After his adventure in Mikmak Village, Ethan couldn't sleep upon returning to the palace. What he had seen in the waters of the lake stormed through his mind. He didn't know what to do with this new information.
As he walked back to his room through the palace corridors, he felt a strange peace and, at the same time, a heavy burden. As he lay on his bed, the first light of dawn slowly began to filter into the room. However, instead of sleeping, Ethan stared at the ceiling, trapped in the memories of what he had experienced.
A while later, the sounds signaling the awakening of Koa and Rowena began to echo. Rowena's light footsteps, characteristic of her morning routine, reverberated through the quiet palace. Ethan got up from bed and quickly changed his clothes. He was still wrestling with the thoughts in his mind, but now he felt it was time to share them.
It was the weekend, and Koa had given Ethan and Rowena permission to wander freely. Hoping to lighten the heavy load on his mind, Ethan turned to Rowena and asked, "Shall we go to Shadowbrook?"
Rowena noticed the seriousness on her friend's face and looked at him curiously but agreed without asking any questions. They prepared for the journey, and soon they were on their way to Shadowbrook.
Throughout the journey, Ethan's mind remained in the past. Rowena noticed his somber demeanor and grew concerned. Finally, unable to contain her curiosity, Rowena asked, "Ethan, why are you so quiet this morning? Did something happen?"
Ethan took a deep breath and looked into Rowena's eyes. He knew this moment was inevitable. "Rowena, I need to tell you something," he said with a determined voice. Rowena stopped, ready to listen, though she couldn't understand his seriousness.
Ethan began to recount his trip to the Healing Lake with Wenona, the memories he saw in the lake, and the truths he learned about his family. Rowena listened to Ethan's words with great attention. What he told her was a huge shock. When she learned that Ethan's real parents were King Marlon and Queen Nyla, her eyes widened. She paused for a moment, as if unable to believe what she heard, then asked, "Ethan... Really?" Her voice was filled with both astonishment and deep empathy.
Ethan nodded slightly. "Yes, Rowena. Blackbeard attacked our ship and kidnapped me." Ethan's voice trembled, and a mix of sadness and determination appeared in his eyes. "Now I know who they are, but I don't know what to do with this information. Rowena, it's such a heavy burden."
Rowena gently touched Ethan's shoulder. "Ethan, this is huge... But you're not alone. We are here for you. Remembering your family may be hard for you, but at the same time, it could be an opportunity to discover who you truly are." Rowena's words brought a bit of comfort to Ethan.
However, when the scene of her mother Nyla being taken from her arms by Blackbeard came to his mind, he clenched his fists. Unable to control his anger, he shouted, "I hate Blackbeard! Because of him, even though my family is right under my nose, I can't talk to them properly! No matter how much respect they show me, I will always be just a simple healer in their eyes!" Then, he struck a nearby fruit tree with all his might.
Most of the fruit on the tree fell to the ground instantly. Ethan was surprised by his own strength, but his anger outweighed everything else. He was breathless, his face flushed with rage, the whites of his green eyes red, and his chest was so soaked in sweat that his chestnut-colored hair was damp.
Rowena, on the other hand, was shocked by both his outburst and his strength. Ever since Ethan had arrived in Ravenna, he had gained a little weight and appeared more normal. He even seemed to have built some muscle. But seeing him so powerful surprised Rowena.
"Ethan," Rowena said, a bit fearful. Trying to keep her voice calm, she added, "Take a deep breath. Then let it out. You shouldn't be this angry. If Blackbeard saw you like this, it would make him happy. You shouldn't make him happy."
Ethan looked at Rowena. She was right. He tried to regain control over his anger. "You're right, Rowena. Let's continue."
After walking in silence for a few hours, the silhouette of Shadowbrook appeared. Rowena and Ethan quickened their pace toward Raidne's house. Raidne and her brother Simon were busy in the garden. The delicious smells of food wafted from the house. It seemed like Raidne's mother was preparing a feast. From the sounds, it also seemed like Raidne's father was helping with the cooking.
Rowena and Ethan shouted cheerfully, "Raidne! We're here!" Both of them wanted to forget about the emotional breakdown from earlier.
Raidne and Simon looked up with smiles at the sound. Then Raidne, like a little child, ran toward Ethan and Rowena. The three of them embraced tightly.
"What's up, kids? I haven't been this happy in a long time!" Raidne said cheerfully, almost flying with happiness.
Rowena and Ethan were also cheered up.
"Everything's the same as usual. But you tell us, what's been happening in the last week?" Rowena asked.
Raidne smiled and replied, "I'll tell you when we get inside. Mom and Dad are making some really delicious food!"
The four of them entered together. The meals were ready. Raidne's mother Pearl and her father Edgar had truly made delicious food.
After eating together, Raidne began to tell them about her week. "After Ethan left, I explained everything to my mom, dad, and brother. The next day, I went to see Diana, my best friend before I was kidnapped. You should have seen her! She was so surprised when I introduced myself! We hugged, and Diana cried a little. I spent the whole week with Diana, touring the town, and catching up with my family. The town has changed so much!"
Rowena and Ethan were listening intently to Raidne, who was excitedly talking about her week. She then began to share her pirate memories.
As Raidne talked about her pirate days, Ethan and Rowena felt as if they were traveling back in time with her. After the memories and laughter, Ethan suddenly became quiet. His eyes were drawn to a small bookshelf in the corner of the room. The things Raidne had talked about reminded him of his own past, and a memory that had been hidden in a dark corner resurfaced.
Rowena noticed that Ethan had gone silent and turned to him. "Ethan? Is everything okay?" she asked, her voice full of concern. This caught Raidne's attention as well. Raidne smiled faintly at Ethan. "Ethan, I think you still have something on your mind. If you want to share, we're here for you."
Ethan took a deep breath, as if making a decision. "Yes, there is," he said slowly. "What affected me the most were the memories I saw at the lake. Reliving the moment I lost my mother... The moment I lost her from my hands, it flashed in my mind. At that moment, I felt something break inside my heart. Since that day, nothing has been the same."
Raidne and Rowena listened carefully. Ethan's words seemed to hang in the air, heavy and intense. Rowena was surprised by how openly Ethan was speaking, but she chose to remain silent to support him.
"Blackbeard," Ethan continued, his eyes flashing with anger for a moment. "He's the one responsible for everything. My family, my childhood, my identity—he stole them all. But now, I want to do something. I want to make him answer for everything he's done."
Raidne placed a hand on Ethan's shoulder, giving him encouragement. "Ethan, we're with you. If you've decided to do something against Blackbeard, know that you won't be alone on this path."
Rowena nodded with the same determination. "Yes, Ethan. We'll join you in this fight. But before we do anything, we need more information. What are Blackbeard's plans? What are his weaknesses? We need to learn these things."
Ethan felt empowered by his friends' support. He was now determined to make a plan. "You're right," he said. "We'll gather information first. Then, we'll take action against Blackbeard. But we need to do it carefully and strategically."
Raidne pulled out a map from the corner of the room and spread it out on the table. The map showed the locations where Blackbeard had been hiding and the areas where pirate activity was high. "These are the notes I gathered during my pirate days," Raidne said. "Blackbeard's ship is usually seen in this area. If we make an exploration there, we might have a chance to track him."
Ethan gazed at the map, lost in deep thought. He knew now that this battle was not just for him but for his friends as well. It was his journey to find his identity and confront his past. But it was also the beginning of a new adventure with his friends by his side.
"Alright," he said with a determined voice. "We'll do this together. We'll fight against Karasakal and make him pay for everything he's done."
Rowena, Ethan, and Raidne's plan was simple. First, the three of them would go to the palace, explain the situation to the king and queen, and request military support. At first, Raidne's family had opposed the plan; after all, they had only just found their daughter.
But Raidne had managed to convince them, saying with determination, "Come on! I lived among pirates for all these years and returned in one piece, didn't I? Now my friend needs me. Plus, if everything goes well, the king and queen will be reunited with their son, and we'll have defeated a bad pirate."
So, Raidne, Rowena, and Ethan set off for the palace. Along the way, they worked on finalizing their plans, but one question weighed heavily on Ethan's mind: Would his parents, the king and queen, believe them?
"Just imagine," Ethan said with a mix of uncontainable excitement and fear, "if someone suddenly showed up and said, 'I'm your son, who was kidnapped 14 years ago,' would you believe them?"
Raidne gave Ethan a friendly punch on the shoulder. "Come on, Ethan! You lived with pirates until you were 15. I'm sure you'll handle this too," she said, trying to reassure him.
Until they reached the palace, Rowena and Raidne continued to cheer Ethan up. Ethan's excitement and fear grew with each passing step; on one hand, there was hope of finding his family again, but on the other, the fear of rejection tightened his chest. Finally, when they entered the throne room, they were met with the attentive and curious gazes of the royal couple.
Ethan took a deep breath, and with a trembling voice, gathered all his courage, his story filled with longing and anxiety. "Before you found me, I… grew up with pirates. According to them, they had found me and brought me up to this age. I believed them, but it was all a lie!" His eyes welled up. "Not long ago, I met the Mikmaks. It was such a beautiful village! Then, I thought maybe they could help me remember some of my old memories. I went back to that village without telling anyone, and I explained my situation to my friend Wenona—well, not everything! She took me to the healing lake. That's when I learned the pirates didn't find me. I was actually forcibly taken from the arms of Queen Nyla, my mother."
As the king and queen listened to Ethan's story, they exchanged a look, their eyes filling with tears. The tears from the queen's eyes were a symbol of the deep pain and the flicker of hope within them. Ethan's words touched their hearts; they had never lost hope in finding their long-lost son.
The king sighed deeply, saying, "I believe it's you, my son," as he stood from his throne and embraced the son he had missed for 14 years.
The queen joined them, and in a moment filled with both love and sorrow, she hugged their son. Ethan finally found the warmth and security he had been searching for all these years. The king and queen were not only filled with the joy of finding their son, but also with the responsibility of supporting him. They firmly promised to provide military support; now, with his family by his side, Ethan was ready to face the darkness.