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The Royal Prisoner
Chapter 11
It was way past midnight. The wind was howling, afar the coastline of Corsica was only distinguishable due to the city lights and the imposing buildings of the city of Bonifacio. The patrol vessel was navigating at high speed towards the high sea. Inside a deadly silence was only broken by the whirring of the engines.
Standing on the deck of the ship, at the bow, facing the cold wind, was the Emperor Hector. The sovereign was staring at the dark figure looming in front of him. Sporadically, the wind would throw foam on the deck and wet the emperor's face and coat. He, however, remained unbothered. Hector was an excellent sailor having spent countless days of his youth navigating all around the Corsican shores, no matter the wind, no matter the cold or rain.
The small vessel finally reached its destination. Approaching the large destroyer, the sovereign clearly distinguished its name,"HMS Prince Victo". The pale grey warship was an impressive sight, and the vessel crew was mesmerised. The patrol ship moored by the destroyer and a ladder was thrown from the larger ship.
Hector climbed his way on the HMS Prince Victor and was greeted by the Admiral Fathia Ben Adjaoui. "Your Majest" the admiral said, curtseying the sovereign"Welcome aboard the HMS Prince Victo" "Thank you, admiral. The pleasure is min" Hector answered"I have heard much about you, my father admired your great talent and temerity. And so do ". "I am humbly serving my Emperor and Nation, Your Majest" she declared, flattered. "This ship is meant to bring hell upon the rebellion and restore peace. I trust you will not let us down and fulfil this prophec" the sovereign said. "We are weighting anchors before dawn, and we will be back only once the rebellion is vanquishe" the admiral proudly announced. "This destroyer, like its namesake, is solid and reliable. I am certain you will make us all proud, admiral. Godspeed" Hector then said with a smile. "Thank you, Your Majest"
Victor took a bite of his falafel and sighted with culinary pleasure. Instead of the usual unbearable heat, a cool wind was blowing through the ancient city of Jerusalem. The prince had been walking around the city with Muhammad, under the supervision of the lieutenant Timond, for several hours.
Two days had passed since he received his brother's letter. Since that day he had no further signs from the intruder. Hadrien had been too busy to meet with Victor and the prince was convinced that the general was just purposely avoiding him since that fateful morning he said he loved him.
Prince Muhammad, on the contrary, had spent most of his free time with Victor. The general Staff was either too busy dealing with more important issues or perfectly fine with it. Either way, Victor was glad he had someone to spend some time with, especially since Prince Muhammad had been so nice to him.
The beauty of the ancient city of Jerusalem was breath-taking. Throughout the morning both princes had been wandering around churches, mosques and synagogues, walking the narrow paved alleys and chatting with local merchants. Victor had been craving for the falafel he was now devouring for hours. Walking so much peaked his appetite, and what an appetite the prince had. Muhammad watched him bite with amusement as he himself proceeded eating his own falafel. "You are not eating anything Paul" Victor asked his lieutenant with a mouthful between two large bites. Paul gestured he would be fine and the prince raised his eyebrows, hardly conceiving someone could actually not be hungry. "Where are we going after lunch, Muhammad" the prince wondered after wiping out the white sauce dripping from his lips. "The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, your hotel in Jerusalem is actually only a few blocks further" Prince Muhammad answered matter of factly.
Both princes finished eating their street food lunch under the amazed look of the pedestrians that recognised them. The princes were heavily guarded, and no locals dared approaching them. Lieutenant Timond was suspiciously glancing at every man, woman, or child that approached them and he kept watching the movement going on in the narrow alley. Victor, however, felt safe and in a good mood. The fact that Hadrien avoided him was compensated by the newly found feeling of freedom he enjoyed when we walked down the streets of Jerusalem, even if under heavy supervision.
After lunch, the group started walking towards the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and arrived barely ten minutes later. The Church was a rather small edifice, made of old stones roughly curved. The prince had visited the Basilica of Saint Peter in Rome when he was younger with his father, the emperor. The Vatican was an enormous palace made of marble, bronze and gold. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre was nothing like this, it was a modest and ancient building.
The princes entered the building that had been emptied of its visitors and pilgrims for Victor and Muhammad to visit safely and privately. Victor felt goosebumps as the cool air of the church contrasted with the outside warmth. Muhammad seemed unsettled and was particularly quiet while they visited the Church. The Arabic prince kneeled in front of the Christ's tomb and prayed for a few minutes.
In the meantime, Victor wandered around the stone colonnades and admired the peaceful atmosphere. The outside uproar of the busy streets of Jerusalem was barely audible, the church was weakly lightened by some candlesticks and the few narrow windows. The prince walked some more and faced a little wooden door. He faced the door for a few moments, mesmerised by it without quite knowing why. What seemed like a simple ancient door appealed to him, like a whisper from afar.
Suddenly, Victor was taken out of his dreams by the hand of Muhammad grabbing his left shoulder. "Would you like to go in" Muhammad proposed while opening the door. On the other side of that door, sharp stairs seemed to lead deep in the underground of the church"Go ahea" he added.
Victor cautiously stepped in and started getting down the narrow stairs, closely followed by prince Muhammad. Once again, the Arabic prince put his hand on Victor's shoulders. "Careful, these stairs are irregula" he then warned. "Where is this going" the prince asked with a hint of apprehension "You will see" Muhammad answered.
After a few moments getting down the stairs in the penumbra, the princes eventually arrived in a large circular room. At the centre of it, a narrow skylight weakly brightened the room directly above a large white marble sepulchre. The room was empty of furniture or decorations. Six large stone columns circled the walls and between each of them a recess was curved. Muhammad gently pushed Victor in one of the recess against the wall. "What are you " Victor started saying before the Arabic man silenced him with his index against the prince's lips. "Please listen to me Victor" Muhammad interjected"You are not safe with the rebels; you cannot trust them! You need to be aware of what's ahead" "What are you talking about" the prince asked anxiously. "They are preparing something, I cannot tell you the details, but you need to be very careful. Do not let them trick you into believing anything they say" Muhammad warned. "They? Who they? Hadrien" the prince questioned"You have said too much or too little, tell me what you know I beg you" "Hadrien is just like the other rebels, they are using you! Don't be deceived by his gentleness towards you. He is toying with you, they want something from you, they want you to give them somethin" "What? What do they want? Please! You are killing me right now, I am not a child! I beg you, tell me what this is all about" Victor pleaded "Well... I am taking huge risks telling you this, but on Friday they will organise a big meeting for the signatures on the agreements regarding the Jewish city-states. All parties will be here, this is a big deal for the rebellion as this will be their first official treaty with other Nations. I know from my father that during this meeting they will ask you to" suddenly the door opened upstairs and Muhammad quickly stepped away from Victor, pretending nothing was happening. Footsteps rushed down the stairs and a few moments later the lieutenant Timond appeared in the room. "I was looking for you, Your Highness! Something happened, we need to go back to the hotel as soon as possibl" Paul then abruptly said, out of breath. "Uh... What, what happened" Victor asked, annoyed that he was interrupted before finally hearing what Muhammad had to tell him. "Well, hum... we really need to go right no" Paul declared "Let me guess, you are not allowed to tell me! Fine" Victor answered, clearly irritated, before climbing up the stairs. Paul looked baffled by this sudden exasperation but refrained from commenting it. The three of them went back to upstairs and the princes parted as Muhammad made his way back to his parent's residence in Jerusalem.
A military car pulled aside and parked in front of the Church's main entrance. "Your Highnes" Paul said while gesturing him to get in the car "We could have walked, we are literally five minutes away from the hotel" Victor underlined while sitting in the car "It is safer this way, trust m" the lieutenant simply answered enigmatically. In the short car trip back to the hotel Victor was preoccupied, what had Muhammad wanted to warn him against? What was Hadrien plotting against his back? Was this the reason why the general avoided him? Why did Muhammad even tried to"war" him, was he not himself allied with the rebels?
A million thoughts at a time crossed the prince's mind. He was lost in his own world and barely paid attention to the uproar of the hotel when they arrived. Military officers running in the corridors, doors slamming and general confusion. Paul, however, was very aware of it and sensed the full tension of the General Staff. He led the prince to his suite and tried to take his leave from him when Victor stopped him. "Paul! Please tell me what is happening... At least give me a clue" the prince begged his lieutenant "Hum... well, I really should not" Paul started saying when Victor gave him a death stare"Ok, but you seriously cannot let anyone know you know" he eventually conceded. The prince nodded his approval "There has been an Air raid from the Imperial Air Force, -A Volta- only 60km from here, in Jaffa. This Air raid partially damaged the fleet of Admiral Corre. The General Staff wants to know where the attack was launched from and they are rather worried" the lieutenant explained. "Oh, I see" simply answered the prince"Well, anyway, thank you for letting me know. I really appreciate i" he then added. Paul nodded slightly and smiled weakly. He then left the suite and closed the door behind him.
Victor was finally alone in his apartments and sighted from psychological exhaustion. He fetched a bottle of wine in the lounge's fridge and poured himself a generous glass before sitting on his sofa. He barely drank his first gulp when the suite's door opened, and a rushing Sasha entered. "Your Highness, my apologies. I thought you were supposed to be out for the da" Sasha explained catching up his breath. "I was supposed to be yes, but we had to come back. Why did you run" Victor asked intrigued "Well, I was told you were here. I had to run back here because I was with a friend downstairs. I am supposed to be here at all time but you know I" "That's okay. Who cares really? You know I don't mind you being `late' or whateve" the prince interrupted"There is really no need to rush or anything, you could have enjoyed your afternoon with your friend" "Yes, thank you, Your Highness. But I wanted to make sure my employer did not notice I left you unattended. He has been very insistent on that before you arrived" he further explained. The prince stared at him, scrutinising his face. Maybe he was turning paranoid, but the warnings of Prince Muhammad echoed in his head, was Sasha a spy too? Well maybe not, he certainly would have denounced him about the intruder that came with his brother's letter... Victor broke the stare and sighted. This whole story was too much for him to bear, he was getting anxious about the simplest things here. Jerusalem was oppressing him. He wished for nothing more than just cuddling in Hadrien's strong arms and falling asleep feeling safe and loved. The general however, was still avoiding him and that was getting to Victor's nerves. "Sasha, can I get a hug" the prince asked. Sasha turned bright red and seemed unsettled to say the least. Victor was not used to asking for hugs or physical affection so bluntly to anyone else but his brother, but at this moment he just did not care anymore. "Uh... Yes, of course" the Jewish boy simply answered after a moment of silence. He stepped forward and sat next to the prince on the sofa, immediately Victor leaned on the sitting servant and wrapped his arm around his torso."Are you okay" Sasha wondered. "I don't know, I am tired... I miss my lif" the prince explained before sighting. Sasha tightened his hug and dropped a kiss over Victor's hair. A few moments later, the prince was sleeping peacefully in his servant's arms.
Hadrien was upset, this week turned out to be a real hell. First, the never-ending negotiations during which no-one seemed satisfied by the settlements, then Prince Victor being an asshole and toying with him and his feelings purposely, and now an Air strike only 60km from Jerusalem. The rebellion was humiliated, their moored eastern fleet attacked by surprise and caught off guard. Admiral Corre was such a moron for leaving his fleet unattended! Hadrien was furious, everyone seemed to be colluding to make Jerusalem a living hell for him and they clearly succeeded.
When the general stormed into the meeting room all fell silent. Only the threatening sound of his fast-approaching boots filled the room with anxiety and tension. Hadrien sat at the end of the meeting table and stared at his officers for a few seconds that felt like eternity for the concerned officers. "Can any of you explain to me what the hell happened" Hadrien eventually calmly asked. Major Graziani gestured for two officers to come forward, they pulled a rolling paperboard and unwrapped a regional map. The older officer with greyish hair took a red pen and started talking. "This morning a first wave of jet fighter MC 108, approximately twenty of them, bombed the moored fleet at Jaffa a few minutes before 8am. Four destroyers, one heavy cruiser and six light cruisers were stationed at the harbour. The first wave of bombing caught the crews off guard, and they showed very little resistance. Only one MC 108 has been damaged but not severely enough to shut it down. They bombed the fleet with what we believe to be Type C inflammatory bombs. Following the first wave one destroyer and two light cruisers were disabled and the heavy cruiser severely damaged. The second wave was made of approximately ten MC 110, faster and heavily armored, they struck at 9am and successfully sank one destroyer and damaged two others light cruisers.
The attack came from the sea, our investigations showed that the fighters were launched from the imperial heavy cruiser"HMS Henri Girau", the cruiser has been modified to be able to serve as an aircraft carrier, small capacity. We spotted the HMS Henri Giraud along with a five ships escort not far south of Cyprus. The aircraft carrier along with its escort is sailing west as we speak, we transmitted this information to the Supreme General Colona D'Istria in Bologna" "Thank you, officer" Major Graziani simply said"General, it would seem that Vinciguerra has been flexing her muscles here and tried to show off and to embarrass us during the negotiations. The actual threat is however not extremely preoccupying" "Is that so, Major" Hadrien asked rhetorically"To me it looks like Vinciguerra made the clear demonstration that the Empire was able to mobilise the necessary resources to execute a military action in which not only they damaged and sank several of our ships but without losing a single soldier or plane in the process. Surely these conclusions will not go unnoticed with our allies in the region, the Prime Minister sent them a warning" "Admiral Corre was confident that the Supreme General will track down the small imperial fleet and sink the aircraft carrier. Without the access they had to the Middle East oil fields, this type of operation involving both ships and planes so far away from Corsica is a very dangerous bet, one we believe they cannot avoid losing. We need to be patient, the Prime Minister doesn't have the capacity to crush the rebellion! And soon they will be out of oil and their industrial capacity will be clogged, their ships kept at bay, their planes stuck on the ground and their tanks bogged down. Vinciguerra is trying to provoke us General" the Major argued. "The Empire might lack oil soon, yet again that is an assumption since we are unsure of the size of the national reserve, but we are out of material. The operation over the Spanish City States deprived us of our last allies capable of producing military material, every ship, every plane, every tank count for the rebellion. The attack on Jaffa jeopardizes our already fragile position of superiority over what an alliance of City States in the eastern Mediterranean would be like! I am not worried about the Prime Minister landing troops here, I am however worried about our allies of the day turning against us in the Middle East... It would take one more successful blow on our fleet to seriously damage our dominion over trade routes in the region! We need to sink this aircraft carrier as soon as possible" Hadrien declared. "I agree, General. However, we have no power over what Admiral Corre must do, he is under the direct authority of the Supreme General. He went back to Jaffa where he will wait for his instructions. I believe the admiralty will decide to counterattack, however. Especially since the aircraft carried is so lightly escorte" Major Graziani explained. "Fair enough! In the meantime, I want all coastal cities on high alert, I also want both Jerusalem and Jerash to be equipped with anti-air-raid material. Make sure our allies here are aware we are taking steps to prevent further attacks. They will need to be assured our strength and determination is unchanged, better still, reinforced" Hadrien commanded. "Yes, General! But... what must we do about the prince" Major Graziani hesitantly asked. "What? What about the prince? What are you talking about" The general answered aggressively. "Don't you think it would be safer to send him back to Jerash? Further from the coast and potential further air-raids" the major suggested. "I am afraid the prince is needed here in Jerusalem for the time being" Hadrien declared, avoiding eye contact. "Well... Maybe we could transfer him to a safer accommodation here then? Somewhere with an easily accessible shelter. If the prince is injured, or worse, we could lose all sympathy from the Corsican public opinion" the major suggested. Hadrien sighted heavily and seemed irritated. "Fine! Lieutenant Timond will take care of that. But I want his new accommodation to be submitted for my approval before" The general warned. "Yes sir! I will let him kno" the major said before standing up. "No, I will take care of it myself" Hadrien declared."I expect all of you to lead further investigations and report to me tomorrow morning" He added as he left the meeting room. "Yes, General" the officers answered as one man.
Hadrien quickly made his way upstairs. The prince would probably be pissed off to be removed from downtown and not being allowed to go out any longer. It would probably be best if Hadrien was the one to explain to him why. Some part of him wanted to see him anyway, as the other part avoided him at all cost. Victor always had this effect on him, this ambiguity of their relationship. Hadrien could feel the danger the boy represented for him, on many levels. On the other hand this danger was possibly what Hadrien needed to turn his life into something else, something fulfilling and transcendent.
The general reached the second floor's long corridor that led to Victor's suite. He reached the main door, halted for a moment, he hesitated. Maybe he should let the lieutenant Timond do it. Maybe he was not strong enough to stand the prince's presence without melting, without being tenderized. I must stay strong, he thought, my career is on the line, everything might change from now on. Victor is the only thing that could stand between me and the chance of my life...
What the hell, he thought, I am stronger than this! I will not melt, I will not be feeble, I am a proud Corsican soldier from a noble house with a brilliant future ahead of him. A seventeen years old boy is no match compared to the great general I am!
Hadrien grabbed the door handle and entered the suite. When he walked into the lounge, he was faced with the sight of Victor held tight on his servant's arms, both asleep. Hadrien slammed the door behind him and the loud bang awoke both sleeping boys suddenly. Victor and Sasha looked at all directions at once, panicked, until their eyes froze on the standing general in front of them.
The prince straightened up immediately and stared at Hadrien with disbelief. The general's green eyes were filled with contempt and disgust. Sasha was paralysed with fear but avoided eye contact with the general. The servant boy remembered the warning the intruder gave him,"they will blame you, they will say you forced him, they will destroy yo". The prophecy was now being fulfilled, and the general would have him executed by dawn. For the first time since he had been captured and presented to him, Victor felt unsafe and threatened by Hadrien. The general kept staring at the prince, right in the eyes, his closed fists shaking slightly, his temple pulsating and his square jaw flexing. "Hadrien... I" the prince started explaining. "Go and pack up his things, His Highness is leaving" the general commanded Sasha authoritatively. The Jewish boy stepped out of his stupor and quickly stood up before almost running to Victor's room. The prince looked at the general with pleading eyes, but said nothing, knowing that there was nothing he could do now to avoid Hadrien's wrath. "No more outings, no more visits. You are transferred out of the city centre, where your safety will be guarantee" the general declared to the prince. Victor started crying silently and his hands were shaking. Hadrien felt some of his anger be replaced with compassion, and before he was able to be tenderized, he turned and left the apartment. Once he closed the door behind him, the general halted and his rage exploded. He punched the wall violently and grunted animalistically. The little bastard, he thought, the cheating fucking whore