The Beginning To The End|Book Three

Introduction Performance

"Ladies and gents this is the moment you've waited for." The lights come on for a split second, showing myself and the rest of the dancers behind me. Then, as they go back off, I grab the pole from behind my back.

"Been searchin' in the dark, your sweat soakin' through the floor." The lights came on again and I raised the pole in front of me. The adreneline coursed through my veins, feeding into a hunger I've felt once before.

"And buried in your bones, there's an ache that you can't ignore
Takin' your breath, stealin' your mind.." I swayed my hips with the music, moving forward towards our audience and flashing my signature smile.

I saw him sitting down before me. His royal smile as he sat upon his stolen throne.

The rope fell right in front of me and I grabbed it quickly, wrapping it along my arms and legs before being lifted into the air, dancing along with the music. The blood rushed through my head as I turned upside down.

But what the audience didn't know what that I had the advantage.

"The king is sitting with the the Stark family. Two guards on either side." I mumbled into the earpiece. I was soon swung lower and turned my rope towards all possible exits.

"Four exits total. Two on each side of the room with a guard standing by one." I added, going even lower and towards the king and his family.

He watched in glee at the show and I watched as some of my companions surrounded them, distracting his eyesight as the guards by each door were being pocketed. All enjoying the show too much to even realize their downfall.

I gasped slightly as the rope yanked me back up, causing my stomach to flip and I moved the rope on either leg and pulled the limbs apart, smiling towards the audience. The song was coming to an end and I soon watched the dancers remove themselves from the kings sight.

I was lowered once again and spun around the circle placed stratigically in the middle of the dance floor. The dancers looked at me and beamed, telling me that we got all that we needed. The second the beat dropped I landed on the floor, raising my arms and smiling at the idiots before us.

The singer grabbed my waist and bowed with me as the crowd cheered loudly.

"Fools." He muttered to me, trying to hide his words behind his smile. Then, we all approached the king and smiled, bowing in respect before rushing off of the stage.

"We have a couple minutes before they realize what just happened." I said, grabbing my clothes and turning to the other dancers.

"How'd we do?" I asked, placing the cloak over my body and pulling up my hood.

"We'll be eating good tonight, boss." One of the girls said, ripping the bags of coins from her waist. I laughed loudly and rushed out of the servants courters, heading for the carriages outside.

"Let's go!" Tobias yelled, sitting on top of the carriage. The dancers filed in through the door and I looked at Tobias's extended hand before grabbing it and moving to sit beside him. The adreneline had fully taken over my body at this point and I found myself unable to stop smiling.

"Hey! Stop!" Someone yelled behind us. We both turned around and saw two guards coming after us.

"Go!" I yelled, making Tobias jump to whip the horses to go. When I turned my head I saw the two guards on the ground. I furrowed my eyes and looked around.

I saw a man in a cloak emerge from the shadows, wiping off a blade in the process. As the man grew smaller I noticed a small smirk appear in the light beneath his cloak. But, I seemed to blink and he was gone.

My eyebrows furrowed in confusion but I turned back around, seeing Tobias laugh wildly as he controlled the horses. I started laughing as well and removed the purple lace mask from my face.

"That was close." I said, sighing deeply but keeping my smile.

"Where now, boss?" One of the girls asked, opening the window from the carriage to where I sat.

"The North. The southern bastards won't look for us up there." I informed, leaning back and grabbing the satchel of gold and silver from my feet.

When I was curtain no one was following us, I removed my cloak from my body, allowing the cool air to hit my sweating body. I didn't have time to change out of my dance uniform so I was in less than underwear right now.

"Did you see him?" Tobias asked. I raised an eyebrow in confusion as I removed my gloves.

"See who?" For a moment I thought he was referring to the man who had potentially saved us earlier. I had wondered who it had been. It could've been a stranger, or a fan, or someone wanting to take what we had. I was going to have to change mine and the girls appearences if that was the case.

"The king." Tobias said, seeming giddy. I scoffed and sent him a look.

"Barely. The drunken idiot was too busy drowning himself in his cups and gropping my girls to even enjoy the show." I said, crinkling my nose as I pictured the earlier events.

"I heard that he's taller and stronger than the average man. That they had to weld the iron throne just so he could sit in it." The boy added. I rolled my eyes at his eagerness.

"Please, just focus on the horses, Tobias."

The performing group I was in was technically a thieving operation. We dances and sang for audiences like any other group but we used the distraction of entertainment to take what our servies were actually worth.

I started doing this kinda thing when I was seven. My mother ran low on money and since no one wanted to marry a bastard, she sold me to the circus. More specifcally, a man named Curtis Shamin.

He was...well, he was a special man. To foes and strangers, Curtis was a dark and cruel man. He killed and destroyed families for a small price and gained the long jagged scar across his face from a fight he once won against a Targaryen.

But, to us, he was a man, who was forced to be someone he wasn't. Not a lot of people cared for the kinda of lifestyle Curtis enjoyed. He loved to.. drink white wine unlike other men who drank red.

Nonetheless, Curtis was a great man. He was kind to us and would starve just to see his performers eat instead. When he bought me, he took me under his wing and showed me the ropes.

When he died.

I became The Empress.

Also feel free to leave any POSITIVE comments on ideas. This whole series is still in the works and my writers block gets really bad so bear with me through this.

If you are confused on a concept let me know for this is a pretty big storyline to grasp but I'm hoping to kinda explain it throughout the book.

Thank you!