She stared at the hard metal. It was as cold as the lake stretched before her. Moonlight lit the eerily quiet clearing. The whole forest was silent, as if it was holding its breath waiting for her decision. Duchess caught her reflection in the knife's blade. She looked heartbroken, drawn, and shocked, yet she still managed to look beautiful and graceful. The beauty and grace that condemned her to this fate. A fate it seemed, to be worse than death.
Suddenly, she remembered a time when the only thing she wanted was popularity. 'How naïve I was back then,' Duchess thought bitterly,' as if that stuff would matter now.' The only good thing that came out of her obsession was a friend. A true friend, no, a true love. But he was gone now. Their friendship tossed away in a moment of desperation. They had destinies to follow, futures that did not, could not, include the other.
Their last encounter had them left shouting and screaming, the anger that they felt towards their fates directed towards one another. She had left in a fit of rage, vowing to severe all ties with him before it was too late. She never looked back; if she did she would lose her determination, allowing them to succumb to their selfish wants. But since she didn't look back, they never did. The last that Duchess had heard of him was his death.
It was a warm summer evening, allowing her a chance to finally relax in the hectic busyness that was life. Just as she was beginning to unwind, a bird flew by and dropped something in her lap. Startled, Duchess jumped in suprise, jolting the mysterious object to the ground. Curious, she peered under her chair and saw a letter. She reached for the it hesitantly, a sense of foreboding overcoming her. Slowly opening the envelope, she pulled out the letter and began to read.
Dear Miss Duchess Swan,
We are sad to inform you that yesterday evening, Mister Sparrow Hood passed away while attempting to rescue his Maid Marian. We understand that-
The letter fluttered to the ground as Duchess sat in shock; numbness spreading throughout her limbs.
That had been the last straw. Because of their destinies, he had died. It was all her fault! She had been so selfish in wanting her destiny! The worst part wasn't even that he had died, no it was that he died saving the person that he was truly meant to love. He probably hadn't even thought about her in his last moments. And that was what broke her. Fate had ripped them apart, two naïve lovers who held the world at their fingertips. They had been so rash, too blind to see that ancient stories couldn't control them. Her sweet, sweet Sparrow, gone forever!
Duchess gasped as new tears fell across her face. Before she lost her resolve, she plunged the dagger into her heart. She heard a distant shout as the world faded away... Now we can be together forever, Sparrow.
The trees rustled with what could only be identified as laughter. The wind howled in delight and thunder shook the skies. For Duchess Swan may have changed her ending, but she could never escape her story...