Assassins Crown

Chapter 12

"Let's go, Nicole."

I jerk and see Winston. He is alone. I still haven't gotten used to everybody knowing my name. Or me talking, in general.

It was a few days after the rescue of the Princess and things have changed quite a lot. Or at least Winston had.

The day after the rescue, Winston started to not be as cold to me as he once was, in fact, he seemed slightly more curious in whatever they were doing. I started to look forward to when Winston would come escort me to spar, with Jeffrey and Violet in tow, of course.

"Where to?" I inquire.

"You'll see," is all he says. He seems particularly in an odd mood.

"But I thought we were suppose to spar?"

"We are."

"Then where are we going?"

"You'll see," he repeats.

I sigh and follow him out of my cell. I'm surprised when he slows down a bit so we are walking side by side, but he doesn't say anything or glance in my direction.

I take advantage of the small moment to look at him. His short, thick, dark brown hair makes his skin tone seem even darker than it really is. The front of his hair was swept to the side, out of his eyes. He has sharp features and a narrow jawline and what most would call a perfect nose. He has thick dark eyebrows that are pinched together in concentration right above his stormy blue gray eyes.

For some odd reason, I feel the urge to touch his hair just to see what it would feel like under my fingertips. I quickly chase the estranged thought out of my head.

He guides me out of the dungeon and into the palace halls. The palace halls have enormous windows that stretch all the way down the wall on the east side, where the sun rises every morning. There are long, flowing curtains that are a light golden color that glistened in the sun. All down the halls are the ever present banners of green and gold with crossed swords.

I can't stop myself from wondering why they have such eccentric sparkling chandeliers above when they have obviously large windows to let the light in.

I temporarily lose myself in the beauty of the glistening curtains and sparkling chandeliers before I find that we are at the exit way of the palace.

I was going outside.

With only Winston to prevent me from escaping.

I look at him reproachfully as he gestures for the posted guards to open the doors. As if he senses my gaze, he turns and looks at me.

A slight upturned smile crosses his face.

I turn back to the doors before my focus runs away. The guards open the doors and hold them open until we pass through.

Outside is just as beautiful as the last time I saw it.

It's early in the morning; the sun barely peeks over the mountains. I see the servants and palace guards already up and starting on their daily duties. I see the black haired girl that gave the horses to us so we could ride, and the dark haired boy that held onto Aaron's horse; preventing him from running after his sister. I distantly wonder if they are related.

Winston leads me down the path. On and on, he walks with me beside him.

I look at my surroundings in wonder. There's a path that breaks off to the stables, and as we walk farther, I see a path that leads to a jungle full of different colored flowers; the garden, I presume. There are other paths that break off from the main path that I wonder where they lead to.