Tragic Love Short Stories

My Name (Part 1/2)

Elijah, the kingdom's well beloved hero, glanced down at the villain writhing under his foot. Even in this condition, with her long windswept dirty blonde hair tangled with thorns, a long fresh cut under her chin, her lips bleeding, and her red cape torn with branches sticking through and her white combat boots kicked off and lost, it was undeniable that she was pretty. She struggled in the ropes binding her hands and feet, but her efforts were useless as she was too weary to keep her emerald green eyes open. 

"Victoria, you have hurt our people, burned down our villages, tortured innocent lives, caused chaos and confusion among our ranks, and nearly overthrown our king to create this system you call democracy." announced Elijah coldly. "I herby sentence you to death for your crimes."

"I didn't you're twisting the facts Elijah! You know damn well the King's guards raided the villages and tortured those villagers to spread fear!" rasped Victoria in a weak voice, her eyelids drooping. 

Elijah flinched at her words, but brushed it off. I've never seen her so weak he thought. I've never seen her like this. But damn she is a good liar. 

"Victoria... after everything you've done. How could you still not see your wrongs? How dare you disobey the King and our rules that has served us well for centuries? How dare you disrupt our system and corrupt the minds of our people? You're selfish! Foul!"

"But Elijah ... all I wanted was for the villagers to have a better life. I've read about democracy in those old banned textbooks. The people- they were so happy in the books. They used to be so happy-."

"ENOUGH! Enough of your nonsense you manipulator! Those books are banned for a reason because they're associated with witchcraft because that's what people back then did by worshipping the lord of the underworld."

"But having magic in your veins is genetic! It's not-"

A sharp jolting pain entered her chin as black boot kicked her on the face. Her lips bled more and her body rolled backwards so that she was flat on her back. Elijah's blurry face loomed over her, jeeringly. "You witch," he taunted bitterly. He raised a fresh dagger encrusted with the symbol of a crow, the symbol of the King, over her heart. "Any last words?" he mocked. 

He expected her to beg, ask for forgiveness, promise to change her ways like all of the traitors and rebels before her. They begged, screamed, pleaded, and kissed his shoes, hoping for a chance to see the sun rise again the next day. After their episodes and the brief moment of relief in their eyes, he would slay them. You need to be taught a lesson and feel the fear you've imposed among the King and his subjects, he would say. Some sat defeatedly waiting for their end, others cried and closed their eyes as the hero's dagger drew near, and some tried to make a last attempt to escape but unsuccessfully.

But Victoria's response shocked him. Squinting to keep her emerald green eyes slightly ajar, she smiled calmingly up from where she lay at him as if she were the one with the dagger. "I cannot convince someone to change their ways if they don't want to. Maybe only love can do something like that." Elijah hesitated his hand lowering dagger, because she reminded him so much. So much of someone else he had once slain. She resembled someone. A traitor. Perhaps she was the sister of one of them? It was not uncommon for traitors in the same family. 

"N-nonsense," Elijah sputtered, further lowering the dagger with a shaky hand. 

"You know you are wrong deep down Elijah," she rasped. "We're on the same side. We both want the villagers to have a better life. But the King will not allow that. You're too blinded by your loyalty. Too blinded by your position as the hero."

Victoria squinted up at the boy, the poor boy who could not understand. His dagger hovered over her heart, gleaming, begging to be plunged. She swear she saw the crow on his dagger wink, and she realized that nothing could save her. This boy was no longer Elijah. He was the King's obedient puppet.

"THAT'S IT!" Elijah snapped. "No more of your brainwashing nonsense." Closing his eyes, he mustered the courage to go against his intuition, and plunged the dagger into her chest but stopping short of her heart. 

TO BE CONTINUED ...

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Art cover credit: https://www.seaart.ai/explore/detail/cmd23sde878c738aovog 

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