"The Lady, or the Tiger?" New Ending

Indeed, the Lady stepped forth. As she tossed and turned through sleepless nights of indecision, the answer became apparent. The young man genuinely and passionately loved her with all his heart, so even if he did live, he would not be satisfied with his new predicament.1

The princess watched the ceremony in studious silence. With glee she noted the mixture of relief and exasperation as the wedding proceeded. All events were proceeding exactly as she had hoped.2

Cloaked in the darkness of that night, she donned the common servant garments she had pilfered before the ceremony and safely strapped on a lethal little dagger. As she approached the new quarters of her love, she sent all the servants away. The king had also been kind enough to provide these new quarters for a lady accommodated to a more luxurious environment. Slipping into the quarters of the newlyweds, she spied the lady preparing to retire, encircled by three of her personal servants. She waited quietly outside the door until all three left the room to stand sentinel outside. Her lover was nowhere to be seen, of course, since he still had his servant’s duties to perform.3

The servants gasped in surprise, but were shortly silenced and disposed of with three hefty pouches of silver. She then slid into the room, and picked up the dim oil lamp in the corner of the room.4

The princess moved fluidly with the lamp to hover over the lady, unsheathing the dagger as she went. The lady made no movement to resist, thinking the princess a servant, come to fix her bedding.5

The princess now loomed directly above the lady. A glint of lamplight reflected from the dagger caught the lady's supine eye, and she exhaled a piercing scream. Startled, the princess dropped the lamp at the foot of the bedding and pierced the lady at the base of the throat. Scream diminished to gurgle and the princess realized her victim was still alive as flailing limbs and nails raked and buffeted her face, drawing blood. A bleeding nose flowed into her mouth, wakening and appetizing the slumbering beast within her. She jerked the blade from the lady’s throat, and struck rapidly. Blood spurted from each new orifice, splattering the princess’s face. The savor of blood aroused a dormant mania, causing her to strike incessantly, each blow multiplying in brutality. So intent was she on mutilating her victim, so enraptured in the killing frenzy, that she did not even notice the flames that had begun to devour her garments.6

Meanwhile, the groom had found himself another new lover.