Peaceable Kingdom

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Isra mirrored his move and resheathed her own dagger after another long glance at it. Raj would likely be very disappointed in her for all of this. Sure, she had saved Azrael's life, but she was also about to lead an assassin into another palace to rob another king. Chances were, of course, the bastard wouldn't even miss whatever they were able to carry, but it was the principle of the idea. He would likely be even more disappointed with the idea that she hadn't even used the skills he taught her when it mattered most...but then again, perhaps it was a good thing. She certainly wouldn't have been able to take on the rest of the guild...

She laughed quietly at his words and shook her head slightly. "I can assure you I won't. My...instructor taught me much better than that," she mused thoughtfully before glancing back down the road. Her gaze was quickly diverted down at herself at his words and she nodded in understanding. "That...would probably be a good idea," she sighed, knowing that the delicate slippers upon her feet wouldn't do much more than fall apart with a lot of walking. She glanced down at the number of various gold and silver bangles on her arms and shook them faintly. "These as well, I would imagine? Perhaps they could be a sort of advanced payment for you?" she smiled crookedly before falling into step with him once more.

Before he could stop himself, Azrael's mind hand wandered to an image of Isra traveling amongst the guild, laughing and singing right along with them. Surprisingly enough, it wasn't all that difficult to imagine. It almost made him laugh. However he was not oblivious to the flicker of grief on Mari's face. It seemed the group was closer than he might have originally thought. He smirked a bit at her words. "She certainly is...a piece of work for a princess." Honestly, with the trouble she had put him through, she might as well have been the younger sister he never had...or particularly wanted.

He was yanked from these mildly amusing thoughts by the woman's sudden movement with the necklace. The group around them had obviously been riled up by her offer, but it was more her challenge that made him smirk. What was that saying? If you can't beat them, join them? That was about the point he was at. While he might not have known where the compound was, he certainly wasn't going to be the last one to arrive! He adjusted his position on the horse and with a click of his tongue and spur of his heel, coerced the mare into a gallop alongside the other men. Isra was certainly a hell of a rider, and if he had any hopes of keeping up with her, he had been forced to become very good, very quickly. He weaved the horse through the crowd, quickly catching up to Mari's horse. "Keeping up shouldn't be the problem!" he called back once he was close enough.
 
Eventually, Cyro and the princess reached a tiny town. It wasn't much, but it had a couple nice houses. Seeing people bustling around the town, Cyro immediately reached up to take off the red and yellow striped pin that signified him as a member of the Assassin's Guild. Shoving it into his pockets, feeling that it would be a bad idea to be known as one of the Guild, he raised his hand as soon as the townspeople noticed him. "Hail!" he called to them, letting a smile cross him face.

As they got closer, he said, "Our caravan was attacked, would it be possible to purchase some food and some clothing for my lady?"

Mari smiled when Azrael caught up. He hadn't looked like he would be a good rider, yet here he was, almost ahead of her. While she was distracted by him, Will snuck up from her right, galloping past her, the traces of a song he was singing the only thing he left behind.

Shaking her head playfully, Mari spurred her horse faster, the tallest tower of the compound appearing over the trees.

The Assassin's Guild Compound was more a small castle than a compound, but it had once only been tents and a wood fence. Now that the tents had evolved into a castle, and the fence turned to a stone wall, the Guild still called it a compound, in order to remember their past. That tallest tower was called the Guild Tower, and it was where everyone lived and slept. Everyone did have their own room, but many people would become more than brothers and sisters of the Assassin's Guild, and they would share a room.

Pointing for Azrael's sake, Mari tried catching up to Will, her brown hair flying wildly behind her.
 
Isra's eyes widened slightly at sight of the town, her eyes brightening considerably. It was so small, so quaint - the complete opposite of her own home. She studied the people curiously. They were all bustling about their own business and she found herself smiling. Several people glanced back at them when Cyro called for their attention while the rest remained preoccupied with whatever it is they were doing for the day. She glanced back at him with an amused little grin at his words before focusing back on the people.

An older woman approached them first, her hair mostly grey and faded blue eyes studying them sharply. She offered them a broad grin as she halted just before them, a hand resting on her cane. "Hail, you poor dears," she chuckled quietly. "I am the seamstress here and I'm sure I have something for her...and you, should you find something to your fancy," she offered with a wink before studying Isra's clothes once more. "I'm afraid it won't be as...impressive as your current garb, but I assure you it will be far more durable."


Isra's smile broadened slightly and she nodded. "I am not looking for ornate, I can assure you. That sounds perfect."

The woman nodded shortly. "Follow me, then!"


Azrael shook his head briefly at the singing assassin. He was certainly a character, and the guard hadn't even spoken to him yet. He glanced past Mari and Will to see the rising tower of the compound and blinked. He certainly had not expected that as their compound! Nonetheless, he wasn't about to let himself fall too far behind! He urged the horse onward, receiving little resistance as the powerful animal propelled them both further up towards the front. He wracked his brain for a moment, trying to remember what it was Isra always did to get that little edge of speed...

He shifted his position once more, crouching forward more and raising up in the stirrups a bit more. His tongue folded to the roof of his mouth and he loosed a short, high pitched whistle before physically encouraging the horse once more. The mare whinnied briefly before pounding on, moving on to run level with Will as they barreled towards the tower. It wasn't until they were within good distance that he finally began to slow with the rest, his heart pounding with the exhilaration of the run. Perhaps that was why Isra loved it so much...
 
Cyro smiled politely at the woman, glad that she didn't make some of the comments the Grandmother at the Assassin's Guild Compound did. The Grandmother was nobody's real grandmother, but everyone treated her like one, and she was old enough to be everyone's great grandmother. She had been with the Guild for as long as anyone could remember, and was as spry as when she still was doing assassination missions. She also had a tongue that could cut glass, and her favorite target was Cyro. It was like a breath of fresh air to have an old woman who didn't make a comment about him and Mari or who had never asked him if he was sharing his chambers with anyone.

Following the old woman gladly, he said, "I won't be needing new clothing, I am afraid. I'm just a personal guard. My lady is the one I worry about." Glancing around at the townsfolk, he thought that they lived a small, fufilling life. Assassins traveled the realms, on some job or just on break, but these people must not have left this town in years. It was a staggering thought, to say the least.

Slowing slightly as she saw the other towers of the Compound, Mari smiled at it, glad to be home even if she had only left a couple hours ago. Spurring her horse again to catch up to Will and Azrael, she was just behind Will as he reached the gate. "I win!" he announced, smiling. As Mari slowed, she grinned at him, tossing him the necklace.

"Who's it for?" she asked. "That's a lady's necklace, you know."

"Just a young lady that I have fallen for," he answered, a grin still on his face. As he and Mari hailed the men who were atop the wall, telling them to open the gates, the rest of the group caught up, and Mari dismounted, a smile still on her face.
 
Isra kept beside Cyro as they followed the woman. She found herself persistently amused by how well the assassin behind her was doing thus far. Granted, it didn't seem to suit him at all, but he was making it work. The woman turned to glance over her shoulder at the two, eyeing them once more before continuing past several homes. "Well, sir, a personal guard could always use some new clothing if something catches his eye. I'm sure your lady won't mind," she chuckled as Isra's lips quirked up slightly higher.

"Yes, perhaps something will catch your eye, you never know! And who would I be to deny you a reward for all the good work you've done over the years," she teased lightly, feeling herself relax considerably, all things considered. They were led to one of the many quaint homes and invited beyond the open door behind the woman. She shuffled towards a closed door and pushed it open, leading to a room containing various sewing equipment and a vast array of different types of clothing.

"Take a look around and let me know if there's something you like. If something is too big I can have it adjusted in very little time," she assured before stepping back and letting the two younger people look around. Isra thanked her quickly, heading over to one of the piles of clothes and sifting through. She would be lying if she said she wasn't rather excited to take a look through the clothes...

Azrael watched the exchange between the assassins rather curiously. It was clear they were very much more like a family than he might have expected. Brushing the thought aside, he slipped from the horse and patted the mare gently. She snorted and shuffled lightly as she began to calm and he awaited the opening of the gates. The remainder of the group shuffled to a halt around them and he found himself feeling slightly less comfortable than he was before. He was about to enter into an assassin guild's compound, and he had left his liege in the hands of another...of course, the promise of wealth had made the others nothing but good-natured, but all things considered, he was still the outsider.


In hopes of perhaps distracting himself from the thought, he found himself beside Mari once more. "Do you guys have rules against things like that? Relationships and what-not? Forgive me if it is a bit of an odd question," he chuckled rather awkwardly. As a guard, marriage was far beyond his reach. The occasional fling permitted, but his attention was not to be distracted from the one he was assigned to protect.
 
Just to be polite, Cyro looked through the clothing, though he wasn't really interested. Assassins needed only a couple sets of clothing, and though he knew that he was probably due for some new clothes, he felt sort of bad for taking advantage of this woman's hospitality. By all rights, assassins should keep to the shadows, never asking for things and only taking them. Holding up a cotton shirt to his chest, he turned to Isra.

"Do you think this would fit, my lady, or should I have it altered? I'm not sure." He smiled good-naturedly, painfully aware that they could be listened in on. Putting it back where he had found it, he picked up a black jacket that looked like it would fit him. Putting his arms through the sleeves, he buttoned it up before looking down at himself. The jacket went to his mid-thigh, and was just a bit snug, but he decided that he liked it. "Does it suit me, my lady?"

After arriving inside the Compound, several of the younger assassins came out to take their horses. New and young assassins were typically given stewarding jobs, at least until they were allowed to take on real assassination jobs. As the horses were led towards the stables, and the other assassins all left to either the dining hall or Guild Tower, Mari turned to Azrael.

"Of course not," she answered in response to his question. "As long as it wouldn't cause damage to the Guild, everything's fine. I know a guy who shares a room with five others each night. But they don't bring unnecessary harm to the Guild, so it's fine. Sometimes marriages even happen, but it's rare. Assassins die a lot, it seems, so people don't want to make that sort of bond..." Thinking about it made her sad, so Mari tried to brighten her mood by saying, "Are you hungry? There's probably some food in the dining hall."
 
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