Alina awoke in a dark, empty cell. It reeked of urine and mildew and looked as if it had been uninhabited for years. She could hear rats scurrying in the darkness outside the door. She then heard two sets of footsteps coming her way. She quickly pretended to be unconscious and listened to them unlocking and opening her cell.

She heard them speak with each other. The deep, worn voice of an older man, and the light voice of a younger one. "The poison hasn't quite worn off yet." the older one commented, and she couldn't help but detect a bit of relief in his voice.

"For now, but how much longer?" the younger man asked him with a sigh. "We can't keep giving her vellanium, and she'll need to eat soon. As the prince, I demand that she is poisoned no more. And notify me when she wakes up. I would like to speak with her."

"Of course, Your Highness. But do you think that wise? She appeared to be trying to kill that man. If she manages to get free while you are in here, it is likely she will not hesitate to kill you too."

"Do not try to tell me what is and is not wise. Just do as I say."

"Yes, Your Highness."

As the men turned to leave, she tried to think of a plan to slip out of the cell without either of them noticing, but they quickly closed and locked the door, and her chance was gone.

She sat up against the wall. What would Maxon Grandier want with me, she thought. She may be famous as an assassin, but that was no reason for the prince to want to talk to her. She had expected to be taken to the king and executed on the spot. Why were they bothering to keep her alive?

The guard in front of her cell heard her movements and turned around to look through the bars of her door, only to see her sitting up. The prince was still just down the hall, so the guard quickly yelled to him.

"Your Majesty! The prisoner is awake!" The prince very nearly ran back towards the cell, the old man struggling to keep up. "Have you been awake this entire time?" he asked Alina when he reached her cell.

"Well I would not be very good at my job if I could not feign sleep every once in a while, now would I?" she answered. "So, what do you plan to do with me now? Surely you already know who I am."

"Now that is where you are wrong. In the future, we may have a way to recognize you on the spot, but for now, no one knows your face."

Apparently, she had been better at concealing her identity than she originally had thought. She had assumed they would identify her immediately, but if she played the situation correctly, she could get away with an attempted assassination instead of the deaths of hundreds. Pretend this was her first job, as she found it likely he had probably picked up the earlier comment about her job.

He crouched down in front of her. "So who are you exactly? Obviously an assassin, as you spoke of it being your job, but not an experienced one. You probably wouldn't have gotten caught otherwise."

Ha! She didn't even have to create a story herself. He was doing it for her. "Yes, well I guess I need more practice before I become as famous as the great Alina Kingston. My name is Vega Teresse."

"Well lucky for you Vega, because attempted murder will only get you a few years in prison most of the time."

"So when will my trial be then? I'm guessing soon, to get me out of the way quickly."

"I'll be back in four days time for your summons at court. Someone will be by the day before to clean you up. I wish you the best of luck, Vega." And then he left her with her thoughts.

***

"Will the defendant please stand?" Alina, still acting as Vega, stood and stared at the judge. "Miss Teresse, just know that if you plead guilty for your crime now, your sentence may be reduced by two or three years."

"I will admit my guilt, but as for who I was working for, I'm offering a trade. I will tell you who to arrest if you, maybe, reduce my sentence by another year or so. Three years in prison at the most and I will tell you everything I know, including where my employer is right this moment, and you'll have my promise to not take up my particular profession again when I get out. Do we have a deal?"

"This was not a simple misdemeanor, Miss Teresse. The jury will have to decide whether to take your deal or not, but you should hope they do because they all have to agree for this to work out for you."

***

"The jury has returned. What have you decided?" the judge asked.

"We have decided to take the defendant's deal." a jury member answered. "She will serve three years in the castle dungeons and then be set free, with her promise never to work as an assassin again."

"Very well. Where is this place you spoke of, Miss Teresse? We want to give the man no time to escape our clutches."

Alina smirked. "You will find the person you are looking for at the victim's house. The head chef was willing to pay a great deal of money for the death of her brother's killer. In fact, you'll probably find her cooking him up a nice poisonous lunch right now. Who do you think gave me a key to the house?"

"Well Miss Teresse, thank you for this new information. It looks like we'll get to make two arrests today instead of one. Guard, take her to her cell and provide her with a special meal for her help."

The prince walked up to her, having been standing silently in a corner until now. "I hope your sentence goes quickly Vega, and also hope to see you again soon." He started to walk away.

"Wait!" she called out. "Why do you care what happens to me?"

"I find you... interesting, to say the least. Life at court is so boring. I had thought you might bring some excitement to the castle."

"Well, my sentence better pass quickly then. Wouldn't want to keep you waiting for too long." And then Alina was lead away.