A Legend Time Forgot

Chapter 2

Anbay walked into his room and locked the door behind him as he scanned his surroundings. It was a fairly large room, with wood flooring and decorative walls. In the furthermost corner to the right of the door beneath a medium sized window, stood a twin sized bed with a dresser at the foot of it. On the other side of the room was the bathroom with a small shower and a closet beside it. It was a nice room, but looks can be deceiving. There was something off about this place; he sensed it from the moment he set foot into the lobby. Especially the man with the expensive robes; he over charged him for his room, but he was sly about it. He was sure that anyone else he'd done that to wouldn't have even noticed.

Placing his knapsack on the top of the dresser, he went over to the window (his face still covered) and gazed down at the street below. He was able to see the entrance to the inn from where he was situated and noticed the same mysterious woman from earlier leaving.

What business does she have here... and what's her game? I know that she led me here, but with what intent? Why?

Anbay continued to watch her as she moved through the crowd. He didn't sense any nefarious intent though, in fact, she seemed like a very kind hearted person. But when he first laid eyes on her, he could see in her eyes that she was extremely clever, (almost like a fox) and that was a quality to be wary of.

As if sensing someone observing her, she stopped, turned, and stared directly into his eyes. Beneath that icy glare he could see a wild fire that was looking to burn. Neither turned away, and after a moment, she smiled genuinely at him. He couldn't have been more thrown off; the surprise was evident in his eyes as he gave her a brief nod in return.

With that, she turned and continued on through the crowd, disappearing behind a corner. Anbay backed away from the window and stumbled over to the bed. His vision had begun to fade and there was a splitting pain coursing through his body. Slowly, darkness consumed his entire vision, and little white lights began to appear above him. With what seemed like a small desert village in front of him.

Am I dreaming? Or... His eyes widened. It can't be.

Anbay walked into the village under the cloudless, starry night sky as he gazed around. It looked abandoned. From the way some of the buildings had collapsed and the black colored wood and clay, he could tell that there had been a fire. The village had been ravaged by bandits and burned to the ground. The people were either taken, or they fled.

Toward the end of the village a house smaller than the others rested. They must've been a very poor family to own a house the size of a shack. He stopped in front of the burnt house, for some reason he felt drawn to it. Then, he heard it; a baby crying amongst the rubble.

Entering the remnants with no hesitation, he carefully climbed over the debris as he looked for the baby. The sound became louder as he went to the back of the house; soon enough there was the child in the arms of her Mother. She was barely alive, slightly burnt with a beam across her stomach keeping her pinned to the ground; but despite that, she smiled at him. Anbay glanced to the side of her where her husband's burnt body lay, he could tell that she knew she was about to die.

"I knew someone would come," she coughed, "Please, take Nahla and care for her in my stead."

She kissed her daughter's forehead before handing her to Anbay. Tears slipped from her eyes, "I only wish... that I could've seen her grow up... but at least she's safe... Thank you."

The life faded from her blue eyes as Anbay was left standing in the ruins with Nahla in his arms. He couldn't stop the tears that flowed from his eyes. This amazing woman willed herself to stay alive for what must've been a few days all for her daughter. At that moment, he realized that the baby in his arms, Nahla, and the mysterious woman were the same person; and that he was really in her past. It was because Nahla's mother and Nahla as a woman looked exactly the same.

Anbay wiped his eyes as he gazed at baby Nahla. Her ice blue eyes were wide and glassy, but she'd stopped crying and was now chewing contentedly on a piece of her chestnut hair.

Anbay couldn't believe how much this one child had already been through; how much she'd lost. The person who had really stood where he was now, must've been a truly good man. To take up a child that wasn't his own during such a dangerous time and raise them as their own was not an easy task. Money and food were hard to come by and there was always the chance you could be attacked, but it was a risk everyone had to live through.

As the moment began to fade away, he leaned down and kissed her on the forehead before she was swept away by the darkness. But he had no doubt that they were going to meet again.

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He awoke to the last rays of twilight and a bright orange sunset streaming through his window. Looking at it, and thinking about what he'd just seen, seemed to strike accord with him, it made him realize something that he should've known.

He couldn't remember anything about his past from before a month ago; with the exception of his name and a vague awareness that he was on journey of great importance. One that held everyone's lives in the balance.

Anbay stood and stumbled over to the bathroom, making sure to shut the door behind him. Ripping off his mask he looked at his reflection. His face was clean shaven, without a single trace of a scar. Smooth, a face that would be considered handsome among women. He ran a hand through his shortly cropped black hair, he looked young, maybe twenty-five or so; but he had a feeling that he was older than that.

Exhaling, he calmed himself; this was so unlike him. For once he'd finally been shaken and it all started with that flashback into Nahla's past. Their paths had been intertwined somehow and even though they'd just met he had a feeling that he already knew her.

In the end, he was sure everything would explain itself; Nahla and him, their connection, the reason for his journey, and his missing memories.

A tingling feeling crawled up his spine as he turned around; someone was in his room.