Birthday Girl

The King slowly led his daughter into the large chamber located deep within the bowels of the stronghold. The teenage girl shivered as the cool air rushed past. "Alright Maria, you can open your eyes now", the King whispered gently. Maria dutifully stopped and opened her blue eyes, adjusting to the darkness of the dungeon.

There was a boy kneeling in front her, his slim legs and arms restrained with zip ties. The young woman gasped as her eyes spotted the large fluffy ears emerging from his hair, and the soft tail flicking nervously back and forth from his rear. He wore a cream colored branded shirt and black briefs with red accents. His skin was chocolate, with dark glossy hair and fur tipped with pale white. The boy's large, dark eyes watched her warily as she approached. "A cat boy?", she asked. "We caught this thief within the castle grounds", grumbled the King. "Little shit was in the midst of making away with your mother's jewellery, and my ceremonial dagger".

The King took Maria aside and looked down at her. "You're 16 now sweetheart, and must learn the duties and responsibilities of a ruler." He glanced at the boy, then back at his daughter. "Execute him. Choose any method you like." Maria turned pale. "B-but I, I can't", she stammered "I get squeamish at the sight of blood!" The King's stern expression softened. "I know, you're a total cinnamon roll, you can't even hurt a fly. But, you must learn to rule, and part of that means learning to value death and pain to cement your authority." Maria looked down. "Yes, sir", she whispered.
"That's my girl", the King smiled. "After you kill him, we'll have a nice birthday party, I've got Mrs. Wardsworth busy in the kitchen baking your favorite cake". The King stood up and walked past. Before closing the dungeon door behind him, he turned and gave an encouraging thumbs up. The door swung shut, leaving Maria and the cat boy alone together.

She slowly shuffled closer to him, and awkwardly cleared her throat. "E-excuse me".
The boy looked up, his dark, boyish features twisted in a scowl. "What?" he growled.
"W-what's your name?", Maria stammered. She hated being so socially inept.
"Enlor", the boy muttered. Maria looked closer, and saw his slender arms trembling. "Ah, nice to meet you Enlor", she said in the fakest cheerful tone she could muster. The princess looked around, thinking of a tool that would avoid creating a mess. A large axe was laid beside a wooden stump stained dark and covered in cuts. She shivered as her imagination conjured up the fountain of blood a beheading would create. As she looked over the rifles and nooses and vials of poisons, her father's words reverberated through her head. "One must learn to rule, ruling means sometimes you have to kill, and not mind getting dirty", she mumbled to herself. Alright then, she thought. I'll get my hands dirty.

Maria stumbled over to the bladed weapons and picked up a strange curved sword. A katana, she recalled. Father had imported it from the Far East. The sheen of the finely crafted sword attracted her attention, its heft and balance keeping her attention. It felt like an extension of her body.

Enlor watched, his heart pounding. As Maria walked back towards the cat boy, he pulled at his restraints. They held firm, the plastic simply biting into his skin. "Wait, please!", he yelled.

Enlor's face was flushed and sweaty. "May I have some water, ma'am?" he asked. Maria took a bottle from the table beside her, unscrewed the cap and tipped it towards his mouth. He sucked at the teat greedily, then withdrew with a quenched sigh. "Alright, Enlor. If you could kindly present your neck". Maria asked, her tone sweet yet firm. He obeyed. "Thank you very much".

Maria unsheathed the katana from its scabbard. She lined up the blade against the neck. Enlor exhaled and inhaled, staring intensely at the cobblestone floor. Sweat dripped from his forehead, rolling down his nose and off his chin. The blow came at last, Maria putting all her strength into the downward slash.
The katana performed wonderfully, slicing through Enlor's skin, muscle, and spinal column with a single stroke. The head flew forward, bouncing and rolling across the floor of the dungeon, a trail of blood in its path. The cat boy's torso slumped forward, a bright red splash of blood coating the front of his shirt. Yet more blood spurted forth from the severed stump, pooling around his prostrate torso, his hands mindlessly clenching and relaxing within their restraints. Gingerly, Maria pressed her foot against Enlor's shoulder and pushed. The headless corpse fell on its side. Urine dribbled from the stained crotch of the boy's briefs. The Princess wiped the blade off on Enlor's shirt and sheathed it once more.

She turned, and abruptly puked up her lunch. The stench of blood, piss and sweat was too much for her.
Maria wiped her mouth clean and grit her teeth. She picked up Enlor's head, cautiously avoiding the congealing puddle of blood, washed off the blood from his nostrils and lips in the dungeon sink, wiped his head dry, and placed it on a pillow. "Father will be proud, I'm sure of it", she said to Enlor's slack face, his eyes half lidded and dull.