Forbidden Love in the Royal Family

High atop the palace’s most prominent tower, a flag bearing the Chamberlain family crest waved wildly in the wind. Beneath the bright moonlight, King Zachary, head of the Chamberlain family, looked out from the tower over his vast kingdom. Beyond his residential palace, which stood at the center of the surrounding castle, he could see the rings of guard walls and gates that protected the castle’s many baileys. The chapel steeple stood proudly to his left, opposite the mighty keep and adjacent to the great hall. The tiled roofs of the knights’ residences looked reverently up at him as guards stood watch from the towers evenly placed among the rings of walls throughout the property. Smoke rose from the chimneys in the village and an occasional dog bark disturbed the otherwise peaceful night. “Your Majesty,” a voice said from behind Zachary, who turned around to face the person addressing him. The hair beneath his crown blowing in the wind, the king replied, “You.” “Yes,” the hooded figure answered, a dagger held in its hand. “I wanted to face you, dead on.” “What is it that you want?” “To finally bring your ruthless reign of terror to an end.” As the wind increased, Zachary laughed. “Such grandiose plans from such a small mind.” “No tears shall be shed for you,” the figure predicted as it lunged forward, driving the knife violently into the king’s chest. Gasping, Zachary reached out and grabbed his assailant by the neck. Clutching tightly, he dug his fingers deep into the person’s flesh. Raising his free hand to the bloody knife protruding from him, Zachary maintained eye contact with the person, whose face grew redder from lack of oxygen. Trying to get free of the king’s grasp, the person grabbed Zachary’s arm with both hands, but overpowering his strength was no easy task. Their eyes connected, the assailant struggled to breathe. As Zachary’s loss of blood increased, his strength decreased. His vision blurred and he dropped to his knees, eventually letting go of the attacker and putting his hands onto the ground for support. Choking, the figure also fell to its knees, desperately trying to catch its breath as the king suffered. In one motion, the person pulled the knife from Zachary’s chest, raised it up, and plunged it into the king’s neck. Blood splattered everywhere as the king collapsed onto the ground. Checking to ensure the king was dead, his murderer pulled the dagger from the monarch and rolled Zachary’s body onto its back. The king’s blood coated the ornate etchings on both sides of the knife. His dead eyes looking up toward the heavens, Zachary lay lifelessly on the tower floor. Repositioning the hood over its head, the killer rushed from the tower, leaving the body of the dead ruler in the shadow of the flag that bore the Chamberlain family crest. * * * * *