"I'm not here to hurt you," a man's voice said from the shadows. It sounded slightly familiar, but I couldn't really place him.

  "We're not taking any chances," I replied, my grip on my sword tightening. "Who are you?"

  The man emerged from the shadows, his hands held up in a gesture of peace. He was tall and broad-shouldered, with short black hair and a beard that covered his chin. He wore armor, with the castle's seal. Maybe he wasn't a threat.

  "My name is Kael Swiftwood," he said, taking a step forward, the grass crunching underfoot. "You might have heard of me. I'm the king's messenger."

  I lowered my sword, though I didn't put it away just yet. "What are you doing here?"

  "I have a message for you," Kael said, holding up a piece of parchment. "It's from the king himself."

  I took the parchment from him and unrolled it, scanning the words quickly. It was a summons to the royal palace, requesting my presence as soon as possible.

  "Why does the king want to see me?" I asked, my brow furrowed.

  "I'm not at liberty to say," Kael replied, his eyes flickering to Thalia. "But I can assure you that it's of the utmost importance."

  "Is my father still at court?" I asked. "Why didn't he send you?"

  His eyes flashed for a second as his gaze met mine. "I'm sorry to be the one to burden you with this news, but Lord Silverblade has passed."

  I stared at Kael, unable to process what he had just said. "What?"

  "I'm sorry," Kael repeated. "Lord Silverblade passed away last night."

  I felt like the world was spinning around me. My father–gone? It couldn't be true.

  "How?" Thalia asked, her voice hoarse.

  Kael hesitated, his eyes flickering over to me. "There was an attack on the castle. It was sudden and brutal. Many were lost, including Lord Silverblade."

  I felt a rage building inside me, hot and fierce. Someone had attacked the castle? Someone had killed my father? Someone had attacked me, my house, my village, and killed everyone I cared about? With the exception of Thalia, that was.

  I clenched my fists, feeling the anger surge through me. I needed to do something about it.

  "What do I need to do?" I asked Kael, my voice cold and determined.

  "You need to come with me to the palace," Kael replied. "The king needs to speak with you about what happened."

  I nodded, my mind already racing with plans. I would find out who was responsible for the attack on the castle and my village, and I would make them pay.

  "Who do you believe is responsible for this?" I asked as I watched Kael mount his horse.

  "I couldn't possibly say," Kael replied, his tone guarded. "It's not my place to speculate."

  I glared at him, sensing that he knew more than he was letting on. But I knew that I needed to stay focused on finding answers, not getting caught up in my own anger.

  "We'll come with you," Thalia said, her voice steady. "But we're not going to rest until we find out who did this."

  "Agreed," I said, my grip tightening on the reins.

  With that, we set off towards the palace, the weight of my father's death heavy on my heart. But I refused to let it break me. I would find the ones who did this, and I would make them regret ever crossing me.

  As we rode through the forest, I couldn't shake off the feeling that we were being watched. My hand instinctively went for the hilt of my sword as I scanned the surroundings. Thalia seemed to feel the same way, her eyes darting around nervously.

  "There's something not right about this," she said, her voice low. "It's like we're being led straight into a trap."

  "I agree," I replied, my eyes narrowing. "But we can't turn back now. Not after what's happened."

  We rode on in tense silence, every sound magnified in the quiet of the forest. My mind raced with thoughts of vengeance and paranoia, of finding the ones who had taken everything from me and making them pay, and of a thousand questions with no apparent answers. My trust was low enough that I fully expected Kael to shout “attack” at any moment and for armed bandits to fall upon us from all sides. But I knew that I needed to focus on the task at hand, on finding out what had happened and why.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  To my surprise, we made it to the royal palace unharmed–aside from my frayed nerves, that is.

  As we approached the palace gates, I felt a sense of unease wash over me. The place was usually bustling with activity, but now it was eerily quiet. The guards at the gate looked tense, their hands hovering over their weapons.

  "What's going on?" I asked Kael as we approached.

  "The king has ordered heightened security measures," Kael replied, his voice low. "There have been rumors of subsequent attacks. Not to mention the losses from last night. Everyone is on edge, expecting the worst. If you don’t mind me saying so, milord, I half expected you to remove my head when you first spotted me. Not sure who to trust out here at the moment."

  His words resonated with me, but my guard was still up with this guy.

  The gates to the castle opened when they spotted Kael, but there was little activity inside. The gates to the castle opened when they spotted Kael, but there was little activity inside. The palace grounds were filled with a tense silence as we rode through. The few guards that patrolled the grounds eyed us suspiciously, their hands never far from their weapons. The castle smelled like ash and fire still and I watched as guards and courtiers moved their dead.

  My heart sank at the sight. The walls were scorched and blackened, and the air was thick with the smell of death. I could see the grief etched on the faces of the guards and servants as they went about their grim work.

  As we dismounted our horses, a group of courtiers approached us. They bowed low to Kael, their eyes flickering over to us.

  "Welcome to the palace," one of them said, his voice strained. "I am Lord Tyrell, the king's advisor. I'm afraid that his majesty is unable to see you just yet."

  "Might I inquire as to why?" I asked, my voice cold.

  "There has been an emergency meeting of the council," Lord Tyrell explained. "His majesty has ordered everyone to attend. We were just on our way there."

  I felt a surge of frustration wash over me. I needed answers, and I needed them now.

  "When will the meeting be over?" I asked, my voice tight. "My father is dead. Everyone I care about has been slain. There has even been an attempt on my life. And now I have to wait for an audience?"

  "Milord," Thalia said, an edge creeping into her voice. "The king will see you when he is able to. Much has transpired this past evening. I’m sure no disrespect was intended by any parties."

  I knew she was right--and I knew that was a warning--but I didn't want to hear it. I took a deep breath, fighting to keep my emotions in check. "Fine. But I need to know what's going on here. Who attacked the castle? Who is responsible for my father's death?"

  Lord Tyrell hesitated, his eyes flickering over to Kael. "I'm sorry, milord. That is information that the king will share with you when he sees you. We cannot divulge that information without his permission."

  I felt my anger boiling over, but I knew that getting into a fight with the king's advisor wouldn't help matters. I needed to bide my time, gather information, and choose how and where to strike when the time was right.

  "Very well," I finally said, my voice low as I swallowed my anger and gave it room to simmer. "We'll wait for the king to see us, then."

  With that, we were led to a small room where we could rest and wait for the council meeting to end. I paced the room, my mind racing with thoughts of vengeance. Kael excused himself and it was just Thalia and I, talking over the events of the past couple of days, trying to find some meaning in them.

  "You're probably here to take your father's place in his council," Thalia said after a while had passed.

  "It does seem that way," I agreed, my eyes narrowing. "But I'm not interested in playing politics. I want justice for my father and my people. Nothing more and nothing less."

  "Of course you do," Thalia replied, her hand reaching out to touch mine. "But we need to be careful, Tristan. We don't know who we can trust here. As far as I’m concerned, it’s you and me alone against a pack of wild animals right now."

  I nodded, grateful for her words. She was right--there was danger lurking around every corner, and we needed to be vigilant. But my mind was consumed with thoughts of revenge. I couldn't rest until I had found out who was responsible for the attack on the castle, for my father's death, and I had made them pay.

  I leaned my head back against the headrest of the sofa and stared at the intricate tapestry on the ceiling. The tapestry had faded with age. The figures were hard to make out, but the pattern was worn and soft, almost to the point of transparent. What I could see was a king on a white horse, his hand raised in greeting to a crowd of the common masses.

  "You don't think this has anything to do with that book, do you?" I asked Thalia, dropping my voice so no one could hear us.

  Thalia's eyes widened at my question. "You think it could be connected?"

  "I don't know," I replied, my mind racing. "It's just a feeling I have. The timing seems too coincidental."

  Thalia nodded slowly, her expression thoughtful. "It's possible. I mean...clearly your family is destined for great things. Maybe that's why the king is calling on you."

  "My family?"

  She smirked at me. "Okay, you," she said. "Since your name was the one in the book and everything. But how many people knew about it? You certainly didn't."

  "That’s true," I said, nodding. "And my father never said a word about it."

  "Maybe he didn't think you were ready yet," she said.

  "Or maybe it's the ramblings of an ancestor with an overactive imagination," I replied. "And it means nothing, it's just a poor attempt at literature."

  She trained her gaze on mine, her pupils expanding as she looked into my eyes. "You don't really believe that," she said. "Do you, Tristan?"

  I looked away, feeling a sense of guilt wash over me. She was right, I didn't believe that it was just a coincidence. There was something about the book, about the prophecy, that seemed too real to ignore. I could feel it in my bones. I knew it with certainty, the same way I knew my name.

  "No," I finally said, my voice barely above a whisper. "I don't think it's just a story. I think there's something to it."

  Thalia nodded slowly, her eyes never leaving mine. "Then we need to figure out what that something is," she said firmly. "We need to find out what the book means, and how it's connected to what's happening here."

  "Right," I said. "And how are we going to do that?"

  "I have no idea," she replied. "But we'll find a way."