Assassin's Fate

My task is to kill the commander of a prominent border fort, to sow confusion and distract his troops. I dress lightly, just a thin tunic that comes to mid-thigh for ease of movement, and carry poisons and a dagger on the belt tight around my waist. A single soldier marches along the stretch of wall I scale, he staggers away and topples to the ground after I manage to cut him. I glance at the watchtowers along the perimeter, hold myself still in case any eyes were turned in my direction, before leaping from the wall, nimbly land on the slanted roof of a nearby building.

I make my way down to the soldier I'd killed, search him for any valuables, before sneakily moving about the fort, my destination the large structure at its center. Two soldiers stand guard, both reach for their swords, but I drop into a curtsy, bow low to let them look down the neckline of my tunic. Their eyes are fixed on my breasts, fools, and it's easy to flick envenomed needles at them.

The commander has his office at the top of the building but I reach it in no time, encounter no-one during my ascent. I pause in the corridor outside, strip off my tunic and buckle my belt about my hips. I push open the door, pose seductively against the frame, and then stride in, faltering when I realise the commander is focused on paperwork.

His bodyguard notices me though. My heart skips a beat beneath my breasts as I feel movement behind me, sense his presence. Before I can spin large hands are wrapped around my throat, squeezing hard, and I'm being lifted off the floor, my legs kicking wildly with panic. I'm suddenly violently shaken, like a dog would if playing with a bone, and there are horrid pops, I lose feeling below my neck as it breaks. The commander deigns to pay attention then, I can see his disdain as he looks at me, and then my head is savagely wrenched to one side…

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My corpse is taken to the fort's parade ground, displayed to the assembling garrison. The commander's bodyguard cuts off my head with a single swing of his axe and the commander then has it turned into a warning for others.

My head is mounted atop a spear, my ponytail sways slightly in the breeze. Dulled eyes look out at the parade ground, at the sight of my body being vigorously used by soldiers of the garrison. Only hours before I had snuck into the fort, climbed over the walls, and now look at me.