I Refuse to be a Named Character

Part 2

"I did it!" Chloe clutched her own bow, stepping out with a smile. "That's what you get for underestimating Prince Graham! HE's the true future king, no a pretender like you!"

I groaned quietly, preparing to shoot again.

"..." Corran's smile widened. "Very well. I had initially planned to leave some of you alive..." He whistled, and ten men stood out from cover, weapons drawn. "But since you have a death wish, I should be kind and grant it for you!"

With loud screams, they rushed forward, I fired shot after shot, disabling a handful, but as they reached our group, it was difficult to shoot without friendly fire. Fortunately several of the young women in Graham's team were excellent swordswomen, but they were outnumbered.

I drew my sword, feeling frustrated. What happened in the book again? How did Graham escape? I struggled to remember, even as I moved closer to the fight, my heart beating nervously in my chest.

Oh wait...

As it struck me, I heard terrified screams from Corran's men.

It wasn't that someone showed up to help Graham...

The sounds of fighting grew louder.

Wasn't it just that an even bigger villain showed up?

Fighting his way through the group, a strangely familiar figure cut through Corrans' men, his blade moving faster than the eye could follow. With his help the tide turned, and soon there was only Corran left, injured and enraged.

"WHY DID YOU INTERFERE?!" His screams were answered by silence from the man who stood in front of him.

I stared at his back, feeling a growing unease. Even without seeing his face, I felt I knew him... My hand reached over, touching the beads at my wrist.

But it can't be him... why would he be here? Unless... A terrifying thought, one I had always avoided, came back at full force. I shook my head, trying to clear it. I must be imagining things.

"If you destroy your token, I will spare your life." The man's quiet response caught everyone by surprise.

"You lie!" Corran scoffed. "There's no way you'd let a threat like me live!"

The man shrugged. "Without your token, you can't compete for the throne. Why would I need your life?"

Corran stared at him, silently struggling. I remembered from the book that he was a proud man. The idea of giving up probably sat poorly with him. But was it worth his life?

The answer it seemed, was no

"Very well." He finally, reluctantly spoke up. He reached into his pocket, bringing out a golden ring. "I will destroy..."

An arrow bloomed in his throat, blood tracing a path down to soak the collar of his shirt. A startled expression frozen on his face, Corran's body fell to the ground, the soft impact seeming unbearably loud in the shocked silence.

I stared over at Graham, who still held up his bow with a bright smile. Seeing the gazes of the crowd turn towards him, he shrugged. "I'm avenging our fallen teammate, Alara."

Poor Alara. I shuddered as I thought of the girl who had died at the beginning of the fight. She was one of Graham's most trusted companions. But she was a main character, and this terrible plot wouldn't let her go.

The dark haired man who had rushed to our aid stared at the dead body of Corran for a moment, before turning to walk away without another word.

"WAIT!" Graham called out after him. "Are you really going to just help us and leave without saying a word?"

The man kept walking.

"Not even to say hello to your fiancé?"

He froze in his tracks. My breath stopped for a moment as he turned around to face us, praying silently that what I suspected wasn't true.

At the sight of his familiar face, I let out the air I had held in, feeling lightheaded.

"What do you want, Graham?" He didn't look angry or annoyed. If anything he seemed... nervous.

"Not much, brother." Graham smiled, stepping closer. "Just thought it might be nice for you two to talk after so long apart. Even if she's technically helping out your competition."

"I appreciate the concern." The young man's smile was forced as he moved away from Graham, stopping in front of me. I studied him silently as he drew near. He was different than I remembered, he had grown taller, his face more mature and filled out. But his eyes... the blue so dark they seemed almost black... they were unchanged. A brief flash of guilt shone from them as he looked straight at me, and a helpless smile tugged at his lips.

"Hello again." His voice was barely over a whisper, but I felt my heart beat faster.

"Hello Luke." I paused for a moment, feeling tired. "Or I guess I should call you Lucien?"

He didn't deny it, and I felt a pain in my chest.

He was my first friend in this world, one of my closest friends in either to be honest.

But he was also the story's villain. The violent murderer who slaughtered everyone who opposed him? Whose parts in the book I often skipped because the descriptions made me sick to my stomach?

That villain was Luke?

I hate this story.

I looked up at the one person I had trusted in this world, feeling lost.

"I think we need to talk."