Narrative Twist

“Love or Jealousy”

By: Sofia A

The king had a daughter with beauty and grace. Loved by all and had the heart of the king. Overprotected and shielded by almost everything, the princess felt too controlled. She found the company of a young man who was as loved as she. Although the two of them loved each other deeply, the princess often saw a commoner throwing glances of admiration to her lover. Doubt crossed her mind, but never once had she thought of it becoming anything serious. The princess was in love and nothing she saw or heard would change that.

After months of this affair the king finds out. With the rage of a bull the king thinks of ways to punish the two. The king ruled by decree that the man would be put on trial in his amphitheater. He thought that it would be punishment enough for the both of them because whatever happens the two would not have each other. If the man picks the door with the tiger than he will die, but if he picks the door with the lady then the princess would have to experience her lover get married to someone else. With triumph in his heart the king pats himself on the back. Meanwhile the princess knows she has to do something about it.

Torn between letting him live or letting him die, she spends her days in anguish. Her humane and inhumane sides are fighting between her and telling her to do the opposite things. This is where the princess

Finally the night before the trial arrived. The only things on her side is that she knows where the lady is held and who the lady is. For the lady is another beautiful maiden who has been caught by the princess admiring the man. At the time the princess barely thinks anything of it. Although now she is outraged by the thought of her marrying her lover. Jealousy oozes out of her and she finally decides what to do.

The next morning the king and princess took their seats in the front of the amphitheater. The princess did not want to attend but her barbaric side told her otherwise. As the man entered the arena everyone in the crowd gazed at astonishment, for he gleamed with confidence. Many who had entered were shaking and crying, but he was different. All because he knew that the princess would tell him exactly what to do. As the man walked up to where the king and princess sat he stared at her waited for  some sign.

Her right arm lay on the cushioned parapet before her. She raised her hand, and made a slight, quick movement toward the right. No one but her lover saw her. Every eye but his was fixed on the man in the arena.

The princess saw the man dash for the door on the right and a grin appeared on her face. She was thinking of the future, of how this one decision would change her life forever. As the man approached the door he hesitated and finally opened the door. Screams and shrieks came from all sides of the arena. The man stepped back and was in shock. Cold and bloody was the lady lying there on the ground lifelessly. The princesses motive was simple. She did not want him to die so she told him to open the door with the lady so his life would continue. She killed her because she thought that there would be nobody else for the man to marry. The princess smiled and almost laughed when she saw the face of her father. His cheeks red with anger and his eyebrows busheled with frustration. He grabbed the girl and threw her to the ground shouting horrible words out of embarrassment. Meanwhile the man stood there unaware of what to do.

For the next thing the king did was shout, “I will not stand to be tricked and deceived! My daughter has killed the lady so she could take this man for herself. If it is the last thing I know it is that my daughter would have not married this man!”

With that the king ran to a guard and took a sword. Almost shaking the ground with heavy steps he headed towards the man.

Unarmed and scared the man yells toward the king, “Please don’t kill me! I know I have disobeyed you because I have loved your daughter without your permission, but I do not deserve this! Innocent people die everyday because of your poor judgement, please do not let another,”

The king replied while walking instead of running, “ Why would I let you live? You do not truly love my daughter,”

The man said, “That is where you are wrong again. We love each other so much that we would walk the entire world and swim all the oceans just to be with each other. Our love is as strong as the palaces your people built, it can hold as much as weight as the strongest bridge. Please don’t kill me, if you do, your daughter will never love you again,”

The king would have let the man live if it weren’t for the last part of what he just said. The king again ran toward him and impaled the man with the sword. Again shrieks from everywhere were heard and the princess fell to her knees and wept a sea of tears.That day turned into what could have been the happiest day of the princesses life to the worst. From that day forward none of the king’s subjects respected him and like the man had once said the princess no longer loved her father. After the death of the man the king locked the princess in a tower where no man could love her.

After years and years of the princess living in the tower the king finally came to visit her and called, “ Rapunzel, Rapunzel let down your hair.”

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