Failures

Coming Home After War

He saw her standing there, and his heart lurched.

The first thing Gladius noticed were her eyebrows. Once was narrowed in mock anger, the other arched in sarcasm.

Stella was exactly how he remembered her. Her hair was still poofy and brilliantly red, so that it looked to be made of flame, and her eyes still burned like chips of ice wreathed in blue fire. She was even standing in a somewhat familiar way; arms crossed, weight jutted out to one hip, and toes tapping impatiently on the wooden dock.

Gladius dropped his sword.

It clattered loudly on the ground, attracting the attention of the other families gathered at the dock. Stella's huge mass of red hair turned in his direction, and her piercing icy eyes met his gaze.

And then he was running, shoving others out of his way, until he was standing in front of her. Wasting no time, he grabs her chin and pulls her up into a fierce, emotional kiss.

It's lovely, at first. But then everything goes to hell.

Stella's knee comes up sharp, right into his groin. He hisses in pain, eyes the size of moons, and releases her immediately.

"You... you... crooked-nosed knave! How dare you!"

"S-Stella? W-what's wrong?" Gladius wheezed from the ground. He was curled in a fetal position, squinting up at Stella through teary eyes.

"You leave me without warning for two years to go fight in this horrible war, and at first I believed you had made a noble, selfless decision, but no! I get sent a letter saying you have betrayed Eavraedia, and to make matters worse, assassinated the Prince! You are a disgusting, vile creature, and I regret ever admitting I knew you. You deserve to be hanged, filth."

Gladius hung his head in shame and embarrassment. "Stella... please listen-"

"No. You listen to me. Until you can prove to me that you are the man I once loved, consider yourself a stranger."

Her words rang over the entire boardwalk, and Gladius winced as others turned to glare at him. Stella threw her shoulders back, raised her head high, and marched in the opposite direction. Panic seized Gladius and he reached out to her, desperately shouting her name.

"Stella! Stella! Stella!"

The fiery woman snapped around, hands on her hips, and sneered at the man. However, a sliver of hope shone in her eyes and her stance perked the slightest bit.

"What?"

"I... I left a suit of armor in your cellar. Is there any chance you could retrieve it for me?"

Her scream could be heard two kingdoms over.

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This was originally going to be the ending to a book I was planning to write, but I decided to modify it and use it here. Not to fond of the ending, but I hope you enjoyed it. If you have any requests, please let me know. Thank you, and have a wonderful day, my cupcakes!