The night filled with storm eventually passed by, replaced by a clear and calm morning. The sound of bird chirping and the gentle sun ray filled the shed through the cracks.

Slowly, the knight opened his eyes. After spending a moment to recognize the wooden roof above him, he sat up and wanted to carefully observe his surrounding. However, he realized that he wasn't wearing his helmet, so he instead frantically looked around for it. When he found his equipment on the table near a single door, he practically jumped off the wagon. Though in the panic for getting his helmet, he slipped and fell near the table. He groaned in pain, not just from his old bruises but probably from new ones he just made. Still, he put on his helmet.

"It still works..." he whispered to himself, letting out a sigh.

Suddenly, the door opened and he saw a young lady staring back at him. She seemed surprised to find the knight sitting on the floor while leaning onto the table.

"What are you doing?! You are still hurt all over!" she scolded him while putting his hand across her shoulder to help him stand back up. The knight didn't have the power to resist, so he just followed along when she guided him back to the wagon and pushed him down.

"Where am I?" the knight asked, his voice a bit husky. He didn't realize that he was talking in his own language. Only when he saw the confused look on woman's face that he immediately switched to her language.

"Sorry. I meant to ask where we are right now."

"W-We are at Lycia Village," the woman answered, half surprised at the knight for suddenly speaking in her language. She couldn't help but wonder what language the knight just spoke in. It sounded very different from her own language or even any language that she knew of.

"Ah... I see. So I made it..."

"Made it? So you are supposed to be here?"

"Yes. I was sent here."

"For? There's nothing noteworthy here."

"... I-"

The sound of the knight's stomach growling cut their conversation short. The knight was glad that his embarrassed face was hidden behind his helmet.

"Oh, you must be hungry, right? Let me get you something to eat. A soup, perhaps? They should still be warm enough."

"P-Please. Thank you."

The woman nodded in response. She disappeared through the door she came from to prepare a simple meal for the knight. That, and she wanted to tell her mother about the knight finally waking up.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

The knight, with time in hand and helmet firmly on his head, used the opportunity to admire his surrounding. The shed was made out of wood. The floor had hay scattered all over it. It was at this time that he finally noticed the horse sleeping in the corner on top of a bunch of hay. The creature had been sleeping so silently that he barely noticed its presence.

The sound of the door opening drew back the knight's focus. The woman returned with a tray of meal, along with an old woman. The two looked similar so he could already guess that the older woman was her mother.

"Ah, forgive me for my lack of manners. My name is Arch. And I thank you two for saving me."

"Don't mention it," the young woman said with a calm smile, "I'm Fleur, and this is my mother, Liana."

"... Fleur and... Missus Liana?" the knight repeated their name, his face looking like he was in a daze.

"Yeah. What? Have we met before?"

"N-No," the knight suddenly snapped out of his daze, "... it's just... my mentor mentioned you two a lot."

Fleur's eyes widened at the mention of her father. Before she could ask further though, the knight started ravaging on his meal. She turned toward her mother who from nodding alone managed to tell Fleur to be patient and let the knight fill his stomach first. The intensity in which he devoured his meal led Fleur to believe his last one must had been at least days ago. As he continued to eat, all Fleur could do was wait. Her hands gripped tightly onto her dress as her mind was filled with possible answers to her question.

When the knight finished his meal, Fleur instantly dropped the bomb.

"Do you know about my father? His name is Roerich."

The knight nodded, "Yes. He is my mentor. We were supposed to go here together, but I must have gotten separated from him on our journey."

"R-Roerich... is coming here?" her mother asked in disbelief.

The knight nodded once more. Her mother look shifted from fear to relief, as if a huge burden of uncertainty was lifted from her shoulders somewhat. It was the happiest she looked for the longest time.

"So... my father is coming here?"

"Yes. And he is a strong man. I'm sure he will get here sooner or later."

"That's... a relief. Thank you for answering our questions. You must be tired, right? We should let you rest a bit more," Fleur said while hurriedly escorting her mother back to the house. She was unsure on what to feel about knowing her father coming back after so long. She didn't even ask why her father suddenly disappear and just suddenly return again. The knight mentioned a mission, so her father only come back because of it?

While Fleur was ravaged by these questions, her mother rambled on and on about preparation for her father's return. Fleur could only smile and follow along.

Back at the shed, as soon as the two woman left, Arch immediately held his head with both hands, gritting his teeth from the pain raging in his head. His head had been throbbing constantly ever since he fell trying to grab his helmet, even though he didn't knock his head on anything. Rather than physical pain, he felt like a part of his mind was missing. His memories before and during that stormy night was in pieces. There was something important that he had to remember involving Fleur and her mother. But no matter how hard he tried, it wouldn't come to him. In the end, Arch slammed his fist to the wagon, calming himself down.

He could only hope that whatever it was that he was missing, they would return in time.