Suddenly Arthur woke up by sound of someone knocking his door. Groaning, he rubbed his eyes and sat up in bed, the silk sheets falling to his waist.
"Come in," he said, his voice scratchy from sleep.
The door crashed open, hitting the wall. Elliot stood there looking pale and messy, totally unlike his usual decent self.
"What's so important at this hour?" Arthur asked, noticing it was barely dawn outside.
"The king is—" Elliot's voice broke. He took a breath and tried again. "The king is dead, Your Highness."
For a second, Arthur couldn't process what he'd heard. Then it hit him. He jumped out of bed and grabbed a robe.
"When? How?" he asked while tying the robe and heading to the door.
"Not even an hour ago. They're saying he died in his sleep."
Arthur walked quickly past Elliot without waiting for more details. The hallway was filling up with confused courtiers and worried servants, many still in their nightclothes.
