Third letter to the King

(The quality of this one is not so good, I was very tired and distracted. This was the time when we officially switched to killing Citizens over Capulets, but we didn't know Citizens and Capulets were probably working together until Midnyt gave away suspect clues.)

To He who is Most Wise and Glorius, His Imperial Majesty and our Saviour, I send fair tidings and wishes of great fortune.

Your servant wishes to inform you of the latest developments in Verona. I am certain that His Highness has previously learned many of these events through divine intellect. I hope you find this news does not bore you.

Your son has been avenged. Lord Capulet and more of his traitorous spawn have met their so viciously deserved fates. Although we could not find the body of Juliet Capulet, I am pleased to inform you that the head of House Capulet lays rotting in the northwest gibbets, his flesh burned away, his head on a pike, slanderous tongue cut out and fed to worms. Even now a vast murder of ravens pound and beat upon his scorched corpse, a fitting end to the vomitous pustule.

God favored us in the preceding evening. As dawn came, while I lay weeping, unable to rest knowing my son was in mortal danger, there was a knock upon my chamber door. At once I arose, picked up my sword, and dove to protect Stephanie who was lost in blissful slumber. Then, the door opened! Smelling of smoke, sweat, and blood...it was my son! He had returned to me against all odds.

With the death of the Capulet leadership, I had thought this uprising over. With sunrise I intended to announce a cease of hostilities, however before I had another moments rest, I had another visitor.

It was Count Paris, and he was without guards. I threw down my weapon at once, and urged my son to do the same, for in these times of darkness to have drawn steel in the presence of nobility should invite a swift death.

We have been played for fools all along. The Count informed me that he had been labouring all these days to uncover the true source of this scourge in Verona. My heart sank as I heard the news. House Capulet had been incited to violence against the Crown. It had been a mere puppet, their Lord dancing to strings pulled by another shadowy, mystery figure. How apt! We cut off the head of the hydra, and now another has grown to replace it.

The Count told us that this enemy was far more dangerous and insidious than we had imagined Capulet to have been. While my family had been involved with pointless bickering with the Capulets, under the cover of our stupidity, he had been sifting, working, seeking, tirelessly hunting the true evil in Verona. He had already strung up one of the mongrels by the neck and learned of the conspiracy.

Mercutio. We must find him and his ilk and eliminate them before they destroy us all. I looked around the room upon the weary, tired faces of my family, and realised I had already risked too much and gained nothing, save the death of two of my family.

As the Count turned to leave, his purpose here complete, I realised once more that he stood alone. I had always suspected that it was the Capulets who had wanted the Prince dead - though we had delivered justice to the blackguards who had done the vile deed, and perhaps the House war was finally over - but it was a battle without meaning.

I cannot stand idly by while an enemy seeks to challenge the Crown. Up until now I had worked to protect the Count, never realising that we had just been in his way. Failing to coordinate our efforts...meant people had died for no reason.

My heart is tired of warfare. I long for a quiet Verona, free of conflict.

I have turned over all Montague assets to the Crown. I have given the Count the names of my people, my contacts, my treasury, everything. Only a few know of this. I have given him the secret codes that my family use to identify one another, the authority to give command.

We will take the fight to the secret enemy within Verona, and we will win.

God save the King!

Lord Montague