Royal Assassin

Chapter 17

Cassandra and Ethan were introduced during childhood as playmates. And while Cassandra’s parents were kind, Ethan’s father, Sir Wilson was already damaged. Cassandra had always thought how fearsome Ethan’s father was but she was clever and knew where and when to be quiet and respectful.

She had always been a bright child. She understood adults well enough to know things were not always what they seemed to be. And even when she knew Ethan was nice, his father had other things in mind for him, and also involving herself. Cassandra though a mere child understood from always eavesdropping adults, to realize that Wilson lost the battle for the throne to his younger brother, Zachary. And from that point on, their lives were tainted by the black seeds resided in Wilson’s heart.

Apparently, Wilson had always been overshadowed by Zachary, ever since they were children, ever since they understood the words of gossips and how people adored and favoured the younger prince instead of the elder brother. He grew insecure and it became a self-fulfilling prophecy. He was so worked up in proving that he could outwit Zachary that he failed to honour the essence of being a King, and that was humility and above all the welfare of the people. He was only fighting for the throne to fight his brother that he had actually lost the battle to fight for his people.

But the most unfortunate part was that he couldn’t notice the love of some people for him – his wife, his rivaled brother and father, his son. He let himself be consumed into the darkness of his heart that by the time he lost the chance to be King, he was bent on getting back at his brother, even if it was the underhanded way, even if this time it would dyed his hands black and tainted his soul bleak.

And so from that moment on, that was the start of how all things ended up.

What better way to channel those malicious thoughts than to gather those sunken souls and used these devil’s puppets to onslaught the parents and conquerors of the neighbouring land? Yes, Wilson’s visits to the Vast were only a mere excuse to execute his plans and he managed to bring the King and Queen down without using so many pawns, whilst moving his chess pieces slowly and steadily.

All hell broke loose as the royal family fell. War was inevitable as the people took Wilson’s lies for the truth and fought against the Gallant Kingdom. The four siblings, Cassandra, Robert, Robin and Jaden’s days of happiness and blissfulness ended abruptly and their nightmares began.

Wilson didn’t kill the royal children but instead he had plans for them, especially the first sibling, the eldest sister, Cassandra. Despites her age, she was wise and matured to convince the adults to leave her younger siblings out of their ruthless self-interests. And so Wilson attempted to settle his plans with Cassandra. She would be his armor and weapon, wielded and tampered to perfection. When she heard of his intention, she could only be puzzled of how the hell did they lead such snake slid into their lives?

She suffered the pain and torture first handedly and infact before Jadelyne’s but that was the problem. Cassandra’s body despites the damage didn’t react as perfectly as Wilson thought it would. She thought his goal was to punish her and she was willingly to accept it as long as he didn’t touch her family and her people but that promise was also a lie.

After enduring such torments, Wilson gave up on her and thankfully spared her life. Even Cassandra was surprised to be alive. But something was not right. Infact, she didn’t feel right. Ever since her parents died, she grew up too fast, forcefully and willingly because she had no other choice. And just when she thought the snake that snuck into their lives was gone, she found out that the residue had seeped inside her being.

In the mirror, on one early morning, as she gazed into her healing battered face and body, she noticed the change of colors in her eyes and how they morphed at times into her natural color and then back and forth into flaming red. She almost screamed when a hand cupped her face and realized the intruder of her room was Ethan.

Surprised and frightened and yet somewhat relieved to see a familiar face, Cassandra noticed how Ethan had changed too. He looked just like her, in their tweens and should be playing around instead of basking in a bloody war. His attempt to give a light-hearted joke sounded icy cold to the bone and Cassandra realized just how much damage that Wilson had led Ethan into it. She caught the plans of Wilson from Ethan as he bragged and when she couldn’t take anymore of this madness, she ordered him to stop and leave her room. Ethan was shocked too but remained composed and he lightly hinted of the suffering that had yet to come.

Cassandra realized too late at the tone and the smirking glint in his eyes and by the meantime, she reached the place she used to bath in their torments, they already caught her younger sister too. She wailed her sister’s name, which caused the guards to restrain her and dissolved herself into heavy sobs and hysterics because she failed to protect her family.

After that, the guards were ordered to drug the Young Queen and Cassandra drifted into nightmares. When she finally woke up seeing Wilson and Ethan in her room, acting as though they owned the place, something small inside of her, like a needle falling into a stilled lake hardened her resolve and instead of venting out or lashing her anger at them, she remained calm and collected.

This was the only thing she could do at the moment. She needed to be off their watchful eyes and she needed to find a way. She needed to devise a plan. But what she needed most was help and help could only be found outside her castle, outside her kingdom.

She studied fast and a lot. She opened old maps and routes and shortcuts to travel to Gallant to have a word with the King. Even if she was yet to be crowned Queen, she was still royalty, and after all she would be Queen soon. It made no difference of the timing looking at the situation. And she figured the King was one of the people she wanted to hear the words out, the words of truths and not the words from such sly creatures, her castle had become infested in.

After years of preparations, when Cassandra was 20, she attended in secret to a masquerade ball held by Gallant King. She slipped in easily disguising herself with her wittiness and elegance and when she almost got close to the King, she ‘accidentally’ bumped into him and spilled her drinks. The King was kind and didn’t bother about his drenched clothes but Cassandra insisted to wash it for him and after relentless pleading, using feeling guilty as her excuses, she managed to get the King into a corner and told him the truth of his beloved brother’s doings and treachery and the reasons her kingdom waged war against him.

And then, she requested his help. King Zachary gathered his resolve to execute his brother as a traitor, leaving Ethan in deep vengeance, the one who truly cared for his father despites his wrath. To counter this problem was another matter, and Cassandra and the King devised various methods to be stealth so that they could tell Jaden and Justin the truths. Eventually, to Cassandra’s guilt and remorse, the King also knew he would die soon and instructed her to carry out the plan until they could achieve absolute peace, until they could unwind the twisted lies and web they were all trapped in. But like a spider web, it would be tricky getting off of that.

That was also how a letter was slipped into Zachary’s diary at Justin’s stay in the Gallant. And the diary was only to serve as a mere distraction. And it was also Zachary and Cassandra’s deal of tying their beloved ones together, as though rekindling the peace.

“I just wish we could go back to the time when we played as children…” Cassandra heaved a heavy sigh as she stopped her story. And without hesitation, she drove her long blade through Ethan’s body, “…but playtime is over. It was long over, Ethan”.

The blood colouring Ethan’s clothes raised shocking eyebrows in the young couple’s eyes. Justin and Jaden stared at Cassandra and Ethan unable to say anything.

“You are too kind…Cassandra…that I want to make you suffer…mentally…” Ethan managed as blood gurgled in his voice, “Comparing to your sister, seeing you putting a façade and masking your internal turmoil, your guilt…you should just finish off your sister. After all, she had caused you to…suff….” The blade twisted and Ethan choked and eventually went still as a rock. Gravity took over and the lifeless body fell to the ground, slipping from Cassandra’s piercing blade.

Cassandra let out a breath. As she lifted her head, for the first time, Jaden saw the same rubies glinted in her sister’s eyes. She was…supposedly to be the true assassin. Jaden recalled how each of her siblings’ hair colour reflected their strengths and weakness, such as jade – lush and serenity and yet also the colour of malice and jealousy. Ruby for fiery passion and love which also represents rage and vengefulness and then, there was sapphire which meant peace and calm but if the hue darkened, it would dissolve into the dark night, blanketing with all those wickedness that lurked inside the heart.

Cassandra looked at her youngest and beloved sister alongside Justin, her sister’s husband, the Young King. It’s time I owe them an apology…she resolved.