“Take my hand!” I shouted over the business of the moment. “No way!” He screamed. “I’m not asking you to marry me, I’m trying to save your life!” I yelled. He reluctantly plassed his hand in mine. I squeezed it and jumped. Leaping over a log is easy. Leaping over a river is not. We had taken air for less then a second before plummeting down into the edgo of the water. “I thought you said I wouldn’t get wet,” he scratched. Wiping the dirt and mud from his trousers. “No, the deal was I get you out alive and you pay me in gold,” I yelled. “Whatever you say _Thief_,” my title rolled of his tongue in a disgusted manner. I took that and yanked his arm violently to the side instead of telling him what I would do. “I don’t take sass from strangers,” I answered. “Noted,” he moaned, “Enough sweet talk, my ears are bleeding. Hand him over Cleo,” Andrew stood up in the trees, a bow and arrow pointing to my skull. I stomped my foot and nudged Jake’s shoulder. “You see, Andrew. That won’t be necessary when your dead,” I shrieked as an arrow pierced my shoulder, several inches from the prince. “Cleo,” Jake wispered under his breath. Only a thief could hear that sound. Good thing I was a thief. Good thing I played dirty. Good thing this wasn’t over.

I leap up into the tree, swing on a rickety branch and land behind one of Andrew’s men. I slip the dagger from my boot and inpale the man. He falls limp at the moment Andrew lands inground of Jake. Can’t a prince take a hint? I tossed the body to the ground and hoped to the spot where Andrew had been standing. Imidiatly ten crossbows and twelve bows and arrows point to me. Really? I thought. Clans are never loyal. If anyone knows that it’s me. I know it a little to well. “Ever met someone like her before,” Andrew teased to Jake. “No,” he answered. “You should be grateful for that,” he said. I grinned at their admiration. I also laughed. “Step away from the man or a stab him first,” I yell. Everything in the woods stop. It’s only the river and the faint rush of the village that continue to make sounds. Everything was painfully still. Then I threw my dagger and the arrows soared through time like lightning. I felt like I was dead. Blood poured from my body. Each crevice realinsing blood. Flesh tearing away. Sharp arrows lingering in their places. I fell from the tree. I smashed into the dusty forest floor. Thousands of feet shuffled around me. Muffled screamed and voices. Then a wagon rattled. I pushed myself and felt the little blood renewing in my body rush to my skull. I shrug my eyes and dipped into my sleeve where I pulled out a dagger covered in my blood. With my other hand I did the same. Then I ran right into Andrew, sinking my blades deep into his chest. We both tooled beside the other. Half dead, half alive. Both fully aware that the battle was not over a d that one of us could still win. Then it all went black.

The room was damp and dark. I shuffled around in the cell. Voices sounds just on the other side of the huge hunk of wood keeping me from freedom. Keeping me from the prince. Keeping me from Andrew. Keeping me from my duty. I wigeled my toes through the holes in my boots. Dried, crispy blood covered every inch of my body. Blinking my eyes stretched the scabs so I recede to keep them closed. Not my best idea. “Well, well, well. What do we have here,” a familiar voice murmured from the hallway of the dungeon. The door creaked open and my instinct was to trip the enterer. “Uh, uh, uh. Not fooling me,” he said again. I knew who it was. “Go away Andrew,” I wispered under my breath. “Oh, Cleo. I’ll go. But you’ll come with me,” he said. His grip squeezed at the wounds around my wrists. I moaned before he yanked me up and shoved me out of the cell. “Guards, get her to my room, no funny business,” he said. “Your to scared to take me their yourself I suppose, fair. I do play dirty. We play dirty,” I said. I opened my eyes and was met with a dim candle lit hallway. At the far end was a blood covered wall. I just grinned. “I’ll go, just must finish some business before I go. Be gone now,” he screeched. The guards shoved me up a small staircase the twisted up the castle. My eyes remained locked on Andrew’s. Just as his remains locked on mine. When we reached the top of the stairs the guards shoved me into the first door on the right and pinned me into a chair. “Alright boys, let play,” I said. They just stood in front of me and laughed. “Fine. I’ll go first.” I shoved my elbow into the first man’s shoulder and planted my feet far enough apart to stay sturdy in my place. “Girl. You don’t want to do this,” they shouted in unison. “Oh yes I do,” I threw my fist into the second man’s face and kicked the first in the gut. I flipped backwards, narrowly missing a sever blow. “Surrender and the punishments will be less then if you continue,” “Boys, have some fun. I’m just a girl, aren’t I?” I said. “No, your as good as dead,” they agreed. I rolled my eyes and threw my fists at them until they crumbled to the floor. I chuckled until the door opened and shocked, melecholy, tortured eyes struck so deeply into mine that I froze in my feet. “I told you what would happen if you disobeyed me, now he must die,” Andrew cackled as his nice dug into Jake’s throat. I lunged forward and pulled him away wich marked my first mistake.

“They spit in his face then wonder why he is so angry,” Father shouted over my constant tears. They never stop. I don’t think they ever will. “We have to deal with him,” mother said. “I’ll kill Andrew if it’s the thing that breaks this family. I don’t care!” He stormed out of the room and that was year five. ——- “Mother, why has father not returned yet?” I asked as she brushed my hair with her fingers and then began to tie the strands together. “Cleo, he is-“ she began. A sigh escaped her lips. “He died?” I asked. “Cleo,” she repeated. “It’s because of Andrew isn’t it.” I said. “Yes. Cleo, it’s because of Andrew,” she said. Her presence left the room with her body. I let a tear slip down my cheek and I rolled over in my bed. I wondered what I could do to make myself useful. Make myself worth it. I wanted to do whatever it took to bring Andrew down and to kill him. That’s what I was planning. That marked the end of year nine. ——- “Cleo, get up here, you have visitors,” mother called from our small home. We had been evicted from our first home three years ago. I ran up the little hill after I rinsed of my daggers. I brushed the dust from my worn clothes and entered through the back door that hung loosely on its hinges. “Cleo, this is Commander Marchesto. He will be escorting you from here to Jansonova. He had set up a formal training camp for children like you. Those devoted to their leaders. In this case the king of Horensa. “When shall we depart,” I asked. “Now. We shall leave now!” He ordered. I rushed behind him and leaped onto a brown course they lead me to and we where of. That marked the end of my thriteenth year. ——- “You all have done well in exceeding my standards. You have pushed through to the end of the begining. Some of you will move forward whilst others of you wil not be so fortunate.” Commanded Marchesto preached. “These are the ones who will move forward in their lives as assassins and as thieves. I hope your ready. First, Max, Rena, Miya and last, Cleo. You four may leave the building.” We formed a line and exited. No one said a word to me. No one congratulated me. I had no one. I beloved I never would. That marked the end of my sixteenth year. ——- “Cleo, do you understand your orders?” Commander Marchesto asked. “Yes,” I answered. “Then you are free to go and begin them.” He said. “Yes sir,” I went to exit the room but then he stopped me. “Wait,” “Yes?” I asked. “That prince is a tricky one. So is Andrew and his clan.” Commander said. “I understand,” I did. I really did. My family was part of that clan. I was part of that clan. But the I lost both my parents to that wicked man. He would die. “You may go,” That marked the begging of my seventeenth year. After that I made it my goal to forget the past. Everything I did after only made it harder to remember. Did that stop me? No. Because when I put my mind on something. It would get done. No matter what!

“She is not who she says she is,” Andrew grunts as I nudge my harder slightly closer the the neck of the prince. This time he would die. But by my hand not Andrew’s. I had killed plenty of people in my life and I would gladly kill all in this room. “And who is it I am?” I asked. “Prince, she is a murderer!” Andrew cried. “Old news.” Jake answered. “Shut it,” I said, pulling his hair a little farther back. I had everyone just where I wanted. The prince was trapped and so was Andrew. I could get anything from either of the two. I just wasn’t planning for it to turn out like this. That’s when something behind me shuffled and I flipped my head back as Andrew lunged for me. He has recovered better then I did. He did have the best docters of the land. Andrew attempted to pull the prince from my grasp but my grip strength was always better then his. He prince tumbled down with us. We flailed about on the hard wooden floor, having every joint into the other. It must have looked like a circus had begun from the guards looking over us. “What is this ruckus’s. Cleo?” Commander Marchesto exclaimed as he ran into the room. “Commander!” I shouted. I pulled myself up with the prince and kicking Andrew to the side. “You are.. here?” He asked. “Sir, it’s a long-“ I began. “She is out for my head. Commander, execute her,” Andrew shouted. Commander Marchesto walked into the room, grabbed me by my collars and dragged me out of the room. Jack entirely followed but only Baganda to speak when we left he room. “Fight back!”he shouted. “I can’t,” I answered. “Yes you can,” he said. “I have seen you fight, seen you die, seen you wake up again, now I have seen you give up! Why!” He shouted. “He is superior to me and I failed my duty. I didn’t escort you sadly out of the kingdom. I didn’t kill Andrew as I was so close to doing. I failed. Maybe if I hadn’t grabbed you or if I had given up four years ago when I first met him. I messed up and know I must pay with my life.” I said. Nut head slumped and my eyes closed. “Please, sir.” Jake tried and failed to free me of my future. “No, she is to die. Her pact as an assassin says to hide all her self. She did not. Seeing as you know,” Commander said. “Assassin?” The prince muttered. “I command you let her go,” he said. “Fine, but she is yours to bury when she is dead,” then Commander walked away. “Your gonna be fine,” Jack said reassuringly. I fell into his arms and he dragged me away. I can’t say I remember what he said whilst he brought me upon a house but I know for white we rode. We rode for a long while. Finally when we stopped I opened my lips to speak. “Kill me now, or let me die alone,”

“He sacrificed his life to save mine, after all I did,” I whimpered over the flickering fire. Jakes face lit up. I pulled his coat tighter around myself as I let my eyes droop. “It was worth it,” he says as his hand reaches over the fire but I pull away. I drop his coat on the floor and step away from the light of the fire before collapsing to the floor and falling asleep. Through the night my head doesn’t rest. Thoughts crowed out every last sound. Even the prince and his speech is covered by the whispers. “Mourning, love,” Jake shackles me awake. “You tell me to rest and now you tell me to get up?” I asked. Rising up and looking at the already packed up camp and the misty mourning. “Relaxe, you can sleep on the horse, you just have to get there first. I said nothing and walked up to the brown horse he had settled up for me. Once on its back I straightened my back and the prince began to talk. “So, I’m sort about last night,” he said. “Could you have said it any worse. It’s no big deal. Forget about it. Let me ride in peace,” I yelled. “Fine,” he pulled away and rode ahead on his horse. It’s white fur glowed in the mourning moonlight. I sighed and looked at the dusty path below. I should be dead, I thought. Why am I not dead. Am I dead? Is this all a dream? ——- “Mourning love,” Jake said. It was the fifth day in a row of travel he had said those exact words. This time I elbowed him and rode far ahead of him. Then I saw it emerge from the list. The castle in the mountain. I had only ever heard it as a legend. Then I saw the fire. So much fire. “Jake, it’s burning!” I screamed. Then I saw the eyes. An elemental. The course I rode bucked me off and ran. I just sat there staring right into the eyes of the beast. After a minuet, I picked my self up, felt the ice blade in my boot and leaped onto Jake’s hourse. “You coming?” I yelled over the scene. “Your crazy, you know that right?” He asked as he hopped onto the hourse behind me. “And?” I asked.

“Am I quit? Or do you just never listen,” I yelled over the blazing elemental just a mile ahead. “You’re the loudest yet whitest girl I have ever met. I’m going say it’s the scourching fire that’s just up there,” he said. “Just get of the damn house,” I shouted. He jumped of and I yanked his hand so that he would follow me. We bolted behind a large rock. That’s when it began to yell. It was in pain. Who else was attacking it? Those inside the base? Or was there anoth group of soldiers fending for their lives? I peeked around the corner and I felt Jake do the same so I elbowed him and stood up. “Get over here, someone might kill it for us.” I muttered. There was no reason to but it was what I was taught to. So, I did. “Cleo, there are better ways to do this!” He screamed. “Not the way I do it,” I kicked away a stone from my walkway and it rolled right up to the elemental. His firey head turned my way and within seconds fire spewed from his mouth. “Jake! Get of me!” I screamed. He had pulled me out of the line of fire. I slapped his face. “Never touch me again, I can handle myself!” “Fine. But death, on a night like this, insanity!” He muttered. “That’s me,”

“Why did you kill her?” I exclaimed. The king killed Miya. She was my friend. “Because she was hunting what you needed.” His excuse was embarrassing. “She was a good person!” I shouted. I didn’t care that the whole festival heard our conversation. I was insanely angry. “The prince of the kingdom is more important then a mere peasant is.” Father said. He turned a walked of, pleased at his actions. “Do not walk away from me!” I screamed. He did not stop. “I said stop!” Tears began streaming from my eyes. I stomped my foot on the dusty ground a ran right into my fathers back. He fell over in the dust. That one action left me stuck in a never ending loop. I just wouldn’t stop smashing my fists into his face until I was pulled of of him. Then, I was a thirteen year old. Then was the last day of my fathers rein. Then, was the last day of my fathers life. Once upon a prince. ——- I was sixteen. Locked in my room. Outside of my window the town was famished. The harsh winter had taken its beating on the land. People, starved to death. Pepole that froze to death. The unethical happens when one is hungry enough. One goes insane. That is what happened to the whole town. If the lught at the end of the tunnel had not shown up we may have all perished. Deep down, I believe we did. Once upon a prince. ——- I am eighteen. Everything has gone horribly wrong. The kingdom is in shambles. I am to be escorted from the kingdom to a castle in the mountain. It is legend an elemental of the ocean is to emerge. That would certainly destroy the beaches where our kingdom rests. A small women bathes into the room. She is adorned in weapons. Her silky hair is rigged into a tight bun snd her clothes appear fit for battle. She was my escort. Once upon a prince.

Everything was on fire. A grin spread across my lips. I had succeeded. The elemental glowed on the graveyard of the war. Then my eyes caught sight of a pair. A man and a women. They where both badly bruised from the wages of war. Neither could kill the elemental. After all, I am the queen and the queen has power over peasants. Except, the man was not a peasant. He was, my son? He was supposed to be here. I expected him to be dead. Ghag girl was his escort. I shighed and walked out of the room. I didn’t want to witness the death of my son. That’s when a light flew that was not fire. It was a sun blade. She was going to kill the elemental. She couldn’t get close enough to. That’s when I turned and saw she was on the ground, the elementals paw digging into her back. I grinned and left the room. A scream unlike no other pushed me to the edge of the window hole in the stone wall. My hands pressed against the cold rock. She was alive, hardly. But the elemental of fire, was dead. Her blad had pierced the firey heart of the monster. I grunted and watched her collapse. They could jot kill the water elemental. It would awaken in the middle of the night. One hour from now. They had to die. I had to be the one to kill them. I exited the castle and ran up to the prince. I tossed my arms around him, embracing him. But when I looked to the dead escort, she was not there, Jake had dragged her from the fire, she was at our feet. A groan escaped her lips as she pulled herself to her feet. She pulled a dagger from her pocket and pierced my neck. Blood poured everywhere. I collapsed and took in my last breath. The escort said one last thing to be. “The Queen has been killed, the fate of the world has fallen upon the princes shouldered. Mg duty is fulfilled. I may take my last breath,” she fell beside me. One last breath and we where gone. I was gone.

Then it begins. The end has finally come around. The girls where dead. There was one thing I had left to do. Save the kingdom. I ran up to the horse Cleo had practically dragged me of of. I had the animal running as fast as she could. Tears poured from my eyes. My vision blurred but one thing remained clear. The destruction. Fire. Water. Air. Earth. Elements of the world. Always working together in harmony until one messes with the way they remain trapped. The gods made theses four elements into elementals. They would never escape there prisons unless the lock was brocken. The lock broke when the queen tampered with the gods. I leaped of the back of the horse and landed on my knees. The pain I felt in not only my heart but in my skin and eyes. Scorched remains of what was once beautiful now appeared grotesque. The stench of death overpowered the ringing reminder of my doom. I had to try. I had to succeed. I began to shout. No one would here anyway. “For Miya. For the people. For the kingdom. For my future. For our ancestors. For…” I chocked on the black puffs of smoke burning my eyes. “For.. For..” I couldn’t say it. Fire lunged towards me, brushing my skin. I fell to the ground. I rolled onto my back and witnessed a girl, messy bun on the back of her head. Clothes that had been through far too many battles. She was covered in blood. As if she was dead. Maybe she had been. Maybe she had not. I knew who she was. “Cleo. For Cleo.” I hardly said even that. My hands where covered in black smoke and dust. I wiped my eyes, only making it worse. In my head Cleo’s final moments played on repeat. She had protected me from the elementals blow. She killed the first elemental and the queen. I had thought that it took her life too. I guess, it didn’t. I pulled myself to my feet and watched as Cleo absolutely demolished the elemental. I shed a tear. Not in happiness or pain. I knew what would happen. Over and over and over, she put everything she had into protecting me. I am alive because of her. But while she did it, does it. She lets go of herself. Another tear falls from my eyes. I run up to her knowing what I was going to do full well. I caught Cleo as she fell. I put her below a tree and yanked the blade from her hands. “I said don’t ever touch me again,” she murmured. “Shut up a listen. Your an assassin. Trained to pretect. When this battle is over I need you to do just that. Protect my people. Save the kingdom. I know you hate me and I know you would rather die doing your duty but I can’t let that happen. I won’t do any good to my people but you. You will do great things.” I said. I sipped a tear from her cheek as she opened her mouth to speak. “Jake. I don’t hate you. But if you do this I will. Give my that blade and run away. Get the hell out of here.” She said. “But..” I began. “No buts! Go!” She shouted. I shighed and grabbed her hand. Together we palmed the blade and nodded to the other. We ran up to the beast. At the last second. The last moment when we where almost done with it. Cleo pushed me aside and killed the elemental, protecting me at all costs. ——- I threw her a ceremony once the dust settled. Every survived gathered around her body. We placed her in a cascet and said our thanks. When we had buried her, we all went to the castle and ate a feast in her homer. The mourning after, a light snow began falling. It was a sign of change. I stepped onto my balcony and sighed. I closed my eyes and felt the cool breeze sweep across the kingdom. “Cleo. Forever this day will be remembered for your sacrifices. Thanksgiving it will be called. Thanksgiving for all to be…” I began. I knew what to say but I couldn’t. A tear slipped down my cheek. Behind me a voice so similar it brought a million tears to me over the rest of my life. “Take my hand. I’m not asking you to marry me. I’m trying to save your life,” I answered the voice. “Kill me now, or let me die alone,” Then, it ends.