WARNING: Death

Virgil inched the curtains open slightly, careful not to let the weak morning sun fall on the sleeping figure curled up in the bed. Issac had been tossing and turning all night but he had eventually fallen still around midnight. Virgil had finally gotten a few hours of sleep but he'd been woken up by a sharp pain in his chest. He couldn't understand it. He'd never suffered anything like heart-burn before so why was he suddenly getting pains in his chest, where his heart was? Virgil quickly lit the candle beside Issac's bed and closed the curtains, not wanting to wake the ten-year-old yet. It must only be 4 am at least. There was no noise outside, not even from the servants who had to rise early for their jobs, so it couldn't be 5 o'clock or after. Virgil didn't have a pocket watch, he had lost the only one he had years ago.

Virgil spent a lot of that morning thinking. His thoughts spiralled in and out of sadness and several 'what if' scenarios came up, none of them good and all of them to do with Issac's sickness. Eventually, he heard the creak of floorboards and the regular bustle that comes with servants of a castle. Virgil assumed that it was maybe 6 or 7 o'clock and decided to gently wake Issac up to see if he could maybe eat something. Virgil got out of his chair and carefully shook Issac's shoulder a little.

"Issac? Issac, it's time to wake up."

Nothing happened. Issac didn't stir or open his eyes or even scrunch his face up slightly to show that he was waking up.

"Issac?" There was a little more panic in Virgil's voice this time. "Issac, wake up."

Nothing.

"Issac?!" Virgil made sure to keep his voice low but the panic in it increased. "Issac, please wake up."

Nothing at all. Virgil took his hand off Issac's shoulder and put it to Issac's forehead. He was as cold as ice. Virgil grabbed Issac's hand and put two fingers to his wrist. There was no pulse.

Issac was...... dead. Virgil felt tears prick the corners of his eyes, tears that refuse to fall, as Issac's small, cold hand slipped out of his own. Virgil felt his airways closing up. The walls seemed to be closing in as well. Virgil couldn't breathe. He couldn't spend a single second more in that room with the shell of his younger brother. Virgil grabbed his things and bolted.

Virgil scrubbed at his eyes, wiping away the tears that pricked his eyes but wouldn't fall from them. He knocked on the door of the throne room and entered before his hand had barely left the door.

"Virgil? What's happened?"

"What's happened, your Highness, is that you have lied to me. My brother is dead."

"Oh Virgil, I really am-"

"Forgive me for interrupting, your Highness, but no amount of apologies can bring my brother back. The fact, plain and simple, is that you lied to me. You failed to tell me that my brother was close to death and instead, you told me that he was going to survive."

"It was a white lie. We thought it would be easier for you to hear that he would live."

"I would have much preferred to hear the truth, your Highness. In fact," Virgil struggled his black coat on, "if it wasn't for my close connection with your daughter, I would have handed in my notice by now. If it would be alright with you, I would like to go back to Stoneold as soon as possible."

Patton looked at Logan in despair who sighed and turned to Virgil. "Very well. There is a boat leaving this evening. We shall make sure you are on it."

"Thank you, your Highness."

The tension in the room was so heavy it was suffocating before Virgil turned on his heel and left the room.

***

Daniel may have only been at the castle for a day or two, but his presence was most definitely known. He was shamelessly hitting on Rose at any chance he got. Rose was not impressed. She despised his 'kind, endearing and hopelessly confused' act. She could tell that there was something sinister about him and she worried, not only for her life but for Roman and Virgil's as well. Luckily, Virgil was out of the kingdom. For now, anyway. Roman was more of a worry.

"Roman, can I talk to you?"

Roman looked up from his red, bound-leather notebook. "Um, sure. What about? You're looking unusually worried."

Rose bit her thumbnail absently, sitting down opposite Roman who closed his notebook, seeing that this was serious.

"What is it?" He asked, leaning forwards and putting his book down on a table.

"It's this new servant boy. Daniel, I think. There's something wrong with him."

"How so?"

Rose sighed. "I'm not.... I'm not sure."

"Well, what's he done?"

Rose smiled bitterly, the worry in her face making her eyes wild and unhealthily shimmery. "Well, he's trying to get me on his side somehow." Rose sighed again. "Even if he isn't, there's something wrong with him. There's something sinister about him."

Roman reached over and carefully took Rose's hand.

"I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

Rose smiled. "Thanks but I'm more worried about you. I don't think he was too happy when he found out that I'm only here because I'm meant to marry one of the princes."

Roman laughed slightly. "We'll protect each other. Deal?"

Rose nodded. "Deal."

If either of them had known that a certain blonde, power-hungry servant boy was listening in on their conversation, they might've kept their voices down.