An Ending?

An Ending? by Shikhar (a Short Story Contest submission)

I'm at the end, my life a failure. So upon the stool I stand, thick rope cinched around my throat, knot centered before my hyoid bone, and whisper a prayer for the dying. I step off ….
The millisecond of pain barely registers.

Upon horseback, we approach Castle Shadow. For a moment, another life flashes before mine eyes. I whisper a prayer for the dying; lead the warriors forward at a fierce trot.