Despite being unsureĀ a mereĀ few days ago,Ā the princessĀ was certain she made the right decision to spare his life. The youth’s soon-to-be-wife rushes to him with open arms as he opens the door. The barbaric-king’s eyes open widely as he sees the fruits of his tradition. While he certainly would enjoy to see his daughter’s lover meet his untimely end, he knows that heĀ will never have her now. The wedding was held in the arena and the crowd cheered as they exchanged a kiss. Before leaving the arena, the youth glances in the king’s direction. He wished to thank the princess for saving his life. His stomach drops when he notes that the princess is no longer in the altar. “Where could she have gone?” he thought.
The newlyweds’ day was then filled with planning how their life would be, with the youth seemingly absent-minded, but there was nothing that could be done aboutĀ the princessĀ now. And his wife, who seemed to have almost every detail predetermined, the house they would buy after moving from her parent’s house, the number of children she wanted. An idealistic lifestyle for many, considering the youth who came from nothing was now married to a woman with status. The entire scandal seemed to fade away as his wife only looked to the future. That night, the pair arrived at the wife’s house. There wasn’t much light filtering in so the wife lit some candles. Something felt different when she entered. There was an emptiness about the house. Her husband only looks into the darkness unwittingly. “Mom? Dad?” The wife calls out. How strange for her parents to not be home after such a late hour. She accidentally left the door open as she searched the entirety of the house. The place looked the same as she left it before going to the arena earlier that day. The wife had gone upstairs when out of the corner of the youth’s eye, a shadowy figure enters the house. The person takes a candle lying about the house and lights it. The person then holds it up to one of the curtains and they catch fire. Then another. The youth’s eyes watch in surprise, then figures it all out.
“So this was your plan all along?” The youth asks of the person. The shadowy figure then approaches him and grabs him firmly by the wrist. They walk outside and the person slams the door shut. The flames spread rapidly and soon the windows shatter from the heat. Cries of agony are heard from the second floor but the hooded figure makes no note of them. “What of her parents?” The youth asks.
“Donāt worry. No one will take notice until morning.” Says the hooded figure. A man is waiting in the street with a carriage. They load into the carriage as the youth takes the hooded figure’s hands in his.
āAnd where are we going, my love?ā The youth asks.
āWe will leave the city to celebrate you picking the correct door, my prince.ā The person says.
