A Referee In The Game Of Life [Fiction]

I have always been a referee in the game of life. The one tasked with bringing aligned souls together. The mantle I bore was based on rules written before my time. We never deviate from them.

While others swung swords and spears in battle to win the hearts of their beloveds, I watched from the sidelines as my efforts came to fruition. Most of the time.

But not this time.

Prisca would not succumb to my power to bind her fate with Lorian's.

She was quiet and beautiful in an intriguing way, a wispy smile fixed on her oval face as though she nursed a secret. It made people look twice. She stirred a curiosity and hunger in me.

The effect on Lorian was instant, and I barely nudged him. Riding through the square, he spotted her on the balcony watching the sun set. As she gazed towards the horizon as golden light spilled over her honey-blonde hair, lending her an almost angelic glow.

The attraction was real. Lorian hailed her from atop his horse, waving his hand eagerly. I mouthed, ‘yes’ and fist-pumped from the tree branch where I perched.

My triumph was short-lived as Prisca sneered and stalked back into her house. The young man's face flushed with embarrassment as his friend patted him on the back and they rode away.

Every attempt to bring the two youngsters together proved a most aggravating task. Lorian was the perfect gentleman. Well bred, handsome, a nobleman’s son. Yet Prisca turned down every invitation to visit or befriend her, breaking rule after rule in the Cupid's Book.

I had lived through countless courtships. I had seen men move mountains for simply a dance at a ball. And women blush and bloom like roses beneath tender words and romantic gestures.

I felt every emotion secondhand and fantasied what it would be like to feel them for myself. But I could never intervene. That was my curse.

Until now.

For the first time, I stopped being the invisible referee and stepped onto the scene.

The sky held its breath. Fate screamed against my deviation as I took on mortal form, driven by the need: to understand what Prisca truly wanted.

Dear curious reader. I crossed the line and finally understood.

Prisca wanted love.

And this time, she chose me.

I hope you enjoyed reading this short piece. It's inspired by the Freewrite #dailyprompt phrase "referee in the game of life".

Thank you for visiting my blog.

^{_{Image credit: CallaNegra}}