In the morning when I awoke, I heard a large commotion among the staff. This was quite an odd event; they were well trained and would react to almost nothing. It must have been something of tremendous happenings for such a reaction. This couldn’t be good.

“What is the issue?”

I inquired a nearby maid.

“His Majesty! He was enraged when he heard that parliament had convened without him. He stormed the Parliamentary house and detained every member with his personal troops!”

My face contorted in shock. Fuck. Father was never the brightest, but that enabled him to make decisions with reckless abandon. Had he found out about our correspondence? No, think! I wouldn’t be here right now if he was aware of my connection. I still have time. What do I do? How can I avoid the worst case; should I escape? The idea of doing that sickened me. First, I needed to calm down. I couldn’t think properly right now. Closing my eyes, I clung my hands together as I tried to free my mind of thought. Resetting myself, I decided on my initial step: find that butler who gave me the letter. Looking around, I saw another servant who had been near when the butler was leaving after delivering me the letter.

“You there! Do you remember the butler who came to my room yesterday? Who is he?”

“Yes, Prince Emil, he is named Fredrick and should be in the butler’s room on break.”

The servant succinctly replied.

Off I went with haste. There was no time to dally. Slamming the door open to the room, I scanned it for Fredrick. Others on break reacted with shock at the sudden intrusion. I wasted no time and grabbed him by the cuff.

“Come with me, immediately.”

I said dragging him out of the room. In an unpopulated hall, I continued.

“I’m sure you’ve heard of what happened. Tell me more in depth what you have heard from the other staff. Where are they being held?”

Fredrick regained his composure quickly and began explaining.

“His Majesty has had them locked in The Tower. From what I’ve heard he plans to have every single one put to death.”

Father, I couldn’t help but wonder if you were trying to die? Their death would be his; the people would not put up with such an injustice. Parliament is their representative, to kill them would be to disenfranchise every citizen. None would take this sitting down. More importantly, if he went through with this it would bury me as well. The entire royal family would be massacred in revenge. The issue was where they were being held. The Tower was less of a tower than a fort. A compact four-story building with a tower on each corner holding watchmen. Getting them out through forceful means would be impossible. It must be heavily guarded by now. An idea came to my mind; it was risky, but it would be extremely effective if it could work. Its simplicity allowed for it to be possible. I told Fredrick to arrange as many carriages as possible, enough to carry every member of parliament, and fast. He looked confused at my words, but I had no time to explain. Taking large steps, I made my way towards the inner palace rooms. Knowing my father, he was gloating in the throne room about his grand victory. Taking the opportunity, I made my way towards his private chambers. The guard there stopped me.

“Prince Emil. What do you need here?”

Not even his children were just permitted to enter. That wouldn’t stop me though.

“You block me?! Father requires an item in here urgently and I must get it for him.”

The guard looked fearful for a second at disobeying but stayed steadfast.

“I’m sorry. I require direct permission from His Majesty.”

Damn. He was too well trained. Nevertheless, I needed to enter there. Looking around me I checked for other people. There was no one. I had to do it; no time for thinking. I felt a tremble in my hands, but I steadied them. If I was to do this, it had to be quick and deliberate. A single mistake would be too costly.

“Look, I have it right here! A letter of approval from my father.” I said while looking through my coat with one hand.

With his attention was on that, I subtly reached under the backside of my coat. I looked into the man’s eyes while I fumbled around my pockets. His pupils were still focused on my left hand. With the right, I burst out with a sudden moment of aggression. Held in my grasp was a dagger. Wrenching it in between his shoulder and neck, I gave him no chance to react. He yelped in shock before collapsing in his own blood which flowed out viscously. I stepped over his corpse, not giving myself the time to be disgusted with myself. I rummaged through the drawers of his chamber in a frenzy, leaving a path of destruction in my wake. Finally, I found it. The Royal stamp. Taking the letter set on his night table, I frantically wrote. Finishing the document, I signed with my father’s name and stamped. Rushing out of the room, I tripped over the guard’s limp body. Blood soaked into my coat, I checked to see if it reached the underlayer. Thankfully it hadn’t yet. Taking off the coat, I continued towards the palace exit. Once outside my chauffeur noticed me and said he would arrange the carriage. I told him to not bother and began to sprint. His expression must have been something at the sight of the third Prince running like a maniac, but I had no time to look back. Urging the men at the gate to open it, I slipped through the partially opened exit. My breath was ragged as I ran like my life depended on it. My life did depend on it. Every step felt heavier, but I kept going. Eventually, I reached the corner where I would turn and see the entrance to The Tower. This was it.