*Closed* Royal and Not *Lady AlainXShadow Assassin*

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Eclipse Raten, the princess of Vendiel Castle, made her way to the boat awaiting her at the docks. Her parents, the King and Queen, waved farewell, her mother holding back tears. She was only going to be gone for a few weeks, she had assured them, but they still didn't want to see their 'little girl' leave for any amount of time! She slipped into the room provided for her. Eclipse's trip was not well known around the kingdom, for the King and Queen did not want robbers or spies or anything of the sorts to target her, so she had her hair cut short and instead of the blue dress she usually wore, she wore a long black skirt and a white shirt. The general, who was accompanying her as a guard, was dressed in black pants, a grey shirt, and his blue uniform jacket which had been stripped down to look like a simple coat. Eclipse shivered slightly as the cool ocean spray wet her face when the ship took off. The general, overly protective and cautious of her welfare, ushered her back to her room.
~~~
I woke up the next morning to the sound of scurrying crew members. I smiled, sitting up, brushing my short hair, and standing. I looked like I could pass as a peasant...I just hoped my manners would prove so as well. Despite the general's insistence that I leave my sword, I still slipped the sheath and blade onto the belt I was given when I first began learning swordsmanship. I could protect myself if needed, but I'd rather have a sword that didn't have a blade with the royal inscriptions on it, however, it was what I had. Grabbing the small bag I packed, I made my way to the deck to meet the general. The small ship did not attract much attention as it pulled into the docks. The general followed as I parted from the ship, making my way down the street.
"First we must find a blacksmith. I would feel more comfortable if I were in danger if I did not blatantly show I was of the Castle kin." I told the general. He quickly nodded his agreement.
 
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"Come on, Jabez, put yer back into it! I don't 'ave all day to finish these jobs ye know. 'e'll be 'ere soon to collect an' what 'ave we got? Only 'alf 'is order an' ye know 'ow 'e don't like ta be kept waitin'..."

Grinding my teeth, I gripped the bellows more securely in my hands to increase the flames leaping inside the forge. Sweat clouded my vision and trickled down my back in unforgiving rivers. It was hot, unbearably hot, inside the shop today even with the windows swinging open in the breeze and the door flung as far open as it could. I knew Boss didn't mean to chew me out. We were both irritable, only I couldn't show it like he could. It's dangerous for an apprentice to mouth off in a smith's shop, especially an apprentice like me who indentured into the trade instead of paying for it. So I said nothing as he ranted on, only tightening my jaw to keep my own words locked inside.

Boss stuck his tongs into the blazing inferno and retrieved a glowing horseshoe. He grunted in satisfaction and threw it onto the anvil to hammer it as it cooled. "Ah, that's more like it. Nice an' red, it's almost meltin' it is. That's the way hot iron should look, my boy." Boss didn't once look up from his work as he pounded the edges of the horseshoe in powerful, steady strokes of the hammer. The shoe then flew from the anvil into the basin of cold water and he scooped another shoe out of the fire.

"Put yer back into it!" he shouted at me again. All I could do was oblige.
 
The general tensed as several people passed by. I giggled softly. "C'mon, they're all safe." I said as I looked for the blacksmith. I noticed a door open and the sound of a hammer. Perfect. "Do me a favor, see if you can get me a sword? I'll stay right here." I smiled at the general. He seemed hesitant, but unable to say no to the Princess, he scurried over to the door, knocking.
"Hello?" he asked, his accent thick and low.
I waited until his back was turned to slip into a shop across the street. I searched through the books, curious to find one about the history of the town.
 
Boss and I both looked up in alarm as someone ducked into the shop. "So sorry, sir, but we're not-" Boss broke off his sentence when he saw it was not our expected customer. Relief washed over his features, but not mine. I tensed.

Strangers usually meant gawkers and gawkers usually insulted and insults usually stung. Blacksmithy is a respectable trade in my village, but it's a whole different world out there when you got dropped off at the monastery as a babe and grew up to be a whole head above the tallest man in the village with chances of growing a bit more before you're done. People go pointing fingers behind your back and whisper, "They say he's descended from giants, you know. Just look at those massive shoulders! And that nose! Definitely a giant's nose. He's not much brighter than one either, you know." People don't respect you when you're mixed blood. They don't give you a chance. And if they're really nasty, they demand the blacksmith to "not let that thing of yours touch any order of mine," like the customer who ordered the horseshoes.

So as this stranger stepped inside I dropped the lever and faced him squarely, daring him to say anything about me not touching whatever precious order he wanted done.

"'ello there, yerself. Can I 'elp ye with something, sir?" Boss asked, flipping the second shoe into the water basin. "We're a might busy, but if yer not in too much an 'urry, we can accommodate."
 
"The Pr..." he caught himself, clearing his throat. "My mistress would like a sword, nothing fancy, just a sturdy blade." He said, smiling faintly, yet slightly nervously, at the two men. "She's just waiting outsi-" he turned to point his mistress out, but her not being there caused his face to pale, his jaw to drop, and his eyes to widen. "Uhh..." his arm dropped by his side as he realized how stupid what he just did was. "I will return in a moment.." he stuttered, slowly making his way back to where I had been standing moments ago.

I found a book on the latest census and sat down at a table, looking through it curiously.
 
"My mistress would like a sword, nothing fancy, just a sturdy blade," the stranger said. He even smiled a bit in my direction, which caught me by surprise. Boss nodded in my direction to signify I could take over the order unless otherwise directed. I wiped my hands on the apron tied around my waist and stepped forward to talk details.

"I can do that for you, sir. Is it a short sword you're looking for or a long sword? Double-edged or single-edged?" I had a host of other questions to get through before I could pull out a blade to fashion but the man was hesitant in making any decisions without his mistress, who was apparently missing.

While the stranger went in search of the woman, I wiped my chest and neck off with a rag and shrugged into a light cotton shirt. The material was old and much worn, patched in some places like the elbows and threadbare in places like my shoulders, but it covered just the same. I completed my toilette by yanking out the leather strap that held up my shoulder-length hair, ran my fingers through the sandy-brown locks, and retied it into a loose ponytail at the nape of my neck. If a lady was coming in, I needed to be presentable. Grooming done, I stood beside my anvil and waited for the man and his mysterious mistress to return.
 
I looked up as the general burst into the building. Sighing, I put the book up. He rushed to my side. "Prin-"
"Silence. Did you do as I asked?" I asked, tilting my head.
He sighed. "They have questions."
"I see." I nodded, leaving. He trailed close beside me. I knocked on the door, not wanting to intrude, but the general put a gentle hand on my shoulder, ushering me in. I smiled, stepping in and looking around curiously, my bright green eyes landed on the man standing by the anvil. I held my hand out. "Ellie." I said, using a false name. I didn't want to be tracked. "I was told you can make me a sword?" I kept one hand on the handle of my royal sword, covering the jewels on it. The sheith was old and made of sturdy leather. My favorite.
The general relaxed once he had me in a secure place.
 
In short order the man returned with a cocky young woman. Even with her hair in a boy's cut, she was still pretty. I tugged at my apron nervously and my heart nearly stopped when she held out her hand to me. I could feel heat rising in my cheeks as I took her small hand in mine; thankfully my cheeks were already flushed from the warmth of the shop. "Jabez," I heard my baritone voice rumble in reply to her name. I pulled my hand away as soon as I politely could and went back to fiddling with my anvil, my hammer, my apron, anything that kept me from making eye contact with the woman. She was definitely not from around here.

"I can make you anything you like, m'lady," I answered. "What kind of blade are you looking for? Short or long? Single or double-edged?"
 
Jabez, interesting name I thought. "Long, double-edged." I said after only a moment of thought, looking around curiously. It was a fairly nice place, just kinda hot. "I'll pay any price you're willing to give." I added, looking back at Jabez.
The general stayed by the door, watching the road cautiously. He wanted to get a safe place to stay while the sword was being made and he wanted to get it as quickly as possible. Wandering around did not suite him.
 
I nodded as she rattled off what she wanted. Ellie was a curious one, she was. I stole glances at her as she wandered about our shop. She was dressed like a refugee, knocked on doors like the upper-class, and spoke like nobility. The way she moved could even be considered royalty. Must be a baron's daughter running away from home, I concluded. I walked over to the forge and began stoking up the fire.

"You have a sword there, m'lady," I grunted as I heaved on the bellows. "Is it the weight you want? May I see it?"
 
I hesitated. "Yeah..it's the right weight." I glanced at the general, who seemed to be paying no attention. I walked over to Jebez, taking the sheath off my belt. "Do you have to unsheath it?" I asked, glancing at the door again. I kept one hand on the handle, the other on the sheath. I didn't really want anyone to know about it, but I felt like Jebez would be okay with keeping a secret...he looked trustworthy enough, and he acted trustworthy.
 
I chuckled and held my hand out for the sword. Secretive and hesitant? She was definitely a runaway. "I know how to take a sheath into account," I reassured her. "I just need to hold it to get an idea." A thought crossed my mind. "I'll even close my eyes so I don't see whatever it is you don't want people to see," I added softly.
 
I smiled faintly. "You don't have to close your eyes." I said, handing the sheath holding my sword over, the grey-blue jewel on the handle glinting ever so slightly, the leather it was bound in tight and dyed a dark navy. I relaxed a little. He seemed to be okay with the idea of keeping it a secret. I looked at the general, but he was still watching the street. I glanced around the shop again. I felt curious about it. I'd never been in a place like this before, my parents always trying to keep me from getting hurt.
 
I grasped the hilt firmly in my hand, grateful that she allowed me to examine it. It was a gem of a piece, expertly crafted and magnificently ornamented. I'd never held such a beauty before. My breath came choked and I could feel my eyes getting moist. I blinked them rapidly and cleared my throat. "It's a beauty," I said at last. "But you're right, it'll draw attention to yourself." I handed it back to her and offered her a shy smile. "I'll see what I can do, m'lady."

I started rummaging through our stockpile of roughly made blades and held them up one by one to select the lightest one. I could see her eyes brimming with curiosity. "You can sit and watch me make it if you want. There's a stool by the window there."
 
I clipped the sheath back to my belt. "Thanks...it was made for me when I was little. I could barely lift it then." I smiled. I was caught off guard when he offered me a chance to watch. "That'd be great!" I said, but I didn't bother to grab the stool. "I can stand." I added, watching him with more curiosity as before. Kind, understanding, he was really nice. The general walked over.
"Ready to go?" he asked me quietly.
"Actually, I'm going to stay and watch."
He gave me a skeptical look.
"Go find a place to stay, I will find you soon enough." I gave him a look, reminding him simply through the look that I could easily take care of myself. Hesitantly, he nodded. "Yes pr-..ma'am." he said before leaving to find a place to stay. I returned to watching Jebez, smiling and curious again.
 
"Suit yourself." I found a suitable piece of steel and carried it over to the forge. "Just make sure you stand back, all right? You don't want sparks catching in your hair, believe me." The blade sizzled and began to glow as I prodded the coals in the roaring fire. Already I could feel sweat beading along my hairline and prickling at my neck. When the blade was good and hot, I swung it onto my anvil and reached for my hammer. "Stand back," I warned her again.
 
I watched from a curious distance, but a safe one. The blade looked like it was practically melting! I crossed my arms loosely as I took another step back, as not to bump anything. I wondered how long it took for the blazing metal to cool. I also wondered how hot the metal got. Then I wondered how the hammer didn't get hot hammering the hot metal. Plenty more questions entered my mind, but not one was said as I watched curiously, interested.
 
I could feel my muscles rippling beneath my shirt as the hammer rose and fell with a purposeful blow on the edge of the red blade. A soft smile settled on my lips. This was my favourite part of the job, creating the shape. How your blows landed determined how straight and true the blade would be. It wasn't just a bestial attack on hot metal, it was a delicate process that required affection for the piece of metal. With great care I hammered along one side of the blade, then flipped the blade over and hammered along the other.

Time must have passed slowly for the lady, especially with her standing there with her arms crossed. I would have thought from her posture that she was bored, but when I stole the occasional peak at her pretty green eyes with my own stormy greys I could see the interest still there. Before I knew it, the blade was perfect. I held it up with tongs, looked long-ways down it to make sure it was straight, and plunged it into the cold water trough. The blade sizzled and simmered in the cool liquid and quickly lost its red hue. When I pulled it out, it was only warm to the touch and a beautiful grey.

"Next we attach a hilt," I explained to my observer. "A simple hilt is what you wanted, right m'lady?" I gestured to three swords already hanging in wait on the far wall. "The one in the middle is the simplest and easiest to assemble. Will that do or would you like something a little prettier?"
 
"Oh.." I muttered quietly, one question answered as the sword was plunged into the water. It was beautiful.. I already liked it. Hearing another question asked, I glanced to the sword Jabez pointed at. "The middle will be perfect. Simple, non-attention grabbing.. Perfect." I smiled at him. I wondered how long the general would allow me to stay here before making me move on to the next town. I wanted to watch Jabez make more things, maybe ask some questions.. Well... If it was allowed. I didn't know practically anything in the work of black smithing.
 
"As you wish, m'lady," I replied, moving the blade to the wooden counter for assembling. It suddenly crossed my mind that this was the longest conversation I'd ever had with a non-condescending female and another wave of colour washed onto my cheeks. I sucked in my breath and concentrated on my fumbling fingers. This was no place to turn into a bundle of nerves. When I was sure I'd gotten my composure back, I gathered the pieces of leather and rings I needed to wrap the hilt and attach it. A lady's hands were delicate, so I took extra care to wrap the strips in such a way to prevent chafing or blisters.

"The last step is sharpening the blade," I instructed when I was satisfied with the hilt. I took the sword to the wheel and sat down on the stool with my foot to the pedal. The stone wheel whirled with a hum as I guided the blade over it. Sparks flew as the steel made contact with stone. At last, it was complete. I stood up and presented the sword to Ellie with a bow.

"Your sword, m'lady."
 
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