A Kingdom of Assassins

A prince and an assassin stand on the terrace and watch the stars. Nearby, the clock tower chimes. One. Two. Three. It's three in the morning. But neither of them want to fall into a land filled with demons that haunt them and ghosts that remind them of their past. Nor do they want to hear the voices of their tumultuous thoughts reminding them of their worries and anxieties of what was to come. No. They weren’t ready for it. But no one ever is.

P.O.V of Cyanthe(the assassin)

  I stand at the balcony, staring up at the sky. The pale light of the moon casts a soft glow on the town below, painting it in colors of peace, of silence, of beauty. The wind blows, sending a cool breeze against the warmth of my skin, and I shiver slightly. I rub my arms to keep them warm, my movement causing my companion to notice. "Here. Maybe this can help." He takes of his blazer and drapes it over my shoulders, his hands softly brushing my neck before he pulls away. "Thank you." I reply, my face a mask of casual indifference. He seems to catch the double meaning in my thanks, and turns away, hiding his face from the light. 

  "It was not your fault. None of this is your fault." At my words, he freezes completely, his breaths coming out in short gasps as he struggles to control his overwhelming guilt. No one has ever blamed him, but I knew-as we all did- that he has constantly been involved in the movement, putting himself at risk as compensation for it. 

  "Ready for tomorrow?" He refuses to look at me, staring up at the sky instead. He doesn't answer, and I don't expect him to. His silence is answer enough. 

  I don't blame him. 

  I turn to go back into the comfort of my room, and just before I slide back the glass doors, I hear his soft voice. "Don't go. Let me do it instead." I freeze. "Impossible. I am the only one capable." "You and I both know that I can do it as well as you can." How did he find out? I had done my best to make sure that he wouldn't know the truth- that I volunteered in his place, to protect both him and this country. "Besides, everything has already been planned. It's impossible to change the arrangement." 

  Not wanting to continue the discussion, I head back inside. 

  A moment later, he follows me into my room.

  "Why? Why did you do it?" He knew. "What do you mean?" "Don't act innocent. I know you volunteered in my place." There it was. The truth I had so desperately tried to hide. Now that he knew, there was no point in trying to cover up. I turned to face him. In the light, his angular cheekbones and smooth jawline had given his features a sharp look. His blue eyes burned with fury, and his mouth was fixed in a firm line.

  "Who told you?" Calm. Casual. Cold. "No one. I figured it out myself. What I can't understand is-why? Why would you do it? Why would you take my place? You knew the stakes as well as anyone, even more so." "I had to do it." "Why." Not a question. A demand. "Because I had to." At that, his eyes seemed to glow, and his expression turned to one of anger and fury. "You didn't have to!" He was shouting now. "It should have been me! Not you! You did nothing wrong!" At that, he stopped, suddenly drained. "You did nothing wrong." He slumped into the chair, his energy drained. The guilt had been killing him slowly on the inside. His fault. His mistake. His failure.

  As I saw him, broken and crushed with guilt, something inside me snapped. Before I knew what I was doing, I walked over to him and crushed my mouth against his. I let the final moments of the kiss linger, and I lean in to whisper in his ear. He looks up at me in shock. I give him no warning as I smash his head with the hilt of my dagger I had hidden in my shoe. I looked at him again. It had been the only way. If I hadn't done this, he would. And then he would go in my place, only to never return. But his kingdom was depending on him. And so he cannot go. I will not allow it. I look at him a moment longer, before I turn on my heel and walk away. And never looked back.

  The Prince P.O.V

  I should have struck first. Then maybe she wouldn't have to die. She doesn't deserve to die. Not her. I put my head in my hands. My mind was still reeling in shock. Her words danced around my head as I replayed it over and over again. The kiss. That last kiss that tasted of a broken promise made eons ago- and a final farewell. Then- "It stopped." Just two words. But the two words had left him broken. 

  He had once given her a watch. She had always been fascinated with machines, loved the way their gears turned, loved the soothing rhythm of the ticks. She fell in love with that watch- she always wore it, even in training, never taking it off in case something happened to it. I had told her then. "Here. For you. May it be a reminder that we are always running on borrowed time. For time was never under our control, and the length of our days set." 

  It stopped. Time, for her, would stop at last. Her time had run out. She knew the danger, and would accept her death when it came. And it would surely come. Time was what they had all planned for. But time had run out.