Prologue

In years to come, some say that it was the fire that drew him near, so he could warm himself after a long journey. Others say that it was the beauty of the sleeping girl. But the two people, to whom it really mattered, didn't care how or why it happened. They were just glad it did.

Let your mind wander. Let it drift back to the times of old, to a different land in the where there were castles and kings, peasants and lords; a time where, to most people, life was simple. This is where you will find the beginning of their story.

Chapter 1

Smoke, Fire, and Blades

Everything was dark. They weren't expecting visitors, especially any visitors like her. Her blonde hair was so short she could pass for a man. She had a pair of breeches on, leather boots that came up to her knees, a cotton undershirt, and a thick leather jacket that served as her armor. Her entire ensemble was black as night.

That was not what made her the most unusual, though. She had sheaths strapped to both boots; each holding wicked looking knives, and a short-sword was hanging around her hip. Hidden from sight were many other tools that she might have to use.

The entire household was asleep, not aware that they had fallen in ill favor with their king. Ayden, of course, couldn't see what they had done wrong, she never could. Whenever she would ask the king what the person had done, he would only sneer and tell her it was none of her business.

So there she was, sneaking through the house until she found the master bedroom. She crept in and stood by the side of the bed. She didn't know the name of the man she was sent to kill, and knowing wouldn't make her job any easier. Silently, she slipped one of her knives out of its holder and brought it towards the base of his neck. What was surprising was that he looked extraordinarily like William, her husband. But he couldn't be. The king held him hostage and would torture him if she didn't come back from her mission having killed this man. Yet he did, he looked so much like her William. He had blonde hair and the same prominent cheekbones. She bet that under his closed eyelids, his eyes would be a bright shade of the most brilliant blue. He had a similar lean, muscular build to him as well.

She was still standing there with her knife hovering over the man's throat when his wife turned over and awoke. She sat still, staring at Ayden for a moment, but only a moment. Then, she screamed.

…

"No!" Ayden sat up with a jerk and looked around.

It was only a dream. The sad thing was, it was a dream of the past. That was her last night as an assassin. She didn't kill that man and the king got very angry. In a fit of drunken rage the king had tried to kill her; but William saved her. The price was his own life. With a knife buried deep in his heart and his head cradled in his wife's arms, he died. He died with a longing look in his eyes as his hand fell away from her face. The words "I love you" died on his lips as the light left his eyes.

They had been married only one day before the king had found them. This king, he had many people working for him. Many…assassins. She had been one of them, but only because she was forced to. He had held William hostage for many years and used him as a leverage to keep her. She was seventeen when she started working for him and it was only five years later that William died to save her. That night she disappeared into the dark, and that is where her true story begins.

…

A scream shattered the silence and the smell of the smoke was strong in the air. Emmett woke with a start and glanced around at his surroundings. At first, everything seemed normal, but he took a closer look and widened his senses. He smelled smoke, and heard distant screaming and the sound of frightened horses. Then, he heard the sound that had awoken him in the first place. His sister was screaming his name from the next room. She had only been seven and he was twenty-three when their mother died, and now, three years later, he was the only family she had left.

When he heard her screaming his name he jumped up out of his bed and scrambled to her room, tripping over a few of her toys in his haste.

"What? What's wrong?" he panted as he skidded to halt beside her bed.

"There is something going on outside! Can't you see it, Emmett?" and little Aria pointed to her window. As Emmett looked, he saw a fierce fire racing across the town, devouring the buildings and homes as it went. People were running everywhere, trying to stop it, when out of the smoke came horses and on them were soldiers with raised swords. They charged and killed every one they came to.

"Stay. Here," Emmett ordered his sister. And she, to scared to talk, just nodded and watched solemnly as he slipped out of her room. She knew that he was going to get the crossbow that he kept under his bed.

"Uh-oh." she thought. She suddenly remembered that he wouldn't have any arrows to shoot with. She had used the last of them the other day, using them as target practice. She got up to tell him this, but when she reached his doorway, she found that someone else was already there, holding him at sword point. And, unfortunately, she screamed.

The man, hearing her, turned quickly, accidentally running her through with his blade. She looked at him in surprise, turned to her brother and uttered his name, then dropped down dead.

"Noooooo! Aria! You. Killed. My. Sister!" Emmett yelled as he jumped at the man. The soldier swung his sword, but to late. His sword grazed Emmett's stomach, but he was soon over powered. Emmett was mad with rage as he tore the weapon out of his hand and stabbed the man threw his chest. He pulled the sword back out with a sickening noise and went outside to help the towns people.

His sword was dripping with blood as he stood on the porch taking in the scene that lay before him. Bodies littered the streets; buildings were either already crumbled and disintegrated or completely engulfed in flames. Just as he stepped into the street, someone snuck up behind him and slashed at his back, giving him a deep gash from his right shoulder to his left hip. He shouted in pain as he turned to face his attacker but was hit over the head and dropped like a dead weight. He was unconscious for several hours and didn't wake up till the following evening.

When he did finally wake, the sight that met him was terrible. Bodies everywhere. Every house was completely burned to the ground, including his. He realized, with a stab of pain, that it meant he would never see his sweet, innocent sister again.

Her big, sea green eyes would never look at him, begging him to play with her and her dolls, always winning him over. Her white blonde hair, such a contrast to his, which was black as midnight, would never again be seen bobbing along at his side. Her skinny little arms would never be giving him another hug, her pink little lips wouldn't kiss him on the jaw at night before she would run off to bed, and her rosy cheeks would never turn a deep shade of scarlet when he would tease her about the boys in town.

Mad with grief and pain, he got up and stumbled around. He was not sure where he was going, but he didn't really care, as long as he got as far away from home as possible.

Emmett walked almost all night, until he spotted a small fire in the distance. He didn't care who was over there, as long as they let him eat and rest for a little while. He crept slowly over to the source of the light, and when he got there, he at first thought no one was around. Sitting down, he began to warm himself by the fire. He didn't see the girl in the shadows, fast asleep. That is, until she jerked up and shouted. She looked wildly around, and then seemed to realize she had been dreaming. She sighed, got up, and started walking to the fire. It was then that she realized that she had company. When her eyes landed on Emmett, she stopped immediately. The only thing that moved was her hand to her short-sword around her waist. But even in her defensive stance, he noticed that she was beautiful. Her hair was a dirty blonde and rather short for a girl. It was cut right along her jaw line and had a lot of layers, but in an attractive way. Not a bad look, really.

Her eyes were a piercing green; her lips were perfectly shaped and slightly parted.

Thinking that it would be the right thing to do, he stood up to introduce himself.

…

Ayden jerked up, out of her nightmare. She looked around at her surroundings and tried to remember where she was. She sighed and got up to warm herself by the fire. But, she noticed that she was not alone. A man was sitting by her fire, staring at her. His black hair was falling into his large, dark brown eyes. But part of his hair was matted, and when she realized what it was, she was even more wary of him. Blood was in his hair and running down the side of his face. But it looked old, like his wound was from a couple days ago.

She put her hand to the hilt of her sword and tried to find anything on this strange man that might help her to realize why he was there, without actually having to talk to him. He was very dirty, and had more cuts and bruises on his arms. When she looked down at his shirt, she noticed that there was a line of blood across his torso. She couldn't help but notice he had a particularly good-looking ab line, which she could see through his shirt. He also held one of his arms at an odd angle as if it hurt him.

Suddenly, he started to get up.