It was a hot and humid morning in Fannon, the mighty empire on Carowin – the eastern continent. The humidity would later stabilize and the lush grasses of the south would be covered in a fine layer of dew, where the northern parts of Fannon would be covered in puddles, since most of it was urban and covered in cobblestone streets. The sun was just beginning to rise over the streets as I made it to the lush hills of Southern Fannon. By the way, I'm Lena Ignes – the most powerful and feared female assassin in Carowin.
As I stopped at the foothills surrounding the great city of Dunisite in Fannon, I wondered how a place so beautiful could be located in a place so ruthless. You see, Fannon was not known for its lush, green hills. No, not at all. It was known for something much darker and much crueler. So dark and cruel that when people heard its name mentioned, they would suffer from non-stop nausea for the rest of the day. This may be a bit of exaggeration on my part, but most people didn't think of Carowin being a beautiful place.
Most citizens of Fannon and other countries of Fannon sometimes wondered if its beautiful side was nothing but a cover for all the horrible things that occurred within its territory. As I entered the rich city of Dunisite, I spat on its welcome sign as I passed through. The grass ended abruptly as I headed a little farther into the city, most of the ground now covered in shops and cobblestone streets, but yet I could see the huge estates beyond the urban parts of Dunisite.
This was the Villagers' District, with its shops and all, and beyond it were the huge estates for significant people in Fannon's Court or just the ordinary wealthy person here and there. That's actually where I was headed. Despite how unarmed I looked at the moment, I had weapons upon weapons tucked under my clothing and undergarments.
I had been sent here by my master, Naroy Liznack, to assassinate someone in one of those huge estates. I knew exactly which estate I was headed for and I knew the complete lay-out of the estate's interior and exterior – mostly for escape reasons. But, above all...I knew who I was going to kill today.
Lord Heron, a member of Fannon's Court and a fine friend of the king of Fannon. I didn't know exactly why Naroy had sent me to kill the Lord but I did know that it had to do with the King and his Court. That was definitely for sure. But, Naroy had told me to assassinate him and get out – no peeking around for clues or trying to kill anyone else.
"Only if they see you, do you kill them. Got that?" Naroy had said to me just before I had left a few days ago.
"Yes," I had replied back to him. I understood what he was saying and all, but at the same time...some part of me just felt curious to as why he would want me to be extra careful not to kill anyone else in his estate. I guess curious might not have been the most appropriate word. Confused was more like it. I felt confused – really confused.
Which was unusual for me. Very unusual, indeed.
As I strolled through the shops in the Villagers' District, I noticed a quaint, low-scale parlor that seemed nice enough to eat at. I stopped my quick, consistent walk to take a look at the parlor. And, before I could second-guess myself, I strolled in through the door, careful not to drag attention to myself.
But, just as I had hoped, no one seemed to notice me too much as I sauntered into the parlor...ready for some not-so-good ale and a bunch of rotten drunks.
I took a seat at one of the three-foot stools that the bar in the front of the parlor offered. A few drunks here and there; maybe a female courtesan sitting not but three stools away from me. I didn't usually indulge in the lives of courtesans, but something about this one seemed to draw my eyes away from the drunks sitting around me. She wore a twirling pink dress, boots hidden underneath it. I could definitely tell that she had a corset under her dress, too. It might've just been me, but I was fairly sure her chest looked higher than it should've been.
But, that wasn't the intriguing part of her. Her hair – long, flowing black hair, with shining pearls hidden in between strands of it – brushed just below her shoulders and it seemed to float in mid-air around her face...as if something was holding it up. But, her face was even more decorated: one side of it was painted different shades of gold and yellow, beautiful streaks of color where they were supposed to be. Her lips were bejeweled with silver, black, and deep-red jewels, so minuscule that they seemed to blend in with the colors of her real lips, making a stunning performance of color and beauty.
My mouth must have been hanging open in pure awe and amazement, because the look the girl gave me suggested it.
I knew I had to say something to avoid giving up my cover or just for the sake of not seeming weird, so I took a deep breath and spoke to her, "Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to be impolite, if that's what I was coming off as." I said this so quickly and to-the-point that I was worried she might take my words the wrong way and go to somewhere else for a drink in the Villagers' District, but she nonetheless responded back.
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