2 Hopes

It had been heartbreaking news for the duke's family, that his wife would not be able to conceive a child. It was very unfortunate that his beloved Karina would not be able to produce an heir for their ducal household. Many had urged the duke to divorce her or to have the king annul the marriage and then marry a woman capable of bearing children. The duke bluntly refused. He loved his wife dearly and wouldn't abandon her for anything. However, this decision did leave him with a problem, As the duke of the Belrynian empire and the right hand man of the king, he absolutely needed an heir to fortify their household and pass on the lineage to.

Duke Galbraith had called for all his cousins' children to come to his manor, so that he could examine them, however none of them were worthy to become his son. All of them were pampered and spoilt, soft and wet around the eye, and more than half were decidedly stupid. completely unsatisfied with the selection, he broadened the search to the entire noble community. The duke wanted to find a boy child between seven and ten with good physical fortitude, intelligence and notable magical prowess, anything less was unacceptable.

For months, parents who were eager to have their child adopted into the Duchy threw their sons at the duke, hoping he would take notice. However, the duke frowned on all of them. None of them were exceptional enough, moreover, the ones who were exceptional were not put forth by their families. The situation was dizzying for the duke. He needed an heir that woud be able to carry on the legacy of his family. The elder members of his clan thought so too and had joined in the search for a brillaint heir, however, everyone turned up short. The duke was about to have all the orphanages and slums searched in order to find a suitable child, when he was contacted by Lord Ellmire, the head priest of the Holy Belrynia Church. A church the Galbraith family had supported and donated to for many years. The duke was then told the truth about the secret child that had been kept underground since his birth, a genuine descendent.

It was then that the candle flickered within Galbraith's mind. Although he had never actually seen a descndeant before, he knew as everyone else did, the amazing powers these people had. As descendants of the Subjugator who was bestowed many magical blessings by the gods in order to defeat the demons, his descendents were somtimes born with the same gifts. It was very rare, but it did happen. The duke thought that if he could secure such a child for his household, not only could he secure his family's position among the noblity but become of even greater use to the royal family.

Being a duke, Galbraith held a lot of power and influence within the empire, enough to pressure the church elders to accept his plans to adopt the child called Solis, who was locked up within the depths of the church dungeon. The duke was not pleased with what he heard. All the years that the child had been locked up in the dungeon, he had not received any kind of affection or warmth from the monks. He had been taught only basic education, as the monks feared being around the child for too long and didn't want to take the time to teach him more. The duke could only imagine how many social and emotional issues the child would have. To take in such a child might be dangerous for his family. Furthermore since Karina wasn't able to have a child, he wanted to give her a good son, a child she could love. However, the churches treatment of the boy surely would not have produced a well adjusted child. Nevertheless, he couldn't pass on such a brilliant opportunity as to adopt a descendent. So Duke Galbraith quietly arragned for the adoption to take place, even if he had his worries about Solis's mental state the duke couldn't afford to give up such a child to anyone else.

The duke and his wife Karina watched anxiously from the study as the Church's carriage pulled up in their manor's driveway. The sound of the horses' neighs and the wheels of the wagon as it rode over the pavement signaled the fifty servants of the Duke's manor to straighten up and welcome the child that would be their new master. Everyone knew this was an important day, and everyone was feeling very anxious.

The duke Galbraith hoped for a gifted son.

The duchess Karina wished for a child she could love.

The servants hoped for a fair and stable master.

The elders of the Galbraith family, hoped for a brilliant heir.

The king hoped for a boy who could aid his own son, the prince of the empire.

So many expectations were weighing down on Solis's shoulders, but he didn't feel them at all. Solis was only interested in living a good life. It had started out rather poorly but he had made the best of a bad situation. Now that he could look forward to a brighter a future his heart and mind were settled. His only determination was that he would live a good life, as to what that 'good life' entailed.... Well he would make that up on the go.