This is a one-shot excerpt from a story I'm working on. Please let me know what you think. I welcome criticism of any kind.
Tomorrow is my execution day.
I have known of the fate awaiting me for a week, but that is not enough time to accept it. Even though I am doing something right, something great, it is still a struggle to bury my fear, so that I do not break down and lose my strength.
I had never been afraid of death. Death for my kind is not like human death, where the body dies and the soul fades away, leaving this world behind. Not like the death the man imprisoned beside me will face if I do not. Naiads simply fade away, becoming one with the water they have always lived in, sharing their consciousness with their brethren.
It doesn't sound so bad, does it?
I didn't think so, either, not until I realized what was really going to happen. To die, to save the man I love, I must shed my Naiad form, become human, become…mortal.
The governor holding us prisoner gave me a choice: either I die, or Jason does.
A few months ago I would never have considered sacrificing myself for a human, but today, the decision is easy, even though I die for no noble cause, for some religious faith, but rather because the nobles made a mistake, and now they need an execution to cover it up.
I huddle beside the man I am dying to save, who has already given so much for no reason at all. Well, there is a reason. When the guards came to take one of us, he put himself in front of me, because he loves me.
I touch his cheek in the darkness, letting him know I am here. What I wouldn't give to see his eyes one last time, to read his thoughts in them, to say good bye. I squeeze back tears. I know I'm doing this to save him. That was the whole reason I snuck into the prison in the first place, to give my life so he wouldn't have to. The world will be a better place for having him in it; it will not be a worse place when I am gone.
He stirs then, and after a moment I feel his arms wrap around me. I nestle tight against him, pressing my cheek against his chest so I can feel his heart beat. I only have a little while left, and hearing that steady sound is such a comfort to me.
Minutes pass, hours, and then the door opens. The guard steps in and pulls me abruptly to my feet. Jason tries to hold on, but his grip falters almost immediately. I stand like I am supposed to, and in the light of the guard's torch, I catch Jason's gaze. I flinch at the helpless grief I see there. I'm doing this for you, I try to tell him, but no words come. Not that it matters. I guess he already knows.
I blink back tears as the guard rushes me down the hall and up the stairs, back to the governor's office. The door is open, so he deposits me in an old chair and leaves, leaving me alone with the governor.
He is sitting in an easy chair, and I can feel his eyes on me. I have gathered my composure somewhat by now, so I don't feel so vulnerable. No, now that I have made my decision, I am determined to follow it through to the end. Fear, sorrow, guilt-none of it can touch me.
The governor's clear voice breaks the silence. "What is your answer?"
The answer. The answer to his choices, Jason or me. They all know what I am; if I were simply to die as a Naiad, it wouldn't be acceptable to them. If they chop my head off, I will turn into cloud of water, and float up into the heavens. For some reason, they do not see that as death, even though the end result will be the same, that I will never be able to see my loved one again. If I were to go like that, they will immediately call for Jason to be brought out, and then we will both die, and what will be the point in that? The only way this will work is if I become completely human, blood and flesh.
I meet his eyes resolutely. "My friend will be set free in his home, with good people."
He doesn't hesitate in his answer. "You have my word."
I smirk bitterly. "Which means nothing."
He fixes serious dark eyes on me. "I have seen trained soldiers suffer terrible torture. Your friend...he bore his with a bravery that rivals theirs."
An image of Jason's pained movements enters my mind, freezing me for a moment. They tortured him, so that when they brought him up for execution, it would look like they had done their work, that they had gotten answers, even though he knew nothing of whatever scandal they were trying to hide. The only reason it was Jason at all was because he had been in the wrong place, at the horribly wrong time.
"I would not see him killed," he continues, "not if I could prevent it."
I nod. "Then my answer is yes."
He raises an eyebrow, but simply nods. "Your friend will be sent out in the evening van, before you are taken away."
Now that it is over, I slump my shoulders, feeling wholly drained of energy. I hear a bell ring, and then the guard returns, pulling me to my feet and back down to the cell. He nudges me in gently enough, and it is only after he leaves that I notice what is wrong.
Jason is gone, and I am alone.