Wren laid against the railing of the ship, looking out into the night, the stars glittering, the moon mostly obscured by clouds. The ocean was dark, but it held a sort of mysterious beauty, almost causing her to jump into it right then, to allow herself to slip into the darkness and disappear forever. Anything would feel better than her current life. Maybe drifting out into the ocean and letting it swallow her would be best. It would save countless lives and if only for a few moments, she would be utterly and completely free.
The ship was traveling to their neighboring kingdom, Lithia, for a diplomatic mission, though her brother probably had ulterior motives, he always did. Most of the time Ptolemus just wanted to make enough deals to get them in his debt or gather enough information to launch a strategic attack. Wren played a key role in most of her brother's plots, usually involving her torturing various nobles or sending threats.
She didn't feel anything when it was just random nobles, they were all corrupt in their own ways, but the ones that had trusted her, the few who had been kind when they didn't know her true identity, those were the ones she regretted meeting. It wasn't that Wren felt guilty, they would have abandoned her in an instant if they knew who she truly was, but she wished they could have had a longer life, that she hadn't been around to uproot them.
Wren always whispered the same prayer to them, in the hopes that it would accompany them to the afterlife. She couldn't say she killed honorably, but she had enough decency to do that, to wish them well after death when they entered the unknown.
"You like looking out there too?" A voice asked, breaking her trance.
She twisted around, spotting Adam. His arm was wrapped in a bandage, she tried to ignore the guilt worming its way into her mind.
"Why are you here?" Wren asked.
"I decided that you needed a friend, even if I annoy you, it's better to have someone than no one in my opinion," Adam explained.
"I have people, I'm not a lost puppy for you to twist until I'll do anything you ask, I'm not someone to be controlled," Wren snapped.
"Then why do you allow yourself to be used by the king? I heard you used to be a princess, you deserve more than you get," Adam replied.
"I deserve exactly what I'm getting," she whispered, turning her gaze back to the depths of the ocean.
She had killed so many at this point that maybe she didn't deserve the comforts she longed for. Maybe she didn't deserve to lead a happy life. The world was unfair like that, it forced her hand only to abandon her. It didn't care about the people that existed in it, maybe that was why people clung so desperately to each other, they longed for the love and warmth the world had never given them.
"Is that what you think, or what your brother thinks?" Adam asked, sitting down next to her.
"Don't pretend to know me, or the pain I've endured," Wren muttered. She didn't have the energy to move away from him and had to admit that she regretted attacking him earlier even if only a little.
"You may be right. All the stories say that you're a monster that used to be a princess, a girl deadly and wicked enough to take the name of the goddess of death herself. A girl who shows no mercy and has no soul, only a blackened heart, but from what little I've seen of you I can pick out the flaws in that. The stories are one sided like all fairy tales, never telling us what the villain is truly feeling, always treating them as shallow beings who enjoy the pain and misery of others. That's not true for you, is it? I see a girl in pain every single moment of every day. A girl who's on fire, burning from the inside out. I know that you could have killed me in an instant and no one would have said a word, but you had mercy. I know that you aren't what you seem," Adam explained.
"I didn't kill you because I do not wish to dispatch of a body, Ptolemus wouldn't be happy when all the servants started avoiding me and refusing to help because I killed one of their brethren," Wren replied.
Adam chuckled.
"Are you defending yourself, is Princess Trinity feeling guilty perhaps?" Adam asked.
All Wren could do was stare at him. Not many people dared to use that name, or even remembered it, especially not servants, and no one teased her, but so far this random boy had used it twice and was staring at her like she was his best friend.
"Why the surprise, do you not think of yourself as Trinity, does your oh so beloved brother not call you that?" Adam asked in mock innocence.
"My brother and I's relationship is none of your concern," she replied simply.
"He controls you, abuses you, and refuses to acknowledge your title and claim as princess. I would say it is the whole kingdom's concern," Adam responded coolly.
"I wouldn't say anyone but you is concerned," Wren whispered.
"You brother is. Why do you think he refuses to call you Trinity or has you act like a simple assassin, like a servant? Why do you think he helps spread the rumors about you? He's scared of what you can do," Adam said.
"I don't care, I'm content with what I do. We all play a role in this world, I just play the ones no one wants. I play the role of the villain, the forgotten princess, the assassin, the one who will die with no one to mourn her," Wren responded
"I'd mourn your death," he offered.
She paused for a second to stare at him, she had only just met him but she could feel something was different. Maybe a small bit of hope that someone in this world could like her was ok. It wasn't like he could harm her.
"I guess you can't be all bad," Wren muttered.
Adam laughed, and for once in many long years, she didn't feel quite as alone.
"Why are you choosing to talk to me though? I've done nothing for you," she said, legitimately confused.
"Because your lost Wren, and I can't kill people like you, I can't stab people with words like politicians, I can't create plans for incredible buildings or do much of anything useful, but if I can help even one person just a little, if I can find you and keep you from drowning in your own mind, I'll have accomplished something I'll never regret. You try to hide it, try to mask your pain, but I see you trying so hard to stay afloat, and one day it's all going to be too much, the weight on your back is going to pull you under, but if you'll let me I can take some of that weight. You're this kingdom's only hope, and I can be yours. If you can't trust in anything else, trust in me," Adam explained.
She remained silent for a minute, too stunned by his words. He was right, she was trying her hardest just to stay afloat, but she couldn't trust him. She couldn't share her burden with this random boy. He would only betray her, he would cause her to sink farther. Yet despite these thoughts she couldn't help but want to trust his words.
"I'll think about it, but don't treat me like a puzzle for you to solve, don't assume you have all the pieces," she whispered, looking back towards the ocean.
"Good enough for me," Adam replied, smiling at her.