Legend of the Swords

Prologue: Erilyn

Author's Note: 

Hello All! I hope all of you enjoy Legend of the Swords (LOTS). I wanted to start off by outlining some content warnings. LOTS contains sexual themes and scenes, abuse, murder scenes, and scenes depicting the effects of various mental health disorders. Please read with this in mind.  

XOXO, Tess

I wandered through the dark streets, a shadow to the world sleeping around me. The candles lighting the alleys had gone dark hours before, and all that was left to illuminate the cobblestone beneath my feet was the bright light of the moon. Its white rays made everything look so serene, so quiet and still. I had always loved being the only one on the streets on nights like these, nights where everything seemed to be at peace. Still, I held the hilt of my sword in my hand, ready to draw it if anything decided to step out from the shadows. Though there was mostly silence around me, I wouldn't take the chance of being unprepared for a surprise ambush. Being a woman in my field, many believed me to be easy to subdue. Oh how wrong they were.

I kept wandering the streets, stopping only when I had made my way to my target location. The building was old, built maybe 50 years prior to my time, and though it appeared to be relatively well-kept, the paint was chipping away from the wood accents framing the stone structure. I tucked into the houses' shadow, checking my surroundings one last time before slipping further from the main street and closer to the rear of the building. I kept my eyes at the mouth of the alleyway, shifting my attention only to check the windows on the ground floor as I passed, making sure no candles were burning inside to indicate a waking resident. When I finally made it to the back of the house I located the door and knelt, pulling a few pins from my hair and picking at the lock. My long brown hair fell to my shoulders as I did so, and I pushed a few pieces out of my face as I silently worked on the lock until a small tick confirmed I was successful in picking it free. I pulled my hair back up, pinning it in place once more and adjusting my mask to my face as I stepped inside.

The interior was pristine, but mainly because little furniture filled it. The kitchen was mainly barren, a small table and chair occupying a corner of the room. The living area was much the same, another table with documents scattered on it positioned in the middle. I snuck around the bottom level of the house, confirming no movement or signs of life before I found myself at the foot of the staircase, listening silently to the sounds of the floor above. The only sound apparent was a soft snore, belonging to the only resident of the house. Still, I waited, making sure there was rhythm in his breath before slowly creeping up the stairs. My footsteps were silent as I slowly climbed, sticking to the outside of each step to make sure my steps would not cause the wood to bow or creak. As I slowly approached the resident's door, his snores got louder indicating his state of deep sleep. I opened the door carefully, slowly, and stepped into the room. The man did not stir, even as I approached and drew my sword. In one quick move I slit his throat, blood splashing on the wall beside him a small gurgle coming from his lips as his eyes shot open. Then, instantly the light in them was gone as his sheets soaked in his blood.

I used a corner to wipe the excess blood from my sword before sheathing it and made my way back down the stairs. As I did, I became alert that someone else had entered the house as well. I ducked quickly into a shadow and waited, the soft sound of footsteps nearing me. I held my breath as the steps continued to draw near, and jumped out with my sword drawn to cut down the intruder. I only stopped when I realized it was The Messenger, a representative from Saint's Domain wearing a white doctor's mask with a long snout, glaring at me as I lowered my sword. "You left the back door unlocked." He remarked dryly.

"I wasn't expecting company." I acknowledged, knowing well I had kept from being followed.

"Your payment." The Messenger extended a black gloved hand from his cloak, a black pouch perched on it. This kill had been revenge for the rape of a member's daughter, and I shook my head as I took the payment.

"Seems hardly worth paying me for something that should have been done anyway." I sighed, knowing whoever my client had been, this small sum was all they could afford at the time. My kills were normally done in retribution when the justice system had failed, or when an upstanding member of society had paid enough money to push their actions under the rug. This scenario had been the first from what I heard. The girl was to have been wed to this man and he raped her prior to the wedding and then called off the engagement. She had killed herself in grief over the entire affair.

The Messenger said nothing as he moved around me and up the stairs. Messengers of Saint's Domain were sent to every kill to leave a single white feather behind, a symbol of the underground society that ordered the kill. It was sure to cause an uproar in the morning, but as I left the house I looked to the moon and sighed, trying to release the guilt of killing from my mind. Though I had been an assassin for years at this point, and most kills were individuals who deserved it, taking someone's life was never easy. I took a deep breath before making my way back to the main street. I looked around once more to ensure no one would see me leave the property, before stepping back out into the light of the moon and moving on. I walked until I found myself down familiar streets and stopped upon a bare plot of land.

The cobblestone around it was stained with charcoal, pieces of wood and stone still standing where a building once stood. Growing up this had been my home, and workshop for the local blacksmith. Roy had been the man who found me, an infant abandoned on the streets. He had been surprised when he found me with the sword. When I was little he would take care of it for me and tell me a fairy tale about its origin. "Once upon a time, there was a majestic girl who married the king of her kingdom. She soon after gave birth to two twin daughters whose names were Erilyn and Marie. The king was overcome with joy and made twin swords for the princesses.

"The first was named Shi and was given to the princess Marie. Shi is translated to mean death, which prophesied the rampage the princess would go on, slaughtering her entire family and killing her sister. The second sword was named Hikari and was given to Erilyn. Hikari means light, which prophesied how the princess would come back as an angel and take revenge on her sister in order to save the kingdom.

"Then in the middle of the night, two months after their birth, princess Erilyn was kidnapped by the supporters of Marie's prophecy and was left out in the streets to die. However the story goes that she was eventually found and taken back to the castle, where she completed the prophecy and rescued the kingdom from harm." Roy had named me Erilyn after that story, and had called the sword Hikari as well. I always found it quite amusing how I could kind of relate to a past princess of our country though the idea of it now as an adult was dry in its humor.

Back then I had lived a full life and had always flaunted how I had been named after a princess. Now though, with my occupation and appearance after living on the streets all these years after Roy's passing, I couldn't feel further than royalty. In fact, at this point I despised them. Everyone in the kingdom knew of their ignorance to the real circumstances surrounding the kingdom. The aristocrats were driving the prices of necessities higher, and the feud between our kingdom and the neighboring Hummingbird Kingdom had made trade and supply slow. It was impossible for someone of my station to live a comfortable life anymore, not unless I married. And I was less and less interested in the idea the more lives I took of abusive men who used women as pawns.

I'm not the only one like this though. There are many young children in the kingdom who found themselves without homes or family. I took many of them under my wing as if they were my own. Though usually their trouble got me a few lashings from the kingdom's guards, I wouldn't trade having them beside me for the world. To see their smiling faces and to be able to provide for them, even just a little. That meant the most to me, and that's what I planned to do until the end of my days.