Monsters And Murderers

Part 3

Anastasia

I held the guard at knifepoint.

“Keys”, I commanded.

The guard shrank against the wall, as far away from my blade as possible. I could see him taking me in, all feral snarls and claws.

His eyes flashed with fear, but he remained stoic. “I’d rather die!”

Huh. A brave one. I ran a finger along the edge of my knife, purring-

“That can be arranged.”

Cliché line. Oh well.

I ducked down, drew a gushing line of crimson across his shins, the tip of my foot brushing against the ground. I cringed in pain as the stump at the end of my foot started to sleep red. He buckled, looked up at me in horror.
I pressed the blunt side of my knife to his neck.

“Now,” I said, my tone ice. “We can do this the easy way, or the hard way. You live, or you die. Either way, I get what I came for. You have three seconds to pick. Three.”

He looked into my hazel - yellow eyes.

Clearly searching for any sign of compassion. He wasn’t going to find it. She had made me the villain, and I was perfectly content to play along if it meant standing over Cinderella’s cold, discoloured corpse.

I sneered. “Two.”

He fumbled for his keys, finally coming up with the one I wanted-

“One.”

I lunged forward, hitting him hard over the head with the dull part of my blade. He slumped down and lay unconscious on the floor, my key clattering to the ground.

I bent and picked it up, but paused for a second as I beheld his crumpled form.

Horror rose in the pit of my stomach, strangling my lungs. What had become of me? Sweet Anastasia, heart once so full of love, now twisted with anger and envy. Smiles once kind and bright, now cruel and rotting.

I shook my head. Stop. Just- stop, Anastasia. You’re not evil. You don’t deserve to die.

I padded down to the looming oak doors, carefully twisted the rusted silver key in the lock, slipped inside. The room was lit. Good. I would see her face as she took her last breaths.
Then I stopped short with a gasp, because there was something I had missed.

Something that seemed straight out of a nightmare.

Cinderella

I smiled, a wide, cold smile that seemed to fill the room with ice. “Ah, Anastasia darling. Don’t you look a sight! Oh well. We’ve been waiting for you to join us, haven’t we, Drizella?"

I smirked down at my other stepsister, bound and gagged. She yelled something in Anastasia’s direction that was muffled by the cloth of her gag, jerking her head to the right. I pressed a jewel - studded sword to the soft flesh over her throat. She froze, as did Anastasia. The only noise in the room was the sound of Drizella’s quickening breaths, smothered by the rag.

I spoke slowly, calmly, dangerously.

“Now, now, Drizella. Careful. We wouldn’t want to spoil the surprise, would we?”

Drizella’s small eyes widened in desperation. Her dark hair spilled around her shoulders as she frantically shook her head. I smirked down at her, but jumped as Anastasia finally spoke.

“Cinderella, Cinderella. I’ve been waiting for a reunion.” She looked around the room, an almost amused expression on her face. Her voice sounded even more slimy and greasy than usual.  “But I must say, for a future queen, you really don’t know how to treat a guest. Tying your sister to a chair?” She tutted. “Let me show you a better demonstration.”

She leaped forward before I could register what was happening, and cut Drizella’s binds in one smooth motion. I shook my head, confused, before the pieces in my mind clicked into place, red -hot rage seared beneath my eyelids and I lunged, sword at the ready.

Anastasia blocked my attack with her knife and danced to the side. I swiped, momentarily blinded with anger before finally regaining my senses. I twirled around, drawing a short dash of brilliant red across her forearm. She ducked and retaliated by sinking her knife into the flesh of my outer thigh. I cried out in pain as she flurried out of my reach.

I bared my teeth, fury simmering in my belly. She mirrored me, that tiny gesture was like a wave slamming into me. I stumbled backwards, all the air leaving my lungs as I was sucked into a metaphorical ocean. 

We were the same.

Both corrupted by hatred.

Both driven by rage.

Both once kind hearted.

Both now heartless.

Then, all at once, I broke the surface and could breathe again, silently screaming at myself.

Stop it. You're nothing like her.

Nothing.

She tortured you endlessly, used you as a slave for years upon years, until you were just an empty shell of your former self.

Not a single thing you do could compete with that.

These thoughts served as kindling to my fire, and I glowered, growled, and attacked.

Drizella

I gawped, open - mouthed at my two sisters, matched in battle, War cries and clangs of metal against metal twisted into melody, into song.
Feint, parry, lunge came the verse. Twirl, block, strike came the chorus. They whirled and twisted, dancers to a tune.

I fiddled with my hands, desperate to do something useful rather than stay rooted to the ground, catching flies in my mouth. My head swung round, and my gaze fixed on an expensive pottery vase illustrating a honey - skinned princess and prince riding on horseback into the sunset. For a second I'm hit with a pang of longing for that life, clinging to the shoulders of a handsome prince, galloping away, silhouetted by rosy glow. To be a princess. To be beautiful.

But hope for that to become reality faded years ago, and the dream melted to a dull ache in my chest.

I blink and shake my head. In my peripheral vision I can still see two figures clashing and snarling- this is no time to think of lost fantasies.

I grip the vase and whirl around, tiptoeing up towards where the battle was at its peak, both sides too engaged to see me coming.

They whirl about, faster and faster, bared teeth, metallic clashes, beads of sweat and flashes of skin.
I see a flash of blonde hair and lift the vase, ready to strike-
Anastasia's head snaps around, her eyes widen, and she dashes over to where I am still poised to strike, though my chance is now missed.

"Get out! You'll kill yourself!" And with that, she shoves me away from the combat. I twist my ankle but don't wince as I stare in horror as to what is about to happen…