His sister, Queen Kassandra, reigned before him." Iphi smiled, looking at her shoes, "She was hard to approach, brutally forthright and sometimes bloodthirsty on the battlefield. She never wanted the crown, but she ruled with honor, and though her shields were always around her heart, the Inalian people adored her. Her brother Leonidas was the Spartan Prince, my commanding officer at the time. They were close and ruled together, even though the crown was on Kassandra's head." Iphi turned to look at Sophie, taken aback by Sophie's confused face.

"You... don't know who Queen Kassandra is?" Iphi asked.

Sophie gently shook her head, "No Inalian history books mention a Queen Kassandra."

Iphi chuckled in disbelief, "No, Kassandra was the best of Inalia. The Iron Empress to her subjects and the Bloody Sword to her enemies."

Sophie still shook her head, none of the names ringing a bell. Iphi pursed her lips, "That's... not what..."