While I write a lot of different things, one thing I don't write is "Fan Fiction". Nothing against those who do, that just isn't my forte. So, when the short story prompt for my group turned out to be "Game of Thrones", I tried to come up with a different direction for my story.
This story is called "The Choice in the Maze". I would be intrigued to receive any feedback on how the story flows and if it works!
Hope all of you are enjoying the last weeks of Summer!
James
The Choice in the Maze
by James J Meadows III
It was
a day I knew would change my world forever. Though, truth be told, even as I
stood there, resolving myself to carry out the plan I had placed into motion, I
still couldn’t foresee the results of my actions. Not that it mattered. I had
made my decision and there was no turning back now. Whatever the consequences, my
mind was made up.
“Are
you okay?” Kim asked. “You seem nervous.”
Kim, my
girlfriend of two years, stood next to me, looking ravishing in her Daenerys
costume, as we waited to enter the Renaissance Fair. She didn’t know what I was
about to do. She thought this was just another trip to the festival, an
opportunity to enjoy ourselves and spend time together. She couldn’t know the
true reason we had come here today.
“I’m
fine,” I lied, “Just excited.”
My eyes
fell on the security guards, standing at attention outside the gates. Their
eyes swept over the crowd looking for any suspicious faces. The one at the
front of our line kept looking at me, over and over again. His eyes made me
nervous and I shuffled several times. Why did he keep looking at me? Why
couldn’t he look somewhere else?
“You
look really good in your costume,” Kim ventured, apparently trying to break the
tension. “I swear you look just like him.”
I
smiled, thanked her for the compliment, and reassuringly squeezed her hand. My costume for the day was Jon Snow, one of the protagonists of the Game
of Thrones series. It went well with her costume. More importantly, the collection of thick garments provided ample room for concealment, a convenience I needed
if I was going to succeed in my plan.
Pressing
my free hand nonchalantly against the side of my costume, I felt my pocket.
The feel of a small bulky object told me it was still there. My eyes rose back
to the security guards. There were no metal detectors, scanners, or any other
equipment for checking bags and possessions. There was nothing to stop me from
walking right through the door without anyone ever knowing what I carried in my
pocket.
We reached
the front of the line, handed the man our tickets, and were just about to pass
through when the security guard grabbed me by the arm. I froze for a moment,
uncertain of what to do as I turned toward him. He gazed into my face for a
second, a second wherein the world seemed to freeze. Then he smiled, saying,
“Nice costume! You look just like him.”
My
heart, which had momentarily stopped beating, resumed its rhythm as I returned
his smile with a simple, “Thanks.”
He
released me and I headed inside. For the next several hours, Kim and I wandered
the park, visiting shops, catching shows, and otherwise doing what we always
did when we visited. Yet, whenever she wasn’t looking, I found myself checking
my watch and my hand drifted toward the pocket, whose interior concealed the
true reason for our visit.
Over the preceding weeks, I had
planned the exact time and the exact place. Still, as the minutes passed, I
found it strange how each second seemed longer than the last.
As the time drew closer, I put my
plan into place. Casually, in as nonchalant a manner as I could manage, I steered
our shopping and walked in the direction of the main jousting arena, where I
knew hundreds of people were gathered to watch the various shows. She went
along with me, not suspecting anything as she laughed and looked at all the sights
there were to see.
The minutes ticked closer. The arena
was only a few stores down. Everything was going according to plan. Then, it
happened.
“Hello, my lady,” a man’s voice
broke in upon our conversation. “Would you like to visit the Dark Maze?”
The man was dressed in black armor
with frills on his shoulder blades. His costume was almost identical to mine,
although his clean-shaven face and short hair meant he looked far less
convincing. He smiled at us, pointing to a large multi-story building painted
all grey with a thick fence around it, clearly designed to look like a small
castle.
“What is it?” Kim asked, her eyes
taking in the man and the fake keep.
“It is a pair of identical mazes,
one on each side. You have to go through each room, answering trivia questions
about Game of Thrones, Princess Bride, Harry Potter, and other classic movies
and stories. You race against another group of people going along the opposite
side. The team that gets out first is the winner.”
“Sounds like
fun,” Kim declared. “Wanna go?”
She looked at me, excitement and
adventure sparkling in her eyes.
“Well, uh, I mean, it, uh, sounds
like fun,” I stammered, uncertain of what to say.
I checked my watch and glanced at
the arena. I could hear the cheers and shouts coming from the stadium as the
people celebrated the announcement of the knights entering the ring.
“Oh, come on!” She pleaded. “It’ll
be fun.”
“I know,” I replied. “I think it’ll
be great. I’m just not sure, you know if this is quite the right time. Maybe
we could wait and do it in a little bit.”
Kim was about to reply when I felt
a hand land on my shoulder.
“Hey, stranger,” a female voice
said into my right ear.
Kim
gave a shout of excitement and I turned to find myself looking into the faces
of Justin and Marie Kardo. Marie was Kim’s best friend from middle school. The
two were practically inseparable, even going to the same college. In many ways,
dating Kim meant dating them also, and we spent large amounts of time hanging
out together as a couple.
“Oh, hey,”
I replied, my response rather flat compared to the excited squeal Kim gave as
she leaped forward, throwing her arms around Marie.
“What
are you doing here?” Kim shouted.
“We
were given free passes for the day, so we decided to take advantage of them,”
Marie replied. “We just finished watching a show at the arena. What are you
doing?”
“We
were just about to play the castle thing,” Kim said, pointing back at the
structure. She quickly told them all about the maze and the game.
“Sounds
fun,” Justin said. “Wanna race? I bet we can beat it faster than you.”
“Oh no, you won’t, 'cause we’re gonna kick your butts!” Kim laughed, putting on her
‘tough act’. “What do you think?”
Three
pairs of bright excited eyes turned toward me, waiting for my response. Clearly,
this was going to happen, for better or worse. There was no way out of it now.
“Sure,”
I replied. “Let’s go for it.”
The
four of us got in line. Though there were not many people in front of us, it
seemed to take forever. With each passing moment, I became increasingly
anxious. By the time I paid the man the money to enter, my hands were almost
shaking.
“Are
you sure you’re alright?” Kim asked again, clearly beginning to sense my
tension.
“You do
look awfully pale,” Justin noted. “Scared of being beaten by us?”
“As
if,” I replied, trying to put on an air of cockiness, and hide my growing
agitation.
Once
inside the maze, I tried to remain calm, an emotion which contrasted sharply
with Kim, who was all but bouncing off the walls in her eagerness to answer
questions and beat the maze before her friend. Yet, despite my attempt to
maintain a calm demeanor, I felt completely out of sorts, my mind so focused on
other thoughts that I badly missed several questions that I knew.
For
what seemed like an eternity, we moved onward, answering questions and solving
puzzles. I could feel my pocket growing heavier, as though weights were being
added to it every second. By the time we reached the last room, my pocket felt
like a hundred-pound dumbbell, weighing me down with each step.
Half a dozen cloaked figures stood around us as we entered. The leader addressed us.
“You
have reached the final room in the maze. On the other side of this door lies
freedom along with the revelation of either victory or defeat! To see it, you
must answer this question. In the Song of Fire and Ice novels, what are the
words for the House Lonmouth?”
I knew
Kim would know this one. She virtually had the books memorized. Sure enough,
right on cue, she spouted the answer, “The choice is yours.”
“That
is correct,” the leader declared.
If it
wasn’t for the fact that my nerves were so on edge, I might have sighed with
relief. The maze was over. At last, I could carry out the plan that had
brought me here, the act that I had waited for all day, the final conclusion
of all my plots, schemes, and actions. The wait was over.
Kim
laughed and hurried toward the door, pulling me behind her. Just when it seemed
we were about to be released, however, the figures suddenly raised their
swords, blocking her way and moving toward us.
“What
is going on?” Kim asked, stepping back. “I answered the question.”
“You
did,” the leader said. “But you have not answered the last question. There is
one more question you must answer. And, ‘the choice is yours’. You must
choose!”
“Choose?”
Kim said, stepping backward as the figures advanced toward us. “Choose, what? I
don’t understand. What am I choosing? What is the question?”
“The
question is,” I said. “Will you marry me?”
I
pulled a large plastic case from my pocket and knelt before her, flipping it
open to reveal a ring. At the same moment, two of the cloaked figures dropped
their hoods, displaying the grinning faces of Justin and Marie, their eyes
sparkling in the darkness of the room. Other figures dropped their hoods too,
revealing various other family and friends, all collected by me over the past
weeks, all arranged to be here at the exact time and moment, which I’d planned
from the very beginning of the day, though the part of meeting Justin and Marie at the arena had gone slightly awry.
Kim’s
hands shot to her mouth. For one long second, I remained kneeling on the
ground, my nerves screaming as I awaited her answer. Then, at last, a smile
broke across her face.
“Yes,”
she said, lifting me up and giving me a kiss.
It was
a day that would change my world, forever.
