The Summer When I met You

CHAPTER FIVE

Adam’s eyes widened at Julius.

            “What do you mean?”  Adam asked.  Julius took a gulp of his Scotch before eyeing the young man sternly.

            “Like I said.  The loss of memory that happened to me happened on the same day as today.  I think it was that summer a few years ago.  I can never recall what made me come here in the first place too and then the time slipped which was the oddest event that happened in my life.  No one could tell where I have been or what I have been doing.  They just found me unconscious near the Portobello Beach wearing these weird clothes.  I kept trying to remember the whole thing but I always draw a blank.  Like something was preventing me from remembering.”  Julius replied.

            He placed his glass on the table with a thump before gesturing for the bill.  As the maître d’ hustled up the amount of the food, Julius pulled out his wallet and brought out his card.  Once his card was taken, he looked at his friend.

            “I know that you are trying to find your purpose and why Scotland seems to be a place to come to but you need to take care of yourself too.”

            Adam nodded but he still wanted to ask something that was bothering him.

            “But why did you want to stay here?”

            Julius chuckled as he sat back.

            “Yeah.  You would think that after all those things I would be on the first flight back to America.  But the thing is, I feel that there is something that I am forgetting here, that I needed to find to make my world complete again.  That’s why I am here.  I need to be here.”  Julius replied back.

            The server returned with Julius’ card and care package which he promptly gave to Adam before they moved towards their car outside.

*****

            They drove through the streets in silence, occasionally broken by a comment here and there about the scenery.  Scotland boasts of luscious sceneries, breathtaking structures and myths that rival that of Greeks and Norse.  It even has their own barbaric royals and captivating landscapes that were shown in movies like Braveheart and The Lord of the Rings trilogy. 

            Maybe that was the reason why Adam was drawn towards this country.  He had been an avid fan of these movies and continued to look for similar themes in other shows.  But he knew that he was wrong to think that this would be the reason for his restlessness.  He could somehow relate to Julius and how he viewed his life here now.  There was something here and he intended to find it out.

            He was brought out of his ruminations when they stopped in a mansion on top of a hill.  Well, it may be a mansion but the façade looks like a diminutive castle with turrets and banners fluttering in the breeze.  It was made out of ancient stones and seemingly weathered by different storms.  Breathtaking would be an understatement.

            “Wow.”  Adam breathed out in awe.

            “That is the other thing that makes my life so complicated.”  Julius muttered under his breath.  Adam turned amazed eyes at him.

            “Hey, that is a freaking miniature Disneyland!  Who owns that place?”  He asked, his voice filled with child-like wonder.  Julius grimaced in reply.

            “I do.”  He simply replied.  Adam was completely flabbergasted.  He knew that his friend owns a lot of luxury cars and gets to travel around the world but to know that he owns a freaking castle was something he did not expect.

            “Yeah, I know.  When I woke up, I just own the place.  It’s called Dragon’s Keep by the way.  Legend has it that the previous owner was a royal mated to a dragon and was given this keep to ensure the safety of the humans and dragons alike.  It was supposed to keep invaders from entering the territory and hunting dragons.  It stands as a symbol that humans need not fear dragons as they are the guardians of this land.”  Julius related in an undertone.

            “Woah, like the Loch Ness monster is not much of a legend now, is it?”  Adam muttered out loud.

            “Yeah, among other things.  The caretaker just called me in and named me as the “Lord and Master” of Dragon’s Keep.  Which townsfolk around here actually revere.  So, don’t be surprised if you see people kowtowing down on me, okay.”

            Even though he was forewarned, Adam’s mouth hung open as he noted how the servants lined up at the entryway and they actually bowed their greeting as Julius came through the doors. 

“Good morning, my lord.”  A valet took his coat and his briefcase, bowing backward as Julius nodded back.  He then gestured towards Adam.

“Marcus, this is Adam Flynn.  He is our guest next few days.  Please make sure that he has all that he needs.  Adam, this is my valet, Marcus Dunn.  The caretaker of Dragon’s Keep.”

“I’ll be in your care.”  Adam murmured before shaking the man’s hand.  There was a glint in the man’s eyes that made Adam pause for a moment before it disappeared and became stoic.  He must have imagined the whole thing.

“Please follow me.”  Marcus urged before turning towards the staircase.  Julius turned to Adam before handing him a set of keys.

“You will use the GT-R on whatever outings you want to do and keep me informed wherever the heck do you plan to go okay.  I’ll leave you to Marcus as I have a few business things to deal with.”  Julius instructed before handing the keys over to Adam.  Adam didn’t want to accept at first but he grinned boyishly, making the older man roll his eyes and smirk at his behavior.

“Wow, the GT-R is mine to use.  Cool!  Thanks.”  Adam muttered.  He followed Marcus’ back as they made their way towards what would be his room for his stay.

But to call it a room was a sacrilege.  It was more of a suite.  The room had a tall domed ceiling, with tall windows covered with red brocade curtains, its golden tassels lifting slightly at the soft wind that passed through the windows.  The floor was covered with thick maroon carpet which emphasized the whiteness of the walls, the bed and the fireplace.  The bed had white linen draping its sides with white pillows and thick white blankets.  There was also an ensuite bathroom.

“Your luggage has been brought up a while ago, sir.  We will serve dinner at 7.  Have a good rest, sir.”  Marcus murmured, smiling as he noted the awestruck expression on Adam’s face.

“Ah yeah.  Thanks, I guess.  I’ll see you around, thank you, Marcus.”  Adam replied absentmindedly.  Marcus chuckled before closing the door.  His face turned serious after.

Instead of going to the office where his master would be, Marcus made his way quickly to his room.  He locked the door and looked at the mirror near his bedside.  He waved his hand in front of it and the surface rippled.  An image of Illuyankas suddenly appeared before him.

“You called, brother.”  Illuyankas smiled in greeting at his older brother.  It was rare for Marcus to use the magic mirror.  Illuyankas was aware that his brother would only use it to give updates about the queen’s consort and what has been going on in his life.  As it was, this was a very rare occurrence.

“He is here, brother.”  Marcus replied in a firm voice.  Illuyankas raised his brows.  His brother was a well-known seer and he does not make mistakes.

“Then it shall be, brother.”  Illuyankas replied, his tone becoming serious once again.  “We will see what the Goddess Io has in store for them.”