A Villains Apology

“Well done, Lander. We have finally defeated them. You have helped me do what I set out to achieve in life. You’ve made a grand apprentice, and thus I am handing my sword down to you. Good luck on your future journeys, and may you be delivered a sidekick that is just as good to you as you’ve been to me. So long, dear friend.”

Lander watched as the supervillain he had been fighting alongside for months, Pandora, walked away from their final battle. This moment that she had been waiting for had come, and Lander thought that he would be more excited.

All he could do was stand there, looking at his shiny reward and the lips of the princess he’d thought he hated grow bluer in the dim light. Why was he not celebrating? Why was he not happy? These thoughts raced through his mind, plagued him almost.

“This is what we wanted. This is what all of that training I went through was for. We worked hard for this,” Lander spoke softly, partly to himself and partly to the body on the ground.

It seemed to Lander that a half-hour had gone by as he stood there, knees growing more and shakier and breath getting away from him the more he looked at her. Her long, vibrantly colored hair was captivating. Her gown was torn but still just as beautiful as when they’d taken her.

“I’m,” Lander started, his voice ever so slightly echoing in the empty room. “I’m so sorry.”

Just then, it seemed that something in the room had notably shifted. Whatever had been holding Lander together gave way to his true feelings. Feelings he thought he had buried with the help of Pandora. Feelings that had almost become foreign with how much he’d covered them over the past six months. Or so he thought, at least.

“I’m sorry this happened to you. You didn’t deserve this. Why did I do this? Why did I help someone so wicked? I never wanted this! I loved you! I still do love you! Even as you lie here, dead partially by my own hands. I wish I could turn back the clock and never associate myself with someone so villainous. I did the worst thing possible to someone I loved so much more than I could ever love my own self. I don’t want this victory and I don’t want this bloody weapon!” He threw the sword as hard and far as he could away from the two of them, on his knees now, and cried for the first time in years. Pandora had splendid powers that he never even noticed before this moment. Before the duo met, Lander would have thrown himself in front of a wild lion for the princess but, he ended up becoming the lion in all of the commotion.

Lander punched the stone floor beside the princess, feeling hurt, foolish, and more idiotic than ever. He lied his head against the princess’ chest and let out a loud sob.

“Serenity!”