The Lady or The Tiger continued

I watched as my hero reached toward the right door, trusting me with all his heart. He opened the door to meet his fate. The hero stood, bewildered as the crowd roared with confusion when nothing came out. The King rose and bellowed at his servants. Mourners, believing that the King had signaled them, sent off wales of despair throughout the kingdom. Simultaneously a parade of dancers flowed into the arena performing flips and intricate moves. Half the stadium was cheering for the innocent hero and the other half was angry that he was not judged correctly. In the middle of the confusion the princess and the hero slipped out of the passage way which the hero had just opened. Descending through the dungeons they realized that freedom was above ground. They searched for halls that led to the surface but to no avail; they were trapped in the catacombs.

By the time the King had evened out the scene in the arena, the two lovers were deep in the passageways. In fury the King ordered his guards to hasten. The pathways were like tree roots intertwining and overlapping upon each other which confused the guards who returned empty handed. The King unholstered his sword and ran down the tunnel determined to give the lowly life his rightful justice, but not before slitting the throats of his four guards.

Down and down he went, turning into unknown passage ways. He sliced through cobwebs that blocked his path and pushed over barrels of wine. Thinking that he had heard a scream for help coming from a wall to his right, he spun in that direction. There was only niter hanging upon the walls and a freshly plastered look. The King sat down growling in frustration. After catching his breathe and having a bit to drink he continued onward. A pistol shot resounded through the corridors and a laugh echoed along the walls. The two kids were celebrating! How dare they be joyous after corrupting his justice system. They shall both die.

The princess had heard her father coming and quickly told her hero to fold up into the empty wine barrel. She did the same, after securing his lid. In fury the King pushed both barrels over and continued on his merry way. After he passed, they stiffly removed themselves from the barrels and walked up the tunnel away from the King. Knowing it was pointless to retrace their steps the two lovers attempted to make as many turns as possible. It felt like days that they were down there searching for a passage into freedom. “Princess, we must stop and sleep. We will be no good dead from exhaustion,” the hero whispered. She quickly agreed and they settled down for the night. “Let's alternate shifts on guard, alright? I shall take the first watch,” the princess murmured. As soon as the hero drowsed off the princess found herself nodding off. She tried to keep her eyes open, but they would close without her realizing. She soon joined her lover in his dreams.

“Shh, don't wake them,” Shikira, the lead guardian of the portal whispered to her fellow tigers as they scooped under the two exhausted bodies and carried them to the doors.

The princess whimpered when she awoke because her hero was not near her. She called out to him but no one responded. She reached out to find a door in front of her face. She searched for the handle but could not find one. The hero met a similar fate just a few paces away; they did not realize how close they were to each other. Then they could here it, the roar of a thousand tigers. One tiger's voice booming above the rest.

“I, Shikira have the privilege of choosing which of the humans is reprehensible of entering our dimension and which is unoffensive. The innocent shall be adopted among us, and taken in, to be taught our ways. Eventually we shall allow it to go forth to its own country if it so chooses.” Shikira roared at the crowd. Her paws thudded on the ground like thunder as she ran to the right door, then suddenly took a sharp turn and yanked on the left handle. A tall beautiful human stumbled out of the dark. She ripped off its head without another thought.

For the last decade the hero has woven among the tigers. He returns today for his vengeance upon the King. 'Tis the King's time to test his own arena.