This man, Calder, stood in front of me with a shit eating grin before saying something I couldn't hear. When I didn't respond, he said nothing further before taking a step out of my opened cell, closing the door and walked away.
When he did, I, however, caught a trace of his voice.
"Mundu," was all Calder spoke before fully exiting the dungeon.
***
Three days had passed since I woke up and my encounter with Calder.
What does the mannfólk call this again, this loss of memory?
I racked my brain but couldn't remember that either.
In this time, Liam tried talking to me repeatedly but I hardly heard anything.
By the end of the fourth day, flashes of a man appeared, causing to sit and stare in confusion.
He was absolutely handsome.
His hair was long and rested with ease on his shoulders. He has markings on his right arm, entire right side and chest. His beard was neatly trimmed and his eyes were always flickering between honey hues and black orbs. In some cases, they were heterochromic.
In every single vision, I was always on the receiving end before the last drew me out of whatever stupor I was in and I realized who the man was.
Alistair.
In that moment, pain sears through my abdomen better than a sword. My mind concedes to the torment, unable to bring a thought to completion. Without meaning to, my body curls into something fetal, something primeval and all the while the pain burns and radiates.
Within seconds, I scream.
The scream pierces the emptiness around me. It echoed throughout the dungeon, making the origin easy to find; the cries were of eyes locked wide and every muscle rigid. The next wave of pain, it was garbling and pitiful then nothing.
"Vinur, are you alright," Liam's voice came, bringing my attention to him as I wheezed and tried catching my breath.
"Alistair," I croaked.
"Who? What?"
"Alistair. Was a man brought here when I came that I failed to see," I choked, pulling myself on my knees to look at my prison-mate.
Where I could somehow remember Liam, the man from earlier and someone called Olufemi, I couldn't remember anything of where I came from, why I was here or what happened to me from when I last spoke to Liam.
Blinking in confusion, the man across from me scratched his head before sighing, looking at my with uncertainty.
"No, vinur, just you. Are you alright," Liam asked, his face and voice laced in concern.
He doesn't remember Alistair? Wait, did I even mention Alistair to Liam? Who was Alistair exactly anyways? Gods, what's happening? First I couldn't remember and then I do— well I remember Alistair, at least somewhat. I feel like I'm still not remembering things.
Reaching up, I touched my neck and unlike before, I burned with pain causing me to kiss the floor with my forehead.
"Liam," I wheezed, forcing myself to look at the man with worry etched in all his features.
"What do you see," I questioned before pulling the right side of my tunic down, exposing my shoulder.
I remember asking him this before but I don't know why I would ask such a bizarre question.
Liam squinted before he blinked in confusion.
"There is a black brand."
"But why?"
"I...," Liam the looked utterly perplexed as he began to scratch his head.
"I... I don't know," was all he said as the door opened that barred us from absolute freedom and in walked two guards the man named as Calder and another.
They aren't the same guards. Why do these guards look familiar?
Wait, why did they look familiar? Why did any of them look familiar?
In that second, a wave of remembrance hit me and I saw the men in a place I had no recollection of, guiding a covered wagon to what I assume was grounds where others trained.
The sight caused me to topple over, holding my head but the vision itself refused to vanish.
**Flashback**
"Stand up, kona," a man snarled as he dragged me towards the center of a village.
Unable to move in the man's grasp, he sighed and grabbed me by the arm and dragged me further along to his appointed destination.
Hair is curtailing my face but I looked up to see us passing two men guiding a wagon in the opposite direction. They stopped and was glaring at the man dragging me before turning their attention to me, a look of sadness on their face.
It was then I remember what was happening and why I was beaten severely. I could hardly breathe.
Broken rib?
Most likely.
I could hardly see out of one eye.
Swollen shut?
The aftermath of being hit?
More than likely.
My right leg couldn't move and I couldn't feel it at all.
Possibly broken.
My free arm also was rendered motionless as it hanged at my side.
Broken or dislocated?
I don't even know.
I felt something warm running down the sides and front of my face before taking the bitter substance.
Blood.
They outdid themselves this time and simply because I defended my sister from being struck by a woman.
A woman?
Ah yes. The female leader.
Xanthe.
**End of Flashback**
The moment she appeared in my mind, my head shot up and my vision cleared. Looking at the two guards, they watched me with unease.
"Airikr. Hariso."
When I spoke the names, the guards abruptly stopped all movement and paled.
"Help me," I managed to say, voice dry, still completely unsure of where I actually knew them from but I did I know I met them at some point and they further witnessed a situation they couldn't intervene in.
They both looked at one another before turning away, one of them opening up the door to Liam's cage.
"Wha—," before I could get a word out, they had knocked Liam back and shoved the opening of a flask down his throat then stood. When they shut the door and turned to look at me however, their face was riddled with guilt.
What?
"Well then," a voice game causing me to immediately jerk my head to the left. When I saw it's source, bile began to rise in my throat.
"You," I hissed before using what strength I had and slammed my body into the iron bars of my prison.
Vinur - Friend.
Kona - woman.
Mundu - Remember.