The Poison Apples

00.

The lands of Gaelic were a vast graveyard, filled with soldiers, starving families, and the dead. If there was one thing the kingdom was known for, it was the rolling body count. The Gaelic Kingdom had become synonymous with death, with constant wars ravaging the land.  Blood spilled and bone broken, in an attempt to prove their worth to the king.
They say you go to the Kingdom of Gaelic to die.
The king had a thirst for blood nobody could explain. It scared his followers, cause if he couldn't declare war on the nearest kingdom- his useless followers paid. People blamed it on the years of war that made the king mad. He was a sinister ruler that would make anyone beg for their life.
Which is why everyone knows in Gaelic you must prove your worth or pay the price. Everyone had a job, a usefulness for the king. Weather it be letting him fuck your wife, or baking him a cake. You must be useful. That was the only rule in the kingdom.
The king must benefit from you, or your head would be on a stake in the middle of town.
The brunette sighed softly, her fingertips brushing the pages of her book. The spine was broken and barely held together no matter how much she fixed it. Its pages were stained, making some of the words unreadable. She knew the book by heart, even if she couldn't pronounce the words. But she refused to get rid of it.
The foreign language made no sense to her, but she still flipped through its worn pages. It was of sentimental value, a small book her mother would carry around with her. A language she would whisper to her when she was young and fighting sleep. Her culture that she would keep hidden even if her life depended on it.
But here it was, now in the short brunette's hands. Who had no idea how to read the foreign letters in front of her. She had never seen the language before and only heard words her mother spoke in the cover of the night. The girl knew nothing of its history and she knew if she started asking questions, the king would find out.
And being executed was not on the top of her list of things she needed to get done.
A sharp knock at the shop's door made her look up, her jade eyes locking on the wood. It was worn down with the years, barely holding onto its hinges. A small gust of wind would be able to blow it over. Its’ golden handle seemed to turn slightly before it stopped, another sharp knock echoing her shop.
"I'm coming!"
The women closed the book and shoved it into the folds of the chair.
Her bare feet slapped against the hardwood floors of the shop, her many anklets jingling. She weaved around shelves, filled with items travelers looked for. Ranging from weapons to a healing potion with a cursed item here or there.
If you named it, she had it- with a price.
But they really only came for one thing in the shop, information.
The woman's hand wrapped around the door knob, her heart beating roughly in her chest. The fear and anxiety sat in her stomach and churned like she drank curdled milk. She unconsciously bit her lip as she pulled the door open, stepping back to see the person.
The guard squared his shoulders as he looked down at the short woman. His hard stormy eyes narrowed at her in displeasement, face wrinkled like he smelled something foul. He never cared for the woman and only came to her shop for business. If he had any other choice he would have stayed home and out of the rain.
“Evening Cassandra.”
He spat, looking the woman up and down. His lips twisting into a snarl.
“Roger, what brings you here?”
She waved her hand in dismissal, her bangles clacked together.
“The king.”
The man pushed past her, his muddy boots heavy against the wooden floor.
“Ah, did you guys need something?”
She slammed the door shut, her bare feet slapping against the wood floor.
Cassandra looked at the mud with displease, knowing she would have to clean it up later. But the king and his guards didn’t care what they did to her shop, as long as she provided what they needed.
Roger’s gray eyes narrowed at the woman, a grin spreading to his lips. The sinister look on the man’s face made a chill curl down her spine.
“Actually we did.”
He pivoted on his heel, making the woman smack into his chest. The metal chest plate connected with her chin and nose making pain shoot through her face.
Cassandra made a noise of pain as she stepped away from the irritating man. Her forest green eyes narrowed at him with displeasure. She would do anything to kick him out.
“What did his highness need?”
She spat, rubbing her chin.
“Well everyone knows you hear everything like a little bird-.”
The guard started to circle her, making her uneasy.
The candle’s flames danced around the room, casting an eerie shadow on the grinning man. The sinister look made Cassandra’s breath hitch.
“Yeah, it's my job, remember?”
He stopped in front of her, grabbing her chin with force.
“-I didn't finished pesent.”
Roger snarled and let go of her forcefully.
“His highness wants to know about these Poison Apples?”
The woman raised her eyebrows.
“Like the fruit-”
The guard snarled and rushed towards her, backing her up against the counter.
Fear flashed in Cassandra’s jade green eyes, her body tensed as she waited. Unconsciously she bit her lip, trying to control the anxiety.
“No, you know exactly who I’m talking about.”
He was right, she did.
But she only knew what everyone else knew. They were invisible and untouchable. It was rare for people to survive an encounter with these people and if you did, you never remembered much to tell.
Nobody knew their names or what they looked like. They were mysteries, a whisper in the wind.
The things people knew of the group were things they allowed you to know.
“I know just about what everybody else knows about them. They don’t go around handing out cards.”
She narrowed her jade orbs at him, pushing him away to walk around the guard.
The guard scoffed and turned to watch her shuffle around her shop nervously.
“The king is assuming you know something about them, which you must-.”
His eyes stalked the nervous woman.
“-You have travelers in and out of here everyday from different kingdoms. They must carry word-.”
“They don’t, trust me.”
She snarled at him, eyes full of anger.
The irritation was evident in her face, brows furrowed as she stared down the guard. They expected her to know something she didn’t know.
“You know if the king finds out you’re lying to him-.”
The guard walked up to her, menacing eyes staring her down.
“-you’ll be hung for treason.”
Cassandra gritted her teeth, hands balled tightly as she stared down Roger.
“I’m sure the king would love a valid reason to off me-.”
She smirked, crossing her arms.
“-one he could actually put on paper without his head on a platter.”
The guard snarled and raised a finger, pointing at her chest.
“You watch it-.”
“No, you watch it. Cause we both know the king values information more than the likes of you.”
She snarled, slamming her book on the counter top.
Cassandra squared her shoulders, eyes full of fury as she huffed. She stared down the fuming man as he gritted his teeth.
“Now, Roger, if you don’t have any other messages from the king. I suggest you take your leave-.”
The woman ran a hand through her long, auburn hair. The charms on her bangs clinked together softly.
“-and tell that king of ours that I will do everything in my power to get information on this rebellious group.”
Roger’s hand tightened around the handle to his sword, itching to finally end the woman and her bloodline.
It had no reason to exist anyways, her life was out of treason.
“I cannot wait to see the light of day when his majesty asks me to end you, skank.”
The guard spat on her floor, turning on his heel to stomp out of the shop.  The door slammed closed, prompting Cassandra to breathe.
Her chest fell with the air she was holding as she leaned back against the counter. She knew the king was being generous with the time he gave her to acquire information.
But there was no information to acquire.
Which meant, she would see the gallows in her future.
And she would not let her life end by that man’s hands.