The King's Death at Winstead (1899) | King John | Beerbohm Tree, the Great English Actor

In 1899, Winstead, a town cloaked in dense woods and shadowed by legends, witnessed an event that would forever mark its history—the death of King Alden IV. The monarch, revered yet mysterious, had ruled with a hand that balanced justice with fear. Tales spread that beneath the stone facade of Winstead Manor, secrets whispered in hallways long past midnight. His court, composed of loyal but ever-scheming nobles, surrounded him not only in loyalty but in veiled ambition.

The night of Alden’s death was storm-laden, the kind that stirred superstitions and kept the townsfolk peering out from behind curtains. Lanterns swayed in the wind as rain lashed the cobblestone streets, and the great clock in the square struck eleven with a foreboding chime. Inside Winstead Manor, the air thickened with an uneasy silence broken only by the occasional hiss of the hearth.

Reports from those present spoke of an unexpected gasp and the dull thud as the king collapsed at the end of a toast in the grand hall. His goblet, still half-filled with wine from the vineyards of Loire, rolled across the stone floor, leaving a trail of crimson. Panic spread through the room, faces turned pale, eyes darted nervously as murmurs erupted into a roar. The royal physician, summoned in haste, knelt by the king’s side only to shake his head moments later—the life had already drained from Alden’s eyes.

Suspicions immediately arose. Poison was the whispered culprit, though none dared to voice it loudly. Accusations burned in the glances exchanged between the high-born. Lady Rosalind, known for her sharp intellect and rumored past affair with the king, looked unreadable, while Duke Harland’s clenched fists spoke volumes. Investigations ensued, and no one was exempt from questioning—not the cook, nor the hand that poured the wine, nor the guards stationed at the entrance.

The aftermath of the king’s death brought turmoil. Succession disputes erupted, pitting cousin against cousin, and alliances shifted as easily as the wind. Some whispered that the curse of Alden’s betrayal of an ancient oath had finally come to claim him; others spoke of a foreign power’s plot. The king’s death at Winstead became more than an end; it was the beginning of an era marked by shadow and suspicion, a story carried on by fireside voices for generations.