Someone you once knew...

The Sun through the window of the church momentarily blinds you, and you blink rapidly to clear your vision.

"The years have been good to you, my love," says a shadow across the room. That voice... it is familiar, and it makes your throat clench even more than the rope. Your eyes adjust more quickly as curtains drop to block the direct sunlight, and you find yourself in the presence of one who you never thought to see again in this lifetime.

Corinne.

It has been four years since you last saw her... four years in which she has grown from a girl to a woman. In the back of your mind you must acknowledge that time has been good to her as well, at least insofar as her appearance. She was a lovely girl when you knew her, and now she is honestly stunning, especially dressed as she is in black silk and satin, and an elaborate necklace which would rival the finest of the Elyssian crown jewels. She is slimmer and appears slightly taller, but this is perhaps only due to her high boots and the fact that you are compelled to look up at her from the floor. Her eyes are as dark as a nighttime shadow... so dark as to hide the madness which you know lies behind them.

Now, there is truly cause to fear for Trina's life! The last time you laid eyes upon Corinne, she was literally screaming with rage at Lady Trina as she was dragged away by Sir Magnus, whose face burned red with shame at how he had been **** to handle her. It was not your own proudest moment either, but she had left you with little choice. The events flash through your mind in the space between heartbeats, as you recall the first and (until now) only time that you, as King, faced a direct threat to your life...

"Corinne, daughter of Samson, I believe I have been more than patient with you," you said to her as you sat down upon the throne, your silver crown upon your head and the scepter of your office in hand.

"I did not mean to displease you, Sire," the girl said, her eyes staring into the space between you without seeing.

"You will speak when the King grants you leave to do so!" Lord Duncan commanded. You put up a hand to indicate that your First Advisor should try to show patience himself; she is only a child of fifteen summers, after all, even if she thinks herself a woman.

"This matter should never have escalated so far as to come before this court," you tell her. "I appreciate that you have feelings for me, and I know well that desires of the heart may drive one to extremes. I have forgiven your transgressions in the past because I remember what it was to be young and to feel the sting of Cupid's darts for the first time. You have offered affections which I cannot return; this is completely pardonable, as you could not have known. You persisted when I told you in no uncertain terms that your pursuit is unwelcome; that was unmannerly of you, but understandable to a point. You have followed me on my daily ride and on my other errands as King, keeping to the shadows as though you were a thief - this is not only unacceptable but also quite dangerous, as my Kingsguard could have mistaken you for a threat. When you gained access to my bedchamber a fortnight past, I made it clear to you that I would tolerate no further such transgressions on your part. And now, I find that you have beaten a servant girl senseless so that you might steal her clothes and try once again to sneak into my bedroom. Corinne, I can forgive your actions as they affect myself, but I cannot allow you to harm innocent people because of your obsession with me!" That last part came out more harshly than you intended, but as you recalled the poor girl who Corinne had attacked, the dried blood upon her scalp and the bruises upon her face, you could not completely repress your own anger.

"It is not obsession, Xavier! It is love!" She advanced a step toward the throne, and Sir Benedicht was compelled to step forward as well and put his hand in front of her to stop her. "From the moment I first saw you, I knew that I loved you! We are meant to be as one, I know this in my heart to be true!"

"It is not my wish to break a young heart," you say, rising to your feet, "but I must be unmistakeably clear with you, Corinne. I do not have these same feelings for you. In my eyes you are still a child, not a woman. If you were a woman grown, I would still find myself unable to return your affections because of how you have acted without regard for the welfare of others. Understand this now: I do not love you, nor can I imagine I ever will in the manner that you wish me to. We will never be together in this life. You must accept this, or I will have **** but to banish you from Elyssia."

"Never in this life," she whispered then, and her dark eyes lifted to meet yours for an instant.

You did not see it at the time, but it was in that moment that Lady Trina took the hilt of her sword in hand and stepped slighty forward, even though no one else perceived any cause for alarm. Had Trina not been so prepared, then just like everyone else in the hall, she would have been too late when Corinne drew out the hidden blade from her sleeve - even Sir Benedicht, who stood right next to her, could not react before the young girl whipped her arm around and hurled the knife across the room, straight for your throat!

But in the same instant, Lady Trina leapt before you with her sword drawn and intercepted the flying knife, striking at it with her own weapon and knocking it to the floor. Corinne had screamed and tried to lunge at her, but by then Sir Benedicht had grabbed her, and Sir Magnus had jumped to Trina's side with his Claymore at the ready. It was over so quickly - but then, you realized that had it not been for Lady Trina, your life would have been over as well.

It took several minutes to restore order; nothing like this had ever taken place in your court, and only the Kingsguard and Lord Duncan seemed able to remain calm enough for decisive action. You ordered Magnus to take Corinne to the dungeon, where she was to be put in irons and held until her trial could be reconvened. It was as Magnus dragged her away that the extent of Corinne's madness was truly revealed, as she struggled in vain against his enormous hands and screamed words at you which were at once terrible curses and declarations of undying love, along with promises of **** to Lady Trina. Poor Magnus clearly had to struggle within himself to keep a tight grip, as he could tell that her wild struggles to break free caused her pain and it tore at his heart to treat a young girl in such a manner, but he did not dare to let her go even to get a more comfortable hold upon her.

It was the last time you saw Corinne, as Lord Duncan advised that for her to see you again even for her sentencing hearing would only further drive her into madness. Her father, a simple woodcutter known as Samson, begged you on his knees for his daughter's life. Of course you had no intention of putting her to ****, as she was only a child and obviously sick in her mind, but she clearly could not be simply pardoned for the crime of attempted ****. The following day, you reluctantly signed the order to banish Corinne forthwith from Elyssia, never to return. Her father took her down the mountains and far away to a convent, where he gave her over to the holy sisters; what became of him afterward, no one in Elyssia ever learned. The nuns wrote to you each year with assurances that Corinne prospered under their care; and that she seemed to have put the entire matter from her mind, never speaking of it again.

And now, Corinne stands before you. The nuns were either well-fooled or less than honest in their reports, as she has clearly forgotten nothing, and if her feelings about you have changed it can't possibly be for the better.

"You have nothing to say to me?" she asks, the tone of her voice as if she had run into you at a party and you failed to greet her.