Of Blood and Duty

Chapter Twenty • Where Did You Come From

Firstly, thank you so much for your support regarding my friend. You are wonderful people! He is doing OK so far and we are hoping that his recovery will be complete. Lots of love to all of you and be careful out there! 

*Warning - Light smut and nudity up ahead*
*Very Long Chapter*

-Loren-

He told the chief about every piece of his fragmented memory which he could recall. About Jade being kidnapped, William almost getting killed in the process of it and whatever blurry bits and pieces he could make sense from. He told Evor about his nightmares which still tormented him. 

"So, King Rowan sent that brute after your queen... and for what reason, you can't remember?" Evor ran through the gist of what he had been told up until now. Loren nodded slowly. "The queen and you were on the run and then she... got away?" 

"Aye." Loren confirmed. "As I told you, Ulf and his men caught up with us and I think that was the last time I saw her." 

"What happened after that? Where were you before they caught up with you?" 

"I was pending in and out of consciousness when I heard your twins arguing over leaving me to die or not." He added and felt the soft thankful smile spread across his life. Evor rolled his eyes, sick and tired about his children's never ending sibling rivalry and bickering. "I am happy Mae was stubborn enough to drag me here..." He added. "I do not know where we were before they caught up with us." He answered the chief's second question. "Not even the name of the place we were in when they found us." 

"Mae said she found you in Aahren Town." Evor filled in. "Does that help?" 

Loren thought the name over. Nothing came to him. He shook his head in disappointment. His mirroring in the chief's eyes. 

"What are the areas around it?" He queried. 

Evor threw his hands up in a gesture of stifled frustration. "You are asking how many towns, villages or cities that lie near Aahren Town? Or around it?" Before Loren could answer he went on. "Completely depends on which direction you came from." He said and gave his guest a meaningful look which said that it was all a game of guesses and chance until Loren himself would remember something of importance. "Could be the city of Rydal, a village called Ljur or a place which goes by the name of Skall's Bridge... very unlikely since that place is a long way from here..." 

"I need to find a map." Loren sighed, drumming the fingers of his right hand on the table.  Repeating the names of the places Evor had listed in his mind. None of them kindled even the slightest recollection in him. 

"Mae can show them to you." Evor said while waving one of his hands in the direction of wherever the maps were being kept.

"Do you know where I come from?" He blurted the question out before thinking. The embarrassment entered him in the shape of a cold and hot surge starting in his gut to his chest.

Why would he know where I come from? Idiot.

"I don't know where ye live, boy." Evor grunted, watching him from under his bushy red eyebrows. They looked extra red and in the light of the open fire.

"No, of course not." Loren sighed lightly while he wanted to sink into the ground and stay there until Evor had left. Unfortunately, no such thing happened. " I meant to ask if you know in which direction my king's realm is located. Since I don't know were the hell I am right now." He went on.

Evor's right eyebrow rose in amusement at the profanity. "King William's realm is to the northwest of here." He said. "Like I said, Mae can help you with the maps to see from which direction you came from."