Excited whispers and murmurs scatter around the throne room the king sits impatiently upon his red velvet throne a contrast to his golden attire he is adorned in emeralds that match his sharp piercing eyes perfectly. He absentmindedly runs his fingers through his strawberry blonde hair and starts to pace across the room while he awaits the captive. All the nobles on the other hand parade around like any social affair gossiping and thinking it all in fun. From afar it would appear to be a gala or ball everyone dressed in fine clothes having fun and the throne room of course looked glorious with red velvet curtains stained glass windows depicting monument us art, tables filled with food and drink and fine ivory marble on the floors with rugs imported from Asia. Suddenly this serene picturesque illusion was destroyed as the great doors were swung open and in walked some bloodied royal guards and everyone was reminded as to why they were here. The soldiers struggled to keep their prisoner at bay every time they seemed to have got him under control he would surprise them and fight his restraints even harder. He had medium length hair that covered his face and it stood out among the crowd being a shocking jet black, he was tanned obviously form being outdoors most of his life and he was cloaked in black through the fabric it could be seen by the onlookers that he was slim yet muscular and covered in dirt, sweat, and blood some was his own as could be told from his injuries and some was probably from the guards. As they approached the expectant king they threw down the captive and as he struggled to get up and free himself they slashed his restraints grabbed his arms and made him kneel at the kings feet they forced his head down as he struggled twisting his arms back to make him compliant. His majesty stepped forward and looked over the young man with a hint of concern but mainly disappointment then looked at the guards who in return to his glance said apologetically
“My lord we apologize for the wait and our appearance but this one gave us a lot of trouble we did the most minimal damage we could to subdue him just like you asked”
Everyone’s eyes in the room were then turned towards the man who had suddenly gone very still and quiet. Approaching the criminal the king inquired
“Do you have anything to say for yourself?!”
Still unmoving the man stayed silent the king gave a nod to his guards and they grabbed him by his hair and forced the man’s face up towards his highness. Now with his hair out of his face the people could see him more clearly. He had a look of utter pain and hatred on his face that deformed his features but they could still tell he was handsome
“I asked you a question are you going to be a gentleman and answer it or not?!”
The man spat at the king hitting him on the check with a mixture of spit, blood and dirt. His majesty slowly lifted his hand to wipe it away with a handkerchief and then nodded to the guards who hit him across the face the man glared at him through slitted emerald eyes
“Now I will ask you again! Do you have anything to say for yourself?!”
The man spat blood on the floor then slowly turned towards the king and said furiously
“Yes, father, I do”
Shock and talk swept over the court and was only diminished by the kings signal with his whole body shaking in fury the young man continued
“I have only one thing to say and that is my only regret in life that I didn’t kill you one night in your sleep when I was young”
Sounds of shock and horror erupts in the room again as the king calls for order. As it quiets down the king addresses his son with a kind of hurt rage
“You little ungrateful brat I raised and cared for you! I gave you and your mother a life of luxury, education, opportunities and this is how you repay me?!”
“You gave those things out of guilt and duty not honor or love so don’t you dare pretend you gave a damn about my mother or me!”
He states aggressively
“You mean nothing to me … absolutely nothing”
He sneered leaning in with a smile. Arching up his eyebrow the king says
“Oh really?! If you don’t care then why are you trying to destroy me so much?!”
“ Because your wrong a horrid king the people deserve better and let’s not pretend you give a damn about me we both know what I am to you … just a bastard son that’s not worth your time… am I right King Marcus?!”
He asks defiantly. Brushing off this statement his highness says
“I did love you and treat you as if you were my legitimate son Megell”
“Really is that why you kept me hidden and a secret my whole life?!”
They stared each other down until the king broke the connection looked away and snapped his fingers and said in a distant voice
“Take him away.”
Bowing the guards grabbed Megell rerestrained him and carried him out this time he didn’t struggle. Down in the dungeons the days seemed to blur together the sun’s rays could not penetrate the dark metal ice box that was his jail cell. All he could do to pass the time and keep sane was to sleep and dream about better times, memories reliving them all in his sleep. The day he ran away from his prison in the castle disguised as a home after his mother’s death, the day he met his friends and became a group of rebels to help the resistance. The day he met her; Ana and the day he asked her to marry him, their wedding and when they greeted their children into the world together. Then the most painful memory in the world when he had to say goodbye to them all; the love of his life and his two perfect little bungles of joy; a boy and a girl, each 2 years apart from each other. He left them with a heavy heart and didn’t look back because if he did then there was no way he could go through with it; leave for his mission knowing he might not see them again; he asked his friends to look after them and left. Looking back if he had only known what would happen he wouldn’t have gone; he wouldn’t have gone on a mission to assassinate King Marcus had he known he would be betrayed and caught. Had he only known had… he …. Only…known… he dwelled on this and in his own self misery for who knows how long; it got to the point that he couldn’t stop the insanity anymore he started to go mad; drawing on the walls the things and faces he was afraid of forgetting and even self inflicting harm to himself; punching the walls with his bare fist, screaming in frustration and even refusing to eat. It got to the point where king Marcus heard about his antics; which is what he was going for all along he ordered his son to be transferred to a nicer cell; his old room in the tower. And as he was being transferred to the tower he could barely control himself and when he got inside closed the door and found himself alone he let go and smiled in triumph he began to get cleaned up and change his clothes and then he would get started. One day, as the sun was rising over the horizon he made his final preparations to escape after the sun set he would begin. Reaching down to pack the last of his supplies he hears a knock at the door, startled he hides everything and goes to see who it is through the food slot in his door. From what he could see there was a pair of soldier’s boots and attached to them was a young boy. He appeared to be about 16 with fairly tanned skin and had black as night hair matching Megells perfectly
“I’m not suppose to have an inspection till next week”
Hearing the source of the voice the boy learned down to talk to Megell through the slot. “Surprise inspection”
He stated quickly Megell closed the slot stood up disgruntled and began to pace the floor
“Open up Megell”
Quickly he decided his escape would have to wait till tomorrow. He quickly unlocked and opened his door. He stood aside to let the guard in and that was when he was hit with a sudden déjà vu. He finally was able to get a closer look at the boy and was immediately dumbfounded by the familiarity of his face. He was a handsome young man with the most amazing bright blue eyes that reminded him of Ana. He was slim yet muscular like Megell and when he walked in Megell could tell there was something on the boys mind. Megell closed the door at once when the soldier motioned for him to do so and stepped forward towards him
“Do you see many red robins out your window?!”
He asks nervously with a second or two of delay Megell realized what the boy had asked it was a code word of the resistance he had to answer back quickly he jogged his brain to remember then quickly spoke back
“Only at sundown”
With a look of acceptance from the boy both of them relaxed and breathed out in relief.
“Thank god! They finally sent someone! Please catch me up on everything; plans, my friends, family, even the year for goodness sake they wouldn’t even tell me the date in this place!”
Seeing the look on the rebels face Megell grew concerned
“What is it?! You can tell me!  I can take it! I just need the truth! Please! I have to know.”
After a few seconds of considering the boy nodded and began to catch Megell up on everything. The resistance is still going strong his friends are all still alive but some are handicapped or retired and apparently Megell had been locked up for about 15 years. That took Megell by surprise he knew it had been long but 15 years they had waited 15 years to come get him 15 years for anyone to care?! As if reading his mind
“Sorry it took us so long we thought you were dead it wasn’t until recently when you were transferred to the tower that someone saw you and reported it.”
He quickly thought of his family and as if being able to read his mind again the boy answered his thoughts
“Ana; your wife she died of the sickness that over took the village a couple of years ago; there was nothing we could do”
The boy said it with such sadness and regret that Megell wondered if the boy knew Ana; as for Megell he was already so numb to it because he didn’t think he’d see her again and made peace with that a long time ago. He quickly dropped his thoughts to ask about his children
“Aiden and Elliana?! Yeah there fine all grown up good people they joined the cause you know?!”
The man nodded pleased at the news but somewhat sad to have missed them growing up. His attention was drawn back to the boy as he started to catch him up on the escape plan. Once all the information had been exchanged the boy headed out to make final preparations and right before he left Megell called to him
“I don’t even know your name!”
The boy stopped in his tracks hesitated then turned around and called
“Aiden... my names Aiden!”
Then he turned back around and headed out leaving his father Megell in a shocked silence. The day of the escape came quickly and Megell had yet to have an actual discussion with Aiden it was never the right time or he didn’t know what to say he figured they could talk when they got out of there. Then Aiden came striding quickly into the room nodded at his father and then it began Aiden had carefully observed all the guards routines and schedules so he could plan around them a clear pathway to the hidden sewage tunnels beneath the palace. It was all like clockwork until one group of guards decided to change it up unfortunately during this altercation father and son were separated for a short time but it was long enough for both of them. They refound each other and continued on a contingency path to the sewers. After sneaking into the hatch that led to the sewer tunnels they could relax a bit more and more with more ease down in the dark foul smelling air. Suddenly out of nowhere
“Why didn’t you tell me who you were from the start?”
After a moment of silence Aiden answered
“Because I have been told about my great dad the hero and when I was sent to get you… when I volunteered to get you I mean I just wanted to meet you before you knew who I was get to know you first without the pressure you know?”
“Yeah, .. Yeah I guess”
Suddenly they heard a big commotion above them in the palace they looked at each other and sped up their trek across the sewers till they reached the opening towards the border of the capital that leads into the forest. Feeling the sun on his skin for the first time in a long time Megell relishes the journey to the resistance and gets to know his son a bit more. Finally they reach the checkpoint he remembered so well as if engraved in his memory. They went through the process of security and were raised up into the tops of the trees where a civilization of rebels lived, thrived and hid from the king little houses and buildings and bridges suspended between trees. As they were fully raised to the top Megell recognized the people waiting up there for them his friends they were council members now they all got debriefed and caught up over dinner and drink and right when Megell opened his mouth to say something it escaped him as a girl with bright sunshine hair and bright green emerald eyes, tanned skin and slim cloaked in a blue casual dress came to join the party and as she walked in all he uttered was
“Ana…”
But it wasn’t Ana the eyes were off this must have been;
“No sorry Ana was my mother I’m her daughter Elliana… um who are you anyway?!”
Aiden stood up crossed to his sister whispered in her ear which promptly made her tear up and look at Megell
“Your...your my father?”
“Yes”
“But I was told you were dead”
“Well”
she ran up and embraced him with tears pouring down her eyes shocked Megell embraced her back then they released each other and made plans to catch up tomorrow when everyone had more rest and just before he left Megell came up to the head council member; a dear friend and said
“There is something you should know…I did it”
“Did what?!”
“Finished the mission”
He looked at Megell with shock
“You mean?!”
“Yes I killed my father I killed the king”
“When?!”
“Me and Aiden got separated on the way out... the rebellion is at hand brother.”
He winked and smiled at his dear friend then left to rest leaving his friend alone saying after him “yes brother it is”
With a smile on his face.