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It's June 13, 1886, in Bavaria, Germany.

A young police officer tramps through the grounds of Bergkassel on the shores of Lake Starberg near

Munich. The officer holds a lantern aloft as he picks his way through the dense undergrowth,

scanning the woods for any sign of the man he's looking for,

Bavaria's recently deposed monarch, King Ludwig II.

Just yesterday, Ludwig was declared insane by a royal commission and forcibly removed from power.

The king was institutionalized here at the castle, despite his claims that there's nothing wrong with him.

Earlier this afternoon, Ludwig went for a walk in the grounds with his doctor,

but the pair never came back and the alarm was sounded.

A team of police officers was called out to scour the grounds with sniffer dogs,

but despite searching for hours, nobody's been able to find the missing men.

So now the young police officer wanders down the slope toward the lake.

Silver moonlight catches the waves, rippling the water's surface.

The officer piers into the gloom, his lantern swinging from his extended hand.

He's about to turn away and continue the search elsewhere,

when he spots two dark shapes bobbing around in the shallow water.

The officer squins, then gently steps into the water,

his feet immediately sinking into the soft mud.

He starts waiting deeper until he's in up to his waist.

...