Faustian Bargain

“Wait.” My head was swimming again. “You want me to… murder people? Kill the other proxies?”

“I know you can do it. After all, I chose you for this purpose.” His chilling gaze met mine with a level of certainty that I probably should have been offended by.

“Now you don’t have to go around on a massacre,” he continued. “Just snuff out who I say when I say once or twice, and I’ll handle the rest. Aside from that, you’ll be able to go on one of those storybook adventures you love so much. Do some good, be a real hero to the unwashed masses.”

I couldn’t help staring at him blankly. I was entirely hung up on the “snuff out” part of his explanation. KILL people? What was going on here?

“My maid will be our direct line of communication, bringing you letters and materials needed to get the jobs done,” the prince gestured to the unmoving woman I had almost forgotten about, ignoring my dumbfounded face. “Normally I’d just have my usual contacts carry out this plan, but unfortunately proxies and the members of their contracted parties are protected by a powerful magic that rules this contest. Random people can’t hurt you or the people in your group. Nobles can’t even hurt you. The only exception to the rule is, hilariously, the other proxies. You can most definitely hurt each other.” He sat back, delighted. “I do love a good loophole.”

How cruel, I thought. And then, more pragmatically, How odd that no one else has thought of this before now.

“Don’t get too cocky though,” Elias said sternly. “The magic doesn’t make you immune to all damage. It just means no one outside of the competition can harm you. Assassins might not be able to take you out, but monsters and the environment can still maim or even kill you on your journey. You’ll have to be careful.” His face turned petulant. “I don’t want to lose the crown because you stumble off a cliff.”

It was all too much. I needed to get away from this place, this sadistic little imp of a prince. “I’ve lost my appetite,” I said as I rose to my feet and began walking back toward the bedroom. He watched me go, his slender fingers idly twirling his fork. I was a little surprised he didn’t stop me.

“Get changed while you’re thinking, I’ll wait here until you’re ready.” Prince Elias called after me, his jovial tone somehow cold as ice.

I went into the room, closing the door behind me, and face planted onto the bed. For a long moment, I stayed in that spot, part of me wondering if I could smother myself into unconsciousness and wake up in my own bed in my own world again. But somehow, I knew that wouldn’t work. I sat up and looked around the room, scanning for details.

I realized that my bed was made, a small pile of neatly folded clothing resting at the foot of it. When had that happened? Maybe there was another maid about; that, or the one in the dining room had slipped out and back again, which I supposed was possible. I had been distracted.

I rolled over and forced myself back onto my feet. Putting on clothes seemed like a good idea; I felt very exposed in my pajamas. I examined the pieces of the outfit and began dressing myself, the monotony of the familiar chore easing my thoughts for a moment. The clothes were plain but seemed well-made and serviceable. I was relieved to see I was given pants to wear instead of a skirt.

While I dressed, I thought about everything Elias had said. It was complicated, almost comically so, and his confidence in my ability to assassinate other people made me uneasy. I began to try to unpack the details about the competition, searching for alternatives to the path the prince had chosen, but the intricacies of this royal system were more than I could truly comprehend in my current state. Feeling an edge of panic begin to rise, I began rationalizing my situation instead of looking for other options. Perhaps the prince had other ideas, back-up plans that he might consider instead. Perhaps he would decide I was not the killer he thought I could be.

I pondered my role as the proxy. I had the impression that I was the only proxy the prince could summon; there were no do-overs. He had chosen me, and with that came a bit of leverage. He had tried to intimidate me into falling in line, but I only needed to cooperate as far as was necessary to live. As long as I was still breathing and given any agency at all, I could try to push back against what I didn’t like. I could try to alter the path he had laid out. I might not be able to avoid all of his machinations, but I was not a mindless slave, either. That gave me a bit of hope.

I’d be lying if I didn’t also acknowledge that part of me was girding for the worst. There was, of course, a chance that things would play out as the prince wanted. There was a chance I would have to assassinate someone else if I wanted to live. I had no way to know how this was going to go, for me or for the other proxies. A tiny voice in my head made an attempt to justify the worst case outcome: If only one proxy will survive this contest anyway, what difference does it make if I’m the one who deals the final blow? If all the losers die at the end, why not strive to be the winner so I can go home?

Of course, I had only the prince’s word that any of this worked the way he described it. He claimed that only the winning proxy went home, and he’d given every indication that the losers would die, but was that true? Then again, I didn’t have anyone else to ask; the maid didn’t seem to talk, and I had seen no one else in this place. I looked down at my clean palms one last time, then clenched my fists and marched back out to confront the prince.

“That was quick,” the prince remarked, never doubting I would return in due course. “Let’s begin.”

“I have two conditions.” I asserted, leaning on the table and flattening my palms against the wood. The prince raised an eyebrow but didn’t rise.

“Go on, I’m listening,” he said.

“First, I want full autonomy over any actions I take outside of the assassinations. I will accept suggestions and guidance that will help me achieve our shared goal, but if we disagree, I’m the proxy and my choice goes.” I wasn’t entirely sure if it worked that way, but there was nothing to lose by trying to insist on it.

“Annoying but acceptable, for now.” The prince conceded with a slight frown. I felt a moment’s victory. “Your second condition?”

“You have to start wearing pants.”

“What?” The prince scoffed, visibly caught off guard. “What possible reason would you have to make that demand?”

I leaned in as close as I dared, infusing my tone with as much venom as I could muster. “I’m out of my element here, forced to dance to your tune. Making your daily life even marginally more inconvenient would give me the much needed morale to succeed.”

A pregnant pause hung in the air between us.

Suddenly, the prince laughed and jumped to his feet. “Alright, you have yourself a deal.” He offered his hand to me to shake. “Tell me your name again, I’ve already forgotten it.”

“I’m Kai, a displeasure to meet you.” I bumped the back of his hand with the back of mine instead of grasping his palm.

The prince chuckled at my petty defiance “And I am prince Elias, you’d best not forget it Kai.”

I had the feeling he was grudgingly pleased with me, that my attitude both annoyed and entertained him. For the moment, it was working for me, but I sensed I shouldn’t push it too far.

“I can tell I picked the right person for the job.” Elias said with a sly smile. “The look in your eyes says it all.”

“I wish I had never laid eyes on you, or on this place. But now that I’m here, I hope you’re right, for both our sakes.” I sat down across from the prince, staring him down as I did.

“Indeed, for both our sakes, I hope you get to be there to hold your baby.”

A spark of white hot anger pierced me at his words, and I barely kept my seat. One glance at his expression told me that he was trying to provoke me, and the smartest thing to do would be to ignore the bait. But it was difficult. He looked slightly disappointed.

“The first stage of the competition officially begins at dawn tomorrow,” Elias said, all business again.

Soon, I thought. And whether I live or die will be largely dependent on the mad young prince across from me.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath as the image of my fiancée appeared in my mind.

I’ll be home soon. Wait for me.