The Echoes of Forgotten

Chapter 7: Lady Aeternum. (II)

“Expensive, my lady? I am sure you have mistaken-” The tall man attempted but was stopped by a strong glare from Elara, her turquoise eyes shining even in the dim light of the cave.

“That only adds to my suspicion. If you weren’t wearing such not-so-expensive gear, my dagger should have made a serious cut on your side.” She nodded at a mark in the tall man’s armor, where a long mark was visible on it. “It is no leather is it?”

“Wha- When did you make this cut?! Your strength is no joke, my lady! Even in this condition, you could make such a deep cut in my armor! No one has been able to make a cut this deep on armor covered with Fortis Arboris’s sap!- OUCH! What?!” the tall man’s grumble earned him a sharp smack on the back of his neck, making him realize that he had revealed something he shouldn’t.

As for Elara, she was confused, her suspicion only growing from their

reaction. Though she didn’t know what this Fortis Arboris was, but she was now sure it was not something ordinary.

“My lady, you are injured. I will advise you to return to your encampment with us and get yourself treated. You can ask us anything you want on our way and I promise to tell you the truth.” The man’s deep voice pleaded, his eyes traveling on various bandages on her body but he didn’t pry about them.

“You want me to go with strangers who won’t even reveal their real identities? Forget it! I would rather go to that jungle-“

“Aha! So you were actually going toward that jungle!” the tall man’s voice echoed in the cave getting a glare from the other two men in response.

“What? We must stop her if she is...”

“What do you mean?” Elara asked, confused, the earlier conversation between these men played in her mind again. Even then they were thinking she’ll go to the jungle. Why?

The deep-voiced man looked at the man holding Elara’s hands in place, who instantly let her go. Surprised she looked at the two men, rubbing her wrists in turns. The deep-voiced man then bowed forward making Elara jump back in shock. Elara’s breath hitched as he picked the dagger carefully from the cold ground, “No wonder it could cut through your armor, Lester... It is an Aeternum heirloom...”

Aeternum heirloom? Elara thought, her mind a mess. The dagger was given to her by Riven, did he know about this Aeternum family? He was the one who asked her to go to the jungle. Could it be he has something to do with her current situation? But how will that explain her changed hair and outfit?

“My lady, are you really planning to go after your brother?” the man carefully asked, holding the dagger’s handle toward her for her to take.

Elara was shocked as she took the dagger from the man, her shock was not because of the reason they were thinking. Her mind was thinking of something entirely different. How did they know she was looking for her brother?

“You know my brother?” the words left her lips without her intending to. The fact that for them she was a different person and they might be talking about someone not actually her brother, momentarily forgotten.

“Of course, Who doesn’t know Sir Kaelion? Though some might know him for a different reason, but Sir Kaelion is remembered as the bravest hero in the whole empire.” The tall man answered again but this time the other two nodded in agreement. But Elara didn’t notice their nods, nor the way the quiet man was looking at her. Her mind was too occupied to observe anything.

These men, whom she thought were misking her for someone else knew her brother- Kaelion. But why did they call him Sir? And what did they mean by the whole empire?

Her head started aching with all these unanswered questions. Her brother had taught her to understand the situation first before making any choice. She was doing exactly that but the more she tried to understand her situation the more confused she became.

“What were your orders exactly?” Elara asked, her voice shaking slightly as uncertainty grasped her once more. The pain in her shoulder flared again, making her wince loudly.

“My lady, are you alright? We really need to... as soon as possible, your injuries aren’t healing... or they might worsen” Her head started buzzing, the voices coming in fragments. But she kept a tight hold on her consciousness that seemed to be failing her slowly as the pain increased with a new feeling of itching around her shoulder.

“Answer me!!” she shouted or tried to but it came only as a whimper.

The quiet man answered, uncertain of her reason but he complied with her order. “The commission we were given stated that we must help the Aeternum Knights in finding their commander, the youngest of House Aeternum, Lady Elara Aeternum.”

The world started to rotate once more, but Elara made sure to grasp each and every word this time.

They were actually looking for her- no, for someone with the same name as her. Someone who had a brother with the same name as her brother’s. But she didn’t know any Aeternums, she was not one of them, she was Elara Taylor and her brother was Kaelion Taylor also, not Aeternum.

All this time she tried to talk to these men, she thought she somehow turned into someone else. How? She didn’t know. Why? Not that either. Who? Someone with her name but not in her position. At least there were people coming to look for this Lady. As for Elara, her only relative was nowhere to be found. Heck, she wasn’t even sure if he was alive or not.

She had been just chasing his ghost for the last 2 years only to find out that there was a hope he might be alive just to shatter it the next moment by being trapped in an unknown world, surrounded by unknown people, not knowing how to go back. Would she even find her brother if she went back now?

Her chest tightened with all the questions and negative emotions. The world around her darkened once more, she could hear voices ringing in her head. But wasn’t sure if they belonged to the three men around her or someone in her head.

She didn’t feel her body colliding on the stone floor, instead, strong arms held her unconscious body and she didn’t remember the rest as she fully let the darkness swallow her.