Chapter 2

Aria always hated goodbyes. They left behind a certain note of finality. It was one of the main reasons why she had never visited her mother's grave. Although it was painful not to, she felt as though she would be letting her go, and she wasn't quite ready to do that. However, even she knew that there was a high chance that she would never be able to once she left to do the king's mission. No matter how talented she is, one mistake will bring about her downfall.

She hesitates at the gates of the Keep. Everything she needed, which wasn't much, was already packed into a small leather bag or strapped onto her body. Within it is a small amount of food for the trip, money, and lots of weapons.

Finally, she turns around and runs back to her room to grab the bouquet of lavenders that sat on her desk. They had always been her mother's favorite flowers after her father had given them to her on their first date. A father she had never met. Whenever Aria had asked about him, her mum's eyes would grow sad, and as time passed, Aria had learned to stop asking. The most she ever got out of her mother was his name. Ajax.

Throwing one more look over her shoulder, Aria creeps into the cemetery that lay around the Keep's corner. Her golden eyes are wary as she follows the trail, the sound of the river ahead of her, her body tensing as she grows closer to the grave she has never visited.

Her pace slows with each step, as though she is giving herself extra time to stop herself from doing this. Her pride pushes her forward, along with a bit of desperation. She owes this to her mother, and to herself.

She's not quite sure what she expected. All that is visible is a single grey rock engraved with a few simple words. It is all that needed to be said.

"In memory of

Orabelle Leona Grey

loving mother, sister, and friend"

She stares at the words, her mouth moving as she reads them over and over again. Her breath comes out in short gasps, and she's blinking fast.

Unable to stop herself, Aria lets out a long shuddering sob before kneeling down and pressing the flowers against the cool, damp soil. None of the self-control she had taught herself could keep the tears from spilling and dripping onto the lavender petals. A warm breeze wraps around her and she can't help but feel as though she were embraced within her mother's arms. Could it be that she was watching over her, even now?

"Mummy," she whispers. "I miss you so much." Her fingers trace over the headstone, memorizing the grooves in the rough, hard surface. "It's been nearly four thousand days since I lost you yet I'm still no different from that seven-year-old girl I was then. I see you every night and wish you were here. I wake up every day trying to forget, but it never stops hurting."

Aria lets out a shuddery breath, and her fingers stilling against the cool stone. The taste of her tears, combined with the cold relaxes her slightly. "I can't help but think about what you must think of me now. I doubt that you'd be proud of me. I'm nothing more than an instrument wielded by the king, but I still hope that maybe you'd be able to see something in me that's good. I always wanted to be a healer, like you. Instead, I became the opposite of that. Instead of healing, I destroy. I'm undoing all the good you brought to this world.

"I agreed to the king's mission to avenge your death, and I know that I'm most likely not going to come out alive. You wouldn't approve of this, but there's nothing left for me to do. You know, I've been trained to be a ruthless killer, yet, I'm scared. Just a little bit." Aria laughs and shakes her head. "Who am I kidding? I'm scared a lot. I don't want to mess up, but I can't help but feel like I will.

"I don't know what the afterlife will be. I don't know if there is one. I don't know if you're even listening. But, I wanted to say goodbye. After all these years, I wanted for you to be at rest." 

Standing, she shakily wipes the tears from her eyes. "I'll remember you till the day I die. I love you." Her voice cracks on the last sentence. "I love you so much."

As she moves away from the grave, her eyes dry. There was no use for crying after tonight. Emotions didn't do anything but keep you back from what needed to be done.

. . .

The grueling pace towards the southern villages made her whole body ache. Assassin or not, riding for three days straight with only small breaks was still a struggle. Every muscle in her body was screaming in pain by the time she made it to a small town near the seaside. Her nose wrinkles as the pungent smell of fish grow stronger, and she ducks her head into her horse's mane in an attempt to block it. It barely does anything. If anything, it makes things worse.

A bead of sweat trickles down her face and she sighs. Even with the sun below the horizon, the heat is nearly unbearable, and she can't wait until she is able to be able to sleep in an actual bed, no matter how disgusting it might be. Honestly, she'd simply be happy to be able to sleep with a roof over her head.

She nearly cries when she sees the gates of the village appear in a distance. With a last burst of energy, she and her horse speed towards it.

A guard stands near the gate, and she guides her horse toward him. "Sir? Is there a tavern nearby that I could possibly freshen up at?"

The guard is startled by her voice before smiling slightly. "Of course. There's one nearby, just around the corner called the White Swan. It's a good establishment."

"Thank you," she says. Turning her horse, she starts to move towards the direction the man had pointed when the man calls out, "Wait!"

Glancing back, she sees the guard moving towards her. "You're new here, aren't ya?" the man asks. "I just thought I should warn ya. Make sure that you stay inside at night, and lock the door tightly. These days, crazy things have been happening and you can never be too safe. I'd hate to hear another about another person going missing."

It wasn't a strange warning. As a girl who travelled a lot, Aria got them more often than not. They didn't need to know that she could handle herself just fine.

As annoying as it is to be underestimated, she isn't so foolish as to not know how to use that to her advantage.

Taking his words with a grain of salt, Aria nods. "Thank you for the warning. I'll keep it in mind."

The guard looks at her for a long moment. "All right. Safe travels."

She offers him a smile before continuing on her way, her mind unable to think about anything but the taste of warm food.