Perfect Little Assassin

A Story by Kayls

The first chapter in an imaginary book, Alayna is Summoned back to her home, to do the bidding of the Kingdom once more.

He was annoying her that day, more than she could bear, eventually, she snapped.

“Don’t try me Matthew. You don’t want to do this.”

“Oh please, like you could hurt me. Have you seen the size of you? Anyway, it’s not like you have any more experience in this than I do.”

With that, Alayna sprung across the lawn quicker than a bolt of lightning and swung her arm around to deliver a blow that she knew would have incapacitated Matthew in a matter of moments. She stayed her arm, the stick freezing half an inch from Matthew’s neck. She had planned her move so that she stood behind him, and he whipped his head around to see where she had got to.

“Uhm, that was luck right?” Matthew’s eyes are filled with admiration, bewilderment and a hint of fear, “Like, you didn’t know what you were doing before you did it, did you?”

Alayna takes a step back, “I told you, I know a bit about swordplay ok?”

This was a lie, she knew everything there is to know about swordplay, every step of a myriad of manoeuvres, every way to calculate how long it would take for a blow to meet its mark. She also knew a lot about archery and hand-to-hand combat, as well as which poisons would kill a man in under thirty seconds. Alayna is an expert in the field of killing, the perfect little assassin. Everything about her invites you in, every word she speaks draws you closer to her, until finally you are close enough to her for her to run a blade through your chest. And while it is well known in the other world who she is and what she is capable of, in this world, she is a simple, nondescript young lady, who has an unusual grace and superiority about her.

“A bit?” Says Matthew “ok then, let’s try again!”

Alayna sighs, hanging her head. “Matthew, I’m serious, just drop it.”

“One more round, please Al?”

Again, Alayna flew across the lawn, a hard look in her eyes, ready to teach this boy a lesson. She swung the stick in a high arc above her head, and brought it down in such a way as to slap Matthew across his chest. It was a blow that, had it been completed with a sword, Matthew would have crumpled to the floor, a lifeless heap on the grass. Even with a stick it would have been enough to leave a large and painful weal. However, the blow never landed, for Matthew had brought his stick up to meet the blow. He quickly deflected the blow, and swung his sword around again to knock Alayna’s ribs. Then, while she stumbled backward, he copied the movement she herself had made earlier, and before she knew it, Alayna had a stick pressed to her throat and a large young man behind her.

“You’re needed in the Kingdom.” The cool breath of air that caressed her neck was nothing compared to the ice that covered her heart in that moment. With that, Matthew �" or at least, who she thought had been Matthew Dellan �" spun her around to face her. She recoiled, and pushed him hard in the chest, forcing him to step backward. With an evil glint in his eye Nuncius �" for that is his real name �" said “You didn’t think you could get away that easily did you? He’s expecting you in the Ashen Hall at noontide tomorrow. He’s fairly angry, so I don’t suggest you be late.” With that, he was gone, simply disintegrating into the air, Alayna could hear his malevolent laughter echoing through the years.

She sank to the ground, and wondered through her tears if she would ever be able to trust anyone again.