Howard could hear three pairs of soft boots connecting with the palace floor incessantly. He could also hear faint laughter; cackles that were brimming with unconstrained mirth. Even with his eyes closed, he could picture him and Stephen running around the palace, reigning havoc amid the palace servants. He cringed as he vividly visualized the palace cook bellowing at them while waving her large knife in front of them. They shivered as she threatened to hang them at the gallows for their insolent behavior. Howard saw the trepidation in the wide eyes of the younger versions of him and Stephen. He felt it too.
Howard suddenly sat up feeling hazy. He was nauseous, almost as if he was experiencing a skull crushing hangover. Once again he was at the palace but this time not in his chambers
