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Word Count: 2.3k

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Third Person POV:

Skin as fair as a pale dawn morning, hair as golden as a blazing sun; the Prince—Anakin Skywalker—trekked through his frostbitten kingdom, which has become completely laden with a blanket of paper white snow. Granular ice flakes hailed from the dark and cloudy sky up above, piercing his nose and cheeks like shattered glass. He was sure his skin would be chipped by the time he arrived back to the castle.

Irritated with himself for not anticipating such inclement weather, he huffed out a puff of frosty air and picked up his pace, pulling what little clothing he had further over himself. He certainly wasn't dressed for winter. All he had on was an old, cream colored tunic under a midnight blue formal coat—which did not protect him from much cold—embroidered with gold stitching patterned at the chest, his shoulders cuffed elegantly in the same dazzling color which coruscated in the moonlight.

It wasn't too often Anakin got some alone time. He is tired of constantly being bombarded day after day by noblemen and women as well as age old royal customs that the kingdom's council as well as society expects him to follow. It is exhausting, and completely unnecessary, in his opinion. He is grateful for whatever reprieve he can get from his harsh reality, whenever he can.

He loves his kingdom and country dearly, and is ecstatic to one day be its ruler. But truthfully, he really only cares for the townspeople and shop owners. Most people in higher rank are extremely difficult to deal with.

He is also tired of hearing the same old pleasantries from lords and ladies; especially ones about him finding a soon-to-be bride. He had no desire to marry soon, if at all. He enjoyed his independence and freedom to live how he pleased, and did not wish to be tied down to the rules and traditions of marriage. Much less any of the young noblewomen often presented to him who care about nothing but their jewelry and petty gossip.

Though, he didn't blame the endless wistful gazes shot his way from all of those women; he did consider himself to be the most handsome man in the kingdom, after all.

But when he decided to take a nice, quiet stroll around the outer baileys of the castle to get away from it all, he seemed to forget the little fact that their kingdom was currently in the midst of an unrelenting winter. Snow and hail as sharp as ice pummeled him with every step, and it certainly didn't help that his progress was considerably slower seeing as he had to trudge through marshy snow and mud that went up to his boots.

He could practically hear his mothers gentle but strict voice in his said saying, 'I told you so, Anakin'. Of course, she would not say it exactly like that, but being a widowed Queen in such a currently vulnerable kingdom, she wished that her one and only son would use more caution in how he spends his time.

I'll show her, Anakin decided to himself. He is not a child, and wants to prove to her that he can take care of himself just fine.

The portcullis of the castle came into view, causing him to sigh in relief, a puff of air expelling into the glacial mist of his surroundings. He was nearly back to the safety and warmth of the castle, and could already feel the heat from the lanterns just outside the gates, glowing with fiery winter embers.

His tousled blonde hair constantly irritated his eyes as the unyielding wind blew it in every direction. But he was too exhausted and cold to fret over it, and just pushed onward.

The portcullis was still quite a ways away, but each minuscule detail of its design became clearer the closer he got; it's latticed metal grille, the sharp spikes at its lower level.

But then he saw something that made his blood run cold; colder than the dangerously polar temperature.

Anakin stopped in his tracks instinctively, the crunching of snow under his boots ceasing. His heart pounded as he slowly turned his head after hearing a short, swift noise. In the icy snow next to him lay a large, wooden arrow sticking out of the ground.

Someone had attempted to shoot him.

He whipped his head around in fear, his heartbeat increasing, as he scanned the area frantically for any signs of the attacker. But given that midnight had approached, and he was far from a good enough light source, he could hardly use his vision. Off in the distance in the endless woods, was nothing but a pitch black void, an eerie abyss leaving a deceitful cloud of neurosis to plague his mind.

TW: blood

Suddenly another arrow was shot out of nowhere, and sped towards him like a bullet. He did not have the time or speed to dodge it, and hissed in pain as it stabbed him right through his shoulder. The wood and sharp edge pierced his flesh, setting all of his veins on fire as his wound began to throb. His lungs fought desperately for any sort of oxygen, but none of it seemed to come, leaving him in a state of shock as it felt like all the air was stripped from him.

Anakin eventually snapped out of his trance and turned on his heel, silently praying that he would be able to run back to the castle before anything fatal happened. Though he was in immense pain, he was lucky to have gotten hit in the shoulder rather than any sensitive arteries.

Unfortunately, the thick blanket of snow proved to be nearly impossible to run through, and the exertion only spiked more pain into his nervous system, like a thousand bullets gunning down his shoulder, resulting in a moment of epileptic shock in his brain. He fell to his knees, the gelid temperature of snow sending a prickly subzero sensation through his thin clothing and into his skin.

It was almost unbearable; he didn't know if his body would be able to survive another cruel attack. But his adrenaline gave him a boost of what little fervor he had left in him. Another arrow shot at him, and he was able to heave himself off to the side to dodge it, making sure to land on his good shoulder. He sat up warily, and faced the direction of the danger.

Another pang of fear struck him, though, when he saw a flash of a deep, crimson red color in the distance through the snow-covered brambles.

A Red Knight, he thought despairingly to himself.

It is unknown whether or not they originated from another kingdom, or Coruscant itself, but the group of Red Knights are notorious throughout most of the world for disturbing any peace possible; wreaking havoc all throughout villages, raiding shops, and even placing bombs or launching surprise attacks outside castle walls.

But not much was known about who they truly were behind their dark crimson armor, or who their leader is. Anakin was especially terrified, because as far as he knew, there has not yet been an attack on a royal made by them. But now it seemed like that was going to change. He wondered how they had managed to get this far on kingdom grounds in the first place.

And more importantly, Anakin wondered, why is one of them making this attempt on him—being the Prince—specifically? Could a possible mutiny be arising?

Through the icy trees and brambles he saw the Red Knight emerge more clearly into view; coming in fast on a stable horse, raising a large bow with another larger arrow, aimed straight at him, preparing to strike one final blow. And now it was not just one, but more of them following close behind, about three to be exact, all with their weapons raised.

His heart pounded, his face paled as every last drop of blood in his body ran cold, along with the liquid slowly seeping from his shoulder and dying the snow beneath him. Is this the end?

That was what he thought, until another figure burst out of the shadows and into the snowy clearing, rushing to his side while seated over a beautiful, ebony horse. This figure resembled a Knight as well, but surely not one Anakin had seen before. Additionally, the figure wore a midnight black hooded cloak with a confusing symbol on the back that he did not recognize either. He knew this was not one of the royal guards; but based on the style of the figures cloak, the weapons attached to them, and the symbol, Anakin had to guess that this was some sort of assassin.

The figure jumped off of the horse as soon as it had come to a halt beside him. His blue eyes, glittering in the starlight, were round with fear and shock as yet another arrow was shot in his direction from one of his attackers. But the mysterious assassin beside him had reflexes faster than lightening, and as they jumped off their horse; quickly reached for a sword in its sheath, deflecting the arrow with a skillful block from the sword as it spun with a flick of the wrist, landing in a powerful crouch.

The steel silver armor of his savior shone luminously in the moonlight, shielding him from the many Red Knight's attempts; who instantly grasped for another of their arrows once again, this time aiming at the mysterious cloaked assassin.

Anakin watched the harrowing yet thrilling scene play out before him with wide eyes. His savior positioned their sword in a back left stance, before swinging full circle like the blur of a tornado and used the luminescent blade to make contact with the arrow clearly made of enervated wood, causing it to break in half instantaneously upon the swords first blow. The Red Knights again shot arrow after arrow like raining bullets, attempting to be quicker than the assassin who easily blocked each attack like it was child's play, but ultimately could not win. The assassin's movements and talent with their sword were so quick and agile against each attack that Anakin could hardly keep up with it all. Whoever this assassin is, is without a doubt one of the most skilled and stealthy beings Anakin has ever seen.

Upon realizing this skilled and powerful being is currently prevailing and likely would not lose this battle, the Red Knights fled the scene on their own horses and retreated back into the shadows of frozen darkness which blended behind a shower of crystal particles.

Anakin's unknown savior stood still in the next moments that passed, wielding his sword which phosphoresced amidst the glittering silver stars, and waited as if another enemy was soon to attack.

But when no other sounds were heard aside from the whistling of the harsh wind and the sound of Anakin's shaking breaths, the figure slowly sheathed their sword and turned towards him. He could not tell what emotions or even identity that lay behind the mask of steel, argentium silver. Their black cloak waved elegantly in the soft winter breeze, and from their stature Anakin knew they were brave, confident, skilled.

I've never seen an assassin so adept, and swift like lightening, he thought to himself. But still, who is this man?

"Who are you?" He managed to choke out, his voice nothing but a quiet murmur. But he knew the man standing before him could hear it.

A prolonged silence passed between them. Frozen fractals shimmered as they landed on the man's armor, creating an even more enchanting emanation around him, and glowing ever so gently against the indigo sky, like an endless canvas painted with magic.

Anakin was taken by surprise when all of a sudden, after moments of just standing as still as a statue, the assassin turned towards his horse and swiftly climbed atop it, preparing to ride away.

"Wait!" Anakin called frantically, scrambling up to his feet and doing his best to ignore the pain in his shoulder that shot through the rest of his body, inflaming every single nerve. "Tell me who you are. That's an order." He did his best to bring about his 'royal' voice and make it sound firm, but it still shook as the chilling temperature pierced his wound further, leaving it with an unpleasant feeling of fiery numbness, making him feel as if at any second he may either collapse or throw up.

The assassin stopped in his tracks, pausing as he made an attempt to climb onto his ebony black horse, which was flicking its tail impatiently.

He slowly turned towards Anakin, and reached up to take off his helmet. What Anakin saw next completely shocked him, and—if he was being honest—took his breath away.

It was not a man at all under that armor; but a woman. A young one, too. Her (h/c) hair fell gently over her shoulders, and soon began to wave softly with the wind. Her eyes - sharp as ice, and Anakin could already tell just from looking into them that they held so much mystery behind them, so many untold stories.

"(y/n), Your Highness." She finally responded after another long period of silence, her expression unchanging, her voice monotone. "My name is (y/n)."

(y/n).....where have I heard that name before?

He didn't have time to ask as she once again climbed onto her horse, and rode away as quickly as the wind. Anakin watched in awe as she disappeared into the trees, and even as medics and guards approached him shortly after to work on his shoulder and get him back to safety, the only thought clouding his mind was the peculiar, mysterious, and intriguing assassin who saved his life.

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(a/n): I hope you all like it so far! I'm so proud of myself for finally publishing this story, and honestly I was reluctant to at first since I wasn't sure if my ideas made sense but I am still very excited for this!❤️ Please vote and comment your thoughts as well, I love reading them🥰