The castle was his fortress, protecting him from the dangers that surrounded him.

Water around three sides made attack impossible, and the narrow drawbridge that joined it to the mainland was impregnable.

No one had been able to storm these solid defences for years.

But inside the castle there existed a powerful enemy, one that he had never suspected before.

It had insinuated itself within him, gradually nibbling away at him, eroding his mind.

He heard the voices, the doubts. He grew depressed. There was no defeating this enemy that had penetrated the walls of his castle.

When he was found the self-inflicted stab wounds numbered in the hundreds, the blood spatterings covered those solid walls.

The madness retreated back into the walls of the castle, waiting for its next victim to arrive.

This is a response to the #writephoto Prompt – Castle  curated over at Sue Vincent’s Daily Echo. Click on the link to read other stories inspired by the image.