In the Blade's Hilt |A tale from Triterra|

Chapter 33 - Forgotten Memories

The Dryad gasped and Blues vision began to flood with colour.  Distorted voices rang in his ears, and he couldn't feel his legs.  The colour dissipated and revealed a vision.

He was walking around a house.  It was neat, aside from the odd scrap of cloth thrown here or there.  Shelves full of books lined the walls.  There was a simple mirror hanging on one of the lower-down shelves.  Out of curiosity, Blue walk towards it and gasped.  It was him, but younger.  He wore a roughspun shirt and leather trousers.  There were no shoes on his feet.  He heard a woman's voice call from a door leading outside.  

"Blue!" it called," Come out here and help your father.  You know I know nothing about roofing houses"

He stepped outside and stared at the town in front of him.  It looked different, but he knew where he was.  He was in Swiften.

"Blue, come on!" came the voice again.

He turned to see a woman standing beside a forge.  She wore a pair of steel-rimmed glasses.  Her brown hair flowed freely down her back.  But what disturbed Blue was what this woman wore.  It was a coat, navy blue with large cuffs.  His coat.

"Mama..." he whispered, the word feeling strange and unfamiliar.

"Come on," she said, beckoning towards a ladder leading up to the roof,"up you go!" 

Just as he was about to scale the ladder, his vision faded to white.  For a moment, there was nothing but whiteness.  When his vision cleared, he was sitting in a chair beside a man, also sitting in a chair.  They seemed to be on a porch, facing out towards the mountains.

"Ah, yes, the dwarves.  They're a funny bunch, I'll tell you" said the man, his beard bristling in the wind.

"Papa..." breathed Blue.  Another unfamiliar word.

"Did I ever tell you about this lass I met when I was training over there?"

Blue silently shook his head.

"Well, I was training to be a forgemaster over there, in Ironhollow.  I was working the furnace one day, when this fine dwarven lass walked up to me and sai-"  He suddenly stopped talking.

  Blue's father stood up suddenly and walked briskly to the edge of the porch.  He gazed out over the horizon.  Blue stood up behind his father and looked out as well.  He could just about make out what looked like a dark cloud coming over the horizon.  As it slowly drew closer, Blue realised that it was not a cloud, but and army.  His father turned to Blue.

"GET INSIDE, NOW!" he bellowed.  Blue didn't need telling twice.  His vision faded again.