The Last One Standing

## **Part 1**

   She was walking deep in the woods looking for a shelter for the night as it was Dusk already. Suddenly she heard a loud crack in the silence of the forest, she kept walking knowing that someone was following her. After making sure where they were hiding and how many there was.

She finally stopped reaching for her sword but, they were already moving, one of them tried to punch her in the face but she dodged it then an other one came from behind her with a Trench knife, blogging the attack, she tried to strike back but then she felt something cold and sharp between her ribs.
She started losing blood, her sword fell out of her hand as she passed out.....
She woke up hands tied behind her back, her head still dizzy then it hits the pain the unbearable pain. She couldn't let it show, let it take control of her as she tried to focus on breathing when the younger looking assassin saw that she was awake.
"Aw, are you hurt?"
"Shut up Alex let her be for now" the more familiar looking guy said.
Who are you?, what you want?,who send you?, what is this?, so many questions went through her head. The older guy got up and then kneeled down next to her
"What's your name was girl?" He asked coldly
She looked around and was so confused where was she? This place didn't look like where she had been walking earlier, she looked back at him.
"Azar, my name is Azar" she told him still in pain
"Well now when I look closer I remember you, you were one of my old students..."
She still didn't remember him she must have been a kid back then.
"Now tell us where you hid the gold that you runaway with?"
"No"
"You know you are getting your self in trouble" Alex said
"I'm already in and nothing can help me now"

## **Part 2**

In the morning:
"Keep walking"
"I'm already walking, relax"
She said to Eric, but the pain on her side was haunting her every step and breath.
"So... what's your name?"
"None of your business"
"Come on don't be so cold"
"Quiet"
"This is not fair, I told you mine..."
She didn't see it coming as Eric punched to her stomach and she fell to her knees catching her breath but still smirked\*
"You idiot, we won't kill you, so don't try" Alex told her.
The master of Assassins would pay the full prize only if she would be brought alive, sadly he didn't mention anything about being harmed..Eric grabbed her from the shoulder and pulled her back to her feet, she wasn't going to give them the joy, so she acted like she was just fine.
But....even the thought of what they could do to her was making her tense.

They had been walking for what felt like ages, avoiding any kind of civilizations and the pain on the right side of her body still haunting her an hour by hour it was getting hard even to stand. She had to get some rest now, she tried to lean into a tree But they pushed her forward, she stumbled trying to stay on her feet, but fell to the ground.
"Get up" Eric says he tried to stay calm but the anger in his voice didn't go unnoticed Alex pulled her up from the ground too harshly
"Should I tie her up?"
"Yes, you could"
After Alex was done he left to make a campfire while Eric came for a talk.
"Listen girl don't talk if you're not asked anything and if you shout for help you lose your arm clear?" She nodded and he removed the bond around her mouth and she took a deep breath before he left he warned her one last time, she obeyed.
Few minutes and she finally gave up and let herself fall a sleep for a few hours. She was too tired to think about anything.

When she woke up she felt someone next to her, neither she felt the ropes anymore they were gone. She opened her eyes and saw Alex working on her injury then she looked for Eric but couldn't find him anywhere.
"don't move now or you'll rip your stitches" she literally had no intentions in moving in this condition.
"does it hurt anymore?"
"No" she said coldly
Then Alex offers
"if you tell us where is the gold that you stole from the master and who helped you we will give you some food and let you go" "no" she answered shortly
" why? think of it. you don't have any other option"
"first, I would never betray my friends and lies you want the prize and you can't have it if you don't bring me to my knees in front of the Master you can't trick me"
"perhaps, but if I would be you I would still think of it" then he packs up his stuff and goes to make some food

But now she realized all this time and still no sign of Eric, he has been gone for too long....

## **Part 3**

( I am rewriteing part 3. will update later as I atm hate part3)
It was past midnight and Eric was still missing. Alex started getting nervous it was fine by me, he was annoying anyways, though he was the big bad wolf. I had met people worse than him and killed them I just need to heal to get my strength back and be out of here, though it isn't that simple. It was already so late so I decided to give the offer a shot..... "Fine I'll speak" "What?" "We have a deal" I tell him "you give me food and my stuff back and I will tell you everything you wanna know" "Your first smart move child" he says with a smirk on his face, I want to so badly to punch that smirk on his face, but it can wait for now.... he continues "What changed your mind? ""Well I'm too young to die don't you think?" I tell him fooling him by acting weak, not able to defend my self. "Good because I'm already tired of you, you have one chance to answer, where is the gold? And who helped you?? Then he kneels in front of me, I keep my temper ".....do you have a map? I can show it there maybe, it is easier for both of us......"He stands up to get it, when he comes back I'm still breathing heavily, keeping the act on. Then when he bends down to give me the map I move so quickly he doesn't even see it coming...the knife in his heart....I twist it, he groans in pain He collapsed onto the ground with the shock still visible on his face and he was gone for good.

I fell to my knees next to the body, this was too soon I'm already putting too much pressure on my wound but I had to it was now or never.
In a moment I'm back on my feet again.

Tho Getting the knife from him wasn't an easy task, but I had luck when he was done with my stitches, he turned his back to me to pick up the bandages, I slide my hand to the knife he left on the ground to get it and thanks god he didn't notice anything

I went to sit next to the fire, I saw the soup is still somewhat warm so I decide to take some of it I haven't been hungry like this for days!
After finishing the meal I lay down to look at the stars when I was a child I used to talk to them, times were hard it may sound foolish now, but it worked, then I met Kai we played together, soon enough he became a brother to me and when ever he called me sister it warmed my heart. We watched each others back and got in trouble together, later on when he got older he started going on missions with the older boys I was ten so I had to stay and train.
The nights he was out I couldn't sleep, thinking was he okay ? Was he still breathing??
In the assassin's keep they taught us not to care for anyone to let then in your heart because it makes you weak but it was different we were children, we found someone to trust in a world full of lies.

## **Part 4**

All of her stuff was still there, her weapons, clothes, supplies all expect her small amount of gold that Eric took with him when he left.
"Looking for this?" A familiar voice said tossing a small pouch I'm front of her before two hooded men stepped out of the cover of the shadows. As she picked up the punch she stood up saying "you're late, I already took him out"
"Come on sis don't be so cold" Kai said with a wicked smile. "Idiot" she said smiling as well but suddenly he turned Serious as he saw her wound.."you're bleeding!" He looked back at her worried as she had paled a bit" it's just a scratch" Azar said casually with a calm voice. "Sit down now" Jay told her, he was a good friend of Kai and hers too. "Relax..it's not deep.." Lies, the pain was still terrible but she'll manage. "Sit down" they ordered her and she listened. Jay looked at Alex's dead body "I couldn't move it in my own" Azar replied not giving him even time to say anything "let's leave it then as a warning for who ever tries to follow us the next time" Jay said with a grin.
After eating and discussing their plans she dared to ask what happened with Eric which was followed by silence "don't tell me he got away..." she said not believing looking both of the to the eyes they looked bit unsure and she raised her eyebrow telling them to go on "we had to" Jay starts "he was much stronger than us" Kai continued " if we would have stayed all of us would have gotten several injuries making us an easy target" Kai was right..."tho we had the Element of surprise on our side. He'll probably die because of an infection in his wounds" Jay told her.
"At least you're mostly okay just some bruises, right?" She tried to hide the pain that came from her injury with every breath and word. They nodded as an response. Jay looking worried opens his mouth as to say something "don't ask anything about me" she cut him off, as she didn't want to talk about what happened and he seemed to understand then kai tells them to rest as he'll have the night watch "we move in the sunrise" Kai added before Jay and Azar layed down and fell a sleep, a hard day was waiting for them and they needed any bit of sleep they could get.

After Kai made sure both of them were a sleep he dared to take a look on his leg, a small cut near his left knee but it'll heal with time he had bigger problems now...his sister was hurt..tho she kept denying it..even Jay had seen the disappointment in her eyes...not being good enough..she never was one of the masters favorites, so her training wasn't the top level either..but she used to sparr a lot with kai and Jay sometimes it got so serious between Azar and Jay as neither of them wanted to back down not until both of them were so tired that they couldn't get up from the ground.

wildfire1300 there you will find the story as well if you are interested

**-Asterin Blackbeak 13**