aru shah fan fiction

assassins au: thirteen

a/n hi everyone, happy weekend! it's pretty late for me, so i apologize if this isn't the best chapter you've ever read haha. i kinda just died lol. either way, i hope you guys enjoy! thanks for checking out the update today :) <3

Rules exist for a reason. That was what a lot of people said, and it was true. Some people might argue they existed to maintain order in the world, or to ensure a thriving society. However, Aru Shah didn't agree with those statements. In her opinion, rules existed to be broken. More than order, she believed balance was the most important aspect of life. After all, what was the point of having everything always be perfect and straight and orderly? The lines had to curve sometimes, there had to be some black amidst the white.

"I swear, you're going to get me killed someday," Aiden whispered to her, half-joking.

"No, you're too much of a rule follower for that," Aru snorted, crouching swiftly behind a severely unkempt bush. Someone should trim that before it takes over the whole kingdom.

"If that were the case," Aiden continued, following her lead. "I wouldn't be out here this late at night with you right now."

"Perhaps I can turn you into a full-fledged rebel. We'd have to give you some sort of edgy nickname, though," She stopped for a second, listening for any guards, before pressing onward, Aiden at her back. "Maybe I'll start calling you 'Dub A' now."

"'Dub A?'"

"Dub A for 'Double A,' since your name is Aiden Acharya."

The look he shot Aru was so impassive, she had to hold back from bursting out laughing and giving away their location in the process. "That's the worst thing I've heard all week."

"Like 'Alliteration Aru' is any better? That's like a nickname a teacher gives to their favorite student."

Although he made an effort to keep his face expressionless, a twitch of his cheek betrayed him. "True, true."

The two pressed onward, Aru taking the lead. Earlier in the day, she'd picked up a copy of the latest Adadha Daily news article, and what she saw had sent a jolt of sadness through her heart. The headlining image on the article showed the state of the Adadha marketplace, many of the stores and kiosks in terrible condition. Shopping items littered the floor like sprinkles on a cake, and several glass windows had large cracks spider-webbing across their entire surfaces. The section underneath read:

Just last night, a devastating attack hit the central marketplace in our humble kingdom. Experts suspect the attack was launched by Tavasth, our rival in the south, but nothing has been confirmed yet. Repairs to restore the numerous decimated shops and stores are in full effect, and we greatly thank those wonderful citizens for volunteering. This was the first major Tavasthan attack in nearly a decade. Queen Aaleahya has not yet made a formal announcement of an official war, but Adadhan citizens believe this may be the trigger for it. Many are anticipating, even demanding, the words of the queen, but there has been no word from the palace yet. However, we expect a royal statement to be declared soon.

On the subject of the attack, we interviewed an eyewitness of the event, Aadhavi Devina. The young mother of two youthful sons, Devina provided a description of the scene:

'It was quite the experience,' she stated. 'Everyone was running for their lives, trying to escape, and there were so many intimidating figures in black suits. I believe those were the Tavasthan assassins–there must have been at least twenty of them.