01-19-2023, 03:46 AM
December 1st, 2022
Palace of Flowers
The Palace servant calmly walked through the hallways of the Imperial Family's chambers, carrying a wooden box on a serving tray. In appearance, she was no different from any other servant of the Imperial Household. Her long-sleeved, belted robe whispered slightly as she entered the nursery. The guards in attendance outside the nursery doors gave her a cursory nod as they opened the double doors. The doors closed silently behind the servant as she walked towards the area where the two newborn heirs to the throne of Xiomera were being attended to.
Two other servants were already there, tending to the babies. The new arrival grimaced mentally, though her face remained impassive. The presence of the others would prove to be a hindrance, but a minor one. She placed the box on a nearby table, opening it as if to take out baby care items. Before the other two servants could react, a pair of obsidian daggers flew through the air like silent arrows. The two servants fell, any outcry they may have made effectively silenced by the knives in their throats.
The third servant retrieved a third dagger from the box, swiftly dipping its tip into a glass bottle with a green liquid inside. She walked softly towards the two cribs, raising her dagger to strike.
As the dagger plunged towards the male child, a sudden force pushed it aside. It plunged into the crib wall, sticking into the wood. The assassin instinctively leaped away, barely avoiding a second offhand strike which would have caught her in the neck. The black-uniformed Imperial Guardsman, dagger in one hand and macuahuitl in the other, was already moving towards her. The assassin dodged left, away, and then right, towards her attacker. Ducking underneath his swing, she caught him under the chin with her own dagger. The Guardsman slumped silently to the ground, the poison on the blade taking immediate effect.
The assassin knew her time and luck were running out, however. The surveillance cameras in the nursery had already delivered the warning that the servants and guard could not. The assassin heard running steps, and then the alarm bells of the Palace ringing out. Just as the doors were bursting open, the assassin turned back to the cribs to complete her mission.
Just steps away from the infants, a sharp pain ripping into her calf caused the assassin to spin around. Several more Imperial Guardsmen were rushing into the nursery.
And in front of them, Empress Calhualyana stood, pulling a second dagger from her belt. The Empress waved the guards off, advancing coldly towards the assassin. The assassin shifted to a defensive posture, forcing her brain to ignore the pain from her leg. As Calhualyana advanced on her, she buckled to the left as if from pain, then slashed swiftly right in a sudden attack. The Empress dodged back, the poisoned blade catching part of her regalia and tearing it. "You'll have to do better than that," Calhualyana said, coolly circling the wounded assassin. The assassin didn't waste energy on speaking, shifting back on her good leg and trying to stay in front of the circling Empress. She made another attempt to strike, only to have Calhualyana parry the attack and slam the second dagger into her thigh. The assassin fell to the ground, both legs effectively disabled.
Calhualyana gestured to one of the guards, who handed her another dagger. The Empress began walking back towards the assassin. "I know you're probably trained to resist torture, but I will spend my life finding new and exciting ways to make you feel pain if you do not tell me who sent you."
The assassin laughed in response, the only sound she had made the whole time. With a sudden movement, she pulled something out of her sleeve and swallowed it. The Empress cursed and ran to her, in a futile attempt to make the assassin spit out what she had swallowed. A small vial, containing a single remaining pill, rolled from the assassin's hand as she began to spasm violently. Within seconds, the spasms stopped. The Empress checked her pulse, then cursed again in a particularly vile way.
Calhualyana stood up, rushing over to check on her babies. Both of them, thankfully, were fine. The Empress then picked up the assassin's poisoned dagger, careful not to touch the blade. "The two guards who let this attacker into my babies' nursery should know what I require them to do with this dagger," she told the Imperial Guards captain. The captain swallowed nervously, also taking care not to touch the blade as he walked out. A few seconds later, the sound of two loud thumps hitting the floor echoed in the silence.
"Get Minister Quihichua and the heads of all of our intelligence and security agencies on a conference call with me in the next five minutes," the Empress snapped to her steward. "And find another place within the Palace to outfit as a new nursery. One that is more secure. And triple the security contingent present once my children are moved. Also, summon Imperial Security immediately to secure this," she added, kicking the assassin's body. The Imperial Steward nodded grimly, running off to fulfill the demands of his Empress.
Calhualyana looked back down at her children, her face chiseled from stone. Some coward is targeting my children, instead of daring to face me. They are going to regret that.
Palace of Flowers
The Palace servant calmly walked through the hallways of the Imperial Family's chambers, carrying a wooden box on a serving tray. In appearance, she was no different from any other servant of the Imperial Household. Her long-sleeved, belted robe whispered slightly as she entered the nursery. The guards in attendance outside the nursery doors gave her a cursory nod as they opened the double doors. The doors closed silently behind the servant as she walked towards the area where the two newborn heirs to the throne of Xiomera were being attended to.
Two other servants were already there, tending to the babies. The new arrival grimaced mentally, though her face remained impassive. The presence of the others would prove to be a hindrance, but a minor one. She placed the box on a nearby table, opening it as if to take out baby care items. Before the other two servants could react, a pair of obsidian daggers flew through the air like silent arrows. The two servants fell, any outcry they may have made effectively silenced by the knives in their throats.
The third servant retrieved a third dagger from the box, swiftly dipping its tip into a glass bottle with a green liquid inside. She walked softly towards the two cribs, raising her dagger to strike.
As the dagger plunged towards the male child, a sudden force pushed it aside. It plunged into the crib wall, sticking into the wood. The assassin instinctively leaped away, barely avoiding a second offhand strike which would have caught her in the neck. The black-uniformed Imperial Guardsman, dagger in one hand and macuahuitl in the other, was already moving towards her. The assassin dodged left, away, and then right, towards her attacker. Ducking underneath his swing, she caught him under the chin with her own dagger. The Guardsman slumped silently to the ground, the poison on the blade taking immediate effect.
The assassin knew her time and luck were running out, however. The surveillance cameras in the nursery had already delivered the warning that the servants and guard could not. The assassin heard running steps, and then the alarm bells of the Palace ringing out. Just as the doors were bursting open, the assassin turned back to the cribs to complete her mission.
Just steps away from the infants, a sharp pain ripping into her calf caused the assassin to spin around. Several more Imperial Guardsmen were rushing into the nursery.
And in front of them, Empress Calhualyana stood, pulling a second dagger from her belt. The Empress waved the guards off, advancing coldly towards the assassin. The assassin shifted to a defensive posture, forcing her brain to ignore the pain from her leg. As Calhualyana advanced on her, she buckled to the left as if from pain, then slashed swiftly right in a sudden attack. The Empress dodged back, the poisoned blade catching part of her regalia and tearing it. "You'll have to do better than that," Calhualyana said, coolly circling the wounded assassin. The assassin didn't waste energy on speaking, shifting back on her good leg and trying to stay in front of the circling Empress. She made another attempt to strike, only to have Calhualyana parry the attack and slam the second dagger into her thigh. The assassin fell to the ground, both legs effectively disabled.
Calhualyana gestured to one of the guards, who handed her another dagger. The Empress began walking back towards the assassin. "I know you're probably trained to resist torture, but I will spend my life finding new and exciting ways to make you feel pain if you do not tell me who sent you."
The assassin laughed in response, the only sound she had made the whole time. With a sudden movement, she pulled something out of her sleeve and swallowed it. The Empress cursed and ran to her, in a futile attempt to make the assassin spit out what she had swallowed. A small vial, containing a single remaining pill, rolled from the assassin's hand as she began to spasm violently. Within seconds, the spasms stopped. The Empress checked her pulse, then cursed again in a particularly vile way.
Calhualyana stood up, rushing over to check on her babies. Both of them, thankfully, were fine. The Empress then picked up the assassin's poisoned dagger, careful not to touch the blade. "The two guards who let this attacker into my babies' nursery should know what I require them to do with this dagger," she told the Imperial Guards captain. The captain swallowed nervously, also taking care not to touch the blade as he walked out. A few seconds later, the sound of two loud thumps hitting the floor echoed in the silence.
"Get Minister Quihichua and the heads of all of our intelligence and security agencies on a conference call with me in the next five minutes," the Empress snapped to her steward. "And find another place within the Palace to outfit as a new nursery. One that is more secure. And triple the security contingent present once my children are moved. Also, summon Imperial Security immediately to secure this," she added, kicking the assassin's body. The Imperial Steward nodded grimly, running off to fulfill the demands of his Empress.
Calhualyana looked back down at her children, her face chiseled from stone. Some coward is targeting my children, instead of daring to face me. They are going to regret that.
<t></t>