Thrice Prophesized - Zoro x Reader

Chapter 12: Twice Forgotten

You wince as you come around, waking up and looking at your surroundings blearily. A half-forgotten dream plays at the corners of your mind, but as you try to grasp it, it retreats from you entirely. Your body is sore, and even more than that your stomach is gnawing at you.

Hunger keeps other thoughts at bay as you toss the covers aside and get up, grabbing your sword and booking the leather belts in place over your night clothes, which are little more than a simple shirt and pants of linen. You're vaguely aware of two other people sleeping nearby, but you think nothing of it. Knights' quarters often played home to several beds in a single room.

It was late, given the darkness around you, but the kitchen maids should still be able and willing to provide you bread and cheese at the least. Stepping out of the room with a yawn your bare feet touch grass and the sensation startled you. It should be smooth stones in the hall.

Looking around you realize several things in short succession. You're on a ship, one where the main deck had grass and trees growing from it. There weren't any lights, and the vessel swayed lazily in the easy ocean current and light winds of a beautifully clear night.

There was no winter here, but you didn't know why that mattered. How were you so sure there were kitchen maids a moment ago, and that you were in the knights' quarters? Were you a squire? Women rarely became knights, but you were so comfortable with the sword at your hip that you couldn't imagine you were anything else.

Did you protect this crew?

But what crew?

You close the door to the sleeping chambers quietly. You felt protective of the people within, but you couldn't remember them. You needed to sort out what was going on before you worried anyone.

Memory loss was temporary, but how were you so sure of that? Maybe there was someone on the ship you would feel compelled to ask for assistance, except you had no idea about the other doors. You didn't want to intrude on someone important and create an unnecessary ruckus.

Your stomach twists in your gut and you grimace against the strong hunger. You should be able to at least look into the windows and find the kitchen. A piece or two of bread should be enough to assuage your hunger and allow you to focus on the matter of your missing memories.

If any kitchen staff were in the kitchen, they weren't likely to turn you away. You had been sleeping in a room with other sleeping people and the door was unlocked. You weren't a prisoner at the very least.

It only took a couple of minutes to find a porthole that showed you a kitchen within it. You were surprised to find the door unlocked while it was empty, but you were appreciative. The cook would forgive you, for some reason you were quite certain he wouldn't want you to go hungry.

You found a bowl, covered with a cloth. It has someone's name on it, written on a piece of paper in a swirling script. Whatever it was smelled delicious, but you didn't recognize the name, so you left it be. You weren't trying to eat the night guard's lunch; you just wanted some bread to hold you over.

Chewing on the last few bites of a small loaf you found you wandered the rest of the ship, hoping that something would jog your memory, or that you'd find the night guard. A fellow knight would be willing to keep your secret in order to avoid a commotion, so it was your best bet.

Something pulled at you, a strange energy coming from the front of the ship. It swirled something in you, and you felt it flow through your veins, strengthening your body. You weren't sure what it was, or what it was properly called, but you knew it would keep you armored, even in your pajamas.