The soldiers approached the gate weary from the ride, the imposing gate rising alongside the castle wall, the most beautiful jewel of the crown. Torren held the baby, cradling it close so it wouldn't feel cold, its skin still bluish. The captain gazed at him as he slept in his arms; he was like a sleeping angel, a feeling he had never imagined experiencing, now blooming within him.

  *Flashback: moments before, after finding the baby.

  While cradling the little one, he said, "We can't leave him here," Torren declared. "He's a child of the Ebon Sea, just like us. We'll take him to the king."

  Jorem, surprised and worried, spoke up.

  "But captain, we don't know whose he is, or what he might be?", the captain stepped closer, right up to him.

  "Trap?... If it were an ambush, they would've attacked us already," he said with deadly calm. Jorem fell silent and shuddered slightly, he knew how ruthless the captain could be if anyone trespassed on his territory.

  The baby cried weakly in his lap, there was no doubt a bond between the two, a strong link. The soldiers realized they couldn't say anything, Torren would take him regardless of the cost.

  The captain mounted his horse and called for the soldiers to do the same. The three rode swiftly toward the castle before the rain began.

  *End flashback: back to the present.

  Garrick spoke to the gatekeeper.

  "Let us in, we're back from the mission", up high, the man stared down without a word, then began turning the cranks to open the gate.

  As they entered the castle grounds, the workers' gazes lingered on them, everyone was surely curious about the child the captain carried. Ignoring them, they advanced to the castle entrance. As they approached, the doors were opened by the servants who greeted them promptly, though their reaction was also one of shock at what they'd brought back from the journey.

  Jorem approached the butler and said, "We need to speak with the king."

  The butler handled all castle affairs, even for those wanting to visit or have a meeting, they had to ask his permission first.

  "Yes, I imagine you do...", he eyed Torren and what he carried with suspicion.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Jorem, sensing the situation and losing patience, replied immediately, he hated sarcasm.

  "Good that you know. We're back from a mission; the king awaits us... As the king's secretary, I'm surprised you haven't announced our arrival yet... You know how the king hates sloppiness..." The butler swallowed hard and stiffened like stone. He hadn't expected that response, he knew full well how demanding the king was. Best to take them to him right away.

  The butler sighed deeply and said, "Follow me."

  The four headed to the king's chamber, crossing the cold, dim corridor. No one dared speak; only their hurried footsteps echoed. Jorem averted his gaze, Garrick swallowed hard. What they'd seen in the bushes had changed everything, and they feared angering the captain, so they preferred to avoid trouble.

  After a few minutes' walk, they finally reached the throne room. The butler told the guards to let him in, while the soldiers waited outside the door. The wait ended quickly when the butler called them inside.

  "The king awaits you", he said rudely and disdainfully, then left the room to return to his previous duties, he had a castle to manage, after all.

  The guards opened the double doors for the soldiers to enter. The king rose from the throne, his piercing eyes fixed on the men who had just arrived, he'd been waiting for their report on the mission they'd been assigned.

  "Torren, reports from the Lords of Leganor?", his voice echoed, but he paused upon seeing the bundle in the captain's arms, raising his eyebrows.

  "What is this?" he said, rising from the throne and approaching the captain. The soldiers only stared at the floor, lacking the courage to meet the speaker's eyes.

  "My king, I'll explain." Torren gestured for the soldiers to leave the room.

  Jorem and Garrick left with heads bowed, bowing to the king before exiting.

  "Majesty, we found him abandoned in the bushes near Miran. Naked, no basket or note. No sign of parents or theft", finally, Torren had a chance to explain.

  Aldric, the king, sighed, drawing even closer and looking at the baby. He slept peacefully.

  "An orphan... Search for the parents in the coastal villages. Could be an enemy hostage", he said calmly and clearly, without meeting Torren's eyes. He realized the king didn't grasp the gravity of the situation or his desire.

  Torren raised his gaze firmly, "With respect, Majesty... Let me adopt him, should no one come forward, of course. He'll be under my charge until then. I'll raise him as my own."

  The king laughed, the sound echoing through the room, pure mockery.

  "Torren, the lone wolf, wants to be a father? I didn't see that coming."

  The captain didn't move, but his displeasure was written on his face. The king was intelligent and an excellent strategist, he knew he needed the captain, especially with war looming at the threshold. He was his best soldier, and he wouldn't lose him over a child.

  "Do as you wish... but let it bring no trouble to the crown", the king said, meeting Torren's eyes.

  He smiled, rocking the little one. "He's just a baby, Majesty. What trouble could he bring?"

  Aldric nodded in agreement. Truth was, he couldn't care less about the child, it was even good to have someone handle it for him. If that's what Torren wanted, let him have the baby.

  The king climbed the throne steps again and sat, then dismissed Torren with a gesture. Torren left immediately, carrying his future in his arms. A smile of joy formed on his lips, something inexplicable had happened, but he still had a challenge ahead: who were the child's parents? And why did they do this? He vowed to himself he wouldn't rest until he found them and made them pay for their sin. After all, this child had only survived because Torren found him in time, before he was lost to the beyond.