[22 years earlier]
"Evacuate the people!"
"Yes Your Grace."
"Lilia, take Vincent and go to my sister, she will keep you and him safe."
'Astus promise me you will come to us as soon as things are safe.'
"I promise."
The man stroked his son's head and places a kissed his wife on the head.
She went out of the room and took a few things and send out a messaging bird.
'Your Majesty!'
A women ran in to the office of the king and looked spooked.
"Celestine what's the matter? You know you can't get worked up."
'Your Majesty please send out soldiers to my brothers Dukedom.'
She handed over the letter she got.
"What!"
"Alright Celestine, don't worry, I will send them out right away."
"Gilles send out word to captain Rainer and tell him to head out to Duke Astus."
"Yes Your Majesty."
"Don't worry my love, those snakes will pay for this. Now let's go to the garden and let you have some rest there."
She nodded and fallowed the king to the garden.
[2 hours later]
Rainer and Jess arrived at Duke Umbra's territory and found nothing but a bloody mess.
Ever since they arrived there were dead bodies everywhere, the village and the people in it were also killed.
'How horrible, not even children were spared from this.'
"Let's spread out Jess, you look for survivors in the village with some men, and I'll head up to the estate."
'Alright, but I doubt that anybody has survived this massacre.'
Rainer dismounted his horse and lead it up to the estate with 12 soldiers.
On their way they check all the bodies, but there were none that were breathing.
When they arrived at the gate they found more people but most of them were at deaths door and couldn't be saved.
Rainer told the soldiers to check the surroundings and he went inside to see if there were any survivors left. But all he could see was blood and corpses.
He checked every room but all there was, was death.
Jess arrived at the estate and saw how horrible it was.
"Are there any survivors in the village?"
She looked dejected and shook her head.
'Who would be so cruel?'
"I don't know… let see if there are any clues in the Duke's office."
They went inside and found the man barley alive.
"Astus!"
The man coughed up blood and his breathing was weak.
"Rainer…, Jess…take this…"
The man handed them a ring and died there and then.
They both had a bitter look on their face and kept themselves from letting tears fall for their friend.
Jess looked at the ring and got furious.
'Those bastards are going to pay for this!'
Rainer saw the ring and knew it was the crest of the Byrrus family.
"Let's go Jess, we still have to find Lilia and Vincent."
'Hmm…, Astus, you can rest at ease now, we will find your wife and son and protect them to our last breath.'
They got up and left the estate.
Outside the soldiers, were waiting for their captain and second in command.
They all had a grim look on their face.
As they were talking suddenly Jess and Rainer heard a baby cry in the distance.
Everybody rounded up and went in to the direction of the sound.
When they arrived the saw Lilia on the ground and a maid.
Rainer and Jess carefully removed their bodies and saw the baby crying.
Rainer picked him up and started to sooth him.
"There, there Vincent, your safe now."
After a few minuts the baby stopped crying and calmed down.
Jess checked the baby for wounds but to everybody's relieve the baby was healthy and didn't have injuries.
'Lilia, you can rest in peace now, we will bring Vincent to a safe place and watch him grow up.'
Everybody rounded up again and left the Dukedom for now and report to the king first.
[Castle Tenebris]
Rainer and the other arrived and Jess fallowed him with the baby.
The arrived at the office of the king.
"Your Majesty we have arrived back from Umbra."
"You may enter."
The king looked up and saw the faces of his captain and second in command.
Rainer gave a full report and the king had a painful look on his face. He lost his brother in-law and didn't know how to tell his wife that she lost her brother and sister in-law.
Celestine who got word that the captain returned rushed to her husband's office and barged in.
Jess handed over the baby to Rainer and told Celestine to sit down.
'I'm sorry my queen, but your brother Astus and his wife Lilia were killed in the raid.'
Rainer walked up to them and handed over little Vincent to her.
"Lilia and her maid died protecting Vincent, he is the sole survivor of Umbra Dukedom."
Celestine took the baby from Rainer and a few tears fell on the baby.
She was heartbroken to hear the news of the death of her brother and best friend Lilia.
She looked at Vincent who looked like his father, but he had the eyes of his mother.
'While I lost my precious friend and my dear brother, they live on in Vincent.'
She looked at her husband. 'Who did this?'
"It was the Byrrus family."
She looked at her nephew who was only a 2 months old and then at her husband.
She knew if Vincent would stay and be adopted by them his life would be in danger again.
'Rainer, Jess, could I ask a favor of you two?'
"What is it My Queen?"
She handed over Vincent to them 'Please take care and raise Vincent for me.'
'But My Queen...'
'I know what I'm asking is too much…but even if I and Silvester adopt him his live will be in danger all the time. When the Byrrus family finds out, they will send over assassins over to kill him.'
'And then all of the effort Lilia and Astus had put in to keep him safe will be wasted. I don't want to lose any more family than I already have today.'
Rainer and Jess looked at the king.
"She is right, and it doesn't look suspicious at all, you two are married, and adopting a child wouldn't sound strange at all."
Rainer and Jess were shell shocked.
As Rainer looked at little Vincent he knew they both were right. He considered it an honor to raise the child of his best friend.
"Let's do it Jess."
'What!? Well I don't mind…but children need a lot of attention, not to mention we don't have a room that is ready for a baby.'
'But what about our job's? I'm not ready to be a full-time mom yet.'
"You can take turns, I will also provide you two with all the necessary things you need."
'But our house is small and cramp…'
'You can move to my villa, it's empty and close to the palace.'
"Come on Jess, this it not for us but for Vincent."
"We did promise his parents to protect him."
Jess looked at Vincent and took him from Rainer.
'How can I say no to this cute little baby.'