Druid's Future

Chapter 5

Richard had been a fortune hunter. He used his degree in Archeology and
Antiquities to hunt down treasures and sell them to museums or
collectors for the highest bid possible. Richard wasn't interested in
using his degrees for teaching.  He was interested in increasing his
financial status rather than learning about the past.  If he could
discover it, he'd sell what he could find.  That's just what he did, by
selling many of the valuable ancient relics, he made his fortune.  When
Richard and Robert found the castle, it was no different.  Robert,
however, believed that all that had been found should remain within the
family and some of it did.  Richard, on the other hand, was determined
to make as much money off of the relics as he could, until he found the
manuscripts. 

Richard always had an interest in old manuscripts and languages.  Those
things pertaining to literature and language were his first love.  The
manuscripts, for him, were like a lifeline for a drowning man.  Among
the manuscripts and old books Richard found some partial birth records
that coincided with what the brothers had.  Some of the records were
duplicates that proved that the castle did belong to the Daniels. 
However, the older manuscripts hinted at something else, a secret about
the Daniel's family that tied it to the rightful rulers of England. The
secret led to a room that appeared to be a library.  Carved in the stone
on the lintel was this message.  "The Dragon must drink from the Cup so
what was lost may be found."  It sounded like it had come from the book,
"Once and Future King."  Seeing that, Richard forgot about the relics
and began a study that would change his life and without realizing it;
the life of his brother's unborn son as well.  

As Robert thought back on his brother, he recalled the stories that
their mother use to tell them.  Robert shook his head.  He could not
understand how Richard could believe in such tales.  'Maybe that's where
things began to go wrong,' Robert thought. "If Richard had not believed
so much in those stories, maybe . . .'

Robert continued to think back on what he believed had gone wrong.

*****

Richard began a long search for the clues that would bring him
understanding and proof of a hypothesis that was forming in his mind.  

"Robert, you must listen to me,"  said Richard emphatically.  "The
stories were more than just fairytales.  I know it.  I've just got to
keep looking.  Somewhere within these manuscripts is the truth and the
proof."

Richard tried to explain it to his brother but Robert only believed his
mother's stories were simply that; stories to entertain and nothing
more.  He believed that his brother was going mad, looking for something
that could never be true.  By then, Richard had forgotten all about the
right of ownership. Even though the information had been compiled,
Robert was beginning to believe that Richard was becoming lost within
his own world.  Many times Robert tried to get Richard to come with him
to file the necessary papers, but Richard would become lost within his
own quest.  Even when their mother died Richard would not leave his
manuscripts unattended. Robert could no longer watch his brother as he
perceived a madness settling over Richard.  So he took his new wife and
unborn son to America to begin anew, away from the castle and it's
madness.  Robert did bring his son and wife back one day, only to find
that his brother was still looking for those elusive dreams.  They
argued and parted for good.  A big rift had grown between them; never to
be bridged or healed.

It was shortly after Robert left for the last time that Richard came
upon a room that had been hidden from view up in one of the western
towers. It appeared to be an alchemist workshop complete with a giant
crystal ball in the center.  It was here he found what he was looking
for.  Among the papers and manuscripts were two bounded books.  One with
the sign of a dragon and another with a strange lock on it.  The key,he
found dangling from a piece of silk in a cabinet.  The first contained
recorded births dating back at least 1000 years and beyond but the
script that had been used wasn't legible. It was later discovered that
the entries had been recorded backwards.  Why anyone wanted to do that
was beyond anyone's guess.  The last entry had been made in 1743 which
corresponded to the material that Richard had found earlier. The other
book was a diary.  By careful examination, Richard discovered that the
diary had been recorded by three different people.  Richard went through
other papers and soon discovered other manuscsripts with the sign of the
dragon but only one diary.  The date on the diary covered nearly 300
years of information dating much further back than what he had
discovered so far.  Examining the dates, Richard discovered the latest
entry dated back 1000 years. What was more surprising was that the ink
wasn't faded.  It looked like it had just been written in.  Richard
became excited after that.  A book that could survive for over 1000
years and not have any damage was a find in itself.  He knew it would be
valuable but he could not bring himself to part with it.  Something told
him that the diary was just as much a part of his history and may very
well hold the key to questions unanswered.  After that, Richard did file
the papers of ownership, including only what was necessary, but he
neglected to include one thing, Robert's name.

With proof of ownership completed, Richard went back to his research. 
This time, he decided to compile a complete geneological record. Richard
took what records of his family's history he and his brother had and
gathered it with what he had found.  The more recent family records only
went as far back as 1768.  The first set of records found in the library
included that date.  The second set of birth records found in the tower
went even farther back.  How far back would prove to be an historian's
dream as well as an archeologists.  Here was the proof that he was
looking for.  Not only that, what had been on the cover should also have
been the most definitive proof.  It was the same mark that would show up
in his family's history more times than he could count.  Even the more
recent birth records had recorded the unusual mark as part of the
description of each child.  What more proof would he need?  Then he saw
it.  The name.  Straight down the line it would seem the line had
continued, yet it was curious in the manner for which it had, but it was
there.  It could not be ignored.  There was the name that he had sought
after for so long.  Without realizing it, Richard had found not only his
heritage, but owner of the castle itself.  Uther.

End of Chapter 5