A True King

by S. E. Rose

  Each revelation is harder to comprehend than the last. Gilbert isn’t his son? The DNA must match because it was a relative of his that Agatha slept with. I’m almost afraid to ask about my family, but my curiosity gets the best of me.

  “What about my father?”

  King Ivan is quiet. I see a flash of something across his face for just a second, and I think maybe he does care about my father. But I am so very wrong.

  “I wanted Paula to abort him. She refused and left me. I did love her. I even married her in secret. It hadn’t been part of my original plan, but in the end, it helped. It would nullify my marriage with Agatha, solidifying that our future children would be bastards. But your father, he’s mine. I paid Paula a hefty sum to disappear and then gave money to your father. He did that. For years, he remained out of sight, so much so I almost decided to let him live. Then I heard he had a daughter.”

  King Ivan’s eyes are cold as he looks at me, and for the first time since we left the manor house, I shiver, only this time, it’s not from the wind.

  “I went to see your father a while back after I set you up.”

  My eyes widen. It was him. He was spying on the royal family.

  “Yes, it was me, dear child. I wanted to see what you’d do. Could I trust you? Clearly, your allegiance was with the royal family. Your intel was horrible. Between that and your father’s lack of agreement to move to the States, I decided I could no longer let you all live. And so, I had to change my plans, once again. I’m nearly out of time, so I must finish tying up all my loose ends.”

  “But…why would you kill us?” I ask, almost afraid to know the answer.

  “You don’t get it, do you?” he asks, his face turning to look at me. Our eyes meet, and for the first time since I’ve met him, I see him, the real him, pure and total evil. The kind of evil that comes from a place of insanity. The worst and scariest type of evil because there’s no reasoning with someone like this.

  “No, I don’t.” I’m surprised I can find my voice at all. Part of me wants to run as fast as I can, but I somehow sense I wouldn’t make it far, so my intellect tells me to stay and keep him talking as long as possible.

  “Mia, if I kill your parents and you, then there are no rightful heirs to Skogdal. All I have to do is have the documents showing Gilbert and Jasper’s true lineage sent to the press upon my death and my country will be destroyed. I’ll also go public with my forged documentation on Montelandia and Norddale’s royal families. All three nations will fall, helping The 44 in their goals as well as putting an end to the two families I hate the most. It’ll be my legacy and all that stands in the way is you and your father. But I will, of course, take care of some loose ends. It’s easier to bring down the royal families if they are…a little smaller.”

  Oh, God! His eyes glisten with excitement as he smirks.

  “Oh, your little boyfriend will be first,” he states. My heart stops for a second. I can’t breathe. I have to warn Christian. But how?

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Christian

  I fall asleep at my desk. I haven’t done that in ages. Birds chirping outside my window wake me. I rub my eyes and look outside. It’s nearly morning, the sun is just starting to peek over the horizon. I watch with fascination as the morning sky begins to show its beautiful display of colors. What’s that saying? Red sky in morning, sailors take warning.

  I try not to let that ominous color ruin the spectacular vision in front of me, but it does. Turning, I head to my shower and dress. Today, I’m finding Mia and talking to her. She can’t hide from me forever and she certainly can’t hide from me at my own home.

  We need to talk and move on. We can’t keep living like this. I knock on Mia’s door, jiggling the handle, but it’s locked still, and no one answers. I call out her name, but my voice merely echoes in the hallway, making me feel more alone than when I woke.

  Frustrated, I walk down to the private dining hall, the one for our family that isn’t part of the formal part of the castle. It’s smaller and more intimate. I arrive, hoping to find Mia, but alas, she’s not there.

  After eating in solitary, I head to the security offices. Pete will surely know where she’s at, and if he doesn’t, he’s about to be assigned to complete the task.

  I don’t bother knocking. I enter the room and find him at his desk. He stands immediately.

  “Christian?”

  “Where is Mia?” I bark.

  He swallows and looks down at his desk. “She’s not here, sir.”

  “Then, where is she?” I practically growl. I have no time for games and Pete should know this.

  “I…am not sure, but she might have gone back to the Summer Palace.”

  “Then, I’m going there as well. Have a car ready. I will drive myself.”

  “Sir, that’s not proper protocol,” Pete argues.

  I glare at him. “I’m the future king of Norddale. I don’t give a fuck what the proper protocol is, I just want to find my future queen. Do you understand me?”

  It’s the first time that I’ve acknowledged that I’m in love with Mia, that I want to marry her. I can tell it has thrown Pete off a bit, but right now, I don’t care.

  “Yes, sir,” he replies as he picks up a phone and orders for one of my cars to be brought around.

  “I will have security follow you,” he adds.

  “Fine,” I mutter as I walk out of his office and head to the garage. I’m about to go find my woman and no one is going to get in my way. I’m done with all of it. Mia will be mine and I will be hers. The world may not be ready for that, but I am.

  I mull over my use of the words “my future queen” as I walk toward my car which staff have parked by the back door. It’s an Aston Martin and one of my favorites. It’s not my most practical car, but it’s one of my fastest ones. I see Vince sitting in an unmarked SUV behind me. He nods in my direction, and it takes all my willpower not to roll my eyes. I know the protocol. But fuck it. It’s time I took the driver’s seat, metaphorically and physically.

  I get in my car and speed off toward the Summer Palace. I keep my window rolled down, letting the cool morning air blow over me as I drive. I have no idea what I’ll say to her. The truth? What is the truth?

  I watch the horizon as I steer the car down the narrow country roads towards our estate. I can feel my security car at my back, but I don’t care. Being alone in my car is giving me time to think.

  The truth is, I love Mia. I think I fell in love with her that very first moment, I just didn’t know it. Even after she pulled that stunt with feeding my calendar appointments to an enemy, I still love her. I love her even more for trying to sabotage the whole thing to keep everyone safe. She’s listened to me rattle on about pointless things but also important things. She’s the only one I’ve ever confided in about my mother and what her loss meant to me. Not once has she ever questioned me about my feelings. I’ve never been made to feel less of a man, of a person for feeling so deeply about my mother’s untimely death. I’ve seldom let emotions get the best of me. Being royal means being stoic and strong. And Auggie’s reaction to our tragedy, only made me stay the course even more so. I couldn’t be a partying prince because he was. I couldn’t sneak out of the palace at all times of the night because that’s what Auggie and Anna did. I had to be the “good” one. Partly, that’s my role as the older brother, or at least what I think it is. But partly, it’s because I have to be righteous. I need my people to trust me to lead them, to represent them to the world, and risking it all for a few nights of fun is…well, not acceptable, not for me anyway.

  Pulling up to the palace, I leap out of the car and make my way inside. Not waiting for Vince and barely acknowledging the two armed guards at the front. I must find Mia. I want to tell her how much I love her; how much she means to me.

  If the Summer Palace was barren of staff previously, it now resembles an abandoned property. White sheets are pulled over the furniture. Windows are shut and locked. With Te
ssa gone on holiday, the kitchen is closed. There is no lingering smell of her cookies in the air as I walk past and take the back stairs up to Mia’s room. I nearly run down the corridors until I find her door. It’s open, but when I peer inside, it’s empty. No trace of her here. There’s no luggage. Her furniture is covered in white sheets as well.

  I suddenly feel uneasy about being here. Why are there no staff here? Even in Tessa’s absence, there should be at least a dozen staff members present on the property in addition to a dozen or so security staff that are stationed year-round at this estate.

  I don’t trust the emptiness that greets me. Swallowing my concerns, I decide to use the secret passageway to go out to the gardens near the stable. I find the door in Mia’s closet and race through the tight tunnels running beneath the palace and between its stone walls. I know them like the back of my hand, having spent so much of my youth playing games here with my siblings.

  I push open the door to the outside slowly, but again, I don’t see anyone, not even the guard that should be stationed here. My senses are on high alert. I look back toward the cars, but Vince is no longer in his and the two guards out front are gone as well.

  Shit, I shouldn’t be here. I pat my pocket but realize in my haste to leave, I left my phone sitting on my desk.

  Anna always keeps a burner phone in the small cottage in the woods. It’s our secret place. The three of us used it as a safe haven in our teens, but right now, I feel it might be my safe haven for real.

  I sprint along the edge of the woods until I’m forced to run across the field. Zigzagging and keeping my head low, I make it to the forest trail. My chest burns with each breath as I push myself to run faster, harder. It’s not far, but it feels miles away. I turn off the trail and sprint through the forest, jumping over fallen trees and dodging boulders that erupt out of the earth. My sole focus is to get that burner phone. I need to call my family, to warn them. The cottage comes into view. I slow my pace as I approach, trying to make soft steps on the forest floor. I make it to the side of the cottage and stop. Listening, I only hear the sounds of birds chirping, frogs croaking, water flowing in a nearby stream, and the breeze rustling the leaves of the trees. I find the key in the small stone pot under the windowsill. Placing the key in the lock, I turn it. The sound seems to echo as it clicks. Looking around once more, I open the door with trepidation. It squeaks and I freeze once more, pulling up on the handle to minimize the volume of the old metal brackets as I push the door to the side.

  It’s dark inside with the shutters pulled closed, but even in the darkness, I can sense that I am not alone. I stop breathing, stop moving and wait, reaching for the shotgun that Auggie keeps in the cupboard by the front door.

  “It’s not there,” a voice states from the dark corner of the room. A very familiar voice. Pete.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Mia

  “But Christian isn’t involved in any of this?” I state, trying to buy time while I figure out how I’m going to get to him.

  “And he won’t be. In fact”—King Ivan pauses and looks down at a pocket watch—“I do believe he will be removed from the scenario in a matter of minutes.”

  My breath slows. My body stills. All my senses are on high alert.

  “What do you mean?” I manage to say as I try to find my breath.

  “The long game, my dear. I’ve been playing the long game. You know Helga, Clause, Pete, and Lucas, don’t you?”

  I suddenly feel sick. There’s no way. They love the royal family. Helga and Clause have been staff at the Royal Palace for years. Helga’s like an extra mother figure to them. Their sons, Pete and Lucas, have been friends with Christian since they were kids. Pete’s the head of security after all. And Lucas is Anna’s security guard. He’s been her guard since she was a teenager.

  “I can see they did a good job all of these years. Do you know what Clause and Helga did before they worked at the Royal Palace?”

  I frown because I have no idea. They would have been quite young when they started working there.

  “They worked for me. They are members of a secret sleeper cell of The 44. They were to do nothing, to take zero action until I called upon them. They don’t even know what part their mission plays. They only know what I choose to tell them.”

  I feel the blood drain from my face at the realization. The entire royal family is about to be wiped out, and so is my family. Everyone gone. No survivors. He’s assuring that his backup plan of falsified paperwork doesn’t need to be used, because there won’t be any royal family members left.

  “I put my plan into action a few weeks ago. And now is the time to finish it. I don’t have long now, and it all needs to be finalized. These last few steps are the only ones that require me to take action. After that, everything will come together as I planned it.”

  “No,” I whisper. “No, no, no.”

  I stand and step away from him. He doesn’t look remotely concerned that I could try to run away, which means…we aren’t alone.

  I look around me, turning in a circle but I don’t see anyone.

  “There is nowhere to go, my dear. We are on an island.”

  I swallow as I try to rationalize his statement. And then it dawns on me, the river. Only a river cuts off the property from the surrounding hillside. The far side of the property abuts a rocky cliff that follows the turbulent waters which surround the remainder of the property. He’s right, there is no way out for me. I could try to swim. My gaze travels to the small view of the sea between the gardens and the house. The waves are high today and the water is icy cold.

  “How will you kill me?” I ask, raising my chin and crossing my arms.

  He cocks his head to one side as though contemplating it. “I hadn’t quite figured that out yet. There are so many options. Poison. Drowning. An unfortunate fall from the cliff. Suicide. Fire.”

  He pauses as he muses over his many choices. Each one is worse than the last. “Do you have a preference? I mean, it’s the least I could do.”

  I glare at him. He’s pure evil this man. How can I be descended from someone so purely malevolent?

  “Well, we don’t have much time, so don’t wait too long to tell me your choice.”

  “What about Montelandia? Lucas can’t possibly take them all down,” I state, trying to distract him again while I consider my options for escape.

  His laugh is purely wicked. “Lucas is not my only contact at the palace in Montelandia. I was informed this morning that the entire royal family is there, even King Michael’s sister, Lara. A shame she couldn’t join us at her estate here, but Pete let me in after he gave her staff time off and hired new staff. It’s a nice property. I wish I had more time to enjoy it.”

  Someone once told me that you always have options, even under the direst of circumstances. They may not be options you like or want, but you still have options. My options here are limited. I can stay and try not to die. Considering his power and that the building is filled with his staff, makes it unlikely I can survive another night here. I could try to scale the cliff. I glance over at it. There’s no way I’m strong enough to attempt to climb it. I could try crossing the river. I can hear the rushing water from here inside the gardens. It might be my only option. Drowning. I choose to drown if I must die, I think to myself.

  “Goodbye, Grandfather. I’d say it was nice to meet you, but I think we both know that would be a lie,” I state as I walk into the orchard to our left and disappear amongst the overgrown apple trees.

  He doesn’t say another word to me as I leave. I don’t hear him stand or yell for help. That only makes me wary of what is out here, or who is out here.

  I glance back and can only make out the towers at the top of the manor house. I wish I knew where my phone was, but it’s of no use now.

  It’s then that a hear the burst of a bullet being fired. I don’t wait around to find out who fired it. I take off running.

  I run for what seems like ages. The propert
y is a large one. I suppose Hans and Lara chose it for its isolation, but right now, I wish it was much smaller and closer to a village. A branch catches my sleeve and I fight with the tree to release me. I tug hard and the branch goes sailing away and then back at me. I don’t duck in time and feel the whip of a twig against my cheek. I touch my face. My fingers pull away, revealing blood. Shit. I keep running, I don’t have time to worry about a scratch.

  I can hear the river up ahead. The sound of rushing water grows stronger with every step I take. After a few more minutes of running, I come to the bank. The storm has filled the river, the water nearly cresting over the banks. It rushes past me and over boulders cutting its way along the landscape. I can’t tell how deep it is, but there’s no way I can stay upright with that volume of water rushing against me. The bridge. There is a single bridge over it to the property. I could try crossing it. Shaking my head, I decide it’s not worth the risk. Guards are likely posted there, and I’ll increase my chances of getting caught. I follow the river for a long while, away from the estate and inland. I don’t get nearly as far as I thought I would. The far side of the cliffs start to come into view, and I realize the river is fed by the waterfall cascading down the side of them. I sit on the edge of the river on an old fallen tree trunk. Seconds turn into minutes as I try to come up with a better escape plan.

  Then I see something out of the corner of my eye. At first, I think I’m hallucinating. But it grows nearer. A man on a horse with a fishing rod and satchel. He’s on the opposite bank of the river. I rub my eyes, trying to make sure I’m not going mad.