Chapter 2: Anger

"You can't be serious..."

Meral studied the being before her. Pale, steely eyes, snowy hair of the same hue, and a dark violet outfit that could only belong to an assassin.

A male assassin.

"Meral, I want you to meet Alister, your new bodyguard."

The acolyte slammed a hand on the priest's desk, making him jump in his chair. The fire raging in her eyes told him something that he already knew.

That he had made a huge mistake

"Father Mathias, how could you?"

Mathias cringed at the tone of the young girl's voice. He should have insisted that the guards of honor send a female.

"Meral...I'm sorry. There was no one else available."

"Then you should have kept Aka!"

The priest sighed and shook his head.

"Meral, please don't be so difficult. If I can trust Alister enough to ask him to be your bodyguard, then I'm sure you can too."

"Like hell I can!"

Meral turned and stormed out of the room, making sure to slam the door extra hard on her way out.

The assassin chuckled at the look of terror on the priest's pale face.

"Quite an angel you got there."

"You don't know the half of it."

----

"Meral! Hurry up so we can go!"

The brown haired girl waved her broomstick at the other acolytes.

"I'd like to see you guys try to sweep up the whole cloister in less than ten minutes."

"It's your own fault...you woke up late!"

Meral smiled and finished up her chores, then ran outside, just in time to catch the other acolytes as they were leaving.

"Wait for me guys!"

Just as she was about to go after them, she felt something grasp her wrist, preventing her from leaving.

"And just where do you think you're going?"

She tried to shake her arm away, but the assassin's grip was too strong.

"If you must know, I'm going to Orcville with my friends."

"Not without me, you're not."

The acolyte glared angrily at the assassin, her eyes like flaming shards of amethyst. Cold an unflinching, he gripped her wrist tighter and pulled her back towards the sanctuary.

"Besides, you're not allowed to go anywhere without first telling Father Mathias."

"Did I mention that I really don't like you?"

"The feeling is mutual, kid."

Try as she might, there was not much she could do, thus Meral was dragged back into the church to seek permission from a certain priest.