Setting
INK
Crowds of Newhaven people began to file into the main square of Newhaven. It was tradition on the Day of Creation for the people of Newhaven to gather just before sundown to see their Queen. Typically, it was tradition spanning back to the very creation of the city for the Queen to say a speech for the onlookers from atop a balcony in the tower of Newhaven’s first church. After her mother, the former Queen had been banished from the kingdom, the tradition died away and mostly became forgotten. After the return of her mother three years ago however, the tradition was picked back up again. This was the first year after the former Queen’s passing and now it was Ella’s responsibility to present a speech.
On this day, things always seemed to act weird. It was the day that Sun and Moon shared an equal amount of the day’s work. When both the Sun and Moon could be seen in the sky at the same time, Ella would make her speech, until then, the people continued to crowd into the square.
“These are crowds like I’ve never seen before. Even before your mother’s banishing, there was never crowds as big as this. You must be excited.” Roxie said.
Roxie was the head of Ella’s personal body guards that Thomas assigned to Ella. She was an older lady with long sandy hair and who liked to dress in fancy gold and silver encrusted armour with symbols of different religious stories. Some of them were familiar to Ella, but there were some that seemed foreign to her.
“How can I be excited about this? It nearly took me a year to build up the courage to try to kill my instructor when I was an assassin and he was a complete… he wasn’t a nice guy.”
“What do you mean? This is what every girl wished for back in my day. They all wished to be you.”
“You can wish for something, but you will never know how it really feels until you are actually in the moment. Do you know what it’s actually like to be a queen?”
“Well no, but have you ever given a speech before?” Roxie smiled wit triumph. “How do you know what it will be like until you are actually in the moment?”
Ella had to admit, she was defeated, but she still didn’t like the idea of giving a speech. “I don’t care what it’s actually like, because I’m not going to get excited over it.”
“Fine, have it your way. You have two minutes more to prepare. You do have a speech prepared right?” Roxie said as she got up to give the Queen her two minutes to prepare in privacy. Even two minutes would be something that Thomas would probably get mad at Roxie for, but a girl needed her privacy sometimes.
Ella didn’t say anything, she just smiled and shooed Roxie the rest of the way out the door. When she was out the door, Roxie was about to say something, but Ella quickly shut the door, and stopping the door from re-opening with her back. As soon as she was sure that Roxie wasn’t going to come back Ella’s back slid down the door until she was slouching on the ground. She let out a heavy breath in frustration. She had nothing prepared and she had known she had to make the speech for over two months. There was no way that this was going to go over very well.
It didn’t seem like two minutes had gone by, but soon enough there was a knocking on the door. Ella slid back up the door and opened the door. Roxie and the small group of personal guards stood there; ready to bring her down the hall to where the balcony where the cheering crowd awaited her. As tradition asks of her and the guards, they silently walked down to the balcony. The Sun always seemed at its largest as it fell from the sky. Suddenly, as the Sun fell a little further, the Moon rose from behind. It was a beautiful sight that marked the beginning and the uniting of the Gods with the humans.
The crowds cheered when their Queen was finally in sight. She was now there, all alone. No one but the Queen was aloud on the Balcony when the speech was recited to the people. Ella cleared her throat and then began.
“My people,” she projected. “We live in the greatest place in Valcrest. For three years we’ve been able to avoid war and disaster and because of that, Newhaven has never looked better. With only a few more structures that are still be constructed after the terrible siege of the horrid Blackpond soldiers we are nearly at full strength. We have nothing to fear. The Twins have given us this blessing…” She stopped there. She didn’t believe anything she was telling the people, yet for some reason she was telling them this. Newhaven was still in terrible condition and people could tell that it wasn’t anywhere near what she believed. However, she decided to continue on with the words she knew were lies…
~~~~~
The dank, musty smell of the alleyway was enough to distract Alexander for a moment. He shook it off in time to notice something in the distance. A dim light of some small thing was burning in the distance. It was enough to make him crave the exact thing that he knew the voice in the distance was smoking. “So which is it my little rogue? On which side of the line are you standing anyway? Because I don’t have all day and if I must murder you I need to get started.” Those words were mostly lost as he continued to think about the next puff. His lungs felt empty without it.
He shook his head a few seconds, trying to focus on the light and not what it was that was being lit. He pulled back his bow until he couldn’t anymore and fired it in the direction of the traitor. Without much lighting, it was still a hard shot, but soon enough the sizzle from the arrow cutting through the air stopped. He couldn’t tell what it hit. It could have hit someone else for all he knew. What he did know was that the odds of her using her powers were slim as she couldn’t see Alex in the darkness. He hoped that she didn’t use her powers.
“If you aren’t dead, then let us speak, but if you also were responsible for the death of Grim, then prepare for the fight of your life.”
[Blackpond]
Rick found it funny that the man was asking him if he was actually going to use his weapon. “You know, if have it out, I’m going to be inclined to use it. Although…”
He slipped his hand in one of the common locations for a hidden pocket on the outfit the intruder was wearing. It was a hidden pocket that could be found on most any assassin of the Wolfpack. There was something about the man that didn’t make him seem like any other Wolf that he had met before however. He pulled the needles that were in the pockets of the intruder. These needles housed some very deadly poisons that had been mixed very carefully to create perfect potencies for differing reasons. “So you’re a poisoner now? Are you a good one, or just a mediocre one? I’m just wondering because I’m wondering if I even have to use my dagger at all now. You see, a real master poisoner wouldn’t carry around the antidote for their own poisons, despite what any professional would tell you. If you are a master poisoner, I could use this and you will be screwed.”
Rick put away his dagger and walked to his bed so he could see what the intruder’s face looked like. “Please don’t try anything funny. I’ll let you know that there are people who I can call upon in a moment’s notice. Professionals in the art of killing who will eat you apart.” He leaned back and placed his head on his pillow and continued. “So, what inspired you to break into my room?”
On this day, things always seemed to act weird. It was the day that Sun and Moon shared an equal amount of the day’s work. When both the Sun and Moon could be seen in the sky at the same time, Ella would make her speech, until then, the people continued to crowd into the square.
“These are crowds like I’ve never seen before. Even before your mother’s banishing, there was never crowds as big as this. You must be excited.” Roxie said.
Roxie was the head of Ella’s personal body guards that Thomas assigned to Ella. She was an older lady with long sandy hair and who liked to dress in fancy gold and silver encrusted armour with symbols of different religious stories. Some of them were familiar to Ella, but there were some that seemed foreign to her.
“How can I be excited about this? It nearly took me a year to build up the courage to try to kill my instructor when I was an assassin and he was a complete… he wasn’t a nice guy.”
“What do you mean? This is what every girl wished for back in my day. They all wished to be you.”
“You can wish for something, but you will never know how it really feels until you are actually in the moment. Do you know what it’s actually like to be a queen?”
“Well no, but have you ever given a speech before?” Roxie smiled wit triumph. “How do you know what it will be like until you are actually in the moment?”
Ella had to admit, she was defeated, but she still didn’t like the idea of giving a speech. “I don’t care what it’s actually like, because I’m not going to get excited over it.”
“Fine, have it your way. You have two minutes more to prepare. You do have a speech prepared right?” Roxie said as she got up to give the Queen her two minutes to prepare in privacy. Even two minutes would be something that Thomas would probably get mad at Roxie for, but a girl needed her privacy sometimes.
Ella didn’t say anything, she just smiled and shooed Roxie the rest of the way out the door. When she was out the door, Roxie was about to say something, but Ella quickly shut the door, and stopping the door from re-opening with her back. As soon as she was sure that Roxie wasn’t going to come back Ella’s back slid down the door until she was slouching on the ground. She let out a heavy breath in frustration. She had nothing prepared and she had known she had to make the speech for over two months. There was no way that this was going to go over very well.
It didn’t seem like two minutes had gone by, but soon enough there was a knocking on the door. Ella slid back up the door and opened the door. Roxie and the small group of personal guards stood there; ready to bring her down the hall to where the balcony where the cheering crowd awaited her. As tradition asks of her and the guards, they silently walked down to the balcony. The Sun always seemed at its largest as it fell from the sky. Suddenly, as the Sun fell a little further, the Moon rose from behind. It was a beautiful sight that marked the beginning and the uniting of the Gods with the humans.
The crowds cheered when their Queen was finally in sight. She was now there, all alone. No one but the Queen was aloud on the Balcony when the speech was recited to the people. Ella cleared her throat and then began.
“My people,” she projected. “We live in the greatest place in Valcrest. For three years we’ve been able to avoid war and disaster and because of that, Newhaven has never looked better. With only a few more structures that are still be constructed after the terrible siege of the horrid Blackpond soldiers we are nearly at full strength. We have nothing to fear. The Twins have given us this blessing…” She stopped there. She didn’t believe anything she was telling the people, yet for some reason she was telling them this. Newhaven was still in terrible condition and people could tell that it wasn’t anywhere near what she believed. However, she decided to continue on with the words she knew were lies…
~~~~~
The dank, musty smell of the alleyway was enough to distract Alexander for a moment. He shook it off in time to notice something in the distance. A dim light of some small thing was burning in the distance. It was enough to make him crave the exact thing that he knew the voice in the distance was smoking. “So which is it my little rogue? On which side of the line are you standing anyway? Because I don’t have all day and if I must murder you I need to get started.” Those words were mostly lost as he continued to think about the next puff. His lungs felt empty without it.
He shook his head a few seconds, trying to focus on the light and not what it was that was being lit. He pulled back his bow until he couldn’t anymore and fired it in the direction of the traitor. Without much lighting, it was still a hard shot, but soon enough the sizzle from the arrow cutting through the air stopped. He couldn’t tell what it hit. It could have hit someone else for all he knew. What he did know was that the odds of her using her powers were slim as she couldn’t see Alex in the darkness. He hoped that she didn’t use her powers.
“If you aren’t dead, then let us speak, but if you also were responsible for the death of Grim, then prepare for the fight of your life.”
[Blackpond]
Rick found it funny that the man was asking him if he was actually going to use his weapon. “You know, if have it out, I’m going to be inclined to use it. Although…”
He slipped his hand in one of the common locations for a hidden pocket on the outfit the intruder was wearing. It was a hidden pocket that could be found on most any assassin of the Wolfpack. There was something about the man that didn’t make him seem like any other Wolf that he had met before however. He pulled the needles that were in the pockets of the intruder. These needles housed some very deadly poisons that had been mixed very carefully to create perfect potencies for differing reasons. “So you’re a poisoner now? Are you a good one, or just a mediocre one? I’m just wondering because I’m wondering if I even have to use my dagger at all now. You see, a real master poisoner wouldn’t carry around the antidote for their own poisons, despite what any professional would tell you. If you are a master poisoner, I could use this and you will be screwed.”
Rick put away his dagger and walked to his bed so he could see what the intruder’s face looked like. “Please don’t try anything funny. I’ll let you know that there are people who I can call upon in a moment’s notice. Professionals in the art of killing who will eat you apart.” He leaned back and placed his head on his pillow and continued. “So, what inspired you to break into my room?”