YOU WILL BE THE ONLY ONE LEAVING

They darted their eyes at the door to see Ducian the Third entering, stumbling on his feet. He reeked of the pungent smell of wine and had dark circles under his tired looking eyes. He even seemed to have grown older in just a few days, there were stress marks and wrinkles all over his face.

"Liam! My boy!" He bragged and blurted loudly, "I was in my chamber when the Ministers told me that it is your birthday today. I just couldn't stay put there as your father on such a day." Licia smiled as she tried not to gag because of the awful smell around him and said, "Thank you, father."

"Yes!" The man looked out and said, "Perhaps, I shall give a speech and address the people since it's such a joyous day."

He lifted the bottle in his hand and drank the wine in it, emptying half of the bottle in one go, "Son, do you hear that?"

"Hear… what, father?" Licia furrowed her eyebrows as she asked.

"The cries of people from afar. The galloping hooves. They are closing in…" The King revealed a bone chilling grin as he cackled like a maniac, "The day of your death is near! You, you and you… None of you will live to see the light much longer."

Queen Marisa frowned.

That was the day King Ducian the Third lost his sanity and he grew madder by the day.

It didn't take long before the news of King's ailing mental health spread across the country. People started to gossip and slowly lose their faith in him.

"Did you hear the news, the doctor from the South was also executed after counseling the king yesterday."

"Yeah, poor doctor, he was still young! I have no idea what is going to happen to the King and his kingdom now."

"The rebellion has been going on for a month now yet the King hasn't taken the initiative to visit the battlefield yet. The morale of the soldiers is starting to fall apart."

"It's true! The King doesn't seem to have any plan or strategy up his sleeve. He is still seeking women and alcohol without any concern for the rebellion."

"Neither does he seem to have any care for the people who have died in this war. He has abandoned his duties as a leader."

"Haaa… what else can we expect! We can't rely on a breaking rope to save us, can we?"

…

That night in the castle…

The guards who were watching the palace main gates were approached by two other soldiers, "Hey, let's rotate. You guys go and get some sleep."

"Is it time already?" One of the guards asked, to which the other soldiers replied, "No, it's a bit early. Don't tell the commander."

"Fine! I am tired as well!"

"Thanks, we will go get some sleep then."

After the guards left, the two soldiers who were now the only people left behind to guard the gates revealed a sinister smile at each other.

Queen Marisa was in her chamber sleeping when her handmaiden, Bertha, came in, panting and shivering, "Your Highness! It's urgent!"

Marisa was immediately awakened by this, she asked, "Bertha, what happened?"

Berta was shivering with fright as she said, "The gates, they have been opened and the rebels have intruded the palace walls. The King has already been beheaded and the leftover soldiers are being killed as well."

"We can't hold on anymore, this place will soon be taken over. You have to run away now!"

The Queen forze for a moment when she heard this, her mind went blank as if it had lost its ability to think.

Hinderwad…

She looked at Bertha and asked, "Hinderwad… Is there any news from there?"

Bertha looked sad as she shook her head crossways, making the Queen realize that she had been abandoned by her own country. Bertha said, "There is no time to lose, My Queen. You two must hurry and run away."

How can this be? She endured and did everything possible just to end up like this?

Is this… the end of her?

Suddenly, she remembered something as she asked, "Where is Prince Liam?" Bertha stopped what she was saying and said, "In his chamber. But Majesty…?"

"Silence!" The Queen ordered as she yanked her blanket and hurried off the bed, "I am the Queen here. Do you think the rebels will stop until they see me swinging by the throat on a rope?"

She headed towards Liam's chamber with puzzling thoughts in her head. No royalty will be able to escape the bloodshed today, even Liam. But his story was different, no one else than her and Bertha knew that Liam was indeed a girl. She had personally killed all the handmaidens and doctors who were involved with her birth so that her secret never comes out. If Licia manages to escape the castle, no one will ever know that she is the real prince and can survive this.

When the Queen and Bertha ran into the chamber, Licia was preparing her sword to go to the battlefield. "Licia, what are you doing?" The Queen asked worriedly as she saw the sword in her hand. Licia said, "The rebels have broken into the castle, I am going to fight them." Licia looked around at the faces of the maids who were there. She was a bit nervous because her mother had called her by her real name in front of all these people.

"And kill yourself?" The Queen snatched the sword from her hands and kept it away, "You shall not do anything like that."

"But mother…"

"Shhh! There is no time to squander. Hurry and take off your clothes, now!"

"P- Pardon?" Licia couldn't understand what her mother was saying. There were so many people here, if she takes off her clothes won't they find out about her identity. The Queen shook her head, "You must hurry and escape through the hidden passage."

"Mother! There is no time for all of us to escape."

"No, you will be the only one leaving."

Licia stopped what she was saying, her pupils dilated drastically as her mother's words rang in her head. If she was the only one to escape, then what about her mother?