She forced herself to run. They were closing in on her and she couldn't have them figuring out her identity. Especially when she was supposed to engaged to the powerful Templar family's only heir and, supposedly, the love of her life. The only ones who knew the truth were those in the Brotherhood.
Quickly, she ducked into an alley way, blending perfectly with the shadows. The guards ran past the entrance not even bothering to search the narrow walk way. She smiled, "Men are such idiots." The girl then quietly climbed up the side of the building which she was previously pressed against. Breathing a sigh of relief, the young assassin hoisted herself onto the roof and started jogging southwest. The tiles on the roof clinked softly as she jogged across them in the still light of the full moon. When she reached her destination a few streets away, she silently dove into a large hay stack next to the side of a stable. There was another man there, wearing the old dirty clothes of a thief, waiting silently in the shadows, looking around anxiously for passing guards or archers.
"You're late." he hissed. The young girl, trying desperately to rid herself of the itchy hay, shook violently.
"I know and apologize. Manfred would not-"
"Machen nicht Ausreden. Here," He shoved a large roll of folded papers, tied with a red ribbon, in her hands. "it is your new assignment." The girl nodded understandingly. She didn't know what was written on the papers, however she had an idea. Hoping that her hunch was correct, she tightly clenched the papers to her chest.
"Danke." For the past six months she had been the 'lucky' fiancé of Manfred Duerr and was sick of him. She despised everything about him, his way of thinking, the way he treated women like they were toys, and the way he treated her most of all. She had lost count of the times she has almost slit his throat while he slept.
"Kein Problem." the man said before he turned and dashed off in the opposite direction he was facing. She sighed heavily, making her way to her next, and final, destination, home. She headed north toward the empty market that surrounded the only home she ever knew. Every day, dawn 'til dusk, the market was full of life. Merchants yelling about their beautiful fabrics, hand crafted items, and fresh foods, artists selling magnificent paintings, and crowds of people just willing to spend their money on the so called rare and over priced items. Even though the yelling was annoying at times, it was still home.
Her house was easy to spot in the large, empty market place. It was directly in the center with market stalls surrounding walls that protected it. The family crest, an eagle taking flight off a tree, draped on either side of the entrance gates. The young assassin climbed over the wall and down one of the many trees that her mother had planted in the garden area of the yard. Hoping she would not get noticed she sprinted across the large yard that separated her from her bedroom. Reaching her room with little effort, the girl stripped down into nothing, pulled on an oversized shirt and laid down in-between the soft, silky sheets, drifting off into a death like slumber.
The dream was simple. A normal day, with a normal family, her older brother, Arno, had come back from Italy, her little sister, Ari, was alive and well. It was perfect. They all sat on a large jet black picnic blanket and ate Wursten, Brot, and Käse. They talked about nothing just the simple pleasures that life brought upon them. Smiling, she glanced from her brother to her mother to her father. When she turned to smile at Ari she was no longer there. Confused, she opened her mouth, and tried to ask where Ari disappeared to since she was no where to be found.
No words came out. She touched her throat and frantically looked around the picnic area. A scream echoed through the silence, she frantically searched for the source of the scream. Again she tried to communicate with her family, but when she turned around they were gone as well and replaced with the body of her deceased sister and Manfred hunched over the body. He stood and wiped off a small dagger. A disgusted look was plastered on his hideous face. Angered, she charged for him only to fall face first into the grass.
She was alone again.
Tears streaked her pale face when she felt a hand on her chin. The guiding hand had led her eyes to meet with the face of a young, handsome olive skinned Italian boy. His black hair was tied back, but some escaped the ribbon, framing his face. His golden eyes pierced through hers making the butterflied in her stomach flutter into overdrive. He made no sounds when he opened his lips to speak to the frightened girl.
Why could she not hear him speak? Who was this boy?
Just as she was about to ask who he was, he disappeared.
The young assassin awoke startled and confused. "Ugh, what the hell was up with that dream? I haven't dreamed of Ari in years." she grumbled. Sighing, she threw her legs over the side of the bed and sat up. Sighing once more, the girl stood, strolling to the desk opposite of her bed and slipped into her crimson robe. She then picked up the orders that were given to her and began to read them.
It wasn't hard for her to decipher the letter in her hands, she had read so many like it before. The orders were simple: Kill then disappear. Nevertheless, it wasn't always that simple. Guards were all around. Rooftops, in the crowds, and surrounding the target. Escaping would be difficult. Smiling, she read over her targets name once more; Manfred Duerr.