-Assassin's friend-


The blade rested cold against the skin of the child’s neck.
Don’t worry… Death will soothe your pain… ,he thought quietly.
Not a sound, other than the low meaty bash, as the head fell down on the floor.
-Kill the child. ,was what he had been ordered.
He dried his blade against the bedclothes and put it back in its hidden pocket behind his shoulder. From the little pouch in his belt, he took up a bag, weaved in thin silk so it could be folded small.
He went to the head and picked it up by its hair.
This child hadn’t done anything wrong… Even under the thick cloth of the bed, the ribs were showing of the body and the chins were sucked in on the face. A poor child, weak and frail…
The eyes were still gently closed and it looked as if still asleep, peacefully.
He sighed quietly and put the head down in the bag.
At least the child wouldn’t suffer anymore.
Before he left, he placed a charm on the child’s body. He didn’t wish for the spirit of the child to hold a grudge against him and haunt him…

“They’re coming for you…”
The character in the dark clothing stopped momentarily. It was as if he had heard a voice…
But then he continued. There was no way he could have heard anything…
“They’re coming for you. Hurry and hide!” ,the voice again.
But as a follow-up this time he heard something and now he quickly hid in some bushes at the side of the small road he had been travelling.
Before long he could see the small spheres of light that were lanterns. Held by the guards of the mansion he had just left. He gazed at them in awe as they came closer.
Had he known they would come for him? Had that voice been his subconscious? Warning him for the danger to come?
“You must run! They got hounds!”
The voice had been right about him being followed, he saw no reason not to trust it now…

In his new robes, he hurried on.
As he had made his way out of the forest, he had continued to run down the road, over a field and lastly he had found a small cabin.
The man living there hardly even managed to form a tune before he was silenced.
The assassin needed new clothes, the dogs had got his scent on their noses now… He needed a new one.
He had stolen the robes of the man, cut off some chunks of skin and then torched both the man and the cabin.
Now he had a new scent, the blood and skin from the man had granted him this and now his hurry was not to get away, but to get to his goal.
Eventually he came to a small village, where he decided to rest for a bit.
He even awarded himself to stay at the inn and he fell asleep immediately after locking his room and lying down on the bed.

Before he left the town, he bought some food to have on his way, and even some caramels. He cursed his sweet tongue at the last one, but as he was an assassin, his pay could be plenty and he could more than afford himself this in addition.
After some hours of walking, he stopped. His feet were tired and he needed to rest, it was still a long way for him to go.
In the warmth of the sun, he eventually fell asleep in the shadow of a tree, still holding his bag with the child’s head inside.

A loud noise woke him up and he was straight on high alerts. Had they found him!? Would they know that he was the one who had killed the child!?
But as he slowly went towards the direction of the sound, his suspicion faded and he was able to breathe out.
A deer had fell down some rocks and it couldn’t get up.
The assassin softly put the bag down on the ground and carefully approached the animal.
Its nostrils twitched and it made a groan for him to keep away. But he carefully got closer and inspected the damages on the deer with his cunning eyes.
Both of its front legs were broken, it wouldn’t be able to move again…
“It’s better for you this way…” ,he said with his silent, raspy voice as he drew his blade.

After he had killed the deer, he picked up his bag again and went back on the road.
“You’re actually a pretty nice guy, aren’t you?” ,he heard the voice speak to him.
Without a sound, he stopped and turned his head slightly, no one… Only he was there…
“I must be going mad…” ,he spoke to himself and continued.
“You’re not.” ,the voice kept telling him.
“There is no one after us now. So I hoped we could talk…”
The assassin stopped again, turned his head swiftly, but not a single sign of another person.
Then he decided to give up.
“So what do you desire to talk about?” ,he said and continued. If he was going mad, then at least he had someone to talk to. It might take his mind off the long road ahead of him.
“I… I wanted to thank you, for taking me out of there.”
The assassin listened with interest as he walked. The voice actually pleased him, it was nice with a little talk –a little company, as a change.
“My body was always so weak, so I couldn’t move. Day after day, year after year I spent in that room… Only waiting and wishing for someone to come and bring me out of there.”
Had he gotten another person in his mind as he grew mad? The voice wasn’t his own, neither was it of anyone he had ever met. Did new people grow out in your mind as you went mad?
He found this new experience rather fascinating.
“You can’t believe how happy I was when I found out I had left the room! Even if I was a bit surprised not to have my body with me… But it would only be in the way, it was simply too weak.”
Suddenly the assassin stopped and held the bag in front of his face.
The blood had dried up to a dark stain, covering half of the bag from its bottom.
Inside of it, laid the head of the child. He couldn’t see the expression, nor see any movements…
“Yes, I am the one who you killed last night mister.” ,the mouth moved inside of the fabric and was then crooked into a gentle smile.
The assassin flinched and his arm jerked, about to throw the bag away, but he regained his senses in time and carefully he took a peek inside of it.
A bright, blue eye met him as the head looked at him with a genuine smile.
“My name is Bhallad.” ,it said to him.
The assassin clenched his eyes a few times.
“Have you come to haunt me? And bring me to the dark one?” ,he asked as that was what he feared.
A tender laughter came chirping out of the bag.
“No mister. I have no grudge against you. Rather the opposite, I am grateful that you brought me out of that house where I was trapped.”
The assassin still was a bit hesitant and thought about cutting off the tongue of the head, just to get it to be quiet.
“Believe me sir!” the head told him as it saw he doubt in his eyes.
“I warned you about our followers, and the dogs, right?”
That was true, he hadn’t even noticed them until the head had spoken to him.
“To show my gratitude, please let me be your travel companion? I will warn you every time when I sense danger upon you!”
The head was so pledging, so honest…
“Very well. You may be my companion. I can appreciate your company and I will appreciate conversing with you. But only until I reach my destination.”
The face of the head shone bright as the sun when the assassin accepted its offer and it said “thank you” over and over again.

When they were at the next town, the assassin got himself some yarn and rings, and knit a backpack for the head to rest in, so that it could see the way they travelled.
Over and over again the head thanked him for the opportunity to see the world as they travelled.

After a few days, they were near their destination. As they were on the top of a huge hill, the assassin set the head down on a rock as he rested himself at its side.
“You see in front of us, little Bhallad. There is a town.”
The head peered with its big, blue eyes and then a bright smile covered its lips.
“I can see it! I can see it! Oh it’s such a big town mister!”
The assassin laughed and put one of his caramels in the mouth of the gaping head.
The head immediately shut its mouth around the sweet tablet and tasted it.
“Wh- what is this…?” ,it said in awe as the sweetness filled it’s mouth.
The assassin laughed again. The child had lived in this big mansion, and never tasted sweets?
“It’s one of my weaknesses. Probably my only existing weakness at that.” ,he answered and the head thought deeply of this.
Then the assassin sighed deep and long, at last…
“Tomorrow we will part, my little friend.” ,he said as he laid himself down.
The head was quiet, looking down at the town.

With a great pouch of money hidden in his robes, the assassin strolled the streets, looked at goods and searched for a stall where he might find something sweet and tasty…
He had actually started to like that little head and as he parted from it, he felt as if something very important had been taken from him.
As he walked he saw the people of the town; wives, husbands, children, bachelors…
Maybe he should settle down after this?
He had a great pouch now, and together with the rest he had, he could life a good life, maybe even afford some horses…

Eventually the sun settled and the town started to cover in shadows.
Afraid wasn’t a word the assassin would refer to himself as, but rather cautious.
If he stayed in the town with such a big amount of money, he could get killed himself.
Just as he was at the gate, a luring voice called him from behind.
Against his better senses, the assassin turned around and in front of him, was a beautiful woman, inviting him to come with her.
How long was it since he last had a woman?
With her sweet cologne filling his nostrils he followed her into the brothel from which she had come…

The next day, the assassin had been robbed of his money, stripped clean of his new clothes he had bought for his travel to settle down and a knife had been stabbed in his back.
And somewhere in the town, somewhere dark and lonely, a frail voice cried out;
“They’re coming for you! Please! Hurry and hide! They’re coming for you!!”


written by
Konani O_o