"Reunited..." - Chapter Forty-Five

Reunited...

Chapter Forty-Five

By Douglas E. Gogerty

Prince William awoke behind the wheel of the suncar. He shook his head to clear away the stars. He looked around, and spotted a group of people on a nearby hill. Still groggy, he wondered who they were.

Before he could determine who they were, he saw a flash. Instinctively, he jumped out of the car. He stumbled away as best he could. The explosion knocked him further away. He collapsed and lost consciousness.

He awoke surrounded by a small army. He did not know how long he had been out. He was not even sure where he was. Slowly it all came back to him.

Was the King dead? he wondered.

He stayed there on his back trying to clear his head. He still was unclear as to what had happened. It started to come back to him as he looked at the faces of the men that surrounded him. They all seemed somewhat familiar. However, his head was not quite clear enough to know who they were. After looking for a bit, one face stood out.

"Bjorn?" Prince William asked.

"It is I dear brother," replied Bjorn.

"What -- in the name of all things sacred -- is going on?"

"Father is dead," Bjorn replied with a self-satisfied smirk on his face.

"What?"

"King Thorbjorn is dead -- long live King Bjorn!" he replied raising his hand triumphantly as his army cheered.

"You killed father?" asked Prince William.

"Well not me directly. I am not an expert with the rocket propelled grenade."

"And, you are claiming the throne."

"Of course! I am the king's eldest. I am the most likely heir to the throne."

"Well -- uh -- I guess congratulations are in order -- your highness."

"Thank you!"

"Very well then, what are you going to do with me?"

"What? I have not given it much thought."

"So...can I go then?"

"Where are you going to go?"

"I was just bringing the King -- well..." muttered Prince William. "Anyway, now that my job with the King is finished, I have business with Princess Angelina."

"You have always had a thing for her."

"That is true, but I should be going."

"She is quite a lovely young thing; however, we are headed back towards the castle."

"I can find my own way."

"You would have to."

"So, I can still go then?"

"Yes you may. It is just too bad that your transport is currently non-functional."

"That is fine -- my Lord."

"Wait! You are not going to cause trouble for me are you?"

"I am so far down the line in succession. What could I do?"

"I do not know...."

"You have more to fear from the older boys than you do from me."

"Do I have your word on that?"

"I guarantee it," Prince William stated while remembering the sibling rivalries.

"Regardless," responded the new King. "You are far from -- well everywhere. You will be fortunate to survive the day out here by yourself."

"It is quite dangerous out here."

"You may go."

The Prince walked away from his brother's army. He gave a tentative wave at his brother. He decided to bow deeply at the waist before he turned and walked away. The new king gave a gracious wave of his hand as he turned.

Prince William was still a bit unclear about what had happened. Naturally, he knew that his brother had ambushed them, but how did he know which road the King and Prince would take? He had been very watchful during his watch. He would have noticed any scouts. Had the King missed something?

He began to go over the possibilities. He did not think that anyone had bugged his suncar. However, it could have been. He recalled how Princess Angelina's father had installed tracking devices on his kingdom's vehicles. However, who would have the foresight to keep track of him? Certainly, no one could keep that a secret from the King. No, he concluded that his vehicle was clean. It must have been something else.

He continued to walk and ponder the question. He went over the previous events of the recent past. He could not have missed anyone in the dark of night. How could Prince Bjorn know when and where the suncar was headed. It weighed heavily upon his mind. He walked for quite a while before he stumbled and fell. It was not until that moment did he realize how unsteady he was.

With all that had happened to him in the past several months, he was getting used to feeling a bit off. He remembered that he was just in a car accident. The crash knocked him about pretty good. In fact, he was lucky to be alive. He could see his brother's caravan way off to the north. He was happy that Bjorn did not find him a threat. Otherwise, Bjorn would have killed him on the spot. Although he was walking away, he was not out of trouble yet. Bjorn could turn and eliminate him at any moment. If the rolls were reversed, he is not sure he would not have killed his brother. He was a rival no matter how remote.

As the day wore on, Prince William became more confident that he was safe from Bjorn. However, he became less confident that he would still survive. He had to stop and rest on regular intervals. His thirst was getting great. His only supply of water was destroyed in the suncar.

However, Prince William remembered a bridge they had crossed earlier in the day. He just had to make it to that river. If he could make it, that river would provide the Prince with drinking water at the very least. Moreover, he was planning to use the river as transportation.

The Prince remembered reading a story about a young man rafting down a river. He remembered the great adventure this young man had on the river. If some school-aged kid could raft down a river, so could the Prince. That is, if he could make it to the river.

He walked and rested and walked and rested for a couple of hours. Eventually, he made it to the bridge. He scrambled down to the water. He took in a big drink. The water was cool and refreshing. After a bit of rest, the Prince would look into building himself a raft.