The King’s Assassin
He sat, back leaning against a tree.
Polishing the metal of his weaponry.
His metal mesh vest was spotless.
He was thorough. He did not miss.
Yet, he would soon smear it all with mud.
Cut down glare as much as he could.
Some called him a killer, some a knight.
When he killed, he did it right.
He was the king’s secret assassin.
None knew his skills. They didn’t ask him.
He worked mostly at night when dark.
None knew he was around. He was smart.
It was always those who needed killing.
They were well protected, but he was willing.
He did his job and he did it well.
His victim died before he could yell.
He was highly skilled in all known weaponry.
His hand to hand skills were the best you would see.
No matter how hard, he didn’t back down.
He was paid well. That’s why he stayed around.
No one knew his real name.
He had no friends. He had no fame.
Nothing he did was ever tied to him.
He remained a common man so he could win.
Anomaly was one of his best tools.
He only followed his own rules.
He never got close to anyone.
Always paranoid, he trusted no one.
He was almost assassinated while doing a job.
To him, that was extremely odd.
He went all out to find out who it was.
They were hired by someone, was the buzz.
Through very crafty detective work,
he tracked down the little twerp.
It turned out to be a female.
His attack on her did not fail.
But, first he found out who hired her.
Before long, they were dead for sure.
This was the life of The King’s secret assassin.
He remains alone. That is his passion.
He has standards that he follows.
All of his own making. They are not hollow.
They are all to keep him alive.
Keep it so his business will thrive.
He is the best at what he does.
Yet, he had to sacrifice who he was.
————————————R. W. Johnson—–(2016)