The time was drawing near. My time has come.

Would I give up my kingdom so easily? I can always hide.

“Altimis could do it, why can't I?” I yelled, as I slammed my knife deep into the table in frustration. The fingers lying around the table shuddered. I picked another one up and attached it to my stump.

“Gjh lt,” I whispered while holding it at my stump. “GJH LT!” I yelled more desperately afer nothing happened. I grabbed another finger and held it up. “GJH LT! GJH LT! … RRRaaarrrrrgggggghh!” I threw everything aside and flipped my table in rage. The fingers rolled effortlessly across the room, and my knife slid out of the table and onto the ground.

I fell to my knees with my head in my hands. “No, no, no... not like this. I can't end likes this.”

I put too much work into this kingdom. They owe me.

Everyone owes me; Altimis owes me.

I crawled over to my knife and held it high above my head. I paused. The light from the torch danced on its blade.

Funny how fire can provide so much light and so much fear at once.

I quickly embedded the knife into my hand and began to cut out the accursed stump. I cried out in agony, but my adrenaline urged me to continue. I cut out a rectangular chunk from my thumb in until my middle finger. I threw that dead piece away, and watched it bounce along the floor.

I am free. The curse is gone.

I need another finger, where are my fingers?

I look around for a spare finger and I picked one off the ground. I placed it up to my hand and said, “Gjh lt.” I laughed when I saw a bright light appear around my hand. My hand was healing; it was working! To my horror, I saw what was really happening.

The sinews and fibers of lost tendons wove around a mound of red and blue webs. A large black bone protruded where the last bone had been removed. Pink flesh filled in the gaps, and then a thin layer of black, dead, cursed skin covered that. When the light faded, my hand was healed, but it wasn't attached to the finger I held there.

No.

NO!

“NOOOooooooo!”

I stabbed my hand with my knife over and over again. I saw blood leaking all over the floor, from my wounds. It flowed neatly into the grooves between stones and filled my room with an eerie red hue. I raised my mangled hand above my head and bits of flesh dripped into my right eye. I wiped it out and looked at the torch through my hand. I screamed as the pain finally registered.

I cuddled my hand to my stomach and yelled out in between sobs, “Gjh lt... gj... gjh lt.” My hand quickly healed again, but the pain remained. Why did the pain remain?

Why doesn't it go away? Why must I be doomed to die?

Why? Why? Why must I cease?

I heard a knock at my door. “King Felix?”

“NO!”

The knocking stopped, but a confused voice replied instead. “But, the dragons...”

“Get away from me!”

“What are we supposed...”

“Stay away from me!”

There was silence. I liked silence. Then the voice behind the door ruined that silence once more. “Yessir.” I could hear his footsteps echo down the hall. There were two of them. I smiled.

Alone at last. Free. Ever free.

“I! AM! FREE!” I laughed, and laughed, and laughed. There was nothing left to do but wait.