You feel the weight of your sword at your side as you approach the imposing gates of Blackthorn Keep. The air is thick with mist, clinging to your cloak like a shroud. Ten long years have passed since you last stood before these ancient stone walls, and yet, the sense of foreboding remains unchanged.
Garrick, the old gatekeeper, squints at you through eyes clouded by age. His back is more stooped than you remember, his hands gnarled like the branches of an old tree.
"Who goes there?" he calls out, his voice as weathered as the keep's walls.
"It's me, Caden of House Blackthorn," you reply, your voice steady, betraying none of the turmoil within. "I've returned."
Recognition dawns slowly in Garrick's eyes, like the first light of dawn creeping over a darkened landscape. He studies you, his gaze lingering on the scars that mark your face, the hardened set of your jaw.
"Lord Caden?" he murmurs, disbelief coloring his tone. "Is it truly you?"
"Yes, Garrick. Time has changed us both," you say, stepping closer. The gates loom above you, iron and unyielding, as they always have been.
"You've been gone a long time, milord," Garrick says, his voice a mix of reprimand and relief. "Your father... Lord Edric... he..."
"I know," you cut him off, not needing to hear the words. You've heard the whispers, the rumors that reached you even in distant lands. "I have returned to claim my birthright."

>A) Upon learning of your father's passing due to old age, you've come back to Blackthorn Keep to claim your birthright.
>B) The news of your father's death shrouded in mystery compelled you to return, driven by a need to unravel the truth behind his demise.
>C) With word of your father's murder reaching you, you've returned, fueled by a burning desire for justice and retribution.
>D) Hearing that your father lies on his deathbed, you've come home to fulfill his final wish to see his eldest son and heir once more