"Yes, my lord?" I asked, curtsying, even though I was favoring my leather pants.I kept my head down, not daring to meet the King's ferocious eyes.
"Why is the job not done?" He said, he voice laced with annoyance.
"I hadn't had an opportunity yet, your kingly ship" I said, my eyes still lowered.
"You know I don't take kindly to delays, I want him dead. Tonight. I don't care who may see you, just get it done."
"Yes, of course, I will be back with my report by the morrow." I said, relief flooding through my veins.
" Don't disappoint me," he purred, " I'd hate to dispose of my favorite assassin."
Even though I knew it was an empty threat, I still got chills. I curtsied once more, and scurried out of the room.
I hurried down the long corridor, feeling the disgusted looks of lords and ladies burning into my back. But they don't know what I do. They don't know where deadly pressure points are located, they don't know how to wield swords like I do. They don't know how easily I could kill them, it’d be like snapping a twig.
I turned left, into the private corridors. Just ahead was my target.
"Good day, my lady." said one of the two guards.
"Hello." I said, as I reached for the door.
"Oh I'm sorry my lady, but the prince has requested that no one be let in."
"I am an exception." I said, my already thin nerves frying under the annoyance.
"I don't-"
Even though the guard was a good foot and a half taller than me, I knocked him out easily.
"Do we have a problem?" I said to the other guard, as I raised my eyebrow, " Or do I have to 'convince' you too?"
"No-no ma'am, go right in" said the guard, who looked ready to run.
"Good."
I began to push the door open, "Oh yes, no one else is to enter."
I didn't wait for a reply, I pulled the heavy dark oak doors open easily, and locked the doors behind me.
“Hello Mae.”
His voice surrounded me like a blanket, and I suddenly couldn't take anymore. I began to sob, and I flung myself into his arms.
"They want me to kill you.”
“I know.” he said. His arms tensed.
“Then why are you still here?” I sobbed, burying my face in his shirt.
“You.”
That was all that had to be said, I understood. We stood there, with me sobbing, for another five minutes before he let go. He silently walked over and grabbed a large leather bag, and began filling it.
“What are you doing now?” I said, as  I wiped away one lingering tear.
“I’ve known for a long time my father would try to have me killed. But I never thought he would swoop as low as assigning you to do it. We’re leaving, tonight. I won't let him control me, us, any longer.” He stopped gathering items and looked at me. “ You are the only person I care about here, and I am not going to let my father try and take that away from me.”
I nodded, not trusting my shaky voice to reply.
I walked over to him and he handed me a bag, “Go pack as many gowns in here as possible. The dirtier, the better” he said. He knew I hated wearing gowns, I much preferred my pants, but that would make me easy to spot, and as much I as hated it, I agreed. “We’ll escape under the precepts that we are mere peasants. Meet me back here at midnight,”
***
I hid myself in the shadows that cascaded over the tall marble walls, and  I pulled my cloak hood tightly down, so my face could not been seen. Even though my dress made it nearly impossible, I only had to ‘take care’ of one guard on my journey back to the prince’s chambers. I knocked twice, flinching at the noise that seemed to echo through the the palace. I waited if what seemed like an eternity before  I open the door just enough so I could slip through.
“Adam?”
I squinted against the dark and stumbled across the room, willing my eyes to adjust. Just as I was about to reach the bed, I tripped over something. I righted myself and blindly felt around myself until my hand landed in something warm and sticky. I gasped at sudden realization and rushed over to where Adam was lying. I checked his pulse, I could barely feel it. I stood up and stumbled against the blackness to find my bag. I rustled through until my fingers grasped a candle. I lit it in a panic and rushed back to Adam’s side. With my newly found vision,  I could see how bad it was. He had a knife sticking out of his shoulder, right where shoulder connects to chest. I reached up and hastily wiped away tears that  I didn't know were there,  and began to go over my first aid training. First step, locate where the injury is. Got that. Secondly, remove any immediate threats and stabilize and blood flow. I took a deep breath and wrapped my hands around the knife handle, and pulled, trying to make it as quick and painless as  I could. Adam had no reaction, and  I began to panic once again. I pulled my cloak hastily off and pressed it firmly into where he was bleeding. The once steady rise and fall of his chest began to fade, each breath growing shallower that the one before. I wrapped the cloak around his arm tightly, like a bandage, and focused once again on his breathing. I could barely hear it now, and  I had to lower myself to just above his lips to hear the faint wisps.I squeezed my eyes shut, feeling helpless. I let the tears fall this time, no longer having to oppress them.
“I love you.” I whispered, “don't leave me.”
The light was growing dimmer now, the candle almost at its end. Adam drew in his last faintest of breaths right as the dark enveloped me, inside and out.
“Surprise.”
The sudden harshness of the King's voice starled me.
“I knew you were too weak, so I did it for you. You really should be thanking me, I saved you a lot of heartache.”
“You.” I whispered, “You did this to him. I will kill you with my own two hands!” I screamed, lunging in the direction of the king.
“Foolish child,” chuckled the king, easily side stepping my attack, “There is a way you can still save him.”
He was standing in front of the two oak doors now, the light from the corridor, leaking in, and outlining the King in a ghostly shadow. I met the King's eyes, which seemed to glow in the darkness like a beacon.
“I am a fair man Mae, I will let you and your beloved prince, leave unharmed, all you have to do is complete a single task.”
I knew there was bound to be some treachery behind his promise, but yet, I was intrigued.
“Ah, there we go now,” said the king, like he was speaking to a small child, “All you have to do is-’
“Wait,” I commanded, surprised by how the authority flowed so easily into my words,  “save Adam first, and I promise on my life I will complete any task set before me.”
“How do I know your word can be trusted?”
“If I fail, you can kill me, for good. But, until I either fail or complete this task, Adam is to remain unharmed.”
“Very well.” With the snap of his fingers, several nurses and doctors rush in, surrounding Adam.
“Do whatever is needed for the prince.” the King spat the word in disdain and turned his attention to me, “Report to me at noon on the morrow, and I will assign you your task.” His eyes glinted with untold evil and he waltzed out of the chambers, and into the corridor, his footsteps growing fainter and fainter until I could hear no more. I turned my attention to Adam, whom now had several apparatuses sticking out of him, and I turned away, my stomach churning with apprehension. I walked over to a nurse who was standing by the door and said, “Alert me right away as soon as the price is awake.”
“Yes, of course miss.”
“ I stumble down the hall, exhaustion creeping over me. I climbed a staircase and turned right, into my chambers. I collapsed onto my bed, and pondered what task lay before me, before i could worry any more, I fell asleep.
***
I awoke to a loud pounding reverberating through my door. I hastily climbed out of bed and pulled a nearby cloak tightly around my shoulders.
“Yes?” i asked groggily, rubbing my eyes, as i heaved the doors open.
“The King has requested an audience with you, my lady.” said a guard, whom, to me, had become nameless.
“Oh yes, of course.”
I struggled to keep pace with the tall guard in my gown, but I managed.
“Is there any news on the prince’s condition?” I asked, hoping that Adam was alright.;
“Yes, my lady, he woke up briefly after the doctors revived him, but he has been sleeping ever since.”
Relief flooded through my veins,
“Do I have time to see him before I see the King?” I asked hopefully.
The guard sighed, “The King won't like it, but you have a reputation with the guards, and I’m not about to cross you. This way.”
We veered left at the next corridor, one that I had only been down once before. I shuddered at the memory, but I willed myself to push it back, and instead thought of seeing Adam. I bumped into the guard, whom had stopped without me noticing in my deep thought.
“You have two minutes, I don't want to upset the king by being delayed too bad.” The guard said as he pushed open the door. I shoved past him and ran towards Adam. He was lying in a bed with tubes and other medical devices that I didn't know what were hooked up. He had several bruises along his jawline, and a throbbing purple eye. I kneeled down and just stared at him, reliving the night before and how helpless I felt. Two minutes passed far faster that normal, and soon again I was continuing my journey to the King.
***
“Ah, there you are,” The king boomed, “ have you had a chance to see Adam?”
His uncanny kindness unnerved me, but I answered, “Yes my lord.” Unlike the day before, which seemed like a distant memory, I bore my gaze into the King’s eyes, mentally willing myself to stay strong and not back down. I remained on my feet too, not feeling the need to show my nonexistent respect.
“Good.” The King smiled, and my muscles tensed. Ever shed of instinct was telling me to run, but my feet stayed cemented to the floor. 
“Now, to get down to the matter I’m sure you've been waiting for.” The King stopped, and peered down at me, as if waiting for a reaction. I gave none. With the snap of his fingers, two guards pulled two burlap sacks from some hidden room behind the King’s throne. They stopped at the foot of the King’s throne and emptied their contents on the floor.
I gasped.
Laying in front of me were the two bodies of my unconscious parents. My mom had a fresh trail of  blood trickling from her nose, and my father had a nasty black eye. A thousand memories that I had tried to suppress flooded into my mind.
My parents, bringing me into the doctor’s here at the palace when I broke my collarbone.
The king, coming to see me.
My parents and the King discussing how the injury had occurred, falling out of a hundred foot tree that I had tried to scale. In a dress. 
My parents handing me over willingly when he wanted me to train as an assassin.
Tears welled up in my eyes, and I let them fall. I hadn't seen them in twelve years, not since they left one night while I was recovering, not even a goodbye. I had tried to forgive them, but my remorse and fury only fueled my intense training.
I looked up and meet the king's eyes, he was studying me. Intently.
“I can see the anger in your eyes, so this should be easy for you.” The smile returned. I shivered beneath my cloak. I knew what he was going to say. But I knew what I would do. I had to do this for me, for Adam, whom had always been their for me, unlike them. I would erase the last traces of my past life so Adam and I could be happy.
“Kill them.”
“Yes, my lord.”