Chapter Three: Screams that shook the Palace

Fifteen minutes.

All she had was fifteen minutes.

Her heels clicked softly against the tiled floors, then she heard a sound. She stopped, hiding behind a nearby wall. She could hear voices.

No, no, no

She still had fifteen minutes.

Her palms were sweaty. Her heart was beating. The angst was building up faster than she could take.

Fifteen minutes.

She slowly peaked out of her hiding space, making sure she wasn't seen. Then she saw him.

Her first target.

Gerald Dirk, the King of Arlon.

The anxiety she had was replaced with her complete hatred. The anger she harbored towards the man was unrelenting. Burning. Eating her whole.

Gerald Dirk was too occupied discussing with the Chief of Police to notice the dark cloaked female hiding behind his wall. Fixing the mess he made and creating dirty little secrets kept him busy most the time he was awake. Even as he slept his dreams haunted him. The secrets he tried to keep buried, lost beneath the floors of the Castle, never to be recovered.

"I want that report hidden in the farthest part of the dungeons. It will soon be that time when her curiosity oaks and I don't want any loose ends" the King said, his voice hushed and secretive.

The Chief nodded, feeling very important that the King had trusted him with a secret. A secret so dark and twisted, that if exposed, would shake that walls of the Kingdom.

"Of course Your Highness, everything will be done before sunset." He bowed his head respectfully. The King released a soft, relieved breath. Hee wouldn't get caught. No one would know what he did that Saturday night.

She leaned in closer, trying to get a good view of what the last seconds of His Majesty's life looked like. Filled with secrets and lies.

She could see his Crown, glittering, as light reflected off it. All the riches- she leaned in closer, her feet moving on their own accord- All the fame- her eyes blazed with unshed tears, water she wouldn't waste at this time. She continued to lean in, resting against a vase. Closer.

Closer. Clos-

CRASH!

She stilled, staring at the piece if ceramic that was shattered at her feet. Her eyes were wide and her mouth gaping. Her heart, furiously drumming against it's cage. She was dead.

Dead.

The King and Chief, both startled, paused at the sound of the crash.

"Should I check it out, Your Highness?" She heard the Chief ask, fear clogging her throat.

Silence.

The King was thinking.

She weighed her options. The gates were closed. Going back was more dangerous than staying where she was. It was too dangerous. She glanced at her watch.

Six minutes. Six minutes, Your Highness.

"There's no time. I told my wife I was going to sleep." The King rushed out. The Chief nodded his head quickly and briskly walked away, leaving the King there. Unprotected. Vulnerable to attack.

She smiled, watching him pause for a second and stared at the spot where she was. He shrugged the feeling if being watched off, and entered his room shutting the door behind him.

But failing to lock it.

Two minutes saved for the cloaked assassin.

She waited a few seconds, sure he had crawled into bed, then she made her way.

The cold metal handle teased her gloved finger tips, exciting her. The tension was great. Her whole life, she'd prepared for this moment.

Her destiny.

Immediately she stepped into the room, the King shit up from his bed. Alarmed, his eyes snapped open and found a cloaked- female, from the body build, standing in his room.

"Who are you-" He started.

" Shhh..." She hushed him, then pulled down her cloak. "It's just me."

"I thought I told you not to come here anymore!" The King hissed, anxiety building up. "What if someone had seen you? Do you want me to get caught?"

She was silent. The room was silent. The King wondered the cause for her silence.

Soon, that wonder turned into fear, as he lips stretched apart into a wide, scary smile. One that hid pain and torture behind it.

He didn't know that he had triggered it. A monster so fierce, a darkness wedged in the soul of hidden behind those hazel eyes.

She moved closer to the bed, causing the King to slowly inch up, his back hitting the head board behind him.

Her eyes were full of unshed tears. But her smile, that was proof of the demons to be unleashed.

Two minutes.

Her hand slowly moved behind her back to reach for the holster.

And then she pulled out an 8 inch pistol with a homemade silencer in it.

The King didn't have time to register anything. By the time his mouth opened to scream, he felt it. Or he didn't feel it.

Numb.

It was a slight pinch at first. Then the burning. It started to burn. All he could feel was fire all around him, even though he was still seated on his bed his feet covered by the duvet.

The white cover started to turn crimson as spurts of blood fell onto it. In his neck, was a gaping hole, his head slack against the headboard.

His eyes...wide and fearful. Everything she wanted. Her hand shook. She wasn't worried about noise. After all, with the silencer, it sounded like a soft click. She had done it.

He was gone.

The ragged breathing stopped, the blood continued to trickle down, forming a beautiful pattern on the bed. She watched it all. Transfixed. Amazed.

Heels clinking against the tiled signaled someone coming, so she knew she had to make her escape. The air vent was just a few inches beside the bed, so she slowly pocketed the gun and walked towards it, bidding goodbye to the corpse.

She lifted it up, quicker than before, when she heard the footsteps getting closer. It was big enough for her to watch the next few seconds. The Queen entered, then the screams.

Screams that shook the Palace. That scarred 17 years old Princess Catherine. That startled 21 year old Prince Ajax.

She watched it all from the vent, only leaving when the Castle doctor confirmed the death. Right there. In his bed.

She left quickly after that, leaving behind all the hatred behind her. All the pain.

And a lock of hair stuck in the vent along with it.