Tyranny of Steel

Berengar and Henrietta continued to slow dance for some time in silence, enjoying the mood. The sight of which caught the gaze of the onlookers, many whispered behind the king's back about the intimate display. To Berengar, there was nothing inappropriate about what he was doing. He was merely dancing with his sister. 

However, in the eyes of his guests, he and Henrietta were a bit too close. Despite this, they would not openly comment on the King's affection for his little sister. Thus, Berengar and Henrietta continued to dance for some time. After all, his wives were too busy entertaining his many guests, and this was a chance for him to escape such social obligations. 

With a wide smile on the King's face, he spoke to his sister about something that had been plaguing his mind as of late.

"So Henrietta, my dear sister, there has been something that I have been meaning to talk to you about for some time now..."

The Austrian Princess looked up at her elder brother with an inquisitive gaze before responding.

"Oh, what could that be?"

It took Berengar a few moments to gather his thoughts, as this was a conversation he had been dreading. Eventually, he took a deep breath and exhaled before speaking his thoughts.

"You are no longer a child. In fact, you have grown into a beautiful young woman who I am proud to call my sister. It is because of this that I have been wondering if there is anyone you might be interested in?"

Upon hearing this question, Henrietta averted her gaze and flushed red from embarrassment. While biting her lower lip, Henrietta struggled to come up with an answer to her brother's question. The truth was there had been one man she was interested in for some time, but she knew it was completely unacceptable, and until now had been suppressing her innermost desires. 

With her precious big brother finally asking her this question, it put the young princess in an awkward situation, as she did not want to outright lie to him. Instead, Henrietta sighed heavily before deciding to tell her Berengar the truth that lay hidden in the depths of her young heart. The blonde beauty grasped hold of her brother's sleeve as she looked away towards the ground before muttering the truth of the matter. 

"There is someone I'm interested in..."

Berengar's brow raised when he heard this, he could not for the life of him think who it was, after all Henrietta had limited interaction with the opposite sex, he would think that he would know whoever it was who had gotten closer to his darling little sister. Thus, with a look of overwhelming confusion, he searched for an answer to this question.

"Oh, who might that be?"

Henrietta bit her lip once more, her heart was pounding as she struggled to voice her feelings. Just when she opened her mouth, a firm hand grasped onto the young king's shoulder and spun him around. Berengar gawked at the man in question, as he noticed this stranger was brandishing an old flintlock pepperbox revolver which used to be issued to his agents. With a scowl on his face, Berengar interrogated the man who had dared to approach him with a weapon.

"Now, just where did you get that?"

However, the man did not answer, and instead pulled back the hammer on his weapon and pointed it toward's Berengar's chest before boldly announcing his intent to everyone present within the ballroom.

"Your majesty, The House of Luxembourg sends their regards!"

After saying this, the man squeezed the trigger, forcing a projectile out of the barrel of his weapon and towards his target. Berengar sighed heavily in the face of death, with a stoic expression on his handsome features. This was not the first time he had met death, however he deeply regretted passing away from this world so soon before he could accomplish his goals. 

However, in the next moment, he noticed there was no pain in his chest where the bullet should have struck. It was at this point he looked over to see Henrietta standing in front of him, with a bloody hole in her abdomen. She had taken a bullet meant for him.

Before the gunman could react to this unexpected change, Berengar grabbed hold of his weapon and pushed it out of the way before striking the man in the temple so hard it knocked him unconscious. After doing so, he tossed the gun aside and knelt down next to his sister, who was bleeding out on the ground. Tears crashed around him as he screamed out in a voice as loud as he could.

"Medic! Get a fucking medic!"

Henrietta had a bitter smile on her face as she felt her brother's hand press tightly against her wound. Seeing her life flash before her eyes, the girl struggled to give what she perceived to be her last words to her brother. 

"Big brother... you asked me who I am interested in as potential partner.... I'd hate to drop this confession to you right now, but it looks like I am running out of time... The only person I have ever thought of being with is you... I love you, big brother..."

Berengar could not help the tears fall from his eyes and onto his sister's face. The girl used the last of her strength to pull her big brother in close and kiss him gently on the lips. After saying this, the girl passed out from blood loss.

It was at this moment the medics who were on standby arrived and dragged the Princess off to the Royal Physician Ewald. If there was anybody in this world who could save the girl, it was him. Berengar collapsed to the ground in shock, completely unaware of how this had happened.

Rage and Depression fought a major battle in Berengar's mind to see which emotion would dominate the young King of Austria's next actions. After several moments of doing nothing but staring at the blood on his hands, the victor was decided. 

The King of Austria trembled in wrath as he stood up from his collapsed position and glared towards his Second Wife who was currently working damage control. He quickly gave an order to his guards with a voice of fury.

"Lockdown the palace, and bring this man to the secluded area for interrogation. I will find out who is responsible for this attack, and how many conspirators there are. Until I am satisfied with the results, nobody is to leave this room! Anyone who attempts to flee will be shot on sight!" 

The Royal Guard trembled as they heard their orders. They had utterly failed in their duties to protect the Royal Family, and there were sure to be dire consequences. Nevertheless, they did not stand by in petrification; they had to make up for their mistakes. Thus, they quickly threw up their roman salutes to the King before responding in the affirmative.

"Yes, your majesty!"

After saying this, two men dragged, the unconscious would be assassin off to a secluded area of the palace, while the others gathered all the guests in attendance into the ballroom, keeping them under guard until the King ordered their release. The only people able to move around freely within the palace at the moment were the Royal Family and their Royal Guard. 

As for the rest of Berengar's family, they were brought to safety in the most secure area of the Royal Palace. A secret underground bunker that had been installed in the event of some form of enemy attack. While the Royal Family was safely protected underground, the King himself was filled with fury as his first priority was checking up on his little sister's condition. 

Berengar find himself outside the room where Henrietta was stationed, speaking with one of Ewald's nurses. By his side were his parents who had visited Kufstein for the occassion, they had equally worried expressions on their faces.  Berengar was in no mood to waste time and quickly inquired about Henrietta's condition.

"How is she? How is my sister?"

The Nurse had a surgical mask on her face as she calmly explained what Ewald had told her.

"There is a lead ball lodged in her abdomen. If it is not properly removed, she will die..."

Berengar immediately cursed as he vented his frustrations.

"God fucking dammit, I swear to god, if she dies I will burn the entire northern regions of Germany to the fucking ground! You better fucking save her! Isn't there anything that can be done?"

The nurse sighed heavily before revealing the extant of what the Physician had told her.

"Ewald has been experimenting with surgery, and because of the efforts of the chemistry department, we have sedatives that can ensure your sister is in a safe state for operation. As we speak, he is doing everything he can to save your sister, but these are new practices in the experimental stage. The likelihood that Princess Henrietta will survive is slim. You need to prepare for the worst."

As Berengar heard this, his heart sank to a new depth, one that he had never imagined possible. There was nothing else to say to the nurse, thus he turned away and walked off. Sieghard had a solemn expression on his face as he thanked the nurse for her efforts.

"Thank you for everything that you are doing for my daughter. I apologize on my son's behalf. He is just a bit emotional at the moment. I hope you didn't take offense."

The nurse shook her head before sighing.

"No apology is necessary. I can not even begin to understand what you are all going through. We will do everything we can to save your daughter, but you need to have realistic expectations."

Sieghard nodded his head with a defeated expression before making one final comment.

"She is in God's hands now... I need to go have an important discussion with my son."

After saying this, Sieghard departed from the area and ran off to catch up with his son. He had witnessed everything that had happened, including Henrietta's last words. It would appear that it could not be avoided. He needed to tell Berengar the truth. After grabbing hold of his son's shoulder, Sieghard said the words that would forever change Berengar's fate.

"Son, we need to talk...."