Chapter 2: The Escape

There was a grand welcome for Prince Colt. He was received warmly by the representatives of the king, mainly Varius and other nobles. Colt was suspicious of his brother's absence.

"Welcome, my prince," Varius said when the prince arrived with Gilbert.

"Thank you, Varius," Colt said, his eyes searching for his brother. "Where is my brother? He did not come to welcome me."

"He is waiting for you in the royal court. Let us meet him." Varius walked ahead and Colt followed him.

Colt knew that Hammer wanted to demonstrate his power to him so that he could scare him to join his side. When they entered the court, a displeasing scene was open to their eyes.

"Welcome, my brother," Hammer said to Colt. The king was wearing a golden silk robe that his father used to wear and, of course, the ancestral gem-studded crown. Two slave girls sat on his lap and played with him. "How was your journey?" he added.

"It was good," Colt replied, somehow suppressing his anger. "The kingdom of Vriton is now an ally."

"That is great news. A job well done, brother. I knew you were a talented young man, and you proved it too," said the king.

Colt clenched his fists. Words of praises from a traitor did not feel good at all. "Can I ask something, brother?"

"Not brother. Address me as your king," reminded the king.

"Can I ask something, my king?" Colt corrected his sentence, unwillingly.

"Of course you can."

"Why did you do this, brother?"

"Do you not know what our father did to our kingdom? For his own ambitions, he set our lands on fire. All of our sufferings were because of him. So…" the king stood up, signaling the slave girls to leave. "I cut the head of the problem."

"He was our father. You were his son," reacted Colt.

"He never considered me a son!" the king shouted, his mixed emotions visible on his face. "He never saw me as worthy of being his heir."

"So this is what it is about," Colt sighed. "It was for your own ambitions."

"It was to save our land!" the king replied. "Only I could end this meaningless war."

"What do you want from me?"

"You know Rozerd is on the run. He would join our enemies and gather forces against me." The king walked down to Colt and reached out his arm. "Join me. You will have endless riches and will have the freedom to do whatever you want."

Colt stared at his hand and turned to look at Gilbert to ask for a hint of what should he do. He then replied, "I think I would rather pass. I will not involve in your quarrel. Do whatever you want and leave me alone." He could clearly spot a tint of rage in his brother's eyes, but he did not even flinch.

King Hammer pulled back his hand and spoke while walking away, "Be smart, my brother. If you are not with me, you are against me. Think for a while and come to a smart decision." He walked away through the door.

Colt stared at Gilbert to check if he made the right decision, and Gilbert nodded to confirm it.

In his chamber, Colt cried alone.

"If only I were here, I could have saved you, father. My mother left me in my childhood, now you too have left me. There is no one left for me anymore. My brother has become greedy for power. He is intoxicated by the power of the ancestral crown. He is my enemy now. My other brother is running for his life. I do not know where he is. I do not know what to do anymore. I can not fight my brother. What should I do? I am trapped, father."

Suddenly, he heard a voice. "Are these the words of a prince?" It was Gilbert who eavesdropped.

Colt quickly wiped his tears and stood up. "Gilbert, since when did you enter the chambers without asking for permission to do so?"

"I apologise, my prince. I thought to not disturb you but could not help but eavesdrop." Gilbert stared at the prince's disturbed face for a while and said, "Hammer was right. Your father sure was an ambitious man."

"Hold your tongue, Gilbert." Colt was offended.

"But he was not a coward," added Gilbert. "He would feel ashamed if he heard you whining about not fighting your brother."

"Then should I spill my brother's blood?" reacted Colt, a tint of uneasiness in his eyes.

"If justice demands it, then yes! There is nothing greater than justice. It is what makes one worthy to rule! You have to do it for justice."

Colt thought for a while. It seemed Gilbert's words had gotten through to him. He then asked, "What should I do then?"

"First, we have to get out of here," Gilbert answered. "Your brother was not happy when you declined his offer. You have to get out of here before he harms you."

"How would we get out of here?"

"We will find a way."

"Can I come in, my prince?" There was someone at the door. It sounded like Varius's voice.

Colt and Gilbert wondered what this hyena wanted this late at night. "Yes," Colt replied.

Varius entered the chamber and said, "Our king wants you to accompany him for hunting in the morning. He expects you to be there."

Colt and Gilbert glanced at each other, wondering what were the king's intentions. "Okay, I will be there," Colt replied. Varius took the note and exited.

"I can feel there is something wrong," Gilbert said. "You should not go there. There is a strong stench of foul play."

"What can I do, Gilbert? I can not deny the king's orders. But do not worry. I have an escape plan."

"What is it?" Gilbert asked.

"Just do what I tell you," Colt said.

The next day, Colt accompanied his brother to the forest. They were surrounded by guards and each of them searched for a hunt. Hammer and Colt were on their horses side by side.

"So, what is your decision, brother?" Hammer asked Colt. "Would you join me?"

Colt thought for a while and answered, "I had given you my answer yesterday."

A tint of displeasure emerged on the king's face. "So, you decided to go against me."

"I am against no one. You both are my brothers. Why do I have to go against one?" responded Colt.

"I am not asking you as your brother." Hammer pulled out his scimitar and placed it on Colt's neck. "I asked you as a king. I have told you before, if you are not with me, then you are against me." He wanted to see fear in his brother's eyes, but there was not even a hint of it. He was about to swing it on his neck, but something happened all of a sudden.

"Protect the king!" a guard cried when an arrow hit the king near the shoulder. Nobody knew who shot it.

It was a chance for Colt. Without wasting a moment, he made the horse gallop away from them.

"Catch him! Do not let him escape!" the king shouted, making a few of guards chase the young prince.

While Colt was running away, a guard shot an arrow that hit him near the shoulder. "Ah!" he winced, but he somehow managed to stay on the horse.

Gilbert joined him on a horse. "We need to lose them," he said. "We will both go separate ways."

Colt nodded and took a left turn while Gilbert took the right. The guards got divided between the two. Colt was running for his life, but his fortune seemed to not favour him. He could see a dead end ahead. A deep ditch. He had no time to think.

"Stop or you will die!" a guard shouted at him.

Colt knew if he got captured here, they would definitely execute him. He had to take the chance. "Hiyah!" he readied the horse for a full scale suicide jump… and he did it. He fell into the waters down there along with the horse.

"Ah! He killed himself," a guard said when he found no sign of him from up there. "He sure had a lot of guts to make a jump like that. What a waste. Let us report it to our king." They went away without even confirming his death.