The Sun

Chapter Three

A/N Sorry, anybody who reads this. Not only have I been camping so I've been mostly cut off and busy, I thought nobody was very interested. But I'm back now, and I'll update as often as I can churn these chapters out. They're coming off of the top of my head, after all! And for some reason, I can't answer the first chapter comment. Fae are fairies, but Fae is a word that includes both Good and Evil Fairies. It also encompasses things like brownies, sprites, pixies, and the like. :) -Willow

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I woke up and sat bolt upright, trying to figure out what had just happened. The dream was... a memory? Maybe I'm just starting to regain the memories Lydia was telling me about. Hopefully they'll come back soon.

Standing, I looked around the dark cavern. I didn't see Lydia anywhere, I hoped she was ok. Remembering that the cavern extended farther, I decided I wanted to explore, and I hoped I'd find Lydia down there.

Drawing my short sword, I began to walk down into the darkness. I couldn't hear my footsteps, but I could hear a light scuffling ahead of me. I crouched down and slowed to a creep and I half closed my eyes to see better. Because of the darkness, I ended up relying on my ears to guide me.

The scuffling got closer as I froze at a corner, waiting for whatever was making the noise to come around. When it did, I leapt high into the air, landed behind it, and put my sword at its back. It froze.

"Jack?" it asked timidly.

Damn it, it was just Lydia. At least I found her. "Sorry, Lydia. I thought you were a danger. What are you doing, wandering around here alone?" I asked, sheathing my sword, glancing around for any actual danger.

"I'm sorry, Jack, I had to go to the bathroom. But I can tell you, there's nothing dangerous back there. You don't have to worry. I can handle myself, whether you remember that or not." She said with a slight tone of annoyance.

"I started to remember. It was the last day of school. We were gonna go to the movies. But I remember up till the end of the school day." I said, slightly humbled.

"Oh, good. Hopefully it'll all come back soon." Lydia said, her voice back to its normal cheery tones.

"Yeah." I said "Hopefully."

We were back to the front of the cave. Lydia motioned for me to follow her out. "We need to get going." I nodded and drew my short sword. Stepping out into the daylight, I blinked, my eyes adjusting quickly. Lydia squinted around until her eyes adjusted.

"West to the Fae stronghold." She said.

"That way." I responded, pointing to our left. I wasn't sure how I knew that, I just did.

"Ok. Sam is probably worried about us. You know she was always a worrier." Lydia said and started walking.

I didn't remember who Sam was, but I guess I knew her. We walked around the cliff face, heading west. Eventually we saw, on the horizon, a large tree.

"There's the stronghold!" Lydia said, pointing. "We're getting there! We should hurry, maybe we can get there before it gets dark!" And she rushed on.

"Lydia, wait! We don't know what could be hiding in these trees, and-" I was interrupted and my point was proven before I could finish stating it. Another black creature dropped from a branch above Lydia, landing next to her and smacking her away. She flew into the bushes, obviously unconscious. Then the creature turned to me. I lifted my sword, preparing for a strike.

The creature lunged forward, and I gave in to my instincts once again. Dropping into a crouch, I spun and thrust my sword behind me. The creature jumped back, barely avoiding being impaled. I stood quickly, holding my sword low, waiting for it to make the next move.

It snarled and looked at my sword, and back at me. Then it leaped, kicking out and sending my short sword spinning away from me, and kicking me in the face, sending me flying.

I did a tight backflip, landing on my feet in a crouch, glaring at the monster. Then it lunged at me again. I sprinted for it, then slid under it, hooking it with my foot, tripping it up and causing it to fall. Then I got up quickly, turning around. The creature was struggling to get up.

I grabbed my sword and leaped on it, stabbing it down through the middle. It fell and died, growling no more.

I turned and sprinted to where Lydia had disappeared. She was climbing out and brushing herself off. She seemed alright.

"Are you ok, Lydia??" I asked, really concerned.

"I'm fine, Jack... I should have listened, I'm sorry." she responded, looking down.

"I didn't even finish the warning, so it's not your fault." I grabbed her chin and got her to look up. "I'm glad you're ok, Lydia." And I kissed her briefly. "Now let's get to that stronghold."

The rest of the trip was fairly uneventful. We reached the stronghold and went inside. Then the flashback started.

A/N The finishing move against the creature was a tribute to Legend of Zelda, in particular Twilight Princess. So I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'll get to work on the next. -Willow