by Aaron Oster
Her voice was soothing, and she rocked slowly in place, letting Morgan cry into her. He didn’t know why, but this seemed to help. He felt safe in her arms, as though no one could hurt him as long as she was there. He could feel her hand slowly stroking at his hair, feel her smooth fingers running up and down his back, and her strong arms holding him close.
Despite only just waking up, he felt his eyes beginning to drift shut again. Just before he fell asleep, he saw someone appear from over Gwendolyn’s shoulder. He was a tall man with longish brown hair and bright silver eyes.
Morgan awoke sometime later. The sun was now high in the sky, but for some reason, it wasn’t burning him. It was only then that he realized the light cloak propped above his head, held in place by a long tree branch.
He looked around in confusion, and Gwendolyn came into view. He gave her a shy smile as she bent down near him.
“I see that you’re finally awake. You’ve been out cold all night,” she said, returning his smile.
“Are we close to the city yet?” he asked, looking around as though looking for it.
He saw something pass over her face, but it was gone in an instant, replaced instead by her earlier smile.
“I went ahead to the city already and asked around. None of them know who you are, but there’s no need to worry. I’m going to take care of you from now on. How does that sound?”
Morgan looked worried, as though not sure about the proposition.
“No one knew who I was?” he asked, feeling his lip begin to tremble.
He suddenly felt himself being swept up in a tight embrace, as Gwendolyn bent down over him.
“I couldn’t find anyone who knew you, but there’s no need to feel sad. I’m going to take care of you and make sure that you have a good life. And I promise you that I’ll never leave. No matter what.”
Morgan didn’t know why, but he felt safe in the woman’s hands, even though he couldn’t even pronounce her name yet.
“Do you really promise?” he asked, sounding hopeful.
She pulled back from him and held him at arm’s length, looking him in the eye.
“I promise.”
***
Morgan then watched through his younger self’s eyes as he and Gwendolyn traveled to the North Kingdom over the next few months, though the time seemed to fly by in only the blink of an eye to him. Along the way, she taught him many things. Among them, how to hunt, fish, and even how to fight a little. She taught him about the Five Kingdoms, about supers and mages, and about how the world worked.
He could feel that his younger self was happy, noting quite clearly the complete lack of memory involving the burning city or Samuel’s appearance. Even the strange feeling of rage he’d felt toward Gwendolyn when he’d seen it, seemed to have disappeared.
If we’d been so happy, why did Gwendolyn leave? Morgan wondered, when he leaped out from his hiding place behind a tree, making Gwendolyn jump and then laugh.
He noted that Samuel visited several times over the course of their journey, though he’d never been close enough to hear them speaking. Judging by the lack of questions on his younger counterpart, the memories of his visits were being wiped clean. Just as with the burning city.
Blowing out another breath, Morgan could feel his frustration mounting. Nothing seemed to be happening. All he could see were months of traveling and playing. He now knew where his survival skills had come from, and that the majority of his fighting skills had come from whoever had tampered with him in the two years he was missing, but that did nothing to answer who he really was.
He knew where he’d come from now - the West Kingdom - but that city had been destroyed over ten years ago, so why had Gwendolyn chosen now of all times to reveal that she’d altered his memories?
Because now I won’t leave the Five Kingdoms, Morgan thought with a snort of derision. How could I, with all I’ve already seen?
Morgan decided to take a step back and allow the rest of the memories to play out. There were a lot of questions he now had for Gwendolyn, but if some of them could be answered here, he could save himself the time of hanging around her once he got back. Despite all of the happy memories his younger self shared with her, she had abandoned him. There was no excuse for that and no matter what she said to him, he knew he wouldn’t forgive her. He could have lived a normal life, but because of what she’d done, he never would.
***
“What’s that wall?” Morgan asked, pointing to the distant wall that bordered the North and Central Kingdoms.
“That,” Gwendolyn said, poking him lightly in the side. “Is our new home. The North Kingdom.”
“Why are we going to live there?” Morgan asked, wiggling out of the way of Gwendolyn’s tickling fingers.
“We’re going to live there because it’s getting too hard to be traveling all the time. Plus, I’ve had a great deal on a house in City Four recently come up,” she replied, trying, and failing to catch Morgan to continue tickling him.
“But why couldn’t we live in your old home, in the East Kingdom?” Morgan asked, making sure to distance himself so as to avoid further tickling attempts from the older woman.
Finally giving up on the exercise, Gwendolyn just gave him a rueful grin.
“Don’t you ever stop asking questions, Morgan?” Gwendolyn asked, dodging the question.
Morgan grinned when he heard her use his name. She had picked it out for him just two days after they’d started traveling together. She’d said that it had been the name of a very powerful person from a long time ago and since he couldn’t remember his name, he was very happy when she’d given him such a good one.
“If I stop asking questions, how will I ever learn anything?”
“You’re too smart for your own good, you know that?” Gwendolyn asked, suddenly lunging forward and caching Morgan around the waist.
She’d slowly been inching closer to him as they walked, and had closed the gap between them without noticing.
“No! Stop, Gwen!” Morgan exclaimed as she began tickling him in earnest.
After only a second, he began giggling uncontrollably as he struggled in her much more powerful arms.
“You know the price if you want me to stop,” Gwendolyn teased, continuing her merciless attack on the younger boy.
“Okay! Okay!” Morgan gasped, through his laughter.
“Alright, but if you try to escape, I’ll pin you down and tickle you until you wet yourself!” she threatened.
Morgan nodded vehemently, knowing that this was no idle threat. He’d backed out on a deal once, and she had indeed tickled him until he’d soiled his pants. The memory was unpleasant enough that he wouldn’t even dream of backing out on a promise to her now.
Gwendolyn stepped back and bent down next to him. She turned her face, presenting him with her cheek. Morgan hesitated for only a moment, before leaning in and placing a kiss there.
“Good boy,” she said, straightening with a smile and ruffling his hair. “Now let’s get a move on. The border is only a few hours away, and I’d like to be inside the North Kingdom before nightfall.”
They walked on for the remainder of the day. Entering into the North Kingdom right before sunset, they headed to an inn near the border wall. Morgan was very excited about sleeping in an inn, as Gwendolyn was rarely willing to spend the money to do so.
They had a delicious meal, followed by a long, luxurious bath filled with colorful bubbles. He and Gwendolyn played a few games and then it was time for bed. She tucked him in and placed a kiss on his forehead, something she did every night no matter where they were. It made him feel warm and fuzzy inside, and he felt a certain sense of security that never wore off, every time she did it.
“Good night, Morgan,” she said as she rose from the bed.
Her bed was adjacent to his on the opposite side of the room, but Morgan knew that she would likely go back down to the dining room to talk to the people there once he went to sleep. She liked to know t
he local gossip, and always took the time to collect information no matter where they were.
“Good night, Gwen,” Morgan sleepily replied, already feeling his eyelids beginning to droop as she made her way to the door.
It had been a long day, and he was thoroughly exhausted. It wasn’t long before he felt himself drifting off to sleep. Just as he was about to drift off, a loud banging sound from the dining room downstairs woke him.
Sitting bolt upright in bed, Morgan sat very still, feeling his heart pounding in his chest from the shock of the noise. He waited in silence, and after a few more moments began to relax. There was another loud crash, followed by angry shouting.
Morgan took a deep breath, then forced himself out of the bed as the shouting grew louder. Another crash shook the entire inn this time, and he flinched involuntarily.
What’s going on down there? he wondered, padding quickly over to the door and opening it so he could peek out.
The inn was set up so that the patrons in the rooms upstairs could view the dining room as soon as they left their rooms. As the door creaked wide enough for Morgan to see what was happening, he felt his eyes widen in fear.
The dining room was in utter pandemonium. The once neat room was an utter wreck, with food and drink scattered all over. Broken furniture was now littering the room. The inn’s owner crouched fearfully behind the bar, along with half a dozen other patrons. Several figures in black were attacking a lone figure in the center of the room.
Morgan was terrified. His heart pounded as he realized that the person being attacked was none other than Gwendolyn. Adrenaline rushing through his body, he threw the door to his room open.
Gwen’s going to be hurt! Why isn’t anyone helping her? he thought fearfully, as he looked to the other patrons in desperation. None of them would meet his gaze and Morgan watched with a growing sense of dread, as the group of men began pushing her back.
He winced when he saw one of them open a shallow cut along Gwendolyn’s thigh with a long-bladed dagger glowing a sickly green. She dodged back from the person and spun in place, catching him in the stomach and sending him through the opposite wall.
Morgan moved closer to the banister, wrapping his small fingers around the railing and clutching it tightly as he watched the men converging on her. They had hesitated briefly when she’d downed one of their comrades, but had now regained their nerve.
“You can beat them, Gwen! Kick their butts!” Morgan yelled as the first of the men attacked.
That was a big mistake on Morgan’s part, as Gwendolyn’s eyes momentarily flicked up to him and widened in alarm. Morgan didn’t have long to wonder why. He was suddenly seized from behind by a cold iron grip.
He squirmed, attempting to escape, when he felt a sharp blow to the back of his head, which made his eyes fuzz over and his vision dim. He watched, barely conscious, as Gwendolyn held her hands out to the man, surrendering without a fight. Then, he watched as they began mercilessly beating her, as consciousness faded.
Morgan came to with a pounding headache sometime later. He was lying on the inn floor with his head propped on Gwendolyn’s lap. He blinked a few times, confused about what was happening, then his last memories came flooding back to him in a rush.
“Gwen! Are you okay?” Morgan asked, trying to sit up and wincing as the pain in his head flared.
“Yes, Morgan. I’m okay,” she answered, looking quite good for someone who had been beaten the way he remembered.
Too good, actually, Morgan noted. Not so much as a scratch marred her body.
“How are you feeling?” she asked, still cradling his head and keeping it pressed to her lap.
“My head hurts, but other than that, I’m OK,” he answered, attempting to sit up.
Gwendolyn held him tighter as he tried to do so.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, looking up into her eyes with confusion. “Didn’t you say you were okay? And what happened to those men who attacked us?”
“I am okay,” she replied with a strained smile. “And those bad men won’t be bothering us anymore. I just don’t think you should look around right now. It wouldn’t be good for you.”
Morgan nodded, staring up at the ceiling as his headache began slowly abating. He wondered what they were waiting for, when there was a long bang, presumably the door opening.
“What the hell happened in here, Gwendolyn?” Morgan heard someone ask.
Gwendolyn turned her head to address the stranger, momentarily taking the pressure off of Morgan’s head. He didn’t try to rise and look around. Gwen had told him not to, and he would listen to her.
“The Guild came after me. I’m not sure how they knew I was here, but they caught me completely unprepared. I almost didn’t make it.”
Morgan heard the sound of boots scuffing over the wood floor, then saw a man come into view. He was tall, had long brown hair and striking silver eyes. The man’s eyes were the same color as his, Morgan noted.
The man gave him a once-over, then looked back around the inn.
“By the looks of this place, I never would have guessed,” he replied, giving Gwendolyn a questioning look.
“Morgan,” she replied. The man’s eyes widened just a fraction of an inch.
“What about me?” Morgan asked, looking between Gwendolyn and the stranger, wondering who he might be.
Gwen clearly knew this stranger, although Morgan had never seen him.
“How?” the man asked, completely ignoring Morgan and addressing his question to Gwendolyn.
She looked between him and Morgan for a few seconds, biting at her bottom lip.
“Not in front of the boy,” she said, looking up to the mysterious man. “I don’t want him to hear this.”
The man’s eyes narrowed as she said this, and his lips turned into a hard line.
“I told you not to become attached. That this was only a temporary position. He is not your son, and you will be relinquishing him into my care as of tonight, as you clearly cannot be trusted with him.”
Gwendolyn, who had been lightly stroking Morgan’s hair in an attempt to keep him still, froze when the man said that. Morgan looked confused, staring between her and the man.
“But I don’t wanna leave Gwen. I like her,” he said, staring up at the man with wide eyes.
The man’s eyes, if at all possible, grew even harder.
“You’ve been coddling him as well, haven’t you!?” His voice practically boomed, making Gwendolyn wince, and Morgan jump in fear.
“I…I didn’t mean…” Gwendolyn stuttered as the man’s eyes began glowing with a black light.
“You didn’t mean to what?! Disobey my orders? Because you’ve clearly done that with no remorse!”
The man then appeared in front of Gwendolyn so quickly that neither of them had the chance to react. In a flash, he backhanded her and she flew across the room, crashing into the opposite wall.
The man then turned to Morgan, snatching him up by the scruff of his neck and dangling the scared boy.
“Gwen!” Morgan cried out, watching as his caretaker smashed through the wall with bone-breaking force, leaving only her bottom half protruding from the crater that was created in the wall.
“What did you do to Gwen?!” he yelled, thrashing in the man’s grip and attempting to hit him for what he’d done.
“Calm down, boy. She’ll be fine!” the man yelled, shaking Morgan to the point of nausea.
“She was doing you a disservice by not teaching you properly as I instructed, so I had to teach her a lesson of her own. One which she hopefully will not forget.”
Morgan groaned as his eyes managed to focus on the man through his swimming vision.
“What are you talking about? Teach me what?” he groaned.
“How to properly harness your power.”
“What power? I don’t have any. I’m still too young,” Morgan said, assuming he was talking about an ability.
The man’s lips then curled into a smile that se
nt shivers down his spine.
“No, you most definitely are not. After all, how could you have done all this, if you didn’t have an ability?”
He set Morgan on his feet, gesturing to the room around him.
Morgan wondered what the man could be talking about, when his eyes finally fell on the room around him. He abruptly leaned over and threw up, groaning as his dinner hit the floor with a sickening splatter.
“Damn it, boy! You shouldn’t be sickened by this! You should be basking in it!”
Morgan gasped as the feeling of nausea intensified and he felt tears prickling at the corners of his eyes.
“I couldn’t have done all that,” he groaned, refusing to look back up and keeping his eyes locked firmly on the ground. “I was asleep the whole time. It’s not possible!”
“Oh, but it is. Just ask your dear friend Gwendolyn what happened once you passed out.”
Morgan quickly looked up at the mention of Gwendolyn’s name, and promptly felt whatever was left in his stomach make an exit as it fell on the surrounding carnage.
The room was a total bloodbath. The walls, floor and ceiling of the small room were painted red with blood, brain matter and bits of bone. Over a dozen bodies lay throughout the room, not a single one intact. They had all been torn apart, their various appendages littering the floor and plastered on the walls.
Now that he knew what he was looking at, Morgan finally understood what the horrible stench he’d been smelling really was. The intestines of several men had been torn from their bodies, and in one case, used to hang half a body from the rafters.
Morgan gritted his teeth, forcing his eyes on the one thing in the room that would keep him from having a full blown panic attack- Gwendolyn.
She had pulled herself from the wall and was looking at him with a mixture of pity and fear.
Morgan felt his heart sink when he saw that expression.
“Gwen… It’s not true? Is it?” he asked, feeling his bottom lip trembling as tears began squeezing their way from the corners of his eyes.
Gwendolyn opened and closed her mouth several times, looking between him and the man with silver eyes. Finally, she walked over to him and wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace.
