The Prince's Assassin

Chapter Nine

I followed the same path I took to get into the Prince's room as i did the previous night.

The night is still, and so is the Prince. He lays quietly in his bed, one arm under the pillow and the other across his stomach.

I draw my blade from my sleeve, but put it away again after a few moments. I sigh, my eyes feeling tired and my heart beating slow. Watching him sleep calms me, something I very rarely am.

I glance at him one last time, before turning to leave again. As I turn towards the window, my leg bumps a small coffee table, making the objects on it fall to the ground with a crash.

I freeze, waiting for guards to burst in and chaos to break out.

But no one comes in. And instead I just hear the faint stirring of the Prince. I panic, not sure if I should make a dash for the window or stay put.

"What the hell?!"

I cringe at his voice, afraid of how he will react. I turn slowly on my heel and face him with a crumpled face.

"Raven?!" He exclaims and I put my hands out to try and quieten him.

"Sshhhh!"

"What on earth are you doing?! And why are you dressed like a ninja?" He sits up in his bed and frowns.

"I....um......I..." I struggle to think of some reasonable explanation.

"How did you even get in here?" He asks more questions I don't know how to answer.

"I will tell you," I say, "But you have to promise me you won't freak out and call for the guards."

"Well I'm already freaked out. But I'd love to hear what you have to say for yourself."

I slowly walk over to the edge of his bed and sit down with a sigh.

"I came here to say goodbye." I decide is a good place to start.

"Goodbye? Where are you going?"

"Away. Far, far away."

"Why?" He looks just as puzzled as my feelings are.

"I can't complete the mission my boss assigned me, and he will kill me if I don't do it. So I have to leave and never come back."

"Raven, you are being dramatic, no boss would actually kill their employees. The worse he could do is fire you."

I look down at my lap, avoiding his innocent green eyes.

"He isn't like other bosses, and I'm not any sort of employee."

"What kind of job do you have then?"

I breathe heavily, but at the same time I am struggling for air. My heart starts to beat faster as the seconds of silence pass slowly.

"Raven?" Flynn asks again, confused and tired.

"I'm an assassin." My voice quivers.

I don't dare to see the look on his face as he pieces it all together. Our short time spent with each other must seem like a lie to him, just a part of my assignment to kill him.

But that was far from the truth.

"Please. Say something." I finally look up and meet his eyes.

I'm shocked, as his expression is nothing of the sort. His eyes are calm and his lips pressed in a thin line.

"Why didn't you do it?" He questions.

"Do what?" I ask carefully.

"Kill me? You had plenty of chances to do it. All that time we spent walking in the park alone, you could have easily gotten away with it."

I look away from his eyes and scan the area around him. "I......I don't know why.."

I can see him thinking, his mind ticking over about what I've just told him. Until he finally speaks, saying the last thing I would have expected him to say.

"I'm coming with you."

I snap my head to him and narrow my eyes.

"What?!"

"I'm coming with you." He repeats, and pulls the covers off his legs. He stands up and goes over to a large wardrobe.

"Wait, wait, wait." I stand up and follow him. "You want to come with me?"

"What sorts of clothes do you think I will need? Hot or cold?" He pulls out a few items of clothing and chucks them on the bed.

"Wait! Stop!" I grab his shoulders in desperation and stare into his eyes.

He freezes and looks back at me like I'm the crazy one.

"Why in god's name would you want to come with me?"

"Why not?"

"Oh I dunno, maybe cause your the prince!" I try not to speak to loudly.

"Prince, shmince. I'd rather go with you."

"You. Are. Engaged!"

"So? She doesn't love me, she loves the fame and fortune. I don't, its simple."

I shake my head in disbelief of what I'm hearing.

"They will all notice you are gone the minute that sun comes up." I argue, "We won't be able to hide when they start looking."

"I'll change my name, wear a wig. The further away we get the less likely people are to be looking for me."

"I think the whole country will be looking for a missing prince!"

"Then we will leave the country, fly across the other side of the world."

"You think I'm made of money? It's not like I have a real job."

I let my hands fall in frustration. He would only slow me down, and this isn't his problem.

"No, but I think you are forgetting what being royal means." Flynn smirks and ducks around me. He walks over to a painting on the wall and swings it open like a door to reveal a metal box with a keypad in the wall.

Typical.

He punches in a few numbers before it beeps quietly and he pulls it open. I peer over his shoulder to see piles of cash bundled together.

He swipes it all out into his arms, a few bundles falling to the floor in the process.

"This should cover it for a while." He smiles casually and packs it all into a small bag along with the clothes he threw on the bed.

I stand there, completely shocked and unable to comprehend what is happening. Flynn notices and walks over to me, picking up my hands in his and smiling charmingly.

"Raven. Just trust me. Neither of us are happy here and you were already leaving anyway. Why not do it together?" He says calmly and soothingly.
"If we get out of the country and decide to part ways, that's fine. Just please, get me out of here. I can't live this life that I don't want anymore. What do you say?"

I take a deep breath before answering;

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