The Forgotten

A young woman knelt on her knees weakly among a sea of corpses. She removed her helmet from her head revealing long mahogany hair.  She held a javelin loosely in her left hand.  Her eyes trailed down to the arrows that stuck stiffly out of her body.  She collapsed among her comrades losing focus of the world around her.   “_______” she whispered a name as the world disappeared.  

She sat up wearily, touching her breastplate.  The wounds that she had sustained were no longer there.  She glanced around her hurriedly.  Red, everything in sight was red.  She was sitting in a pool of red,  her pants were drenched in the crimson fluid.  Everything around her was obscured by blood colored mist.  The scent of iron was heavy in the air.  Where was she?  Where was everyone?  She remained motionless, staring into the mist.  She saw a figure approach.  The small form emerged from the mist, a silver fox, untainted by the red world walked lightly atop the water without breaking the surface.  A small blue and gold pendant dangled from its left ear.  The fox sat down on its haunches without so much as creating a ripple on the water.  “You poor thing” she heard a voice echo within her head.  It was a kind voice.  A voice that she felt she would follow to the ends of the earth if it asked her to.  “Who are you? What is this place?” She asked in a quavering voice.  The fox seemed to smirk at this question.  “I am Talsimir and all that I want is to give you another chance at achieving your dream that has so tragically slipped through your grasp.”  The girl looked at the fox meeting the gaze of its golden eyes.  “Why?” she asked.  “Why would you do that for me?”  The fox tilted its head.  “Humans are such intriguingly complex beings with such vulnerable and transient existences.  It saddens me to see ones with such pure and determined dreams such as yours get cut short simply by the frail existence you are cursed with.”  The fox licked its fluffy tail as it talked inside the girl's head.  She looked at it.  What did she have to lose?  She was already dead, but if she took this Talsimir up on his offer she might have a chance.  She might still be able to save her.  “Ok.  I assume you want something in return for doing this.  What is it? Take whatever you want from me.  I have nothing that is more important than achieving my dream.” She stood up, her armor clinking as it did so, blood dripping from  her body.  “Oh my dear, please hear what I ask of you before you agree less I accrue your rage later.  What I require of you is your memories.” The girl looked at him with a confused expression.  “My memories?  But how will I know who I am and what I am looking for if I don't have my memories?”  “Well my dear,  I don't intend to take all of your memories, only the ones necessary in crafting a weapon.  Your expression indicates some confusion still.  You will lose your identity, who you are, everything about you and assume a new one.  Everything about your past will forever remain a mystery to you save for what is strongest and is required to pursue your dream.  That weapon will be forged from your memories so take care to let it fall into the wrong hands. Being made of your memories it IS possible to pull from it.  Though the more you do that the more likely...hmmm negative effects, shall we say, are to occur.  That weapon will be of use to me, what you do with your reborn life is really of no concern to me as it is simply my wish to give you another chance.  Once you are finished tempering it for me you will be released of your contract.  Simple as that.” She sighed.  Her memories,  all of them.  Her mind drifted.  She could barely remember anything.  She saw a small girl sitting in a windowsill handing her a piece of fruit.  The smile on her face warmed the girl's body.  Everything else was obscured.  Was this what it was like to die?  “I will do it,” the girl said strongly.  “If it means that I can save __________.  I will do anything.  “Splendid.”  The fox's voice echoed inside her head.  The gem that dangled from his ear glowed brightly. Everything around them disappeared into darkness.  The world around them rematerialized into a sunlit meadow filled with gardenias.  The girl looked around her.  The fox was no longer there.  In its place stood a  masked man in a charcoal black suit with a burgundy half cape.  The same gem hung from fox-like ears that stuck out from the man's silver hair.  He held a staff in his hand whose wing-like prongs levitated around a brightly glowing green gem.  The girl stared at the man.  “Talsimir?” she whispered.  “Yes my dear.  These flowers have chosen you as their own.  Take up their name and your sword proudly.  The girl looked around her.  She was no longer wearing her armor, in fact she was wearing an intricate burgundy dress, the cream colored front panel embellished with golden designs.  She touched her face.  A porcelain mask adorning it. She attempted to remove it and she was stricken with an immense pain which threatened to pull her to her knees.  “Ah yes, we don't touch the masks.  They are your life link to your weapon.  You may remove it once you have finished your job but not before.  Take care to not damage it.”  Talsimir chided her lightly.  She looked at her hair.  It was no longer the rich shade of brown that it had always been,  instead it was a shimmering blonde, almost as if it were made of light.  The gem on Talsimir's staff pulsed brightly and a glowing sphere appeared  between her and Talsimir.  The sphere elongated and grew more intricate gaining an actual form and mass.  “Take hold of it” Talsimir said smiling.  The girl reached out and grabbed the rod of light.  It flashed momentarily and then all light was gone from it.  What remained was what could barely be called a spear and looked more like an overly complicated ceremonial piece.   The spear seemed heavy to her and she hefted it testing its weight.  “Yes they are a little heavy at first but the more you use it, the easier it will be to wield, I assure you.”  The girl looked at him, a question arising that she hadn't thought to ask before. “What do you mean use?”  Talsimir looked at her and smiled his brilliant smile.  “Well my dear, that is up to you.  Like I said before, what you do with your life is of no concern to me.  I just need the weapon tempered with souls.  How you go about that is up to you.”  The girl frowned slightly.  She felt as if taking lives was nothing new to her.  She felt it in how she held the spear.  This was normal to her.  Even if her mind didn't remember, her body did.  Talsimir looked at the girl.  “Be careful my dear,  there is an entire world out there that you were previously unaware of that is now open to you.  That can do you a great deal of good or cause you a great deal of trouble if you are not careful.  I will be at my shop as always.  If you ever need me.  You can find me there.  You will know where it is.”  He placed his hand on her shoulder and turned to walk away.  “Oh and one last thing.  Never be afraid to listen to your new namesake.  They are the ones that chose you after all, Gardenia.”  Talsimir walked away and the world faded into black.

Gardenia awoke, staring at the ceiling of the inn where she rested.  That dream, always that dream.  The girl in her memories, why could she never remember the name.  As hard as she had tried to pull the name from her spear she could never remember it.  She knew that the girl was the one that she was looking for.  She felt it.  That girl was the reason that she had agreed to this second chance at life, though who this girl was, or where she was, or if she even existed anymore was all a mystery to Gardenia.  She sighed.  There was no use trying to delve into memories that she had already tried to many times to regain.  The only way she was going to find anything out was by finding 'her'.