Looking out the window always made him morose. Here he was, stuck in this boring room, while during the day his sisters and their friends got to ride the beautiful horses, or at night attend the lavish parties honoring Uncle Dafyd, the present Lord of the Manor on the Estate of Gryff. But for reasons he didn't understand, or that were not allowed to be given to him, he was to stay in this room. True, it wasn't small or poorly furnished by any means, he was never denied any books or food or even company from anyone that visited the castle(though they could onlt talk to him via a small window set in the door), but the guard who pushed his food and other needs through the small window would not let him out unless 'Someone who had the right Key' came to the castle.

When he was younger and sent along with his sisters to his Uncle Dafyd when his parents had been killed by bandits, Lan could remember a time where hewas able to roam wherever he pleased, to ride a horse and feel the wind whistling and whipping his even-then long hair about. His sisters would let him play in their little games of fantasy, imagining himself to be the heroic fighter who would kill the evil demon, dragon, etc. and rescue the 'damsel in distress'. Later on in his mid-teen years, he could explore the castle by himself, and meet everyone who worked there. He had made friends with allmost all of them as soon as he met them, including a maid who worked in his younger sister's room. She had tried to kiss him, saying that she had always admired him, but he'd pushed her away, apologizing that he 'just wasn't ready.' But the truth was, he had never been interested in her or any of the other maids, who began ignoring him shortly thereafter. One fateful day, several weeks before he turned sixteen, he found what did interest him, as he went in search of a rare and ancient book, and came upon the main librarian kissing one of his male assistants. They didn't know they'd been discovered, but Lan couldn't help but watch, caught up in the emotions to leave.

But there came a day, when he did turn sixteen, and he went downstairs for the morning meal, expecting to be drilled on how to run the Land, as he was his uncle's only male relative. When he had opened the door, however, the usual morning chatter stopped, the silence was so thick he probley could hear a pin drop in the Great Hall. His sisters were crying slightly, their faces white and full or sympathy. The servants were staring at him like he'd grown another head, and he gave himself a cursory look just to make sure nothing had dirtied his clothes. Uncle Dafydd looked up from where he was talking to his eldest sister, and approached him, gesturing him to a small room used for private conferences. Even now, he could remember the conversation as if it had been yesterday.

"You are sixteen now in the Land of Gryff, and as far as I've known you, you've had that streak of white in your hair. Do you know what this means, boy?" The rough voice was somehow even rougher, and Lan shook his head, surprised and somewhat chilled by the fact that this was the first time his uncle had addressed him this way. "It means," his uncle continued in a low voice, "that you have been Chosen as a Key." He didn't say anything else, though Lan's face betrayed his confusion about something he had never heard about, but he was not given a chance to question his uncle as he was ordered to wait in a room at the top of the stairs. He was allowed to pack his things, and bring whatever he could, but he was no longer able to leave the room until someone came with the Right Key to fit his door. He caught a glimpse of it before he was locked in, it was a shiny brown wooden key, but he could not tell what kind of wood it was. He later heard that it had been sent away for whatever fate had in store for it, so now there was no way he could leave his imprisonment.

Since then, he had asked for the Book of Keys as well as many of the books in the library downstairs, knowing it was a old story tale that had been told to him when he was little, but he didn't think it could be true, even given his apparent circumstances. The legend that had been written down told that a person who gained the lock of white hair in their mid-teens, was the desired Key, and that anyone that possessed the Key was able to gain a wish. Lan laughed at that, he knew that had to be a falsehood as he displayed no magic whatsoever. But apparently his family believed it, so he was whisked up to his current situation. He supposed his uncle wanted the prestige of being the Harborer, as the book put it, for his Land would be more famous, and his sisters could find better husbands, maybe even marry into royalty. But what was it getting him? Nothing. He was the one basically involved in all of this mess, and no one was helping him at all. He prayed to every god he had been instructed to worship to that the Key would be found soon and that he could leave his prison...

That night, after another long boring day of waiting, he went to bed and read a book until he fell asleep, the book fell out of his limp hands to land onto the floor. The *thump* it made caused him to look up, and he saw a golden light shimmering around something in the corner farthest away from his bed. He squinted, but the light was dimming, revealing a person with the light surrounding him. It had to be a him, for the darkish hair was cut short, the muscle on his arms looked like he was a swordsman, which only men were able to learn. His clothes were very average-looking, but more expensive-cut then a peasent, making him to appear to be an explorer or a merchant. He started, and asked, when he could find his voice. "Who-who are you?"

The stranger made no move towards him, only appearing to just stare intently at Lan, and he blushed, pulling the blanket up more towards his chest, for he wasn't really wearing any bed clothes or any other for that matter. "How did you get in here?" Again, the stranger still didn't move, and Lan was about to call for the guard, twisting his body around-- until he fell out of the bed, and opened his eyes. The room was dark, and he hurriedly lit a candle to check for signs of the stranger. No one had ever been there as far as he could tell, and when he finally asked to guard, the guard shook his head, giving him a strange look as he said that other then Lan talking in his sleep, no one had entered. A small chill that had nothing to do with cold ran up Lan's spine then, and he rushed into the bed, and pulled the covers over himself. It was a long time before he fell asleep again.