Narcissus
Chapter 6 - The Sad Mistake
All it took, it seemed, was one mistake. One mistake to end an affair badly—one mistake to end a life badly, even; one mistake to wreck international relations and start long wars, and one mistake for Sharon to find herself in this position. What position? Why the position of being destroyed in her hopes and dreams.
It was all because of her collaboration with the Duke, and the mistake was her judgment. Being an assassin really did not help one develop a sense of human emotions and relationships, and that was where Sharon's judgment went wrong.
It happened like this:
Roger planned to usurp the throne. That was perfectly alright by Sharon's books, since she held the same opinion as her late father: that Roger was more fit as a king—he understood the whole business of ruling with fear, and fear was the only real way to ensure obedience. The problematic part was that the plan involved Alanna the Infatuated Squire and Jonathan the Blind Prince. (That is, Alanna the squire who was infatuated with Jon, and Jon the prince who was very blind to the said infatuating and the scheming of his dear, sweet Delia). Which meant that the plan sort of involved George, who would undoubtedly rush to Alanna's side if any harm came to her.
Sharon's plan was to stop George from rushing there. She tried to do that a number of ways: sending George away on false information of enemies (which didn't work); tempting him with lost treasures on faraway lands (which really didn't work); luring him with his feminine wiles and trapping him within a well-guarded cellar (which almost worked). People weren't really that smart when dealing with other people that they love, Sharon included. That was where she lost: she loved George, and George didn't love back: meaning she lost her smarts when he kept his.
In the end, she tried it like this:
"George!"
The called-for man looked up from the book he was reading and saw a very flustered-looking Sharon. He was actually pleasantly surprised to be diverted from his studying: book weren't really his thing. Yet the dazed look on Sharon's face was somewhat disconcerting, as Sharon rarely lost her cool.
"What's 'e matter, love?"
Sharon did wish that he would stop calling her that. It made her flustered for real. Or at least she wished that he would stop calling all other women that, but wishes were not granted every day. "I-I saw Alan kissing J-Jon!"
George frowned a little. It seemed very odd and silly that Sharon should be making such a big fuss over so little action—with her curves and looks, she probably was more acquainted with fooling around than he was, with all his years.
Then it struck him. Alan kissing Jon. Ahh, right: she was disguised as a male. It was hard to remember Alanna as a boy when he saw her so much as a woman, really. "Ye didn't appear ta me as the sort to be fussing over 'bit of boy love, Sharon love."
Sharon also wished that George would speak to her properly, without the slurs—like the way he spoke to Alanna. Perhaps she wasn't granted any wish was because the wish-granter deemed her too greedy, as she kept making all these wishes. While she was at it, she also strongly wished that George would behave a little more surprised that his love was kissing another guy. She would have said she had barged in on them naked, but that didn't seem to fit Alanna's stiff, no-fun character very well.
"Well, not really, but…you're alright with that?"
"Look here, lass," George finally got serious, seeing that Sharon was really distressed about it all. He was quite fond of the girl—she had her charms: not the ones that she usually grabbed men by, but a sort of uncultivated vulnerability that she showed sometimes. He was quite fond of the girl—fond enough, as it was, to not mislead the poor thing. "I kno' that yer worried 'bout ol' me, but really, a girl as youn' as Alanna can't really figure herself ou'. I'll wait—I'll wait as long as it takes for her ta get here, or ta get somewhere, nice an' happy." He smiled warmly and almost sadly, "Meanwhile, try ta get yourself a nice lad, won't ya love?"
And there, ended Sharon's purpose in it all.