The darkness that envelops his childhood bedroom calms Sylasvandril to a certain degree. There is something reminiscent about hiding in the shadows away from prying eyes that allows a peace to form within.

He has always preferred to hide in the shadows. Even as a young elven boy, Sylavandril did not like being the center of attention. He would hide away from others as a way to keep to himself. He still prefers solitude til this day, and that is why he works alone.

The moonlight shines through the glass window that overlooks the estate gardens. He wanders over to sit in the alcove that is perched in the window. Growing up underneath this roof was not always kind to him, but the one place he always felt at peace was sitting on the bench gazing towards the outside world from his bedroom.

He lets out a huge sigh as he sits, and begins enjoying the silence for a while. Looking out he notices that the stars are visible underneath the bright moonlight, and he allows the comfort of his childhood memories of his to take over.

After he spends time gazing out of the window for a few hours, Sylasvandril notices that exhaustion is starting to settle in. His eyes are becoming heavy while his breathing is slowing down. He lets out an overdue yawn. He takes that as his que to go lay down in the luxurious four post bed that lays opposite of the window. He shrugs off his dark blue cloak that allows him to blend into the night, and he sinks into the soft mattress.

The exhausted assassin allows a deep sleep to take over within a few short moments. He is able to catch a few hours of sleep before a sensation of being watched pulls him from his slumber. Sylasvandril grabs the daggers that he placed underneath his pillow when he laid in bed, and sits up to assess his surroundings.

Movement in the corner of his room catches his eye, and he throws the first dagger into the wall. He barely misses the opponent on purpose with the objective to scare them out of the shadows. He grabs another blade with the intention to throw again, but that idea is short-lived.

A moment later, a tall shadow moves out into the open laughing with their hands raised in defeat. The moonlight caresses their face, and the light reveals long white hair plus green eyes to go with a lanky body.

That is when he makes their identity out to be none other than his cousin, Arion. Sylasvandril looks at his cousin with a head tilt trying to figure out what he is doing in his bedroom.

He grumbles in frustration, “What are you doing in here Arion?”

“Just came to see if the rumors about you being here were true,” Arion smirks.

“That required you to watch me sleep?”

“I can assure you that I was not in here long enough to watch you sleep.”

“Somehow, I find that hard to believe,” Sylasvandril rolls his eyes, and gets out of bed.

Arion begins laughing, and then walks up to greet the cousin he has not seen around in a while. They grab each other's forearms to greet another. Sylasvandril walks past his cousin to the dagger that is sticking out of the wall, and he pulls it out to put it in the sheath.

“You’re lucky I missed on purpose,” Sylasvandril teases his cousin..

“Keep telling yourself it was on purpose, and I’ll fake believe it,” Arion mockingly remarks.

“Right, anyways. Whats going on?”

“Let’s head downstairs, and we can catch up over breakfast,” Arion swings his arm over Sylasvandrils shoulder.

The two are close in age, so Sylasvandril spent quite a bit of time with Arion growing up. There is an unspoken trust between the two cousins despite who Arion has as a father. They even trained together up until a certain point.

Sylasvandril showed more precision and dedication to his training, so he moved through the ranks pretty quick. Sylasvandril came out on top with his studies and assassin training.

Eventually, he had to leave Arion behind when it was time to graduate from his training. When he finished, the first mission was assigned to Sylasvandril.

His uncle was testing him to see if he was truly ready to become a member of the business. Somehow, he was able to push through, and get the job finished despite being nervous.

Arion clears his throat pulling Sylasvandril out from his thought process.

“So what brings you back here?” Arion smiles mischievously.

“A potential job.”

“Want to share the details?”

“Nothing to share yet,” Sylasvandril huffs in annoyance.

“You seem troubled by it.”

“Something is bothering me about the individual that approached me.”

“Are you sure its not because you do not like others?” Arion mocks his cousin.

“Nope, quite sure it is something else. Can’t put my finger on it though.”

Arion sighs, “I am sure you’ll figure it out.”

Sylasvandril nods in agreement. Even though he has a nagging feeling in the back of his mind. His inner voice is telling him that there is some reason why he shouldn’t trust the person who wants to hire him.

Rarely, does he get the feeling that he has now. Sylasvandril usually doesn’t allow emotions to filter in when making decisions, so he will listen to the woman first before coming to a conclusion about the job.

He walks out of his childhood bedroom, and follows the corridor down to get some food to eat since he is quite famished. Arion follows in suit of his cousin, so they can continue their discussion.

It isn’t often that Sylasvandril visits the family estate. Even less often he gets the chance to visit with his cousin. They banter back and forth while they make their way into the kitchen. Sylasvandril grabs a few pieces of fruit and raw vegetables to steam.

A few minutes later, Sylasvandril and Arion are sitting at the table next to eachother. They are enjoying the sweet aroma of the fruit that is mixed with the vegetables. Both elves are not necessarily vegetarian, but they do enjoy a healthy alternative from fatty meats frequently. This diet helps out by keeping their energy levels up.

While they are munching on their meals, another presence walks into the room interrupting their discussion.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

The younger brother cheekily asks, “Wanna hear something interesting?”

“Do we really want to know?” Arion nonchalantly asks. He tries to sound uninterested, but Sylasvandril notices his cousin lean forward in his chair waiting in anticipation.

“Last night I went out, and was having a few drinks with a friend. We were sitting at a table in the back of the Majestic Meadery. After having a few pints, I had the bright idea to bring my special friend back here. Before that could happen… you’ll never believe who walked into the tavern.”

“Don’t make us wait with anticipation. Who was it?” Sylasvandril dryly asks.

“That would be the second born prince of Valinor.”

“Wait. What? Why is Prince Kaelia here in this region?” Arion curiously asks.

“Yeah I’d like to know that too. It is a bit odd for him to be on foreign soil, and without his father at that,” Sylasvandril cooly explains.

Zylar shrugs his shoulders, “No idea, but I can guess that it isn’t good news.”

Zylar walks towards his seat, and takes his place at the table to begin eating his breakfast. This piece of information leaves Sylasvandril in deep thought. All while the other two continue bantering amongst themselves. The sunlight begins filtering in through the windows causing the room to brighten up.

The one hundred and twenty- three year old assassin notices that time has slipped away, and Sylasvandril realizes how much time has passed since his cousin was caught in his room. The two that sit with him at the table are some of the people he trusts the most. He decides to sit for a little while longer conversing with his brother and cousin.

A few minutes later, he excuses himself from the table and walks back to his bedroom to gather his belongings. Sylasvandril has a full day ahead of preparing to find everything he can about the woman from the tavern. He will most likely inquire others that he knows if they have seen her around.

When he finds where she is staying; he will have a chance to snoop through her belongings in the room. Hopefully, he will be able to find the information sooner rather than later.

Before Sylasvandril departs from the estate, he bids his brother and cousin farewell before making his way towards the village. The two are waiting for him in the dining area still, so he makes his goodbyes quick and unemotional. His time for masking emotions begins right away, and before the investigation commence

Once they have said their farewells, Sylasvandril makes haste towards the village on his two feet.

Luckily, Sylvasvandril does not have too far of a walk since the estate is at the edge of the village. His feet hit the cobblestone pavement with a purpose as he passes each shop. The village is fairly busy today as other elves are bustling ahout in the streets. The village stays busy year round with travelers conducting all sorts of business. The first stop he decides to make is at the inn that is located at the center of the town.

Sylasvandril has spent a few nights in a room at The Spore and Bee. It is a comfortable place to rent a place to get some rest over night. It is an place for travelers to stay because it is right in the center of everything.

Plus, all of the shops nearby are within walking distance. That alone keeps the inn on the busy side.

He walks inside of The Spore and Bee, and gives himself a moment to study his surroundings. The furnishings have been updated since the last time he rented a room. The interior now has lighter natural shades throughout instead of the usual darker tones. Sylasvandril is appreciating the design when a voice cuts through his thought process.

He looks over at the check in desk to find the grey haired elven woman that owns the inn.

“Looking to rent a room for the night?” She ask curtly.

“No. Infact I am looking for someone. Would you by any chance have woman with dark hair, green eyes, and not from around this area staying here?” Sylasvandril motions with his hands, “She is also about this tall.”

“Afraid I can’t help you. Not that I would. Privacy is why I have customers.”

Sylasvandril takes a moment to consider his options. The innkeep does have a point with customer’s privacy. He rubs his chin with an idea that comes into mind.

“Understood. Discretion is why you stay in business, but if you do come across a woman that looks like that could you tell her I am looking to meet up with her?”

The innkeep huffs in annoyance. Her demeanor says she has better things to do rather than entertain Sylasvandril.

“Fine. Now leave,” she waves her hand towards the exit of The Spore and Bee.”

Sylasvandril nods his head in acceptance, and he begins walking out of the inn. He makes a note to come back later in the night because the elderly inn keep definitely was hiding something. His best guess is that the woman is staying there. There is only one way to find out though.

A few customers are hanging around the entrance, and he decides to use it as an advantage. He walks up to a white haired male elf that looks like he is about to walk inside the establishment.

“Excuse me sir, are you staying here?”

The stranger looks at Sylasvandril with his nose pointed upwards in a snobbish manner, “Why is that any of your business?”

“Not necessarily my business, but I am looking for someone.”

“Hmmmm. Okay I’ll bite. What does she look like?” The stranger crosses his arms waiting for an answer.

“Dark hair,green eyes, probably wearing a dark cloak with a hood, gives off a weird vibe.”

“Strangely…someone does come to mind with that description.”

“Great, is she staying here?”

Right before the stranger could answer; the innkeep noticed Sylasvandril questioning her customers, so she ran out of the establishment with a broom yelling at him to leave. He ducks to the left before the broom could make impact with his head. With that notion, Sylasvandril decides to leave before the innkeep yells anymore.

The last thing he would want is to be permanently banned from the inn he stays in occasionally. He walks away from the Spore and Bee with the intention of returning later. He decides to find a spot away from the eyes of the innkeep, and he watches customers come and go.

Hopefully, Sylasvandril will catch the woman he is looking for exiting the inn. Only a few minutes later; there is a hooded figure that makes an exit from the Spore and Bee. He suddenly recognizes the woman, and decides to trail her from a non visible distance.

Sylasvandril is curious where the woman could be off too. He still needs to go back to her hotel room, so he can’t stay for too long to watch her. The mysterious woman ends up infront of a door at the end of the village. It looks to be someone’s home.

Sylasvandril hides away behind a corner when she turns her head to look around. She must be checking to see if she was followed. He wonders if that is the individual who told her about his services.

The woman knocks on the door, and it barely opens enough for her to walk through. How odd. More to investigate later he thinks to himself.

After the woman walks inside, Sylasvandril decides to turn around and head back to the inn. He needs to get into her room. With a sly smirk he concocts a plan to find out what room number she is staying. He decides to walk to the closest florist shop. There is where he will purchase a small bouquet of flowers.

With the flowers he will hire someone to deliver them. Hopefully, the inn keep will be more receptive to the flower delivery. A few minutes of walking, there is a floral shop that comes into view. Sylasvandril darts to his right to cross the street where the floral shop is located.

Many types of flowers in different colors decorate the window of the shop. The placement of flowers entice customers to come inside. Sylasvandril crosses the threshold to the shop, and instantly he is overwhelmed with an enticing sweet floral aroma.

He inhales the aroma and smiles because it is pleasant to the senses. There is a worker behind the counter putting together a bouquet of pink and yellow carnations. He watches with fascination while waiting for the white hair male to notice his presence.

A few seconds pass before the worker raises his head. He then notices Sylasvandril is standing a few feet infront of the desk. This startles him for a split second. The worker composes himself before speaking with the customer.

He smiles, “How may I help you today?”

“Would you happen to have any small bouquets already put together? I am looking for something on the cheaper side.”

“Yes, I believe there is something in the back room. Wait here just a moment.”

The male worker walks away from the counter and disappears behind a door at the back of the store. Sylasvandril waits for the individual to come back. He assumes that is where the store keeps bouquet orders that are waiting to be delivered or picked up.

A moment later, the worker appears carrying a small bouquet. There is a mixture of pink and white carnations with babies breath tucked into the bouquet.

Sylasvandril admires the work of the florist. This bouquet will be good enough for what he has planned. The florist ask if Sylasvandril is happy with the selection of flowers that he has in hand.

With a simple nod of his head, Sylasvandril agrees to purchase the flowers. The florist is happy with his answer, and begins ringing up the bouquet.

The total came out a bit more expensive than he imagined it would be, but it is for a good cause so he pays the worker in silver coins. He wonders to himself, when did florist shops become expensive?

He grabs the bouquet off the counter, and walks out of the shop. Now, all he has to find is someone to deliver the flowers.

Sylasvandril hopes to figure out what room number the woman is staying in. He imagines that the strange woman will be back inside of her room at some point today. His thought process has him on edge for some reason. Maybe his intuition is trying to tell him something. He shakes off that thought as he continues walking down the cobblestone path