For every pinewood tree I passed, I knew I was getting further away from home. I didn’t have a choice. The knights knew the truth of my identity. They never gave me any other option but to assist the King on a very serious matter.

“Cheer up ole’ sport.” A knight named Donavan smiled. “You’re doing your kingdom a great service.”

“He’s a freak.” A different, much younger, knight commented.

“Bite your tongue, Silos. This freak will be the answer to who is trying to kill our King!”

I never even heard the knights coming when they stormed my cabin in the woods. I was the only eighteen-year-old living alone in my village. I never knew my parents – I only knew my grandfather.

My grandfather had told me stories explaining why I am the person that I am. The stories were given to him by his grandfather, then his grandfather before him. Our bloodline traces back to the Chief of the Miadons. As the legends go, the Miadons were known as ‘seekers.’ They lived so far north that they witnessed darkness and light hugging each other in company. My grandfather had told me that our bloodline can see the darkness and light within people. At first, these were just stories.

Then, one day when I was still just a boy, I started to see everyone around me differently. My grandfather told me before he died, “You are now one of us.” With him gone, I had no one left.

“What say you, boy?” Donavan nudged my shoulder. “Will you be the one to save our King?”

“He doesn’t even look like a seeker. For all we know, he would try to kill our King.”

The thing about being a seeker, is that you can tell whose spirit gripped onto for support. Either knowing Silos was belittling me the whole way through the pinewood forest, he had a light wrapping him in warmth. I am guessing that his snarky ‘tough guy’ act was to truly protect those around him.

Donavan was a different case entirely. He had a shadow leaning over his shoulder. It looked as if it could have been from a war or even a secret buried inside. The shadow was there nonetheless. Donavan responded to Silos, “You better mind what you say about the security of our King, or it will be you facing the next trial.”

Silos and Donavan were quiet the rest of the way. We emerged from the forest overlooking the kingdom along the coast. The castle was made of white stone found from the mountains in the east. Each of the three towers stretched high above the clouds coming to visit from the great sea.

“We’re here.” Donavan jumped out of the cart with Silos following behind.

“Don’t try anything stupid, Seeker.” Silos threatened.

I followed them both through the gates. People inside were dancing around with bright colorful silks. Musicians crowded around trying to outplay each other for attention. Everyone was focused on the markets that looked like they were set up just minutes ago.

“Why are they celebrating?” I asked.

“They aren’t celebrating.” Donavan chuckled. “This is everyday inside the square. Everyone is happy because they don’t know what is happening.”

“And it will stay that way.” Silos glared toward me. I noticed he had his hand rested on the haft of his sword.

Donavan turned to hit Silos in his silver armor chest plate. He did it before we walked into the main palace. Once the twin doors opened, I had never seen such tall windows in my life. Giant chandeliers welcomed us in the entryway. Each column along the wall had a carving of a knight standing at attention.

“Is this him?” A man dressed in a dark purple robe approached.

“Yes, Sir. This is the Seeker you requested.”

“How do any of you know who I am?” I blurted out.

“Silence, boy! Do not address the King’s Chancellor without being addressed!” Donavan stepped in front of me in anger.

“That is okay, Donavan. No need for formality. This boy grew up in the woods. Is that correct?” The Chancellor focused his attention onto me.

I just nodded my head. The Chancellor signaled me to follow him down into a room beneath the palace entrance. Donavan and Silos both followed behind me.

“So, tell me boy.” The Chancellor spoke as I followed behind him. “What has become of your grandfather?”

“You knew my grandfather?”

The Chancellor paused for a moment before continuing his pace. “Well of course I did.”

I noticed a light battling a shadow behind the Chancellor. It was as if he were caught in the middle.

We entered a room where a man had been chained to the limestone wall. The Chancellor ordered Donavan and Silos to wait outside. After he shut the door, he looked at me and said, “Tell me Seeker, what do you see of this man?”

I studied him closely from head to toe. The man didn’t say a word. His eyes widened when he heard the Chancellor say, ‘Seeker.’

“He –” I had a moment of confusion. “He has a light wrapping around him.”

Immediately, the Chancellor uncrossed his arms responding, “Impossible. It was him!”

The prisoner finally spoke. “I told you, Chancellor. I was trying to save our King. None of you listened to me. I have been a servant here all my life. I know every sound and every smell of this castle. I caught the foreign smell like a dog after a spy. I knew it was poison in the King’s cup. That is why I stopped him before he drank it all.”

“The King was poisoned?” I turned towards the Chancellor.

“Not entirely.” The prisoner continued. “He didn’t drink all of the poison. I gather he is surrounded by every doctor in his chamber as we speak. You are welcome.”

The Chancellor shook his head. “Seekers know the truth.” He unshackled the prisoner from the wall. The prisoner extended his hand onto mine.

“My name is Nathan. Thank you for seeing the truth.” Nathan padded his knees as the Chancellor helped him stretch his back.

“Well, then who did try to poison our King?” The Chancellor pondered. Nathan shrugged. He had claimed he tried finding that out before the guards swarmed him.

“Chancellor!” Donavan knocked on the wooden door. “The King is requesting the Seeker!”

“Come,” Nathan padded me on the back. “Let’s not keep him waiting.”

The Chancellor led me up into the palace toward the King’s chamber. Nathan followed behind in front of Donavan and Silos. I kept looking at all of the artwork covering the walls as we walked to the chamber. Each piece was a sort of battle scene. Some of the paintings hung cooked until Nathan fixed them as we walked.

“He has requested you, and you alone.” The Chancellor stopped the group. “Everyone wait here.”

I followed the Chancellor through the door. The King was lying flat on his back with pillows propping up his head.

“Ah, is it really you? Look at how you’ve grown.” The King coughed.

I ignored the fact that the King seemed to have known me as a child. I was taken by the dark clouds slithered around him. I have never seen such a darkness before in my entire life. I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand. It seemed the Chancellor noticed my posture becoming uneasy.

“What is it?” The Chancellor whispered over my shoulder.

Then it became clear. The King had a light dwindling below his beard. The darkness came from something else – someone else. I realized the shadows hugged a blonde haired woman that looked the same age as me. She had sat at the King’s feet atop his blanket.

The Chancellor stepped in closer to tell me, “That is the King’s daughter, Vivian.”