The Royal Assassin

Chapter Thirteen - Really Ace?

The serenity had faded during the early morning hours. There was a lot to do, we had so much planning to do, we needed to get a plan ready, we needed to take in all possibilities and rough patches. Along with this assassination plan, we needed to plan Kai's birthday party. When he turned 16, my parents said they would throw him an extravagant party and most of the "rich population" of Elisora would be invited. They were all outrageous when it came to parties, the ladies were expected to wear ball gowns with a long whimsical skirt trailing behind them, the men were expected to wear different coloured suits to match with their spouses outfits, they all wore flamboyant accessories with their clothing. Things like hats with some sort of sculpture on top of it, animal fur scarves, layered pearl necklaces, jewelled sleeves, etcetera.

I had walked out of my bedroom to chaos, maids were running down the halls like lunatics. All of them were carrying a dish, clothing, decorations, or something to do with the party. It confused me; the party wasn't for another two weeks? Did I miss something or were they just planning ahead? I shook my head before walking down the hallways and knocking on Kai's door.

"One minute!" He yelled.

I stepped away from the door, maids rushing past me muttering a breathless apology before returning to their duties. Kai opened the door and ushered me inside.

"What's going on? The party isn't for another two weeks?" I asked.

"They are just planning ahead; they want to make sure everything is perfect for me. Believe it or not, I'm kind of hating the attention at this point. Mum walked in at six in the morning just to remind me that my birthday was coming up and she'd like me to go down to the kitchen to try cake samples."

I let out a low whistle before responding with, "It really sucks huh? Well, it seems like you're busy today, we can start planning tomorrow afternoon alright?" I started to walk toward the door before I felt Kai's hand grab my forearm and yank me back.

"Kai! What's wrong?" My voice raised a little bit, but I made sure to lower it as there were maids outside, and I never usually talked to Kai at all.

"No, I want to plan everything today, there's not much time left Ace. I overheard the guards who patrol near the slums talking with Dad." He let out a breath before continuing, "There's so much rebellion going on Ace, people aren't afraid anymore. But people are dropping like flies, if you even try to rebel against the test, you are killed on the spot. I haven't seen it yet, but what Dad said in response was gruesome."

"What did he say?" My heart was hammering.

"Dad wants to hire a firing squad. He said he'll have anyone who shows the slightest hint of rebellion or fail their test they will be taken into custody and will be executed on live television. It'll be broadcasted across all the jumbotrons each time a group of people is killed, or they will have special days where they let people gather in front of the palace to watch a few executions as entertainment."

My breath hitched; I could hear my pulse in my ears. My mind was so muddled up, I had trouble finding a response.

"Ace, we need to kill him before this happens. I haven't heard anything from Mum, but we need to stop this madness. The guard said that they could find an efficient firing squad as soon as possible, Dad said they need to be ready on my birthday, as it'll serve as entertainment. He's already got a couple of prisoners down in the dungeons."

"Okay, I'll talk to Madeline, and we will form a plan. You go do whatever Mum wants and try to get as much information as you can. Meet us in Madeline's room at around lunchtime."

"Okay." And with that, I was running to Madeline's room.

+ + + +

"Wow, I didn't think your father would stoop that low. Kai's right, we need to put a stop to this right this second. What are you thinking?" Madeline was eating some strawberries on her bed while I was sitting at her desk. I had brought my laptop with me; I quickly checked my deleted history and opened the email I had sent to Victoria.

Nothing. She hasn't even opened it yet.

I sighed and shut my laptop. Why would she?

"Ace? Forget about Victoria for one second please."

"I'm sorry, we need to get more information before we make a plan. We will never be able to fulfil it without backup."

"True, that's where Victoria comes in... you should probably try calling her. I know it sounds incredibly ludicrous but it's the only choice we have right now."

"I'll try my best, if she doesn't answer I'll leave her a voice message and pray she hasn't blocked me."

"Okay, want a strawberry?" She smiled before getting up and handing me a strawberry. I happily ate it, trying to swallow the numbness down with it.

"How's Kai? He seemed happy when he walked past my room. I think you've really relieved him, Ace."

I beamed, "Yes, he did, didn't he? I'm so proud of him for finally realising who he truly was. I'm glad he's back in my life again."

"Me too. Listen, I need to get onto a shift at the medical wing just for a couple of hours, I'll be back at around five. I'll bring dinner up here, bring Kai, okay?"

"Okay, bye Madeline." I grabbed my things and walked out.

Once I had reached my room, I flopped onto the bed.

Was I really going to call her? After all this time? Especially with the circumstances? It would look terribly ignorant, but it's the only choice we have. How are three teenagers going to take down the Royals for crying out loud!

I shook my head and walked over to my bathroom, I splashed my face with cold water and grabbed a towel from behind the door. I dried my face and looked at myself in the mirror. The same cold grey eyes looked back at me, my hair was dishevelled, and I had small dark circles under my eyes. The redness from my eyes had faded, I had also been getting a couple of hours of sleep every now and then, it really started to benefit me.

I started practising a couple of things I was going to say if she did answer. I looked like a fool to say the least. The things I was telling myself to say, the things I was imagining Victoria say, the movements I did with my hands. I was completely and utterly embarrassed.

I decided to just wing it, I turned the bathroom light off and shut the door behind me. I walked over to my bed and seized my phone from under the covers. I opened it and dialled Victoria. I had known her number off by heart, she did too, in case of emergencies.

Straight to voicemail.

Her sweet voice filled my ears. It was so soothing, I just wanted to hear it one more time in person. I wanted to hear her whispering praises into my ear, I wanted to hear her beautiful laugh, I wanted to hear her calming words. I just wanted her.

"Sorry! I can't get to the phone right now, but if you leave me a message, I'll try my best to get back to you."

The robotic voice then told me to press one to send a message back. Was I going to? Should I?

I pushed the thoughts away and pressed one. I took a deep breath before saying, "Hey Victoria it's Ace. We really need to talk. Like really urgently. I know we are going through a rough patch right now... but something really bad is about to happen. We need your help; we need the Originals help. I sent you an email explaining why I did what I did, please read it, and get back to me as soon as possible. I love- uh... just get back to me please."

I sent the message and silently cursed myself. I had really almost said 'I love you' to her? Really Ace?

I slapped my forehead before walking out of my bedroom and over to Kai's room to tell him what's happened so far.

a/n: bit of a short chapter, more to come! cliff hanger ;) thank you for reading!