── ♛ ──

──

The air was windy enough to freeze anyone in the dark night, although, it was time for the sun to appear back home. The sky had started turning blue to welcome the day. Chitter-chatter went on as some women stepped out of their house with baskets in their hand, while kids played around after waking early in the morning, men could be seen selling items and beldams stood joyfully talking away and making money for their home. Hustle and bustle were high in volume because of the people of Ivrea waking up early and knowing manners unlike some. It felt as if it was happening down a house that they were on.

Two living beings lay staring at the sky in thought. JK, who was still wearing his golden mask gazes up at the surface of the earth having his hand over his abdomen, Bam did the same spreading a wing on the roof of the house.

It could be said they both had dark eye bags under their eyes because of not sleeping even after getting the time to.

JK moves his arm under his head blinking once slowly, Bam does the same copying him and keeping his wing under his head, "Why didn't I kill her?" He was asking the question more to himself rather than the parrot beside him, nevertheless, the bird replies having the same gaze.

"I don't know too," JK slowly blinks in contemplation and Bam does likewise. They have been laying there for an hour now after running away from the royal palace. Bam's back hurt but he couldn't leave his master alone who didn't know a thing about this dangerous, cruel world. Bam has to protect him. Was Bam trying to find a reason?

"What are we doing?" Bam suddenly asks still having his eyes on the attractive sky that had now turned a bluish-white. A few clouds were moving away from them that he comprehends through his consciousness.

JK silently breaths and offers more than answering the question, "Ruminating about our lives."

Bam turns to JK, "It's boring."

JK casually gives him an idea to not be bored utilizing his non-existent creativity deadpanning in a go, "Choke on a dick. You won't be bored."

"I don't have a dick."

"Fine, beak."

── ♛ ──

She arranges her apron slowly looking up with her wrinkled eyes around her. There was no life, except silence in the space of her environment. It was the royal chambers she stood in. It had no one in it. She turns grabbing the handle of the brown door she stood in front of as she steps inside having her visually impaired gaze down.

Her gaze moves up to the bathtub, the woman sat in with her back in view. She was looking at something in her hands. Her long hair was half wet as she leaned for support to her back.

"Melissa," Her voice calls to the woman that had just entered here, "The assassin's guild that is renowned in Ivrea, what is their name?" She was silent after that waiting for her answer.

Her eyes stare at the paper in her hands, she repeats what is written in it thickly again and again.

"The inn of Nightbrook, assassin JK,

Meet him,

And kill that bastard king.

Ascend your throne, Jasira Ivrea,

This is the only way."

Her gaze moves down to the alphabet written at the end.

A.

The person had used an initial to identify themselves.

Melissa walks forward bending in regard, "Altair."

Her hand moves down to the blue waters where she sat in as she wets the paper in her hand clenching it and tearing it apart easily without using the other hand and letting anyone know. Melissa stands four feet away having her hands over her abdomen. She was quiet.

Jasira pulls her wet hair to the side of her shoulder as she leans back. She looks up at the wall in front of her, her expression was blank as she pushes her ebony hair behind using her fingers. Her eyes were hooded as she let her lips go free.

"Tell me each and everything you know about them."

── ♛ ──

His eyes stared into hers as he silently yet slowly leaned in. He stood in the corridors of the royal palace of Ivrea, having his hand on the wall beside her head. Several chandeliers hung on the way of the corridors pleasing every walker on the way. There were vases kept on tables and flower pots in every area. Paintings painted by rich painters hung on the alluring walls of the palace.

His gaze was filled with lust as he leaned more closer. The woman in front of him drowned herself in his eyes as she wanted to be nearer to him. He lightly bit his lower lip sensing her breath over his face. His hair fell over his hooded eyes, as he tries pressing himself against the woman.

"PARK JIMIN!" He snaps his head to the right immediately backing ten feet away from the attractive lady he had been close to, his eyes overflow with terror, his heart thumps faster in his chest staring at the old dame furiously breathing in front of him. She had her hands gripping her brown dress's apron as she takes more steps forward.

Jimin steps back shaking his hands rapidly, "I—I didn't do anything! I am innocent! She had something in her eye, so I was blowing it—" The elderly woman grabs his collar radiating seething rage to her grandson.

Her eyebrows were knitted together in a deep frown as she unlocks her wrinkled mouth, "I TOLD YOU TO GET SOME DRY FRUITS READY FOR THE PRINCESS!" The woman yells in his face making him clench his eyes shut and look away from horror.

His grandmother had told him three hours ago to tell the chef so that he could give a few apples or tangerines decorated in a dish, or dry fruits but the boy in front of her was too busy flirting with an unknown woman that there was no way he could focus on a trivial thing as food.

"It was her fault!" Jimin points to the lady he was near to whose brows crash together, "She didn't let me go!" He had to find someone to blame it on so he wouldn't die today.

The maid grips her gown and huffs, "You're lying, Jimin!" She stomps away in the corridors after giving him a last glare.

Jimin's gaze follows her. Oh, he's dead.

His closed eyes move to the elder in front of him as they slowly start opening to witness a fire dragon blowing smoke from its nose. That was his imagination. He's dead. He's freaking dead.

His grandmother was more than angry today.

── ♛ ──

She stood having her black eyes down as she slowly blinks once in contemplation. Her eyes were on the azure jewel in front of her that she had taken out from her casket. She didn't know why she took it out, but at the same time, she didn't care. Her mind was filled with messed-up thoughts.

The window of her room was open whilst the balcony was closed. The sun cascaded from her window while she slowly sat down with the jewel in her hands remembering what Melissa had told her.

"The Altair is a guild of assassins that are popular for their skills around the world. They have countless people to them, so much so they hire a large group of women every year and train them. While other assassin's guilds have discrimination against them and are behind, Altair doesn't, they have ferocious workers who don't have mercy on any around them. They can do anything to keep their people safe. The public doesn't know why, but there is a rumor that Altair is always on his majesty's side and can never go against him because his majesty has a piece of major information against them that can put them in trouble. There is also this rumor that Altair is controlled by a woman that is the most barbarous. It is the first time in history that a woman is controlling an assassin's guild. No one knows who she is. While people are terrified of the guild, they love gossiping about it. The assassins of Altair, if they do anything secretly, they leave a marking of 'A' behind as a symbol of their work and identity. That is the end of what I know, your highness, or each and every little thing is mysterious about them."

Why would one of them go against her father then?

Jasira breaths out a heavy sigh.

She knew her father had always been brutal when it came to his life and his kingdom. He loved seeing the petrified faces of the nobles on every occasion of his life. Even if there was a grand event, he was the type to do anything to make anyone bow in front of him. She remembered how her father had brought a man's dead body in front of a noble who had gone against him and thrown it in front of him to show his power. He was more than merciless.

Why would an assassin's guild so big be on his side by a reason of mere information? They could've just killed him and found the information that he had.

Or was there something big behind this?

Jasira shakes her head as she gets up in thought.

Whatever it is, she had to do something about it. The assassin knew something that she didn't for sure. How was he so confident that she'd believe him?

── ♛ ──

His eyes follow the path he was walking on, his hair fell in his view as he pushed it back slowly looking up from his black boots. He was in the hallway of the inn, walking to his room for some rest. He could feel his eyes closing by themself as he did his best to keep them wide. The nerves in his head were throbbing from not sleeping all night.

"Now, my days are nights and nights are days," Bam murmurs trying his best to not shut his view. His master had made him be awake all night. He was still suffering.

"You actually didn't have to choke on your saliva." Bam turns to JK, who was lazily walking on the path to his room.

Bam's non-existent brows crash together, "You told me too." When JK had told him to choke on a beak, he systematically had thought he couldn't choke on a beak so his purpose was merely choking. He started choking on his own saliva and JK had become a physician for two minutes there to save his life. JK couldn't think of anything when he started choking beside him on the roof, he immediately got up smacking the bird's stomach and trying to save his life who was on the verge of dying after choking on saliva.

JK shakes his head reaching the wooden door that was now in front of him, "Do not do that agai-" He flips open the handle as he turns his eyes from Bam to the inside of his room to see someone there which made him pause in his words.

"You really did trespass the princess's bed chambers. Didn't you, JK?"

── ♛ ──

[ A/N: this chapter seems so full of angst—

vote, vote! ]