"Reunited..." - Chapter Thirty-Nine

Reunited...

Chapter Thirty-Nine

By Douglas E. Gogerty

Prince William left the prison, where they held his father, and noticed the protesters outside. They carried signs and shouted slogans. The Prince noted that they were against the violence inherent in kingdoms. They shouted against the tyranny that his father represented. They also were displeased with how the area kingdoms used their citizens for mercenaries.

The Prince wanted to disagree with them, but he believed they had a point. His father was attempting to hire citizens of the Pirate Peninsula to raid another kingdom. This type of thing was common for his father, and he thought that other kings could easily behave in a similar manner. Thus, he felt for the protesters. They had a reason to be upset at his father.

Soon after that, it hit him. He had just posted his father's bail. His father would have to face this crowd. That could turn ugly. In fact, the citizens were so upset that this crowd could turn into a mob. Further, the slightest incident could result in a riot. Therefore, it was likely that the authorities would not release his father immediately.

Hence, the Prince wanted to do something. Perhaps he could calm the crowd. However, he was a part of the problem. He was a member of a royal house. To a degree, they were not only protesting his father, but protesting him and his way of life. The only way of life he knew.

The Prince did not know if he could survive without the royal support. While he had experienced some hard times, he never really had to work. His experiences were for sport and recreation and not for living. For instance, he never killed an animal for survival. He did it just for sport. He supposed that the support he got was the point of the protesters. There were plenty of citizens of Lakeland, and other kingdoms, who had to work hard for everything they had, and they still did not have much.

His life of privilege allowed him to travel for numerous days without worry. He never worked. Everything he needed was provided for him. Although, that could all change. He was a very minor member of the royal family. Because he was a son of the reigning king, the court protected him. However, if anything happened to King Thorbjorn all that could change.

If a civil war broke out in Lakeland, that could spell trouble for his family. Moreover, it could make life difficult for him. While the King had named his successor, there were no guarantees that the King's wishes would be honored. Furthermore, the new king may not wish to have any rivals to the throne. He could call for the head of the minor heirs. That could only mean one thing -- war. It also meant death to many.

Further, there were people in the crowd here who wished the King harm. Now, there were also people in Lakeland who wanted to see King Thorbjorn dead, but they were not of an immediate concern. These protesters could end the Prince's life of privilege quickly. He just hoped they would never storm the jail. He was hoping for law and order in what he believed was a lawless state.

The possibilities of the situation swirled in the Prince's head. The thoughts of life after King Thorbjorn overwhelmed him. He became dizzy, and he had to sit. A friendly face noticed him and asked if he was all right. He smiled meekly and claimed it was just the heat. She gave him some water and left. The Prince smiled and took the water graciously. If she knew who he was, would she treat him the same the Prince wondered.

What was he going to do? His way of life balanced upon the return of the King to Lakeland. There were many dangers between where the King was and the relatively safe confines of Lakeland Castle. Further, if the citizens of the peninsula knew the King was here, so did all of the other kingdoms. His enemies were certainly plotting against the King at this very moment. How was the King going to get home?

While an entourage was likely departing, it would be weeks before it got here. This made Lakeland vulnerable. The leader of the land was away. Thus, a powerful nearby kingdom could take advantage of the situation. The decisive king was not in charge. How would the Lakeland military handle a sudden attack? Who would give the commands to the military?

The more the Prince thought about the situation, the more upset he became. His mind raced with all of the possibilities. He thought that perhaps one of his prominent brothers or half-brothers could sabotage the entourage as a power grab. Thus, when the showed up, they could assassinate the King and blame it on someone else. There were many possible outcomes of the situation. However, the Prince could think of few that would be beneficial to him. They seemed to all end poorly.

A few short weeks ago, he dreamt of having his own kingdom. Now, that seemed like a distant dream -- an impossible dream. It now seemed that his entire world came crashing down upon him. He attempted to get up, but he felt weaker than ever. Did the woman know who he was? Did she drug him?

A wave of paranoia overcame him. He suspected everyone. A few moments ago, he had sympathized with the crowd. Now he thought they were all against him. They were the ones stirring up the chaos in his life. Thus everyone was suspect. They became agents for his father's enemies. They were now his enemies and he had to get out of there. However, he could not even stand up.

I must get up, he told himself. Everything depends upon it.

He gathered his strength and managed to get to his feet.

"Are you sure you are all right?" asked the woman with the friendly face.

"What did you do to me?" he asked in an angry voice.

"What?" she asked with a puzzled look upon her face.

"Just leave me alone!" the Prince barked as he wobbled away.

The Prince found a tree and leaned against it. It was an odd tree. It was nothing like the hardwood trees the Prince was accustomed to in Lakeland. He felt that everything was odd about this place. Everything there seemed "wrong" to him. Everything about the place was strange and different. It was not like the places he frequented.

He decided that he needed to get out of there. However, he could not leave his father behind. He had to do something. For the first time in his life, he would have to do something heroic. Otherwise, the life he knew would be over.