?"Wha...What happened to the ships in the port? How could all of them be destroyed?" The people who were rushing to the port to make an escape were baffled.
What greets them is littered with dead bodies, a blazing fire and a wrecked ship. With the port rendered useless, so does their hope. And with greater hope, so does the despair.
They're now trapped inside, waiting to be slaughtered. Children begin to cry as their fathers tightly hold them. Wives break into tears hoping nothing bad would happen to them.
"No, there's still hope!" said one of them. He rekindles the light in people's eyes with four words.
"Stop it, kid. Aren't all routes blocked?" A middle-aged man gives a lifeless reply. Looking at the current situation, it doesn't seem promising for him.
"Let's break into the castle. That's the safest place for us now since we can't get out. The soldiers are there to protect the nobles."
"Hmm...That's indeed our best bet. And I don't believe the royals don't have an emergency escape route."
....
In the ceremonial hall, Niall immediately retreats from the balcony and leaves the peasants below puzzled. The nobles had the same face as the peasants outside.
From the look on their face, they are unaware of what the six times bell tolls in the capital mean.
However, the grim expression on the new king helps explain everything to them and is certainly not a good thing.
Niall still maintained his demeanour when the butler broke through the hall abruptly. Philip was with him. Their pale-looking faces confirm Niall's assumption.
"Your Majesty, you've to escape from the city, Naharog army is besieging the city," The butler whispered to the king's ears while covering his mouth with his hand. He doesn't want to cause panic among the nobles and decrease Niall's chance of survival.
Niall took a long and deep breath, "Briefly explained to me the current situation,"
"Naharog managed to destroy the city wall and rendered our defence team useless. We see no hope in fighting them back. They're currently constructing the bridge to crossover. In the meantime, you need to use this opportunity to escape."
"How in the hell did our soldiers be defeated?! Philip!" The king stares at him until his eyes are bloodshot red. Out of all the times in a year, why did Naharog's attack have to be today? Is this a coincidence? He doesn't think so.
Philip doesn't dare to look at the king. He is aware that the king's momentous day is ruined because of him. "My apologies, Your Majesty. Our forces were concentrated here in the palace to ensure the safety of the nobles. We never expected the count to recover in a short time."
Niall sighs. He wants to hit Philip so badly, but he restrains himself from doing so for now.
His brain is working at full capacity to plan for his escape. The only way out is the sea. The castle's emergency route has long been unusable. This is a fact known to the nobles. But, if he can think about it, so does the count. "Please tell me you guys have a plan."
"There's a small ship that is not used in the dockyard that belongs to the royal family. The late king brought it on impulse and soon forgot about it." The butler informed him.
"How do you know about this?" Niall asked.
The butler explained, "Your Majesty, I'm his butler and I'm the one that handles the maintenance of this ship. If I let the ship collect dust, it'll be unusable shortly after. The price of the ship is no joke, Your Majesty."
"How much capacity can the ship hold?" Philip asked.
"Not much, around 20 to 25 people. We can't fit all the nobles." The butler replies.
Niall scoffed at the butler's idea, "We don't have to, let's save our own ass first. Philip, send your men to the dockyard to secure the ship. Now, the real question is where should we escape to? Tetherswest? I can ask the count to get in touch with Ryntum for military help to retake the capital back."
Philip disagrees, "I do not think it is a good idea, Your Majesty. We need to be careful when it comes to them as they're the only noble family that doesn't come or send representatives to your coronation ceremony. I know Your Majesty wants to fix the relationship with Ryntum but presently, we need to proceed with suspicion at all times. In a desperate and urgent situation like this, one misstep may cause us to fall into an enemy trap."
"You're right, Philip. Then, when should we go? Except for Tetherswest, there's only Caushilbo left. Moreover, the soldiers belonging to the count are comparable to Royal Guards."
"Caushilbo is good. All their family members are here anyway. At least, compared to Tetherswest, they're less suspicious. From the port, we'll land at Betburry and take a carriage to Weymewesto." Both Philip and the butler nodded their heads.
While the three of them are having a little discussion among themselves, the nobles are getting restless. Count Caushilbo steps forward to interrupt, "Uhm...Excuse me, Your Majesty. Is everything alright?"
Niall turned around and saw nobles looking at him. They're curious about the present circumstances. "I hate to break it down to you on this joyous day but my subordinates informed me about Naharog's army attacking the city. They had blocked the two available land routes and trapped us here. Now, I want everyone to stay calm and stay in the palace while my general and I formulate the counterattack on them. Remember, this is Napuna, an impenetrable city unlike any other."
While others shriek in fear and panic, Wendall remained calm. Years of experience as the prime minister has toughened both his heart and mind. He then asked, "What about the port? Can we leave using the ship?"
"The Royal Guards are checking the situation there. We'll move out and escape as soon as they secure the port." Philip replies with false hope in the mix.
"Do you need help, Your Majesty? I can impart you with my experience guarding the county." Count Caushilbo volunteered himself. He harbours a deep hatred for the Naharog because of their brutal actions against his in-law family, Szazki.
"No, no, it's okay. I appreciate your kindness but allow me and my competent subordinates to handle this. In the meantime, please patiently wait in your room and do not recklessly leave the palace grounds as we cannot guarantee your safety outside. We'll get over this predicament soon."
The nobles nod their head vigorously and put their trust in the new king. No one complained about the order to remain inside the palace and the ban on leaving the palace.
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