Yeah, I'm sorry for the wait. I just didn't have my netbook around at all, and I just wasn't feeling inspired. I was hoping for a new chapter of Fairy Tail to get me pumped up, but I don't think it's been released yet. It's really weird writing in this section because I feel like I can pretty much write about anything.

The rating may go up, depending on how I want the story to develop. That's just a warning. Also, if you want a character you made up to be in the story, go ahead and send it in. Magic being involved in the story is still up in the air, but there may be a reference to magic itself in the story.

Let's start this chapter. Enjoy.

It was the smell that woke me. The disgusting stench of dirt, and other unknown pieces of garbage wafted into my nose while I lay on the dirt floor, my face just inches above the filth. I tried to hold out, trying to go back to sleep, but I had to open my eyes eventually to see the piles of garbage in front of me. But there was no garbage. My eyes wandered around the room, expecting someone to bring a sword down on my neck any second. It didn't happen, the room was empty. I looked down at my hands and feet and grimaced as I saw the rope tying them together. I decided to sit up, so I could get a better view of the room, instead of lying on my shoulder, my head on something that felt like a soggy cardboard box.

I heaved myself up, and leaned against a wall, looking at the room where I was being held captive. It was surprisingly clean, but the smell was awful, I tried not to gag as I looked down at what had been my pillow. Turns out, it was indeed a soggy cardboard box. The entire floor was made out of dirt, and a door was across from me, the sounds of activity coming from behind the door. I checked on my clothes, and I found out that they weren't completely ruined, but they weren't in the best condition. I decided that escaping was out of the question because the only way out besides the door was a window right above me, and breaking the glass would be difficult with my hands and feet tied together.

As I lay against the wall, I thought about what had happened. Why was I in this room? Why was I tied up? None of it made sense. I tried thinking of something that would help me remember, but I was completely blank. I groaned as I let my head hit the wall.

"Come on, Kanin, what would father do?" I asked myself, trying to think.

Father. That's when it all clicked. I looked around the room frantically, slowly figuring everything out. I had been riding in a carriage. Lord Ryon said that people were coming after me, and everything was going smoothly, until the carriage tipped over. I had tried to shoot someone, a boy around my age, but then I stopped. The boy. The thought of the boy that I had tried to shoot unlocked the final piece of my temporarily lost memory. The peasant boy had moved quickly. He slammed the pistol straight of my hand, and then he pulled me out of the carriage before I could do anything else. I nodded my head slowly. There was no doubt about it. The peasant boy was working with the assassins who killed my father. One question still remained: why was I still alive? If they were really assassins, wouldn't they have killed me by now? Did they want money, or did they think I held some secret information?

Whatever the reason I was still alive, I would be able to ask my kidnappers in person. As soon as I stopped asking myself questions, the door to the room opened wide open. In walked a man with only his left arm, carrying a pistol in his hand. He looked seriously mentally ill, his hair sticking out in random places, and his expression twisted in silent anger. There was another person who walked in, and I knew who it was immediately. Even though I only saw his face for a second, the boy had the same look as the one I had tried to shoot. Both were dressed in peasant rags and had brown hair, but the boy was dirtier than the man, his face smudged with black dust, holding a plate of food in his hands.

The two sat down in front of me and I glared at them, trying not to smell the awful smelling air. The two peasants didn't seem effected, probably used to the smell of their own filth.

"This is what poverty smells like? Remind me to guard my wealth with my life. I'd rather die than live like this." I said snidely as the old man chuckled and aimed the pistol at my head.

"You better shut your stupid mouth before I put a bullet in your 'ead." growled the old man as the pistol was aimed straight at my head.

I admit, that got me really scared, but I didn't let it show. The peasant boy didn't seem faxed by the fact that his accomplice was about to shoot their captive in the head. He set the plate down in front of me, utensils already on the plate.

"Eat it. You're probably hungry," he said, as I looked at the plate.

It was a small breakfast, but I was hungry. A greasy sausage, and an egg was better than eating dirt. This single breakfast must have cost them a fortune. I ate hungrily, and when I was finished, I looked at the two, thinking of something witty to say back to them.

"I imagine this breakfast cost you a lot of money. How much was it? Half of your life savings?" I sneered as the boy held up his hand, the man grunting and lowering the pistol.

The boy looked at me, and I started to get annoyed by his silence. Why wouldn't he say anything? I stared back at him, feeling uncomfortable. Finally, he spoke.

"Who are you?"

I responded without hesitation, glad to hear the boy say something.

"My name is...James Ryon. Have you seen my bodyguards?" I asked, already knowing that they were all dead.

The boy looked at the man who nodded his head, grunting. The boy looked at me, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"My name is Griam Pots. Your bodyguards are all dead besides one who got away." he motioned towards the man holding the pistol, "This is my father, Oliver Pots."

I gulped. My bodyguards were dead besides one, most likely being pursued by these peasant assassins. I had heard rumors that assassins now disguised themselves as peasants in order to blend in with the crowds. I sighed, feeling defeated. I had decided to lie to them, but they had no doubt seen through my lie. I looked Griam in the eye, and decided I wanted this to be over.

"Just kill me. I know you're an assassin, and I told you everything I know..."

Surprisingly, the response came quickly. Oliver laughed and Griam smiled slightly. Did that mean they were really assassins?

"An assassin, eh? Sorry to break it to you, but I'm a miner, nothing more." said Griam as he stood up, his father following.

I watched speechlessly as the two peasants left the room, leaving me alone.

Windsor Palace

It was dark out, and ladies weren't supposed to wander the palace at night, but I was dressed in men's clothing thanks to my mother. Even if somebody caught me, it was dark, and they would probably see me as a man anyways. I smirked as I looked out one of the huge windows in the palace, the pale light of the moon landing on my face, my body casting a shadow on the red carpet of the palace.

"Let's have some fun, eh?"

I was heading out of the palace. I would leave straight through the main doors, and nobody would ask any questions. I walked silently, the carpet muffling my movements, and I came to the large staircase that led down into the main hall where Kanin's father was on display. I was about to head down the stairs when I saw the man, his back faced towards me. I watched silently, hidden in the shadows. I was surprised to see a Black Coat came crashing through the door, collapsing on the floor, dragging himself towards the man standing in the middle of the hall.

The Black Coat was missing his mask, blood dripping to the floor as the wounded man took his hand off the gunshot wound. The man seemed to be looking at him, and he was dressed just like the Black Coat, watching as the man struggled to his feet, and limped forward.

"I take it that you failed?"

That sentence didn't surprise me. Secret military missions were nothing new, and I was interested to see the punishment that would be dealt out to the Black Coat who failed. What the man did next surprised me. The man nodded his head, the Black Coat wheezing.

"You seem surprised that I didn't punish you. This was a problem to the plan, but it's alright, Captain Riffle. Despite your team being slaughtered by peasants, the operation went more or less to plan. The boy won't last very long, and is probably already dead."

That made my eyebrows rise. A boy? What would they want with a boy? My eyes flickered over to the main doors as another Black Coat came in and stood next to Riffle, completely silent. The two talked a few more minutes longer, the other Black Coat completely silent. The conversation was probably very important, but for some reason, I couldn't stop staring at the Black Coat who was silent, listening. Something about the Black Coat drew my eyes to him, and when he turned his head to look at me, my heart stopped.

I had been seen.

But instead of raising the alarm to his comrades, he stared at me, silently. My heart beat wildly and I stifled a scream when I saw the blood drip from his mask, the scarlet liquid spill over the cutouts for his eyes, and out of the mask itself. And then within a second, he was gone. I took a step back, still startled by what I had seen. I turned and ran as soon as I could, trying not to think about the man in the mask, but something about him was familiar. Something was going on. That man must have been an omen, an omen of bad things to come.

...

Hrm, I would have liked to make this chapter longer, but I didn't really want to over extend chapters. So, there's the chapter. If you want to send me a character, I'll find a role for them. Anyways, I'm kinda tired, so I'll leave it at that. See you later. FF