"FATHER, NO!" Jack heard Kahliah yell. She ran to him and grabbed the blade, tears rolled down her cheek as she whispered "come on father, stay with me. Please do not leave me!"

"Kahliah, listen to me, please... I know who the... leader is" Jack whispered weakly, blood began flooding from his mouth.

"Who is it?!" she asked quickly, covering his wound.

"The Grand Assassin... and the leader of us all, they are... the same man" Jack whispered weakly. He grabbed William's hand and whispered "I thought you were bad for Kahliah, I was so wrong, forgive me... before I go, please... forgive me"

"You are not going anywhere! You shall live, father, you shall live!" Kahliah replied in tears.

"My time is up, I am old, Kahliah, much older than I expected to be... understand this and always remember... that I have always loved you and shall always love you" he replied as he stroked her cheek, wiping her tears. He grabbed Kahliah's hand and William's hand, putting them together before the light left his eyes.

"James, come with me, it is time" a ghostly voice whispered, her whispers echoing.

"Elizabeth? Is that you? Have I finally joined you?"

"Come with me, my love, it is time. I have waited for you for so long" she whispered as she offered him, her hand. He took it and vanished in spirit form, leaving Kahliah crying over him horribly.

"Kahliah, I am so sorry" William whispered as Kahliah cried on his shoulder.

"Why did he have to go?!" she yelled, almost screaming.

"I do not know but I do know we are meant to be at a meeting to discuss a peace treaty, if the Grand Assassin wanted to strike, that would be the best place to strike"

"Do you know where it is?!" she cried.

"Yes, I think so, we need to go" he replied.

She bent down and shut her father's eyes, resting his blade on him as she whispered "rest in peace, father, you have earned your rest, go and be with our fallen brothers and my mother"

They ran out, leaving him there. She sent word to the others using her pistol, hoping that there were others who were not attending the meeting, those who could pick up her father's body. Out of respect, she left him there, out of compassion and love, she could not forever. He was not going to be buried there, where he died but instead be given pride of place by her mother as she was going to be, by them when she eventually went.

They galloped, racing towards the large town hall, they took her father's horse, galloping as they hurried towards the large town hall, they were late, too late perhaps but they had to stop him, the Grand Assassin had access to everyone, the ability to murder every last person there. They burst through the doors, hurrying as they looked around.

"Where have they gone?!" she screamed.

The Grand Assassin must have known they were coming, coming for him, for his head. She wanted to remove his head from his neck, from his shoulders and force him to feel what her father felt, death. She kicked open every door, every single door but there was nothing there, not a person there.

"Where are they?!" she yelled, her voice echoing.

"I do not know, Kahliah, I do not know but we can... keep looking!" William suggested.

"Keep looking where? Where on earth would they be?!" she snapped rudely.

"I do not know!" he yelled.

Voices echoed below, she to the wall, the large painting that sat on it as she checked every inch of it until finally it clicked and the fireplace moved back, sliding down, revealing a large set of stairs. She could see the dimly lit flames dancing as she took a step down, a few more steps, avoiding the rats covering her feet. Where was this place? What was this place?

She did not know what she was going to find, apart from one thing, her father's killer. The meeting started, the Grand Assassin sat down, opposite an empty seat where the leader should have sat. He had done a good job, eliminated the only person who could have identified him, the only one who knew exactly who he was. Henry was there, much to Kahliah's surprise; she could see the brand on his neck, burnt into his neck, a high-ranking member.

"Kahliah, I am glad you could join us, where is your father, why has he not joined us?" the Grand Assassin asked.

"He... he has left this world" Kahliah whispered tearfully.

"Another casualty in war, so it seems" the Grand Assassin stated, it took every ounce of strength Kahliah had to keep quiet.

"As I said, we must propose a truce before more blood is spilled!" Henry yelled.

"Be quiet, Mr Davenport, you shall have your turn to speak" the Grand Assassin promised.

"I wish to speak" Kahliah shouted. She looked around the room and shouted "YOU THINK HE IS YOUR HERO?! HE HAS DECEIVED YOU, ALL OF YOU! HE IS THE SECRET CHARLES DAVENPORT WAS PROTECTING, EVERY CONTRACT WE AS ASSASSINS HAS BEEN GIVEN, HAS BEEN GIVEN BECAUSE IT ONLY GIVES HIM AN ADVANTAGE! HE HAS FOOLED US ALL; HE HAS CLIMBED HIS WAY UP THE LADDER ON BOTH SIDES, PLAYING US OFF AGAINST EACH OTHER SO HE CAN RULE AS THE CHAOS DIES DOWN! IF WE ALLOW THIS TO CONTINUE, WE SHALL BE RULED UNDER HIM! HE SHALL NOT HONOUR THE DEAD! HE SHALL STOMP ON THEIR GRAVES AS HE PLAYS WITH OUR STRINGS, THE SAME AS HE ALREADY HAS BEEN!"

"She is lying, just emotionally distressed" the Grand Assassin said quickly, he glared at her and said fiercely "I suggest you leave, I suggest you bury your father and leave. I am sorry Mr Davenport killed him, I am sorry he did not make it out of the fight but now is not the time"

"How could you have known who killed my father, no one mentioned it" Henry snapped.

"I gave him the contract" the Grand Assassin replied quickly.

"You should not have given anyone a contract, not when you set up this meeting!" Robert yelled.

"Do not talk to me like that!" he snapped.

"I suggest you leave, Grand Assassin" Henry ordered. He raised his glass and said "a toast, to peace!"

Robert picked his glass up, he sniffed it and threw it, he threw a knife, knocking the cup out of Henry's hand as he said "it is laced with cyanide, I can smell it!"

The Grand Assassin ran down the steps. Kahliah chased after him, William in front of her. Robert grabbed her arm as he said "no, do not go down there, you will get yourself killed!"

"IT IS MY DUTY TO!" she yelled as she slipped under, the door began closing, shutting in on itself as she got through, leaving the rest looking for the button if there was one.

They ran down the large cold steps. William grabbed her arm as he said "you have to leave him!"

"I cannot, father's death has to be avenged. I must take my revenge!" she yelled as she broke his grip. 

"Kahliah, it is so good of you to join me. What a fine woman you have become, a fine assassin too. Just look at you, all grown up. I suppose you have worked it out by now, have you come to kill me, Kahliah? Have you come to face me in combat, to end my life? I do not think so"

"I think so; I have come for your head! I will bury it with my father!" she yelled.

"Have you forgotten our creed, everything we stand for? Revenge is not part of it, girl!"

"NEITHER IS KILLING OTHERS FOR POWER, ABSOLUTE POWER CORRUPTS ABSOLUTELY!"

"So does a lust for revenge. Come, Kahliah, come with me and together we can build a new word, you can rule by my side, my equal until I am gone. Your skills are unmatched, you have learnt so much and so very quickly, just imagine what you could do with me as your tutor, there to help you every step of the way? You could become the world's ruler, a leader. You could be the shepherd that guides our remaining flock out of the darkness and into the light!"

She fired her pistol at him but merely hit the wall. She grunted in anger, frustration as she reloaded her pistol.

"Kahliah, stop, just let it go!" William begged.

She fired again, aiming again but missed as he dodged it. "You will have to do better than that girl, come with me! You can do better than this witless boy, barely old enough to stop clinging to his mother's dress!" 

"YOU WERE THE ONE WHO ORDERED MY DEATH, NOT ONCE BUT TWICE! DID YOU NOT TRY TO KILL ME?! DID YOU NOT MAKE AN ATTEMPT ON MY LIFE?! YES YOU DID! YOU SENT THE CARRIAGE, YOU HOPED I WOULD DIE! WHY WOULD I JOIN YOU WHEN YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR MY ATTEMPTED MURDER AND THE DEATHS OF MY MOTHER AND FATHER?!" she yelled, firing in anger. 

"I was trying to take away those which were holding you back. Your mother I killed in revenge, your father killed someone close to me, I did the same. If he had left my son alone, your mother would still be alive! As for your father, he was weak, an aging man with crippling guilt over your mother, no longer suitable in the long run, no longer suitable to carry out my grand design!"

"Enough of this, let us end this!" she yelled as she drew her blade.

"KAHLIAH, DO NOT DO THIS, HE IS MUCH STRONGER THAN YOU!" William begged as he reached for his own.

"Fine, as you wish, Kahliah!" the Grand Assassin replied quickly. He drew his own blade and swung it at Kahliah as she jumped down; she rolled quickly to dodge it, trying to slice at him only to find her attack was blocked.

William aimed at the Grand Assassin only to find he was shot at himself, he dodged the bullet, getting mildly scratched by it as he held his wound. He did not tell Kahliah, he did not dare tell her, distract her as she fended off his blows, his heavy blows from his strong arms. She was barely his skill, if at all and he knew it, she tried her best but he knocked her to the ground too many times. William kept trying to aim but his gun was slow, painfully slow to fire and he was terrified of hitting Kahliah.

She sliced at him, pushing him to the ground. She panted, thinking she had hit his throat, cutting it open, turning her back on him. William smiled, beaming before that smile turned into horror; the Grand Assassin grabbed her shoulder, forcing her on her knees as he held the blade to her throat.

"Did you forget? Never turn your back on your enemy"

"RUN, GET THE OTHERS!" Kahliah yelled to William as she shut her eyes.

"What will you do now, Kahliah? Have you given up? Do not worry about a thing, I promise you shall see your father again very soon"

William quickly threw a knife, hitting the blade at its weakest point, shattering it. His hidden blade was broken, leaving Kahliah with a small cut, nothing more.

"NO!" Kahliah yelled as William sliced at the Grand Assassin.

"You, boy, you are getting on my nerves. Love between an Assassin and a member of The Shadows can never work, Kahliah, you shall understand this as soon as I cut off his head!"

"Kill me, leave her alone!" William begged.

"NO DO NOT!" Kahliah screamed as she struggled to find the strength to get up.

"How sweet, I shall bury you both together!"

William sliced at him, dodging his attacks; he was fast, not as strong but fast enough to dodge any heavy blows that came his way. He sliced at the Grand Assassin's face, cutting a 'J' into it to remind him of his kill, the one he was avenging for his love, for Kahliah. He kicked the Grand Assassin in the stomach, forcing him to take a step back, tripping over Kahliah, landing on his back.

He grunted and dropped his sword. "I give up, you have won"

William shook his head and said "no, you would never give up"

The Grand Assassin flipped up, like a scorpion, his blow came, heavy, it forced William on his back. As the next blow came, William used his sword to block it, the weight too heavy; he could not strike nor kick. He moved his blade, feeling the crunching of his flesh, Kahliah gasping, screaming. It was to be his deathly blow, he knew it as much but it gave him the chance to end it. He stabbed the Grand Assassin through the stomach, feeling his blood run down his hand as the Grand Assassin fell back, William's sword stuck in him.

"WILLIAM!" Kahliah yelled as she cradled his head. She cried over him, covering his wound. "Stay with me!"

"Kahliah, do you not realise? I have never left your side... I wish we... could have had a chance to love each other properly, I wish we could have grown old together... resolved our... conflict"

"YOU WILL LIVE, DO YOU HEAR ME?! YOU HAVE TO LIVE! IT IS TOO SOON, TOO SOON FOR ME TO LOSE YOU!"

"I will always be with you, Kahliah... I always have and I... always will. Do you not understand? You and I... we were meant to be... I love you, Kahliah; I have since the day... I met you... I have ever since that day, assassin or... not... you are the one... for me"

She touched his cheek and whispered "you have to live, we can be together now"

"No, no we cannot. Even if I survive tonight, no one must ever know... they will twist the words you say... they will break you, make you a disgrace and kick you out of The Brotherhood. Kahliah, I love you but... you cannot tell... anyone the truth"

"I love you too, my love but I promise, for your sake as well as mine, no one shall ever know about us" she whispered as he pulled out her old handkerchief, the light left his eyes before she kissed his forehead and shut his eyes. "Rest in peace, my love, may we meet again when I am ready to join you in death... I promise I shall never forget you"

The Grand Assassin coughed, smiling. Kahliah stood over him, plunging her blade into him. He bled out as his soul or ghost stood close.

"You have risked your life, gambled it away for nothing, Kahliah, you have stopped nothing. There shall be others like me, others who desire power, who will do anything for it. Someone will unite both sides, rule over the world, all you have done is made sure it is not me"

"No one in my lifetime will"

"You have only added a body count to an endless war; you have achieved nothing, stopped nothing. Just look around you, look at what you have sacrificed, the one you love lies dead, sacrificed and for what? Nothing, there will be someone to finish my work, finish what I have started, all you have done is slowed the inevitable, remember that when you remember what you have lost, what you have sacrificed. One day, someone will take over my work; his sacrifice will have been for nothing, think about that when you think about him, when you sit alone, an old woman"

"Every death has been to rid the world of your kind, it was not wasted"

She opened the door as the spirit vanished, the conjuration of the man she once looked up to. She was named a hero of the people, a hero with a secret that was hushed, made into rumours that were silenced. She was named Grand Assassin, having defeated the old one and nine months after the assassination of the old Grand Assassin, twins were born, Jack Elliot and Thomas William, two boys she would raise in her world but raise with something her father did not have, a choice"

The End.