Hans grumbled as he turned another page of the bible. Yep, this was his life right now: every single day he had to wake up and go to the church 7 times a day to attone for his sins.

Honestly, working in the stables had a much more pleasant view right now. At least he was doing something. Here, he had to study the bible word for word, stuck inside a drafty, underground crypt where there was barely any sunlight to see. Another shudder went through his body as the cold gave him goosebumps. The former prince rubbed his eyes and turned once more the page.

Leviticus 17:11

'For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement.'

The church bell rang, and Hans couldn't surpress a groan of relief; a short, scarce meal would be given to them. As he waited hungrily in the line next to his fellow 'brothers', a quick movement caught his attention. Hold on… did that man just carry a blade? Hans shook his head once more, and the vision vanished just as quickly. Hum. It had to be his own hallucinations due to the fatigue. They (unlike himself) were holy men after all. No weapons were allowed in Church.

Still… he couldn't quite shake the feeling that something was off.

Well, off course something was off, thought Hans to his own mind. They were the Brotherhood of the Isles after all. They were priests, but the rumors on the street spoke otherwise. Sure, they may be exaggerated by the common folk due to their mystery and lack of contact with people… but sometimes the truth was hidden in what seems impossible.

Hans put himself aside from his fellow brothers into the corner – in that way, he had the perfect view for everyone. His paranoia and distrust of others had kept him alive more then he could count on his fingers, and he intended to keep his distance for his own good.

The prince took a bite of the hard piece of bread and took a gulp of milk to wash it down his throat. As he did so, he let his eyes wander without cause around the room.. Untill something caught his attention. Hans narrowed his eyes from under his hood, without moving his head. Something was watching him…

"Excuse me?" Startled, Hans turned his eyes back towards the simply clothed nun. "Can I sit with you, father?"

"I'm not a priest….yet." Replied Hans shortly as his eyes flickered to the direction where he had seen those people. Now, he saw none. His eyes went back to the nun in front of him. She had to be around his same age…

"The question still remains the same." Answered the nun. With a sigh, Hans waved his hand as an invitation towards the chair next to him. "You aren't eating with your fellow brothers."

"I prefer God to be my sole companion." Retorted Hans with a smile to fend her questions off. Hopefully it satisfied her curiosity… Besides how could he even talk to them? They had willingly signed themselves up for this life, to preach and help the people in need.. him on the other hand, didn't believe in God. Why would such a being be seen as divine and good when he was to be treated like a street rat for his whole life?! Oh, and don't tell him it is all "God's plan". Why would he believe in someone who put him here to suffer his brother's bullying? They say God is just… Hans snorted. More like picking favorites amongst his children, like every father did.

The nun smiled and stretched her hand out. "My name is Margarete… but you can call me Gyda."

Hans' eyebrow went up when the nun gave him her birth name. "Thomas." That was his name given upon entering the Brotherhood. While he wasn't officially priest yet, the abt found it better if he had already his new name… to 'cleanse' himself from his former life. He was named after the apostle Thomas, who didn't believe that Jesus Christ had returned after his resurrection. "But my birth name is-"

"Hans Westerguard, we know." Smiled the nun as Hans accepted her hand. In a way, it was quite unsettling how she smiled and spoke.

"Why sit with me, when you know who I am?" asked Hans irritated. Once again the nun's mouth curled up. What was wrong with her?! The former prince averted his eyes from her and looked to his other brothers.

"No one is without sin. That's why we are all here." Replied Gyda calmly. "God is merciful to those who are truly remorseful."

But he wasn't remorseful, he nearly said. He didn't regret one bit what he attempted to do. "Even if that may be true… some have fallen too far to be saved" answered Hans as he stood up. "Excuse me, but I need to go and pray."

"And?" asked the hooded figure when he saw Sister Margarete come his way.

"He's suitable." Replied Sister Margarete in a monotone voice.

The man underneath the hood shook his head. "He's too full of emotions. It will work against him if he would even consider to join us."

"Oh, he will love to join us." Replied Margarete as they watched Hans from the shadows. "He may be full of emotions, but if we could guide him to aim it specifically-"

"He's too old.. too accustomed to his former life." Interrupted the man.

"Why are you so against him?" smiled Margarete innocently. "He's invisible when he wishes to be so. He distances himself from the crowd in order to keep himself safe, yet he pays attention to everything that moves. He felt you and brother Lucas… If I hadn't come in to distract him, he would have seen you."

"Impossible" sputtered the man as they watched Hans go to the chapel. "He can't possibl-"

"Even with the lack of food, even with the distraction I provided, he still looked to find you." interrupted Margarete.

The man grumbled – but even he was impressed with the former prince. "Fine! Guide him if you so wish."

Margarete nodded and when she had turned away from her Brother, a smile came up her lips.

Hans sighed relieved when the day was done. After cleaning up the floors and sweeping the windows, he could finally return to his bed and-

The prince stopped in his tracks for a second, feeling another pair of feet come closer towards him. This wasn't like any of his Brothers…Hans had been long enough here to recognize every single one of them. Yet, this one was a man, but not of the Brotherhood…

Hans' hand clenched itself harder around the bucket of water.

And… now! The prince ducked, feeling the blade pass his head by inches, before turning his feet in his still knelt position. After that, the man swirled his arm and bashed the man's head with it. However the attacker didn't fall unconscious and Hans saw the dagger once more glinstering in the moonlight. Skillfully Hans evaded the strong, quick movements that were meant to cut through his vital organs, before taking the man's arm and twisting it around.

To his surprise, the man didn't scream and it was the same surprise that was his downfall. Literally. Hans groaned when he felt his balance give out by the attacker's feet. Before he could recover, the man already jumped on him and Hans skilfully blocked the dagger from piercing his throat. As he did so, Hans pushed his knee up the man's private parts, causing his grip to loosen.

As quickly as he could, the prince stood up, to run and warn his other brothers, when the man went on his feet once more.

Who the hell was this guy?!

Every attempt to put his dagger into the prince's body was averted, until a quick fist to the cheek made Hans stagger back. The second fist hit the prince's arms who had begun to protect his own body. The fists came quicker now, in much unpredictable moves and speed and the prince sunk down as the shock began to affect his body.

A large knock on the head made the prince loose consciousness, but not before he saw the mask of his attacker go off… to reveal Sister Margarete. Before he could say another word, everything turned black.

Hans coughed when the water flooded his body, making him awake immediately. As he shook the water out of his eyes the prince saw a huge, silent group of monks around him. "What do you want with me?! If you want ransom for my title, you are mistaken lad. My father wouldn't care less if I were dead."

"We know.. which is why you are here. No one ever notices you." replied one of the hooded figures. "You listen and watch before you strike, like the snake you are."

"So… so what, you are going to execute me?" brought Hans out in fear.

"Forgive Brother Lucas, he's quite the dramatic."

Hans turned his head (which was harder to do then it looked due to his chain around his neck). "Sister Margarete.. why am I not surprised to see you here?" spoke Hans nonchalantly as Margarete took her hood off. "Care to fill me in with all those riddles?"

Margarete smiled. "I believe you have heard of the phrase: a healthy body in a healthy spirit?"

Hans kept quiet: it wasn't truly a question directed to him so he let her speak.

"While the bible and our belief encourages the spirit, the Brotherhood felt the need to train the body as well, in any art of weapon."

"To do what?"

"To kill the ones who oppose us." Replied Margarete coldly. "There are more secret wars fought in the streets then you can count on your fingers."

"And what, if I don't want to play part in this war of yours?"

"You are free to go.. without your tongue or fingers, that is." Said the Sister. "It would be a shame really to hurt someone so talented."

"You already tried to kill me this evening." Growled Hans to the woman.

Margarete chuckled. "You would have died within seconds if I tried." Margarete lifted the man's chin up. "Now what is your answer, Hans?"

For a moment Hans contemplated to lie and make a run for it. But if any of these men (or women) were as good as Margarete, he wouldn't even make a few steps. To be honest the thought of killing innocents and strangers was even for him a straw too far… but then again that same weakness had caused him to be disgraced in the first place. If he truly wanted revenge on everyone who wronged, him, he had to squash it out like a bee. "Yes. Teach me please."

He could have left 'please' out. They weren't exactly going easy on him. Hans groaned as another blow to the head made him see stars. Compared to all those other assassin's he was a mere child. This was already the 30th time he was floored. He knew Margarete – Gyda, as she preferred to be called – wasn't kidding when she said that he would have died instantly if she wished so.

"Dead." Said Lucas's monotone voice as he pointed his dagger to Hans' throat. "Are you even trying or what?"

With a frustrated growl, Hans left the wrestling room and went on to the next one: throwing daggers. He knew he couldn't quit. Unlike anyone who had declined to be teached, they killed every apprentice who had had but even the smallest amount of training with them.

"You could have said it to me earlier." Spat Hans as he tried to throw the dagger into its target. It missed completely, and Hans picked up another one to throw.

"You stay silent unless given permission, Child."

"Don't call me a chi-" in his hot-headed temper, Hans launched himself towards his teacher but was immediately screaming in agony when the man turned his arm around.

"Then don't act like one." Snapped the Brother back as he released the prince. "And work on your pain level as well."

With a grumble, Hans picked up his dagger once more to miss once again the target.

Everyday it was the same routine, switching every 3 hours in-between reading the bible and harsh training. Although it caused him to loose his sense of time, Hans began to notice the pay-off of his training. The scarce amount of food and intense training caused his body to burn his fat at a rapid pace. Hans had always considered himself well-build… but clearly his protesting muscles thought otherwise. Honestly, he hadn't know he had so little used of his body. Luckily , his muscles didn't ache anymore as they did in the first few weeks. One time, the pain had been so bad that Gyda had vouched to the "Master" to give him a few days rest. During that time-period Gyda had learned him to shut the pain out and prevent his body from entering a coma if he needed to.

As for hand-to-hand combat, he had begun to catch on the quick movements – sometimes even predicting exactly when and where they would come down.

He hadn't used a bow and arrow since he were a child… but the technique was still kept in his brain, and soon Hans was shooting from distances beyond what he thought he could.

The dagger and sword had been familiar with him off course. However, he had to be trained in all of the different sizes. "Why?" brought Hans out as he defended himself with a two-handed sword against Gyda's strong attacks. "Why necessary if I can already-"

"You never know what may happen. You may loose your sword during an escape… and then what? Pick up every sword until you find the right size?" After a few strong slashes, Hans' sword was spiralling away and came down with a huge CLUNK on the ground.

"I've always heard that everyone had to have his own unique size of the sword. It would get too difficult if-"

"Difficult at first yes. But that's what they want you to believe… to shut your capabilities down. Remember when you were whining about this two-handed longsword that was too heavy to lift for you?" nodded Gyda to the former prince who took his sword up once more.

"Why me?" asked Hans as they began sparring once more. "Why out of all the potential apprentices did you choose me?" There were only a few select who were permitted to be trained.

"Does it matter? You're here now." Replied Gyda as their swords went back and forth.

"Gyda… there you are!"

Irritated The woman turned around for the intrusion of their session. Hans meanwhile lifted his eyebrow up. Anyone who interrupted Gyda had clearly a death wish.

"Leave us, Helmuth. We are busy with sparring." Said Gyda coldly to the intruder.

"With this little whimp?" scoffed the assassin to Hans. "Why do you care about him anyway?"

"He needs to be trained, like everyone else. Unlike you who doesn't share their experience." Bit Gyda back.

"You little slu-aaah!" The man roared when Gyda's dagger went across his face.

"Next time, I'll slice it across your mouth." Threatened the woman before releasing Helmuth from her grip. With his tail in-between his tail, the man went to the infirmary to patch his scar up.

"Now, where were we?"

"I believe you still need to answer me about why you chose me." Said Hans with a smile at her attempt to change the subject.

"I… I uhm…" Gyda looked downwards and Hans took as an opportunity to attack.

Shit! Hans saw his mistake and quickly turned his body so they were face to face. Already he felt the painful knock on the wrist of his swordhand. Hans didn't pay attention to it, and kicked her in the back of her knee, causing them both to fall down with him on top.

"You sneaky little bastard" growled Hans. "You let me think you were In love with me."

"An assassin needs to use ALL what she has to succeed in her goal." Grinned Gyda wickedly. Her face became serious once more and she leaned in to his face…

Hans smirked against her lips when he caught her wrist, stopping her dagger from getting to his throat. "Nice try…" whispered the man as he took her dagger out of her hand and threw it out of her reach. "But I win."

Gyda moaned when Hans pressed his lips upon hers. "Hans…no… don't!" gasped the woman. "Don't-"

"Why not?" groaned Hans as he let his hands carress her body.

Within seconds, Gyda reversed their roles and pinned the prince down. "It is forbidden by the Brotherhood not to have any affairs with a fellow Assassin. Once, we allowed it… but when the dead of one's partner occurred, the left-over assassin was too heartbroken to even function anymore. He couldn't stay objective to his missions any longer."

"I…I'm sorry." Brought Hans out. "I thought…"

"Its fine… really. I should have told you." muttered Gyda uncomfortable as she walked out of the training room.

Hans sighed as he stared at the sleeping woman next to him in bed. Truly he hadn't meant for this to happen and neither did she. The Brotherhood had become everything for him, like a family…But he would kill them all if one even dared to hurt her.

5 years had passed since Elsa's coronation, he had now gotten news thereof. Now fully considered as one of the Brotherhood, he had gotten quite the list of 'disposals' himself. Although, he doubted he would get past Gyda's record.

The man stared to the sunlight peaking through his window. Their mission hadn't gone as smoothly as before. Gyda had been noticed by one of the people who was witness of her 'disposal', as they called it. What had followed was a chase through the city of Weaselton, and him getting shot in the back. Luckily, Gyda had managed to pull the bullet out without any splinters and after that well.. the adrenaline and stress had need of release if he had to say it in proper terms.

"Hey…."

Hans smiled when he felt her arms around his. "You okay?" mumbled the prince as he felt her naked form pressed against her.

"hum. I should be the one asking you." smiled Gyda lazily while Hans turned his body so he could face her. "Do you need some… inspection of your wound?" her fingers traced lightly across Hans' chest, before going to more sensitive areas.

Damn to hell if the Brotherhood found out. "Yes please." Grinned Hans as they began to kiss one another once more. He would never say that either he or Gyda were good person to begin with. And she didn't need to be. There was no Good or Evil in what they did. No one judged them, it was simply a job that needed to be done. Murder was a sin, and they attoned for the sins they made every single day. Not to cleanse their souls, but to strengthen their purpose. To be fully aware of what they did, to harden.

The man chuckled when Gyda turned their roles around and the former prince looked in admiration to her strong feminine body.

"Who do you want to dispose of next?" whispered Gyda as she penetrated the man. "Your father? The duke of weaselton? Queen Elsa?" they were on the Brotherhood's list for weeks now, but so far neither of their Sisters and Brothers had managed to succeed. Most of them managed to escape their clutches, but 2 Brothers and 1 Sister had commited suicide so no one could question them, to keep the Brotherhood safe.

"Not so fast, my love" grinned Hans as they moved together. "I want to know that we are coming."

Gyda's eyebrow went up and she stopped moving. "Have I taught you nothing?"

Hans grabbed her back and Gyda gasped when she sunk down on him. "You've taught me everything. The fear to lose a loved one is paralyzing. And we shall take them one by one.." whispered Hans. "First, their friends…their most trusted guards… then family…" the man moaned when Gyda bit softly in his neck. "They'll not be able to see the connection, and they'll be squirreling like a headless chicken."

What did he need a crown for, when your life was the most precious fragile gift you could ever have, with the ones you loved? Why did he need to rule, when he could basically turn the whole world into chaos? The 'leaders' can have it all, the pretence of power that they held in their hands, with their so called sceptre and fanfare of symbolisms. True power wasn't money, charisma or the birthright to rule.

True power is when you could decide who lives and who dies.

uhm... dunno what this is. I began to write this after seeing "Assassin's creed". I was like what if Hans became a badass Assassin so he can kill everyone who wronged him? XD this is only a one shot. You can imagine for yourself whether Hans succeeded in his list or not.