The day was bright as Tannin found himself sitting atop his horse, Oachi. The horse moved at a leisurely pace through the kingdom of Silanos. He'd only just arrived early that morning from Axijan. The two realms bordered each other yet they were quite different. The land of Silanos was much more vibrant than that of Axijan though in all honesty Tannin preferred his homeland to this one. There was a light mist falling from the sky, almost as if the moon goddess knew why the Axijan man was there. Lorn, the king of Nuhardos, had sent a sealed letter to the Guild Master. As Tannin had read it, he'd come to realize that he was the only one that could do as the new king wished. There was only a few who'd ever seen the man and even fewer who would help him in his aide to become the King of the World. As a new kingdom, Nuhardos still had few allies and so the only way that Lorn had deemed it possible to harm the King was to hire the Assassin's Guild.
Tannin had taken the job knowing that he was heading to kill the Princess. He did not normally take jobs in which harmed the innocent. As far as he was concerned, the Princess had done nothing to warrant death. Yet, he had no choice. Lorn had discovered where the Guild hid out and was threatening to reveal its location if the girl was not killed. His top priority had to be protecting the Guild.
The sound of Oachi's hooves upon the lightly stoned path was all that he could hear save for the sounds of the nature that surrounded him. He was upon the outskirts of the kingdom and would not take him more than a day's ride to reach the location of the palace. He pulled his hood down though he'd not needed to. It was more of habit. He was well aware that his appearance would alert those within the realm to something going on. It was not often that Axijans came to Silanos. They were not on good terms with one another.
The reason was lost to all but a few that found the subject interesting. Tannin was one of these few. He'd researched it for a long time until he'd come to understand. His family and that of Teodora had once been tightly knit with one another. They'd been close friends and so it had come about that King Teodora, the Princess's ancestor, had asked Tannin's ancestors for the hand of their most beautiful daughter for the Prince. The La Roches declined, saying that the woman was already promised to another. The King felt as if he'd been betrayed by Tannin's family and so slowly had destroyed their lives. He'd turned them into traitors which caused the creation of Axijan.
Even just entering the realm of Silanos was cause for death for Tannin. He could not give his name for the Kings and Queens that had ruled over the years in Silanos had decreed that all bearing the name 'La Roche' was to die. It was how his mother had died. They'd hunted her down though had not been able to find the boy. Even now the memory haunted Tannin. He blamed the King for his mother's death..for his father leaving though he would never say as much to anyone.
Tannin pushed his mind from the thoughts. He would just have to be careful until he left this kingdom. He passed a few people along the worn road though ignored them. He had no need to speak to anyone while he was in Silanos. He simply needed to complete his mission.
His apprentice, Litania, had wished to join him though Tannin had ordered her to remain at the Guild. He knew that he needed to go this path alone. The child still had much to learn and he wouldn't be quicker on his own. He already knew that she would be angry with him by the time he returned to Axijan. It would be a welcomed sight. Tannin turned his attention back to the task at hand. He needed to be less than a day's ride by the evening. His slow pace would not allow that.
He suddenly nudged Oachi into a faster pace though not a full out gallop. Slowly, he left the road. He had no intent upon allowing any to see his approach. He felt better now, being out of the open in such a dangerous place. He was concentrating on the path, looking for the signs that he knew would be there leading the way to the main city.