The dragon and the rose

Chapter XI

I

Henry, the impostor, had been suspicious about princess Constanza for some time but at first he only thought that she was a nosy little spoiled princess who was quite bored and was interested in everything that offered her a bit of adventure and novelty. But he had to be sure, he could not let such an insignificant little thing ruin his father's magnificent plan so he sent some of his men ( for he did not come alone) to check up on the princess and report her doings to him. And Henry, as always – or that's what he believed of himself- was right and the little Asturian princess was doing something she shouldn't have: she put her oar into his business. But he was almost thankful to her too for she had led him to someone he urgently needed to eliminate, to a man who was putting him and his reign in danger.

He sent his men to capture him while he was jousting, he accidentally killed that noble to show Constanza that he was not joking and that she had better left these games to the grown up men. He couldn't have known that Constanza was not a mere dumb little princess who only cared about gowns and balls and blushing when she spoke to men. He had underestimated her and that was one of the many mistakes he had made but for now he could still enjoy his little victory.

But a war is not only one battle and you do not have to win all the battles to win the war.

The man, let's call him Henry from now on for that was his real name even though he could not remember that, was sitting on the sofa and reading a book in Latin that Constanza had given him. He should have known when the door opened with a loud thud that it was not the princess who was fiddling with the keys but he was lost in his read and could not really think about anything else. He looked up a moment later though, I do not know why, and saw five tall and well-built men in uniforms walk into the room. He immediately put down his book and looked at the soldiers in utter amazement. Constanza was the only one who visited him regularly, whom he saw and talked to every day, sometimes that other dark-haired girl would come as well but that's the only two people he could recall. He had no idea who these muscular men were.

„Who are you? What do you want from me?" He asked in English as he noticed the men approach the sofa he was sitting on.

„Death. Our name is death. We have come to ensure yours." One of them said and laughed loudly and maliciously.

Henry quickly jumped out of bed but he immediately felt dizzy and needed to support his body. It was evident that he could not fight all these men who wanted to hurt him on his own. But there was nothing else he could do, he could not run out of the room for they were blocking the doorway, he could not jump out of the window for that way his death would have been certain. He actually could not do anything but wait for these men to take him and so they did. But he still struggled when they did so; despite feeling nauseous and despite his throbbing head, he struggled and tried to fight back but he was still too fragile. His abdomen hurt as well, however he could not think about anything else but that he did not want to leave this room and most of all, he did not want to leave the girl with the emerald green eyes, his beautiful Constanza who made him interested in subjects he had never even thought of before.

As he punched and kicked, his ring suddenly slipped off of his finger and reached the floor with a small and dull knock. However, he did not notice that and nor did the men who did not care about anything but getting him out of the room and to the place their lord had ordered them. So they left and the ring remained in the room so Constanza could find it. It was the doing of fate, surely.

Princess Constanza had been right that the impostor could not lock Henry up in the castle dungeons and that he could not take him out of town in such a small period of time either. They brought him to a small house that belonged to a blacksmith; they had paid him some money and he left merrily with his gold, living his small, ramshackle house to the impostor and his men. The traitor himself did not come right then though so Henry was locked up in a room, the men guarding the door and the house until their master would arrive.