The dungeons were frigid, so frigid that it would make a man shiver to the bone; Alexandrei lay on his cell's cold, hard floor. His body was in pain and sore due to the beating he had endured. He lay on his back, looking at the ceiling, contemplating everything that occurred. Alexandrei believed that he had planned everything out perfectly; he even had Daciana killed to keep her silent. 

Vlad still managed to uncover the truth, exposing the affair to the nobles, who were Alexandrei's supporters. No matter what Alexandrei tries to say and do, Vlad would sentence him to death.

Impalement was Vlad's favorite method when ridding of enemies and traitors.

How bad would impalement hurt?

How long would it take for him to die?

As his eyes were about to close, the doors to the dungeons opened. Alexandrei slowly sat up, noticing two guards outside his cell. Vlad wasn't among them, and Alexandrei feared that Vlad already wanted him executed. "Am-Am I to die today?"

The two guards didn't answer him; one opened the cell door, then covered his face with a bag. Alexandrei screamed; one of the guards hit him in the back of his head so hard that Alexandrei lost consciousness. His hands and arms were tied. The two guards immediately grabbed Alexandrei and took him out of the dungeon, where they passed a couple of the dead bodies of other guards. 

They walked out of a different section of the castle, onto a dark path leading to the food storage. A door opened at the end of the path, leading to the outside. It was dark outside, with only the forest trees and distant towns and cities visible.

"We need to hurry before anyone else sees us." The two guards grabbed the unconscious Alexandrei and went to a part of the castle where a few guards were watching. They went to the soldiers' horse barracks. Three horses were removed from the stables; Alexandrei was put on one, while the two guards got their own horses. Alexandrei's horse reins were tied and held by one of the men.

The trio rode away from the castle, ensuring they weren't seen, and went deep into the forest. It was dark, making it difficult to see where they were headed. Riding deeper, they saw a light ahead and rode toward it. 

Alexandrei slowly woke as the light grew closer and brighter. Pain surged throughout his head, feeling as if it were going to explode. Fully awake and realizing that the bag was still over his head and that he was lying on top of a horse on his stomach.

Eventually, the men commanded the horses to stop, almost making Alexandrei squeal. The two men dismounted and removed the bag from Alexandrei's head. Seeing that he was awake, they took him off the horse and forced him onto his knees. Alexandrei looked up and saw a group of men in specific uniforms.

Janissaries, Ottoman soldiers. 

The two guards looked at the Janisaries. "We brought him as promised. Where is our pay?"

The leader of the Janissaries stepped forward, eyeing Alexandrei and then the two guards. He snapped his fingers, and one of his men came forward with two bags of coins, which he gave to the guards. The guards held their bags of coins with greed, about to mount their horses. Two Janissaries walked forward with their bows, shot the guards, killing them instantly. 

As a Janissary went to retrieve the money, Alexandrei was forced up and untied. "Thank you, I believed that tonight was my last night."

"You must be Alexandrei, I am Mustafa Bay."

Alexandrei sighed in relief. "Y-Yes, but-"

"Our spies here told us of the situation at hand, so we had no other choice but to take action. You are no longer safe here. If you choose to come with us, you will officially be deemed a traitor."

Alexandrei looked behind him; the castle was far away. He truly believed in Vlad and that he could have made a difference compared to his predecessors, but he was proven wrong. The nobleman tried to persuade Vlad to keep the peace with the Ottomans, but it was pointless. "I have always been a traitor. Now, let us go to your Sultan. Vlad must be relinquished."