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Chapter 2

Mia pushed the already open door to the kitchens wider. The cook was quietly going about her business, her kitchen maids just as silent at their stations. The assassin rocked on her heels, watching them all but ignore her presence, giving her only the barest of nods whenever they passed her. Quickly, Mia made her mental check. One dagger inside each boot, one click dagger fully intact in each heel, two more strapped to each thigh, several throwing knives along her arms, and her hunting knife and crossbow at her hip.

She started a casual walk to pass through the kitchen, grabbing a peach and grinning as she did so. She took a big, juicy bite and entered the main part of the mansion, where all the servants kept themselves silent, and their gazes to the ground. The peach began to have a bitter taste in her mouth. She tossed what was left in a porcelain vase near a door.

When she entered the room, it was clean, and there was absolutely no one in it, not even a maid to keep it free of dust and gloom. She frowned, and checked her surroundings, backtracking herself in her mind. She had gone the right way. She had showed up exactly on time.

“You seem a little lost, kitten.” A knife was already at the speaker’s throat before he finished his sentence. His opened wide in surprise briefly, but he covered it in a few seconds. He hadn’t expected her to be this good.

“All I ask is for my payment.” Mia said jovially, even smiling playfully. “Well, seeing as your client acted in such a way that caused my plans to go awry, I’m afraid you’ll have to do without.” The man responded, shrugging slightly before wincing as the knife’s edge came closer to his throat.

“You killed her.” Her smile remained unbroken. “I did. Fairly easily, too.” “Pah. I bet you just used poison. A cheap trick.” Mia shook her head and clicked her tongue. “Do they teach you nobles nothing about respect?”

“Please, if I may?” The man gestured to a chair with a hand, not daring to look at it, having to keep his neck outstretched and still as it is.

Mia waited a moment, letting her smile slip from her face. Once she saw it, that brief flash of fear, she let her knife hand drop to her side with a nod. The man cleared his throat and touched it gingerly, before moving to the seat. He sat down and gestured for Mia to take one. When she didn’t move, he shrugged and clasped his hands.

“I have a proposition for you.” He started, grinning at her. “What a surprise.” Mia smiled back, twirling her blade in her fingers. “My... partner... hired you to counteract something I was hoping to set into motion.” Mia nodded, still playing with the knife. “I can offer you double what she did.” He continued. “From what I understand of assassins, the only loyalty is money.”

“Typically, yes.” Mia produced a whetstone from a pocket and began to sharpen her blade. The man frowned at her slightly. “We have our favourite clients. You happened to have just disposed of one of mine.” She flashed her teeth at him as she gave a particularly loud rasp on her blade.

The man glanced at the shining metal before returning his gaze to her face. “Will you hear my offer?”

Mia didn’t respond, but simply continued sharpening and inspecting her knife. “It involves the Queen.” Mia paused, then turned her full attention to the man. “Go on.” She said slowly.

***

“She has returned, your majesty.” The guard bowed before returning to his post. The little queen closed her book and stood, brushing off her dress. She straightened her shoulders and cleared her throat, letting the practiced, cool expression flow over her face. Her advisor, hansel, entered the room shortly, and acknowledged her with a curt nod before taking up position beside her. The doors to the drawing opened, and Mia was escorted inside, outfitted in darkly dyed leather armour, a large hunting knife and her crossbow balancing each other on her hips.

“Mia, I hope you come in favour of my terms.” The queen said, her voice as cool and trained as her face.

“Indeed I have, your majesty.” Mia held up an opened letter bearing a wax seal. “So, you shall swear yourself in as her personal bodyguard, by way of Mana.” Mia’s eyes quickly found the magician in the room, and she turned back to the advisor. “Of course.” She said, flashing her teeth at him, “how else?”

“Lying during the process, or attempting to break the vows later, will not kill you, but it will find ways to incapacitate you should the need arise.” Hansel grinned darkly. “All the better for questioning. Should the need arise.”

“Of course.” Mia smiled back pleasantly at him. “Shall we get started?” The magician stepped forward at a nod from the advisor. He presented a blue wand to the assassin, indicating for her to hold it. She gripped it, and it glowed brightly at her touch.

“Do you, Mia, Assassin, Rankless and Unbound to any, swear to put the Queen and her safety above all else in your life?” Hansel asked, his voice ringing.

“I do.” Mia responded. The wand flashed brightly, silently, and Hansel grunted, then continued.

“Do you swear to uphold the law of the land, unless it becomes absolutely necessary to break them in order to protect the Queen?”

“I do.” Another flash, and no other effect. “Do you swear to uphold the Queen’s privacy within her chambers, and anywhere else she wishes it?”

“I do.” Another flash. “Then, Mia, do you swear to be the personal bodyguard of our beloved Queen, to protect her at the cost of your own life, or until age deems you be retired?”

Mia grinned directly at Hansel as she said the two words once more. “I do.” The wand flashed once more, and the mage took it from her once it had calmed. Mia stretched her arms out before her, interlocking her fingers and popping her wrists.

“So, now what? I go stand in the corner and wait like a good little puppy?”

“You may sit and have tea with me.” The Queen spoke up just as Hansel was about to rebuke her remark. “I wish to speak with you, to learn of you.”

Mia glanced down at the little girl in mild surprise, then shrugged. “Alright, I see no issue with this. I am your open book to read, your highness.” The assassin­guard sat down opposite the child queen’s seat while Hansel stared helplessly. Mia noticed him, and sniggered. “Hey, I think I heard that a venus fly trap was missing from the gardens. You may want to head down there. Better luck catching flies.”

Hansel clicked his mouth shut and harrumphed. He found himself a chair, where he sat, and watched as the two talked to each other, seeming less like Queen and Guard and much more like chatty girls on the street. Not once did the queen bring up the topic of Mia’s previous “employments”, but instead became intrigued with where the assassin had traveled, the people she met, the creatures she encountered. It irked him to see her laughing and smiling with the assassin, one whose hands were stained with the blood of many.

A guard opened one of the many doors, entered the room, and bowed dutifully. “Your highness, the mayors are here to speak with you in their matters of law.”

“Oh, yes.” The young queen’s cool exterior returned, not a laugh line to be seen. She stood slowly and smoothed out her skirts. Mia rose to her feet smoothly and followed the queen out of the room; a wolf following a lamb.

Hansel shook his head and followed after the two, rubbing his temples. The day the queen proved a competent leader would be the day he could feel safe retiring.

The assembled mayors stood as soon as the queen entered, each bowing or curtseying. They waited for her to be seated first, then each slowly sat back down around the long table, shuffling through papers, smoothing wrinkles in shirts and skirts, clearing throats, and waiting for someone else to speak up first.

Hansel took his place beside the queen, and had a brief moment of surprise when he noticed Mia missing. He glanced about and spotted the barest form of her in a shadowed corner of the room, her hood hiding her eyes from those at the table while she silently observed them. He grimaced, then turned his attention back to the table.

The queen was looking at each individual, of which there were five, and finally broke the silence. “We are here for a reason, are we not? Is there something we are to discuss? Perhaps there are laws you wish to petition me to have changed? Or to ensure I don’t change? Laws you wish added or abolished?”

The eldest of the group, certainly older than her father was, nodded and answered. “Yes, your highness. Well, yes and no. We are here to discuss such things, but only because we have had a change in ruler.”

“Are there any laws that need to be discussed?” The queen asked. A lady straightened her papers, tapping them on the table. “Well, my town of Kayb wishes to have all laws regarding our death penalty be modified. They wish to enact stricter guidelines, as they have found it to be, faulty, at times.”

“Faulty in what way?” The queen prodded. “Faulty as in, the wrong man gets hanged. Our kingdom has been established for almost one thousand years, and still we send the wrong men to the gallows.”

“It’s the jury’s fault for that.” A younger man spoke up, “The law is fine, it’s the judges who need to demand more solid evidence.”

“Ane modifying the laws will help. We’ll be able to make it illegal to hang anyone unless it is absolutely certain in every possible way that we have the right man.”

“You’ll just give the ‘right man’ more time to worm his way out with all those extra laws. It won’t work.” The man responded heatedly.

“It will make sure that all who investigate are working harder to find the true culprit.” “Just like laws against murder ensure criminals won’t kill people.” the other lady snorted. “Please, keep discussion civil.” Hansel said. He glanced at the queen, trying to determine how she felt about her first real dose of being queen.

She seemed to be staring at the table, her brow furrowed in deep thought. She didn’t seem to react to the continued arguing. “Your highness?” he asked quietly. “Annabelle?” SHe sat still, almost frozen, for a few more seconds, before raising her head.

“I will review the current laws regarding the death sentence, and will contemplate the matter. I will gather you here once more as soon as I have an answer for you.”

One of the men scoffed. “Really? Did you not see how the adviser whispered to her? Tell me, how long do you intend to keep up this charade? You fool no one.”

“My words are my own, Lord Raiq.” “Excuse me, your majesty, but you are little over a decade old. A child. That is what the populace sees.” The man continued. “The king has had an early death, peace be upon him, and I am terribly moved by your loss, but you cannot rule.”

Hansel stood. “You will not speak to your queen like this. SHe has shown much more strength than any of you could have at her age.”

The eldest mayor chuckled, “I can certainly say that for fact.” He grinned at the younger mayor Raiq, who glared back.

One of the ladies slowly spoke. “He does have a point. The kingdom lose a strong king, and now have a child as her ruler. Many people are uncomfortable with this. They see her as a means of... someone else grabbing power.”

“That is why I’m here.” The whole table jumped and turned towards the assassin, who seemed to have suddenly appeared from thin air. “I am here to ensure that the queen is not meddled with, that her mind is not changed by less than noble words, and that her life remains intact.” Mia grinned that flashy smile.

“And, who are you?” Raiq demanded. “I am Mia, rankless and unbound until today.” “An assassin?” Raiq threw an arm out, pointing at Mia. “An assassin? What do you intend to do with an assassin, your majesty? Replace those of us who you disagree with?”

“I have her hired as my personal bodyguard.” The queen replied coolly, staring Raiq down. “She has taken an oath through Mana.”

“She’s an assassin! You don’t think they have ways to circumvent that?” Mia walked over to stand behind the queen while Raiq raged on. SHe pulled out a dagger, held it above the queen’s head, plunged down. The whole table surged forward, screaming, but stopped and looked on in awe.

The tip of the blade was mere inches above the queen’s head. A soft blue light surrounded Mia’s arm, holding her in place. “Is this proof enough for you?” She smiled. “I cannot harm a single hair on her head. Thanks to Mana.”

In that instant, the royal mage burst into the room, the staff used for the oath glowing brightly. The company stared at each other, and Hansel turned to the mage and had him release the assassin. Mia sheathed her blade once she was able, then rolled her shoulders. “Makes you nice and stiff, doesn’t it?” she said, smiling at the mage, who simply glared at her in response.

“I think that is enough for today.” The queen said. The assembly murmured agreement, with Raiq still watching Mia with more than a hint of suspicion. The gathered mayors collected their papers and proceeded to file out of the room. The queen left last, shadowed by Mia, shortly followed by Hansel.

“My lord,” the mage stopped him, “that woman... Did she truly purposefully trigger the lock like that?”

“You saw her when she came in. You tell me.” “It’s just.... SHe’s insane. She is absolutely insane.” “She doesn’t follow our rules, that’s for sure.” Hansel replied. “That, in and of itself, is insane in this setting.” He stood quietly for a moment. “But it could prove to be very beneficial for her.”

Next Chapter: Chapter 3