Shadows of Old

Chapter 2

The next morning, we awoke early.

The day prior had been exhausting and we both needed a good night's rest, but for the most part, we were restless. I had absorbed so much information and my head hurt a little bit. I stayed up for hours last night, running over everything they had said and matching up what little memories I could. I found that they were all consistent.

The few memories I had only gave me glimpses of the life that I once had. They were all pleasant, mostly memories with Muriel. Some were in the palace library, some in the gardens, some at the apothecary.

A majority of those few memories were outings with Muriel, nights in at the shop, and some out in the forest. My newest favorite was the scene out in the forest. It was just a short glimpse of the happiness and peace that we shared, but it was kind and warm and love was present and evident.

Although I loved the forest, it was lonely out here. I did have Amrenelle, but I rarely encountered other humans except for the few stragglers and a bandit or two. I suppose I had never known any different, but when the memories started popping through, I began to long for the human interaction.

I desperately wanted to remember everything I had lost and I wanted to know more about this man who had come to find me.

I crawled out of bed in the early morning and threw on a sage green robe over my light pajamas. I walked out to the main room and saw Muriel sitting at the kitchen table drinking a cup of coffee and reading a book.

A smile popped onto my face at the sight. He looked at home.

He must have felt my eyes on him because he looked up and became rather startled, closing the book.

I held my hands up. "You're fine," I said.

He relaxed a little and I walked further into the room.

"I hope you don't mind, but I made some coffee," he spoke.

"Not at all," I smiled. "Make yourself at home."

I looked over to the living room and I thought about all we had talked about last night. So many things had come up and I still had more to hear.

My eyes drifted back to Muriel who was watching me curiously. I blushed.

I walked over to the pantry and pulled out some flour, sugar, baking powder, and cinnamon. I blended together with the dry ingredients quickly and then grabbed the basket by the door. I looked back to Muriel.

"Care to come with me to collect some eggs?" I asked.

He nodded and stood up, nearly knocking his head on the ceiling, but he expertly avoided the impact.

Muriel followed me out of the house and walked quietly beside me. We made it out to the small coop behind the house and the chickens were already bustling around in the early morning.

They ran over to me and clustered around my feet. I bent down and pet them gently. I walked over to the coop and collected a few eggs. I turned around to see the sweetest site.

Muriel sat on the forest floor with three chickens in his lap. They were clucking gently in his lap and nuzzling against him. I placed a hand over my mouth to hide my laugh. A smile sat on his face.

"They don't like just anyone, you know," I said and crouched down next to him.

He blushed.

"Do you have any chickens back in Vesuvia?" I asked him.

He nodded.

"What are their names?"

His blush spread even further.