PROMPT : LOOK
“It’s just one look,” Jason rolled his eyes. “Like, how bad could that be?”
“We’re not supposed to be here,” Nathan griped. “We’re really not supposed to be here.”
“Quit whining, we’re halfway there already.”
“We could get killed if they find us.”
Jason snorted. “Yeah. Sure. You know, I’ve never even heard of anyone who was killed for sneaking a glimpse of the princess. So just shut up and come on.”
“But Jason-!”
“Nathan. Don’t make come back there.” Jason flexed his wings and heaved himself upward, using the lift to boost him further up along the jagged cliffside.
The princess of their noble kingdom had her personal rooms in the tower that overlooked the black rock cliff. The shining golden beam atop the roof was the single beacon of hope for every ship that ventured into the safe harbors.
There was only one catch.
No one had ever seen the purportedly beautiful princess.
No one had any pictures of her.
Only word of mouth declared her to be beautiful beyond all rhyme and reason. History extolled her many virtues after her late mother’s own personality and talent.
There was nothing current.
Anywhere.
So Jason, one of the Paladin trainees, had taken it upon himself to sneak a look.
It wasn’t like he was the first.
He was sure others had tried before.
The sheer ridiculousness of the cliff and natural surroundings of the tower made it practically impossible, but doable, if one had a mind to do so.
And Jason did.
Nathan had simply been roped into the mess.
They were part way up the cliff when Jason’s lack of patience got the better of him.
He flew on up to the tower as the first rays of golden light began to spill out from the beacon as night’s call sounded out.
And then there it was, at last, the forbidden window.
The glow was faintest there, for the window was shut, but a peaceful feeling of hope seemed to emanate from the stained glass squares.
Jason found himself hovering outside the window when a faint, outlined figure within the room, began to move.
It glided forward, the light growing stronger.
When the window opened, there was only one single second of existence remaining for Jason.
He gaped, foolishly, at the ethereal, shining being of pure light.
She smiled kindly at him, stretching out a hand, even as his heart stuttered out a frantic beat.
Air vanished from his lungs. His wings froze. All bodily functions ceased as she stretched a hand towards him.
Strands of golden life light streamed from his chest and into her slender hand.
“You are too kind,” she murmured.
Scarcely a minute later, his empty husk of a body, plummeted to the rocky shore below.
Nathan flattened himself against the cliff as the shadow drew near and then leapt away from it in horror, as he realized what the falling object was.
He dove after his friend, straining against the downward dive, casting a half-glance over his shoulder to see what terrible thing had done this.
The last image he ever saw, was a shining, glowing figure of the brightest, purest white, waving gently at him.
(c) S. Harricharan