Raptra

The Job af the Assassin and Life of the Prince

By late morning, the royal convoy was set to leave the palace. It consisted of three caravans - a main one with two smaller ones behind and in front of it. Each was driven by two guards, and more flanked either side of each caravan on their own individual horses with a couple more guards trailing behind the convoy. Mathazar and a few other servants of the palace were present to see the crown prince off, and the younger prince pulled his brother into a firm embrace as the latter was about to leave.

"Have a safe journey, Eliezer. I shall do my very best in standing in for you during your absence."

"I trust nobody else to do so. Farewell, brother," Eliezer responded, before stepping into the caravan.

Following behind the crown prince was Sir Aldebrand Ward, a loyal knight of Dainia and Eliezer's personal guard during the journey. He addressed Mathazar with a "Your Highness," before stepping on board and shutting the caravan door.

As the convoy took off, Mathazar went back inside and up to a private room where Robynne was working. "So, my lady, I assume you have a little surprise planned for my brother this day?"

Robynne stopped her work and walked up to him with a smirk, briefly pulling a red carnival mask from her pocket to let him see it before hiding it back in. "But of course, Your Highness. The 'Red Robin' has assigned the task of the crown prince's assassination to the perfect group down at Gloomvale Tavern. If it all goes well, nobody in that convoy will be returning alive."

---

The first few hours of the journey were uneventful, with the convoy moving along the dirt road past rivers, farms, plains, and rock formations at a consistent speed. Words exchanged among the guards riding aside Eliezer's caravan could be heard on occasion, while the prince himself struck a conversation up with his personal guard every now and then. However, most of the trip was spent gazing out his window, taking in the sights between the two kingdoms.

It was near evening when the convoy came to a small forested area that it had to travel through. The entire group slowed down and continued on past the trees, now with less Sun to light their path which had also gotten narrower. Suddenly, several spinning knives shot out from the thick leaves on both sides of the path and hit majority of the guards who were driving the caravans precisely in their necks, killing them on the spot. A rain of flaming arrows then followed and pierced the sides of the caravans, setting the vehicles on fire. The flames frightened the horses in the convoy and a few of them started to rear up, throwing their riders off. That was when two groups in black with masks on emerged from the forest on either side and engaged the remaining guards in combat.

Inside, Aldebrand and Eliezer immediately picked up on the commotion. First came the startled cries of a few of the guards before a flaming arrow was shot halfway through the wall of their vehicle, nearly hitting the prince. Aldebrand swiftly pulled Eliezer away from the side of the caravan while closely avoiding the arrows that came through the other side. Smoke could be smelled and seen through the windows, and knowing that the vehicle was on fire, the knight kicked the door open and quickly ushered the prince out while shielding him. However, multiple enemies caught sight of Eliezer and rushed to attack them.

Aldebrand pushed Eliezer away and attempted to hold the attackers off. "You have to leave this place, Your Highness!"

Eliezer could tell that the knight was not going to win, but he knew better than to argue at such a time. He was the one that everyone else was fighting to protect. He caught a glimpse of Aldebrand's throat getting sliced right before he turned to escape off the path, but there was no time to process what he had just seen. Unfortunately, the prince had not gotten very far from the chaos when he was intercepted by a couple more assassins. Eliezer instinctively reached for the grip of the sword at his waist, drawing it from its sheath. The assassins looked at the prince's gleaming rapier and one of them laughed.

"I see that you wish to make this difficult, Your Highness. No matter, you shall still die today!"

The Job af the Assassin and Life of the Prince

"I shall find the time to do so, but if you do not hear from me, it may not be I who was intercepted, but my messenger. As you have just said, the roads between kingdoms are dangerous," Eliezer replied to her request.

He had not expected her to kiss him right there and then, and it was something that he probably had to get used to, not at a certain time and place, but her kisses in general. He knew that she would be rather unhappy to hear the news, seeing how much she had enjoyed her time with him, but he still thought it right to inform her about it for it was the courteous thing to do, especially since she had come to be someone really important to him.

"Well then, these orphans will now know who their favorite prince is," he blurted out in response to Raven expressing her gratitude to him, and immediately regretted it. Good grief Eliezer, you are not funny. Do not try to be! "I... shall take my leave now. Until we meet again, my lady."

He turned to exit the house, calling out to his guards and maid to inform them that they were leaving. Waving goodbye to the village folk and children, he got onto the carriage with the palace staff present and the vehicle drove away.

---

Back at the palace, Eliezer had an unexpected visitor to his room as he tried to rest early for his journey the next day. He turned at the knock on his door frame, expecting to see Mathazar or one of the palace servants. To his surprise, it was his queen mother instead who stood at his doorway. This was a rare occurrence, for he hardly saw either of his parents before sunset, but he did not question her visit and allowed her to speak first.

"Eliezer," she began, stepping into the room. "I came to bid you farewell, for I will not be able to see you off tomorrow."

"I understand, mother, and I appreciate the thought."

The queen walked right up to her son before she continued. "Pray do your best, it is in the best interest of Dainia that this agreement goes through."

Eliezer was slightly confused, finding such advice to be rather redundant. "Have I ever failed you and father?"

"There is a reason for my concern," Velda explained. "You see, word has been going around that a matter, not of relevance, has been taking up much of your time and effort."

Recalling what he had been doing the past few days, Eliezer let out a sigh, still somewhat doubting the appropriateness of the actions he had taken so far. "If I may, how did you and father fall in love?"

"Love?" It was now the queen who was puzzled. She reached up to feel if her son was warm. "Are you unwell, Eliezer?"

The prince took a step back before she could touch him. "I- I am well, mother. Forgive me, it was strange to ask."

Velda raised an eyebrow. "Is that it? Are you... in love?"

This was something else that he doubted, for he knew that he would need much more time to fully grasp the concept of love. "I am unsure..."

"Hmm? Who is this lady whom you are unsure about?"

Eliezer remembered his agreement with Allister not to reveal Raven's true identity to anyone, and that he also wanted to keep her safe himself. "She is a commoner, from the village. An intelligent, diligent, and beautiful lady."

Velda only smiled lightly. "I always knew you were a practical one. Why has she not been introduced to your father and I?"

"If it pleases queen mother, I shall arrange a meeting when I return."

The queen nodded before turning to leave. "Farewell, Eliezer. I wish you the best."

Pair of Hunters

@amorphical

Pair of Hunters

On the balcony of a two-storey cabin on the outskirts of the mountain town of Lightstal stood a lone hired hunter - a woman in her mid-twenties of a slender build with glossy bronze skin and brilliant turquoise orbs that shone from her almond-shaped eyes. Her jet-black hair was pulled into a firm braid with straight cut-across bangs. Not paying attention to the racket caused by her rowdy companions in the background, she first turned to the left, watching as the Sun set over the lush green forest. It was their destination for that night, and it is with the darkness that the dangers would come. With a quiver of crossbow bolts attached to her belt and a large dagger slotted in the holster around her calf, she was as ready as she could be for them.

To the right was the little town which displayed a semblance of comfort and peace. That was all it was, however, a semblance. Shamira was well aware of what truly went through the minds of its inhabitants when the Sun went down every single day. Anxiety, worry, fear that they and their loved ones would not make it through the night without falling victim to the savage monsters that would emerged from the adjacent forest. Having had her mother taken from her at an early age, she knew exactly what it felt like to have that very fear become a reality. The fact that she had been recruited to go right into the danger she had trained to protect herself from was ironic, to say the least, but they needed anyone they could get. This current view of Lightstal would motivate her to do her very best to bring its residents the sound sleep and peaceful nights they deserved.

"Miss?"

Shamira turned at the voice to see the head of the youngest recruit poking through the doorway. It was at that point when she realized that she did not even know his name. He could not have been past his late-teens, and the other members of the team would simply refer to him as 'boy', or 'kid'.

"We're umm, moving out..." he then continued in a slightly nervous tone.

She simply nodded to him in thanks and acknowledgement before picking up her crossbow. Following her companions out into the forest, she glanced up into the night sky and saw that the moon was already shining bright. The atmosphere quickly changed once the team set foot in the forest, each member wary of what might be lurking in the nearby vegetation. Shamira pulled a bolt out from her quiver to load her crossbow with. She gripped the weapon tightly, taking a deep but quiet breath to calm herself as she put her finger on its trigger and readied herself for the first sign of an attack.

The Job af the Assassin and Life of the Prince

Raven sounded busy when Eliezer heard her voice coming from the inside, and which she eventually answered the door, she looked it too as she held an unwell child in her arm. It hardly looked like the best day to pay her a visit, but it was the only chance he had before he had to leave. He did not know what to think of her companion who had come up to take the boy from her while making a humorous statement, but the prince just bid him a "Good afternoon," before he went into the room. Prince boy? And what even were 'snot rockets'? He was about to kiss her hand, as was his standard greeting to her, when she had decided to hug him first.

"My lady," Robynne greeted Raven with a curtsy.

"This is Miss Robynne Read, my lady. She will be assisting me while we are here," Eliezer introduced the maid to Raven, before they entered the house. At her comment about the flowers, he held the bouquet out to her. "I am well aware. Therefore, these are for nobody else."

Children were suddenly all around, and Eliezer wondered if Raven and her companions lived in such an overwhelming environment on a daily basis. Seeing Raven catch and stop a little thief, one of the guards picked up on the nature of these orphans and proceeded to step in between Eliezer and the girl who had just come up to him.

"Please be wary, Your Highness," the guard warned.

Eliezer simply held a hand up to his guard, indicating that it was alright. The prince took a finely-painted wooden princess doll from the basket that the guard held, knelt to meet the child at eye level, and nodded at her question. He then handed her the toy and lightly patted her on the head before sending her on her way. He then instructed Robynne to keep the orphans entertained while he took Raven to a quiet corner so that he could speak with her alone.

"My dear lady, I will be leaving tomorrow for a conference held in the Kingdom of Sorene, and it will be a week before I return. If any relevant matters arise during my absence, please take them up with Miss Read." He paused and took a glance at Robynne, who was handing treats out to the orphans and interacting with them. "You may also take them up with Mister Cornell. I do realize that he is not one whom you are fond of, but I assure you that he has both of our best interests at heart. We will not see each other for some time, which is also a reason for my visit today. I wish to bid you farewell. Do take care of yourself, my lady."

What Are You Listening To?

The Job af the Assassin and Life of the Prince

It was midday when a royal carriage entered the village on the day before Eliezer would leave for his trip to Sorene. The folk watched the vehicle in surprise as it made its way past them and several houses and establishments, not expecting a visit from a member of the royal family. There were many gasps and whispers among the people, who wondered where the carriage would stop, who was in it, and for what business it was at the village. Those were soon answered when the vehicle slowed to a stop near the orphanage before Eliezer and a palace maid alighted with two guards.

Seeing the crown prince, nearby villagers immediately dropped what they were doing to acknowledge him as he made his way to the front door of the orphanage with the maid trailing after him, though, the guards that flanked both him and Robynne kept the people from getting within five feet of them. Eliezer respectfully returned the greetings of the villagers, while back at the parked carriage, a couple more guards were handing out gifts from the royal family. Everyone watching figured that the prince had come to see the children of the village. One of the guards accompanying Eliezer and Robynne carried a basket filled with more gifts.

Eliezer nodded to the other guard, signalling for him to knock on the door. The prince lifted a bouquet of moonflowers from the basket to present to his lady, remembering that the plant held a significance for her, while his maid waited behind him to greet whoever would answer the door.

Word association Game!

Quiet

Ban the Person above you

Banned for not being clear about whether you were trying to escape or not.

The Job af the Assassin and Life of the Prince

I actually thought Andy was kidnapped lol. Anyway will the orphans still be there when they arrive at the village the next day?