STORY STARTER

"I knew I'd regret it if I didn't say it right now."

Use this sentence in a short story.

Part two: The fool.

TW: Violence, death

Part twoโ€”POV: The fool


Never in my life did I believe joy was meant for someone like meโ€”someone who has stained this world with blood and grief. I have killed. I have bled. I have caused suffering. And yet, here it is. A sliver of joy, carefully hidden away, meant for me.

_Her_.

The most beautiful soul Iโ€™ve ever laid eyes on, the only one I wish to look at. I canโ€™t even recall the words I spoke as I watched her laugh, though it was taut, strained.

Her black hair swayed with the motion, a ponytail that danced like a shadow in the wind, and dimples caressed the smile that stole my breath.

But then the laughter stopped.

The air between us thickened, and I stood there, smiling like the lovesick fool Iโ€™ve become.

โ€œI need to tell you something.โ€ The words slipped from my mouth before I could grasp themโ€”before I could stop myself.

My hand moved from the dagger at my side, sheathing it, and I reached for her small hand, my calloused fingers brushing over hers. A warriorโ€™s hands, strong and rough, holding her delicate warmth.

โ€œGo on,โ€ she said, her brow arched in quiet curiosity. Her gaze flickered from our hands to my eyesโ€”an ocean of emotion swirling in her blue depths.

โ€œI knew Iโ€™d regret it if I didnโ€™t say it now, butโ€ฆโ€ I drew a shaky breath, and my words trembled in the air between us. โ€œFrom the moment I laid my eyes on your beautiful soul, I couldnโ€™t look away. I didnโ€™t want to.โ€

Her lips parted, but I didnโ€™t let her speakโ€”not yet. Not until I had said what I needed to.

โ€œEver since you stood before me, dagger in hand, I knew you were the one I wanted to spend my life with. Call me crazy, call me a fool, but just let me be _yours_.โ€

I squeezed her hand, my voice thick with urgency.

โ€œYou are the reason I want to be betterโ€”to wash the blood from my hands.โ€

โ€œRonanโ€”โ€

โ€œNot yet, not until Iโ€™m done.โ€ I leaned closer, breath catching in my chest. โ€œYou brought life back into me, Amelie. I donโ€™t want to let go. I donโ€™t want to see the darkness again. _You_โ€”you brought me back from the dead.โ€

Her gaze met mine, and for a long moment, she was still, caught in a battle of thoughts I couldnโ€™t reach. She swallowed, her throat working, and then she pulled her hand away, tucking it behind her back.

Her voice trembled when she spoke.

โ€œI canโ€™t, Ro.โ€ She shook her head, her eyes glistening with something fragile. โ€œWe canโ€™t.โ€

โ€œWhy not?โ€ My voice cracked with desperation, a plea too raw to hide. โ€œTell me why.โ€

She shook her head again, more firmly this time. โ€œItโ€™s not right, and you know it.โ€

I closed my eyes for a brief moment, the weight of her words settling in my chest like stone.

โ€œAmelieโ€ฆโ€ I whispered, my heart heavy with the truth Iโ€™d long been afraid to speak. โ€œ_I love you.โ€_

She shook her head again, and in the silence that followed, I knew.

โ€œNo, you donโ€™t.โ€ Her voice cracked, and the words shattered something deep inside me. โ€œI donโ€™t.โ€

I watched her hand move from behind her back. The gleam of silver caught the lightโ€”obsidian. The blade I had given her.

Time seemed to stretch, each second more unbearable than the last. I didnโ€™t need to see the strike to know what was coming. I was already drowning in those ocean blue eyes, watching her as if she were a dream about to slip away.

Her movements were swift, practiced. A flash of steel.

Then, the searing pain.

The blade sank deep into my chest, right through my heart. I felt the heat of blood spilling, but I didnโ€™t gasp, didnโ€™t cry out. I held my breath, unwilling to break the silence of my final moments.

I memorized her face, the one I had loved, and now, in this cruel twist of fate, the one who had killed me.

And somehow, in that moment, death didnโ€™t seem so terrible.

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