Loss

Loss
Your character's actions lead to the death of the person they love most.

Questions to Consider
Who is this person that the character loves most, and what is their relationship with your character? (Note: if your character loves themselves most of all...who's the person they love next most?)
What circumstances would drive your character to such measures? Was it an accident? Did they choose to let their friend die?
How does your character react to the death of this person? Do they break down? Move on quickly? Like a normal person?

Jenn sat in the dark dungeon in the bowels of the palace. She huddled in one of the back corners with her arms wrapped around her knees. How could he do this? She wondered as she watched Taurus and the other members of their party. Taurus was pacing, Kael sat on one of the few palets in the cell, Biarric and Cortan were examining the lock on the cell door, and Lyra was coming toward her. Zev managed to escape imprisonment by joining Brianne in her quest to take over the kingdom. It was not Zev’s betrayal Jenn lamented, but Matt, or Matrim as he was known in this world, allowing Brianne to place her in the dungeon. He can’t possibly believe the things she says. Jenn’s thoughts were interrupted by Lyra sitting beside her and sliding an arm over her shoulders.

“He did not betray you,” Lyra whispered. “She has hold of him, and he did as she wanted.”

“Even after I exposed her,” Jenn argued. “She still manages to hold power over him.”

“Only when she is dead or disempowered will she no longer have hold of him,” Lyra advised. “This is what I have been training you for. This is why I have been so hard on you. Your mother trained you, but she did not prepare you to face the darker side of our gift. Instead she shielded you from it, which is why you lost to Brianne two years ago. Now, if she were to use the life sucking vortex on you again you would know how to counter it.”

“Thank you, Lyra,” Jenn sighed. “I know I did not always act like it, but I truly appreciate you taking the time to train me.”

“At first I did it because I was honor bound by my love for Morgan,” Lyra admitted, “But after getting to truly know you I truly believe you are meant to defeat the sorceress and resume your true place in Matrim’s heart as his queen.”

Jenn’s eyes flitted to Taurus who turned away from her. She knew he felt for her, and she thought she did her best not to encourage him, but their dalliance became more to him than either of them realized. Jenn lowered her eyes. Lyra pulled her close and press a kiss to her short cropped hair.

“He will get over it,” she assured. “He always does.”

Before Jenn could respond guards approached the cell door. Conner, the guard captain opened the door, and the other guards entered the cell using their lances to drive Taurus, Biarric, Cortan, and Kael to the opposite side of the cell. Conner and two other guards moved to stand before Jenn and Lyra.

“On your feet,” Conner ordered. When they moved to slow he took hold of Jenn’s arm and hauled her roughly to her feet. He clapped manacles to her wrists, which made her feel drained of all magical potential.

The other two guards treated Lyra in a similar manner. When both women were secured to their satisfaction they herded them out of the cell. Conner paused long enough to close the cell door after the last guard exited the cell. They prodded the women with lances as they slowly assended the stairs out of the dungeon. It was night and the palace was quiet. The guards herded Jenn and Lyra through the halls to Brianne’s apartments.

Brianne lounged on the luxuriant couch in the center of the room. Zev sat beside her with his head nestled into her cleavage. She ran her fingers through his long shiny hair as he licked droplets of wine from her soft creamy flesh.

“Does the King know you have taken a lover?” Jenn inquired as the guards slammed the doors closed behind them.

“The King knows what I tell him,” Brianne sighed. She pushed Zev away and got to her feet. She sidled up to Jenn and Lyra smiling and preening. “You cut your hair.”

Jenn jerked her head away when Brianne reached out to ruffle her shortened hair. Brianne lowered her hand and turned to pace. She picked something up from a table and made her way back to her two captives.

“I will not allow you to come between Matrim and I,” Jenn announced.

“Oh I think there is just more than me between you now,” Brianne smiled. “Frankly, I don’t care who you dally with, Gwenn. I just want you as far away from Matrim as physically possible. So, I am willing to release you and your little band of misfits if you agree to leave Trelian and never return.”

“And if I refuse?” Jenn inquired.

Brianne stopped pacing and stood before Lyra. “If you refuse…” In one swift movement Brianne jammed the black blade she held into Lyra’s chest. The older woman cried out as the blade slid into her soft dark skin and a burst of energy flowed from her into the blade.

“No!” Jenn cried as Brianne withdrew the blade and Lyra’s body crumpled to the ground. Conner released his hold on Jenn and she knelt beside Lyra, cradling the older woman in her arms.

“…I will kill a member of your little band for each day you remain here,” Brianne stated as she wiped the blade with a blue silk handkerchief. “I will save your bull horned lover for last. He will know who is responsible for the death of each of his comrads, and just after I kill him I will have Matrim sentence you to death by beheading. Finally, I will make Alistair watch once again as the headsman cleaves the head of his first born from her shoulders.”

“Why are you doing this to us?” Jenn sobbed. “Wasn’t it enough to have us live every century together pining for each other, and then eliminating me as soon as Matrim showed any sign of expressing his feelings for me?”

“Return her to her cell,” Brianne ordered. She turned her back on Jenn and the corpse she held. “And get rid of that empty husk.”

“Yes, your grace,” Conner hauled Jenn to her feet and drug her out of Brianne’s apartments. He slung her over his shoulders and carried her the entire way back down to the dungeons.

Jenn bit her lip until it bled to keep it from quivering. She just lost one of her closest friends and mentors in the world. She did not hear the cell door open or feel Conner dump her onto the hard stone floor.

“You will have another audience with Lady Brianne tomorrow,” Conner informed her. “I suggest you take this time to say good bye to one of them.” His hand motion took in the remaining members of the group.

Jenn curled into a ball and sobbed as soon as she heard the clang of the cell door. Brianne was now forcing her to choose. Either she stayed in what seemed a feudal attempt to save Matrim, and lose all of her newly found friends in the process, or she retreated with Taurus and what was left of their group. That is if she was still considered part of the group.