Those Lovely Shards (BXB)

Chapter Five

Dove thrashed and yelled as the thugs forcibly restrained his hands behind his back, the coarse rope biting into his flesh like a venomous serpent. His pleas echoed through the air, a desperate cry for freedom amidst the grip of danger.

"I'm just a commoner. I don't have any money with me. So let me go before actual harm comes your way," Dove hollered, his voice laced with a mix of fear and defiance.

The leader, a towering figure with a seven-foot frame and a visage adorned by a deep scar that traced a jagged path from his left eye to his chin, roughly grabbed Dove's shoulders, shoving him backward. Stumbling under the guard's force, Dove instinctively reached out his right hand to steady himself, only to be reminded of the cruel reality of his bound wrists.

As the tension in the air thickened, a pulsating heat surged within Dove's head, throbbing with an uncomfortable intensity. He fought to keep his eyes open, resisting the weight of exhaustion that threatened to consume him. Each breath felt like a rasping struggle, the dry air scratching at his throat, while his neck throbbed with stiffness and pain.

His tongue darted out to moisten his parched lips, and he exerted all his strength to yank at the ropes binding his hands, hoping for a moment of reprieve. But his efforts only resulted in an intensifying ache, the knots tightening with an unforgiving grip. Frustration mingled with anger, fueling his determination to break free from this predicament.

"Why have you captured me? What is the reason for this?" Dove's voice rang out once more, defiance tinged with a flicker of desperation.

"You need to learn to shut your smart mouth, commoner. Or should I say, your highness?" The thug sneered, his words dripping with malice.

Dove's throat tightened, fear coursing through his veins. They knew his secret, exposing the truth he had desperately tried to conceal from the kingdom.

A figure emerged from the shadows, stepping out from behind a towering tree. It was the royal advisor, the orchestrator of this treachery.

Dove's stomach clenched, his heart burning with a mix of anger and betrayal. "You? Has my stepmother instructed you to do this? Listen, it's still not too late. Think about your wife and kids. Let me go, and I'll ensure you don't face severe punishments."

"We must get rid of you, and this is the perfect opportunity. Your stepmother didn't set me up for this. The old cow still needs you to be alive until you turn eighteen for legal issues. I'm doing this for myself, not for her, to finally complete my revenge," the advisor revealed, his voice laced with venom.

"Revenge?" What had Dove ever done to the old man? Was it political? "If you're after the throne, why target me? I'm not sitting on it right now."

"Fear not. Once I get rid of you, your stepmother will be next. It's about time someone did something about you filthy royals. The palace has been keeping the people's money, and for what? Their spending? So they can throw some fancy balls and wear expensive dresses? Do you realize that more than half of the kingdom's treasury comes from the poorest of people in the kingdom? Your stepmother hires thugs like these who beat them to a pulp if they aren't able to pay the taxes on time just so that royals like you and her can keep living extravagantly. Your entire family makes me sick! "

"Okay, I'm not saying that you're wrong, but how do I come into this?" Dove asked.

"All the political arrangements, the corruption, and the unjust spending are reason enough. On top of that, there is the day my brother died."

"Your brother?" Dove asked, appalled. He was struggling to piece together bits of information and barely grasping the threads of the conversation.

The old man clenched his hands into fists. "Your father took my brother's life!"