The Prince's Bodyguard

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

Chapter 10 (On Boss's Orders)

Seated at her desk, Trina typed away at her laptop. Beside her was a plate of peach wedges to snack on. She chewed one while narrowing her eyes at the search results displayed on her screen. "Black Star, a global family of elite assassins with reports extending all the way back to the 1940's." She swallowed her peach slice and flicked the juice from her lip with her finger. "Base of operations unknown, leader unknown."

It was mind boggling how a secret group of elite assassins could stay secret for so long.

Trina moved her mouse pointer to images and studied the first image, which appeared to be a glyph of some kind. It was plain, a star with a dark flame insignia in the center polygon. There were wavy lines flowing upwards, indicative of smoke. This image had been reproduced to an early crime scene where the Black Star made themselves known to the world for the first time.

"Virtually nothing is known about this criminal organization." She stroked her chin and looked to her bed where Tiny was curled into a ball. "How am I supposed to protect Jason from a group that isn't well known?" Records suggested that the organization was small; so if that was true, she didn't have to contend with too much. "How small is it? More importantly, who hired them and how."

It didn't appear there was any information on how to contact them aside from word of mouth. Just as she was tiring and getting ready to end her research, she heard her phone chime. With a groan, she lifted it and read the message.

It was from her father. "You and Jason are going to take a trip." She raised an eyebrow and tilted her head. "I've arranged for Jason to fly coach and stay in a special suite, but you will be travelling with your sister and her friends to Yerba."

"Yerba?!" She twitched and flung her head back in shock. She didn't know anything about this country, nor did she know why she or Jason had to go. "What in the hell is Yerba?" She texted back. "And why do I have to go anywhere with Tori's friends?"

Granted she preferred it. If Tori were going to be in some foreign land, she would want to be there. "You're chaperoning. I'll have to tell Tori about it. It's a backwater country though...you could potentially find out some more information about Jason's assassins, however."

She called him immediately, concerned that this could be an issue. "How am I to guard him if I'm not in the same area? What do you want me to do, sleep in the same room?" She smirked, knowing her father's response without even asking.

"What? No! God no, separate rooms for the two of you!" She heard him muttering and started to curl her lips into a broad smirk. "I swear, I don't care if he is a prince. Not good enough, not good enough."

"Well according to you, even Jesus himself isn't good enough for your daughter. I have to wonder, do you ever plan on letting Tori or myself date?" She laughed out at her father's shuddering breath coming from the phone. "Why, you've actually let her date people."

"Your sister's different."

"Different how?"

"I'm not having this talk." She knew the answer. Tori was still living under her father's roof after all, so he could at least somewhat watch over her and anyone she's with. The downside was, he didn't seem too aware of what Jade was doing, so it must have been kept secret somehow.

"Dad. I love you, but you're too overprotective."

"Ugh, at least the people Tori dates aren't so likely to sweep her off her feet and carry her away." Trina raised her eyebrows. She was beginning to understand where her father was coming from, and how no man would ever truly be good enough in his book. Still, he'd have to learn to will himself to let go.

"It's going to happen one day, Dad. You'll have to accept Tori and I are going to have lives of our own-families of our own. We're not going to be your little girls forever."

"I know. In my eyes you always will be, but I know." He let out a sigh. "I can't help but to want to hold on to the two of you as long as I can though." David sighed and Trina waited to see if he'd have something else to say.

When he didn't, she opted to turn the subject onto something else. "You know, you still haven't told me how you plan on letting Jason go to this foreign land. How will he be received? Surely he'll be recognized."

"I'll talk to Sikowitz. He may have some ideas. Your assignment is still to protect him, but I want you looking out for your sister and her friends over there." Her face tensed for a moment and her fingers curled on the desk.

"Anywhere she goes with them, she's not safe."

"I know you don't care much about them, but you have to understand they're the first real friends your sister has had for a long time." She would question his use of the word 'real', but he was right after all. Even at Sherwood, Tori was shy and reclusive. There was only one person that ever got her attention, and that was some boy in one of her science classes-Ian. Hell, even Danny made Tori more withdrawn.

Hollywood Arts changed her, made her more social and less afraid of everything that moved. At what cost, though? Tori may have Beck to thank for that, more than any of the others, but Jade seemed to be the exact opposite of progress.

"I'll take this trip to Yerba for Tori. If those people she's carrying around with try anything stupid, I'll be there." She needed to know more about this country though, and was inclined to research it more. "I'm not sure what else there is to gain by going over there."

"You know that assassin group you've been researching?" She tilted her head and glanced towards her computer, studying the symbol again. "I've been researching a little too. Rumors have been circulating that the founder of that group was from Yerba. If you can find any truth to that, any at all, then I'll bet you can find some more answers."

She felt a surge of annoyance and determination. An opportunity to find out about this assassin family was something she couldn't pass up, however she was now concerned about Jason going over there to begin with. "So a family of assassins may have been born in this backwater nation, and you want to send Jason and his bodyguard over there? Along with the man's uncle, perhaps?" The corner of her lip twitched. "Why not send the Queen of Vander over there while we're at it, huh?"

"I hear you, Trina. I'm not thrilled about it either." David took a breath and Trina rolled her tongue over her teeth, sighing gently. "Look, Yerba is a dictatorship, ruled by some tyrannical military general. If something goes wrong, having a prince there to delegate and back you up might be a good thing."

"And risk letting everyone know Jason's a prince?"

"A ruler of a nation is likely to know who he is, Trina." There was a hint of annoyance in his tone, suggesting this was a matter she should already be aware of. She was, but she was still unconvinced that taking Jason anywhere outside the states would be a good idea. "We will having him hidden, he will be under protection."

"By an eighteen year old girl who also has to follow a group of sixteen year olds around like they're little children."

"You don't have to be with Tori and her friends constantly. Explore Yerba, learn everything you can about this country. If you can find any proof or evidence that the Black Star formed there, then you can use that opportunity to try and learn about it." Trina's fingertips tapped her wooden desk and her slanted eyes peered out the door.

"There may not be anything at all. This family is a very hidden, very secret clan. We don't know how vast they are, or how little they truly are. We know they operate in other lands as well, but that's about it." She closed her eyes and recalled the trio of assassins that attacked Jason before. "Did you find anything out about from those three before?"

"Not much, but I can confirm that Black Star appears to be active." She opened her eyes and reclined in her leather computer chair. She heard a small squeak and smiled at Tiny, just waking up on the bed. The puppy was sniffing the air and looking around the room.

"Did they say whether or not they were a part of that group?" It was doubtful that any assassin in their right mind would confess to being a part of such an infamous, shady crew.

Trina rose up from her computer and walked over to the bed, picking up Tiny and setting her down on the floor. Her eyes followed the puppy over to two steel food bowls in the corner of the room. A smile spread across her lips as the dog lapped up the water with its tongue.

"Well no, they don't appear to be anything more than a group of gang members." She raised an eyebrow and her dad grunted. "One of them did say they were contacted by an assassin of the Black Star, however. They were offered a cut of whatever the assassin made."

"Why would a hired assassin hire a group of gang members to take out a mark?"

"Possibly to draw attention elsewhere?" It was a thought. The King of Vanderkova had knowingly been assassinated by the Black Star, so if the prince was as well, a great deal of attention was going to fall onto this assassin family-therefore making them that much more known to the public.

"Why draw attention to yourself when you can make the death of a prince appear to be a random criminal act? Clever. Is there truly nothing known about their leader? Are they truly small, or are they vast?"

"I suspect they're small. Think about it. If they were large, there would be that many more members and therefore they'd be more known than they are. They have to be small in order to stay hidden." She hummed, listening to the crunching sound of Tiny eating her kibble. She knelt beside her dog and proceeded to run her fingers along the puppy's head and neck, delighting as Tiny turned her head to lick her fingers. "What are you more likely to notice, Trina, a force of five or a force of five hundred?"

She pulled her hand away with a sigh. "The larger force is more noticeable." She hated to admit it, but her father was right. The Black star had to be small. If there were only mentions of their existence, and less records than the mafia itself, they couldn't possibly be a large force. "God, they could be a family of twenty for all we know."

"Right."

"Do you think we would have to find all the members, or just one?"

"I suspect it's like any hitman receiving money for a target. Other members that aren't, don't care. Take out the one that is, and the mark on the royalty of Vander is gone."

"Let's hope." She lifted her eyes towards a framed photograph she placed on a shelf in her room, then smiled as she studied the two small girls standing arm in arm. Thinking about this trip, her smile faded and she shook her head. "God this trip to Yerba better be worth something, otherwise I'm going to be very pissed off."

"Sadly, you don't have much choice. I haven't told Tori yet, but your mother and I are going to be busy and I don't trust anyone else to chaperone...I'm sorry sweetie, but you're going to have to go whether you want to or not."

"I know. I'll talk to you more later..."

"Okay."

After hanging up, she stood up and walked towards the door. Tiny yipped and ran after her heels. Looking down, she laughed as the puppy playfully tackled her feet. "Aw Tiny, what on earth am I going to do with you?" She bent over, picking up her pet. Cradling the puppy against her chest, she leaned against the hallway wall and sighed. "Dad wants me to go to this country and babysit my sister's friends, then he's going to have to babysit you for a little bit. Sounds like a fair trade, wouldn't you agree?"

Tiny barked happily and Trina grinned.

"Thought so."

Jason emerged from his bedroom, raising an eyebrow at her. "Did I hear you say something about going to some country?" Trina looked up at him and nodded.

"Yeah. I don't want to go, but I have to." He furrowed his brow and his shoulders sank a bit. "You're going too." He did a double take and opened his mouth to speak, but she was faster with her words. "Dad's orders. We're going to Yerba with my sister and her friends. I have to watch over them for a while."

Jason cringed. "Yerba?" A look of recognition flashed before his eyes, striking her curious. "Say it's not so. I've heard too many horror stories about that place. I don't want to go there."

"I don't either, but what can I do? When duty calls, what choice do we have but to answer?" Jason smiled gently and Trina started down the hall.

"Yeah, you're right..."

"What do you know about Yerba? Anything?"

"Aside from it being more war-torn than any other country I know of? The Chancellor that rules it is one of the worst dictators, so much that if you breathe the wrong way, he's liable to cut out your tongue."

"Great. Just great..." She rolled her eyes and sighed. "How is the population? How is the money?"

"Population is fairly small, and the country is filled with poverty." Jason crossed his arms and furrowed his brow. "Back in 2012, when my friend King Gunther of Sviederbach reclaimed the throne, Sviederbach had fallen so much. It was chaotic, the streets were filled with beggars-several laws had been revoked and changed. It was horror, there was death everywhere."

"Okay...That's Sviederbach."

"Yerba is much, much worse." Her heart sank when she saw the flicker of fear in his eyes. "Yerba's worse than that on a normal occasion." Her brow furrowed and for a moment she felt Tiny shudder as if the puppy understood and were afraid as well. "Now, they're fighting a war against rebellion. Rebels trying to overthrow the Chancellor. An already anarchic and chaotic state is now ten times worse..."

"Why in the hell is Tori even going there, then?" Much less, she had to wonder if her father were aware of all this. Chances were slim, a tyrannical dictator wasn't as likely to let the true nature of a country's status known to the public if they could stop it. "Fine..." She rolled her eyes and started down the stairs. "Dad said he's discovered rumors that the Black Star got it's beginning in Yerba. Like it or not, we should at least try and investigate that."

"I suppose it's only right."

"Right." She whirled around, pointing a finger at him and turning her expression stern. "And you stay close to me, got that? If that country is as bad as you say, I can't afford to let you out of my sight."

"I'd prefer just to stay in my room if I go there." He shook his head. "I've been in some pretty shitty places before, but that's one place that even I'm terrified to walk the streets of." She hummed and took a moment to think as Jason looked off to the side. "Then again, the Chancellor isn't an idiot. He knows not to incite a national incident. If he were to hear that the prince of another country were in his country, he'd do everything in his power to ensure nothing but the best treatment."

"Right...it does sound as though you'd be safer in his palace than a crummy hotel." She set Tiny down and raised a finger to her lips, tapping them gently. He had a point, no ruler of a country was going to let another country's royalty fall under any negative circumstance in their country. "He wouldn't want to risk a war."

She tapped her foot and turned her eyes to Tiny, watching as the pup explored the living room floor, sniffing the ground. "That said, Jason, what allies does Vander have? I'm curious, though that may be something for another time."

"We've got quite a few. Ireland obviously is a strong alliance, as is England. We're allied with a number of smaller countries too, such as Sviederbach and Wembly."

"Wembly?"

"That's a country outside of England that my friend, King Freddie, has ruled since 2008."

She moved her hands behind her back and smirked, remembering the conversation with two people he was having on the computer the other day. "Those would be the two friends you were talking to on the computer, I suppose?" Jason's eyebrows rose and his eyes grew a bit. "I might have been exhausted out of my mind, but I'm always aware of my surroundings."

"Yeah, those are the two."

"Good, heaven forbid you're still talking to those 'new friends' you made in this city."

She walked towards the kitchen and Jason followed after her. "Yeah, funniest thing." Her hand came to rest on the fridge and she glanced back as he folded his arms and looked away. "I haven't heard back from them since the assassination attempt."

"Oh wonderful." She rolled her eyes, already having figured this connection. "Looks like we know what happened to them, then." Jason paled as she opened the refrigerator door. "So, are you ready to visit Yerba?"

"I'll have to inform my mother and my uncle."

"Dad's informing your uncle already." The two men seemed to be working closely together anyhow. "Your mother will probably...do what?"

"She'll possibly get in line with the Chancellor and tell him of my presence. Do you want me to have her discuss your friends with him?"

"No." It was too risky. If the Chancellor treated them like they were guests of Prince Jason, then it would make things much too obvious. "I'm starting to get a bit suspicious of Jade and her motivations really. You know Dad said the assassin of the Black Star likely tried to shift blame off themselves to make it look like someone else was responsible?"

"Oh?"

"Yeah...It's a lot like how Jade and her friends instantly tried to accuse Cat of going to that club." She narrowed her eyes and hummed. "I've got my eyes on everyone at this point. Until I learn more about this group, anyone and everyone is a suspect."

"I wouldn't think that group of people would be associated with a dangerous family of assassins..."

"Probably not, but at this point, I won't hold back suspicion of anyone."

Well, guess you didn't anticipate Yerba being involved in this tale. Some things may be just a little different than that episode. Tori and her friends will still go through the same stuff-Trina's involvement in that episode is small enough that it allows for changes. I'm not sure yet if Trina herself will be thrown in that jail-being Jason's bodyguard and all...throwing her in jail could also be a national incident. What are your thoughts and opinions of this chapter? Think they'll find anything out about the Black Star in Yerba? Think nothing will be discovered?