Should She Eat Him?

Strange title, I know but hear me out.

I have two options for how the relationship between my male and female lead ends, and I just wanted some input on which was the best ending to their long relationship.

To make a long story short, the leading characters consist of a young prince (he's sixteen at the start of the story) and a woman who appears human but is a member of a completely different species. Her human body is a "cocoon" for Her race's true form.

Now then the problem: The Heroine's species goes through several stages of development in their life-cycle which lasts centuries. During one of these, they burst from their cocoon in a mature state, but lose most of their memories, similar to how we don't remember being babies or even young children.

However, they can absorb memories by devouring other sentient life forms. At the time of the Heroine's maturation, the Prince has grown into an old man and is on the verge of death. Here is where I come to my crossroads:

Option A: He asks her to eat him so that she can have his memories of the adventures they shared together. She'll still lose all her memories, but through his eyes, she would see what they went through to save their world and build a better system.

Option B: They mourn together as he dies; the Old Prince *thinks* of asking her and I give a long analysis of his thoughts on the decision, such as fear of pain, the desire to leave an untouched corpse, what his subjects would think, etc. He lets the moment pass and dies uneaten. She loses her memories and the story ends on a bittersweet note because the last of the heroes who shared that adventure are gone, even if one of them still lives.

So...which one seems most appealing, narrative-wise?

edited 26th Sep '16 7:21:59 AM by Swordofknowledge

I think that depends on the overall tone you are striving for. If it's supposed to be hopeful or generally show that something was accomplished, go for the first option; and if it's supposed to be darker and hopeless then go for the latter option.

Edit: Though personally I do like the first one more, because of the fact that this way something of their adventure remains.

edited 26th Sep '16 8:07:49 AM by Kazeto

I'd go for the first one. It's consensual, practical and touching in a...unique sort of way. I mean, if you can do that, and your buddy is asking you to do that, why would you not do that? Better to eat a friend, right?

Although, as a fan of the downer ending the prospect of his prevaricating leading to her not eating him and losing her memories and does have a certain measure of appeal, too...

So yeah, like said; dependent on tone, I guess.

It depends on what kind of guy your Prince is. Is his regard for his companion such that it would overcome his own cultural mores and fears? Were the two ever lovers, or were they just boon companions? How important is it to him that she remember him and their adventures, as opposed to how important is it to him that his corpse not be eaten? The end could show his growth as a character, or the lack thereof, depending on how you want to play it. What's the overall goal of your story? Has he grown and changed consistently throughout the story? Another thing to consider is his motives for asking her to eat him. Would he be doing it for his own benefit (to be remembered) or for hers (that she remember this relationship)? In a sense, she's dying and being reborn as something else, something new and someone, really, that he doesn't know anymore, so he could be causing her needless pain by encouraging her to remember him. What are her people's view on their metamorphosis?

Also, I assume she has to have emerged from her cocoon in order for her eating him to do any good as far as memories, so she doesn't remember him when he'd have to ask her to eat him. How's that to be navigated?

edited 26th Sep '16 9:17:18 AM by Robbery

Seems to me asking her has no effect on the outcome. The dilemma is entirely his, to arrange things such that his body is there when she emerges, resulting in his being devoured, or to remove himself from her presence before this can happen. What reasons might he have for deciding not to allow her to consume him?

I believe the first option is the better one, it even has a very romantic feel to it if you look past the bloody bits.

And in a way, part of the prince is still alive after he is devoured, and through the memories gifted by him the transformation his love interest undergoes will feel less like a lesser form of death and more like a sign of the changing times and a reminder that while their exploits were in the past, the marks they left are lasting.

Yeah, I'm having trouble coming with a good reason why he wouldnt go for it, but that seems to rob the scene of much of its narrative tension.

First of all, this sounds like an interesting story! How much did their adventures influence the world? Because if they really created some positive changes, I think it can be enough even if no one remembers how it happened. I actually like this option more, but the decision has to come from the characters and their personality. Maybe she wants to move on, a fresh start without someone else's memories. Or maybe he wants her to move on but she wants to remember?

Well, I'm sure the prince wants his old friend to have him over for lunch and share memmories of te good old days... However, he is an important person in the country and I bet quite a few persons in the country would want to kill the monster that ate their ruler. It would be an "happy" ending darkened by the fact that she would now be an hated (but innocent) monster on the run, chased by monster-hunters...

His subjects can think whatever they want should he choose to go about it the right way. Let's say he asks to go out riding one last time, alone, leaving by night. Another close confidante follows and swears that they saw the prince disembark from his horse... and vanish completely.

That is how myths and legends are born.

I'm having a hard time discerning if the question implies that you want to END the story, or CONTINUE it...

Either is acceptable if you want to end it and can have the right amount of gravitas if you do it right.

If you want to continue the story, then you can approach it from the perspective that the prince's memories, ideals, hopes, and dreams may have been unfulfilled and through the merging with an alien being somehow become perverted or twisted—or perhaps realized in a way a limited creature like him never could.

His once good friend becomes the bearer of his knowledge and experience, but through being something fundamentally different perceives them differently and acts on those perceptions to come to wholly different conclusions like becomes a tyrant, apologizes or joins with their once enemies, hunts down his successors, overthrows the country—you have a God Emperor of Dune situation here that you can run with in many interesting directions if you want.