Consequences.

I’m sitting on the bench in Willow Park when a royal messenger comes my way. He introduces himself as Caleb Hoven. he's wearing the royal colors; ocean blue and crimson red. A bright cap with a little tassel on the side sits on his head. He has curly red hair and dark green eyes, which I know is somewhat rare.

“Miss Marie, you are needed at the King’s Castle in thirty minutes, thank you,” he says softly. I nod. He introduces himself every time we meet, even though the King requests me at least five times a month.

You see, I’m basically the world's best assassin. The king hires me to kill off anyone who opposes him, threats his rule, or just displeases him in general. I work best with poison, but I also have deadly aim with blades and archery. Only one other person knows about my profession; Sarah Nightingale. My one and only love. She tries to ignore the fact that I’m an assassin, but that’s just because she is the most accepting person in Azrail. 

I nod and Caleb walks back to his bicycle, a dark blue one he always uses to contact me. I set a timer on my smartwatch for 28 minutes. That’s another thing I’m really good at, timing and arriving on time. It takes about ten minutes to get to the castle from here on a car/bike, but 20 minutes on foot. Then another two minutes to get through security, then another seven minutes to get through the huge castle. This all, of course, is if I'm walking at a steady pace. If I walk faster on the way there then through the castle, the entire thing is thrown off balance.

I start walking down Oakhill Drive. I turn right on Mulberry, left on Starfaze, then forward for about six minutes, left on Calis, then finally right on Riversfield Avenue. Now I’m at the gates, just as the twenty-minute mark appears on my watch.

I meet with Reiley and Kenny, the two gate-keepers. They know me pretty well. I got past security (I had to go through four different metal-detectors) and walked down the long hallways. Tapestries are hung on the wall of different events in Israel's history. One of the Zinian Wars, one of the Calact Peace Treaty Signing, and so on. I finally reach the huge wooden doors that lead to the throne room, where the King will undoubtedly be. The two guards open it.

I’m greeted by a deep but pleasant voice. “Vivian! How pleasant to see you. Right on time, once again.”

I kneel down, though I know he will want me to stand. “Always a pleasure, your Majesty.”

“Now, stand young one. I have another job for you,” he says. I stand. King Rael sits in his giant obsidian throne with rubies embedded into it. He has sickly black hair that goes down to his shoulder, and a twisted gold crown lays upon his head. He wears ocean blue and crimson robes that go down below his feet. He has bright blue eyes that have a certain icy feel, very different from his wide smile. He was truly the most cheerful of the kings and queens.

“Who is it?” I ask.

“Well, I’m sure you won’t like it. But with her recent protests against some of the policies we have made, she poses an enormous threat to Azrail.” he says, his smile fading.

I know who it is. It's the only person that has enough influence on Azrailians to pose a threat. I ask anyway. “Who?”

He sighs. “I understand if you don't want to take on the job.”

I don't answer.

“Very well. Her name is Sarah Nightingale.”

*      *        *   

I walk down the roads back home. I know she is sleeping now. I watch my feet, which causes me to almost trip over a rock. I can almost feel my hands shaking. Actually, I think my whole body is shaking.

I reach my house. I open the door and head to the basement, where I keep everything for assassination (poison, weapons, etc.). One wall has a line of different sized knives, one has a line of bows and arrows, and another has a table with different glowing liquids in bottles and jars of herbs.

I head to the wall of knives. The best-balenced one is straight in front of me. The knife is clean silver with different symbols carved into it, the handle a dark black leather. The blade is simple, the handle undecorated, the metal smooth and straight, but it's deadly. I grab it and see that my hands are shaking, I wasn't imagining it. I head upstairs.

I don’t know if I can do this.

*      *        *   

I can’t do it, I can’t do it, I think as I'm walking down the hallway to my bedroom, where I know Sarah sleeps quietly. but this is what the King wants, and I'm the best assassin in Azrail.

I do not know how to do it. I have to betray the only one I love, the only one I will ever/have ever loved. how am I supposed to do it? She is the only person that ever accepted me and my differences. I can not. I can not betray her. But i know that the King will just find another person to do it. It has to be me.

I open the door and see her, laying in a pile of grey blankets. even while her hair is a mess and her makeup from yesterday smeared, she is absolutely gorgeous. Suddenly the blade in my hand feels heavy. I want to drop it. I do not want to kill her. how am I supposed to do it? even though my King has hired me to kill my love, how do I do it? Is any amount of money or fame worth living in a world without Sarah?

she stirred in her sleep. I panic, but she sits up too fast for me to hide the blade. tears form in my eyes. she looks at me, puzzled, then her eyes move to the blade. fear overcomes the soft loving amber of her iris'. she puts her hand over her mouth and gasps.

"Vivian? w-what are you doing?" she says, a little muffled from her hands.

"I don't want to." I blurt, then immediately regret it because she now knows what I have to do.

"but- Vivian! how could you? please, don't do it!" she cries out. my hands are shaking, and my aim will be awful, but I can make it.

I can-i can- I can kill her. for my King.

"I love you."

the blade leaves my hand as tears run down my cheeks onto the floor. her lips are just making out the words I love you too when the blade hits her. Yes, the aim was terrible, but she was gone. the sudden realization of what I just did hits me like a mountain crashing into me.

I just killed her. I killed the only one I love.

I retrieve the blade. there is only one way for me to live with this. or... not live. my hands circle around the black leather bounding of the blade. a white mist appears at the top of my eyes, slowly drifting down until it covers my eyesight completely. I feel the hardwood floor before everything turns white, and every feeling, emotional and physical, ceases.

Suddenly I'm in a white room, empty except for me and someone in a chair, facing away from me. I step towards her, hoping it's who I think it is. tears once again fill my eyes.

"Sarah?" I ask.

She stands and walks closer to the wall. she's wearing the same thing she was when i- when i-

"How am I to forgive you, Vivian? after what you did?" she asks. my hands start shaking again.

"i- I'm sorry. I didn't want to. but i- I came for you. to be with you." I say. she sighs.

"do you want to be with the outcome of your action?" she asks, still facing the wall.

"what?"

She turns around quickly. her amber eyes filled with pain and anger. it takes a moment for me to see her fully.

her once white and light-pink clothes are now stained with red, and the knife sticks out from her chest.

"no." I say in disbelief. "i- I thought-"

"you thought I'd be perfect?"

I do not answer.

"Well, Vivian Marie, even in death, there is no perfect," she says, her eyes piercing me like knives. she laughs.

"Sarah." I finally say.

She turns around and a long hallway appears instead of the wall. she walks down it and turns at the end. though we are very far apart now, her voice echoes through the hall, sending shivers down my spine.

"good luck."