The king lied on his bed, completely immobile; he made no efforts to move unless he needed to.

The man was fatally sick. His once dark chocolate hair was now a mangy grey, and his emerald eyes were sunken, skin wizened beyond his years. It was hard to believe that the man on the bed, was actually only forty-eight years old; he was hard of hearing, partially blind, and his muscles had atrophied to that of a grandfather.

The thought of his poor condition made him depressed, and he exhaled deeply as his puffy orbs stared blankly into the darkness of his quarters.

Two years of this long, grueling illness had man the king feel as life was fruitless. He hardly found joy in anything anymore. When he was younger, he used to take pleasure in simply walking outside and watching the view. Now, the man couldn’t even stand by himself without aid, let alone go outside and relax in the company of nature. He had pondered on multiple occasions when the disease would suddenly kill him. He had pondered if it would be in minutes, hours, days, weeks..etc.

The pain was excruciating both physically and mentally. King Augustus prayed for it to end.

A twinge of guilt stirred its way in his stomach.

He had to live for his only son; it was his late wife’s dying wish that her son grew up ready for the kingdom.

Richard was a capable young man, a prodigy in intellectual and physical studies—but he was still only a child in his father’s eyes. The prince was nowhere near the age of succession, he was only twenty. Claiming the throne required years of experience in diplomacy. Only recently, was he sent to his second trip.

Richard wasn’t prepared for the responsibility of taking the throne.

“Your Majesty,” the voice of his advisor spoke hesitantly, muffled by the wooden barrier. It was evident, even behind the door, that the short statured man was nervous, but as to what, the king did not know.

“Yes, Tonio?” A cough followed his inquiry, and then meekly, Augustus shuffled through his bed sheets in attempt to get up, but failing in doing so. His bones ached tremendously, so he sat back down.

“May I come in?”

“Yes, you may.”

The room was dark, and it smelled faintly of dust and melancholy. Tonio could could sense that the king was far worse than he was previously.

It terrified the man.

He had known the king for years, and even considered him a close friend. What would the news do to him? Could he find himself to tell him? It was difficult, and his thoughts kept vacillating to the point where it had caused him confusion.

“Tonio, are you alright?”

“No, sir—I—”

The dryness in his friend’s voice made the ruler inquisitive.

“Tonio?” Augustus repeated.

The advisor licked his chapped lips, and made an effort to open his mouth, inform him of what had happened to the prince, yet he could not. Even in the dim lighting of the room, he could see the man’s deathly pale eyes. His heart felt swollen with grief, and immediately his decision faltered.

Instead what came out of his mouth was a verbose scapegoat.

“Sir! It’s beautiful outside, we really should open the windows.” Rushed, the advisor made his way across the room, and began opening the large, velvet curtains.

“Tonio, it’s raining out there.”

“Nonsense, my king, it’s perfectly—“

When the short man had finally opened the windows, a flash of lightning, followed by the sound roaring thunder greeted him. He then quickly closed them, turning his head to smile apologetically at Augustus.

Well, that was a complete failure, Tonio chided himself.

“Come sit, old friend. Tell me your troubles.” The king gestured his hand for the man join him. Begrudgingly, Tonio followed through, and sat on Egyptian cotton bed sheets.

“I do not wish you to stress my lord.”

“Stressed? I am always stressed! It comes with the responsibility of being king!” The older man let out a chortle, and rubbed his companion’s shoulder affectionately.

Tonio remained still, his hands and knees pressed together. His lips were in a straight line, and he didn’t dare budge them.

Augustus realized his mistake; the moment was much more serious than he had anticipated; of course, his levity was not welcomed in such matters.

“I can handle it, rest assured,” Augustus whispered. He had never seen his friend so scared before. What news could he possibly tell that he felt would stress him out more than possible? If it was truly important, then he needed to know; stress was inconsequential in this moment.

“I—I don’t know what to tell you, sir.” A deep sigh came from the stout man, and he casted down his eyes, as if ashamed.

“My friend, in all these years we had known each other, you have never kept secrets from me.

Tonio’s eyes had blown open as he turned his head to turn to his beloved king. Droplets of tears fell from his eyes.

“I know, but I do not have the heart to confess.”

“Confess--?”

Just then another figure opened the large double doors of the ruler’s quarters. It was the main guard. His posture was straight and expression phlegmatic. “The prince is missing.”

In that moment, he felt the last bit of life he had, fade into the void.