The Assassin of Elania Ch. 03

Sophia paced her small room up and down, trying to figure out her next move.

That first day had been a nightmare, she had crumbled so quickly that she could hardly believe it. At first she'd tried to convince herself she was biding her time, but soon realized that she was just making excuses. Since then she'd been thinking over escape plans.

There was always killing her guards outside her door, but that didn't seem to be an option. It was locked from the outside and there were five of them out there. The only time it ever opened was when the king or Emily came inside to get her. She could easily over power Emily and the maids she often brought with her, but couldn't bring herself to do it. Emily was kind to her even when she was in a bad mood.

It had been two days since he had taken her so cruely in front of his men, she still couldn't wrap her mind around it all. The last few times he had visted her, he had hardly spoken. He'd just wandered in and nodded at her before leaving again.

Not that she wasn't thankful for the time to think. She'd thought over every possible escape, from poisioning the king to wittling the wood on her bed with her teeth into a stake. She knew that all of them were insane and impossible, yet couldn't stop herself from dreaming.

She dreamed of returning home. Her life back in Elania wasn't perfect of course, there were many things she could change. When she was the King's own assassin, she prided herself with that. She had fooled the competitors into underestimating her because of her size and looks. She'd beaten out men three times her size in competitions from races to hand to hand combat. She would duck beneath their punches until she tired them out, which is when she would leap onto them and wrap her small hands around their throats, cutting off their air until they surrendered.

No, she dreamed of returning to her time before she met the king. To before she got caught up in any of this. When she was fourteen or thirteen and still lived with an older brother in a small cottage on the green hillls of Larni, one of Elania's smaller provinces.

She was still awakened at night with nightmares about his murder. It was a bright sunny day and she was just returning from gathering berries from the forest when she saw the five men, all cloaked in black. She saw her brother lying in front of them, his body limp and lifeless, his clothes stained with dark blood. All she saw was that red as she ran at the men. Rage overtook her and she leaped onto one of their backs and knocked them to the floor. She rolled away as the others attacked and slashed at her with daggers. She managed to elude their efforts and trip them all up. She still didn't fully understand how she got to the point where she was covered in blood. Their blood.

It was at that point that a man stepped out from behind their shed, smirking at her. "Well done." He had told her, "And it seems that you and are at an impass. You have killed all my men, but I have slain your brother."

"Leave or I'll kill you too." She seethed, bunching her hands into fists.

"Ah now, that wouldn't benefit either of us. You could not take me and I would still get what I want."

"And what do you want?"

"I want to train you."

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Those four words were what started her on her dark path. Those four words had led her to this day. Had led her through each challenge and humiliation.

The door banged open and the king strode in, looking awfully chipper compared to Sophia's dark thoughts.

"What do you want?" she asked him quietly, wrapping her arms around her naked body for protection.

The King smiled at her, ignoring her hurt look and walking over. "I haven't spent as much time on you as I wished to, the past day or so. I am a very busy man. Today I have cleared my shechdule and will spend it with you." He strode over to her and pulled her arms away from her chest, pulling her form against his.

Sophia shivered slightly and pushed against him, thankful when he let go. "I do know you do not mean a walk in the park." she spat angrily, "tell me what you really want."

"I want to play with you, to discover your body's talents and imperfections, to stroke your soft skin as I plunge into your depths once more. To hear your moans unrestrained and loud, to kiss your nipples as you beg me for more." he said ludely, watching her expression with a smirk the whole time.

"I want to train you."

Sophia gasped slightly, taken aback at those words. The same words that began her life were the beginning of a new chapter in it. She stumbled backwards and realized she was ready to fight.

"No." She scowled darkly, straightening herself up. Even when she stood tall she was much smaller than the King, but that hardly mattered to her.

He saw a darkness cloud her eyes and the joy left his face. He knew that she couldn't escape, but didn't know how much dammage she could do if she really put her mind to it. "Calm, pet." He told her, holding a hand out as if she were an animal to be calmed. "Think carefully about your next move."

She smirked as she always did before she fought, going to a more primal place. Instead of the terrified whimpering girl she was the past few days she was a powerful and feared assassin. She saw everything around her in sharp clarity. Her eyes darted around the room quickly, studying everything for a weapon. Her eyes landed upon her lunch tray and the stone cup upon it. Diving towards it as the King took another step towards her she held it in her clenched fist.

She leaped up and brought it down on the Kings head, missing slightly and smashing it into his shoulder. He howled and grabbed at her, but she was to fast. She darted around him and made it to the door, just as the guards outside opened it to see what the sound was. She sprang at the first one and pushed past him, startling the others enough to make them slow.

She ran down the stairs, her toes harldy touching each stone step as she moved. She flew down halls and steps until she made it to the grand hall. She stood there and quickly looked around again, knowing she needed a more powerful weapon to escape. She was heading for a sword on the wall when guards came in from all sides, surrounding her. She sneered at them as they blocked her from her weapon.

"Well done." She heard the King say form the other side of the room. There was anger in his voice, yet he still stood there clapping his hands at her. "I must say, you did catch me off guard. I had thought I'd broken you." His guards parted for him as he walked to her. "You shouldn't have done that though. You just made it so much harder for yourself."