Athame stood by the shore of Lake Aelin, her long dark hair blowing behind her in the gentle breeze. She sighed deeply and thought of her husband and child again,...
She'd never really let herself cry over their deaths. She'd just choked it all inside and moved on..or tried to anyway.
All of my memories keep you near.
In silent moments imagine you here.
All of my memories keep you near.
Your silent whispers, silent tears.
Athame felt a tear run down her cheek for the first time in years. The first time since...they'd...Since they'd died, really. Why couldn't she...
Athame began to cry in earnest. She really had little reason to live now, without her family, without her husband, where was her son? Where? Where were they?!
WHY?! WHY WAS SHE THE ONE TO LIVE?! SO MUCH INNOCENT LIFE DESTROYED THAT DAY, WHY DID SHE LIVE?!?! WHY?!? WHY WAS SHE CURSED WITH A LIFE SHE DID NOT DESERVE?!
All of the things she'd been feeling and wondering since their deaths came to the surface....
Athame's tears glowed white as she shed them, shining droplets of white showing through the night...

Merlin slowly walked through the long sweeping grass as he breathed in the beautiful aromas of the lake. He enjoyed watching the many ripples of it's surface collide and crash to form smaller, faster ripples. Sighing to himself, he gazed up to spot a young woman sobbing pitifully by the waters edge. It was far too a beautiful night for anyone to be feeling upset, so Merlin decided to talk to her and stop the small flood she was creating through her tears. He pulled his wand out of his belt gently and flicked it in the air, causing him to teleport by her side. He straightened out his cone shaped hat and whispered, "Beautiful evening, isn't it?" in her ear.

He stroked his beard and looked out into the lake and saw a small fish leap out of the water and swallow a small fly which was peacefully floating above the lake's surface. He looked back at the woman and said softly, "What is a young lady like you doing here at this time of night?". He smiled at the girl as a strong gust of wind caught the hat off his head. Frantically, Merlin snatched at it in the air, but it had already been blown away quite some distance. He ran after it hurriedly making desperate grabs for it as he ran. The hat dropped from the air and landed slightly crumpled on top of a small brown stone. Picking it up he shoved it back on his head and turned around to walk back towards the girl.

Athame jumped when she heard someone whisper in her ear.
She turned and looked at the speaker, and thought almost instantly that he reminded her of her grandfather.
...Such a kind face and eyes. A mage, likely, I don’t see how else he could have gotten that close to me without me noticing. ...He reminds me of Granther, the way he used to look at me like I was the only person in the world worth listening to right at that second.
“Yes, it is a beautiful evening, sir,” she replied shakily, “But I see not the beauty. I only see my sorrow of late. What is your name, sir? I am not comfortable speaking with someone whose name I do not know.”
Yes, he reminds me of Granther. I’ll be his name is even the same as Granther’s was. That would be a funny coincidence...
Athame waited patiently for the old man to answer, carefully keeping her eyes away from his. The last thing she needed was someone reading her eyes again and becoming depressed or enraged because of the sorrow in them. Like last time...

Shalura soared through the air peacefully, she was in normal human form but had a pair of bright blue wings unfolded from her back. She savoured the air this high, it felt different from the air below, she felt as though it pumped life into her.
"Probably my dragon side" she said to herself "wonder which of my parens was a dragon"
She swooped down and flew just above the surface of the lake creating ripples underneath her, she pulled up and did a full loop before landing on the bank and folding in her wings, she straightened up and looked round. A smile lit up her face as she saw Merlin talking to somebody, she giggled when his hat flew off in a gust but recovered and walked over to them.
"Hi" she said simply "does your hat often go about by itself?" she giggled.

Looking fairly flustered Merlin stuttered, "You know very well it was the wind Shalura!" He smiled and lowered his wand (but still kept it in his hand). He adjusted his hat from his head and pushed it firmly downwards, securing it firmly. He didn't want to embarrass himself further. "My name is Merlin, this is Shalura and you are?" he enquired, staring inquisitively at the young lady. Another smaller gust of wind rustled through the grass and attempted to rip his hat off of his head, but this time Merlin was prepared. He held on tightly to it with two hands and gripped it as the wind blew over it. Triumphantly he shouted "HA! That'll teach you to mess with me!" and pointed his wand in the direction of the wind and let a few harmless sparks shoot itself in it's direction.

He fumbled around in his potions bag and managed to find what he was looking for. He pulled out a small slab of chocolate and broke it up into tree pieces. "It's at times like this I start to feel a little peckish! Chocolate anyone?" He asked, as he stuffed his (slightly bigger) peice into his mouth and chewed vigourously. He handed both the girls their slices of chocolate and then asked the weeping woman, "Why are you upset?".

"hey anybodies allowed a laugh aren't they" said Shalura taking the chocolate and biting off a piece.
She sat down munching on it happily and looked at the human with a pitying expression.

Askain drifted almost silently along the grassy areas, keeping himself low to the ground to prevent as much detection as possible. His blue eyes drifted to the slowly growing group, within which his target lay. He looked at the two females, wondering which one would be his target, before overhearing one of their names.

It was quiet obvious that the man, Merlin, was not his target, and he knew that Shalura wasn't his target either, but since they were both with his target that meant that he would need to kill them to get to the last of the three...or else get close to them all until he could stab Athame. Either way he went at it, he didn't want to be detected until he needed to be...his employer had specifically said to be noticed by as few people as possible. Two was a good enough number...enough people to give him pleasure, and few enough to hunt down one by one.

Askain hopped onto a low branch in a nearby tree, careful not to put his full weight on it before jumping to a higher, stronger branch. He crouched down low and listened further to their conversations, one hand resting on his scimitar, the other holding him upright in the tree. The same winds that knocked about the wizard's hat also made his bangs sway back and forth, some of them crossing his vision for instances of only partial vision of his targets. He ignored his hair and continued to watch them.

Athame looked around her for a moment.
"..I am upset because I mourn my lost. That is all you need to......kno"
Athame thought she detected a presence in the grass. A presence that
did not mean her well or good health.
Oh my God. They found me. I don't know how but they found me.
I can't run!!
"...I need to be leaving here soon...It was my pleasure to meet
you both...I must be going," She said, looking around nervously.
Why does it have to be me?? Why does it have to be me?
Why couldn't I have died? Why did they have to die so I would live?
Why?
"I..."
Athame looked with terror into the grass beyond the group and met a pair of
bright blue eyes, looking at her with intent to kill in them.
...Oh my God.

Shalura looke up as the Atheme starting panicking.
"What's wrong?" Shalura asked "please we can help"
She pulled out a duelling staff and kept out a wateful eye for attackers.
"Please"

Merlin scanned Athame's face as she suddenly looked terrified. He wondered what had caused her to suddenly seem so nervous and he quickly stroked his hand through his long white beard to check if he had any chocolate protruding from it which may be creeping her out. But his beard was perfectly clean and he could see nothing wrong with what he had said or done. Shalura seemed equally confused and this is when Merlin realised that it must be another person. Merlin span around but couldn't see anyone. He was an old man with poor vision, and even if he could have seen well, if it was an assassin or spy he would have no chance.

He dared not move as he didn't know what kind of opponent he might be up against. He withdrew his wand for quicker, yet weaker attacks and cast the spell light to help him find anyone. Alas the spell was still not very powerful and he couldn't make out anyone. He whispered out of the corner of his mouth to Shalura, "Can you see anyone?" and then spoke much louder into the near darkness, "Hello? Is there anybody there?" In a clear, firm voice which demanded authority.

He raised a hand and motioned for the two women to stay behind him as he walked towards where Athame was previously looking when she suddenly began to feel scared. He didn't know why she didn't tell them what was wrong but no doubt she had her reasons. Onwards he walked.

Athame looked around her again, but
she couldn't break the gaze of those sharp blue
eyes.
"...You can't help me. If they've found me after
ten years, no one can help me..."
She watched Merlin walk foreward for a moment, then
ran to him and did her best to stop him.
"No! They'll kill you too they'll kill all of you! It's me they want dead, I'll not see another
person die because of me!"
Athame looked into Merlin's eyes, desperate to
get him to see her reasoning..

"Calm down" said Shalura "nobody is going to die okay, I can look after myself and I know Merlin can too, nothings going to happen to us"
She walked up behind Merlin and drew her dueling staff.
"It has to be magically hidden for me to see it" she said "but I can almost sense they're there, I don't know how"
She turned back to Atheme lowering her staff.
"What are you so afraid of?" She asked "and why? When I was bieng brought up I was told to try my best to resist fear and not let it control me. Please tell me, we can help you, beleive me"

Athame looked around her again, terrified.
"You don't understand. They killed my family.They killed my husband, an assassin by trade.
They want to kill ME, but I don't know why!If they've been able to find me after ten years and three planets....Fear does not control me,Shalura.
I am simply facing the fact that they're going to kill me eventually. I just don't know when or how."
Athame met the blue eyes in the grass again.
"...COme and get me, if you're so convinced you'll succeed this time. Your kind have yet to kill me, Assassin.
Somehow I don't think you'll succeed either."
Athame drew a staff of her own, a bright blue one with a black orb on the end.
"...Come and get me."

Shalura took a step backwards.
"Is it me or did she just take on a completely different attitude?" She said to herself first she plays the weeping woman now she's the all action girl. This worlds going nuts"
Shalura recovered her composure.
"You don't seem like fear doesn't control you to me" said Shalura "alot of people say that but I soon prove them wrong, by shopwing them what they've told me they don't fear" Shalura said "calm down and explain to me clearly what's happening, you've said they killed your family but that doesn't help me understand a thing"

Athame turned to Shalura and smiled sadly.
"I show action and strength only when I have very little, young one.
Do not tell me you are not young, you have not seen as I have.
Survived as I have, yes," She shook her head, "But seen as I have, no.
My staff comforts me. It reminds me that at least one thing is solid,
sure. Even if nothing else is, including myself.
About ten years ago, I was married to a man from my village whom I loved
very much. The year we were married, we had a son. Life continued as it will
for young families until one day a group of raiders came to our village and
killed my son and my husband before my very eyes. I managed to escape from their
grasp and I've been wandering ever since. I've survived four assassination attempts
by members of that same group, and this one shall be no different."

"Now that's harsh" said Shalura "who would want to harm a perfectly normal family like that"
She relaxed seeing as Atheme had definatly not gone potty, but Shalura still held her guard seeing as something was about to attack them.
"But beleive me nobody is going to die, not you, not me, not Merlin over there" said Shalura "if I didn't know I look after myself I'd be dead already"

Merlin surveyed the bushes for a while and then decided that there was no-one there. He had been listening to Athame talking about her tragic past and it brought a small tear to his eye. Why must people be so cruel? Why must life be full of darkness? But he knew in his heart that you need evil for peace to shine out, for peace can never be accomplished until evil has been vanquished.

rustle

Merlin quickly wiped away the small tear with his long sleeve and stared into the bushes. He had definitely heard something just then. The leaves were moving and a small hidden figure was dashing away into the forest undergrowth. Most likely the assassin Athame had been talking about. He reached for his wand, but then stopped himself as he realised that whoever it was had already escaped. The girl was safe...for now.

He slowly turned around to face the girls and spoke, "It seems that whoever was watching has now left us, but he could visit again at anytime. Do you have any means of protecting yourself Athame, as you are no doubt in some considerable danger." He walked towards the girls and away from the forest, and calmly awaited their reply.