Chapter 11

It's been three months. Three months since Elsa dumped me. Dumped me? I knew her for a day. Kate's voice jolted me from my lamentations.

"Will... WILL!" I startled.

"Huh?" I asked.

"Were you even listening to me?" she asked, with an annoyed smile on her face. "You were thinking about her!"

We were at a restaurant eating dinner near the docks. Kate was back in town and I was in between missions.

"Uh, no I wasn't!" I returned indignantly.

"Uh, yeah you were. What was I saying?" Uhh... "Exactly. Will, you got it bad for this girl. Why don't you tell me who she is?"

"'Cause... It's private...? Anyway, why did you even come back. Any stories to tell?" I asked, trying to change the subject.

"Don't think I didn't catch that subject change, but I'll be nice. I came because the Queen is holding a ball," she said with a smile on her face.

"Okay. Are you invited?" I asked. Maybe... Naw. She wouldn't dance with me.

"It's an open ball. But only the first ones in can dance in the ballroom itself. I plan on being one of the first," she replied with a smile.

I smiled back before furrowing my eyebrows. "An open ball? Those don't normally happen. Normally they're closed to all but those of noble birth," I voiced.

"True. But it's not every day that the Queen has a suitor, is it?" I choked on the fish I was chewing. After clearing my throat, I asked, "The Queen has a suitor?"

Kate nodded slowly, confused. "Yeah... He's some prince from someplace. What's with the... choking?" she asked, furrowing her eyebrows. It's a thing my family does.

"Nothing," I said hurriedly. Kate shrugged.

We spent the rest of the meal telling tales of our exploits. I told her of my adventure with the Queen, leaving out my thoughts of the aftermath. She told me about some things she had seen at sea, mermaids and the like. I didn't believe her for a second.

After she left to go do whatever she does in her free time, I walked back to the Assassin guild. As I walked, I passed stores selling all different kinds of things. I looked at the blacksmith's shop, but nothing caught my eye.

At the guild, I walked down to the Mentor's floor. Being a Master Assassin, I was given quick access to the Mentor's office. Walking up to his desk, I said, "Mentor, I would like permission to guard the Queen at the ball tonight."

"Please, come in," the Mentor replied sarcastically. "Why should you, Will? We already have an Assassin lined out for this mission."

Uhh... "Sir, I would just like to. I am in between missions right now, anyway."

The Mentor looked at me for a moment, trying to figure out why I would want to go. "Fine. Sneak in. You will not be a part of the party. Do you understand? Do not compromise the brotherhood. If anything happens, do not reveal yourself to the public. There will be high-ranking Templars at the party. Do not engage. Do you understand?"

I nodded my head, hiding a smile from crossing my face. I inclined my head before turning around and walking up to the training floor.

Once there, I looked down at my hidden blades. On one side was the phantom 180 blade, bolt already loaded. On the other side was my air gun, which I still hadn't figured out how to use.

I looked at it and saw a canister, which was obviously for compressed air, and a trigger. Shrugging, I walked into a lane with a target dummy. I shook out my shoulders before quickly rocketing up my arms and pulling the trigger on the gun.

Nothing happened.

Sighing, I looked at the gun again. There was a switch next to the trigger, which I had no idea what it was for. I flipped it and heard a whoosh as air flowed into the canister. After a few seconds, I flipped the switch again and the whoosh sound stopped.

I let my hands fall to my sides again. I popped my neck. My hands rocketed up and I pulled the trigger. Pop! I saw a new hole in the practice dummy, right in the throat. A killing shot. Good. It works.

I flexed a few fingers of my other hand. I heard a flick as my phantom blade popped its arms out. I quickly aimed again and flexed a different finger. Flump! I saw the bolt fly straight into the forehead of the dummy. Fatality!

I practiced a few more times with each before going to the assassination techniques part of the floor. Once there, I quickly ran to the haystack, flipping my self into it, not making a sound. Through the hay, I could just barely see the dummy.

I pushed my self forward, hitting the edge of the cart. Using my momentum, I let my hidden blade eject, stabbing into the dummy. I pulled it into the haystack with me, before pushing it back out again.

I jumped out of the haystack, setting the dummy back into its proper place. Nothing like some old-fashioned assassinations. I jogged toward the ledge. I climbed up quickly and looked over the edge. I lept off the edge, time seeming to slow down as I fell. I felt each particle of air pass by the tips of my uncovered fingers. I felt them rushing at my face. I lightly smiled. This was what it is like to be an Assassin.

I collided with the dummy at full speed, driving my hidden blade through the head. Straw flew everywhere as my hand went with the blade: through the dummy.

I stood up awkwardly, my landing wasn't too perfect after I went through the dummy instead of on top of it. Thankfully, there were only a few people left in this part of the floor; it was late at night, after all.

I shook out the pain of the collision and went up to my quarters. The ball started in an hour. I checked that I had everything I needed on my person and walked up through the guild.

I stood in front of the door to Arendelle. Let's go.

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I'm booored... It has been one hour since the ball started... and nothing happened. I held a list of all the Templars in attendance and their faces were ingrained into my head.

I sat in the rafters of the great hall, above the choir box. They currently weren't singing, as the musicians were down below. My legs hung freely from the rafters, swinging lazily to the tune below. I kept my eyes on Elsa, seeing her dance and smile with another man caused a weird feeling in my chest.

It was unusual... I had never felt it before... I should ask Kate. Then I remembered that she was at the ball too. I scanned the crowd beneath me, looking for her.

There she was, dancing with a man dressed in relatively nice clothes. Probably a commoner, since all the noblemen were wearing audacious, extravagant clothing, as opposed to just nice clothes.

I looked at Elsa again. She was now off to the side of the hall, talking with the prince. They were talking excitedly, waving their arms with smiles on their faces. Or, at least, the prince's arms were waving. Elsa was just looking at him, smiling.

I tore my gaze away from the beautiful queen and scanned the room again for any Templars. A man, walking slowly toward the queen, caught my eye. He seemed innocent enough, but I switched on my eagle vision just to be sure.

Amongst a sea of colorless figures, the man glowed a dark shade of red.