[ IP ] Sanctuary

The woman tried to calm herself as she felt her body shake. *I can do this* she thought to herself as she tried to focus on her breathing. “ I ’ ve been trained for this, ” she said to herself, and with another steady breath she felt her composure return. 
 
 As she sat meditating she heard her name waft through the air. “ Jasmine, ” said the voice its harshness only partially blunted by the distance. 
 
 “ I ’ m here, ” she said as she inflected her voice to only just carry through the air. 
 
 “ Where are you? ” said the voice with a mixture of annoyance and confusion. 
 
 “ I ’ m looking out at the sea, ” she replied teasingly as she stood up. Almost immediately, she felt her body attempt to betray her as the fear circulated through her veins, but she had been ready this time. She turned to the sound of footsteps to see a young red haired man approach. His round face still seemed to have baby fat that would seem gentle, cuddly even, if it were not for the hardness of his dark grey eyes. 
 
 His eyes met hers and softened. “ There you are. For some reason I thought I would lose you again, ” he said with an amount of tenderness she did n't think possible. 
 
 For a moment she said nothing as she tried to grasp this new man that seemed to emerge. *Did he really care? * she thought. “ I was just looking out at the sunset. It ’ s beautiful, ” she said as she turned away from him. Her training had taken over. 
 
 The man ’ s gaze followed and tilting his head slightly he said “ It is. I guess I just take it for granted. ” 
 
 She slipped further into her training as she lost herself in thought. *I had never been able to take the sunset for granted. I knew it meant I had survived another day of training, and was another day closer to fulfilling me duties* she thought. 
 
 “ I guess this is the first time in a long time since we saw it together. We should have always been together, ” he said with a pause as the tenderness ripped into her. 
 
 *Why is he being like this? * she thought. Was this really the same monster she had heard of throughout her training. The same child emperor who took the throne at twelve while she was being rescued from slavers. The teenager who ’ s armies had set fire to the north, while she was being beaten again and again for her failings. The young adult who declared himself second only to God, while she took the initiation into the order, and finally understood her purpose. She turned and looked at his face, with those small scars arching across his forehead, and she knew. This was the same monster, and she felt her fear fade. 
 
 She smiled as he turned to look at her, and she hugged him tightly across the chest with one hand. “ It ’ s good to be back, brother, ” she said as she slipped a small knife from the folds of her dress and with a quick cut slashed his spine. Pushing him gently away, she slashed again across his neck. His body started to crumple away from her and as he looked at her one last time his eyes were calm. He had accepted his fate. With another slight push his body fell over the edge and into dark blue water with a splash. She slipped the knife back into her dress, and calmly walked away. She knew their mother would be pleased. 

