Chapter 1

Ten Years Later

Relaxing against the bench, Aria brushes her long, blonde hair out of her eyes as she focuses on the two youngsters who were sparring with one another. They had been taken in together and had moved up the ranks together, and Aria knows that they'll end up being some of the best fighters.

Aria marvels at the flashing blades and the elegance of each move. It is as if the two were dancing together, the long daggers simply extensions of their bodies. It was obvious that the two had spent years bonding with their weapons. Every so often one would push forward, before losing ground once more as the other comes back with more vigor.

They had been practicing for nearly an hour, and she can see that the boy was flagging, his movements becoming slower. Finally, he is caught off guard, and taking her chance, the girl easily pins him onto the ground, her laugh echoing through the training room. It is a bright, brilliant sound that makes the whole place light up, causing the panting boy to smile. There isn't a single hint of malice in the boy's eyes. Not an ounce of shame of losing to the other. Instead, he seems proud.

The two remind her of herself when she was younger. Her and someone else.

Shaking her head, Aria grins and turns away to find the captain standing next to her. Quickly, she stands, bowing her head in respect, her hair falling back over her face.

"Captain Ambar," Aria greets politely, her lips tipping up into a smile.

"Just Ambar, Captain Aria," she replies with a laugh as she sits down. Ambar had been trying to get Aria to call her that for years, which only seemed to make Aria seem more determined to add the "Captain" in front. The annoyance on the other woman's expression always made it worth the effort.

"Ah, but you can't expect me to call you Ambar when you add Captain to mine," Aria says with a wink.

"You deserve to be better than Captain, Aria. You're the best of us." Ambar looks fondly at the younger woman, her eyes trailing over the faint white scars that covered her skin.

Rolling her eyes, Aria puts a hand on Ambar's shoulder. "If I'm the best, then I would've been able to save Isa in our last fight. You were the one who saved her."

"We are not having this conversation!" Ambar shouts. Aria chuckles, taking in the annoyed expression that lay on the other woman's features. It was a privilege that only Aria usually saw. Most everyone else views Ambar as a calm, dependable person. Aria, however, seems to be extraordinarily good at ruffling her feathers. "You are the best and that's final. Even the king says so," Ambar continues.

At the mention of the king, Aria looks away. "I suppose," she says at last.

The king had gained her loyalty over the years, but a part of her hated him. She hated the trinkets he gave her, the look of pride that he gave her whenever she accomplished his goals. In his eyes, she is nothing more than a weapon. She's quite certain that that is how most other people view her as well.

Aria glances around the training room with a sigh. The boy and girl had left, and the room was nearly empty. The torches that lined the edges of the room were almost burnt out, barely illuminating their surroundings.

Idly twisting a lock of hair around her finger, Aria walks towards the center of the circular room, Ambar following behind. It is obvious that Aria's mind is no longer in the present. A dangerous choice for an assassin.

"You want to spar?" Ambar asks after a moment. She watched as Aria snaps back.

Turning, Aria's golden eyes scan every inch of the room, as if she has never seen it before. With a blink, she turns back to Ambar and draws out her daggers in a swift move. "Sure. I'd love to."

. . .

Walking along the outskirt of the Keep's grounds, Aria hears a horse whinny from the distance, alerting her to Isa's return. Aria bursts into a run, crossing the grounds as fast as she could to greet her.

Aria reaches the stables, panting, just as Isa dismounts from her horse. The moment she catches sight of Aria, Isa's silver eyes light up with happiness, and she quickly wraps the girl into a hug.

"How are you?" she asks, concerned.

The younger woman shrugs and forces a smile onto her face. "I'm fine. I haven't been on any missions since the last fiasco."

Isa's gaze trail across Aria's face before she pulls her into another tight hug.

"The king would like to see you. He has something waiting for you," Isa says when they part, and Aria nods. She knows what's coming. More death. "I'll see you when you come back."

Isa reaches into her saddlebag to draw out a small rectangular parcel. "This is for you."

Assessing the gift, Aria smiles as she guesses what was within it. "Thank you."

Her friend nods before she grabs the reins of the horse and leads it into the stables.

. . .

The snow-white horse flies along the pathway towards the palace, her rider's golden hair streaming out behind her. As the two neared the gate, the rider whistles a tune causing the guards to open the gates in a hurry. Without slowing down, the horse and rider gallop onto the palace grounds, the iron gates closing behind them with a bang.

Outside the stable, the stablemen are standing, waiting for Aria to come in. As she passes by, she tosses off her cloak into one of the waiting men's hands and swings off the horse before coming to a stop, her heels hitting the ground as she balances herself with ease.

"I'll be back in half an hour, make sure she's ready by then," Aria orders as she strides past the rushing workers, brushing her hair to one shoulder.

Walking up the palace steps, Aria stalks through the open doors, following the red carpets lining the stone floors. The servants that she passed in the hall quickly hurried out of her path, bowing their heads in respect. She chooses to ignore the fear in their eyes.

As she reaches the king's council room, she hesitates for a second before flinging open the red double doors. Each step echoes through the silent room, every eye fixates upon her each and every movement.

Next to the king stood the prince, Ash, who is trying his best to catch her eye.

Ignoring him, Aria kneels before the king in a graceful, practiced movement. "Your Majesty, you called for me?"

"Captain, you may rise," the king says with a small smile. Standing, Aria meets the king's dark green eyes with a level stare, causing the smile to only broaden. "I have a mission for you."

Bowing her head in acknowledgment, she waits for the king to continue. "I know you've wanted to avenge for your mother for years. Now, I finally found something."

The king pauses to assess Aria and she as she schools her face into a calm mask, something she had learned through the years of living at the palace. However, she can't help but lift her head up slightly in interest.

"There are rumors that the rebels are recruiting in the southern villages. I want you to go down there and join their ranks. Sabotage their plans and report back to me weekly."

A small gasp escapes Ash's lips. "Father, are you certain? She's an assassin, not a spy."

Aria isn't sure if she should be offended at the suggestion that she couldn't do the job, even if she herself isn't certain that she can.

"As an assassin, I've trained to be a spy as well, Your Highness," Aria says dryly, and the king chuckles.

"I'm guessing that's a yes," he says. "I know you won't fail me, my dear."

Aria bows her head again, avoiding Ash's pleading eyes. She wants to tell him to stop caring about her. She wants to tell him that she didn't need his protection.

But, he is the prince. She has no right to tell him anything.

"But Father, aren't there other's that could do the job better?" he protests again.

"Someone who can do better than our Aria?" The king laughs. "Of course not. She's the best for a reason, Ash."

"You flatter me, Your Majesty, but I will do my best," Aria says. She allows the tiniest bit of annoyance to seep into her voice. Whether the king notices or not, he doesn't bother acknowledging it.

"Of course you will. You are dismissed," the king orders, waving his hand at her as he turns back to the council as if she was already gone.

Aria turns and strides out of the room, but before she even teaches the end of the hall, she hears footsteps running after her. "Aria, wait," Ash calls out.

Against her better judgment, Aria listens and stops. Turning, she waits until Ash reaches her before she starts walking again. She's silent, waiting for the prince to speak.

"You can't do this," Ash says. "It's too dangerous."

Unable to help herself, Aria laughs. "I am an assassin, Your Highness. I kill people on a daily basis. I don't think anything can be much more dangerous than that."

He flinches a little at her words. It is a small movement, but Aria catches it. She glances away, refusing to apologize for stating the truth. However, she does regret being so informal with the prince.

"But what if you get caught?" Ash asks desperately.

"Do you really think that low of me, Your Highness?" she questions as they step inside the stable.

Ash looks dumbfounded, his expression panicked he tries to find another reason to dissuade her from leaving. The only answer to that was silence or something far more insulting. He wisely opts for the first answer, but as Aria moves towards her horse, he reaches out to grab her arm.

Freezing, Aria looks over at him. "Your Highness-"

"Dammit, what would it take to get you to just call me Ash?" he exclaims. Years of frustration seep into his words, turning his voice harsh, and Aria almost feels bad. She has to remind herself to maintain their boundaries. What Ash wants is something neither of them can have.

Gently pulling herself out of his grasp, Aria turns back to her horse. "You know the answer to that as well as I do."

Ash sighs, defeated. He opens his mouth, closes it, opens it again before looking away. "Good luck," he says at last.

She smiles a bit sadly as she swings herself easily into her saddle. "That's something I won't need."

. . .

As she nears the gates of the Assassin's Keep, she slows into a trot before coming to a stop in front of the waiting Isa. Dismounting, Aria's boots hit the dirt floor, causing a small cloud to rise up in her wake.

"What did the king ask?" Isa asks curiously.

"To join the rebels," Aria says curtly. Grabbing the reins, she leads the horse off the path.

"I can't imagine that the prince took that well," Isa mutters, snorting quietly.

"Why not?"

Isa's jaw drops. "Are you kidding me? He's absolutely smitten with you!"

Aria shrugs and leads the horse inside the gates. Smitten or not, the prince will have to move on.

Behind her, Isa closes the gates with a flick of her finger, manipulating the wind to slam the iron bars closed.

Aria can still remember the first day she had seen Isa use magic. She had been stunned that there was another that had powers just like her, and that they could control them with such precision. As a child, her mother had warned her to keep it a secret. To have the ability to wield magic sealed one's fate. There were only two choices once a secret like that got out: be beheaded, or be recruited into the King's army. It didn't really matter which choice you made, you still ended up dead.

The ones in the Assassin's Guild were the luckiest. Nearly half of the Guild is composed of magic users. All were trained professionally by the strongest mages that lived in Ayacia. Aria, however, had been a bit of a conundrum. She alone is the first mage in more than a century to possess the ability to manipulate fire. Not one of the endless string of tutors could help her past the basics. It had taken years of practice for Aria to learn how to use her magic, and, even now, she still isn't entirely sure what she can do. Truthfully, she is a bit scared to know. The destruction she can bring even now is almost unthinkable.

Frowning at her fingers, Aria hands off her horse to a waiting stable boy. "Do rebels allow magic users?"

Isa nods. "They prefer them actually. The more powerful you are, the more damage you can wreck."

Aria hums thoughtfully. That was certainly a fair point. "Do you think they'll know it's me? Fire magic is rare, especially since I'm the only known one who can command it."

Her friend thinks for a moment. "I don't think there should be a problem. After all, nearly no one knows that you're female, let alone someone who's barely counted as a woman. Your age and gender should be enough. Just hold back on your fighting and you should be good."

Aria grimaces at the thought of holding back. It taxed her more to remind herself to act clumsy than to move with the fluid grace she had been trained. Her mind goes back to the King's orders, and she feels a hint of sadness creeping up on her. "I'll miss you," she whispers.

Leaning her head against the younger girl's hair, Isa sighs. "I'll miss you too. Stay safe, okay?"

"Am I ever not?"