Lost Memories : Together With You

Chapter Two •• Their First Encounter

The town of Nolver

His old man had aged since Bryan last saw him. Edric's long salt-and-pepper hair was now mostly short strands. Freckles and wrinkles dominated his face.

Bryan studied his father while Edric exchanged pleasantries with his associates. Apparently, every man there had heard about Lord Edric's eligible son — a prominent figure in Zelton's military field. Accounts of his swordsmanship weren't exempt.

"I've heard of your undisputed reputation in Zelton's military. Last I heard, you supply armory to the royal military housing, ain't it?"

"You are quite the young man, talented with swords. Nolver here is basking in your military influence."

"My eldest son aspires to enter the armory trade, seeing as you came out successful. How about I set up a meet between you two? He could use some guidance."

"My daughter also happens to live in Zelton, what a coincidence. A young beauty with a respectful character, and uncommitted. You should meet her on your way back."

Bryan nodded, smiled, and remained politely noncommittal, subtly declining offers that bordered on outrageous. He didn't correct them on his "military influence in Zelton".

Bryan was only a dealer who traded armory in bulk. He'd established his own private army though, which had succeeded beyond his expectations. But that was it. Aye, he'd traded armory once to the royal military, and hoped to deal more directly with them — the main reason he sought Lord Harrison's favor — but he had almost no influence over state military. Though if he suddenly stopped bulk trading, it would affect Zelton's military at large. He truly was the main armory merchant in the city.

Politicians wanted him on their side. Fathers wished he associated with their sons. More importantly, fathers wished to become his in-laws. They wouldn't stop speaking about their beautiful and eligible daughters, hoping Bryan would find one he'd be interested in.

But Bryan wasn't interested in courting any woman. He wasn't ready to invite another woman into his life. He feared losing them. Again. Getting involved with a woman was the second to last thing on his mind.

And if he ever decided not to die a bachelor, he'd find his own woman. Not one introduced by his father's associates, but a woman of his choosing. Hopefully one who stirred his heart.

No. Bryan swatted away thoughts of the woman who probably didn't exist and reined his focus back to the conversation around him.

Bryan had come for Lord Harrison, who was now nowhere in sight. He'd met his father, who managed a small smile across the table every time their eyes met. And now he was wedged between men who saw only his "influence and wealth" and his "glorified" swordsmanship.

Seated among men who'd only held brushes and papers their entire lives, a man with his level of swordsmanship was alien to their world. But instead of repulsing them, he drew them in. Accomplished men in their sixties, fanning over a top swordsman. The irony wasn't lost on Bryan.

Left to himself, Bryan would've stood to find the man who brought him here. But he stayed for his father's sake. It was the least he could do as a son who refused to follow his father's footsteps.

It wasn't that Bryan had a bad relation with his father. Only that he couldn't bear to look at the old man without feeling remorse for that night. Even nineteen years later, guilt was what Bryan felt every time he beheld Lord Edric.

He had caused the man great loss. A greater one, even, to himself.

God bless him. Lord Edric had understood when Bryan wished to relocate and venture into armory instead. His old man had understood his need to vacate their hometown. For to Bryan, Nolver would be forever tainted with memories of his loss. And guilt.

The banquet ended hours later, minutes into midnight. Everyone departed after pleasantries, setting out with the confidence of men who knew their city well. They barely cared about traveling at midnight.

Lord Edric Houlden was one of them.

Bryan's horse trotted beside his father's carriage as the Houldens rode down the road home. Home. The one he'd grown up in was a place Bryan dreaded greatly. But there was no escaping tonight. Only for tonight. He had to face his haunting childhood memories. The soul-shredding memories of that night.

The night he'd lost the two women in his life. The day he lost both his mother and his sister.

Bryan felt a deep pang rise in the middle of his chest. One that had nothing to do with the midnight breeze chipping at his sleeves. Aye, it was the one feeling Bryan knew too well. Guilt.

Even now, Bryan was still surprised his father had not disowned him. Especially after that night. For it had all been his fault.

Bryan swayed with his horse’s movement, lost in thought, bracing for the memories that would surface when he faced the home he grew up in. He tilted his head to the dark sky, closed his eyes, and inhaled the chilly breeze that haunted the night.

He heard it before he saw it. The sound came swift and fast. The result left the two guards at the front of his father’s carriage on the ground, bloody. Deep cuts down their bodies. Blood staining the earth.

Bryan saw it again. This time, it was clear. Swords glinted in the moonlight. Swift, precise movements. The driver of his father’s carriage tumbled down next. Throat laid open.

The black figure moved again, determined to slice through the carriage, Lord Edric still inside. But the shock of the attack had worn off. Instinct took over.

Bryan drew his sword - from his horse's sachet - and countered, shoving the figure back with force. Away from his father’s carriage.

Bryan faced the black feminine figure, sword tight in hand. His back to his father's carriage, protective. He put himself between his father and the assassin.

"Father, do not step outside of there." He called to Lord Edric urgently.

Then to his own guards "Quick. Escort my father home. Fast. Do not stall." Bryan's order came rushed, mixed with labored breath.

Almost. The figure's attack had been precise.

If he had moved a second late, Lord Edric's blood would have painted the carriage red.

The realization hit him full force. The feminine figure, this woman clad in black before him, wanted his father's neck. And by the way she held her swords — aye, swords, one in each hand, hilts kissing the front of her wrists — she looked like she would stop at nothing to make him an orphan.

Bryan studied her, eyes darting between her swords and face. All black. Hair pulled back into a tight ponytail. Eyes a cold deep brown that could cut through steel. A mask to hide her face.

He'd trained hard for 19 years, guilt from losing his mother and sister forging him into a legend with swords. And aye, he knew a match when he saw one.

Her moves had been precise, taking his father's guards down before they saw her. She'd even caught Bryan unguarded. He was sure if she'd aimed for him then, he would have been the one down instead.

The woman was a well-trained mercenary, yes. But he would die before he let her make him an orphan.

His father was the only family he had left. And no one would take him from Bryan. He swore.

The assassin moved again, bypassing Bryan to go after the carriage the guards were driving away.

Bryan moved after her and defended, intentionally setting her back a few paces to buy his men time to get Lord Edric away.

"Move aside." Her voice was cold. Devoid of emotion. Her deep brown eyes held a warning.

"You might want to make me, for I would not move an inch."

Bryan cast a glance over his shoulder. If only his men would get Lord Edric away fast.

"I'll cut you into pieces if I have to." Then she struck, aiming her swords right for his throat.

Apparently, she was not one who gave warning more than once.

Bryan defended a little too late, and she came away with his blood on her swords. His right shoulder took the hit. His skin sliced deep open with his tunic.

Barely paying attention to the blood trickling down his shoulder, Bryan cast another glance behind him. Only when he saw that Lord Edric was finally at a safe distance did he turn to fully assess her. The assassin who wanted his father's neck.

Bryan heaved a sigh of relief. Now that his father was away and safe from them, he could fight fully without having to watch his back.