The Assassin's Gratitude

The maiden awoke with a chill, the coldness of her room instantly making her sit up from the mat that was her bed. Instantly, metal chains chimed against each other as she curled into herself, hoping to keep her remaining body heat inside. She swore she could see her breath as her eyes finally adjusted to the dimly lit room.

 

Pale skin, dark blue hair in an utter mess, her only clothes a few scraps of cloth barely worth calling a smock. The Assassin Princess had surely seen better days.

 

The Hidden Castle’s Assassin Princess. The High Forest Kingdom’s own silent pride and joy. Within these dark halls the alluring, infamously cold-hearted (ironic considering her current location) Assassin Princess was raised-- rather, a better term for her upbringing would be ‘trained’. Beneath her royal, feminine physique was a ruthless killer, dedicated to removing those her church deemed problematic and in swift need of a clean erasure.

 

It was unfriendly, but it was home to her. By far, it was leagues more comfortable than her current abode, if the damp, chilled room she was locked in was any sort of indication.

 

Kidnapped and locked away in a tower, like some common princess, waiting for someone to rescue her. This was by far an unfamiliar feeling to her. She wasn’t sure what time it was, she was just sure that she had been here for a while-- days at the very least. The Assassin Princess had awoken to her new surroundings, in what she could only describe as an unnecessary amount of chains and simple rags as opposed to her usual ‘work’ attire.

 

Whoever had done this was smart enough to realize just who they were dealing with, as this of course left her with none of her weapons or tricks. Well, all but one of them.

 

Assassin Princess glared at the door. Two guards were stationed on the other side, from what her spying had gathered. Low level grunts-- simple enough to take out even with her shackles. This may have been the first time she had been kidnapped by a dragon, but it certainly wasn’t the first time she had been jailed. Regardless, she couldn’t simply wait for help-- she had work to do, regardless of how dubious that work was.

 

That didn’t make this next part easier. She honestly wished she at least had the lockpick she hid in her hair, but they really did just strip every possible thing off of her body before tossing her in here.

 

So now it was time for escape plan ‘V’. Even the normally stone-faced Assassin Princess gagged at the idea of having to do plan ‘V’. She rolled her tongue in her mouth, feeling over her teeth. Where was it...

 

There!

 

She rolled the small, hidden pill in her mouth for a second, taking a few deep breaths to mentally prepare herself. After her mind assured her she was ready (even if her body was most certainly not), she bit into the pill.

 

Plan ‘V’ was not a plan many would consider or talk about. It was a dangerous, risky tactic only to be used when no other option for escape was presented to any member of the church’s higher order, of which Assassin Princess was a part of. It was also, by admittance to everyone who know about it, very gross and unpleasant.

 

It was a full minute of Assassin Princess listening to her own stomach lurching and her eyes feeling as if they were threatening to roll out of their sockets in rebellion before she threw up all over the cold stone floor, retching in disgust as her already mostly empty stomach threw out any of its remaining contents.

 

The real name of this technique was the ‘Emergency Regurgitation and Distraction Maneuver’ but there was no one in the Assassin Princess’s circle who didn’t just flat out call it ‘PLAN VOMIT.’

 

It was an immediate response when the two guards at her door stomped in to check on her, the decidedly less regal looking Princess on her knees in the far corner of the room, head tipped over a pool of what may have been last night’s prison rations. One in particular approached, Assassin Princess wobbling a little with her back to it, seemingly unaware of the others in the room as she shuddered and retched.

 

And right as he was close enough, she moved. In a fluid, impressive motion she hopped off the wall, easily clearing the large, kneeling creature. The monster had little time to react to the woman flipping over him before he realized that the shackles covering her arms were now wrapped around his neck.

 

Anything the minion might have had to say was instantly cut short as the Princess tugged those chains down, strangling the fat beast, its claws desperately pawing at the chains on his neck in an attempt to get free. He bent backwards as the Assassin Princess pulled.

 

It was at this point that the other guard rushed to his friend’s aid, weapon in hand to swipe at the Princess. In a quick motion, however, Assassin Princess turned, her new captive taking the entire attack in her place.

 

The second guard went wide-eyed in shock at what it had just done, before the now very limp, struggling body of its fellow guard was pushed onto him, knocking the monster over. Assassin Princess wiped her mouth with her arm, quietly moving towards the felled guard. Her glare was colder than any breath or spell his master could emit. Unfortunately, his sword was currently buried beneath his friend’s dying body.

 

A dainty foot came down on his neck, no doubt smashing something as the second guard stopped moving. “Chalk another one up for Plan V...” Assassin Princess muttered as she searched the pile of bodies. Finally, she found the small piece of metal she needed. Now all that was left was to get her stuff back-

 

And that was when the room suddenly turned a sickly green for a second. Assassin Princess gasped as she felt her body give out from underneath her. Some sort of knockout spell-- from where? She figured there’d be backup but didn’t expect it to come so quickly, and in the form of a mage, even.

 

Her consciousness quickly began to fade, vision going into a dark blur as the Princess hunched over. The last she heard was the sound of many footsteps surrounding her, as she inwardly cursed at her own carelessness.

 

---

 

It was dark. That was the first thing Assassin Princess had noticed. Her eyes fluttered open. She felt weak and groggy. No doubt a mix of the vomiting pill and whatever magic had hit her. An attempt to sit up only sent a sharp pain through her head. She opened her mouth, taking in a few breaths.

 

This wasn’t her prison. That was immediately recognizable. Instead of the high, grey ceiling of stone was a low, wooden brown roof above her. Had they taken her somewhere? She tried to move again. The effort was ultimately fruitless, however it did make her aware of the thick fabric covering her body. Now that she thought of it, there was also an actual pillow on the back of her head. Where was she?

 

Another attempt to sit up-- it was quickly defeated by a wave of nausea. She decided she wasn’t going to try to do that for at least a few more moments. She instead simply lay there in silence. Wheels. There were wheels beneath her, creaking. That and the slow rocking of her apparent bed, combined with the obvious sounds of hooves. So she was being taken somewhere, then?

 

She couldn’t help but feel a little nervous. How long was she out? Where was she NOW? Was the dragon going to do something to her now, since she had attempted to escape?

 

She was worried, yes, but her own evident sickly state was deemed more important by her body, as she soon fell back into a deep slumber.

 

---

 

Awake again, the Assassin Princess rubbed her eyes, the low ceiling of wood and cloth still above her. This time, however, there was no movement. The dark-haired Princess chanced sitting up-- she felt better, not good, but better, so that was a start. She noted the thick blanket over her body, warm and comforting especially after the few days of sleeping in the cold. Another thing to quickly come to her attention was the lack of chains upon her wrists. Her shackles were gone, and from the lack of weight on her ankles she assumed the ones on her legs had also been removed. She was quick to wrap the blanket around herself, looking at her surroundings.

 

She was clearly in some sort of wagon. There were some supplies meant clearly for travel. Rope, knives, lanterns, bags, kindling, and various closed boxes that the Princess figured had medicines and food within them. She was certain her sleeping arrangements probably came from somewhere within the pile of opened bags and chests. To her side was a few fruits and bread, clearly meant for her. Her empty stomach almost overtook her rational mind, but she strove to get a better examination of the wagon.

 

On either side of said wagon were the obvious exits. The apparent front of the wagon had mere curtains acting as the doors/shielding, although at the very least they appeared to be tied shut together. The back had more solid wooden doors, also shut. She noted there was another bag, tied closed by some rope, separate from the rest of the items within the wagon. The bag lied gingerly to her other side, as if it were meant for her.

 

Assassin Princess read the situation. Certainly, nothing about this looked particularly threatening. She was unguarded, wrapped up comfortably and being given actual food? Could she have perhaps... been rescued?

 

There was a warm feeling in her chest as she pondered this possibility. The blanket wrapped around her tighter. She reached out for the piece of bread and took a generous bite out of it as she thought more about it. The dark Princess wasn’t exactly... sure of herself regarding the idea of some knight from another kingdom saving her. Oh, she was grateful, but her inability to pull herself out of the situation brought itself to light, topped along with being frankly unsure how she was supposed to handle the new situation before her.

 

First thing’s first, she supposed, she would recover her strength-- that was the reason she told herself for why she began to scarf down all the food that had been prepared for her. Once that was dealt with, she pulled the brown sack near her. The contents were soft, and not too heavy. She began to undo the rope.

 

Clothes. And familiar ones at that-- they were her clothes. She realized immediately how naked she felt without her usual gear as she dumped the sack’s contents. Everything was there, the secret compartments and hidden weapons/supplies were relatively untouched. That was good. She didn’t have to worry about being unarmed in case things turned south. With that thought, she pulled one of the small, hidden knives within her clothing out, hiding it under her blanket/makeshift-cloak.

 

“Princess, you’re awake!” a voice suddenly startled her. She turned her attention to the front of the wagon. A man, judging by physique and voice, stood there, clad in armor of some kind. It was too dark to properly see-- it appeared to be the middle of the night, if what she could see of the darkness outside was any indication. “I see you’ve already eaten, as well. That’s good.” he gave a sigh of relief as he rose the object in his hand. The princess stared, ready to strike at any moment, before the object revealed itself to be a lantern, a cool orange glow lighting the wagon.

 

The Knight stepped closer to the woman, setting the lantern down and sitting on one of the supply crates as he addressed her. “I came to rescue you.” he said simply. “Forgive me for not coming sooner. Many things came up, you see. I did not imagine you’d be driven to attempting to escape on your own.”

 

The Assassin Princess peered at the man in silence, not allowing her expression to betray her. “...I see.” she started, “Better late than never.”

 

The Knight chuckled despite the blatant dismissiveness of the comment. “Indeed! Although I must admit, your distraction made it much easier for me to storm the gates, as it were.” he joked. The humorous, cheerful tone died away to a grave silence, “...Unfortunately, it does not make up for your state. By the time I had gotten to you, you were unconscious and with fever.” he admitted. “I had to cart you away from the Dragon’s lair, lest your condition worsened.” the Knight slumped a little. Assassin Princess watched, able to see his guilt even through his helmet. “I only hope the others are not in the same condition you appear to be.”

 

This gave the Assassin Princess pause. “Others?”

 

“Yes. The second Dragon Princess has captured other Princesses for a scheme of some sort.” he looked towards the open curtains of the wagon. “You are the first to escape, by the looks of it.” he went quiet for a moment. “The bodies of others strewn amongst this land tells me that I made it the farthest of anyone attempting rescue so far. I imagine after our little escapade, security for the others will be going up greatly.”

 

The Assassin Princess nodded. Her heart pounded within her chest. So she was the first? Why was that so... exciting? Was she supposed to be flattered? It’s not like he didn’t just pick one of the prisons at random and happened to have gotten her... right?

 

She decided to hide this internal debate within her as she continued watching the knight. He wore no emblem upon him as far as she could see in this light, so she could not see what kingdom he had come from, nor could she determine any of his features through the poor lighting and the all-encompassing armor. “So what will you do now, then?” she asked.

 

“I will continue looking after you.” he said quickly. Assassin Princess felt another beat within her-- his words were sincere, honest. He wanted to make sure she was completely fine, that was his top priority. He didn’t care about any sort of reward. “And see to it that you are healthy.” he looked outwards. “Then, I suppose we'll have to see what I can do for the others...”

 

The Assassin Princess remained silent. He was not a threat-- not at the moment at least. That helped calm her nerves, but of course she refused to allow herself to fully relax in unfamiliar, enemy territory.

 

Regardless, the mystery Knight kept to his word, and after giving her some medication, he watched after her for most of the night until slumber overtook her once again. However, this one was a more peaceful one.

 

---

 

It was the middle of the day once she awoke again. The Princess felt infinitely better after an actual meal. Why, she almost felt like... a Princess. The dark-haired, pale skinned beauty rose up from her warm cot with ease, a hand coming to her eyes and rubbing the remaining sleep away as she addressed her surroundings.

 

The day before came back to her; her attempted break-out, the one who saved her, his watchful eyes and protective stance over her. She looked around, seeing no armored man in sight. While a bit disappointed he was not there to greet her, the cooler, less sick and more rational part of her figured even heroic Knights had to--

 

The thought was broken as the clanking of armor and the opening doors behind her rang in her ears. “Princess, you’re awake!” the familiar voice of the Knight spoke.

 

She turned, looking towards the knight. She noted the bowl in his hands, a pleasant aroma coming from it. Unsure of what to say, she simply gave a curt nod towards the Knight.

 

If he reacted in any way, she could not see it, but he did step in, setting the bowl of soup down. “I prepared this for you. If you’d like, you may eat it now, although I figured it would cool off a bit before you had awoken.”

 

Again, the stoic Princess’s words were stuck. “Thank you.” she said. A bit too simple for just how grateful she was to him. “I’m feeling much better now.”

 

The knight nodded. “I am glad to hear it, Princess. Please, eat. You need your strength.”

 

The Princess did so with no complaints. The soup was hot, scalding her tongue, but right now it was the best thing she had ever eaten. The Knight soon left to put out the fire and feed the horses as well as himself (in that order, evidently). Eventually the bowl was empty, no matter how much the Princess scraped at the sides for anything else to fill her stomach.

 

So then the Assassin Princess sat in silence, wondering just what she was supposed to do now. She felt better, at the very least, but there wasn’t really anything for her to do besides wait for the Knight to return her to her kingdom. She wasn’t really sure how to feel about that.

 

Her eyes wandered to her clothes, still where she had left them. Her dark blue crown sat atop the pile. She was reminded that she was still dressed in the rags she had worn in her tower prison. At the very least, there was one thing she could do at the moment.

 

Assassin Princess felt a lot more relaxed as she tightened the cloth over her waist. Her dark blue ensemble, perfect for blending into the night, was finally back with its proper owner. She adjusted the cloth over her lips, tugging it downwards until it fell limply over her neck like a scarf. A quick check of her boots showed that they were on securely, and the Princess was comforted that she wasn’t as defenseless or useless as she had been the passed couple of days.

 

She decided now was a good time to step out. She had been locked inside for long enough and despite the parts of her telling her to take it easy for a while to recover, she wasn’t exactly the type of person to do so. The wagon doors opened and she stepped out into the daylight.

 

Trees surrounded her, the wagon in a small clearing within what appeared to be a forest, many of the trees without any leaves. There was a bit of a chill in the air, but since she had been taken farther away from the Princess’s lair it was nowhere near as strong. Just another thing she had to thank the Knight for. There was too much stuff for her on that list, it came to her attention. Too much to thank the Knight, and her own cold demeanor would prevent her from ever properly expressing just how grateful she was to the Knight.

 

So this was how it felt, to have a Knight in Shining Armor.

 

Speaking of the Knight, he was seated by the remains of a campfire, his back to her. She considered greeting him. It seemed like the ‘proper’ thing to do in the situation...

 

Until she saw the emblem embroidered on his cape.

 

~

 

‘The fabled heroic Knight, the talk of several kingdoms for good and bad. He’s made a lot of enemies lately.’

 

‘Word has it that he is building a township of his own with the resources from his most recent escapade. A novice who’s a bit too overconfident from one success, no matter how impressive the feat may be.’

 

‘We cannot have another player on this board, especially one so wildly polarizing. He must be eliminated. It’s only fitting a Princess be what ends him.’

 

~

 

Assassin Princess recalled it all. She had been sent out to kill. A Knight. Her Knight. The irony of it all, being kidnapped by a dragon while on a mission, and then the person she was supposed to kill being the one to rescue her, and even nurse her back to health.

 

Her head was spinning. Was she still sick? No, no it wasn’t. It was because she had been stunned into locking up. Frozen, harder than any spell or breath from the icy Dragon Princess could have hit her.

 

Why was she so concerned? She was a professional assassin, she had already killed so many. Too many to count. It was her namesake, her title, one which she wore proudly.

 

She could kill him at this moment. She had most of her weapons back. He didn’t know. He didn’t have to know. It would be quick. Saving her would have been his final mistake.

 

She stepped closer, her heart pounding faster. The Knight simply sat in silence, his back rising and falling slowly. She stepped even closer. She could hear his breath.

 

She stood behind his back. The man ignorant to his fate. She lifted her scarf to cover her mouth. A blade rested in her hand.

 

...

 

She heard his gentle snore. He had fallen asleep. In full armor, sitting on an uncomfortable log. Had he not slept?

 

Did he... did he stay up the whole night taking care of me?

 

Assassin Princess froze once again. Her eyes were wide. With fear, regret, she couldn’t, she absolutely couldn’t. There was no way she could kill him.

 

Her Knight in Shining Armor.

 

She realized it now. Her hidden blade went back to its hiding place.

 

The Assassin Princess wasn’t the most emotional, the most doting, the most caring. She was cold, cruel, dismissive. Her glare would bring people to their knees. Her blade would bring them lower. She was a fighter, a murderer, a trained killer at heart, and that was that.

 

She sat next to the resting Knight, her face mask hiding her agitation. She couldn’t give him much, but she could at least show her gratitude like this, by watching over him as he did for her.

 

She heard his quiet, resting breath, sliding closer, feeling the warmth of his body.

 

Yes. This was a start, at least.