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theconceptoffate · 5 years ago

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A Clandestine Meeting

The Summer Palace lay silent as most the inhabitants slept. The few whom moved about did so as quietly as possible. The servants did so as not to wake the royals and noble courtiers whom lay sleeping. Some of them were extremely unpleasant when awoken early. Those of noble or higher status moved about silently because they gained some pleasure by sneaking about in the shadows. The servants pretend not to notice them—even is their attempts to sneak past them is quite obvious. Through, it could be argued that the servants only pretended while the noble was in the act, because rumors of their escapade while everyone slept spread around like wildfire. Whom else could tell besides the servants? And this was how the nobles whom did not take more care to hide their actions within the palace wished it. This was certainly what the Duchess of Lyykela hoped when she left the king’s chambers for her own with her white-blonde disheveled.

There were those whom might think they were lovers, and the Duchess certainly hoped for such a thing. She had always cultivated high ranking men. It was this desire that allowed her to raise from the ranks of a minor noble to the wife of one of the council men, but her sights did not stop there.She desired to become Queen of Alyla Dorei, but such dream was impossible until recently. Queen Kiziah’s death had left a vacancy that the Duchess hoped to fill. Through, she would not outright say she slept with the king if such a thing was inquired. There are those whom would call her a liar if such a declaration were made. It is said king Avior has not been the same since his wife’s death, and there is talk of his son Jozhe ascending the throne before his own passing. A man in such a state would not be engaging in sexual relations with anyone.

In the end, there was no need for the Duchess and king to have sex. Her own state spoke volumes of their relationship. Her hair being disheveled in the manner it was told just how intimate their relationship were. She felt close enough with the king that she could present herself as little less than ideal. Through, the Duchess would be hard press to make herself even remotely ugly. She was the very image of what one born during a full moon of Prosdreus appeared--beautiful in the traditional Lithesi fashion. Such details, however, did not matter. What mattered was the very idea that she felt close enough to the king to allow him to see her in such imperfect light. This only meant that when the king was ready to take a second wife that it was likely to be her.

She entered her chamber with a happy sigh, turning on the lights and letting out a gasp when she noticed someone sitting within. At first, she thought it was her husband---the Duke of Lyykela. It was one thing for rumors of her infidelity to spread, but it was an entirely different thing for him to catch her in the act---even if they haven't slept together her intentions with the king were clear. However, before the excuse became ready upon her lips she realized whom was sitting there. "Oh Nyyrikki. It's only you." relief flooded over her.

"Hello, mother" Nyyrikki told her, hands folded in his lap. He, of all people, knew just how ambitious she was. He had been born on Vaikuuden Paevai---a day when there was no moon within the sky. Those born during these time---whether it is on an actual day when there are no moons or the moons are blocked behind clouds--don't have the typical powers of the moons. Parents of these children decided what to do with them. Some choose to raise them as normal as possible, allowing their child to decide what he might do when he become older. Others give them to the royal guard---an elite group whose sole purpose and duty is to serve the royal family in any means possible. A few will toss their children away, leaving them to the mercy of the wilds and gods. Than there are those like his mother whom decided that none of those options would best serve her ambitions.

Oh, she could raise him herself, but his prospects were limited. There were a stigma attached to children born upon moonless nights, and she might find it impossible to marry him into a family that might help raise her status. She couldn't just toss him to the wolves, as the saying went. She certainly couldn't make use of him if he was dead. As for giving him to the royal guards that would make him more loyal to the royal family than her, and that was simply not something she could have. Instead, she gave him to the Cult of Syovatt. A humorous decision if there was ever one, because being a member of the cult made him no more loyal to her as being a member of the royal guard did---some might argue less so. But, she like so many didn't really grasp the cult. They, however, made no attempts to remedy these misunderstandings. If someone wished to believe that their loyalty can be acquired than so be it. In time, they will learn the truth.

Nyyrikki received the best training the cult could provided, and when he came of age his mother begun to request him to complete jobs for her. Of course, the cult saw no reason to deny her requests. The very moment the Duchess of Lyykela handed her son over to them he stopped being her child. A fact they made crystal clear to him, but a memo the Duchess appeared not to receive. "Have you completed my latest request or are you here for more details on the job?" She smiled at him, speaking with the candor of a mother to her child.

It amused him that she regarded him that way. More so when he thought about how she probably believed he felt affection for her. He felt nothing for her. She was nothing more than a client whom happened to give birth to him. "Neither." He told her.

She looked at him perplexed. "Were there a change of plan? Did the target pay you a large sum not to kill her?" Such things did happen. It wouldn't be the first time that one of Duchess targets paid Nyyrikki not to kill them.

It was never about the money. He didn't kill for the money nor did he spare someone's life for the money. He enjoyed killing. There was something about holding someone's life within his hand and knowing he would be the one to end it that brought him a high, but every once in awhile he could be convinced to spare someone's life if he found their pleas for mercy entertaining enough."You could say that. Come, mother, have a drink with me." He pushed himself from the chair he had been sitting in and walked to the table where she had a bottle of the finest moon bourbon. He poured two glasses, and handed her one.

She swished the bourbon about for a few moments, thoughts clearly elsewhere before she took a drink. Standing in silence for a few moments before finally asking "Is there any way I can convince you to complete the job?" She coughed, thinking that her throat was dry or something she took another drink.

It always amused him how quickly his poisons worked. Some might considered killing a person in such a manner was cowardly, but he was an assassin not some brave knight. He would use whatever method that would get the job done, and if someone requests the death looks as natural as possible he saw no reason not to grant that request. Besides a stab wound was hard to pass off as natural. It was possible. One just had to make it look like the target tripped and fell onto their blade, but poison had a far greater range of making the death appear natural. There were poisons that made the victim have symptom of various diseases. Some of these didn't kill very quickly, but their death was truly as agonizing as the illnesses they mimic. Others worked faster, and mimic the idea of choking or having your throat seal shut do to an allergic reaction. Then there those poisons whom could never be mistaken as something else. "All things must end." He told her.

The Duchess paused with her drink to her mouth. Her coughing had grown worse. "What have you done?" She inquired, frantic as suspension washed over her.

"I dropped a couple of almond into the bottom of your bourbon." He rolled shoulder as if to say oops, but there was no look of guilt or remorse written upon his face. Sometimes the best poison was the ones that only effective certain people.

It was clear that the Duchess wished to ask why, but well her nut allergy was making such a thing impossible. He wondered if other species reacted to their food allergies in the same manner? First coughing than their throat sealed shut. Perhaps, the coughing was a response to the throat being sealed shut. It might be that the body thought something have gotten wedge there and was trying to get it out. He took a drink from his own glass. "The Cult of Syovatt appreciate your patronage, but we believe it is time for our partnership to come to an end."

The Duchess fell forward, hands clutching at her throats as if she could claw a hole into it that would allow her to breath. He could just imagine what she was thinking. I am your mother. You can't betray me like this and other pointless spew of their family bond. Ridiculous notions spilled from someone whom believed that the members of the Cult of Syovatt could be controlled by any one political agenda. It was their services that one bought not their honor or loyalty. Through, the Duchess was not the first whom made such a mistake nor would she be the last, but eventually the cult decided it was time to make it clear that these people learn they didn't own them. Sometimes they kill someone close to the deluded, but most of the time they merely killed the foolish themselves. Such was the case with the Duchess of Lyykela. When he heard of the cult's plan to kill her he had to be the one to complete the job. Some might claim it was because no matter how much he claimed he felt nothing for her that he still held affection towards her, but such a notion were silly. He held no love for her. He held nothing for her not even contempt. It wasn't even the idea that he had to do it because he was the one whom had taken all her contracts since he became old enough to work the field.

He finished his drink and set it upon the table and moved towards where the duchess lay upon the ground, barely clinging to life and knelt down beside her. "And even if they had given no such order I would have killed you for the audacity of asking me to kill Princess Sahar." With those words uttered, he pushed himself from where the duchess lay and left the room, leaving the body to be discovered by the servants whom will come to clean her room in a couple hours.

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