“I had only cared for one man in my life. For all my callous misdeeds and wretched ventures, I put forth all my trust and love into one of no import. A hulking man, heavily clad in armor that could sweep me up with ease. He spoke very little, and held no complexity to his state. I oft wonder how things could have gone differently had I the monstrous resolve as I do now to push him away. Having only seen him in my sordid adventuring days, I have not seen him in years. I wonder what he would think of me now. I had to do what I was told to do. I hope he understands why I did what I did.
“Though I look upon our time fondly, he protected me with every aether of his existence. However, always helmeted he would remove the staunch protection to provide a trustworthy glint and diffuse my barriers. Even on that mournful day, where I caused the very pain in my chest I pushed down til I felt what I had for him no more.
“There is one fond memory I have; a cliche you only read in story books. We were in pursuit of a dangerous dragon within Coerthas’s Central Highlands. While we slew the beast in the name of his Archbishop, he was near mortally wounded and I carried him- armor and all- to our encampment where I stayed with him. This became our breakthrough; our own catharsis with one another and shared our woes and fears and vowed to stay with one another until the end. I grasped his hand, and he mine and we made our promise that night. I watched as he slept, and nursed him to recovery.”
Beholding the woman she dared not recognize in the mirror, Yhala continued her rumination to those that would listen around her. “I fell in love. So innocently, and naively in love. I even thought of disobeying my own master’s orders.” Her pupils looked to one another with concern, confusion, and one even seemed to tear up a little bit. Taking out a cloth, Yhala walked over to the sensitive one and patted her eyes, “And this is why I am telling you all this, to spare you the same fate of your hearts as I should have mine own. Let my mistakes be your lesson.”
Taking a moment to gather herself once more, she furthered the story to help alleviate the edge of their seats, “So then came the night we slain our most bountiful mark yet. Turning us from mere adventurers to mercenaries-for-hire. Throughout our travels, we obtained three other members of our cadre for a myriad of reasons. But that meant the gil was all split and despite taking more expensive jobs, of course I received less and less. I looked for more odd jobs on the side, and our relationship blossomed. The complication an assassin always dreaded. The night our emotions culminated in an apprehensive, confused touch of lips within our home for the night. It was just the two of us, and I could not keep my promise. I selfishly wrought the love from his lips to experience what I could never again,” she paused, watching as she became her ladies’ most beloved story teller of the eve. “And so I wrested the sliver of sharpened steel from my sash and plunged it into his side, twisting it within his ribcage to reach his heart.
“A job that paid for the ransom my foolish sister trapped me into paying else I would have lost her forever. A result of my mother’s misdeeds. And so love- familial and romantic- can never lead anywhere to your benefit. I abandoned my heart that day as he lay there, lifeless. The look of betrayal and utter horror were the last I saw of him and the last thing he said to me was his utmost passionate love for me.”
Her story being over, Yhala rose from her seat and patted the wrinkles from her robes to straighten them out, “Oh, of course that is if any of that is true. After all, the best operative is one that can make anyone believe anything.” And without so much as an explanation, she left the girls wanton for answers and advanced to her chambers. A sly smirk fell into a somber frown as she became lost in reverie over the memories of that very night. She almost made herself too vulnerable. Best to let no one believe the story to be true, if only to tell it as a lesson learned.
And like any story of star crossed love and betrayal, the betrayed was not killed that day. She dared not check a pulse and return. But her mark was seemingly met, as he never appeared again. As for the fate of her sister and the money? A story for another day.
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