Ending to The Lady and the Tiger

The Princess looked down upon her lover. She saw his young face. Sparkling emerald eyes return her gaze. She knew that if their love affair was discovered it would lead to this?this trial in the king?s arena. She knew that behind the young man stood two doors, one concealed a beautiful blushing lady. Radiant with sapphire eyes and skin as white as the seasons first snow. If the man choose this door he would be married to the lady, on the spot no questions asked. But if the young man chose the other door then his doom was sealed, for a ferocious, merciless creature waited behind this door. With its dark cold eyes and fire-striped coat, lustful for the taste of blood, the tiger crouched behind the door ready to spring. The princess looked at her love. Even with death all around him, all the young man saw was the princess. The princess knew that he would die that day either by the tiger?s teeth and claws or by his own broken heart. For what could be worse than a tiger except perhaps marriage to another while your true love looks on? But the princess held her own secret. For although the secrets of the doors were shrouded in mystery the princess?s plan had been simple. She would beg, bribe, lie, even kill to get her way, and she got it. She knew behind which door stood the lady and behind which door stood the tiger. What?s more, the young man knew that she had learned the secret of the doors. He had expected her to know it. And he knew her well enough to know what door she would pick. He knew whether he would be facing the lady or the tiger. Without hesitation the princess moved her hand to the right. Then her lover standing straight and tall strode quickly over the white sands towards the door. The tiger took his life.

Why would the princess lead the lover to his death? Why would she kill her true love? To understand this we must first understand the princess. The princess dreamed of what it would be like to send her lover to the tiger. The blood and gore made her