the planet revolved around its sun in the same orbit and at the same speed it always had, even though all life on it had been destroyed in a great war, except for two creatures…
it had all begun a few hundred revolutions of the planet before…
i do not understand you, arabella. you are the most beautiful girl in the empire…. you can have your pick of rich old men, who will die after a few years and leave you rich and free… or of handsome young wealthy men, if that is your fancy… but instead you wish to become an assassin!
i wish to undergo the rigorous training of an assassin, my friend, because that is the only way i can hope to penetrate the heavily guarded fortress of prince d—————, who has wronged me so grievously, and take my terrible and righteous revenge against him.
very well, if you insist, i will use my influence with the vizier to have you admitted to the imperial school of assassins. but it seems a terrible waste to me. and you know, of course, of the rigorous training of the school, which spares none, and destroys so many…
i know of it, and i look forward to it!
but it was not to be thought that arabella’s beauty would pass unnoticed at the school of assassins, either by darl verloff, the master of the school, or by the vizier himself.
arabella was set aside for special training for a single mission - the assassination of the heir to the rival empire, which assassination would plunge the two empires into the war which had been the studied aim of the vizier from the time he had assumed power, many years before arabella, and most of the imperial subjects, had been born.
the heir to the rival throne was, darl verloff and the vizier assured arabella, an empty headed young fellow susceptible to the wiles of women much less alluring than arabella, and his dispatch would prove sufficient training for arabella, who would then be allowed to proceed with her vengeance against prince d————.
*
the planet was no different from any other in its galaxy, or any planet around any sun in any galaxy in any universe.
nothing went as planned.
*
the war erupted in a concentrated fury that neither side had anticipated, and the elaborate plans and stratagems that the generals and admirals of both sides had spent tens of thousands of days perfecting, went up in smoke and flames with the rest of the two empires.
arabella never got to take her revenge on prince d———-, but she was one of the two creatures on the planet to survive after seven days.
the other was a poor peasant named willy, from the other side of the planet. willy was undersized and half blind, and had been expelled from his village into the deep woods for beating a pig, a creature the villagers held sacred. willy had protested that because of his poor eyesight he had thought he was beating a porcupine, but his excuse was not accepted and he was banished.
now he found himself alone on the planet with the beautiful arabella.
eventually their paths crossed.
beautiful creature, willy exclaimed when he glimpsed arabella, fate has brought us together to start civilization anew. surely you will be mine.
of course, arabella replied, how could it be otherwise?
but i see you are carrying a sword, willy answered. throw it aside, please, that i may approach.
i will keep the sword, arabella said, gripping the weapon tightly, and trust that you will trust me. if you can not trust me on this, how can there ever be true love between us? come, come closer.
willy hesitated.
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