Chapter 1

Anya POV

The knock on the door was loud enough so that it was audible from my bedroom. I was half asleep at that time. Trudging my feet to the door of my suite, I thought to myself,

Why would anyone knock on my door at this hour?

"Coming!" I said, just loud enough so that the person on the other side of the door could hear me. My eyes adjusted to the light, just as I groped along the wall to find the door knob. I turned the cold metal and instinctively squinted my eyes the bright light of the hallway outside. "May I help you?" I looked up at a tall man who stood before me.

"Your father has hired me to be your personal butler, Your Highness." The tone of his voice said he didn't like the royal family, probably forced to do the job by the King. I want absolutely nothing to do with that old bastard.

"Oh, now he pretends to care. Tell him I don't need a butler. I've done well enough, for five years, without the help of my father." The man didn't seem phased at the harshness of my voice, he simply rose an eyebrow before opening his mouth to speak.

"The King insisted that I stay close by if you require any assistance with anything, Your Highness." He kept his face professional and unreadable. "May I come in?"

I finally gave up and let him in. I was too tired to argue. I don't want, nor need, a butler, especially from the likes of the Bastard King. Technically, my new "butler" doesn't have to be my butler at all. He never told me that the King insisted he was to be my butler, just to stay close for help that I don't need. "Sorry. The king didn't inform me of a new butler. So this is quite a short notice thing. I don't have a guest room prepared so wait here for moment, please."

I walked over to the closest guest room which was just opposite my bedroom. Looking at the state of it, I can work with this, I thought to myself. Closing the door, I closed my eyes, finding a happy thought. I held out one hand as if preparing to catch an apple falling from a tree. I felt the magic flow through me, the dust on every surface started to float, a gentle wind encouraged the dust to fly into my hand forming a tornado that fit on my palm. A stronger flow of magic pulsed within my soul, an abyss appeared beneath my feet. Its dark colours swirled slowly, as I willed the dust to fall into the abyss. The dust was taken care of. Now for the bed, there was nothing except for the cotton sheets. It was the beginning of the warming season, and I doubted it would still be cold, but I laid some thin blankets on the bed anyways.

That man was sent by my father, but in my suite, he was no butler, he was simply a guest and every guest has their luxuries.

Ever since Mother died five years ago, any small piece of "fatherly love" the King may have had for me was gone. Replaced by an even more so money-crave, then Ambrose made his speeches more public, with a louder and more confident voice, determined to change the way Ixia was run.

The father I knew before Mother's death, was not much better. I always made an effort to please him with my knowledge and skills, to try and make him proud of his daughter. But with every effort came every failure.

"Go away and stop bothering me," he had always said. Even when I was the talk of the media, winning competitions, and awards, all he did was tell me to stop being a nuisance.

Once I had given the guestroom enough prepping, I strode back out into the lounge room. The man was sitting on the bar stool that was on the end of my kitchenette table. The other three bar stools had no use to me before, but now I had a guest living in my suite to occupy one more chair.

"Your room is ready just leave your stuff in the corner and you can unpack tomorrow seeing as it's late." I stepped to the side to let him pass. I wanted to give my guest the impression that I wasn't the selfish princess the media's hate said I was.

"Erm… Thank You." He seemed to be lost for words.

"You're welcome. Oh and I didn't quite catch your name."

"Ilom, Your Highness." The harshness of his voice when he said, 'Your Highness' had gone. I smiled. I decided to give him my conditions at staying here tomorrow, since he woke me up in the middle of the night, I was still groggy from my sleep.

"Okay, Ilom. You can just rest until tomorrow. Um, don't worry about waking early, you look exhausted from your journey from the northern parts of Ixia. Good night." Ilom's folded and slightly wrinkled job application and acceptance form stated that he came from Icefaren Province up where the snow cat population was at its highest. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the corners of his lips pull up in a tiny smile of gratitude and relief. That was the first sign of emotion this guy showed.

"'Night." He stood up off the stool and I walked side by side with him to the small hallway which most of the rooms in my suite were. Upon reaching the first doors, he and I turned our separate ways for the night.

Pulling the covers of my bed back, I thought, Strange. If he hired Ilom, then he should have sent a paper to me beforehand. Perhaps he hates me enough to not want to see me or be bothered to even send a paper to me through a maid, knowing I'd reject it straight away. Why would he care now? Strange, indeed. I sat for a while hunched over with my elbows on my thighs on the edge of my bed, mulling over my thoughts. It was a short while before the moon's light shone through my window, magnifying its bright glow in my eye, bringing me back to reality from my theories.

I lifted my legs on the bed, trying to push the debating theories about my guest, and his connections with my— no— the King, away. I lay there, staring at the ceiling, with the occasional toss and turn, before sinking into sleep's gentle embrace.

Valek POV

Walking into my new room, I went round it, searching for good hiding places for my knives and such, can't have a butler with knives. After I hid my stash of weaponry, I snuck back outside and found my things. I only took the things that if found by anybody, would cause suspicion. Suspicion is one thing I cannot have. Walking around the pleasant furniture I went back to my room, standing with my back against the door I sighed quietly and smiled, The princess seems like an ordinary person, she doesn't seem like the snobbish stuck-up girl I thought she'd be. I should have known that not all people are as they seem by now, especially after I met Ambrose.

I took two long strides and sat at the desk. I pulled a small folder of blank file of papers. And started to write my report on the Princess.

Day 1

She was very different to what I was expecting. She had no maids to do things for her. She seemed laid back and prepared a room for me a little too quickly. Perhaps she was a magician. No, even with the walls between me and the princess, at the time, I still would have felt the tiniest bit of magic due to the small size of the rooms.

The princess seemed suspicious of my arrival. I was thankful that no one had noticed an unfamiliar face walking amongst them in the corridors outside. I think I need to gain her trust and wait for the perfect opportunity to complete Ambrose's order. Tomorrow I'll act a little less hostile than I was tonight. She also seems to dislike her father, the King. Why? That's another mystery I'd have to solve as well.

Report Summary—

Name: Princess Anastasia of Ixia

Age: at least nineteen

Features: Green eyes, dark hair and slightly tanned skin* and long scar across her collarbone**

I need to gain her trust before anything else.

She shows signs of dislike towards the King.

Find out whether she is a magician or not.

Find out why she doesn't like her father.

*I fail to understand why she has tanned skin. It's not natural pigmenting because of her northern heritage, and surely she hasn't gone out a lot, otherwise she would have spotted some of the rebels.

** How is that there? She would have had it healed by a magician, if not herself, by now. Perhaps she is immune to magic like me.

I closed the folder and carefully slid the papers into the slim brief case of reports and dossiers on every threat or recon subject I've spied on since my last trip to main headquarters. With all my weapons and files hidden in the room. I guess I'd have to wait until tomorrow for a chance to gain Princess Anastasia's trust.

As I prepared for sleep, I thought about the orders that Ambrose had given me and review my plan. No one had seen the princess since Queen Jewel died. Despite the rumours circulating within the entire Kingdom of Ixia, I, the infamous assassin who works for the Leader of the Rebels, did not kill the queen. No one would miss the princess, half the kingdom hates her for her father's corrupted deeds, the other half aren't even sure if she is still alive or even know she exists. All that's left to do now is to gain her trust and wait for the perfect opportunity.

I slid under the thin blankets of the bed, banishing all thoughts about my mission. The princess was right. I was exhausted from the trip from my last assignment from Ambrose. I no longer resisted the forceful lull of sleep.