"I think I know that man," Tum said when they were back in their chamber.

"The police chief?" Buckle asked. "One of the most corrupt people in the city. You should know him."

"No, I don't mean that way," Tum said. "I think I have seen him from my past."

"From your past? A past that we don't know about?" Bonnie asked. "We were born and raised in an orphanage, remember?"

"It might be before then."

"Before then? Are you kidding me? You were a baby. What could you remember from when you were a baby?"

"I don't know. I just…"

Somebody knocked on the door.

Buckle went to the door and pulled it open. The captain was standing there.

"A note for you," the captain said, staring at Tum.

"Let me have it," Buckle said, reaching for the note in the soldier's hand. The captain waved him away till Tum came for the note.

"Thank you," Tum said, taking the note from the soldier and walking away.

"What is in the note?" Buckle asked, running after Tum.

"Do you mind?" Tum flared. "It is a personal note."

The captain watched the strange relationship between the knight and his servant before she turned and walked away, shutting the day behind her.

Bonnie and her brother watched Tum read the note, his countenance changing as his eyes traveled over the piece of paper. When he was done, he looked up at his friends.

"He wants to see me," he said.

"Who?"

"The police chief," he replied.

"How does he know you?" Bonnie asked, alarmed, feeling like their secret was about to be let out in the open.

"He called me Tum," Tum replied.

"Don't tell me you are thinking of seeing him," Buckle said.

"What if he exposes us?" Tum asked.

"We will go with you," Bonnie decided.

"He asked me to come alone."

"He wants to kill you," Buckle concluded.

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"He cannot kill me in the palace," Tum argued.

"Do you know how many royalties have been murdered in the palace before?" Bonnie asked. "Eight. And it all happened in one night."

"Well, I am not a royalty."

"Seeing him is not advisable," Bonnie argued.

For once, the two siblings were on the same side. On their faces, concern for their friend was boldly inscribed.

"What if he knows something?"

"What could he possibly know?" Bonnie asked.

"I don't know. Something that we don't know? Something that would help us?"

"We are the only ones that can help us," Buckle argued.

"I am the knight," Tum suddenly declared. "I will see him. There is nothing wrong with a knight seeing the head of the police."

The other two sighed uniformly. They could not stop him from doing what he wanted to do.

"We will come with you."

"No, you won't."

"Yes, we will, and you cannot stop us," Bonnie insisted.

Outside, near the labyrinth that led to the river, the policeman stood, waiting for Tum. He could recognize that face anywhere. He had tried all he could to protect the boy because he believed in second chances because he felt remorseful for killing the parents. All they wanted to do was to feed the boy, and he had joined in the operation to shoot them dead.

Bernard was many things, but he was not a cold-blooded murderer. He was nothing like the king's advisor who had the chance to make things right but would simply make the evil carry on like it was the only option he had.

The new king was impressionable and would bend to the advisor's whims. It was a struggle, putting himself side by side with the demonic advisor in order to humanize himself. He knew he had done too much to be able to even remotely consider himself as a good person.

He pulled his pipe from his pocket and stuck it in his mouth. There was nothing in it, but the feeling of the pipe in his mouth gave him some comfort. It was not the kind of comfort that the steel he carried on him all the time gave him, but it was some comfort nonetheless.

When he turned towards the palace again, he noticed the tall frame of the boy he had saved his life walking up to him. Quickly, he looked about him to make sure they were not being watched by anybody. People in the palace hardly ever kept their noses out of other people's business.

Sadly, Tum did not know the kind of danger he had put himself in by coming here. Sheer probably thought he was deceiving him by having him deliver thieves to the palace for reintegration into the society. He never saw the thieves again, and he never asked. Snooping around would get him killed, but that was exactly what he was doing now.

"I did not know you would come," he said as the boy walked up to him

"Tell me," Tum said. "How do you know my name?"

"It is a long story," the cop said. "Where do I start? Did you come alone?"

"What is that to you?"

"You cannot trust anyone here. You were born alone. If the people know who you really are, they will kill you."

"What are you saying?"

"I knew when you were just a little boy. I tried to save you. You see, your parents were thieves, the greatest thieves the kingdom had ever seen."

"How dare you talk about my parents that way?"

Tum was flaring up. Bernard wondered what he was told about his parents at the orphanage. Whatever it was, it was certainly not the truth. They lied to him. He helped them keep it that way. Somehow, he felt this boy was his responsibility.

"It runs in the blood, Tum," Bernard said. "Or at least that is what the kingdom believes. But seeing your tiny self in the baby cot that day, I found it hard to believe that. I have followed you through the orphanage, seen how you treat the other kids. Maybe I was right. Maybe you are my saving grace."

"I don't know what you are saying."

"I think you should leave this palace immediately. The king's advisor was the one that put up the law of the evil genes."

"Rule of the evil genes. What in the world does that mean?"

"It means if your father is a thief, then you would become a thief. If your father is caught stealing, then the family should be wiped off. Leave this place while you can."

Bernard turned and started walking away while Tum was left standing, staring after him. The revelation was just too much for him to understand.

"Hey!" he called after the man.

Bernard stopped and turned towards him.

"My parents, what happened to them?"

"I killed them."