Disclaimer: I own nothing (accept all 6 TOG books!) and all characters belong to queen Maas :)

Ok I'm so sorry it has taken so long to update this but I had a bit of a writer's block... anyway i have managed to to write this chapter plus some more so I hope to update more regularly this month! As always please please please review - it is so encouraging!!! and I hope you enjoy:)

After forty eight hours of sand, heat and endless sky, Aelin thought she had never seen a more beautiful sight than the marble balconies of the mute master's palace that peered over the last dune just as dusk was beginning to grace the barren land. It may have been her imagination but a faint breeze seemed to tug at her upon their approach, as if it sensed the excitement she felt at the prospect of a bath. Picking up the pace, Ansel marched towards the pearly structure in earnest, leaving the princess to jog to catch up. Not that Aelin was complaining. No. Somehow, without a shared word between them, the hot and sticky girls mutually agreed that the sooner they reached the cool sanctuary of the mute master's palace, the better.

As the shadows lengthened and the keep drew nearer, Aelin began to feel nervous. Yes she had trained under Arobynn Hammel himself but the mute master was a whole new ball game. Add that to the fact she had practically demanded to be rescued from her dull existence in Xandria, aelin was not at all sure how her arrival would be taken.

She needn't have worried however - as they approached the cool stone border walls, the gates were opened without even a second glance (or at least not an obvious one) and the two girls were led to the heart of the building where the mute master was to see them. It seemed Ansel had a report to give meaning aelin had time to begin to consider what she was going to say to the most feared leader of the silent assassins.

As she waited in the hall, the princess soon became aware of someone watching her. Bathed in shadows, the figure was impossible to make out yet poorly enough hidden that either they were inexperienced or didn't care if they were spotted. Given the feline stillness with which they stood, Aelin suspected the latter. Her curiosity was immediately aroused. Who was watching her? Why wouldn't they show their face? If it wasn't for her pride, the princess would have called out there and then. Instead, she opted to adopt a disinterested slouch, pretending to groom her jagged nails whilst beadily observing the figure out of the corner of her eye. What seemed like hours, although in reality was only a few minutes, passed and Aelin grew more and more frustrated. She was about to call out to her shadowy observer and demand answers when a skinny but unnaturally tall man stepped out of the room in which the Mute Master was conducting his business. Aelin had to call on all her training, both as an assassin and as a princess in order to school her features into neutral . The man had skin as thin and pale as tissue paper and his sunken cheeks hung down in bags of loose flesh. His eyes, a startling scarlet, bore through Aelin, examining her like an undesirable specimen. However, the thing that caught the princesses attention the most were the blue inkings that spread like a stain across his entire body. In fact, she could see less skin than tattoo! Lines imitative of vines encircled the man's bare arms and leaves covered his hands and feet. His face had not been spared the needle, and intricate whirls and squiggles patterned his cheeks, forehead and eyelids. The man was a walking piece of art, both fascinating and repulsive all at once and it was all the princess could do not to stare. Before she had gathered her senses, the man beckoned for her to follow him into the waiting room and promptly turned on his heel without so much as a backwards glance. All thoughts of the shadow figure forgotten, Aelin stumbled after him.

Entering the room in which she was to speak with the mute master, Aelin could barely decide where next to look. Huge marble columns lined the walls and reached up to a ceiling obscured by orange tree branches, dripping with an abundance of the the golden fruit. The lapis lazuli floor glistened magnificently, giving the impression that the entire hall floated on a glittering lake of the brightest sapphire. To her shock and embarrassment, the princess couldn't help thinking that it was the exact shade of Crown Prince Dorian Havilliard's eyes. Shaking the offending thought from her head, Aelin allowed her eyes to trace every detail of the majestic room, drinking in the exquisite craftsmanship until her gaze came to rest on a lone figure standing immobile, eyes closed in meditation, upon a quartz dias. The mute master, clothed in a simple robe of the purest white, held an aura of power that commanded respect. Involuntary, the princess lowered herself onto one knee and bowed her head. Without a word, the mute master stood and walked towards her. Aelin felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise as drew nearer, yet felt a strange calmness flood through her every vein. The eloquence and grace with which the mute master walked was captivating to say the least. Only when the man was standing right before her did Aelin raise her head. She was met with a dazzling pair of emerald eyes that seemed to look straight into her soul. Without even being asked, the princess found herself speaking. Not that she would have needed to. Throughout her entire explanation of her reasons for being at the keep, the master wore a knowing smile that confirmed for the girl that he had already decided to let her stay.

When she had finished, the mute master signalled for the red eyed man to come forward and to aelin's surprise, it was he who spoke. She had heard of the masters vow of silence but had never thought it would be quite so…….. inclusive.

"The master welcomes you to his school. You shall now be allowed to bathe and change before supper. Training starts at eight every morning. You are to meet the other assassins in the main courtyard by then. You may stay as long as you wish but whilst here you will be expected to work, train and clean with the other assassins. You may go now, Aelin ashryver Galathynius."

And with that she was dismissed.