ANCHOR

The Lost Heir

~ Prologue ~

The Lost Heir

The leaves of the nearest olive tree rustled as the wind fought its way through. The castle was glinting as the sun came to rise from dawn. The whole castle was made of the finest marble in Tauffrein. It was the day everyone had been waiting for, the proclamation of the lost king. Ordinaires were fighting their way to the castle, carrying with them their families. Chieftains and knights had been polishing every armor and brushing each bloody red cape for the awaited proclamation. Everyone looked the same, just like the usual days in Tauffrein, but it was not just a usual day.

The people had waited for seven years to find the lost king after the battle against the warlocks and witches. They might had been victorious enough to bring the baby out of the castle but dumb enough to think they would surpass the knights and spirits guarding the borders. The baby was not found until one of the most powerful glimpsers had seen a vision of two children playing near the towers of the castle, a healer and an ordinaire. One of them must be the lost king. Not one glimpser was sure who the lost son was so the King decided to test them, the same test given to him before he was king.

Each candidate shall choose three things and the things chosen will only prove to whom the throne fits. Jett was an infant when the Chieftain, Donovan, found him in a barrel just outside the temple in the castle. The infant was wrapped in a thin cloth only showing his face. The child was freezing and so Donovan had to untie his dark blue cape to wrap it for the baby. He didn't know where that baby came from or how he got there however he welcomed him to his home and named him Jett. Donovan had sent him to the healers since Jett was exhibiting skills and chants that only the healers could say with their blessed tongues. Henry was also an infant when an ordinaire found him laughing and giggling with the animals in the forest far from the borders of Tauffrein. He was also wrapped in a cloth only showing his face but he wasn't inside a barrel. The clouds turned from pale blue to dark grey, and the sky rained. The ordinaire was left with no choice but to bring home the child.

Everyone wondered how these two found each other outside the castle. Ordinaires, knights, chieftains and spirits murmuring together as the two candidates stood by the balcony. The King was holding the hands of the candidates, Jett to his right and Henry to his left. Spirits float higher to see how they were doing and the crowd started to roar.

"Greetings, people of Tauffrein!" and the roar continued.

"As you can see, I have the lost heir to my throne on either of my hands. Will it be Jett, the healer?" the King said looking at Jett's pale grey eyes and the crowd's roar grew even louder. "Or would it be Henry, the ordinaire?" said the King looking at Henry's caramel brown iris. 

The crowd grew silent and somehow afraid of who the lost heir might be. It was the most silent moments ever occurred in Tauffrein. Not even a breeze made noise, not even one. The sunlight stayed on the right side of the King's face revealing his moss green eyes. Just as Jett closed his eyes, the King gripped his hand tighter. He returned the grip to the king and all of a sudden the crowd roared again.  

"I never thought it would be him!" said an ordinaire.

"The other kid looked more kingly to me." said a chieftain. 

Jett understood everything. He opened his eyes just to make sure but the sight hurt him. The King raised Henry's hand and even carried him in his arm while loosing hold of Jett's hand. The people of Tauffrein bellowed in joy and celebration. However, the sky darkened and the sun was not in sight. The crowd's faces changed from smiles and laughter, to confused and worried faces. Jett did not see what happened as he placed his palms to his face and sank his knees to the castle's balcony.

"No!" someone cried out, or something.

"That voice?" the King asked. "Who are you evil spirit?! How dare you ruin our celebration!" 

"How dare you ruin a child's life!" the voice echoed through the walls of the castle.

Everyone was shocked to see a cape of dark blue flying from the forest to the balcony of the castle. The cape surrounded the King as he dropped Henry to his side. The cape grew wider and covered the people standing in the balcony. Just as the cape consumed them, it exploded. The balcony was now filled with black dust and as the cape vanished, so did Jett.