At the start of their journey, the unorthodox pair remained silent except to warn of an obstacle ahead, such as a sudden dip in the ground, or a glimpse of potential dinner when their stomachs growled. Ezekiel slowly produced questions and Kilena answered with what honest answers she could provide. The fog of his confusion began to lift the more she opened up to him, so she conversed with him about any topic that came to their minds. She informed him that they were in the kingdom of Roselake, and they had just left the domain of Crowedge, that her next destination was Beckton, a small village at the edge of Lord Crowe’s territory.
Ezekiel wondered, “Why were you there?”
“I tend to wander from one settlement to the next in search of work,” she answered, gaze lifted to the sky. “I am unlike most people who settle down in one domain and stay there, but like them I have dedicated my life to the work I do.”
“What is it you do? What do I do?”
“I help any person in need,” she said with pride. To the second question, she grimaced as the truth was laid bare. “From what I was told, you dedicated your life to thievery. You stole from hard working people, and sometimes took their lives.”
Ezekiel’s chin dipped, mouth turned down. “It sounds horrible.”
“No need to fret, Ezekiel.” Kilena looked at him with a smile to chase away the shadows. “If it was true, it no longer is. You have a rare opportunity to make a better life now.” He offered no further questions, but Kilena directed the conversation to the animals and plants they passed, divulging all she knew about them.
Traveling west, they spent a handful of daylight hours progressing across the land of rolling green hills and tall swaying grass, toward a tree line in the distance. Anything to put the domain, from which they were both banned, behind them.
An orange sun waned on the horizon, sinking behind a sloped mountain range in the distance. The encroaching chill of night’s imminent arrival nipped at exposed skin, which prompted a halt to find shelter and prepare a fire.
“Would you please gather some tinder to start a fire?” Kilena requested of her companion. “Any small twigs, dry leaves, or pine cones will do.” Ezekial nodded, and with his eyes on the ground he ventured beyond the threshold of the tree line. Ferns rustled noisily against his legs as he walked, and sticks cracked under his boot every few steps.
In his absence, Kilena walked to a large tree at the edge of the woods, and placed her heels at the base where the roots sprouted. She strode five paces away, while releasing her shield from its strap. Casting her eyes to the cloudless sky directly above, her view was clear of obstruction from any creeping branches or fluttering leaves. She dropped her shield on the ground with a rattling of metal to mark the place for the fire, and then disappeared into the woods. A few minutes later, she returned with a collection of rocks, which she used to outline her shield on the ground.
Ezekiel returned twice with arms full of twigs, fallen branches, and dried leaves sprinkled on top. He leaned over and his collection tumbled to the ground, forming a pile near the circumference of rocks. Wiping his hands together to discard of loose dust, he wondered, “What else do you know about me?” He sat next to the pile of kindling and selected a couple of sticks split at either end.
“After all that you heard today, do you truly wish to know about who you were?” Kilena probed gently, grabbing a handful of tinder to replace her shield.
“I’ve been thinking about it all day,” he confessed, casting her a frown. The sticks turned over idly in his fingers. “If you know anything, I want you to tell me.”
Kilena formed a cross over the twigs and brittle leaves with dried out wood. “I know very little of who you were outside of your name and your reputation. Something tells me you already know it was not a very good one,” the brunette explained as she drew her one handed sword and poked the tip down inside the pile of tinder. She shifted the hilt from her right hand to the left, and fished a piece of flint out of the pouch on her belt. “You snuck into the tomb to steal treasure. Upon hearing Lord Crowe was in need, I offered my aid. He was in hysterics and cared not who I was at the time. When I found you, you were frightened. I knew your mind was not the same as the man who dodged all the traps,” she said, repeatedly striking the flint along the steel blade to splash sparks against the dried leaves and grass. Scrape, scratch, clack. The knight persevered.
“That’s all I can remember,” he confessed with a slow wag of his head. “Waking up to that darkness, and having no idea how I got there.”
“Nor can I say if you had a family or any loved ones,” she continued in a tone as warm as the fire she tried to spark. “Perhaps that will return to you in time. If it does, and you remember, what will you do?”
Confused, he questioned, “What do you mean by that?”
A glistening spark shot off from the blade and ignited some kindling, so Kilena quickly withdrew her weapon and leaned her face close. Gently, she blew air across the fresh embers, causing the glow of potential fire to flare and catch more of the dry leaves alight. Satisfied, she straightened up and her sapphire eyes drifted from the infantile flames to Ezekiel. “Will you resort to thievery again?” she questioned more directly.
“I couldn’t betray your kindness like that,” he exclaimed. “You got yourself kicked out of Crowedge because you believe in me, a complete stranger.”
“Everyone deserves a second chance. What better way to get a fresh start than by losing your memory?”
“Heh. Yeah, right,” Ezekiel laughed dryly. He watched the embers, nurtured by the knight, rapidly ascend. “Do you trust me?”
Kilena adjusted out of a kneeling position, twisting her legs out in front of her as she dropped back on to her bottom, emphasized by a clink from the layers of armor she wore. “I spent a long time considering that today, and this is what I decided,” she began, and sheathed her sword. “The person who you were never would have followed me because you have nothing to gain from me. I possess nothing of value. Declare me a fool, but I believe the lowliest human has a shred of honor,” she continued sagely, articulating with care the thoughts that plagued her all afternoon. Beside her she dropped her shield onto the lush grass, and on top she balanced her sword, recently freed from her back. “To kill in cold blood the person who saved your life would be disgraceful. You either would have died to the guardians of the tomb or been beheaded when the sun set, and I do not say that to gloat. It is the truth. At length, yes, I do trust you,” she concluded, her sky blue eyes focused attentively on Ezekiel’s face.
“You’re right, except for one thing. I do have something to gain,” he boldly said, raising an index finger in front of him.
Kilena reclined with her hands planted flat behind her. Canting her head to one side, she curiously asked, “And what is that?”
He lowered his hand to curl and rest against the ground, gazing over the flourishing flames at the knight. “A friend.”
Eyes widened, breath held, Kilena fell silent. Of all the answers she might have anticipated, that was far from any she fathomed. Simple, yet powerful, it conjured a tepid smile to replace her surprise. “I- I know not what to say.”
“How about you say you’ll remind me how to cook,” Ezekiel replied with a grin. “I’m starved!”
Kilena Shrelack 