The Blood of the Merchant King

Claudia nodded and took the left path down the palace corridor. She stopped running as she found a crowd of party goers. Claudia smiled, she lowered her hood and gently entered the crowd. She blended with the crowd as they walked through the halls, hopefully towards the party. Claudia was glad she was short, because people didn't notice her that often, and it allowed her to get past guards. It wasn't long before they reached a large courtyard with a covered glass roof, several paintings and decorations. There was a fountain that flowed wine which the people constantly filled their cups from. Claudia scanned the room for sights of Sedikit, and there! She saw him soon, and with a quick nod. Claudia moved her way over to Sedikit, planning to meet him near the fountain. All they had to do was wait for Maj'du Addin.

Sedikit sat in the dark. His eyes found Claudia instantly, and he silently watched her search for him, find him, and make her way over to him. He sat near the fountain, abandoning the notion of trying to hide and was simply one of the guests. His hood was down. Still though, he stood out more than Claudia. It wasn't everyday you saw a dark skinned boy with striking blue eyes at a merchant party. But Sedikit could pull it off.

When Claudia reached him, he stared at her face until she looked away. Then he motioned to the balcony and turned to it. Others in the courtyard seemed anxious too. It was near time that the Merchant King comes out and makes his speech. He wasn't exactly sure how they were going to murder this man, but it would get done. One thing he knew about Claudia, and even about himself, was that they managed to get things done without screwing up too bad.

Claudia heard someone clear their throat, and she turned her attention to the balcony. He was a large portly man, with a white turban and regal red robes. He had a clean shaven face, but it was covered in several scars and burns that Claudia assumed was why he would lock himself away. He spoke with a booming, deep voice. "Welcome, welcome!" he said, "Thank you for joining me this evening! Please, eat, drink, and enjoy all the pleasures that I have to offer! Take your time, I will wait. I trust everything is to your satisfaction?--" The crowd cheered and nodded in agreement, "--Good, good. It pleases me to see you all so happy. These are dark days my friends, and we must enjoy this bounty while we still can. War threatens to consume us all, the Light King bravely fights for what he believes in, and you are always there to support him without question. After all, it is your generosity that allows his campaign to continue.--" That man was a snake in the grass, and Claudia knew it, he was a false supporter of the king. "--So, I propose a toast then, to you my dear friends, who have brought us to where we are today. May you be given everything you deserve."

There was a pause as everyone drank a hefty sip of wine, and then the Merchant King continued. "Such kindness, I didn't think it in you!" continued the man, "You, who have been so quick to judge me, and so cruel. Oh do not feign ignorance, do you take me for a fool? That I have not heard the words you whisper behind my back? Well I have! And I fear I can never forget it. But this is not why I called you here tonight, I was just simply bored of this war. Look at you, you give up your coin, quick as can be, knowing all to well that it hides the deaths of thousands, and you don't even know WHY we fight. The sanctity of the Throne and Monarchy they say, OR the evil indignation of our enemies. But these are lies you tell yourselves....hehehe, no, all these lies are born of fear and hate. It bothers you, that the Rebels are different, just as is bothers you that I am different. Love, compassion, mercy, tolerance, these words mean nothing to any of you! Mean nothing to those infidel Fire Benders who protect the monarchy and control our lands for gold and glory, and so I say enough! I have pledge myself to another cause! One which will bring about a new world, in which all might live, side by side, in peace. A pity none of you will leave to see it."

Claudia noticed something or someone moving in the balconies above the room. And it gave her an ominous feeling, and she looked over to Sedikit. "Sedikit, get read to move, we strike now." she said, "We're going UP the fountain and jumping to the balcony where the fat king is!" Suddenly a man started to hack and cough, as if he was choking. People turned, but paid no attention to him. Finally he dropped dead, and the room went silent. The man was followed by another, and then another, and another. Maj'du Addin smiled and laughed as archers appeared on the balconies. "Kill anyone who tries to escape!" he shouted. The people began to freak out and dropped their plats and chalices. The wine and food was poisoned, and anyone who had eaten too much of it was dead if they didn't get healed. And the archers were to make sure they wouldn't be. "Sedikit, now!" she said as she climbed up the fountain, "Use throwing knives to help me deal with the archers, we need to make a run for the King now! He's escaping!"

Without a word, Sedikit pulled up his black shirt to cover his nose and mouth and whipped out throwing knives. Like an expert, he threw them and hit four of the guards with his four knives. Then, quick as lightning, he jumped to the wall and scaled up it to the balcony, unsure himself how he did it. There were guards on either side of his when he reached the top. He slit their throats and ran, ignoring anyone else. He was filled with a sudden bloodlust and knew that he had to be the one to kill this man.

Luckily, the Merchant King wasn't fast, as he wasn't fit. Sedikit saw him huffing down the hallway, making a beeline for the door. Oh no you don't, Sedikit thought to himself. With a pounce like a lion - which had earned him his nickname, "Singa" - Sedikit was on the man, tackling him to the ground.
"No," the man choked out, finding it hard to breath with Sedikit on his back. Quickly, the assassin drew out a knife from inside his cloak, and he leaned down to the man's ear.
"Yes," he whispered in a voice like velvet. It was the first time he had said a word in two years, and it was the only thing he said. Then, he slit the merchant's throat and looked around for Claudia, hoping she had dealt with the guards.

Claudia ran up the fountain and remained there as Sedikit chased the Merchant King. She pulled out her flintlock pistol, and with four sharp shots, she hit four of the archers. Two more appeared on the balcony to her left, ready to hit her with their arrows. With a smile she jumped towards the archers, and released her double wrist blades, she landed between them, and rammed the blades into their necks. They fell to the ground as she forced them down with her crouch. She stood up, pulled three throwing knives and threw them at the remaining archers, then charged after Sedikit.

As Claudia reached the boy, she noticed the Merchant King was in the process of dying. She rolled the man over and kneeled down next to him, his eyes scanned the two assassins angrily. He gurgled to speak, and Claudia spoke, "Be at peace now, their words can no longer hurt you." Maj'du Addin glared at her and replied in a forced tone, "W-why have you done this?!..." he asked. "You stole money from those you claimed to lead, sent it away in order to bring down the royal family which you publicly swore to protect. I want to know why."

Mad'ju Addin released a sickening, gurgling laugh, "Look at me! My very nature is an affront to the people I ruled, and these noble robes did little more than to muffle their shouts of hate." Claudia was silent for a second, and then replied, "So this is about vengeance then?" she asked. "No, not vengeance," answered the Merchant King, "But my conscience. How could I finance a war in service to the same gods and people that call me an abomination?" Claudia replied quickly this time, "So if you did not support the Light King's why did you support the Rebels? Did they not make fun of you as well?"

Maj'du Addin released another sickening laugh, "In time, you'll come to know them: I think perhaps you already do." he answered wickedly. "Then why the lies? The secrecy? Why the dark deeds?" asked Claudia. It was clear Maj'du Addin would soon loose too much blood and die, and she didn't have much longer left. "Is it so different from your own work?" asked Maj'du, "You take the lives of men and women, strong in the conviction that their deaths will improve the lots of those left behind: a minor evil for a greater good. We are the same!" Claudia glared down at the king with vehemence, "No, you're wrong," she said, "We are nothing alike. We serve the people, you and your allies only serve yourselves." Maj'du Addin gave another laugh, "Ah, but I see it in your eyes: you doubt." he said, "You cannot stop us... we will have our "New World". And with that, the Merchant King lay dead in a pool of his accumulated blood. Claudia mulled over his final words over in her head, then turned back to Sedikit, then back to the body. She closed the eyes and whispered, "Rest in peace. May you be shielded from wicked words in your death."

Claudia stood up and looked at Sedikit, "Every man deserves the right to repentance," she said, "And final rights. And that right now is what I gave him. It is also a last minute chance to squeeze out any useful information from the targets, even if they do not repent their actions. That is why we assassins use a variety of blades and knives, we do not believe in impersonal weapons such as poison. All targets must be killed with a blade...it is the way things are done. Besides, it gives the man a chance to understand why what he did was wrong. Here--" she pulled out an eagles feather and handed it to Sedikit "--drag it across the wound in his neck, or through his blood pool. It needs to have his blood on it either way, it is proof that we have killed our target. We bring back his blood."

Sedikit stood back and watched with what looked like disgust as the merchant made his final speech in a strained discussion with Claudia. Sedikit didn't like it. He resisted an urge to kick the man's head as he talked, to shut his senseless mouth up. Claudia seemed intent on using him for information, however, and Sedikit could understand. He just didn't like it. Then, the merchant died. It wasn't the first time Sedikit had seen a man die in front of him, and he felt no sorrow, after all, Sedikit had been the one to slit his throat.

Claudia stood and sighed, looking weary. She suddenly looked old in his eyes, and slowly turned to him. "Every man deserves the right to repentance," she said. "And final rights. And that right now is what I gave him. It is also a last minute chance to squeeze out any useful information from the targets, even if they do not repent their actions. That is why we assassins use a variety of blades and knives, we do not believe in impersonal weapons such as poison. All targets must be killed with a blade...it is the way things are done. Besides, it gives the man a chance to understand why what he did was wrong. Here--" she pulled out an eagles feather and handed it to Sedikit "--drag it across the wound in his neck, or through his blood pool. It needs to have his blood on it either way, it is proof that we have killed our target. We bring back his blood."

Sedikit took the feather. He had listened to every word she said and took it in. While he still didn't agree with some of the Order's views, he understood where they were coming from. The boy leaned down and dragged the feather through the wound in his neck, and despite himself, flinched. He stood up straight and twirled the bloodied feather in his fingers, watching the droplets fall, then his gaze slipped to the moon and the night sky. His mouth opened as if to say something, and indeed it seemed like he started a word, but it died on his tongue and Sedikit closed his mouth again and gazed at Claudia, handing the feather to her.

The first thing Claudia noticed was that Sedikit was about to say somethiing, and in return she almost opened her mouth to answer. But she preempted too soon, and he remained silent. She always wondered what his voice sounded like..he was always soo quiet and withdrawn. Claudiia wondered if Sedikit had killed the Merchant King without saying a word...was he scared of her? That was the next thought in her head. But Claudia didn't have the time to mull it over, she accepted the feather from Sediikit.

"Thank you," she said as she accepted the feather and carefully placed it iin her belt pouch. "Come," she said, "Let's go home." Claudia smiled slightly as she notiiced she had started to call the Assassin Island home. It meant she was fiinally starting to feel a part of something meaningful. For the first time since her mother and brothers were killed, she felt at home and with family; and though she loved her father very much, he was distant, withdrawn and depressed ever since the death of the rest of her family.

Claudia sighed again in a tired way, "That is," said Claudia suddenly, "Assuming you will be coming back with me? I'm not sure if u have anything else to do here, but if not, I'd like some company on the boat ride back. I came on one of my smaller ships, only fits a few, so I came alone." Claudia turned around towards Sedikit and smiled, though extremely tired from the days--or she should say, night's--events. She needed rest, and she still needed to decipher Nmaj'du Addin's last words, if for no one else then for herself. Not to mention report back to the /rand Master.

Sedikit frowned at her words and looked away. He didn't have anything else to do here, not really. But he wanted to be alone. He was always alone and liked it that way. Every since the incident with his mother and the Sand Tribe he held a certain dislike for people, even if they were his friends. Or pretending to be. His eyes shot back to Claudia at that thought, but he quickly snapped them back to the body of the merchant. He noticed something - a scroll in his pocket. Strange, thought Sedikit, no one uses scrolls anymore. The boy leaned down and pulled it out from his pocket. It was a letter. To whom, he couldn't tell, but he tucked it inside his coat, his back to Claudia. Sedikit kept secrets, always had and always would.

He tightened his ponytail and walked forward to stand next to her, smiling ever so faintly. He still didn't trust her, for all he knew she could assassinate him at any given moment, but perhaps he should go along with her. Come to think of it, he wouldn't really mind the company, though it might be awkward to her. It was awkward for everyone around him it seemed. Silently, he nodded to her and brushed her hand to let her know he would travel back with her instead of lingering in this country.

Claudia smiled, taking his hand brushing as a yes. "Good," she said, "I welcome the company." She looked down the hallway and noticed a balcony which overlooked a river. "We'll take the river down to the harbour perhaps?" she suggested as she walked towards the balcony, "If we can find a boat to use..." Claudia opened the glass door and peered over the balcony, she smiled. "We're in luck," she said, "There's a boat down there tied to the shore. We can use it to row ourselves down to my ship. I don't feel like walking...I'm tired from the mission, and we could both use some time to relax and catch our breaths."

Claudia swung one foot over the balcony, and then the other, holding onto carefully as she faced the water. She then looked down at the boat, and let go of the balcony, she fell with her feet straight to the ground. There was a small thud as her feet hit the bottom of the boat, and she bent her knees to absorb the shock. "Perfect landing," she said, "Lets hope it didn't damage the bottom of the boat though." She grabbed and oar and tried to steady the boat, and then looked back up at the balcony for signs of Sedikit. "Come on down," she said quietly, "You'll make it."

In the distance Claudia could hear bells ringing which signalled midnight, and she could still hear the screams of the terrorized victims running through the streets shouting for guards, soldiers, doctors and their families. "It's a shame..." she said quietly to herself, "That so many others had to die because of this one man...even his death cannot make up for it, and the fact that we could do nothing to help them...besides remove the archers that is..." Claudia turned her attention back to Sedikit, waiting for him to jump.

Sedikit stood at the balcony and watched Claudia jump down, landing with a thud in the boat. He didn't understand why they couldn't just walk, he wasn't tired at all, but she did seem to think that she was in control so he went along with it. Distracted, Claudia looked at the shoreline and frowned, then mumbled words he didn't pick up. He jumped instead, landing almost silently in the boat. Stealth and speed were his strongest points. When Claudia returned to the world and looked back at him, Sedikit was already in the boat. He stared at her without expression on his face and then sat down. She could row. Going in a boat was her idea anyway.

Sedikit leaned to the side of the boat as they rowed along, and he put his arm on the side and rested his head on his hand, gazing at the moon for the hundredth time that day. He loved the moon, everything about it, and everything about nature. Suddenly, he wondered if he looked strikingly feminine in the moonlight, and a small smile graced his face at the thought. Never had he cared about what people thought about his gender, and they asked him so many times if he was male or female. He never answered. Briefly, Sedikit wondered what Claudia thought, because he knew the Order seemed to be split in half over it. Then he remembered he didn't care and dismissed the subject in his mind, all the while avoiding looking at the woman.