I sat on the one of the large stones outlooking the water. I couldn't do it. I watched the water fall from the sky and cover the land around me. I blocked out the coldness I felt as a gust of wind crashed against my drenched form. I deserved it. I let everyone down. The king, my family, and him…

I close my eyes and let the water drip down my over my face. I could just off myself right now. I have a sword of my own that would work perfectly. No. That's a coward's death. I'm better off walking far away into the wilderness and let the animals take me. At least the thought of animals picking at my carcass is better than the fate that awaits me in Nottinghamshire.

I draw my knees to my chest and rest my chin on my knees. I couldn't help but wonder if he's looking for me? I mean I did run off without really explaining anything. Not that I could have, given the fact that I was hired to kill him when he was most vulnerable. Funny how things work. I felt a small warmth as my memory brings me back to that night…that glorious night. The warmth, the secure feeling…

I shake my head. It was wrong. It shouldn't have happened. I shouldn't have gotten so close.

You were vulnerable. You wanted to me loved… The voice inside my head says.

I open my eyes and look out at the water. "I don't deserve to be loved." I whisper. "I deserve to die. I betrayed everyone." Anger rushed through me so fast I couldn't breathe for a moment. I should have just done my job, took the reward and left!

The coldness bites at me and I wrap my arms around myself. I have a decision to make but until I make up my mind, I'm not leaving this spot.

5 years ago….

"Ow!"I cringe as my shadow sister, Dyota, tugged at my hair.

"Sorry." She said softly before finishing with my hair. "There you go!" She shifts slightly and hands me a small polished metal mirror. I smile at the two plaits on either side that came together into one braid in the back while the rest of it was down. Weaved into the side braids were little flowers and ribbons. "I love it!" I look over at her and she beams.

I thank her once more before standing and smoothing out the front of my gown as her delicate fingers start to lace up the back. I play with the belled sleeves. She ties it tighter and tighter until I gasp. "Can you breathe?" She asks.

"Barely."

She loosens it slightly and finishes. "There, done!"

I turn around and look at her. "How do I look?" I grin. She clasps her hands together.

"You look beautiful, sister!" She grins. She looks over to the doorway and quickly goes silent. I turn to see William.

Dressed in guard armor, he crosses his large arms over his chest. "Eva. Leo needs to speak with you of our mission. He wants to go over the plans."

I nod and say goodbye to Dyota before following William down the stone hallway. I stride up next to him and frown. "So serious." I say before looking at him. He smiles at me and swiftly picks me up in his arms.

"You look beautiful." He says as he carries me into his living quarters and sets me down. His hands gently run over my arms. I shiver.

I turn away dramaticly. "Sir! I'm almost a married woman!" I say putting the back of my hand up to my forehead. I hear his deep voice chuckle as he turns me around. His gentle blue eyes look into mine and I smile.

"You are married, my dear lady."He leans forward, his lips brushing mine. "To me." He kisses me and I giggle and wrap my arms around him. Marrying William was one of the greatest days of my life. Afterall, he was the one who recuited me into the Shadow Hunters after killing my stepfather.

Long ago….

My step father was a cruel man who beat me and called me foul things. He forced me to clean his house and work for him while sitting around and drinking mead all day long. One night when I was cleaning the cinders out of the fireplace, my step father had fallen asleep in the chair with a bottle of mead in his hand. I gently hummed to myself while trying to block out his snoring. I heard something hit the ground and turned to see the bottle of mead shattered on the ground. I frown. "Wonderful." I mutter. I crawl over to the mess.

"Careful, Lass." I hear a deep voice say. Startled I lean back and look around. Maybe it was just my imagination playing tricks on me. I turn to the cinder pile and hear his tankard hit the floor with a metallic sound. He grumbles and looks around before seeing the shattered bottle. His eyes bore into me as he stands. "Why you stupid little harlot! Why I'll—" He stops mid-sentence and his eyes go wide and his mouth opens in an O shape.

"Father?" I say. He gasps and blood trickles down his neck into his tunic before he falls sideways onto the little table. It breaks and he falls to the ground. "Father!" I crawl towards him when a man dress in black steps out of the shadows. "Careful, Lass." I look up and my eyes widen. The man is tall and wearing black robes with a black hood that covers his face excluding the eyes. I quickly scramble backwards.

"Please…"I plead. "Please don't hurt me. Take anything you want!" Hot tears start to form and slide down my cheeks. He steps forward and removes his hood.

"Easy, lass. I'm not here to hurt you." He says softly. He slowly steps forward and I see his face in the moonlight that pours in through one of the windows. He has a strong jaw with a bit of stubble. His dark hair is cut short. He's actually kind of…handsome.

"Wh-who are you?" I asks shakily. "Why did you kill my father?"

He looks around. "Are you alone?"

"Maybe." I say, attempting to sound strong. "Answer me."

He looks at me for a moment and takes a breath. "I'm a Shadow Hunter. An assassin. I was paid by a client to kill your father after he stiffed him for a few cases of mead."

"Are you going to kill me now?" I ask, afraid of the answer.

His brow furrows. "Normally I would so I don't leave witnesses but—"

"Just kill me." I cut him off. "I have no way of paying for food or anything. He was all I had left after my mother died a year ago." My lip quivers slightly. "I'll starve to death anyways. It's better off to just end my life now."

He looks at me with… sympathy? Pity? Stepping closer he holds out a hand. "Come with me."

I look at his hand then back at his face. "Why?"

"Please?" He smiles. I grab his hand and he helps me up. I stand there for a moment not quite sure what to do as he looks around. "Is there anything around here that you want to take with you?"

I think about this and nod. "My mother's necklace."

"Grab it and anything else you want to take with you then meet me outside. And hurry."

I nod and cross the room to kitchen and grab the empty potato sack and grab my mother's jewelry box, my father's small sack of coins and his dagger along with my night rail and two gowns before stepping outside. The man is sitting atop big black horse when I walk out. He looks over at me. "Ready?"

I nod as I approach slowly. I haven't really been around many horses in my life. The man holds out a hand and smiles. "Don't worry, lass. He's friendly. Come on." I walk over and grab his hand. Putting a foot in one of the stirrups and he pulls me up onto the horse. I quickly fall forward and he chuckles. 'You okay,lass?"

"Uh huh." I say, slightly embarrassed.

"Better hold on." He says and makes a clicking noise. The horse goes and I almost fall back before grabbing around his waist. Under his robes I can make out the hardened muscles of his stomach making me bite my lip. "So…may I ask your name?" I say.

"My name is William. William Hastings." He replies. "How about you?"

"Eva Dowgate." I reply. "It's a pleasure to meet you William."

He turns his head slightly and I see him smile. "Likewise, my lady."

We ride through the night to this mossy rock. He brushes aside the hanging moss to reveal a door. He does something before we hear a click and the door opens. He motions me inside and I walk into the room. William disappears for a moment as stare down a brightly lit hallway that leads down. He reemerges from behind me with my sack of things and hands it to me before guilding me down the hallway. As we get closer to the end, we hear voices. We turn the corner into this big open area to a table full of food and people talking. There's about two women and two men in black robes like William's. The man at the head of the table turns to look at us. He has a small beard and light blonde hair. "Ah William! How did it go?" He smiles. He notices me and his smile falters slightly. "Who's your friend?"

The other three shift uneasily as William pushes me forward a little bit. "New recruit."

The other three greet me as the Blonde haired man stands up. "How about you get acquainted with the other members while William and I discuss some business." He says to me with a smile. I nod and walk over to the table while the two men step into a nearby room.

"Delvin, let me explain…" William starts.

"Who is that?" Delvin demands. "You had a contract to get rid of somebody, bring one home."

William runs a hand over his hair. "I know. She's the daughter of my target. Her name is Eva and I think she can help us get back the reputation we once held long ago."

"Did you see her show some sort of skill? Lock picking? Pick Pocketing? Oh I don't know… killing people?"

"No…" He says and Delvin rolls his eyes. "But when I was scouting out my target I saw how badly he treated the lass. I couldn't bare to watch a beautiful woman go through that."

Crossing his arms over his chest, Delvin smirks. "You like her, eh?"

"That's not the point." William frowns. "If I left here there, she'd starve to death. I couldn't let that happen."

Delvin sighs. "Will… we're killers. We're not an orphanage for lonely children and we're definitely not some heroes here to save the day."

"Please Delvin." He begs. "I'll train her myself if I need to. Please let her stay."

"Fine." Delvin sighs. "But if she makes a bad name for us and we have the guards knocking on our door, you get to answer to the family. Got that?"

Grinning, he nods. "Thanks Delvin. You won't be disappointed."

"I better not be." They walk back out just as Edric, Dyota and Lucia were telling Eva stories of their past targets.

"Now there was this jester…Cicero was his name. Quite the madman." Edric exclaimed, the red braids of his mustache bouncing with every word spoken. "Claimed that if he thought hard enough, he could walk straight through walls!"

William clears his throat and they all look at him. Turning to Delvin he grins. "Go ahead boss."

Delvin steps forward and looks straight at me. "Well Eva….Welcome to the Shadows!"

I smile and glance at William who winks at me while the others cheer. Edric stands up so quickly his belly knocks over a plate and spills his tankard. He grabs the nearest one and raises it, splashing Lucia with mead. "Hey!"She exclaims.

"To our newest Shadow Sister!" Edric cheers.

The all raise a fist in the air and chant. Delvin silences them and looks at me. "William will get you set up with a room and robes. For the meantime, William will be in charge of training you. You may ask your other Shadow siblings if you need extra help with things like Archery, Sneaking and lockpicking, sword fighting or anything. We're all here to help. Welcome to the family."

Another round of cheers. Delvin looked over at William and nodded before taking a seat back at the table. I look back at William who motions for me to come with him. I follow him down a hall. Until we can get another room set up, you'll have to sleep in the extra bed in my room. Hope you don't mind.

I shake my head. "Not at all! A bed is a bed."

He smiles at me. "You know lass, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful relationship."

From then on, William trained me into the master thief and assassin I am today. And with each training session, we grew closer and closer until we decided to go to a temple on our way back from a mission and get married.

Many times we would be each other's backup on dangerous missions like today when I would be impersonating the Princess Marie from France who was betrothed to Prince Alexander of York and was set to meet and wed today. The contract consisted of the Prince to be executed right as him and his new bride addressed their quests at the public reception.

I finally pull away and look into his eyes. "I love you so much." I say resting my forehead against him.

"I love you too, lass." We pull away and he leads me to Delvin's quarters. We arrive to see him pacing around his room. He stops as soon as he sees us.

"Good. You're both here. Now how do we get in?" He tests us.

"I ride in on the horse we stole as Princess Marie with Edric and William passing off as my royal guards. I am taken to meet Prince Alexander, our target before rushed away to get ready for the wedding. " I answer.

Delvin nods. "Good, good. And if they ask about the lack of royal carriage?"

"It was overtaken by bandits and most of my guards were killed. The three of us were just able to get away." I grin.

"Then right before the wedding feast, Edric will poison the Prince's drink just enough to weaken him." William adds.

"Then he'll excuse himself saying he's feeling ill…" Delvin says.

"I'll tell him to first let us address our guests from the balcony and thank them for coming then when all eyes are on him, I kill him!" I finish with a huge grin.

"Perfect!" Delvin exclaims with a laugh. "Escape plan?"

"The guards will make their way towards her and I'll try to divert them while Edric and Lucia hold them off. I lead Eva away and out to the forest where we'll meet up with Dyota who has our horses and weapons ready." Willaim smiles at me. "And I'll fight off any guards on the way out since Eva won't have any weapons with her."

"Perfect. Then you'll all meet back here." Delvin nods. "Alright. Walk in the shadows my friends. I'll see you back here later. Try not to get killed."

William and I leave Delvin's quarters and walk down the hallway in silence. William's hand brushes against mine and his fingers intertwine with mine and he smiles at me. We stop by Dyota so I can put on my word cloak before heading outside. I watch as Edric, Lucia and Dyota mount their horses before William helps me upon my large steed. As soon as I'm atop my horse he grasps my small hand in his and presses a kiss to the back and smiles. "For better or worse."

I smile and he releases my hand and climbs up upon his horse and we start our long journey to trip is long and tiring with a few breaks to eat and make camp for the night. We sleep under the stars and tell old stories of missions before putting out the fire and going to sleep. I lay with my husband facing me. I can see his stubbled chin and warm blue eyes in the slivers of moonlight through the trees. His warm hand caresses my arm as I snuggle closer to him.

"You alright, lass?" He whispers. Smiling, I nod.

"Yes. Just a little cold. That's all."

He pulls the blanket up around me more and pulls me closer. The heat from his body warms me up and I rest my head on his broad chest. Breathing out a sigh of content I close my eyes and let my sleepiness take over.

We awaken the next morning and Dyota fixes my hair which was messed up in my sleep. William stands guard as I bathe in a nearby creek and change into my gown. Lucia catches some rabbits that we skin and cook on the fire while Dyota silently passes out apples, cheese and mead. I sit and listen to the birds churping overheard while we eat and wonder if we'll ever be that free. I mean sure I love my family and everything they've done for me but can't help but wonder…

I'm brought back from my thoughts when I feel William grab my hand and give a little squeeze. He gives me a small smile which I return before we return to our meal.

Not long after we have packed up our camp, we're back on the road. A little ways from the gate, we stop where Dyota and Lucia dismount. Lucia changes into the uniform we stole off a York guard who was on the road. She then takes off to check in with the guards while the men and I get ready to make our entrance. "Walk in the shadows, sister." I say to Dyota.

"As do you."She smiles.

We take off towards York with a man on either side of me. We reach the massive wooden gates where one of the two guards in front stop us. "Halt! Who are you?"

Edric steps forward and I stifle a laugh as the guard steps back slightly. "I present the bride-to-be Princess Marie of France." Edric says regally.

The guard looks us over. "Where are your other carriages? Where are the other guards?"

Edric hangs his head. "Unfortunately they didn't make it. We were ambushed by bandits on the way here. Many guards were killed while they robbed us burnt our carriages. We were lucky enough to make it out!"

"Bandits have been reported rather recently near here…" The guard says. He nods. "Alright, welcome my lady and congratulations on your engagement."

I lower my head and look at him with a small smile. "Thank you." I say sweetly. They open the doors and we make our way to the stables. William helps me down from my mount and are escorted by a servant to the great hall. As we enter I am in awe at the place. Banners are hung on the walls of red and gold. Golden candle stands give the large room a warm feeling. I'm announced to the King and prince who sit in gold thrones inlaid with rubies on a large platform ahead of me.

I walk the large red carpet until I'm a few feet away and curtsey. "My lord." I say to the King.

"Rise child." His voice booms. "Let me take a look at you." I rise and hold my chin up. His son is a small man who looks like a boy who's possibly no older than 15. He sat awkwardly in his chair as he gawked at her. "Ah yes… You are much more beautiful than they said!" He smiles. "You are a perfect match for my son! Alexander, rise!"

The poor child stumbled a bit as he stood. "My lady." He said in a soft voice. He bowed and I curtsied before the King announced for preparations of the wedding. I'm led away to my quest chamber to start with the preparations. After a warm bath with lavender and other oils, I am dried and dressed in beautiful green gown with blue ribbons and a long cape that attached to my shoulder with golden clasps trailed behind. My hair is redone with cornets and a hairnet before a flower headdress with blue and green ribbons is placed upon my head. I'm fed wine and cheese while being prepared. As soon as it was time I am hurried along the hallways. I'm stopped momentarily so the ladies can attach my veil. They rush me into a carriage and ride along with me.

When we reach the church I'm told to wait until Alexander arrives and the ladies open the carriage doors. The boy holds out his hand and helps me down the steps and offers his arm. I take it as I flash him a smile and look at him through my lashes. "Thank you, my lord." I purr.

He blushes and smiles back at me. Everyone with stands about outside while the priest before us closes the gate to prevent entry.

"Are you both of age?" The priest asks.

"Yes." We reply.

"Do you both have parental consent?"

"Yes."

"Is it correct that you are not related in a way that will prevent you from a wedding in accordance with the law? That being having a common great great grandparent?"

"That is correct."

The dowry is read aloud and Alexander hands me a small bag of coins to be distributed to the was to symbolize his willingness to give me financial management on his behalf. Following, there's a short sermon on the steps, we say our vows, Alexander places a ring on my finger and I distribute the coins before the church doors are opened so all can enter. Everyone takes a seat and the prayers and mass begin.

The entire time we stand under a canopy of blue. The priest gives Alexander the kiss of peace which he turns to me. Blushing he presses a small kiss to my lips before quickly straightening. The blessing is pronounced and the service ends. Turning to face the doors which we entered, Alexander offers his arm and I take it. Coins are thrown over our heads as we walk down the aisle. Edric and William are posted at the doors and I glance at William before we step out into the light. One of the maids carry the back of my train as Alexander and I helped into our carriage. The doors are shut and we sit across from one another.

The entire ride, Alexander quietly sits looking out the window. His awkward stance making me feel a little of pity for him. Such an awkward boy. It's a little unfortunate I'll have to kill him.

As we reach the castle, the people of York stand around waiting to see their new Princess. Alexander gets out of the carriage first and offers his hand. Taking it I slowly climb out and take his arm. We walk up the stone steps and into the great hall where we walk up before the King and Queen. The king announces the feast and festivities. The music starts to play as we are ushered over to the large table. The wedding feast is a very lavish affair with many specialty dishes. This included 406 loaves, 250 eggs, 100 pounds of cheese, two quarters of oxen, 16 of mutton, 37 capons, 11 chickens, 2 boars heads and feet for jelly, roasted pigeons and waterfowl. To drink there was local provincial wines and Chianti imported from Tuscani.

People laughed, eat, and danced through the event. Alexander called for Edric to bring him his jeweled goblet which he drank rather quickly. Gifts were presented to us and I could see Alexander looking more and more pale by the hour.

"Are you alright, dearest?" I ask with mock concern. "You're looking a bit pale." I frown for effect. He draws a deep breath and slowly shakes his head.

"I'm not feeling very well. I think I should go lie down for a spell…" He says as he starts to rise. I touch his arm and he looks at me.

"Just a little longer?" I plead. "Soon we'll address the people and then you can retire to the bed chamber for the rest of the night."
Sighing he nods. "I guess I can wait a while longer." He lowers himself back down onto his seat and I smile. The time passes until I help Alexander up and we walk out of area to the door to the staircase leading up the balcony. It takes a while which worries me that Edric gave him too much. We reach the top where two guards are standing near the doors. I guide him over to the little wall as we look our at the people of York.

Seeing their prince they cheer. He smiles and waves to them. "My people!" He says as the cheering dies down. "My new wife and I would like to thank you for being here today to celebrate in this grand occasion. Please enjoy the food and music in our honor!" The people cheer and he looks at me.

"Is there…anything you'd like to say?" He says with a weak smile. Now is the time.

Smiling I nod. I look at the expectant faces of the people of York. "Today marks a day! A day that will change life as you know it!"

Some people cheer while others look around dumbfounded. Alexander raises and eyebrow at me. "What do you mean?" He whispers.

I smirk and raise a fist in the air. "Vive les ombres!" I yell. Before he can react, I grab the jeweled sword from his belt and in one swift movement, decapitate him. I quickly drop the sword as Alexander's head rolls away, caught in a surprised expression. The people scream in horror as his headless body slumps to the ground and the guards behind me quickly grab me. Panicking, I squirm violently.

"Easy lass." I hear one of the guards say. Recognizing my husband's voice I stop for a moment while they haul me down the steps.

"Okay as soon as we reach outside the doors, I'll hold them off while you two make a break for it." I hear the other guard, Edric say. William agrees and we burst through the doors. As promised, Edric broke free and started hacking at the real guards while William pulled me by my arm with him. As we ran, an arrow whizzed back my head. William knocked over a few guards and sliced at them as they approached until we made it to the door leading outside. I unclasped my cape and through it at a guard, blinding him for a moment while we slipped through the door. I picked up my dress and ran alongside my husband but stumbled due to the length of the damn dress. William scooped me up into his arms and ran until we were far enough in the wood s where we lost them. Stopping, he set me down and leaned over as he tried to catch his breath. Finally he let out a laugh. He smiled at me before straightening.

"You were wonderful Lass!" He picked me up and spun me around laughing before setting me down with his hands on my side. "I love you so much." He says before presses a soft kiss to my lips. Wrapping my arms around his neck I kissed him back. Pulling away we rested our foreheads together and just smiled.