Covetous
By: PhantomOCD
Disclaimer: The story that this is based off of is a short fable that I read many years ago and wrote this as the ending. I do not remember the author but I make no claim to own anything.
In the story, a princess associates with a young man below her social status, without her father's knowledge. When her father discovers the truth, he sends the girl's 'lover' to his arena. There he has the choice of two doors. Supposedly, his innocence would be determined by if he chose the door behind which there was a lady of his social standing to marry, or death's door, behind which awaited a deadly lion. The princess tells him that she will determine which door contains the lion, and which the lady. He has only to look for her signal. The story itself ends with her telling him which door to choose, without telling you, the reader, if she sent him to his death or to his new ladylove. This is my ending.
As the princess watched him walk across the arena, a million different thoughts and feelings ran through her head. Had she done the right thing?
"Of course you did," she whispered to herself. "You couldn't very well let him make a fool of you by marrying that girl, now could you?"
She would simply not watch the lion. Even if her father forced her to watch, it wasn't as if she had loved him or anything.
Did she? What if she did love him? What could she do now if she did?
"Stop it!" she chided herself. "What is done is done."
Settling back in her chair, she sent her father a coy smile. She wasn't beaten, not yet anyway.
Her lover was now at the doors and he had to think fast. You see, he knew the princess better than anyone on this earth. He knew the right door held death itself. Yet he loved the princess. How could he marry someone else? Wouldn't that be worse than death?
Slowly, he turned and looked back at the princess, his love for her obvious. Upon seeing his look of love, a flash of doubt and regret passed over the princess's face. It only lasted a moment though, and she quickly composed herself once again.
His decision made, her lover once again turned back to the doors, reached out a slightly trembling hand, and opened death's door.
Author's Note: It is, I know, very short. But it was something that I found and decided, why not? I'll use it as my first post. Review if you have any thoughts, feelings, opinions, objections, dilemmas, questions... ; )