The Toy Prince

19. Ursula

"The first thing we have to do is figure out what to do with Conrad," Ursula said to her hastily summoned council.

She's picked Johan, Niklaus, Josephine and Felix to be her advisors. There would be others but they were the core advisors. Now they had to fix what had happened so that something like this could never happen again. There was a long list after that which included Axel's funeral and organising aid for Strindz.

"A prison is out of the question?" Johan asked.

"It would be kinder to execute him," Niklaus snapped, making everyone in the library wince.

"No executions and no prison like Nik's. That was cruel of Axel and I refuse to do it," Ursula replied.

"Our other prisons are not ready to hold him," Felix added. "So I suggest exile. Stick him out there in Germany and put better guards on the crossing to Konigreich."

"That would work. You could move the doorway from Annelie's house so that she's safe from any further attacks. The entrance could be guarded 24/7 by elite guards and if Conrad is in Germany then it'll make it all the much harder for him to try this again," Niklaus conceded.

It was the best solution presented for the entire meeting. Even if they had decided to put Conrad in a prison object she wasn't sure if she could have done it. She still didn't understand how or why she was able to manipulate reality. Axel hadn't been sure either.

In his journal he'd speculated that the ability was brought on by some mutation his brain. Ursula wasn't so sure. She thought that it might be something in their DNA. A gene or an extra chromosome that specifically let them do amazing things. Whatever it was, Ursula wasn't bothered by it nor was she too concerned about finding out. Some things were meant to be a mystery. Such was the way of life.

Her thoughts were interrupted when the door to the library was flung open. Two guards rushed in with frantic looks on their faces. She recognised them immediately as the ones in charge of watching Conrad.

"Majesty, it's Conrad!" one of them shouted.

Hearing that name spurred everyone into action. Ursula followed the guards down into the basement of the palace. The door to Conrad's cell was wide open giving a perfect view of the carnage within.

Conrad was in the corner of the room, propped up against the wall. His mouth was covered in blood and blood was growing in twin pools underneath his wrists. The guards had tried to bandage his wrists but their efforts seemed to have been for naught. Conrad was dead.

"What happened?" Johan was already questioning the guards.

Ursula knew that she should have been the one doing it but she couldn't tear her gaze away from the scene in front of her. Conrad was dead. He'd killed himself in the only way that was available to him – biting into his wrists so that he could slowly bleed to death. She didn't like the man but this was a gruesome way to die.

She just couldn't understand why he'd done it. She wasn't going to execute him or lock him away. It hadn't had to come to this. And she still couldn't bring herself to look away from Conrad.

Niklaus was suddenly there beside her, pulling her out of the doorway.

"Don't look." He had her face buried in his chest so that she could no longer seethe horrible image. "Clear this up. Take him out of there. Take him out of the damn palace and do it now!"

She may have buried her face in Niklaus' chest but it could not stop her seeing. She didn't think anything could stop her from seeing Conrad's body ever again.

"It's OK. He'll be gone soon," Niklaus said, stroking her hair softly. She wanted to feel comforted, she really did, but she couldn't. She wanted to run as far from the palace as she could and never come back.

Of course she didn't.

Instead she let herself be led away from the cell. She didn't look back until she was far enough away that she did not see anything. Even then it was only for a moment before Niklaus ushered her back into the library.

"Sit down," he commanded.

Ursula did. She was still in shock that this had happened. They'd just been talking about exiling Conrad and now he was dead by his own hand. Niklaus' Father was dead.

Yes and he's too busy worrying about you to grieve. Snap out of it!

For once her inner voice actually got through to her. Sure, seeing Conrad's body had been shocking for her but what had it been like for Niklaus?

"I'm sorry. I'm completely fine Nik. It was just a shock to see him like that. Are you OK?"

Niklaus looked at her blankly. "Why wouldn't I be?"

He looked down at his hands. "I said goodbye to him before you woke up." He shrugged his shoulders. "Anyway he was never much of a Father to me. Losing him just doesn't affect me that much."

He did look sad despite his words. Ursula felt like she couldn't push him to say anymore. He would grieve Conrad in his own time and in his own way. All she could do was be there for him.

Niklaus sat beside her and she leaned into him, resting her head against his shoulder. She swore that the only thing that would keep her sane throughout the next few months of rebuilding the kingdom would be him. He was her rock and she would be his.