Chapter 14: The Mastermind

I'm trying something different for this chapter and maybe the next few. I'm going to be writing from a third person POV, just to see how well it's written, and because of Adrian being kinda K.O'ed at the moment.

Warning! Mentions of blood and someone getting the crap beat out of them.

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The man throws his fist into Adrian's right cheek. Adrian's already bloodied and bruised face gaining another bruise. Adrian, weakly, opens his eyes to look at the man that broke his leg weeks ago, then he swings his head to look at the prince.

Prince Donovan sat in a chair, reading a book like what was happening wasn't happening in front of him.

"W-why?" Adrian weak, hoarse, voice sounds loud in the near quiet room. The Prince turns the page of the book, then looks up to Adrian.

"I do not wish for my brother to be king." The cold tone of his voice rang throughout the large room, the furniture seemed to not want to absorb the coldness of his voice and just bounced the sound back like the room was empty. Adrian wanted to ask why again, but his voice had left him although his eyes asked the question for him.

"I despise my younger brother, I have always hated him. He would always get all the attention after he was born, and even now all the people want him or either my elder brother to be the king." He stands from his chair and walks over to Adrian, leaning down into his face, "They say that either one of them will make the kingdom stronger, but I disagree. They will make the kingdom weak and destroy it."

An urgent knock on the door pulls three pairs of hate-filled eyes away from each other and towards the door. Prince Donovan just smiles,

"He took his sweet time getting here." He pushes himself away from the chair and looks to the only other man in the room, the man nods as he gets the silent message. He walks behind Adrian as he still struggles to make a single sound to indicate that he is in distress, the man brings his hand up and brings it down on Adrian's head, knocking him unconscious. He picked up Adrian and threw him over his shoulder and moved the chair back to its original spot. He put Adrian leaning against the wall, where he would be the first thing that Prince Daniel would see, he walks over to hide behind the door.

Donovan opens the door and Daniel comes rushing into the room, his eyes fill worry, and anger, he opens his mouth to say something when his eyes land upon a broken and battered Adrian. He rushes over to him and pulls Adrian's, still smaller body, onto his lap and holds his head in his hands, trying to wake him up. Daniel either doesn't seem to care or notice, that the man had closed the door and locked it.

"Why would you do this, Donovan?" Daniel's voice holds anger and sadness and he questions his brother, but still not looking away from the unconscious Adrian.

"Because you do not deserve to be the king, and to get what I want, which is the throne, I will hurt the ones that you love the most." Donovan's eyes fall to the beaten Adrian, looking at him with rage in his eyes, "By the time he wakes up, he will wish that we killed him. By the time he wakes up, you will be dead and it will be blamed on him."

Daniel gently lays Adrian back against the wall of the room, then stands to look at both his brother and the man. Rage taking over his hazel eyes.

"Who is that man." Daniel flicks his wrist towards the other man in the room.

"Him?" Donovan slightly turns to look at the man, "He is my hired man that was supposed to kill you in the library all those weeks ago, his name is Diego." Deigo just huffs.

Daniel body language suggests that he is calm, cool, and collected, but his eyes say that he is ready to punch the hell out of his brother and this Diego man.

"Why would you not want me to be the king?" Daniel seems like he is just trying to buy time, he glances over to the unconscious Adrian hoping -- no waiting -- for him to shows signs that he'll wake up.

"That is because you would make this kingdom weak and fragile, you would allow us to fall." Donovan walks around the room and his eyes fall upon Adrian, "He has made you weak since after you visited him in the hospital. Since he became your butler!" Donovan's voice is slowly rising, his voice almost calm yet filled with rage.

"And I'll be damned if I allow that to happen!" Donovan speed walks over to where Adrain lays, raising his hand in a fist to hurt him more. Daniel rushes over to where they both are and punches his brother right in the jaw. The sound of the punch sounds throughout the room, then the sound of flesh being pierced follows immediately after that.

Daniel falls to the floor holding his side where a dagger had been plunged into him and then pulled out. His knees hit the floor at the same time as the door opens to reveal the royal guard. Amelia rushes inside the room and quickly takes in the situation. Although, the way she sees it is a little different; she sees a man that has a bloodied knife in his hand, an injured prince bleeding out, said prince's personal butler unconscious, and another prince that is seemingly being threatened.

She charges at Deigo, taking her sword out of its sheath, ready to take him out.

As Amelia rushes Deigo the other guards come into the room taking in what is happening.

"Get them out of here!" Amelia yells the order over the sound of her sword clashing with Deigo's daggers. The guards quickly usher Donovan out of the room and another throws Daniel's arm around his shoulder and leads him. Daniel struggles against the guard, looking over his shoulder until his eyes land upon the last two guards trying to get Adrian out of the room without getting involved in the fight that is taking place between Amelia and Deigo.

Though they come out of the room a little later than what Daniel would have liked, all three of them made it. The medical team finally arrives and they first look over Donovan, seeing that he has no injuries they turn their attention to Daniel. Daniel can't hold himself anymore from all the blood that he has lost and goes limp against the guard that was holding him up. His eyes grow wide and he lays him down with the help of some of the medical people, lots of them are around the prince with others stabilizing Adrian.

Donovan's eyes tell that he is relieved that this is how it has happened. Daniel is out cold, probably going to die from blood loss and Adrian is likely to die from his injuries being so bad. Although, he has to keep the appearance that he is the victim of this whole thing and that he is worried about what is happening.

Amelia exits the room, holding her arm tightly.

"It's taken care of, your Highness." Amelia slightly bows then leaves to check on Adrian.

As she approaches him he starts to wake up slightly and is trying to mumble something from his bruised, bloodied lips. She finishes rushing over to him and leans down to hear what he is trying to mumble. She stands once he finishes and passes out again, she turns to prince Donovan.

"Your Highness," she bows to him, "I need you to come with me."

"Whatever for? You got the guy." Donovan looks to his brother, looking scared for his brothers' life.

"Yes, I did, but he might not have worked alone, so I need to put you in a safer location, along with the rest of the family." She ushers him down the hall away from the others. She wanted to keep an eye on him.

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