Unexpected Love

Chapter 1

  Berwald looked at the man in a bit of shock, wondering if he had heard him right. This man was going to pay him thirty silver coins to kill the prince. Sure Berwald had killed things before, but never a human. Plus there was the problem of sneaking into the castle to do said task.

  There was a lot on the line for someone to carry out this kind of task. Their lives would be taken if they were to be found out. Berwald couldn't help but wonder, was thirty silver coins really worth the chance of being killed? He didn't really think so, since he could get by with what he had at the moment.

  The man must have seen it in his eyes that Berwald was thinking about turning down the offer. He grabbed Berwald's sleeve with his wrinkled hand to make sure Berwald wouldn't go anywhere. The man was desperate. Berwald could see it in the way the older man's body moved. Most of all you could see the pleading look in the man's eyes.

  "Please, I'll raise the payment to sixty silver coins. That's all I have to offer." The man said and Berwald's eyes widened a bit. Where did this man get all this money? It wasn't normal for a peasant to have that amount of silver coins. Even though Berwald was wondering where he got all the coin from, that's not the question he asked.

  "Why do you need me to kill the prince?" Berwald asked. He wanted a valid reason before considering carrying out the task. 'I want him gone.' wasn't an answer that Berwald would take.

The man looked at Berwald as if he hadn't been expecting the question. "Think about it, the Queen is too old and frail to have anymore children. The King is dead and Tino is the only one who is in line for the throne. If we rid of him, peasants like us have more of a chance."

  Berwald thought about it for a moment. This man's logic was obviously missing, they always had a long list for who was in line for the throne. But Berwald saw where he was coming from with the whole 'peasants like us have more of a chance'. They people who were in line for the throne were of slightly lower class, there was a slight chance on of them might have sympathy for peasants.

  Berwald sighed to himself. "But what about Peter?" He asked himself, but then he remembered. He didn't have to worry about Peter. If anything happened to Berwald, his brother Matthias would gladly take care of Peter. Not that Matthias didn't when Berwald went on hunting trips.

  The man must have been watching Berwald closely. He seemed to have made the conclusion that Berwald didn't really have to worry about Peter. It was creepy how intently the man was paying attention to his eyes and movements. Berwald took a step back from the man because of it.

  "So you'll do it for sixty silver coins?" The man asked and Berwald looked down at him. The money would really help. But if he died, Matthias and Peter would be in a bit of trouble. He didn't want that for the two.

  "Sixty coins if I go through with killing him and thirty for my bror if I die." Berwald said and the man almost looked excited. He nodded frantically, making him seem a bit crazy. The man grabbed Berwald's hand and shook it firmly, they had made a deal.

  "We have ourselves a deal. I wouldn't inform your brother, Matthias, about this though, or Peter. Just say you're going on another hunting trip." The man said and Berwald's eyes widened. How did he know about Matthias and Peter?

  "I want it done in a month. Or you loose two coins per day until I catch wind that you are dead." The man said and with that, he was gone. Where the man had gone, Berwald didn't know. He was confused as to how the man could move that quickly. But he didn't spend his time worrying about it.

  He had to get ready for his job. So he headed home. He was going to get his knives, even if he didn't use  them much. A gun would draw too much attention. So as he walked home, he started to form the plan in his mind.