The Thirteenth Princess

The Pinnacle of Existentialism

I often take great pleasure in looking back on the moments after. I would haul the trusting, naive becoming hero into my pinnacle of existentialism- I'm stronger than I look- I would gain their trust with my uh, 'feminine wiles', and lead them towards the window. Then, I would seat them upon the rose adorned window side bench, lean in and place my hands on their shoulders as if to kiss them, then I would push them, and watch them topple out of the window. Even recently, I sent a blonde prince to his doom. He was the easiest of all. It was like when the bodies hit the ground, they just, well, disappeared.

Ah, I could almost hear the sound of arrows lodging between the stone bricks as another hopelessly lost soul ascending the walls of my cozy little abode. Wait a second..

I crept towards the window- I keep saying window, it's more like a hole in the wall- I crept towards the window, brandishing a sword I had fashioned years ago out of a lengthy rock and a piece of wood bound in leather. I saw a hand emerge from outside, and it grasped the windowsill. Usually, I would hear a voice call out and say something 'classy' like "oh fair maiden, I will climb through thyne window! Come hither and we will gallop away upon my fine steed, we shan't slow for a single mortal soul!" Ugh, you have no idea how many times I have heard that one. But yeah, usually they would give a grand speech, and then I would assist them in their quest to rescue the poor, helpless maiden, locked in a tower since she was 12, now and forevermore living in isolation and discomfort. But there was no speech, which I thought was rather odd.

I began to retreat back towards the wall, but just at that moment, a figure sprang into view. They noticed me almost immediately, and began to look around frantically for an escape. Their face was shrouded beneath a silvery grey hunters cloak, the hood pulled tight over the mysterious person's face. - well, I sure hope it's a person - I tightened my grip on the makeshift sword, and charged towards the intruder, releasing all my furies upon them. I expected to have to put up a fight, but to my surprise, the individual merely backed themselves up against the wall. I held the sword to their throat, the flat side of the blade pressing against their neck, their back against the wall, I was about to grasp the perplexing thing's cloak and drag them out of the window, when I heard a shriek. "Mercy! I beg of you, please have mercy!" I pulled back the hood to reveal a pair of piercing blue eyes staring back at me, silver flecks dancing throughout. Tears were glistening on their cheeks.

It was a girl.