The Prince Awakens (Prince of Britannia Saga Book 1) by Fred Hughes

Author:Fred Hughes [Hughes, Fred]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-02-19T05:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 25 Empire Date: February 1033

Grand Duke Henry sat at the foot of the council table. That was unusual. Usually, he sat at the seat just to the left of the empress’s chair at the head of the table. However, today was anything but normal. His wife, Elizabeth, who also happened to be the empress, was lying in the Imperial Apartments. Henry had found her in their bed three nights ago. She had been pale and unresponsive. After an initial examination, the on-call palace physician had stated that she seemed to be stable but was in a coma. Henry had immediately suspected that something bigger was going on. What his son, their son, had done next had confirmed his suspicions.

When informed of his mother’s state, Prince Edward had immediately declared that she could not perform her Imperial duties. Under the Imperial Charter, he was initiating the emergency powers of the Regency Council. A council he was the head of as the crown prince. These actions were done within an hour of the doctor’s initial diagnosis. The empress had not even been moved to the Palace Infirmary or examined by the imperial physicians; instead, she was in the care of the crown prince’s team of medical personnel. Henry had not been allowed to see her since that night. Yes, as the old saying went, something was definitely rotten in Denmark. If only his other son, Prince Henry, could have delayed his trip to Honshu.

Today was the first official meeting of the Regency Council, a meeting where they would “officially” take up the emergency powers defined by the charter. Henry also knew that Edward was going to push to be granted full regency powers. He was sure that the crown prince had a medical diagnosis that would state that it was unlikely the empress would recover. The only card Henry could play was to insist on an independent medical exam. The grand duke hoped he could convince the lord chamberlain and the lord justice to support him in the request.

Except for the crown prince, the rest of the council members were present. Henry suspected that Edward would be late, as usual, in an effort to affect a grand entrance and show his importance. That was why the duke was surprised when the doors to the council chambers opened. Edward would be entering through the door at the other end of the room, referred to as the Imperial Door.

A single guardsman had opened the doors and entered the chamber, walking straight toward Henry. Two more guardsmen followed him in, each carrying a wicked-looking rifle that they had up and sweeping along the outside walls. The grand duke heard two soft pffts as both men fired the obviously silenced weapons, and then he heard the sound of the two guards along the walls hitting the floor. The older of the two announced “Clear,” and his partner answered with an identical “Clear.”

The attack had all happened within three seconds. The rest of the council—hell, Henry himself—had not had time to process what had just happened.

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