Skull

Silence erupted in the carriage, the only sound being the soft, rhythmic drip of blood falling from Quell’s severed head.

William was stunned.

So was his brother.

Although William had acted with confidence and arrogance, neither of them had ever seen a detached head—let alone experienced war or battle.

William, a little more prepared, steadied himself. But Edwin couldn’t contain his horror. He gasped loudly, nearly shouting in disbelief.

William acted quickly, clamping a hand over his brother’s mouth as he whispered harshly, “Are you crazy?! They can’t know you’re here. I’d be punished—and you’d be sent home immediately.”

Edwin nodded, calming himself. Only then did William release his hand.

“What about him?” Edwin whispered, glancing at Rock. “He knows I’m here.”

William smirked.
“He can’t tell anyone if we keep him in the carriage. Besides, he’s a peasant—none of the others would believe him anyway.”

He turned to the grey-haired soldier.

“Rock, was it?”

“Yes, my lord. As you can see, I’ve bested him. He fought bravely,” Rock replied, still recalling the fight with Quell.

“I don’t care how bravely he fought. The fact remains—he didn’t even land a single blow,” William stated coldly.

There was a pause before Rock asked, “What should I do with the body? Should we bury it?”

“Yes. Bury it. Make a gravestone and inform his family,” William said after a brief moment of thought. “Tell them we were ambushed. Say he gave his life for the crown.”

“Yes, my lord,” Rock said, turning to leave—before hesitating and looking back. “My lord, who should I report this to?”

“Your boss,” William replied plainly.

“With all due respect, my lord... my boss is in my hand,” Rock said, raising the severed head.

William remained unfazed. “Who is Quell’s assistant?”

“Mr. Hugh,” Rock replied confidently.

“Send him in,” William instructed, then turned back toward Edwin.

As Rock stepped out, William called out again, “You may only bury the body. Leave the head. Also, tell Mr. Hugh to bring two forks.”

“Forks? For what?” Edwin asked. “I’m not even hungry.”

“They’re not for eating. They’re for making us men,” William said cryptically.

Before Edwin could respond, a soft knock came at the door.

“Right on time,” William said, smiling. “Come in!”

The door creaked open—and to their surprise, a young woman stepped in.

She had black hair, wore glasses, a slim frame, and a mole on her cheek. She was dressed in a state chief’s uniform.

Both brothers blinked, confused.

“Hugh? Isn’t that... a boy’s name?” they thought in unison.

The woman’s eyes widened in shock.
“Prince Edwin?! What is he doing here? I need to inform His Majesty at once!”

As she turned to leave, William’s voice cut through the tension.
“Join us.”

She paused.

“It’s not the king or queen who holds power right now,” William said calmly. “It’s us.”

After a moment of hesitation, the woman stepped inside. The door closed behind her.

“You’re Hugh?”

She nodded.

“Isn’t that a boy’s name?” William asked curiously.

“Yes. My father made many mistakes... and this was one of them,” she said. “He was drunk when he went to fill out my birth certificate. At first, my family joked about it—but the name stuck.”

“What was your real name?” William asked.

“I don’t know. They never told me. They say if I knew, I’d hate the name Hugh even more.”

“Why didn’t you change it?”

“With all due respect, my lord, my family isn’t well-off. Changing a certificate costs fifty times more than creating one.”

William nodded thoughtfully.

“Do you hate your father?”

She clenched her fists tightly, then slowly relaxed them.

“At first, I did... but as I grew, I saw that he always took the blame. Whenever someone mocked my name, he’d say, ‘It’s my fault, not hers. If you want to laugh, laugh at me.’”

She paused.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better father. He still drinks... but he’s improving, little by little.”

William leaned forward slightly.
“Say, Hugh—do you love your father?”

She didn’t hesitate.
“With all my heart.”

“Good,” William said. “I really didn’t want to do this... but Prince Edwin wanted to see the outside world. His Majesty wouldn’t allow it. So I had to help my little brother.”

“I understand, my lord... but this is still wrong. I have to report it to the king,” Hugh said, turning to leave.

“You know, Hugh...” William called out, stopping her.

“You know what isn’t wrong? If a prince decides to do something... to a certain man... who happens to have a bit of a drinking problem.”

Hugh froze. Sweat began to bead on her forehead.

“But...” William said calmly, “if my two conditions are met... maybe he’ll survive.

“What conditions?” Hugh asked, her eyes wide.

“The first,” William began calmly, “is that no one reports Edwin’s whereabouts until we’ve departed the capital. The second—take Rock under your command. Show him how the royal army functions. I want you to answer his every question.”

Hugh’s gaze lifted to meet the prince’s, her eyes a mix of fear and rage.
“Anything else, my lord?”

“Yes. I believe Rock told you to bring two forks. Place them on the table… and then you may leave.”

Without another word, Hugh obeyed, setting the forks down before stepping out of the carriage.

Edwin looked at them skeptically.
“These are just forks. I thought you were going to show me something interesting.”
He leaned back in his seat.

William’s lips curved into a slow, chilling smile.
“Oh, this will be very interesting.”

Edwin’s eyes narrowed.
“I know that face. What are you planning?”

“Tell me, Edwin—aren’t you curious about what the human brain looks like?” William said, glancing at Quell’s severed head.

Edwin’s jaw tightened.
“You don’t mean—”

“Yes,” William interrupted smoothly. “Why don’t we find out?”

The brothers’ eyes fixed on the lifeless head, its greyed skin and frozen, shocked expression staring back at them.

William picked up one of the forks and, without hesitation, jabbed it into the empty left eye socket. The metal scraped against bone with a sickening sound. He twisted, applied pressure, and drove it deeper until the fork disappeared into the skull’s cavity.

“Your turn,” he said, passing the other fork to Edwin.

Edwin hesitated, his hands trembling, but finally took it. With a deep breath, he mimicked his brother’s movements.

The carriage filled with the sound of metal scraping against bone and soft, wet tearing.

…

Thirty minutes later, a knock came at the carriage door.

“My lord, we are ready to depart,” Hugh’s voice called.

“Come in,” William replied.

Hugh stepped inside. The sight before her was unsettling—Edwin sat pale and horrified, while William wore a wide, satisfied smile.

“Good,” William said. “You can begin the escort. Also—take that bag and bury it somewhere in the woods.” He pointed to a large leather sack on the table.

“Yes, my lord.” Hugh took the bag and stepped toward the door.

“Oh, and Hugh…” William’s voice hardened. “If anyone takes a look inside, I will know.”

Hugh froze, then gave a stiff nod. Outside, she buried the bag deep in the forest soil without daring to open it.