"We haven't done anything, I swear!"

Her pleading was becoming incessant. And annoying.

I nudged my sister in the rib with my elbow, silently imploring her to for-the-love-of-hell-shut-up.

Smiling sweetly at the guard, I ignored the spear poking into my side and crooned, "It's true, sir. My sister and I were simply passing through. That's not a crime, is it?" I blinked at him.

I could almost sense my sister's blush creeping up her cheeks as I spoke, her body rigid at my side. It was vital that we play this cool, and she was about to ruin everything.

Daring a glance at her as the guard pondered my question with amusing sincerity, I choked back a gasp as a tear escaped my sister's eye. I narrowed my eyes at her in a subtle warning to cut it out. I had this.

The guard offered me a scrutinizing glare, sparing my sister of the same fate. I thanked the gods silently that he did not see her slip.

"It hardly matters what you were 'simply' doing," he jeers. "The queen demands an audience with you regardless for trespassing on her territory."

That statement officially broke my sister. She choked back ragged gasps, sobs contorting her face and tightening her throat.

"Please sir, please! We didn't mean to do anything! We swear!"

I made no effort to hide my eye roll. There was no reason to continue playing this off if she was going to cry about it right in front of him.

I unsheathed my dagger from its home on my belt and delivered a swift slash across the guard's throat. He bled out on the ground as I watched, his hands desperately and uselessly clawing at his new injury. Likely pleading to the gods for some semblance of mercy. After some time, his pathetic attempts at saving his own life failed, and his eyes drifted lifelessly to the dirt.

My sister weeped.

"We could have escaped that, you know. I didn't have to kill him."

"Why would- why would you- you just- you-" she sputtered helplessly.

I grabbed my sister by her collar and twisted the soft cotton in my fist.

"You are a coward. If you had not broken down and cried like a child, we could have gotten out of that. I could have gotten us out of it. And now look what you did."

She followed my eyes to the man on the ground, his blood seeping into the dirt and staining his clothes. Her face was screwed into something of grief and sorrow.

"I'm sorry."