Fate: Week 6 Story

Codiesta by Techfiesta. Found on Wikimedia.

NOW
The heir to the so called thrown, the company was being walked away in handcuffs. He looked back on what had happened. How he got here. And all he could think was... Was this fate?
THEN
"Dad, I'm not saying that she isn't a wonderful person. Or that it would really even be a bad relationship. But an arranged marriage?" said Alex.
"Son, you know why we have to do this. This will link out companies together and expand our empire. Isn't that what you want? To be the CEO of the biggest company the world has ever seen?"
"Yes, but come on! I don't want to get married just yet. Plus, right now I like the way my life is."
"Of course you do. But not all of the board members like your reputation as a playboy. It's having a negative effect on the company's perception in the media. DO you want this to be what tanks us?"
"No! No, of course not. Just give me a little time to figure things out. I heard about this program, brand new algorithm, it predicts who you're meant to be with. Your fate. If this girl is what it shows, I'll do it. I'll marry my match."
"Fine. Figure it out."
And so Alex left, off to find the coder to ensure his match would be the best possible person for him to marry. He had, after all, predicted the most successful couples in the world in the last few years.
NOW
"What happened? Why did you kill her?" asked the detective in front of him.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," said Alex.
THEN
The Coder proved harder to find than him would have thought, having retreated off the grid and only known to those on the ark web. But as he is investigating, looking for a hacker to get him in, he comes across a username- The Angel. The Angel is known for it's skill in assisting those in need, and he did need to find the coder. After many days of trying to make contact, The Angel replied.
<You're looking for The Castle.>
<Yes, how do I find it.>
<Follow the trail. It will lead you there.>
<What trail?>
<This one.>
And so he did.
NOW
"No matter what, you are going down for this. Why did you kill Abby Miller?"
"It was Fate."
"What do you mean by that? Why do you think it was fate? Why did you kill her??"
"No, it was Fate."
THEN
Following the trail lead him to The Castle, an online safe haven created to house the code, the algorithm he sought. But The Coder meat him at the gate, at the entrance to his destiny.
<What do you want with Fate?>
<I wish to know who I am meant to marry. I known you have predicted successfully for people in the past.>
<No. You don't understand this program. Fate will bring you down. Everyone who glances at their Fate is ruined. Turn back now.>
Alex refused to heed the warning, instead going deeper into The Castle to fill out his request.
---What do you seek?---
---My perfect match.---
---Calculating... Abby Miller.---
Abby Miller. There are so many people with that name.
---Which one?---
---2nd and Destiny Avenue.---
And so he went there.
NOW
"Don't you see? I had to do it! It was Fate! It's all Fate's fault! We couldn't have been a match!"
THEN
He got to the intersection and found a small restaurant- The Mill. When he went inside, he found the owner and asked for Abby Miller.
"I need to see her," said Alex.
"Why? What do you want with my daughter?"
"I want to marry her."
"Well, she doesn't work here. My daughter has been ill for many years. She's in the hospital down the street."
"Thank you. I'll go there next."
The hospital was unlike any that he had every visited. It was run down, the white walls faded to grey and the floor scuffed and battered with use. But he found her room, where she was sleeping.
"What's wrong with her?" he asked to the nurse on duty.
"No one really knows, she has no strength and can't stay awake. It's almost like her body is giving up on her.Her symptoms don't match any disease and we can't get the inflammation down."
He went in to look at her, her eyes closed and her face red with fever.
This was unfair. How was this USELESS girl his match? How could Fate be so wrong. This can't be his Fate. If he gets rid of her. Yes. If he gets rid of her Fate will have to find him a new match. Someone worthy of being by his side as he rose to power to control the largest company in the world. That what he would do.
And so he did.
NOW
"Can't you see? It was Fate's fault! If it had just given me a better match, none of this would have happened! It was Fate! Fate!"

Author's Note:
This story was adapted from Fate found in Georgian Folk Tales, by Marjory Wardrop (1894). In the original story, the prince sets off into the forest to find his fate. When he finds out that he is meant to be with a miller's daughter, he decides he must rectify this. He comes across the miller's hut on the way home, getting shelter there int he night. As he realizes where he is, he decides to kill the daughter and leave money to pay for the damages. The girl survives and the family buys a castle with the money left behind. He later comes upon her, not knowing who she is an marries her, making there fate true.
In my version, I decided to set it in a futuristic world, where a code exists that can determine your fate. The same general plot happens, but she does not survive. His obsession with Fate and his future was caused his own misfortune, for it to collapse in on him.