Return of the Lost Bloodline

"Help…! Father…! Gracie…! Anybody home…" Logan shouted at the top of his voice while barging into the house covered with blood along with Dylan as they helped Sean who was bleeding badly from his thigh and abdomen. Most of the blood on Logan and Dylan's body was Sean's even though they also had minor wounds and bruises on their arms and faces.

"What's going on?" Gracie, a younger female of seventeen rushed out of a room in the house as they laid Sean on the table. She froze for a second before rushing to Sean as she looked at Dylan and Logan for an explanation.

"Don't just stare at us… where is father?" Logan asked. They didn't know how to help Sean and believed their father would know exactly how to prevent the bleeding to ensure Sean survived those wounds.

"He's gone fishing with uncle Ben. They couldn't wait for you boys any longer." She replied still in awe as to how such a thing happened.

"Hurry, go and call them, we need their help." Dylan said to her while squeezing Seans hand so he'd stay awake.

"What about your mother? She would know what to do and I can get to her faster." Gracie suggested looking at Dylan.

"Do as Dylan says," Sean struggled with those words, he was the oldest and didn't want Dylan's mother to see him like that. Also he knew that she would freak out just as Gracie was freaking out too.

After she left, Logan came close to with a knife which he had just heated in the fire, "Hold still, brother, this is going to hurt."

"Whoa whoa whoa… what are you doing, Logan?" Dylan intervenes.

"We need to seal the wounds and stop the bleeding. I've seen father do this before."

"His right, Dylan," Sean agreed to go along with Logan, "Let him do it."

"Oh no, I can't watch this." Dylan looks away as Logan seals the wounds with the knife while Sean screams in pain.

"There we go, brother, there we go." Logan muttered while consoling and encouraging Sean to bear the pain just a little while longer as he was almost done. "You didn't have to throw your life on the line for me." He added as he finished sealing the wounds.

"Of course, I'm your big brother." Seam chuckled amidst the pain he was feeling, that was his own way to lighten their mood. He was sick of looking at their worrisome faces as if he was dead.

Instantly Gracie enters the room again which was too soon considering the time required for her to complete the errand assigned to her. And she was not alone.

Following her into the house was a total stranger who they all knew nothing about, he was about their age or two years older than Sean at most.

"Be calm, I'm here to help." the stranger said seeing how startled they were even as Logan and Dylan showed signs to attack him at the slightest provocation.

All three of them shifted their gaze to Gracie for a better explanation as to why she had brought a total stranger home in place of their parents. "He says he is a healer and offered to help after seeing the blood stains on me."

"Thank you for your help but we've already got it covered." Sean said while trying to sit upright.

"I see," the stranger refused to argue even as he walked up to him gently while Logan and Dylan watched him closely to see what he was up to.

Noticing how nicely the wound was sealed with fire as though by an expert, he looks at Logan and Dylan. "Well done but your brother would need a better and faster healing."

Just before they could respond, sparks of crystal light were seen surrounding the stranger's palm who them placed it on Sean's wounds causing a smooth, instant and perfect healing to take place as wounds on Sean's skin gradually covered with new flesh as though they never occurred, causing a great shock to the four of them present.

Tales of such healers were known to them only as myth as they never got to meet someone that practice let alone for it to be performed right before their eyes.

"Who are you? And where are you from?" Seam asked, looking straight into the stranger's eyes as if the answer he sought was written there.

"Call me Will." He introduced himself, leaving out the part of where he was from while he shook hands with the boys. "By the way those wounds didn't seem like they were caused by any regular beast."

"How could you tell?" Logan asked back, he sensed something awkward and was eager to know more about him first before going about answering his questions.

"Just a haunch." Will replied with a smile that seemed really off. "Anyways, I'll be on my way now."

"Why don't you stay for dinner? Let's get to know each other. Consider it our way of saying thank you." Logan couldn't let him leave just like that without finding out something other than his name.

"That's right, our fathers went fishing and I'm sure there would be plenty of fish. Hope you like fish?" Dylan added and the expression from Sean and Gracie could tell they were in support, so he couldn't turn them down.

"Alright," he gave in while muttering silently. "I hope this is a good idea."

They were getting ready for dinner just as planned after they have introduced Will to their parents as a friend, leaving out the part where he healed Sean with magic because they didn’t want them to know of the monster they encountered in the woods that day, then sounds of horse hoofs riding toward the house was heard so Bob and Ben (their fathers) came outside to see what was going on and also find out why riders would come there by that time of the day.

“We are here for the Prince, bring him out and you and your family would be spared.” The leader of the riders said authoritatively before they could even ask what was going on, causing the two of them to look at each other in surprise because they didn’t have any idea who he was talking about.

Due to the authoritative tune which they heard from inside the house, Sean, Logan and Dylan also rushed outside ready to assist their fathers if a fight was going to burst out of that conversation while Gracie and Will stayed put inside the house along with Dylan’s mother and younger brother who were already in panic.

“We know you are in there, Prince William. Come out and spare this good family from trouble.” The leader of the riders shouted again. He was very confident the person he was looking for was hiding inside the house. He wasn’t ready to force his way into the house unless it was totally necessary.

With the seriousness shown by the riders there was only one logical explanation, which is the fact that Will wasn’t honest with them about who he was and why he chose to heal Sean earlier.

Then Will came outside after hearing the threat and knowing that it wasn’t a bluff because he recognized the voice. “There will be no need for that, Finlay. You of all people should know that I won’t be going back with you so you can tell my father that you finally found me but I will be coming back on my own terms, if at all I choose to return.”

Logan, Sean and Dylan eyes popped wide open after William’s words, they were already coming to believe the lies he told them about himself, feeling very bad for not being able to detect the lie all along.

“Your highness, you should also know that I wouldn’t be leading this search if it wasn’t important. Your mother, the Queen is dead and His Majesty is sick. Your presence is needed at home.” Finlay replied.

William’s face instantly turned sob up on hearing the news, tears rolled down his cheek as he asked. “When did this happen?” making reference to the death of his mother.

“Five years ago, not long after you left.”

“Then why wasn’t I informed?” He asked harshly, with a trace of anger in his tune aside that of pain and sorrow.

“You could not be found, my lor….”

“No! Don’t give me that excuse. If you had taken up the search you could have found me, but I guess my father didn’t want me around.” He interrupts before Finlay could finish.

“He blamed you for her illness and death.” Finlay finally came clean seeing that he couldn’t hide the truth from him and if he was going to convince William into going back, it was important he knew the truth.

“So she was sick,” William sobs facing down. He knew his sudden departure would hurt his mother most but he didn’t know it would lead to her death, therefore he blamed himself for her death at that moment. Looking up at Finlay again after a long moment of awkward silence, he continued. “Like I said, if I return, it would be on my own terms, when I am ready to face him.”

“He already forgave you and begs that you return with us.” Finlay said.

“I owe him my forgiveness, not the other way round. Besides, you didn’t find me.” William turned his back on them and went into the house.