A/N: Thanks to all my wonderful reviewers, it seems that everyone is enjoying this story. In this chapter, Nara goes on her first raid, and there is some fluffiness to round it all out.
Disclaimer: The characters are mine, nothing else.
Everything She Ever Wanted: Chapter 4
Nara stared down at the baby in front her. The baby boy shifted in his sleep, safe in the confines of his cradle. Dressed in all black, Nara looked like a piece of the shadows, looming over this baby. She fingered the hilt of her dagger, wondering what she was supposed to do now. She looked around anxiously. She was alone in the bedchamber, except for Alaz and his wife, who were sleeping in a large bed not two feet away. Shadow, Lightning and Haunt would be along soon, but on her first mission as an assassin, she was sent in alone.
The baby stirred once again, and opened sleepy brown eyes to gaze up at Nara. Nara's face remained expressionless, but inwardly, her heart twisted. Memory surged; for a moment, it was Aidan she was looking at, and she and Alex were asleep in the bed not two feet away. No tears threatened to fall, but Nara felt that familiar ache in her chest. In a moment, it was gone, and the baby rolled over and went back to sleep.
Shaking her head, Nara went back to her task. Above her, Kele floated like a wraith above her head, his coat gleaming silver in the moonlight. His wings beat soundlessly against the air as Nara made her way to the bedside. She stared down at her target. She was supposed to kill this man and his wife? She glanced at the baby's cradle again. Would she leave this baby an orphan after she had killed her parents? The part of her heart that still retained some emotion twisted. She couldn't do that.
She steeled herself, plucking the dagger from its sheath, expressionless, feeling nothing. She would do what she had to do to survive, and if it meant killing this man, then she would do it. Carefully creeping towards the bed, Nara froze as a board squawked under her foot.
Looking up, Nara found Alaz sitting upright in bed, clutching a glittering sword. "You won't get off that easy!" He roared, swinging the sword. Nara stood frozen, unsure of what to do. Should she kidnap him? Attack and try to kill him? She glanced towards the large open window five feet away. Should she try to escape?
Her choice was made for her as something hit her from behind, propelling her towards the window. Alaz was out of the bed and after her in an instant, roaring, "No you don't!" Whoever had Nara was not letting go, and approaching the window, her rescuer roughly grabbed her and dumped her onto his back.
Nara clung to the man's back like a monkey as he swung out onto the side wall of the house. He expertly made his way up the stone, searching for tiny handholds that only his fingers could sense. Swinging them both onto the roof, the man dumped Nara unceremoniously onto the flat surface, andNara found herselfstaring up into the enraged visage of Shadow.
"What were you doing?" The thief hissed, his normally handsome features twisted with rage. "You were supposed to kill him, not wake him up!"
"I'm new at this!" Nara shot back, already on her feet and just as angry as he was. "I didn't know what I was supposed to do!"
Shadow grumbled to himself, running a hand through his black hair. "You never should have been given this assignment." He muttered. "I knew it was too much for you to handle."
"I can handle whatever's given to me!" Nara retorted, standing as tall as her five-foot five frame would reach. "It's you that can't handle it!"
Shadow whipped around, his green eyes livid. "What did you just say?"
"You heard me." Nara said coolly, surprised by her own boldness. "You can't handle it."
"And what is that supposed to mean?" Came the eerily calm reply.
Feeling as though there was dam of feelings building up inside of her that was about to break, Nara hissed, "Admit it! You hate the fact that you have to teach me!"
"And what if I do?" Shadow hissed back, staring down at her. "What if I don't like the fact that I have to teach some former court lady how to survive?"
"You'll just have to learn to live with it!" Nara shouted, not caring who heard them. "Do you have any idea what I've been through?"
Shadow sighed impatiently, annoyed. "Yes, yes, I heard your sob story with His Majesty." He looked at her closely. "You really liked that life, didn't you?"
Nara nearly screamed. Red-hot rage was bubbling in her veins, and she felt like if she didn't do something, she would explode. Her hands balled into fists, but she knew she could do nothing about it. Shadow was much stronger than her. To her surprise, she felt something warm trickling down her cheeks. A salty taste flooded her mouth; she was crying for the first time since that awful day.
"Yes!" She sobbed, almost doubled over from the pain that was ambushing her. "I would give anything to have that life back. I want to go home, but I have no home. I never asked for this to happed to me!"
If she hadn't been bawling, she would have laughed at Shadow's expression. He looked like a gaping fish, as if this was the last thing he had ever expected to see her doing.
He rested a hand on her shoulder, patting her on the back. "Lady Ice, are you crying?"
Nara glared up at him with red-rimmed eyes. "Yes, you dunce!" She spat furiously. "This is what people do when they're grieving."
Shadow pulled her roughly into a hug, soothing her. "Come on, Lady Ice," he whispered in her ear. "You're going to lose your reputation for the coldest thief ever if you keep that sobbing up." That startled a wet chuckle from Nara, and she rested against him gratefully, her sobs subsiding.
She pulled away, looking Shadow in the eye. "Let's go home." They both let themselves down from the roof and into the night, knowing they were going to be in trouble the next morning.
"Alaz is still alive?" Malik stared at the thieves in front him, his normally calm face contorted in rage.
Nara lowered her head. "It's my fault, Your Majesty." It was the evening after the disastrous raid, and Shadow stood at her shoulder, looking on. She blushed. "I was told to eliminate him, but I was not trained as an assassin."
"Lady Ice, do not try to turn this on me!" Malik warned, his voice dangerous.
Nara looked him straight in the eye and replied hotly, "I never meant to, Your Majesty! I was trying to point out that I was not given the training for the task I was assigned."
Malik glared at them both, and when Shadow opened his mouth to try to smooth things over, the King of Thieves snapped, "Get out of my sight, both of you."
Nara got up without a word and left. Shadow trailed behind, casting an anxious look back at his brooding sovereign.
Shadow wrapped a comforting arm around Nara when they reached the bottom of the stairs. Ordering two ales, he passed one to the downcast girl next to him.
"Cheer up, Lady Ice," he consoled her. "Malik will come around."
Nara stared down at the tabletop, her blue-black eyes pained as her black hair streamed down her back. "You're right," she murmured in a soft voice, "I can't handle this."
Shadow's heart broke at the raw grief in her voice, and he hugged her to him. "Nara, you can do this." He said firmly as she buried her face in his chest, tired.
A blush heated Shadow's cheeks at her close proximity, but he smoothed back her hair, gently pressing her lips to her crown. She pulled away at the contact, blushing, and turned to her tankard of ale.
She sipped it, trying not to gag at the bitter taste, preferring lemonade. Shadow downed his, and looked her, his green eyes bright.
"You'll show them, Lady Ice," he murmured to her. "One day, you'll be the greatest thief in Corus!" Nara looked around. The tavern was dark, and only lamps lit the large room.
Suddenly tired, she snuggled against Shadow again, grateful for the warmth. Shadow stared down at her, startled by the sudden contact, but a goofy smile slid across his face as Nara's breathing evened.
Picking her up, Shadow cradled her against him. Nara snuggled into his chest, and the thief's heart fluttered at the contact. He made his way up the stairs to Nara's room, opening the door to find Kele waiting, looking indignant.
Setting Nara gently on the bed, Shadow gently pulled off her belt and boots, covering her up. Pressing a kiss to her forehead, he smoothed her hair back as she tossed fitfully. Turning away, he slid out the door, leaving Nara to her fitful dreams and a churning stomach.
A/N: That last paragraph hints to something very important...any guesses? The first person to get it right gets cookies! Please review!