The Mystery Man - Mefan

Chapter 3

-Mefan-

“Is that really all you got?” I asked.

Carter was lying on the floor, rubbing his stomach, where I kicked him. He looked at me with anger flowing in his eyes. This was good. He needed to get his anger out. He needed to let it all out, and what better way than making sure the prince stayed strong in his skills with the sword, yet he had not fought an assassin before, and I needed no sword in order to have him rolling on the ground, nor did I need to use my powers. Carter, while skilled, still had a lot to learn. The darkness in his dark eye almost seemed to swirl, as he got up from the ground. I just smiled a little, as he came for me, the sword cutting the air, before I held a small blade to his rip.

“Dead,” I said close to his ear.

He pushed away, groaning, irritated, which made me laugh. It was fun to play around with the prince. He wasn’t so easily broken, not like the others I had played with. They so easily broke, but Carter had a strong need to never surrender, when it came to anything. It was why I had been able to bring him back. Even though he hated to admit it himself, he wasn’t done with life, even if it meant he had to find a new way to live. Not as Prince Carter, the fourth prince in line for the northern throne, but just as Carter. He had to figure out who he was now.

“You are cheating,” he said, pointing the sword at me.

“Do not insult my honor,” I said, running the blade through the air, making a whoosh sound.

“What honor?” he asked back.

I just smiled, as he came from me again. I ducked, as the sword went through the air above my head, and then saw my opening, standing up and holding the blade against his throat.

“Dead,” I said for the … I had lost count.

He pushed me back, and I laughed as he paced around the room, needing to get the frustration and anger out in some way.

“You assassins,” he sneered.

“You want me to trade my dagger out for a sword?” I asked.

“I want you to stop being so damn fast,” he said, annoyed.

“It is one of the skills of an assassin. Speed is our friend. Strike fast and quietly and before they notice anything, they are dead.”

“Why this life?” he asked, holding his arms out and gesturing to the room.

It was too hot to train outside. At least for him, so we were fighting and circling each other in a big room with no furniture and only one balcony where the doors stood wide open, just like the windows, making sure air could flow inside, cooling off our bodies. We both had no shirt on and only loose black pants. Sweat ran down both our bared chests and stomachs.

“Who said I chose it?” I asked.

“Didn’t you?”

“Did I?”

He sighed, irritated.

“Why always with the mystery? Can you never just answer one question?” he asked.

“Can I?”

He groaned irritated, leaning his head back and looking at the ceiling.

“Since I am stuck with you, it would be nice,” he told me.

“It would, wouldn’t it?”

He looked at me, shaking his head and then tried coming for me again, which only made me move to the side, but he was quicker this time, moving back before my blade could touch his skin, but when he swung the sword towards me again. I ducked once more before moving up again, pressing the tip of the blade against the skin right over his heart.

“Dead, your highness,” I said tauntingly, close to his ear again.

He sneered and pushed me back, making me laugh once more.

“You are too impatient.”

“I have fought with swords since I was three, even if it was just games with my brothers,” he told me. “I am not impatient when it comes to fighting.”

“Of course, you are. You are just an impatient person,” I told him.

“Go f*ck yourself,” he said tiredly.

I laughed again, not going to let his words get to me. Life was, I couldn’t say too short, since I had lived for too long, but living for so long you quickly realized words were just words, they held no real power. Nothing held true power except … love. That held power. Just look at the beautiful Laelia. She had conquered so many things in order to be with Ashes. Yes, powerful emotions held power. Hate did too. It could destroy worlds, but so could love. Both carried something good and bad. Hate could also be a motivation almost to do better. It was a strange thing what you learned from living for so long.

“You are impatient, and you let your emotions control you,” I told him, walking over to where we had placed a jug of water on the floor and two cups.

I crouched down and poured water into the cup and drank a little, before I heard the sound of a sword cutting the air. I disappeared into darkness, the cup not able to transform with me and dropped to the floor, making a clang sound and the water spilled everywhere. I was at the prince’s back in the blink of an eye holding the blade against his throat again.

“Trying to kill me now? Is that your solution to freeing yourself from me?” I asked.

“Worth the try,” he said, swallowing hard as I pressed the blade a little harder against his throat, while I felt the heat emanating from his powerful body.

I studied him for a little while, trying to read the emotions running through him. I mostly felt anger from him, but he also seemed a little lost and defeated. Yet no fear. I always sparked fear in everyone I came around. Even though Carter had grown calmer in my presence before he came back from the death, I had sensed a little fear in him in the beginning. But now that was gone and I found that disturbing.

I moved back, and he slowly turned around, his eyes emotionless.

“Want me to kill you?” I asked him.

He didn’t answer me. He was quiet, while his chest heaved, his abs contracting and relaxing as he pulled down air into his lungs. His arms seemed to tense a little, and I heard him tighten the grip on his sword. The leather around the handle, groaning a little. I glanced at it and then at him.

“Yes?”

“Maybe.”

“Maybe?” I asked.

“I don’t know what I want anymore,” he told me. “I never saw much in my future, but I certainly didn’t see this.

“A prince not seeing much in his future? I find that hard to believe.”

“I am not my brothers. I might act a little high and mighty, but it was because I lacked what they had. A passion. A drive. Or maybe just a way to enjoy life as it is. In some sick way, I even felt a little less lost when Ashes made us bow to him, and made us part of his loyal soldiers, because at least then I didn’t have to think of the future,” he told me.

I finally saw what hid behind those green eyes … or former green eyes. Now he only had one. He was a lost prince, wasn’t he? Feeling the need to act smarter than his brothers in order to make up for the way he was feeling alone. I understood. He had made a good act out of himself, but now he was no longer that prince, and the act was starting to come apart.

“Now you are free to decide,” I told him.

“I was free to decide before as well.”

“Were you?” I asked. “Even a prince has limits. I don’t see you making swords or selling clothes, that is below a prince, and I don’t see you becoming a knight. You always carried the title prince. So tell me, does it make you feel trapped?” I asked.

He slowly put his sword back in his scabbard before crossing his arms over his chest.

“You are different, Carter. I saw it the first time I met you. The North is too small for you, maybe even the entire Arcadia is too small for you. You want more. You could never be content in the life that was meant for you. The life of a prince, most likely marrying a princess or a lady and having kids and just living your days out in the North surrounded by family.”

“You don’t think that would be enough for me?” he asked.

“I am asking you that?” I said and smiled.

“Why don’t you tell me what I want then?”

“Why don’t you?”

His eyes narrowed, but it was funny to play with him because he wouldn’t just walk away annoyed. No, he would challenge me back. Very few people had ever done that. My mind games often exhausted them, and they would often just back down in order to be free of them.

“I want you to tell me. You brought me back,” he said.

“And now I am to give you a purpose as well?”

He nodded and I laughed, shaking my head.

“I am not here to fix everyone,” I told him.

“Then why save me?” he asked once again.

“Yes, why did I do it?” I asked back.

“Just tell me.”

“Why don’t you ask yourself why you wanted to come back?” I asked him.

“I didn’t! You brought me here!”

“Those who truly want to die always find a way …”

He looked almost a bit shocked by my words, and I thought it was a good idea to leave the training there.

“Go. Wash up and rest. I will see you later,” I said, telling him quite clearly we were done here for now.

He didn’t argue with me but did stay a little longer before I nodded towards the door. He finally walked away, not looking back, as he left me in the big empty room, alone. It suddenly felt even bigger, now that he wasn’t here and even emptier than usual.