"I'm sorry Alphonse," Prince said. "But there was no other way." Whipping the trail of blood from his blade. Prince closed his eyes, giving Alphonse a moment of silence.
"You Bastard!" Lindor yelled "He was like an Uncle to me! Why couldn't you just assassinate me! Why did you have to do this to my men!"
"I thought about it." Prince said. "But I saw these very men ready to cut my throat the night you ordered them to. I saw no remorse in their eyes then and neither did I tonight. I don't hold any grudge against them, they were just doing what was best for them at the time, they had their reasons, but now I have mine."
"What reason do you have to massacre a whole family!" Lindor yelled
"Killing someone like you who they all hold so dear would trigger a chain of revenge that would follow me everywhere I go. When I eventually became a knight or a Lord, someone might make a calculated move against me or reveal my identity, no I couldn't afford that. I had to make sure that the only thing left behind was ash. If they were ready to kill me for no reason, Imagine what your men would do with you gone."
"SO it was inevitable" Lindor said "Whether I fought you then or now, it was inevitable that this would happen." Lindor said
"Not necessarily," Prince said. "I would have continued to move up the ranks…."
"And then one day came for my place! Of which I would rather die than give to you!" Lindor said
"Maybe…" Prince said
"The woman I met… Alicia, she was more than a lover to me, she might have talked me out of working with someone like you, and things could have been different. But when you announced you knew of her, I had you marked for death. You were a fool for doing so."
Lindor recalled his vulgar actions against Princes lover. As he lay on the ground helpless, he looked into Prince's eyes of vengeance. He was terrified of Prince but at the same time in awe. How could a homeless boy kicked on the street have become the man that stood before him? With just three people and an artefact, Prince had completely destroyed everything Lindor had spent his life obtaining, without so much of a hair out of place. As he lamented his action against this man, for once in his life, Lindor felt totally, and utterly, defeated.
"Prince…" Lindor pleaded. "Please, is there any way you can forgive me? I'm sorry for what I did, I was so foolish, so complacent! I should never have done things this way!"
"Despite everything you put me through Lindor…" Prince said scratching his chin. "I don't hate you."
Lindors eyes glistened with a ray of hope.
"You took me in, and taught me the ways of the thieves, and even saved my life at some points. It's fair to say, without you I would have died long ago, miserable and cheated by life"
Prince paused and after a long sigh touched Lindors shoulder.
" I accept your apology, I can feel you truly mean it." Prince said.
"Thank you my boy!" Lindor said, a. "You truly are a man of great-"
"Unfortunately Alicia does not feel the same," Prince said, tightly gripping Lindors shoulder., "I cannot let you live! And go back and look her in the eye after what you did!" Prince said.
"Wait Please!" Lindor cried "I'll never do it again!"
"Jimi!" Prince yelled "Drop the cage!"
In moments the cage of golden chains was no more.
Prince pushed his blade against Lindors chin, shaking his head.
"If you had never attacked her, things could have been different." Prince said "But now, you will burn all the way praying we had never crossed paths!"
Prince cut off Lindors left leg, splashing blood all over his clothes.
"Have Mercy!" Lindor screamed.
Prince looked behind Lindor, into the flames of the burning building he had once called home. With an evil grin he began Nudging Lindor onto the edge of the terrace they were on..
"As you burn in agonizing pain, I want you to think about all you have done, and how remorseful you are.
"Please Prince"
"I can't purge you of your sins against me, but maybe these flames will show you comfort!"
"Please no!"
"Au Revoir Lindor"
Prince Kicked Lindor into the burning hells of the Den of Wolves. As he watched his opponent fall, He felt a surge of pleasure as the flames devoured L:indor wholly.
"NOOOOO!!!" Lindor cried as he was devoured by the flames.
"To think, he really thought he could apologize for all he did." Prince said to himself. "What did he think? I was going to kill all his men and just walk away? What is he mad?"
"Heha, mad" Prince chuckled. "Yes he must have been mad to think that."
"Heha hehehahahhahahha HAHAHAHAH!" Prince laughed as the flames slowly drowned out Lindors cries.
From the corner of his eye, he saw Jimi who was still on the roof.
"Jimi," He said to him. "Do you think you could use your chains to get us out of here?" Prince said.
Jimi smiled, and with a flick of his wrist through a chain to an adjacent building and they escaped.
A few blocks down on the streets below, Marlin and Meri had regrouped and were goin gover the events.
"Can you believe this!" Meri said showing Marlin the bag of Jewels.
Silver gold, emeralds, diamonds, the purse was filled with all kinds of treasure that sparkled from the flames behind them. Meri looked over them, enchanted by their brilliance as Marlin silently whispered to himself.
"I… I hurt people.." Marlin said looking at the sword he had used to conjure up the flame.
"And for a second… just one second… I enjoyed it…"
"Marlin!" Meri yelled. "Say something! Isn't Prince the best! How did he manage to get this far!"
"..." Marlin did not reply
"Ok… so he was a little bit over the top" Meri said looking at the flames. "But you have to agree! THis is pretty amazing!"
Still Marlin was silent.
"Look if this is because you think we slept together thats not what happ-"
"SHUT UP!" Marlin screamed "SHUT THE FUCK UP YOU DITZY FLAT CHEST WHORE! Prince used us! He lured us into a trap he had set, and because of me and you dozens of people got killed! To make matters worse, both of our lives were in imminent danger! If we had made one mistake it would be us burning to death in their!" Marlin screamed.
Meri grew cold, unsure of what to say.
"You see Prince as this perfect intelligent marvel of a man who can do anything! But in reality he's a manipulative evil conniving bastard who only cares for himself! That man he killed was an old friend of his, if we stay by him it won't be long before he-"
"Now you Stop!" Meri yelled "Prince held me in his arms soaked in blood and guts and risked his life to save me!" She screamed
"Because you were useful! He only did it to further his pl-"
"I don't care!" Meri yelled "I owe my life to him! And to be honest before I met him life felt dull and boring!" She screamed "But suddenly whenever I'm with him I feel like I can do anything! I feel like I'm invincible!" She screamed "Surely you know what I mean!"
Marlin hesitated.
"She's right…" Marlin thought "Before meeting Prince I was just a loser… I hadn't even slept with a woman… and in the one night he's… Wait Is this what he wants me to think!"
"You may be right… but if we can't trust him what's the point! You may admire him but do you trust him with your life!" Marlin yelled.
"I… I don't know…" Meri said
"Me either!" Marlin said.
"Then what are we going to do?" Meri said.
"We wait" Marlin said. "When he returns we confront him once and for all! And if we're not content we go our separate ways!" Marlin said.
"And… if he doesn't let us go.." Meri barely squeaked out.
"Then we fight" Marlin said. "Before we negotiate we will ask to take his weapon! If he denies run for it! I will hold him off!"
"Marlin…" Meri said.
Marlin remembered the time he had seen Prince hold back his aggression, aggression on a man he would inevitably burn to death later in that evening.
"Why didn't you just threaten to kill him and take his money?"
"Because, that's not the Kind of Prince I want to be"
"Prince?" Marlin said
"If I can't control my aggression now, as powerless as I am, how will I when the world is in my grasp?""
"Prince… just what are you!" Marlin thought