“There-” I said, pointing, “-Is Necanda's castle.”

Really, it was his villa. Or at least, it was what was left of his villa.

Between the part at the southern tip of the western Impassable was Necanda's Villa. I had been told by none other than Lord Necanda himself, back when he was sane, of course, that his ancestors had long ago built this villa to protect his family and allies during the wars that followed the Chaos Night. The villa grew, and more and more people came. At its peak, it housed over two thousand people, and was the home of frequent festivals, and celebrations. The stars above danced to its music and its light glowed far into the distant mountains.

Throughout the years, however, its fame had died off. As the land became somewhat more peaceful, people moved to new cities. Necanda's Villa was left with people who were too frightened, or too poor to leave. A generation or two passed, and those people died off, leaving only people who had very strong ties to Necanda, and those in his guard and employ.

And now? Now the village lay silent, abandoned by all but one person. As Christen, Rico and I looked over the quiet, dead city, the first flakes of snow began to fall. Real snow, not the frozen rain that had fallen in the new village of Artis.

Artis. If I ever had a heart, that damned city found it, only to shatter it into a thousand pieces.

The forest surrounding the villa looked grey in the absence of leafy foliage. Crows called one another within the villa, but the houses stood still and cold. The castle loomed as the last rays of red light disappeared over the mountains, and long shadows covered the small, broken houses that cowered before it.

“It's... “ Rico started, but lost his words.

“Unnatural?” I asked. I believed it was when I first saw the village abandoned. I had never before seen such and empty place. At least, not one that hadn't been burnt to the ground. This place, however, showed no signs of destruction. It was just empty.

“Lord Necanda... Is insane.” I said. “Slowly, he drove away all the people in the Villa. He lives alone in the castle.”

“Not for long.” Muttered Christen. As the last red ray of light disappeared, she turned her back on the villa, and started walking back to the forest that we had just left. Rico looked over the villa, then to me. He shrugged, and chased after Christen.

I sighed and went after her as well. I doubted she could make her way back to the caravan without getting lost.

***

Our camp was simple, and one I had gotten used to over the last few weeks. Christen sat tending the fire, sometimes fixing her cloak which was torn and tattered, sometimes sharpening the dull blade that she had found. Rico sat across from her, trying to keep up with my drinking Generally, he was passed out before long.

“Christen.” He said before the liquor he was drinking hit him. “Why do you want to kill Lord Necanda anyway?”

Christen bowed her head against the firelight and continued to sharpen her blade. “Because it is his fault that I am in the state I am now. I am homeless, and reduced to a thief..”

“You like being a thief.” I reminded her. She glanced up from her dagger only a moment.

“This may be true, but there was better for me. My love, my title.”

“You hated your title...You love was taken by the very person you now seek to defend...” I stopped and took a deep drink from my flask. “However, I have no desire to talk you out of your actions. Whatever happens tomorrow, I will come away a richer person. Even if you do kill Lord Necanda, I was hired to bring you this far...And if you can't, I will. And I will simply receive more of your well stolen gold.”

Christen ignored me and focused back on her dagger. “Rico, if you have such... distaste for what I plan to do, then go. Leave.”

Rico shook his red head. “Stiri has the pendant. Until he gives it to me, I will not leave. Besides” he stopped and stared into the fire for a long moment before he continued. “You got me from that prison, and from my death.” he sighed, “I am indebted to you.”

I sighed. “You're not getting the pendant.” I said.

“Then what will you do with it?” He asked, “ Do you intend to give it away to another? Do you have loyalties with another group? Do you know how to use it.”

“I'll do as I see fit with my pendant. And as of now, I don't see it fit to give it away.” I traced the line of silver metal around my neck. It was biting cold.

After Rico had finally passed out. I went into my caravan, and came back out with a small package, wrapped in black cloth. I handed it to Christen.

“I suppose you should take this.” I said as I sat next to her.

Christen stared at me a moment, and carefully took the package. She untied the string that held the cloth together, and then let a shining dagger fall on her lap. It was much different than my simple, sharp dagger. Its blade was plain metal, yes. but its hilt was of silver. Near the blade was a single rose inlaid in the silver hilt in gold. From that rose, golden thorned vines trailed down the handle.

“...This means.. You'll teach me how to be an assassin?” she asked.

I shook my head. “Always, you beg, and you beg me to help you be an assassin. ” I drank the rest of my flask, and then stared into the warm fire. It was a very cold night, and the frost was already beginning to form in the shadows. The half-moon hung overhead. “No. The dagger is yours for a different reason. If you want to kill Lord Necanda, then that's fine. There is something you don't know.”

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“What don't I know...” She said softly. I made the mistake of looking over at her. Tears slid down her face, glowing red in the fire. “Stiri! What don't I know? I know you kill my father, you killed my love.. But... But..” She put her face in her hands and sobbed.

I thought of the girl that I had helped once ago. How she sobbed into me, feeling lost, helpless to turn the tide of events that she was caught up in.

“I can't hate you.” she said through he tears. “You helped me so much... more than I ever thought you could have... more than you think you did...”

“I tricked your father, then killed your husband and your father. I don't see-”

“That's it...” she said. She sniffed and stared deeply into the fire as her sobs subsided. “You freed me. My father. My husband. I miss them both, and I loved them both dearly. That is why I seek revenge... However...”

For a long time, she stopped talking, but continued to stare into the fire.

“Thanks to you, I'm free.” she said finally. “I can do what I wish, when I wish. I don't have to fulfill my role as daughter, wife, or even bar maiden.”

“But, you want to kill Lord Necanda still.”

“You killed my husband on my father's orders. My father is dead, so I can hold no grudge against him. However, you killed him on Lord Necanda's orders...”

“And what if Lord Necanda was justified in his own actions?” I asked. “What if he was justified in hiring me?”

“What is it to me then? My father is dead.”

I nodded slowly. “Very well then.” I reached and gently traced the rose on the dagger. “Let me tell you then about Lord Necanda... and your mother.

“When I was still very young, I met Lord Necanda and his wife, Lady Marcy Necanda. At that age, I had just started my work of assassination. Almond had introduced me to Lord Necanda, passing on my services to him. He hired me to take out a few of his rivals, mostly people who sought to displace him from his castle. He was impressed with my work, with my age, and my skill. I was invited to stay at the castle for some time.

“Lady Necanda adored me. She thought I was 'sweet' and often had me sit with her when Lord Necanda was gone, so that she might have someone to speak to. She was a lonely person, who didn't make friends easily. She had no maids she could talk to, only myself, and her daughter who was no more then two.

“She also had Lord Whyte. Lord Whyte was a business friend of Lord Necanda's He often came on business to the castle, and stayed for long periods at a time. He made little effort of hiding the fact that he adored Lady Necanda, and there was even word that her daughter was Lord Whyte's and not Lord Necanda's. However, Lord Necanda trusted his wife very much, and refused to hear ill of her.

“One day, however, when I arrived at the castle after a brief absence, this had all changed. Lord Necanda had intended to leave the castle to go to Rawlin on business. His favorite horse had just died, so he took a different one. As he passed by, he was unrecognized by Lord Whyte, who went to Necanda's villa as Lord Necanda was leaving.

“Lord Necanda worried that Lord Whyte might have something pressing to discuss with him, as he was rushing to the castle. So, Lord Necanda turned around, and went to the castle where he heard his own wife with and Lord Whyte.

“When I arrived he was in a rage. I was still young, and understood little of what he was feeling. I admit, I was most hesitant when he threw money at my feet, and demanded that I kill his cheating wife and his lying friend.

“I liked Lady Necanda. She treated me nicely, and spoke to me much about her feelings in the house. How Lord Necanda, she was sure, married her for a son or daughter, not for her. She said she never got along well with other people, never could speak to people well. However, She had been the daughter of a rich lord, and it was a marriage of convenience. However, I was an assassin before I was a confident. 'But what of the girl?' I had asked. 'You're daughter?' 'With each passing day, she more and more resembles him!” He said, 'However, she has done nothing wrong. Simply take her from my sight.'

“So, Lord Necanda again left the castle. I was not known to be in the castle. but my job was clear. I was to kill Lady Necanda and Lord Whyte.

“Once all had fallen asleep, I crept into Lady Necanda's room. The door creaked opened, and I stepped quietly into the other room. However, Lady Necanda was not asleep. The moment she heard a noise, she sat up in her bed, holding her dagger in her hand.

“She couldn't see me, not at the moment. So she used one hand to open the drapes at the window next to her bed. Moonlight flooded the room, and she saw me.

She could not harm me. She refused to harm me. Her dagger dropped to the floor, and she doubled over, almost as though she was in pain.

“'He has found out.' she said. I told her yes. I told her what I had been hired to do, and that I had to do it. 'Heavens knows I have wronged him... it is only right.. for this to be my punishment. I have one request'” she said as I advanced upon her. I bade her to tell me, promising I would follow it as best as I could. 'My daughter. Please, take her to Lord Whyte. I have wronged Lord Necanda, and I deserve this. However... She has done nothing. Please, take her to him.. and let him raise her. Don't kill him until she is able to care for herself.'

“I promised I would honor her request. I killed her, and took her sleeping infant daughter from her room. Barging into one of the guest rooms, I disguised myself as a servant of Lord Necanda, for Lord Whyte had never personally met me. I gave him the child. 'Quickly, leave this place. Lady Necanda has been killed, and the killer seeks your blood now.'

“Terrified, Lord Whyte packed up, and took the babe and fled into the night. It would be years again before I would see him again, and all I had left of Lady Necanda was the blood on my dagger, and her own dagger, which she had dropped at the sight of my face...”

Christen was crying again, grasping the handle of the dagger. I balled my hands into fists. I hated seeing her cry, because it reminded me of her mother on that night. Of Ridia, of Cara as the life drained away from them all.

I turned away from her face. “You seem to believe...” I said, “ that Lord Necanda is the source of all your suffering... Blame him if you wish. Blame me, blame your deceased mother and father. Blame your mother's parents for marrying their daughter off for political alliances if you will...” I sighed. “What happened to your mother, to your father, and to you is simply... “

“Ill-fated.”

I shrugged. “ If you believe in fate.”

She sniffed, but controlled her sobs. “I am the daughter of a whore and a betrayer” she said, “Perhaps alive only by merit of a promise you made years ago. Again I feel I owe,”

“No!” I stood up quickly. “I killed your mother, you're father, you're husband! You wanted to kill me first! Now, tell me, how does your own hate bypass me entirely? Why have you no anger for me!?”

Christen stared into the fire again, caressing her new dagger.

“You're an assassin. It's your job to kill people. However, you helped me in the bar, you helped me spend, even just one night of bliss with my husband. You honored a promise to such a woman as my mother, you even delayed the killing of my father.” She looked up at me, her eyes red from crying, “Given that you're an assassin, you've done a lot for me. You're a good person.”

I sighed and leaned forward towards the fire. “You are not an assassin. I doubt you ever will be one. However, despite your convictions to become one, by this time tomorrow, if all goes according to your plan, you will become a killer. If you kill by your own hands, or by mine...”

“Stiri.. Have you ever killed anyone? I mean, really killed someone...Without being paid to.”

“No.” I stared into the fire. “No. Everyone I killed, I was paid to kill. The closest I ever got to killing someone.. Was Tenlon. However, that failed.”

“Why did you try?” she asked. “What did he do to you? You looked so...” she chewed her lower lip as she tried to think. “I never saw you look so angry before.”

I shrugged. “I don't get angry a lot...” I said. I stood up and started walking off. “While it's still dark and late, I'm going to look around the castle. I think I know a way in, but I want to make sure it's alright”

“Stiri.” Christen said. I stopped and listened. She simply said. “Be careful.” I nodded and stalked off towards the castle.