Regaining my breath, I rested for a moment trying to appear composed. I turned the corner and saw the front of The Tower. I walked at a deliberate pace, not wanting to appear stressed to the people up front. They recognized me and bowed.
“Prince, what is your honorable presence doing here, in such a retched place?”
The guard on the left questioned.
“His Majesty, Johann III, has tasked me to personally deliver this.”
I said handing over the parchment I had falsified. I glanced behind me at the sound of many horse carriages stomping their way down the street. I must reward Fredrick for his contributions. The guard read the paper with evident dismay.
“He has ordered for their release?”
He questioned.
“Yes, His Majesty realized the error in his hasty judgement and in his wisdom ordered the wrong to be righted.”
The guard holding the letter hastily entered The Tower to report this to his superior. After the lengthiest thirty minutes of my life, I finally saw people being released from the doors. Hundreds of confused parliamentarians exited. I needed to rally them. They all knew of my affiliation, so I shouted.
“Men, it is I, Prince Emil Johann Renault. Under the King’s mercy you have been freed. Come with me by the carriage’s I have arranged. It is the least we could do for the cruel treatment towards you Honorable fellows. We will ride to another location where I can further explain the circumstance.”
I hoped they had enough reason to understand the true meaning of my words. The King would never do such a thing. I heard whispers across the group before they seemed to come to a consensus and individual members began to step into carriages. Exiting one of said carriages, Fredrick came towards me.
“Thank you, Fredrick. I am sorry but I must ask more of you. Gather as many sympathizers as you know and spread what has happened among the commoners. Don’t go to the news, they most likely have been censored already by Johann III. Say, ‘Prince Emil stands with Parliament.’ I further whispered to him where we were going and told him to tell others to gather there.”
He nodded vigorously and rushed off to his new task. Once again, I thanked him in my mind before directing the carriages.
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“Go to Ravenswick Castle.”
With that I hopped in an empty carriage and set off with the convoy. It was a four-hour trip, but the confusion from what had happened should make it hard for Johann III to get clear information on the escape. Besides, Ravenswick was the perfect location to consolidate a force. It was a fortress that had been left unmanned due to its decreasing necessity and would act as an ideal base of operation. Mustering an army of professional troops was not easy. The personal Royal guard, while strong were small. To relocate all the men dispersed through the nation would take weeks; we would strike with a large peasant force before this could be allowed. Once the rumors I had told Fredrick to spread reached the King’s ears, he would act. Currently, he was most likely still celebrating having imprisoned Parliament. When he realized they had escaped he would order their recapture. It would be too late then.
It was dark as we arrived the castle. Leaving my carriage, I explained.
“Gentlemen, I thank you for your patience. As I am sure you’re aware, it was not the King’s prerogative to have you freed. I have done this against his will.”
A commotion spread around the members as I finally confirmed their suspicions. Someone called back.
“Well, what will we do?! Why have you brought us here?”
“I shall explain. This fort will become our base of operations. I have arranged for the spread of our location here. By the morning a storm will have accumulated here. As quickly as we can organize the fine people who will come to support our noble cause, we will set off. There is no time to let Johann III arrange his troops!”
Voices of agreement spread across the members. I told everyone to rest, even though I knew it would be difficult at best. There were quarters for troops, after all it was a fortress, but it had been unmanned for many years. Furnishings were gone and dust had built up. I sat against the hard cobble wall of my room which usually was held by the fort’s general. Thoughts of this day flowed back into my consciousness. Never had I been so close to my mortality; so aware of how every action could lead to my demise. I killed a man. He had not done evil. He had loved ones, friends. It was not such an insignificant act that I could ignore it. It would be easy to justify if it was in self-defense or to avenge something, but it was not. If put in the same situation, I would repeat my actions every time, yet there is still a pain in my heart for that man. Saying my final apologies in my mind, I pushed those thoughts away. More blood would spill. Many more soldiers and peasants would die in the struggle against tyranny. I resolved myself to accept these consequences. No matter the costs, I would have Johann III’s head.
Looking out the iron-barred windows of my room on the third floor, I grinned. The sun was up, and thousands of peasants were funneling into the central field of the fort. People carried kitchen knives, axes, swords, and other miscellaneous tools they had gathered in a hurry. The quality of arms was not well, but quantity was the more immediate factor. The Royal Guard which should be fully mustered by now would be 5,000 strong. This crowd was double that. Still, with our current equipment we would be crushed by cannon and musket fire. The palace itself was a poor point of defense. Its gate would be easy to break down. There was never an expectation of conflict during its design.