He would be here soon.
I had no doubt as to whether he would follow the clues I left him. The man was clever, no denying it, but I was
far more so. There was no trap more
perfect than the girl who lay in the corner.
She had not spoken to me once since I brought her here. Was she afraid of me? Carefully I knelt by her and removed her
gag. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
As an answer she spit in my face.
“I mean it.” I looked down at her arm sheepishly. She was a fighter, that girl, and taking her
had been a challenge. Her dress was
badly torn and her arm was covered in dried blood, the result of multiple
escape attempts over the four months since I took her prisoner. This cave was only the most recent of many
prisons, and getting her here was one of the most challenging battles yet. But it wasn't my fault that she fought so
hard. I felt badly about it; I’d never
meant to hurt a woman, but I had to follow through. There was no other way to take her. “That was an accident. I didn't mean for it to happen.”
Her only response was a stony silence that left me
frustrated. What did she expect me to
do? “I’ll let you go if you
cooperate. I promise.”
As I walked away from her I heard her quiet voice for the
first time since we arrived. “What do
you want with me?” Her voice was broken,
and I finally sensed her shattered spirit.
How had I come so far, to do this to a lady? I closed my eyes briefly, trying to block out
the guilt, before looking back at her.
“I want nothing with you but to have you off my hands. You weren't a part of my plan.” She’d been in the way, and I had adapted
accordingly. But she wasn't the one I
wanted.
It was time. He would
be here soon if all went according to the plan I’d so carefully laid. I knelt beside her once more, this time to
bind her hands behind her back. She did
not struggle now, yet it was clear that her unwilling compliance was not the
cooperation I had asked for. Was she
really so broken? What had happened to
the fighter I’d kidnapped? Where had
that girl gone?
She closed her eyes as I leaned her against the wall. The light cast by the one torch was limited,
allowing me to hide. Pressing myself
into the shadows, I placed my hand on my knife, waiting for the perfect
moment.
The door creaked as he slipped in, thinking himself
unseen. The fool. He was by her in an instant, pulling her
close and caressing her cheek, the same way father used to caress mother. He inherited too much of father: his charm,
the way he spoke to the people, it was no wonder they followed him. But he didn't inherit the kingdom, and that
would never be his.
Her eyes opened, staring into his. “You shouldn't have come,” she
whispered. My fist tightened around the
handle of my knife. Would she warn him?
He ignored her remark, instead untying her hands. “It’s ok.
You’re going to be alright.” She
would, but not him.
“No, leave me,” she pleaded.
“Leave now while you still can.”
Still he disregarded her warning, but I could not take the chance of
waiting any longer. Silently, I pulled
my knife from my belt.
That was when her eyes met mine. “You don’t know what you’re saying,” he
said. But she did, and as she saw the
knife raised in the air her eyes filled with a mixture of realization, fear,
horror, and determination. Too late to
pull back, I saw her warrior spirit resurface, and as the knife flew toward
them she kicked him away, calling up every ounce of strength left in her
body. As he fell back the twisted blade
hit, not its intended mark, but her already fragile body, shattering what I was
sure was the last of her life.
Yes, this is that same scene from the POV of the villain. What you do think? And now that you've read this, who do you think is really the villain? Is it the kidnapper, who's trying to kill his own brother? Or could it be the "good guy"? Is he a rebel who's trying to take the kingdom from his brother? Is the "villain" really just a king trying to keep his kingdom out of civil war by ending the life of the rebel leader? What do you think? And do you think the girl actually dies? Or does she somehow survive? And which version do you like better, and for what reason? Comment and tell me! (And by the way, I have no idea what the answers to any of these questions are. That's why I'm asking what you think. So tell me!)
