A spark hit me this morning, so I decided to do a little bit of creative writing just for fun over my lunch break. It’s not part of anything, just an unprompted short with a couple variant endings. Enjoy (or don’t, I’m not your boss)!
The resemblance was unmistakable. It was as though I had returned to five hundred years. There you were, standing tall as you did back then. Even your pose was the same. Well, not exactly. Back then you would always rest your hand upon the hilt of your sword. Now, it was hooked in the buckle of a belt. There was no cloak billowing in the breeze, but rather a jacket made of fibers that did not exist even a century ago. A helmet of steel gave way to headphones of plastic. But the face and expression, the parting in the hair, the glints of copper in an otherwise golden beard, those deep blue eyes…
Your genes were strong. I knew they would be. It was only fitting for the only man who could ever defeat me.
Nostalgia filled my heart as I approached, still unnoticed. I thought back to the times we shared, the trials we went through. The joys and griefs. Long ago as it was, my memory was impeccable, and even if it wasn’t, you were someone I could never fail to recognise.
Still, strong as those genes were, I knew this was not you, not the man I once knew. That man was long dead. So too were your kin, and so on. Generations had passed. Kingdoms rose and fell. So little of what once was still remains, save perhaps some old stones, and myself.
So lost in thought I was that I nearly failed to notice the large vehicle speeding across from us…
-
He had missed it as well, distracted as he was. You were never good at observing your surroundings either.
A moment later, and the bloodline would have ended there. A line I had known for centuries, erased in an unfortunate accident. Fortunately, my reflexes were still as sharp as they were when we once clashed, as they were when we fought side by side. They did not fail me, and I did not fail him.
He was thankful, though I don’t believe he realised how close to death he came, and what meaning that would have had. I did not burden him with that knowledge. For a moment, he looked at me as though there was a spark of recognition, but the moment faded as quickly as it came. He carried on, and some time later, so did I.
I've kept my promise, old friend. Your family will be safe, always.
-
All it took was a simple push. A tumble, a crash. Nobody noticed me in the commotion. I lingered long enough to confirm the death. The last of your descendants, felled by a tragic accident. A bloodline centuries in the making, ended with such mundanity.
I told you I was patient in all things, even revenge. Such is my privilege.