Disclaimer: Much to my disappointment, I do not own this world.
464 H.E.
She had thieved all her life, but never had she thought she could be capable of murder. But the lifeless body in front of her proved otherwise. Staring at the dead body in front of her, she realized what she had done.
His face was left emotionless from the stab that took his life. Her stab. His eyes were glassy and clouded over. The shadow of death loomed over his face accenting the deathly pallor he gained when his life was taken from him. Blood no longer rushed from the wound on his shoulder. He was dead. Simply and one hundred percent dead. And Keisha had killed him.
His death wasn't a terrible event. Rather, one to be celebrated. Mylor Harth had never been a respected Rogue. He had never cared about anybody, but himself. The power hungry Rogue sat on his ass all day lounging about while other did his dirty work. He had never done a thing to help the people who worked for him, never lifted a finger to ensure their safety. Everyone would be glad to be rid of him.
No matter what Keisha told herself about Mylor Harth, it didn't justify her actions. She had killed him. She had murdered him. No matter how much he deserved it, it didn't take her guilt away. She had become a murderer.
Faces around them gaped. The Rogue wasn't usually killed in the same style Keisha had killed Mylor Harth. A rogue usually challenged the Rogue then they fought with no interference from the Rogue's guards.
But no challenged had taken place in the death, no murder, of Mylor Harth. Keisha had fought the guards and Harth himself until Harth decided he didn't need guards to defend him. He could easily kill Keisha himself. But Harth had been wrong. Spending so many years sitting on his ass had put Harth out of shape. He wasn't anywhere as quick or able as Keisha. She had killed him with ease and hadn't even gotten a scratch.
Now it was time for her to replace him as the Rogue. The femaleRogue.
Lalita stepped forward to help Keisha up. She held out her hand and Keisha took it. Once she was standing on her own two feet, the crowd around applauded her. Keisha accepted their admiration with a blank face and eyes void of emotion.
She swiftly turned to face Lalita. "Please tell me Idry isn't here," she begged, desperation in her grey - blue eyes. "Please, Lalita."
Lalita looked at the younger girl, who had just gained a rank higher that Lalita's own. She shook her head. Keisha immediately relaxed, but not completely.
Keisha heaved a sigh and reluctantly turned to address the crowd. Blurred faces stared at her from every angle. They were waiting, for her speech, for her to assume her role. "Mylor Harth may have demanded more of you than you could ever give and never repaid his debts. But I'm different. I'm not here to lounge about all day. I'm here to get the Court of the Rogue out of the state it's sunken to. I'm here to serve my people. Whether they like me or not." She let out a heavy sigh.
The response was unreadable. The rogues knew how to hide their emotion well enough. They wererogues after all. The circle disintegrated. The people went back to their old positions. Nothing had changed. Not the ale, nor the hustle and bustle. Nothing but the conversation had changed. The previous exchange of words had been of trade overseas and the economy. Now the conversation was only of Keisha, the new Rogue.
As Keisha made her way to the stairs to go through Harth's rooms, she heard none of the gossip about her. She was to overcome by the aftermath of murder. She walked up the stairs to the rooms that had once belonged to Mylor Harth. But she found herself unable to stay in them without being overwhelmed.
The bed and chest were still intact. The bed still unmade. His possession still littered the floor. All was well with the rooms, as if someone still lived there, as if he still lived there. Keisha couldn't handle it.
She knew the truth of the room. It was abandoned now. She'd abandoned it. She'd killed the master of the room. Keisha had taken a dagger and stabbed him. She'd ended a life, a human life.
Unable to bear another minute in the room, Keisha escaped. Escaped the building. She needed to go anywhere, anywhere but there. But just outside the building wasn't peace enough.
She needed to go somewhere uncorrupted. Somewhere without Chaos. She could escape to another district, perhaps. It wouldn't be a permanent escape. There was not chance she'd abandon the Court now. She'd worked too hard for it, sacrificed too much for it. No, she couldn't leave the court. It was all she had left.
But now she couldn't deal with it. She couldn't handle the hustle and bustle, the constant noise, the unending activity. It was too chaotic. And Keisha already had enough Chaos in her life. For one moment she wanted to escape it. But she never could. Chaos was part of her. For Keisha, chaos wasn't escapable.
a/n: It's taken me a really long time to post and i'm awfully sorry about that. But here it is, so...