A cheeky smile appeared on Adrian's face. [color=00aeef]"Improve all you want but my horses are off limits to everyone, including you,"[/color] he warned but his tone was light, a sure sign that his mind was preoccupied. On a normal day, he would have sounded arrogant.

A few days later, the King sent Adrian to the borders for a routine inspection. He also wanted his son to go out, to immerse himself with the people and to learn their ways. He thought it was the best course of action to mold his first born into the King he hoped him to be and at the same time show the people who he is and what he stood for. The Queen had been worried especially since there had been news that the people were divided in their loyalty to the princes. She had initially insisted that Adrian bring along Alessandra to tend to his needs but the Prince had declined. [color=00aeef]”Bringing her along would endanger her life,"[/color] he had simply said, knowing full well that the majority of the kingdom’s population did not favor him.

[color=00aeef]“Do not worry yourself too much, Mother. I will only be gone for a month. And as you always said, this is my chance to show the people my worth. And perhaps change their mind,"[/color] he assured the queen, despite the foreboding feeling he felt. He mustered a smile onto his face as he kissed her cheek and bid her farewell.

In the end, he left accompanied only by two personal guards and a handful of royal soldiers.

The routine inspection the King sent Adrian to turned out to be far from routine. The army partroling the borders had become bored and greedy and had begun fattening themselves with the overly expensive tolls they charged merchants for passing through. A fourth of the toll they submitted to the royal coffers as tax, the rest they pocketed for themselve. Some of the men had even resorted to consorting with thieves to avail for themselves some of the wares of the merchants for free. These were all reported to Prince Adrian by the scout and Adrian had dealt with it swiftly and mercilessly. He sent word to the King about it and the King sent a tenth of the royal army to stand guard at the borders in place of the men Adrian had taken into custody for questioning and judgment in Whitehaven. Afterwards, he spent a few days in the surrounding villages, talking to people and doing his best to change their opinion of him.

The mission had been a success, earning Adrian both the trust and admiration of the merchants and those of the villages by the border. Some, however, still thought him arrogant and his actions in the border a grand act to try and win them over. But most had begun to look at him in a different light.

Before the month came to an end, Adrian and his men set out for their journey back to Whitehaven along with the corrupted men from the border, their pace just fast enough to make it back in two days time. Unknown to Crown Prince was the presence of assassins that were dispatched to kill him. They were only a day away from the castle when then assassins struck. Torrents of arrows rained down onto the group, successfully killing all the prisoners and several of the men with Adrian. His personal guards did their best to shield their prince but Adrian himself was struck through his shoulder with a poisoned tip arrow. 

The poison was fast acting and in a few minutes, the prince felt faint and weak. What was happening around him turned into a hazy blur. He clutched at the reigns of his horses, his knuckles white as he struggled to keep himself from falling off his horse. There were shouts and the sound of more arrows whizzing past them. The next thing he felt was the acceleration in the pace of the horse he was on. "Stay with me, Prince Adrian," came a sharp commanding voice in his ear. "Here, chew on this. It will slow down the poison," he felt something pressed into his hand. He moved agonizingly slow as he lifted his hand to his lips and popped whatever it was that he had been handed into his mouth. He bit down and a bitter taste filled his mouth. He coughed but obediently chewed.

"We will be at the castle soon, your Highness. Please hold on," came the same commanding voice. It sounded like one of his guards but at the hazziness of his mind, Adrian wasn't quite sure who it was.

[color=00aeef]"The men...?"[/color] Adrian managed to ask.

"I'm afraid we had to leave them behind, you Highness. But I am certain that they will not fall easily. Now please, conserve your energy," came the same voice. 

Adrian lurched forward and blood trickled down his lips. He tightened his grip on the reigns but unconsciousness was slowly overtaking him. He felt steady arms hold him in place. [color=00aeef]"Henry..."[/color] at this point, all he could really do was guess.

"Yes, sire, it is I," the voice confirmed. Henry was one of his personal guards and the man he trusted most between the two. 

[color=00aeef]"Thank you,"[/color] Adrian said before he coughed out blood and darkness overtook him.

"We will be back in the castle soon, your Majesty," the assuring voice drifted into Adrian's mind as he fell into unconcsiousness.

[hr]
A great commotion began in the castle as soon as Adrian arrived. Blood was steadily trickling down his chin, his pulse had slowed down and he had paled significantly. Henry began barking orders as the servants scurried around to help bring the Prince to the royal physician. 

Prince Adam, who had been on the balcony with both Emily and Alessandra, looked down into the courtyard. He had no clear view of what was happening but he could hear Adrian's name being mentioned by the servants that were there. [color=aquamarine]"I believe my brother has returned home,"[/color] he smirked. [color=aquamarine]"I never knew him to make such a grand entrance though,"[/color] he quipped, a strange unreadable expression on his face.