A Royal Assassination (on hold)

Part 1 - a failed attempt

Shadows and corners, rooftops and murky waters beneath. Cassius leaned back against the stone wall, dangling his legs beyond the ledge. The drop below was impressive enough to kill, but death held no particular interest. Not tonight. He had scaled these walls since he was a kid, a runt racing the streets in search for scraps. It had been a different life but it had honed his instincts and formed him into the person he was today. Lethal, efficient—a fleeting memory for some, and the last gasp of breath for countless souls. Walls posed no problem.

They had approached him a week ago, asking the unspeakable. A thrilling prospect, indeed, but he had no master but gold. They had offered him more than enough compensation for the heinous act of killing the next in line.

He scoffed, trailing his gaze along the horizon. The kingdom had prospered while the Emperor kept his court at bay and wars at a distance, but discord was growing the older the man became. It was said to be his final year, and already, they were worried about the youth destined to ascend the throne. Cassius had no preference. He had ears everywhere and knew the boy by vicious rumors as well as heartfelt accounts. It was hard to construct a full picture of a person who had made enemies based on birth alone.

The large bell in the tower above rang the hour. It was time to move from the relative safety of the hidden ledge to the landing above where soldiers marched at regular intervals. He would take one of them by the throat and silence their voice before discarding the useless body on the cobbled stones below. The man would be found in due time, but then the Emperor-to-be would be long dead.

He gripped the rough edges with gloved fingers and plastered his body against the wall, climbing higher and higher until he could peer over the last stones to the courtyard below. The rustle of clothes and creak of leather reached him from the right. The guard passed by without spotting him. The rest was mere formality. Cassius silently stepped over the edge, moved in from behind and slit the guard's throat. The only sound was a faint dripping of warm blood on the stones beneath.

He knew the way, having studied the plans for the palace beside a lit wax candle. They had informed him where he were likely to encounter guards, a scheme they would surely change once the deed was done and they came into power.

Flames behind glass illuminated the carpeted hallway and the walls adorned by a series of portraits. He had no interest in the faces of old, walking with purpose toward the door at the end. Fine work of intarsia marked it from the rest, and if he'd been inclined to appreciate art, he might have paused.

The floorboards sounded beneath his feet, calling forth a frown on his forehead. There was no time to hesitate. He gripped the metal doorknob and turned, slipping inside the room with ease. So far, it had been too easy, he noted. They had done their job well to prepare for his stealthy entry. The boy had no chance, but that was not enough to affect Cassius resolve. His job was simple.

A fire crackled, spreading warmth into a room much colder than it should have been. The large window stood open, the curtains moving in the breeze. He registered the shadow hidden behind, the foot dangling beside it. Carefully, he moved closer, only stopping when he caught sight of a haughty profile outlined against the vast sky. The youth was clad in flimsy night clothes, soft white linen that would be stained in blood.

He breathed slowly, strangely transfixed by the tranquil atmosphere. The Emperor's son rarely left the palace, and he'd never set eyes upon the boy up close. Like his father, he had hair dark as ink, slightly too long at the nape of his neck. But where the father was tall with wide shoulders, this boy had the gangly appearance of youth and slim wrists. He would never wield a heavy sword. No, this was a young man with a strange sort of grace. It was evident in the way he had one leg folded toward his chest and his arm resting against it in a soft stance.

"How much are they paying you?" The heir's voice lacked edges, fluid like a river.

Cassius clenched his jaw. This was not meant to happen. He had no time for dalliance. He stepped closer with firm purpose only to be stopped by a raised hand that glinted in the moonlight. The gesture took him off guard. It wasn't raised out of fear—the youth had not even looked at him yet. The strangeness made him falter.

Finally, the emperor's son glanced his way, blinking with eyes that held a stoic pride and resignation all at once. They shimmered like silver in the strange light. "How much?"

Cassius gripped the hilt of his blade. "Enough."

"I believe my reward will outweigh theirs." The sensuous voice finally had a cold strain hidden within. The complete lack of vulnerability shifted the air.

Cassius placed the blade beneath the youth's chin, tilting it upward. He had not been intrigued by anyone in years—everyone a fleeting existence that failed to reach anywhere near him. This youth was different, but he couldn't put his finger on what it was. The brilliant eyes stared at him with calm cold as if the blade beneath his chin held no importance. Cassius wondered who was in control.

"I'm hiring a bodyguard, and you show promise. I will speak with father in the morning."

Thoughts whirled in his head, trying to make sense of the situation. They would retaliate if he failed to do their bidding, but something of a deep-hidden urge surfaced from within. For twenty odd years, he had resented the wealth of those within the palace walls, their lack of concern for those fated to live at the edges of society. He had sought power to reach independence—he had killed to gain freedom.

"I will never have a master," he answered.

The youth answered with a tired smile. "They will dispose of you after this. Your life was forfeit the moment they approached you."

Grudgingly, he acknowledged the truth of those words. They would not want loose ends that could lead an investigation in their direction. With narrowed eyes and tense shoulders, he stepped back—angry that the youth had somehow retained that eerie calmness throughout the affair.

"A bodyguard. You think me a fool." The Emperor would throw him into the dungeons where he would never again see the light of day.

"Not at all. You have my word."

"Your word means nothing to me."

A graceful touch on his arm. The Emperor's son blinked slowly, sensuously—almost like a courtesan. It was out of place and strangely fitting at the same time.

"You've held my life in your hands, now I hold yours. It's a fair exchange, is it not?"

Cassius tried to find the trace of a lie in the sharp features of the man who would rule the country and came up empty. His gut told him to trust, no matter how inconvenient it was. Bodyguard. He scoffed.

"When do I start?"

"Right now would be suitable. You can watch the door while I sleep." The youth he had no name for slipped off the window sill and moved toward the bed, not once looking back at Cassius. At last, having pushed the cover aside, he turned. "What is your name?"

"Cassius."

"Then, Cassius, you may call me Takeeo when we are alone." Beside the bed, he was a vision of pale limbs and a strange contradiction of innocence and pure strength, and Cassius found himself staring for too long.

Takeeo. The name suited him.

A/N I've yet to choose a cast since I seriously wrote this up today just to get rid of writer's block. Do you have any ideas? Then feel free to drop them here <3

As I said, writer's block. I'm currently quite stressed about a lot of my stories and I wrote this with the sole intention of giving you all something without the pressure. I hope you enjoyed it and that you look forward to another chapter. I have a feeling these two might be rather sizzling together :)