Rise Of A Lion

Chapter One

“Dead?”

“That’s what I heard. Found dead in their bedrooms this morning. Whole lot of them.”

“Do they know who did it?”

“Feel sorry for the poor broad who discovered ‘em…”

“How did it happen?”

“Knew it was coming, of course.”

“That’s not the strangest part. Bodies were gone by the time the authorities showed, and the maid was missing.”

“Who took them?”

“What does this mean?”

“What’s going to happen?”

I pushed my way through the crowd, hood raised, and being sure to keep my head lowered. I only caught snippets of people’s conversations as I passed them, but I knew exactly what they were talking about: the assassination of the Royal Family. According to the police, the maid placed a phone-call to the station this morning; she had come to turn down the beds, and discovered the bodies, each apparently with clean bullet wound straight through their foreheads. Nobody could tell how true this was, however; by the time the police had reported to the scene, the bodies had been removed from the manor, and the maid was nowhere to be found. Nobody seemed to know how or why it happened, or who could’ve committed such a vicious crime.

Nobody except me.

I stared intently at my boots as I navigated through the sea of people, being sure not to make eye contact with anyone. If a single person recognised me, it would’ve all been for nothing. I quickened my pace, not caring if I bumped into people. I had to get out, away from everyone, away from town, and as far as possible from that manor.

I raised my head for a moment, spotting a man a few meters away shutting the back of his delivery van. I made a beeline for the car, just barely stopping before I ran into it.

“Excuse me, sir,” I said, tugging my hood lower on my face. “I’m terribly sorry to trouble you, but I was wondering if you might be headed out of town?”

“Sure am. Gotta deliver these parcels to the next town by sundown today, so they can be sorted for tomorrow’s mail delivery. Glad to be getting away after what’s happened, to be quite honest with you. Can’t believe there’d be a murder here, of all places. And to the Royal Family, too!” he exclaimed.

I peered at him from under my hood as he surveyed the town. He was a rather beefy man, making up for the lack of hair on his head with a bushy, grey moustache. His uniform was crinkled, which made me assume that he was unmarried; my own mother would never let my father leave the house in a shirt so badly in need of ironing. Perhaps he would be glad for some company on the long journey to the next town.

“If it isn’t too much of a hassle, sir, might I be able to get a lift with you to the next town?”

He looked back at me, and I tugged my hood nervously. He gave a big grin, and opened the passenger-side door. “Of course it’s no trouble, boy. Hop on in.”

 ***

I awoke suddenly, feeling a jerk from beneath me. For a second, I was confused, unable to place my surroundings. All at once, the memories flooded back to me. Royal Family... Death… Escape.

Yawning, I shifted myself into an upright position, gasping as the sun shone brightly into my eyes.

“Finally awake, lad? Thought you’d slipped into a coma. I was gonna dump your body in the hospital if you hadn’t woken up soon,” he chuckled.

I looked out the window, trying to place where we were. All I could see was miles upon miles of green grass.

“We’re about half an hour out of the next town, lad, if you were wondering,” the man stated.

“I slept for 10 hours?” I asked quietly, not taking my eyes from the window.

“Well, 11… We stopped at a service station to fill up and grab some lunch. I couldn’t wake you, though.” The man paused for a moment before continuing. “So what’s your story, lad? What’s your name, in fact?”

I looked down to my knees. I was afraid of this. Of course people would be curious of a young kid making his way around by himself, but I wanted to avoid giving too much away. The more falsehoods I had to create, the more transparent my story would become.

“My name is Arthur,” I lied, remembering the name of my tutor. “That’s really all there is to know about me. I’m not a very interesting person.”

The delivery guy nudged me. “C’mon, there must be more than that. I’m Terrence, and I’m a postal delivery driver. Even I have something to add to my name. Young fella like you, can’t be older than 20, and you’re out wandering around by yourself, skipping town, and whatnot. There’s gotta be some sort of story behind that.”

I sighed, slightly annoyed by his curiosity. “I don’t know… I guess… I’m kinda having… problems at home. I couldn’t stay there. I really just needed to get away.” I could tell he would try to prod more out of me, so I added, “I’d really rather not talk about it, if it’s all the same to you. I don’t mean to be rude after you’ve been so kind as to give me lift, but it’s rather painful to talk about.”

Terrence waved his hand dismissively. “Say no more, kid. I understand. I’ve had my share of familial dilemmas. That’s why I keep to myself, now. Sure, it gets lonely sometimes, but you don’t have anything to hurt or disappoint you.”

“Hurt…” I whispered, letting a single tear roll down my face. The word magnified my feelings, and it was all I could do to keep from completely breaking down. Suddenly, the car felt too restricting, too confined. I needed fresh air.

“We’re here, lad,” Terrence announced, not a moment too soon. “Where did you want to be dropped?”

“If you keep going to wherever you’re headed, I’ll make my way from there.”

“As you wish.” He kept driving, making several turns here and there, until he pulled up out the front of a small post office. He jumped out of the car, as I pulled my duffel bag onto my shoulder. I opened the door, sliding out, and taking in my surroundings. The town was rather small, much more like a village than a city. The whole place had a very country feel to it. Perhaps I would be able to get some temporary work on a farm until I figured out my next move.

I jumped as I felt a hand fall on my shoulder, and I quickly spun around. Terrence smiled at me. “Woah, there. At ease, soldier. I just wanted to say goodbye, and wish you luck.” He offered me a hand, which I shook tentatively.

“I have some money, I can pay you for the ri-”

He put up his hand to silence me. “It was an honour to escort a troubled young man away from his troubles. Now you be on your way.”

I lifted my head a little, flashing him a grateful smile before turning to walk away.

“Arthur…” Terrence started. I turned to face him, waiting for him to speak. Instead, he just shook his head. “No matter, no matter. It’s not important.” He hesitated a moment, before adding, “Just… watch your back, lad.”

I turned, puzzled by this last remark. I gave a shrug. ‘Must just be one of those careful types,’ I decided. I made my way up the street, feeling as though a small weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I had made it out of that town without a single person recognising me, a feat I had thought would be impossible. I’d still have to be careful here, no doubt, but in a strange town, it might be possible that fewer people would know who I was.

I wandered down the streets and alleyways, pondering where I would sleep tonight. If I could find a good bench, I could use the blanket in my duffel to keep warm, and that would be a suitable bed.

I had been too lost in my thoughts to hear anyone following me. I don’t know when they had started to pursue me, but it wasn’t until I heard the click of the gun and felt it poke into my lower back that I realised someone was there.

“Going somewhere, Your Highness?” a man whispered, chuckling. Then something connected with the back of my head, and I knew no more.