(POV: Vynesaa El'Leather)
Why?
Why am I feeling this way?
Why do I feel guilty after killing him?
Isn't this what I wanted? To win?
Then why?
Why did I strike him from behind?
Where did my pride go?
As a princess, as a warrior, I should have faced him head-on. So why?
Was it fear?
Was I afraid that I would lose if I didn't kill him then?
From when…?
From when did I start prioritizing victory over my pride?
And from when—when did I start wanting to make Ed mine?
And why?
----
[Years Ago…]
The wind howled through the open courtyards of the royal palace.
Two small figures standing in the middle of a grand dueling ring.
Zareth and I.
I was eight. He was ten.
And yet—
SMACK!
His wooden sword flew from his hands, skidding across the marble floor.
His knees buckled as he collapsed, gasping for breath.