Journal Entry One

7. Februar 2020

The attempted assassination of our king today made me realize how important it is to document the history unfolding before my very eyes. As the private secretary and best friend to his majesty, King Jonas, I admit that I was scared to death that our country, his family, and I would lose this great man.

At approximately 09:25 this morning, while the king was helping to renovate an abandoned hotel, a construction worker pulled a small-caliber pistol from his tool bag and shot Jonas. Thankfully, his only wound was to his arm. The would-be assassin was tackled by the security detail and arrested.

What I can remember is that I was walking up the stairs and I heard a pop sound. At first, I thought something must have fallen, but then I heard shouts and feet trampling on the floor above me. As I quickly entered the fifth floor, I could see Jonas on the ground, surrounded by three men. Down the corridor, I saw another man face-first on the wooden floor. A member of the king’s security team was on top of him with one hand on the back of the would-be assassin’s neck, and his other hand was holding down the man’s forearm. The pistol was just a mere meter from the man’s hand.

This leather-bound journal, which I am currently writing on, was given to me by King Jonas on my fortieth birthday. A birthday that the two of us happen to share. To me, the journal is priceless since Jonas had made it himself. He is quite an extraordinary man. If he had grown up as a commoner, I genuinely believe his career choice would have been a carpenter or a construction worker.

When I am long gone, I am sure there will be historians who will look upon this journal with disdain for me as to how I refer to his majesty. I know it is proper etiquette to refer to the king by his title, but this is my journal, and Jonas is more than a king to me. He has been my best friend since birth, and he is also the godfather to both of my children.

I do not know what I would have done today if I had lost him. I do not know what his family would have done. I also cannot even imagine what our country, Dorstenland, would have done.

This evening as I followed behind the king’s armored motorcade from the hospital, I did not feel as safe as I always had. I have a terrible feeling that the man who attempted to assassinate Jonas was not a lone wolf. Something also tells me that this was strictly political.

Right now, I am sitting at my writing desk in my study. Out of the window, snowflakes disrupt my view of the palace. I suddenly feel for the safety of the king’s family, as well as my own. For hundreds of years, both The House of Dietrich and the Köhler family have been intertwined. Although this may be paranoia running through my mind, I feel we are incredibly vulnerable right now, primarily due to the increasing number of protesters on the streets of our capital, Eberbach.

Since tomorrow is Saturday, I am going to stay at home with my family. Maybe go sledding, watch a movie, or play games. Today’s event made me realize how quickly those who mean the most to me could suddenly be taken away in the blink of an eye.