The Grand Duke was drinking wine when it happened.
A flurry of images had flooded his mind:
The burning and pillaging of a town. Unfamiliar faces of young adventurers. The starry eyes of a woman. The bloodied, battered body of an enemy. And the mirror, reflecting not the Grand Duke's body, but the body of a man that was destined to become a hero.
It only took a matter of seconds for the Duke to realize this, along with the rest of the information that now filled his brain, was a 'vision.' Not only was it prophetic, but it told the secrets of his universe and the most important figure in it: the protagonist.
"Grand Duke Barlow."
The Duke glanced to his left. One of his advisors, Andreas, sat beside him at the table. Another of his trusted allies sat across from him. They both stared at the Grand Duke with such piercing eyes, yet he could tell they were more bewildered than anything else.
He placed the cup on the table. His fingers began to throb slightly as he let go of the handle. Good god, the Grand Duke thought. I must have been gripping that cup like a madman.
"I drank too much," the Grand Duke said. He pushed the cup aside and brought the paperwork Andreas had given him before this meeting closer to his face. Andreas stood still for a couple of moments before he talked again.
"The Euphemias' are beginning to grow more suspicious of our relation to the King. There have been quite a few encounters..."
His voice quickly became nothing more than vague mumbling as he continued to talk. Usually, the Grand Duke would listen, even if it was the most mundane or monotonous information provided to him.
However, today was the one day he couldn't focus. How could he, when he just learned some of the most mind-breaking information he had ever known? That he was the 'villain' in some fantasy novel? That everyone and everything in this world was a complete lie?
It was easy for the Grand Duke to deny the existential dread that entered his heart. He could suppress all those unpleasant emotions that came with realizing that he was a fictional character, that some omnipresent force beyond comprehension created all his choices and decisions in life.
However, what truly haunted him was what he saw of himself in this vision:
The palace gates opened. Dried blood on soil. A jagged spear jammed through the Duke's decapitated head. His eye socket popped out, bloodied mucus dripping down his cheek. Hundreds of cheering people crowd the scene. The protagonist plants the spear into the ground. He spits on the head. A grin— he's grinning—
The Grand Duke couldn't help but grind his teeth. Was this really the fate he had to experience? And not only that, but it was by the hands of some unknown 'hero' who was made the protagonist of this novel simply because he just was?
The Duke quickly noticed his advisor's eyes watching him again. They were beginning to have that same, piercing look, which asked something along the lines of 'What in the world is my Duke thinking about right now?'
"That was the end of the briefing, Grand Duke," Andreas said. "Did you need to know anything else?"
The other advisor looked at him, then back at the Duke. The Duke swallowed, feeling the lump at the back of his throat.
"That's all I need to know," he replied. "You are both dismissed."
The other advisor stood up from his chair, then bowed. He walked past two guards planted outside the room.
Andreas stood up as well and headed for the door to leave. However, as he reached the doorway, he looked both ways, then shut the doors in front of him. The two of them were the only ones left in the room now.
"Andreas," the Grand Duke said.
Andreas seemed to flinch, yet it was such a small and quick movement that the Duke doubted he even saw it happen.
"I said you were dismissed."
Andreas turned, looking straight into his eyes. There was nothing special about Andreas's eyes— they were about as hazel green as any other — but there was something behind them that always fascinated the Grand Duke. He just didn't know why.
"My Duke," Andreas said. "Are you alright?"
"Is that really what you wanted to say?"
Andreas grew silent for a moment. Although it was interesting to see him like this, the Grand Duke felt that he had more pressing matters to attend to and wished for this conversation to end sooner rather than later. However, the Duke knew he had to keep a straight face, so he decided to play along.
"You acted... strange today, my Duke," Andreas said. "I just wanted to make sure you're in stable condition."
The Duke almost laughed in response. If only you knew, he thought.
"Do you want to know why I've been acting strange?" the Duke said. "It's very simple, actually."
Andreas nodded.
"I sometimes find myself getting lost in the past. It doesn't happen nearly as much anymore, but it does happen. Sometimes it affects me; sometimes, it doesn't. It's just one of those days, Andreas."
He stared at the Duke. The Duke could tell Andreas he wanted to move closer, but he seemed to hesitate.
"Is that really... it?"
"It is," the Duke said. "Even I can experience such things as 'nostalgia.'"
Andreas glanced down. "I'm sorry, my Duke, I didn't mean to—"
The Duke stood up and walked over to his spot. He placed a hand on his shoulder, and Andreas looked up at him with wide eyes.
"I'm glad you're worried about me, Andreas. I know I can always rely on you to be my true ally," the Grand Duke said, removing his hand. "Now, I have other matters to attend to. I'll call upon you when I need to."
Andreas backed away, then bowed.
"Of course," he said. "I'll always be here for you."
He headed towards the doors he had previously shut.
As he disappeared into the hallway, the Duke immediately sat back down in his chair. He sighed, leaning further and further back into the wooden seat. The thoughts that had previously plagued him were beginning to return, and they quickly turned into questions:
How am I going to survive this situation?
Just who is this protagonist?
Should I confront the protagonist about the fact that I know we're in a fictional world? Or would that backfire and make things worse for me?
Is there really a way I can avoid that horrible fate, or is the novel's plot set in stone?
Suddenly, a new thought entered the Grand Duke's head. It was a plot detail that he somehow glossed over when he was experiencing those visions. The realization of it made his heart pound.
My first interaction with the protagonist is going to be in three days.