Flooded Flames

Part Four of Six

‘Because the Fire Kingdom won’t let go of its grudge.’

Asher laid on the bed, going over the conversation with the queen, as he stared up at the earthen ceiling above him.

He thought back to everything he’d been told about the royal family of the Water Kingdom. They were recluse, having not attended gatherings for the royalty of all the kingdoms for hundreds of years. Citizens of the Water Kingdom that defected or married into other kingdoms have reported never seeing the royal family. They never leave the enormous tower in the center of the palace. Royal guards and noticeboards made announcements about the royal family throughout the villages in the kingdom.

He looked towards where the queen had been standing before she hurried off. Only a chosen few had ever seen the current queen…her icy blue hair… her smooth white skin…and those red lips. He took a deep breath.

Was she really the queen? She could be one of her servants, taking her place to protect her. Maybe Wisp was really the queen? Remembering the contempt for him in Whisper’s eyes made him apologize again to her in his thoughts. Whisper had the dark blue hair that marked her with royal blood, but her age made even less sense.

His own red hair marked him with royal blood, and he was nothing more than a casted off descendant of a servant of some prince that couldn’t control himself. Because he and his sister were born with red hair, they were taken to the academy together, instead of being sent to different orphanages after their parents died from the plague.

He scoffed, looking at the bars to his cell. Some good all that government ran assassin training did. After being captured, the more he learned, the more he realized how much the Fire Kingdom didn’t know. The only thing he knew for sure was that the Water Kingdom was hiding something about its royal family.

The dungeon squeaked open. Whisper walked in carrying a tray of food.

“Dinner,” she murmured as she walked up to the moat. She placed the tray onto the water, and with a wave of her hand, a current moved the tray as the waterfall parted to let it float into the cage.

Asher sat up as the tray floated into the bed. He picked it up and placed it on the bed next to him. The plate, filled with things from other kingdoms, was missing something from Fire Kingdom. He had never seen fish on a plate to eat before. He looked at Whisper who stood watching him, waiting.

“Thank you,” he said. That only caused the hatred in her eyes to burn stronger. “What did I do to you?”

“You tried to kill her!” Whisper hissed. The pain in her eyes caused his chest to tighten.

That was a stupid question. Of course, she’d hate him. Her reaction only confused him more. It was the same hatred he had when he was told what would happen if he ran from this mission. Despite being her servant, she cared about the woman that called herself queen as much as he did his sister. If she really was the evil queen he was told she was, wouldn’t her servants revel in her death?

“I’m sorry. It wasn’t personal.”

Whisper shook with the rage building in her. “Not Personal!?”

“I think trying to kill someone is very personal,” the queen said, walking into the dungeon.

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Whisper lowered her head in a bow.

“Wisp, you may go,” the queen tilted her head towards the door.

“Yes, Your Highness. I’ll ready your bed.” Whisper gave Asher one last look before walking out of the dungeon.

Asher turned his attention to the queen. “To what do I owe the pleasure of a second visit from you today?”

She stepped up to the edge of the moat. There was something different about her. The movements of her body oozed her authority, but her eyes, turned to the water before her, were filled with worry. He looked behind her with a frown.

“No man hooded in black behind you? You’re here to have dinner with me, then?”

She looked up at him, as she let out a sigh that carried a hint of the laughter that flickered in her eyes. It was a beautiful sound. “I said breakfast, not dinner,” she replied.

“I look forward to it,” he smiled. Seeing her cheeks pinkened, as his own flushed, he turned his attention to the fish on his dinner plate. “I’ve never had fish.”

“Never?”

The surprise in her voice caused his attention to return to her. “That surprises you? Have you ever had blazed fire pepper steak?”

She thought for a moment and shook her head. “Not for a long time. Anything imported from the Fire Kingdom is banned here.”

Asher nodded as understanding filled her eyes. He registered what she said. “Not for a long time? Exports to the Water Kingdom have been banned for hundreds of years.”

A twinge of fear flicked in her eyes as her lips tightened in frustration. “When the royal family wants something, there are ways.”

“I guess that’s true in all the kingdoms,” he replied, filing her reaction away to think about later when he had nothing better to do than stare at the bars of his cell. “You’re obviously here to talk to me. Do you mind if I eat while we talk?”

She smiled. “Of course not. I’m quite interested in what you think of fish.”

He stared at the fish on the plate, unsure.

“It was deboned. You can eat it just how it is.” There was a reassurance in her tone.

He quickly took a bite of the fish. His mouth exploded in flavor. He couldn’t believe people in the Water Kingdom ate this normally. He looked at her as something else hit him—he trusted what she said and ate without a second thought.

“I take it you like it,” she said, smiling.

He couldn’t look away from her golden eyes. Her smile made them even brighter. He had so many questions about her. She was so mysterious. He shook his head to smother the embers of the feelings starting in him. “Did something happen?”

“The Fire Kingdom is preparing to attack,” the queen reported. “There are reports of a large movement of troops heading towards the border.”

“What?” Fear gripped him. If that was true, then his sister was running out of time.

“I see you realize what that means.” Her golden eyes returned to the water in front of her. Fear and worry weighing her down.

“You’re worried about your life?” he scoffed.

“I’m worried about the lives that’ll be lost,” she shot back.

She glared at him, causing a sting in his chest. He didn’t know what to believe. His whole life he was told of the ice hearted queen of the Water Kingdom. She stood before him now, worried about the lives of people that had never laid eyes on her. “You’re worried about your people?”

Her eyes narrowed, as if he had insulted her. “Is it not the duty of the royal family to ensure the safety of their people? To care about their well-being?”

“Not where I grew up.” As disbelief filled her eyes, he added, “They sent me here to kill you or die, and will kill my sister if I don’t. Needless to say, that’s not for our well-being.”

Pity filled her golden eyes as they stared into him. “You know what the troops gathering at the border means.”

He nodded as his stomach turned. He took a breath to put it into words. “We’re still alive, so they’re sending another assassin. Meaning my sister is dead, or will be shortly.”

“Tell me about the others.”

“When our parents died of the plague, my sister and I were taken away to a remote village.” He let out a sigh. “Because we have royal blood, they wanted to make use of our power. We were trained to be weapons for them.”

“How old were you?” she asked.

That was what she asked? Not how many there were, or where the village was?

“I was eight and my sister was three,” he answered. The shock that filled her eyes puzzled him. Was she pretending she had a heart to get information out of him? It didn’t matter.

“Your sister was trained as well?” she asked, her mind processing something. He nodded. “Why would they kill her?”

His chest tightened as an ember of rage ignited in him. “To control me.”

“Why you?” she asked, looking him over and summing him up.

“I am the best.”

She laughed, raising an eyebrow. “And yet you failed.”

Hearing her laugh caused his traitorous heart to flutter. The sound of her laugh and the sparkle in her eyes was so much better than her ire, and he wanted more of it. “I was distracted,” he mumbled.

“Distracted?”

He stood, walking up the bars between them. He could no longer lie to himself about why he had failed so miserably. “I was distracted by you.”