A Riddle Unveiled by Owl Girl Blue (red queen ebook .txt) 📖

The forest was dark and gloomy as Anaïs stalked her prey. Her shining long black hair swished as she walked, her piercing green eyes scanned the forest for any signs of disruption. Her face was set hard, broad shoulders held high, she was a tall girl much taller than any her age, taller than her whole village even. Her body was one of a warrior, not a whisker of cowardliness in her colossal beast of a body.

A whole universe away was a second warrior on an almost identical mission. Claude Aqua swung his gigantic broadsword as he galloped through the black night on his dappled stallion. He was tall and heavily built like the true swords master he had become, his sapphire blue eyes shone demonstrating his extreme intelligence, his muscular body fought for freedom against his tight cloak and all the time Claude did not stop watching, he saw everything missing not even a slight sway of branches in the thick canopy above him.

The heavy castle doors slammed shut with a ‘crash’ that made the whole castle shudder. In slipped the crown princesses private assassin. “Where have you been” says the Princess with a know it all attitude, “Out hunting, is there something wrong your Majesty” speaks Anaïs with her sarcastic ‘What am I needed for this time’ speech, “Ha ha, don’t use that attitude, did you remember what we spoke about this morning? I wish to look the finest in the kingdom and no one will out shine me, not even you” declares the Princess while calming herself down. “Why, why, why am I the Crowned Princesses personal assassin, when there are so many others, is it just because I am the deadliest or is it because I am a woman?” whispers Anaïs with anger raging through her body. “It is because of both that you are my assassin. I would not have the most deadly male assassin in my chambers, you’re lucky you are allowed in yourself. It is a great honour to serve royal bloods, so don’t get a temper with me” says the Princess with pride, while Anaïs storms out.
 
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When Anaïs awakes form her light sleep she continues her daily routines, like braiding her hair and going for a run around the castle to ensure that the walls are unharmed and everything is in place. After her run she will bathe, dress into her normal assassin’s cloak, boots and pants, re-braid her black hair, make her bed and eat breakfast. After completing her chores around her room she heads to the stables to muck out her black mares stable, feed her new hay and retrieve her fresh water. She will brush the mare down clean her hooves and inspect her to confirm that there is nothing wrong.
Anaïs continues her day by visiting the Princess to retrieve any new missions and if not heading down to the kitchens to ensure they have enough meat for the day and he next morning.  Anaïs goes hunting for wild deer, bores, duck and other well eaten meat animals using her favourite weapon, her bow.  In one swift move she is able to strike a deer dead with one shot, before the deer even notices what is happening. Anaïs will always return to her castle with a least three to four kills hung over her horse’s rump for the servants to collect and carry away to the kitchen. Every Tuesday and Friday the King and Queen call on the assassin Anaïs for her weekly report and like normal they are always the same. Taxes accounted for, servants paid, food supplier’s ready, mission completed and guards at the right posts but this morning the King and Queen didn’t call for Anaïs and neither did the Princess. Anaïs began to worry until she found a letter in her chamber stating that the royal family are away on a picnic with their finest guards watching and will return home soon to here the reports.
Once the note has been examined by her eyes a few times and all words written have been taken in Anaïs decides that she will go to the training room to exercise and be certain that her body will be ready for the next mission the King, Queen or Princess throws at her and to unsure her enemies will run away with fear when they see her.   But she highly believes any of the assassins or Princes will back down when they face her because she is only a girls and they are men who will always win, but then again she has her ways.
 
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Anaïs slammed her chamber door so hard that the windows nearly shattered into nothing. With her attitude in such a way the servants that were in her room, went running with fear through the back exit. “Sooks” screams Anaïs after the servants left. Anaïs stops dead in the middle of the floor when she sees a little box with a rose and card. With joy and excitement she jumps to the read the card. “Dear Anaïs tomorrow is your day off and I decided to swap days with another guard so we can spend the day together. Please meet me at the palace gates around eight o’clock. We can agree about what to do after we are together – lots of love Stephan” declares Anaïs
 
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“Morning your Majesty. Is there anything you would wish for before I leave for my day off” says Anaïs with bliss and delight, “No Anaïs there is nothing I need completed? Make sure your day with Stephan goes well, because if I were you I would treasure him. If he wasn’t a guard but a Prince I would choose him for myself” wishes the Princess as she speaks. Before the Princess says another word Anaïs is jumping with joy down the hall, ready to burst through the doors and cuddle into Stephan’s arms.  “Hello Anaïs how are you today” Stephan pronounces as Anaïs is already rapping her arms around him and taking in his scent. “Good now let’s get the hell out of this place before I scream my head off” Anaïs speaks with pleasure.
Once Stephan and Anaïs are far way form the castle they tell each other about what has happened in the castle lately, like who is new to the household, who has left the palace, what the King and Queen have demanded and what happened last night. After they finished explaining their side of the story they begin to hunt. In one swift move Anaïs draws out her bow and lets it loses on a poor deer that has been caught in a net further down the river. She cuts the rope from around the deer’s foot and swings the deer over her broad shoulders. Unlike Anaïs, Stephan is a clumsy guard; he moves with no care and is as loud as an elephant. Blood is slowly trickling down from the deer’s head and onto Anaïs’s favourite dark blue cloak she wears a few days before a secret mission to indicate to Stephan without a word that she will be leaving for a while and might never come back alive. Shortly after the deer was killed Anaïs and Stephan headed back to the castle knowing this would be their final goodbye.
“Well I guess this is it” Stephan whispers with sadness clouding his eyes, “Yes Stephan. Look don’t worry I have completed every mission asked and always come back. Ok” Anaïs is nearly crying now. They kiss passionately until they can’t breathe and before they depart they quickly hug and kiss only softly this time as if not to be seen. “Goodbye” they say to each other as they slowly, mostly definitely walk away believing this will be the last time they ever depart each other alive and the last time they may ever see each other again, Stephan is stopped dead in his tracks. “Your Majesty” Stephan speaks with horror now, “Anaïs, will you come with me. I have very important matters that need to be discussed, where no other will over hear us. Good day Stephan I hope all is well” the queen speaks with love and passion, “Yes. Your Majesty” Stephan replies without adding ‘What is so important’ that Anaïs and you need to talk without anyone overhearing, it can’t be that important can it’. But before he has a chance to say another word the Queen and her daughter’s assassin are at the edge of the forest, about to walk straight in.
“You understand the consequence of this mission I am sending you on, right” the queens speaks softly as if she cared for the assassin, “Yes your majesty I understand, but may I ask something” the assassin doesn’t sound threatening to the queen, just afraid for the queen in ways you can’t explain. “Yes, you may ask me as many question as you want. I may very well be the death of you so go ahead ask” the queen speaks slowly as if she should be guilty for something. “Ok, I have wanted to know a few things for a while now so here is goes. Firstly why does this mission mean so much and how could it be the death of me? secondly why was this mission appointed to me? And lastly what are you so afraid of?” Anaïs speaks with pride as if she were the queen not the other way around.  “You will find out those answers when you reach your destination but I’m afraid of losing those who I am close to and who loyal, people who believe in what is right and still choose to fight for it no matter what will happen to them. And I mean you as well” the queen I’m afraid is about to cry.
While Anaïs prepares herself to leave the (insert earth kingdom name) kingdom, she must arrange someone who will be loyal and trustworthy towards the princess to serve as her assassin while she herself is on a deadly mission for the queen in which she believe she may not live for to see the end. Unlike most royal families in the other kingdom the King and Queen have decided that they will, publicly send Anaïs on the mission but only her and the Queen know what truly awaits her once she leaves the Earth Kingdom. 


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As the assassin Anaïs gallops along the dirt road riding her black as night mare she looks over her shoulder to find the Queen following on a white stallion along with a crumbled paper in her hand. “Stop” cries the Queen, “please stop” she repeats and the assassin slides her mare to a wonderful stop without effort. “You forgot to collect this from me. You will need this, oh and Stephan gave this to me to give to you” the queen says catching her breadth, “Thank you very much Your Majesty,