“The fuck?” I say confused and sleepy. Glancing between the co-ordinates on the ivory pages and the unfamiliar room around me. I decide to flop back on my bed and return back to sleep.

~

When I awaken again, I’m back home- or so I believe. I believe it until I swing my legs over the edge of the bed to sit-up and only to see the unfamiliar room around me again. Then I spot it. On the floor are the ivory pages with the co-ordinates on them. I pluck them up and shuffle through them.

“Meet at the orange rose gardens. By the fountains. - P.”

I yawn. And only because I have nothing else better to do, do I actually decide to go there.

Finding my way out to the orange rose gardens wasn’t an easy task. I must’ve spent around an hour walking around the enter fortress glancing out every window and peephole until I at last when I was nearly without hope found them. And there at the fountains stood two tall black horses tacked up in what looked to be high-quality leather tack. And leaning against one of the fountains with arms crossed would’ve been a guy maybe about 6” or so. He’d dark hair that fell in light waves onto his shoulders and matching dark eyes but then a crooked smile that just felt right on him in a sort of handsome way.

When I approached he glanced up, I held up the Ivory pages. “Was this you? Did you send these co-ordinates to my room?”

He said nothing nor reacted. Instead he suggested “Would you like to go riding? I expect you want some answers?”

“Yes I do!” I answered swiftly. “Where am I? What is this place? And who are you?”

“Woah darling! One question at a time. But first I insist we do ride the horses they have been standing here for two hours fattening themselves on grass. Luckily non of them have taken a shit yet the caretakers would have my hide. But I don’t want to jinx it. So?”

I huffed out a sigh. “Fine. But you swear you will explain everything once we do?”

“I swear.”

I didn’t move.

He huffed out a breath. “Fine. I swear on these holy lands that I will explain everything and if I don’t you get to burn me to death on a pyre.”

I nodded my head. “Thank you.” I took the reins of one of horses from him then hauled myself up onto the finely crafted saddle.

He followed suit after me. Then once he did we turned to leave the orange rose gardens. Just in time too because my horse took a shit just as we left the perimeter of it. “Who will clean the shit?” I pondered as I felt my horse lower its tail.

“One of the stablehands later.” He replied.

“Ah.” Speaking of he... “What’s your name?”

“Darius Franklin serving you.” He held his hand out as his horse walked parallel to mine.

I smiled stretching out my own to shake it. “And you?”

“Umm... I actually don’t know!” I scratched my head for an answer but nothing came. “Why don’t I remember my own name.”

I think what sounded like a sigh of despair left his lips just under his breath but it was enough for me to hear. Then he said “I’m sorry. This is where I should explain probably.”

We halted the horses on a hilled clearing, dismounted and then Darius pulled out a rug and and spread it over the grass and suggest we sit on it.

When seated he turned to me his expression blank but serious.

“Your are Ramya Warren. And I brought you hear after the Great Battle but your injuries were severe not just physically but mentally too. You were haunted by it. So I hired a physician to stimulate your mind. But there was a cost. Semi-permanent memory loss. You’ll remember stuff but not all of it. I’m so sorry for what I did. I just… I just hated seeing you suffer.”

About then, stuff came whirling back to me. My name, my age, my birthdate, who my parents are etc. But it was foggy around the areaA such as the war. “Oh my God?!” I covered my mouth with my palms feeling the memories i could remember brush over me like a caring hand caressing y face. “Oh my God!”