Warnings: small child assassins, blood, child death, kin killing Themes: Duty, religion, duty above all, doing terrible things on orders
Memory One You are stood in a simple room, a wooden table takes up the most of it, looking to seat around six people. There is a fireplace, currently unlit, with comfortable seating near to it.
Stood in front of the fireplace there is a woman looking down at you. She is dressed in a many layered dress, hair piled on top of her head and beset with decoration. Beautiful, almost ethereal. She is the most terrifying person you know and you stand before her, bare feet curled against the plush rug.
"We will be leaving tomorrow afternoon." It is clearly the end of a conversation, "You will be given an identity and the journey to the mountains to perfect it. I will send over some suitable clothing for you to wear. Do you understand?"
You aren't sure. You mostly feel numb, overwhelmed with the amount of information you have just been given. But this isn't someone you argue with. "Yes, priestess Elina." Your voice is quiet, cracked even. As if you haven't spoken in a while, your throat is dry and sore.
The priestess glances across the room to where a man in leather armour is stood near the door, his face betraying no emotion at all. The look is the kind that holds unspoken orders, though what they were you cannot begin to guess at. "Kant will be able to answer any questions about the temple."
You nod, but remember that priestess Elina always requires words. "Yes, priestess." It's easier to speak that time, as if your voice is remembering how. The priestess left the room, moving completely silently as if she were floating rather than walking. Graceful even in the elaborate clothing that she wore.
You glance at the man, half expecting him to follow his priestess out of the room but instead he just watched her with an unreadable expression.
"Follow me, little one." You do so, leaving the room out into a more simple corridor, rug turning to wooden floor under your feet and eventually to stone as you enter a large kitchen. There's a large fire place here and this is lit, though it burns low. There are large pans and cookpots freshly scrubbed next to a large basin. A kitchen equipped to make food for large amounts of people.
You follow Kant over to the large wooden table near to the fire. He turns and lifts you up, surprising you, and places you to sit on the table, your legs dangling off the side. It makes you feel much younger than you are.
"You're hungry, you haven't eaten in days." He says it as a fact, not asking your opinion. You aren't hungry though. Your stomach recoils at the thought of food. You watch him warily as he gathers milk and honey and begins heating them on the fire.
You've seem him do many things over the years, fighting, killing, even tending to a sick horse. But never anything like this. He looks ridiculous in a way you have never seen before, stirring honey into milk for you.
You study him, knowing that he would be aware of your scrutiny. He seems engrossed in his task but his look is dark. He is angry. Is he angry at you? Surely if he is he wouldn't be making you milk and honey. He has a fading bruise on his cheekbone. Who had managed to hit him? He is the quickest, smartest fighter you know. Why hadn't Elina healed him? Had he angered her?
Soon he presses a mug of steaming milk and honey into your hands. "Eat it all, little one."
You don't want to but he is wearing a look that allows no argument so you take a sip. It tastes funny in your mouth and you force yourself to swallow it. He nods, still stern and leans against the counter. "All of it." He reminds you and his tone makes you want to stick your tongue out at him. But that is a baby thing to do and whereas you might have gotten away with it as a baby you wouldn't now and you fear to even put her littlest toe out of line.
You slowly drink the milk and honey, the silence grows around you as he just watches, occasionally reminding you to drink if you forget for too long. Words feel very far away but he asks no questions, giving you time to gather the thoughts in your mind before you finally speak, your voice still hoarse.
"Do they be having honey in the mountains?" It's a silly question, not one of the big scary questions you want to ask.
"Sometimes." Kant doesn't act like the question is stupid. "They have to import it though, so it's quite expensive." He looks at you kindly, "It's not the sort of thing trainees are given to eat, it's a luxury."
That seems like a ridiculous thing. Honey being a luxury. It's hard to even get your head around.
"What do they be eating then?"
Kant explains about the food in the mountains, it sounds a mix of bland and boring or totally strange and bizarre. You wrinkle your nose and he chuckles.
"You'll be fine little one." He looks at her with serious eyes, "You're tough, you've proven that." You look down, as if the congealing honey at the bottom of your mug is suddenly the most interesting thing you have ever seen.
"Sometimes." He coughs, but it is not a real cough, "Sometimes even when you have a duty and a calling it can be hard to see clearly. Sometimes you do things and you cannot be sure they are the right things to do. You can only trust in the dark god, who knows all and those who give your orders, who see a bigger picture." He ruffles your hair and the you look at him sadly, knowing that he wasn't talking about going to the temple and living without honey.
Memory Two You are knelt in a dusty walled courtyard, there is not much light, the sun is only just beginning to rise. You dip a rag into a bucket of water and finish cleaning the blood off a thin stiletto dagger before washing your own hands, pouring the water out to trickle away.
You turn towards a door set into a smooth stone building when you become aware of movement close by. You look up towards the roof.
"Oi brat." Despite the words the voice is friendly and you grin at the man it belongs to. He's young, late teens at best. "Be coming up here, the other one do be being already back."
You clamber up onto the roof easily, clearly a climb you have done many times before. The roof is flat and you move quickly over to where the man is sat with a little girl. She is about eight years old and identical to you in every way, down to the way her nose wrinkles as she looks you over.
"You did be taking long." She says as you sit next to her, your shoulder bumping hers. "Taiwin did be saying you did be getting caught. He do be owing me double honey cakes, we did be having a bet."
You laugh looking back towards Taiwin with a cheeky grin. "I do never be getting caught, you should be knowing better than to be betting that. She do be getting double honey cakes." You point at him, to make sure he gets the message and he sighs.
"Sure. Honey cakes for two brats and there do be being double for that one." He produces a box and hands you a slab of cake. The cake is mostly honey, the cake part seems to exist for structural purposes only but it is the best thing to eat in the entire world. Your sister's smile almost splits her face and she breaks her second treat in two and hands you half.
"We do be thanking you, Taiwin." You say in unison and he shrugs.
"You did both be doing a good job out there. Good brats do be getting honeycakes."
You lick honey off your fingers, lean against your sister and watch the sun rise over the rooftops, absolutely content with life.
Memory Three In kitchen, clearly in a world without any modern conveniences, the little girl who some may know as Buttercup is stood on an upturned wooden crate, elbow deep in pot water. She looks no younger than she does on the train and seems bored as she scrubs a particularly stubborn pot.
Footsteps sound and she turns as the door opens to reveal a stern looking woman, holding a basket of vegetables. "Taiwin do be wanting you, girl."
The girl's eyes brighten, a relief to boredom beckoning. "He did be asking for me? Do he be having a job?" She jumps off the stool with a grin, the woman just shoves her towards the door.
"Be getting down there." The girl rolls her eyes and leaves the kitchen into the hallway, down the stairs into what seems to be a series of cellars. She clearly knows the place well, it is pretty dark but she walks confidently, making no sound as she moves.
Eventually she comes to an open door, Taiwin is leaning against it, more a young man than a teenager now. She pauses as he sees him and for good reason. He looks furious, she frowns.
"Be getting in here, brat." He grabs her arm and pulls her into the room.
The room is small, a few barrels against the wall are the closest it has to furnishings. The walls and floor are stone, there are no windows but it is lit by four fire torches set in the walls. There are two women there, one dressed elegantly, one dressed far more plainly in a practical looking dress and apron. Both are silent, watching her take in the scene.
Not far from them is another little girl. Identical to the first in every way save for the colour of her tunic and the split lip and black eye she sports.
The girl's eyes flicker around the adults and back to her sister, her face is carefully blank and she says nothing as Taiwin steps up to her and takes her dagger from where it is hidden in the sleeves of her tunic.
"You do be being loyal, brat?" Her eyes flicker around again but she nods.
"Yes." Her voice is quiet. She clearly has no idea what is going on here.
"You do be understanding the importance of being useful and obedient?" His voice is dangerously soft and she nods again.
"Of course I do be knowing."
He sneered. "That one," he gestured towards the other girl with the dagger, "Do no be knowing. She do no be realising that she do be existing because she do be being useful to us. She do be being a traitor to the shadow god. She do be being an oath breaker and so do be being a coward."
Through it all neither girl moves, neither shows any emotion. He walks over to the sister, a hand on the girls back taking her with him. "When we do be saying kill you do be finishing the job. You did be proving you do be being a liability, we do no longer be requiring your services."
He flips the dagger in his hand, holding it out to the girl. "Be ending her."
His voice is confident, not expecting any disobedience from her. Indeed he turns and walks to stand beside the two women, the three of them silent and severe as they watch.
The girls look at each other, their eyes locking in horror, grief and resignation. The unarmed girl's face twists, defiant as she stands there, only the slight shaking of her hands betraying the fear she undoubtedly felt.
The girl is also trembling but a moment later it stopped as she wrapped the emptiness around her. She lifted the dagger to her sister's throat.
Little One | Katy
Themes: Duty, religion, duty above all, doing terrible things on orders
Memory One You are stood in a simple room, a wooden table takes up the most of it, looking to seat around six people. There is a fireplace, currently unlit, with comfortable seating near to it.
Stood in front of the fireplace there is a woman looking down at you. She is dressed in a many layered dress, hair piled on top of her head and beset with decoration. Beautiful, almost ethereal. She is the most terrifying person you know and you stand before her, bare feet curled against the plush rug.
"We will be leaving tomorrow afternoon." It is clearly the end of a conversation, "You will be given an identity and the journey to the mountains to perfect it. I will send over some suitable clothing for you to wear. Do you understand?"
You aren't sure. You mostly feel numb, overwhelmed with the amount of information you have just been given. But this isn't someone you argue with. "Yes, priestess Elina." Your voice is quiet, cracked even. As if you haven't spoken in a while, your throat is dry and sore.
The priestess glances across the room to where a man in leather armour is stood near the door, his face betraying no emotion at all. The look is the kind that holds unspoken orders, though what they were you cannot begin to guess at. "Kant will be able to answer any questions about the temple."
You nod, but remember that priestess Elina always requires words. "Yes, priestess." It's easier to speak that time, as if your voice is remembering how. The priestess left the room, moving completely silently as if she were floating rather than walking. Graceful even in the elaborate clothing that she wore.
You glance at the man, half expecting him to follow his priestess out of the room but instead he just watched her with an unreadable expression.
"Follow me, little one." You do so, leaving the room out into a more simple corridor, rug turning to wooden floor under your feet and eventually to stone as you enter a large kitchen. There's a large fire place here and this is lit, though it burns low. There are large pans and cookpots freshly scrubbed next to a large basin. A kitchen equipped to make food for large amounts of people.
You follow Kant over to the large wooden table near to the fire. He turns and lifts you up, surprising you, and places you to sit on the table, your legs dangling off the side. It makes you feel much younger than you are.
"You're hungry, you haven't eaten in days." He says it as a fact, not asking your opinion. You aren't hungry though. Your stomach recoils at the thought of food. You watch him warily as he gathers milk and honey and begins heating them on the fire.
You've seem him do many things over the years, fighting, killing, even tending to a sick horse. But never anything like this. He looks ridiculous in a way you have never seen before, stirring honey into milk for you.
You study him, knowing that he would be aware of your scrutiny. He seems engrossed in his task but his look is dark. He is angry. Is he angry at you? Surely if he is he wouldn't be making you milk and honey. He has a fading bruise on his cheekbone. Who had managed to hit him? He is the quickest, smartest fighter you know. Why hadn't Elina healed him? Had he angered her?
Soon he presses a mug of steaming milk and honey into your hands. "Eat it all, little one."
You don't want to but he is wearing a look that allows no argument so you take a sip. It tastes funny in your mouth and you force yourself to swallow it. He nods, still stern and leans against the counter. "All of it." He reminds you and his tone makes you want to stick your tongue out at him. But that is a baby thing to do and whereas you might have gotten away with it as a baby you wouldn't now and you fear to even put her littlest toe out of line.
You slowly drink the milk and honey, the silence grows around you as he just watches, occasionally reminding you to drink if you forget for too long. Words feel very far away but he asks no questions, giving you time to gather the thoughts in your mind before you finally speak, your voice still hoarse.
"Do they be having honey in the mountains?" It's a silly question, not one of the big scary questions you want to ask.
"Sometimes." Kant doesn't act like the question is stupid. "They have to import it though, so it's quite expensive." He looks at you kindly, "It's not the sort of thing trainees are given to eat, it's a luxury."
That seems like a ridiculous thing. Honey being a luxury. It's hard to even get your head around.
"What do they be eating then?"
Kant explains about the food in the mountains, it sounds a mix of bland and boring or totally strange and bizarre. You wrinkle your nose and he chuckles.
"You'll be fine little one." He looks at her with serious eyes, "You're tough, you've proven that." You look down, as if the congealing honey at the bottom of your mug is suddenly the most interesting thing you have ever seen.
"Sometimes." He coughs, but it is not a real cough, "Sometimes even when you have a duty and a calling it can be hard to see clearly. Sometimes you do things and you cannot be sure they are the right things to do. You can only trust in the dark god, who knows all and those who give your orders, who see a bigger picture." He ruffles your hair and the you look at him sadly, knowing that he wasn't talking about going to the temple and living without honey.
Memory Two You are knelt in a dusty walled courtyard, there is not much light, the sun is only just beginning to rise. You dip a rag into a bucket of water and finish cleaning the blood off a thin stiletto dagger before washing your own hands, pouring the water out to trickle away.
You turn towards a door set into a smooth stone building when you become aware of movement close by. You look up towards the roof.
"Oi brat." Despite the words the voice is friendly and you grin at the man it belongs to. He's young, late teens at best. "Be coming up here, the other one do be being already back."
You clamber up onto the roof easily, clearly a climb you have done many times before. The roof is flat and you move quickly over to where the man is sat with a little girl. She is about eight years old and identical to you in every way, down to the way her nose wrinkles as she looks you over.
"You did be taking long." She says as you sit next to her, your shoulder bumping hers. "Taiwin did be saying you did be getting caught. He do be owing me double honey cakes, we did be having a bet."
You laugh looking back towards Taiwin with a cheeky grin. "I do never be getting caught, you should be knowing better than to be betting that. She do be getting double honey cakes." You point at him, to make sure he gets the message and he sighs.
"Sure. Honey cakes for two brats and there do be being double for that one." He produces a box and hands you a slab of cake. The cake is mostly honey, the cake part seems to exist for structural purposes only but it is the best thing to eat in the entire world. Your sister's smile almost splits her face and she breaks her second treat in two and hands you half.
"We do be thanking you, Taiwin." You say in unison and he shrugs.
"You did both be doing a good job out there. Good brats do be getting honeycakes."
You lick honey off your fingers, lean against your sister and watch the sun rise over the rooftops, absolutely content with life.
Memory Three In kitchen, clearly in a world without any modern conveniences, the little girl who some may know as Buttercup is stood on an upturned wooden crate, elbow deep in pot water. She looks no younger than she does on the train and seems bored as she scrubs a particularly stubborn pot.
Footsteps sound and she turns as the door opens to reveal a stern looking woman, holding a basket of vegetables. "Taiwin do be wanting you, girl."
The girl's eyes brighten, a relief to boredom beckoning. "He did be asking for me? Do he be having a job?" She jumps off the stool with a grin, the woman just shoves her towards the door.
"Be getting down there." The girl rolls her eyes and leaves the kitchen into the hallway, down the stairs into what seems to be a series of cellars. She clearly knows the place well, it is pretty dark but she walks confidently, making no sound as she moves.
Eventually she comes to an open door, Taiwin is leaning against it, more a young man than a teenager now. She pauses as he sees him and for good reason. He looks furious, she frowns.
"Be getting in here, brat." He grabs her arm and pulls her into the room.
The room is small, a few barrels against the wall are the closest it has to furnishings. The walls and floor are stone, there are no windows but it is lit by four fire torches set in the walls. There are two women there, one dressed elegantly, one dressed far more plainly in a practical looking dress and apron. Both are silent, watching her take in the scene.
Not far from them is another little girl. Identical to the first in every way save for the colour of her tunic and the split lip and black eye she sports.
The girl's eyes flicker around the adults and back to her sister, her face is carefully blank and she says nothing as Taiwin steps up to her and takes her dagger from where it is hidden in the sleeves of her tunic.
"You do be being loyal, brat?" Her eyes flicker around again but she nods.
"Yes." Her voice is quiet. She clearly has no idea what is going on here.
"You do be understanding the importance of being useful and obedient?" His voice is dangerously soft and she nods again.
"Of course I do be knowing."
He sneered. "That one," he gestured towards the other girl with the dagger, "Do no be knowing. She do no be realising that she do be existing because she do be being useful to us. She do be being a traitor to the shadow god. She do be being an oath breaker and so do be being a coward."
Through it all neither girl moves, neither shows any emotion. He walks over to the sister, a hand on the girls back taking her with him. "When we do be saying kill you do be finishing the job. You did be proving you do be being a liability, we do no longer be requiring your services."
He flips the dagger in his hand, holding it out to the girl. "Be ending her."
His voice is confident, not expecting any disobedience from her. Indeed he turns and walks to stand beside the two women, the three of them silent and severe as they watch.
The girls look at each other, their eyes locking in horror, grief and resignation. The unarmed girl's face twists, defiant as she stands there, only the slight shaking of her hands betraying the fear she undoubtedly felt.
The girl is also trembling but a moment later it stopped as she wrapped the emptiness around her. She lifted the dagger to her sister's throat.
It was over in seconds.