Prologue

"My son. Please be strong. You will have many trials in your life and I'm sorry your father and I will not be there to help you." She said in a barely audible whisper. "Take this locket, keep it with you always, and never sell it. It was your grandmother's, then your father's, now it is yours. It is the key to your past and to your future. Pass it on to your own son when the time comes." The woman said to the young boy as she passed the chain of the locket over his head, it hung almost to his navel. 'I hope he understands' she thought. She tucked it into his shirt and gave him a weak hug, it was all she had the strength to do. She let him go and rolled onto her back and closed her eyes….

Raye with his wife beside him rode their cart into the yard of the small farm. It was a small worn out cart pulled by a worn down horse. Which was fitting because the couple riding it and the farm they came from looked worn down too. As he got closer he saw the boy sitting on the step of the very small house. Beside the boy was a scythe that was much too big for him to use. He could see he was crying though he didn't make a noise his shoulders moved in that sad way they did when a person cried. Raye got down off the cart and went to the boy and put his weathered hand on his shoulder. The boy, his face streaked from tears running through the dirt on his face, looked up at him. "How are you doing Keith and how is your mother?" Raye asked.

"She's sleeping" he replied weakly "she's been sleeping for three days. I tried to wake her but I can't and I'm hungry."

"I'll get Marta to go in and look to your mother. Come with me and I'll get you something to eat." With that he held out his hand to the boy then felt his small hand take it. He led him over to the cart. Marta was still sitting on it and he motioned for her to check inside. He picked up the small basket that held their lunch and opened it. He grabbed a couple of things and sat with Keith as he ate. He saw his wife come out of the house and shake her head. It was as he thought, the boy's mother wasn't sleeping, she had died. 'How do you tell a three year old boy his mother had died? That everything he has known in his short life was now over. Gone.' He thought, 'I guess I have to figure that out'

When the boy had eaten he took him to the water barrel and washed his face with a worn cloth from the house. He then took him back to the cart and had him lay down. As the boy slept he dug a grave under the oak tree he had helped transplant. It was only a year ago they had moved it here so Ruby could have it to remember her husband killed in the war. He dug the grave as deep as he could in the rocky soil then went into the house and picked up the thin frail body his wife had wrapped in the thin blanket from the bed. He carried her to where he had dug and laid her gently in the grave. Marta walked up to the grave holding Keith's hand and nodded to Raye. He bowed his head and said a few inadequate words, or so it seemed to him. Marta took the young boy a ways off and sat holding him in her arms. He heard him sobbing as he put the dirt over the body. When the grave was filled he placed a layer of rocks over it. He took the boy from Marta as she climbed upon the cart then gave him back and climbed up beside them. He turned the cart around and headed home, the harvest at the farm could wait.

A week later with the boy beside him he stopped once again. Leaving the boy in the cart he went over to the oak tree with the lone grave. He made a second pile of stones beside the first then nailed a board to the tree above the two graves. It read:

Adrian and Ruby

Once separated

Together forever

He turned walked to the cart and got up on it, put his arm around the boy hugging him tight. He turned the cart and headed toward the castle. He and his wife had to face the truth, they could barely feed themselves so they couldn't provide for the boy, nor were they young enough to keep up with a boy. So they had decided to see if the castle would take him in as a ward.

"Stewart" the king whispered softly "Stewart you must bring Horace to me. Quickly for my time is coming to a close. Do not allow Cassandra to come near just Horace" he then closed his eyes breathing raggedly. After a moment or so he opened them again his eyes piercingly bright focused on Stewart who sat waiting. Opening his mouth slightly he summoned the strength for one word "Go".

Horace, eyes closed, was sitting by the Battleschool practice yard resting his tired muscles. He found being there relaxing more so than anywhere else in the castle. The smell of the grass, the soft sounds of fifty archers drawing an arrow out of their quivers and notching them in near unison, the sound of the bowstrings being drawn back, the sound of the wind rustling the feathers of the arrows. The sound of the curses as footsteps ran across the yard…..

He sat up and opened his eyes. Across the yard the king's personal attendant hurried right in front of the training archers. What alarmed Horace wasn't that the archers were having to shift their aim at the last moment to avoid hitting him or the fact it was the king's attendant coming to him. But the combined look of horror and puzzlement on the older man's face. He stood up grabbed his sword and hurried to meet Stewart. When he got close enough he called out "Stewart, is everything ok." He replied "I don't know. The king said to hurry and get you but not to have Cass come. I don't know what is troubling him that he doesn't want Cassandra to hear"

"Walk with me back. We'll go calmly till we are out of the battle school yard then we'll hurry as best we can so as to not alarm anyone. If we're not careful Cassandra will be there before we are. She may already be there if you ran the whole way here."

"But the king said to hurry"

"I know it is hard to do but we must be calm or the whole castle will be alarmed thinking the King has died. It is not the first time he has said his time was coming to a close."

"True but His breath has never rattled as he said it."

Horace looked at him saw the concern in his eyes and said "Maybe we had better hurry." So they walked quickly. Horace waved off the Battle school commanders who were hurrying over to hear the news saying "the king has asked for the chief of his body guard no cause for alarm probably wants some fresh air"

"That is the first time I've ever heard you lie Horace!"

"It's not really a lie. I am the chief of his body guard and the last time he had you find me at the battle school he did want some fresh air. Also, now that I think of it, on that occasion Cassandra did put an end to his plan for escape from his chamber."

"Do you think that is what it is this time?"

"You tell me, did he seem like he wanted to go for fresh air?"

"No, he sounded like he had just made the most painful decision of his kingship."