Honey and Lavender

Spencer took the time to snap his sister out of her trance, and slowly guided her towards a few of the merchant carts scattered around the area. The Royal Family retreated back to the Mansion overlooking the village, exiting from their grand entrance. The awe remained in the air, but the tension subsided.

Spencer had five goals for the night, and he’d be damned if he let his sister ruin it. After a while of milling around the carts, each twin now ordained with a flower necklace dangling off their chests, the real fun could begin.

“Hey Ang! I have an idea for what we can do to start out the night!”

Still locked into the feeling of locking eyes with Princess Amanda, Angela lazily lifted her head up to meet her brother’s gaze. “Oh yeah? What do you have planned?”

Spencer reached into his pocket and pulled out a small cloth bag, and inside their ticket to a fast approaching stomach ache appeared. “You never give me any of the sweets we have at home, sooo I have been saving up for tonight. The first thing we have to do is try every dessert the festival has to offer.”

Angela’s eyes widened, and for a second she considered telling him no, but she never let herself give into indulgences like this, and reluctantly agreed.

They were on a mission, a sugary, sweet- mission.

“Let’s try these first!” Spencer led his sister to a yellow-linen draped stall, the bitter tang of lemons filled the air, the smell so strong they could taste it. A small woman stood around the stall, a tray of blossom shaped cakes in her hand. They were bright yellow, powdered sugar dusting the top of them. Practically drooling, Spencer paid the woman for two Lemon Blossom cakes, and the pair took a first bite.

Spencer groaned as he took a bite, his expression melting into pure, sugary bliss.

Angela rolled her eyes, “Alright bud, you’re being a bit dramatic.”

With his mouth full of cake, Spencer responded, “We really need to learn how to make these.”

Angela just nodded her head, trying to scout out the next treat they could try. The next stop was an eccentric pink haired lady covered in rose petals, and to match she was selling matching rose macarons. Angela cannot resist the softness of macarons, so she grabbed three just to herself, but wasn’t surprised when Spencer came in behind her taking four. Her eyes fluttered as she popped each tiny dessert into her mouth, the taste almost as good as the feeling she got seeing Princess Amanda earlier in the evening.

Spencer and Angela kept walking, indulging themselves in almond croissants, honey brittle, and lavender custard tart. Each treat fueling their energy, preparing them for the long night ahead. Not knowing what to do with their sugar high, Angela pulled her brother in towards the Main Fountain, where a crowd danced along to a circle of musicians. “Come on Spence!”

Spencer let Angela take the lead, not telling her that he wanted to dance all along. Over the years he learned to let Angela take over to help her gain a sense of control she is always striving for, even if he helped the plans go along.

Soon the pair were spinning in circles, strangers danced with them like they were friends for many years. A flower crown landed on Angela’s head, her brother clapping in rhythm with the music. A stranger in a hooded cloak lifts Angela up into the air, clutching her waist, spinning her in a dramatic twirl. She laughs with her whole chest, embracing the cool night air as she lets her body be taken over by the kind stranger. At this moment being a poor, orphaned teen was the last thing on her mind. Eventually the stranger set her down, and without thinking she reached up and de-cloaked them. Angela gasped as she met a pair of striking blue/green eyes. Before she could even process the stranger pulled Angela to the outside of the crowd, into a hardly lit corner of the festival.

“I-I-I’m so sorry I wasn’t thinking I didn’t mean to-”

“Shhh…it’s okay. I’m not here to do any business. Just came to the festival to have some fun.” The stranger gave a wolfish smile, something dangerous and alluring.

The girl standing in front of Angela looked to be around her age, maybe a year younger. Her features were sharp, she had pale skin and short blonde hair. Her eyes were lined with coal, and along the collar of her tunics were small scars, some old, some faded, but a jarring line ran from the bottom of her neck and up towards her right eye.

Angela stuttered, “yo-you-you're not from here..” Angela’s eyes traced the markings of the strangers cloak, her body grew hot as she recognized the embroidery, the symbol patch, of the Kingdom Assassin.

“Yeah, and you’re braver than most.”

“Why do you say that…?” Angela swallowed hard, her mind slowly catching up.

“I mean, most people don’t take the cloak off of the King’s top assassin.”

Angela’s heart plummeted, there is no way someone this young could be responsible for so many deaths.

“You’re lying.”

“Why would I lie about that? Plus, they don’t hand out these patches for nothin.” The small assassin pointed to stitched on patches connected to her slim metal armor. The first patch Angela noticed was in the shape of a crescent moon, a dagger crossing it. “This patch is called First Blood, you get it when you finish your first contract, if you know what I mean.” The assassin smiled, before pointing to the next one, “this one is the Three Feathered Hand, you get it when you complete a mission of high secrecy.” Angela noticed her armor was covered in patches, but the patch with a sword covered in lavender caught her eye. Angela pressed for an answer, “...and this one?”

“Ahhh, this one is my favorite, and why I am the top assassin. It was about two years ago, I stumbled upon General Damien. I don’t have any parents, and it was cold and I had no home to return to. He took pity on me and this other kid, Chanse, and he made us his two best weapons. We trained every day, he made Chanse a protector, and I became a predator for anyone who was against the peace of the Kingdom.”

Angela shifted in her spot, eager to hear more.

“After many grueling months I became hyper aware of my surroundings. My senses picked up on every strange movement, and one night as the Princess laid in her bed, there was a man there to kill her.”

A gasp left Angela’s lips, “how did you know?”

“I sensed him near, I was walking up and down the hallway, pacing after a mission filled conference with King Ian, when all of a sudden I heard the slight creak of her balcony door opening. I ran to her room, and when I got there the man was lifting his long sword above her chest. The moon glistened off its sharp edges, and silently I moved. I lunged for the man, the blade of his sword barely missed Princess Amanda by inches. I drove my own dagger into his ribs, gave a quick twist, and he was gone.”

“You saved her.”

“Yes, the sound of our fight alerted the guards, and eventually the Princess woke up. King Ian and Anthony rushed in. King Anthony moved to his daughter’s bed to console her, but King Ian looked me directly in the eye and shook my hand. From then on I promised to him that as long as I am alive, his children will never worry for their safety ever again.”

Angela was stunned, her mind reeled at the thought of her beloved Princess being so close to death. “So that explains the lavender…”

The assassin’s eyes met Angela’s, and she put her cloak back on. “I’m Courtney, but you have to swear that you will never repeat my name to anyone, okay?”

“Um, okay..”

“What should we do next?”

Angela thought for a moment, “Actually, I wasn’t alone tonight. My brother is here with me, and I don’t want him to worry.”

“Does your brother like swords?”

Angela laughed loudly, “More than life.”

“Awesome, I’ll stay here, and you bring him to me.”

Courtney waved Angela forward, and stepped even further into the shadows. Angela’s heart raced as she ran to find her brother. “Spencer! Spencer!”

Her brother, dancing with a young man Angela did not recognize, stopped and listened for his sister. “Angela! Where the hell were you? I couldn’t find you anywhere!”

“Spence, you will never believe me if I just tell you. Come with me and then you’ll have your answer.” She grabbed Spencer and with too much force she dragged him back to meet Courtney, but she was greeted with empty space. Angela didn’t dare call out her name, but her stomach sank as the one person Angela thought she had made friends with, disappeared in the short moment she was gone.

“What is it? What is supposed to be here-”

Spencer tried to finish his sentence, before both twins were knocked unconscious.

~
Angela awoke with a sharp pain behind her eyes, the back of her head throbbing. Panic seared through her chest and through her blindfold she tried to see any sign that her brother was okay. She reached out, hoping to feel him. Groggily, she called out, “..spence..”

From her left she could barely make out, “..ang…”

She tuned into her senses, she couldn’t see, so there goes sight. She could hear slight murmurs around her, but she struggled to clearly hear the voices. The taste in her mouth was metallic, and she traced her fingers along the hard, splintered wood of her chair. For a second, she thought the room had the slightest hint of lavender.

Deft hands found their way around Angela’s head, and she jerked at the touch. “Hey, it’s okay, I’m just taking off your blindfold.”

“Courtney?”

From beside her Spencer called out, agitation dripping from his voice, “What the hell is going on?”

Angela’s vision was blurry, but she started to make out the stoned walls of the room they were in, lit by tiny lanterns. Tapestries hung in the shadows, one of rose thorns, vines, and lavender blossoms.

Her vision becomes clear, and then she sees them. Three other teenagers surrounded the twins, and at the center was Courtney. Her hood and cloak now gone from her shoulders, her cheeks now smudged with black charcoal, her expression was unreadable. A practiced calm, Angela could tell she was tense, as if she were bracing for something.

To her left stood a taller boy, his hair wild with curls, tied back in a leather cord. He was dressed in simple black robes, a large silver hilted sword slung across his back. He examined the twins carefully, his jaw tight, arms crossed. Angela could not escape the intense glare of his amber colored eyes.

To Courtney’s right was a girl about her height, she had long black hair and dark skin. She leaned lazily against a marble pillar, she gleamed in the shadows. Her face was painted with sharp lines of traditional assassin war paint, she flipped a dagger between her fingers easily. Her smirk was razor thin.

“You’re awake! Good! Now we can really have some fun.”

“Who the hell are you guys?” Spencer tried reaching into his pocket to pull out the stone dagger he made himself the past summer, it wasn’t great, but in desperate times it could get the job done.

The young girl standing next to Courtney pulled his dagger out from one of her combat boots. “Looking for this? The name’s Arasha, pleasure to meet you.”

Spencer spat on the ground in front of her, Angela trembled in her seat.

“Courtney, how could you do this? I thought we were friends?”

“Yeah we are, that’s why Arasha knocked your brother out, and I just tapped the back of your head.”

“And who’s he?”

“My bud and basically my brother, Chanse. I mentioned him earlier.”

Calming down from his anger Spencer tried his best to breathe normally. “What do you want from us? Ang, how did you get tied up with an assassin?”

“I accidentally met her while dancing…”

“Yeah she’s a pretty good dance partner, now, can you help us be a partner in something else?”

“What…else?”

“There’s a hidden celebration at midnight tonight, and we need more guests. And we aren’t the most friendly group, soooo do you want to join?” Courtney started to untie the bounds the twins were tied to.

“What celebration?” Angela nervously asked, flexing her now free hands.

“The Princess’s 18th Birthday.”