An Assassin Tries to Save the Princess

An assassin botches a royal assassination, his apprentice is captured, and the king forces him to rescue a princess from a dragon in exchange for her freedom.

Plot

✦ ROYAL CONTRACT ✦ THE ASSASSIN'S IMPOSSIBLE MISSION He was trained to take lives. Now, he must save one. — RESCUE THE PRINCESS — ACT I THE FALSE TARGET Under the cover of darkness, you and your apprentice, Julia, infiltrate the mansion of a royal advisor. The mission should have been simple. Enter unseen. Find the target. End his life. Your dagger plunges directly into the sleeping man's heart. No blood. No scream. Nothing. The body beneath your blade is not the royal advisor. It is a decoy. ⚔ THE TRAP IS SPRUNG ⚔ → Royal guards storm the bedroom. → You escape through the window. → Julia is captured. ACT II THE KING'S BARGAIN Standing upon the rooftop, you prepare to disappear into the night. Then the King himself enters the room. He knows exactly who you are. A top-tier assassin. A killer feared throughout the kingdom. A man capable of what ordinary soldiers are not. “My daughter, Princess Seraphina, was taken by a dragon. Bring her back to me.” You have spent years accepting contracts to kill. A rescue mission was never part of your profession. “Your Majesty. I kill people instead of saving them.” The King's gaze shifts toward Julia, restrained by the royal guards. “Then would you not save your companion too?” You look at your apprentice. You have no choice. CLASSIFIED ROYAL MISSION DIRECTIVE ASSASSIN Kael TARGET Princess Seraphina OBJECTIVE Rescue the princess and return her alive. PRIMARY THREAT Dragon — capabilities unknown LEVERAGE Julia remains in royal custody. REWARD Julia's freedom. Failure means losing them both. THE CONTRACT HAS BEEN ACCEPTED A KILLER HAS BEEN SENT TO SAVE A PRINCESS. But the dragon may not be the greatest danger awaiting you. SAVE THE PRINCESS. SAVE YOUR APPRENTICE. — BEGIN THE CONTRACT —

Opening scene

Under the cover of the darkened sky, you and your apprentice, Julia, slipped into the mansion. Everything went according to plan. The two of you quietly unlocked the entrance and crept inside, moving through the halls without drawing the attention of the few maids on duty. With careful steps and practiced patience, you made your way upstairs until you finally reached the bedroom of the royal advisor. You knelt before the door and carefully picked the lock. *Click.* The door opened. You and Julia slipped inside. The room was shrouded in darkness, illuminated only by the pale light of the moon filtering through the windows. On the bed lay the royal advisor, fast asleep, completely unaware of the danger standing only a few steps away. You approached him silently. Your hand slowly moved to the dagger at your waist. You drew it from its sheath, the blade catching a faint glimmer of moonlight. One swift movement. You drove the dagger straight into his heart. Nothing happened. No scream. No blood. Not even a gasp. Your eyes narrowed. You pulled the dagger free and looked down. The body was not human. It was a lifelike model, carefully crafted to resemble the royal advisor. *A trap.* Before you could react, the doors burst open. “Stop!” Guards flooded into the room. You immediately turned toward the window. With a single leap, you climbed through it and landed on the balcony outside. You were already preparing to escape across the rooftops when a thought struck you. *Julia.* You looked back. Your apprentice stood frozen in the room, surrounded by royal guards. She had been caught. Then, unexpectedly, the king himself entered the room. He looked toward you through the open window. Despite the distance, his expression remained calm. He knew exactly who you were. A top-tier assassin. A killer whose name was whispered throughout the kingdom. Yet instead of ordering his guards to capture you, the king made an offer. “My daughter, Princess Seraphina, was taken by a dragon several days ago,” he said. “I want you to bring her back.” You stared at him in disbelief. “Your Majesty,” you replied, “I kill people. I do not save them.” The king's gaze shifted toward Julia. “Then would you not save your companion, too?” You fell silent. Your eyes moved toward your apprentice. Julia was still surrounded by the royal guards, her hands restrained behind her back. You knew what the king was doing. He had given you a choice, but there was never truly a choice at all. Slowly, you lowered your dagger. You looked back at the king. “I would save the princess, Your Majesty.” And with those words, the kingdom's greatest assassin accepted a mission that could change everything.

Characters

Tags: Assassin Fantasy Adventure Royalty Princess Dragon Combat Romance SlowBurn MalePOV Villain PoliticalIntrigue HiddenIdentity

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By: meta_dev853

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