Lovers to Enemies

“It was so good seeing you.” This one phrase, repeated over and over in Kilaris’ head, warping from a threatening tone to a warm-hearted, genuine one, and back again. Flashes of memories appear, as if she were flipping through a book.

Her hand, striking out and catching the wrist of the man trying to pick her pocket. That same man sitting across from her nursing an ale while she is sipping from a glass of wine. He says something that makes her laugh loudly, causing nearby patrons to turn around, startled. They talk and she uses a napkin to write down ideas, semi-organized thoughts. After some debating she lets him walk her home, even though she is grumbling about how she doesn’t need anyone protecting her.

After this night, he becomes a regular in Kilaris’ life. They walk through the city together, looking for the perfect building to start her business in. They talk to people interested in becoming part of her organization, deciding together whether they are trustworthy and skilled enough.

The image fades and another one appears. The man hands her a single beautiful gold rose, she accepts with a surprised look and then a smile. They stand in front of a building, a simple brass sign with the name “La fleur d’or” on it hanging over the door.

Another scene. They walk up a small hill, shielding their eyes from the blazing sun. After a while, they reach a waterfall. They look at each other, then kiss.

Cut. They walk through a street market, sampling different foods. Cut. They sit in her apartment, with her sister, talking, laughing.

Cut. Suddenly the light seems to dim. Kilaris is watching the man talking to other people, a piece of paper in her hand and rage and betrayal in her eyes. She schools her face into careful neutrality, puts the paper away and walks up to him. As he listens to her talk, he nods along, smiles at her. Cut. They walk into of a building together like they’ve done a hundred times. Kilaris hides her clenched fists inside of her pockets, careful not to show any emotion.

They hear a lot of heavy footsteps, he looks at her alarmed. She tells him “You should have never betrayed me”, then slips into a hidden passageway, locking it behind her. The last thing she sees are his eyes, trying to burn her with the hatred shining in them.

Cut. Kilaris is in her office, throwing her chair across the room, tossing books onto the floor, using her sword to cut across every surface. She was so eager to believe that he had betrayed her, that happiness wasn’t possible for someone like her. She hadn’t even checked if it was true, she had believed what a stranger had told her without a second thought. She tosses the piece of paper into the fireplace, the only tangible proof of what she had done now quickly turning to ash.

The memory fades to black as Kilaris’s focus turns back to the present. Somehow, the man has survived the attempt on his life that she has engineered, and now he wants revenge for what she has done to him. And she can’t blame him. She deserves it.