This is a little one-shot that has been mulling around in my head for a while. Enjoy!

Mara

Disclaimer: I do not own it, or do I intend to make money from this story.

The dark haired lady made her way through the academic wing, her light pink dress fanning behind her as she walked. She moved quicker than what was proper, but for someone who had never had any sort of proper training in the ways of court, it was to be expected. She moved with an air that did not betray her purpose in the wing, for she was trained in the manner of stealth. She came upon the door behind which held her mark, sitting in class, unknowing that his life was about to turn around. The girl, for one could not yet call her a proper woman, was an assassin. The best assassin in the entire western lands, and because of this was now the head of the assassin guild. She rarely took jobs anymore, unless it was a delicate job, much like the last job that she had just returned from. Which was the reason she was in Tortall, standing outside a room, sheepish about going in and having to admit her mistakes. She steeled herself and took a soothing breath, and pushed open the door.

The teacher was an older, weighty man, who had an apparent love for the subject, for his eyes glimmered as he talked. The boys, for their part stood at rapt attention in their seats, hanging onto every word the man said. When she opened the door, twenty-one sets of eyes turned to her, in order to see who had disrupted the class. The teacher was the first to recover from his surprise at seeing an unfamiliar court lady interrupting class.

Myles of Oula looked out at the pages as he continued his speech on the fortifications of the capital during the outward expansion under the previous King. He was surprised that all of the boys were still paying attention, even he was bored. Of course, I have always thought the delivery was more important than the material. He thought to himself. Just then, the door to classroom opened, and he turned, expecting Duke Gareth, or his manservant, as they were the only people who ever interrupted classes. Myles was stunned to see a raven-headed lady in pink standing at the door. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw some of the boys give the girl a once over, devouring her with their eyes. He caught his voice, "Lady, can I help you?"

The girl was a little stunned at the teachers comment, gentle and helping, but got over it quickly, as she stepped into the class and slammed the door shut behind her. She had little time for pleasantries, she needed to get in and get out as soon as possible, so that she didn't raise and suspicions or leave an opportunity to be caught by the guards. She looked around the classroom for something to block the door, but seeing nothing immediately available, thought against it. It was then that she realized that all the males in the room were waiting for her answer. She scanned the room and found her redheaded mark, which stood out in the class of blondes and brunettes. She made her way over to him, pulling the dagger from where she had hidden it in her dress as she went.

"Thom." She said, snapping the boy out of his trance.

"Alanna?" he questioned.

She pulled off her wig, exposing her flaming hair, which matched the boy Thom's exactly.

"I don't have a lot of time," she said, "but I need to tell you something."

The boy sighed, "who have you killed this time?"

"Assassinated, Thom. I am an assassin, I assassinate people. Drunks kill people in bars, I assassinate. Notice the distinction?"

"Not really," he retorted, "but we will play the game your way, who did you 'assassinate' this time?"

She humphed, obviously frustrated with her twin. "The King of the Copper Isles," there was a gasp around the room. Everyone knew the story of the murder of the King of the Copper Isles, done silently, in his sleep, and no one had been the wiser. While the King had been the worst type of Monarch, he was still the King, and it was a crime of the highest regard to kill a king. "It went bad though, and I think someone might have gotten a look at me." She passed him the dagger, "and as we look identical except for the fact that I have, you know," she waved a hand in front of her chest, "breasts. I thought I would give you a heads up, before going underground."

Thom looked at the dagger, this was not the first time his twin had come to him in this type of situation, having an identical twin as an assassin tended to have a negative effect on life expectancy. "Is this?" his sister nodded, "so it is true, what they say about the King's bodyguard, he can't be killed with a conventional weapon?"

"I shoot him with three arrows and he never faltered. I have a smith that made me a set of these, and I know that you would need one; after all, I am sure that a delegation from the Copper Isles is already on its way here. You will be noted."

"And you couldn't have been a proper lady? Dancing at balls and flirting with knights? No, you had to be unconventional. You had to skip out of the City of the Gods, and you had to become a fighter. But the Shang wouldn't take you, so you had to do whatever you could to fight. Assassin in the family, what would Grandmother say? I bet it would have given her a heart attack if she hadn't already been dead."

Alanna smirked at her brother. "Probably. Anyways, I have to head out before anyone wises up to the fact that I am here, and decides to get all," she winked, "noble."

The rest of the room had observed the two in silent. No one had known what to say. Myles was deep in his thoughts, so this was the infamous Alanna of Trebond, master assassin, and all-around bad girl. The girl that defied convention and had decided there was more to life then curtseying and needlepoint. He admired the girl for her forward thinking.

Just then, the door opened again to admit an older looking man in the uniform of the kitchen staff. "Lady," he said, "we need to leave, soon, we have been sniffed out."

Alanna smiled, "of course," she started to unlace the gown, revealing a similar uniform under her dress, but she was also armed with an impressive number of knives. "That is why, Sabe, we always have two escape routes." She left the dress on the floor, waving her hand at the pile of cloth, setting it on a minor fire, in order to burn the evidence. She went to the window and threw it open, subjecting the room to the chill breeze of the outside. She made a gesture at the man Sabe, and he jumped out of the window. She looked back at the room. "Thom, it was nice to see you. Watch your back, like I said, and I will see you midwinter sometime? Right?" She followed the man out of the window.

It was several seconds before anyone had recovered enough to go and look out the window for their bodies. It was a long three-story drop from the classroom. "They're gone!" the boy who had come to his senses said. "No trace anywhere!" The rest of the group made their way to the window to confirm the comment, all except Thom, who knew that his sister was probably half way to Tusaine by now.

Myles called them all back to their seats just in time for the door to open again. This time it was the Lord Provost and a number of guards. The Provost turned to Myles, "has anyone come in here? We have word that there may be an assassin lurking in the castle."

"No," Myles replied, "the only man who has walked through that threshold since the beginning of class is you." The boys smiled a bit at Myles omission. The Provost turned his head and made his way back out the door, shutting it behind him.

Myles watched the door shut, and turned to the class, catching the young Lord Trebond's eye, and nodding slightly. "Now back to those fortifications, tomorrow we will travel the outer walls and see the changes first hand, but for now, let us finish our discussion."