A/N: Here is the other fic I've been writing! It is medieval AU story set after EBF4. No pairings are planned thus far. I might change that, but it isn't likely. I started this because the idea popped into my head while I was stuck on 'Retribution.' Then the plot bunnies marched in, back from the dead. I write on this when I get stuck on the other story. The chapters are very long on this one, but still good. I have the entire plot planned out and now it's simply a matter of getting it down on a document. Don't expect frequent updates here until 'Retribution' is finished, but rest assured that I will definitely complete it!

Warnings: Mild blood, mild language, violence, mild suggestive themes

Disclaimer: I do not own Epic Battle Fantasy, its world, its plot, or its characters! They belong to Matt Roszak. I will only be borrowing these elements for the purpose of this story, not for any monetary/physical profit on my part.


Matt reappeared, falling to the ground. The swordsman felt a flash of pain as the back of his head landed on a rock, and then everything went dark; his sword, Heaven's Gate, was loosely grasped in his hand. For a long time, Matt lay there, alone, unconscious, and bleeding. A few hours after his crash, a pair of young boys found him.

"Cool, a dead body!" one of them said, "And it has an awesome sword! Maybe we can bring it back for dad to sell?"

The second boy shoved his brother, "You are so messed up, sometimes, Jake. Besides, I don't think he's dead. See? He's still breathing." He frowned, "I wonder what he's doing out here?"

The first boy, Jake, shrugged, "I bet he's one of those bandits. Let's poke him a few times and ask!" He grabbed a long stick.

"Jake, quit being dumb. Everyone knows the bandits dual-wield daggers and use blowguns," John sighed. "I think we should go get some adults. The guy is hurt."

Jake ignored his brother and tiptoed closer to Matt's still body. He carefully reached out and prodded it in the side. The first nudge elicited no movement, "I think he is dead." To prove his point, the boy poked harder.

"Uh, Jake, I think he's awake," his brother warned a second too late.

Jake had missed the opening of Matt's eyes. The second time he poked the swordsman he got a groan as Matt weakly lifted one arm to bat the stick away. Jake jumped away with a surprised shout. "Cool, you're alive! Are you a bandit? Can we sell your sword?" he asked immediately.

"Jake, you can't just wake up strangers and ask to sell their stuff," John sighed. He watched warily as the blond swordsman tried to sit up only to stop halfway through the motion with a wince. The boy eyed the dried blood staining the man's hair, "You look like you took a pretty nasty hit to the head. What are you doing out here?"

Matt moaned and rolled his head to the side. He peered blurrily at the speaker to find a young teen with short, brown hair. "I don't know," he mumbled.

John frowned at the blonde's pale face, "You don't look so good. Can you walk? We can get you some help at our house."

"John, we should be taking his stuff and running," Jake hissed. "He'd never catch us! Well, me anyway," the boy looked back and flinched guiltily when he saw the swordsman watching him.

"Please forgive and ignore him," Jake sighed. "My name is John and this dummy is my younger brother, Jake. What's your name?" He asked ignoring the indignant 'hey' Jake gave. The swordsman just frowned and said nothing. Jake shrugged, "I guess it's fine if you don't want to tell us. Dad says a man's business is his own, after all."

"It's not that," the swordsman said, a gleam of panic in his eyes, "I can't remember what it is!"

John started in surprise and opened his mouth to reply. He was cut off by his brother shouting, "Cool! It's just like in that story mom always tells us! I bet you're actually some kind of heroic knight and you got into a fight with a mean old dragon and it gave you aneezah! And now you have to-" Jake's excited tirade was cut off by his brother's hand slapping over his mouth.

"It's 'amnesia' not 'aneezah' and this isn't some stupid bedtime story, Jake," John said with an apologetic look at the swordsman. "Maybe you have something on you with your name on it?" he suggested to the amnesiac blond.

Matt frowned and grit his teeth as he slowly sat up, "Maybe." He reached into the pockets on his Pirate Coat, but found nothing other than a few small gemstones. He moved his hand to the pouch tied at his waist and opened it. "Weird, there's nothing inside," the swordsman said. He felt around a few more times, desperate to find something that would help him remember anything. Suddenly his fingers brushed up against a small folded piece of paper. "Wait something just appeared," he announced, drawing the paper out.

Jake cheered, "He even has a magic bag! I think he is a heroic knight! They always have magic bags-of-holding!"

"Jake shut up, please. This is serious," John snapped at is younger brother. He turned back to the blond, "That is a little strange, though: usually only the king's guard and royalty can afford those." He watched the blond unfold the paper and stare at it, "What's it say?"

"'Matt, remember to grab some food before you join us. We aren't going to be stopping at any inns so you can stuff yourself. –Lance'," Matt read aloud. "I guess my name must be Matt or Lance, then."

"Probably Matt if you have a note addressed to Matt. Does either name sound familiar?" John asked. He smiled when Matt nodded with a shrug.

"Kind of," Matt said, "I get a couple of images for each of them."

"He's already remembering! Soon you'll be on your way to saving the kingdom!" Jake cheered. The boy suddenly froze and looked up, "Uh, oh, John. The sun is setting." The boy's eyes widened as his brother swore, "That's a bad word! I'm going to tell mom!"

Jake ignored his younger brother to stare up at the sky and then around the now-dark area they had found Matt in. "Damn. Try to stand up. We can't stay out here—monsters come out at sundown," he said to Matt urgently.

"Monsters?" Matt asked in confusion as he heaved himself to his feet, using his sword as a crutch. The swordsman swayed where he stood. "What do monsters look like?" he asked as he unsteadily followed after the young boys.

"All kinds of things," Jake chirped. The young boy bounced alongside the swordsman, sagely describing some of the more common ones, "There are huge dogs with horns, birds with four wings, dragons and wyverns, giant bugs, giant lizards, giant frogs, giant everything!"

"He's right," John said, "most stay hidden during the day, but at night and in darker places the bigger, nastier ones come out." He glanced around again, checking for any monsters, "We're supposed to be home already, but we got distracted when we found you."

Matt felt a small pang of guilt, "I'm sorry…"

Jake beamed up at the swordsman, "That's okay! We got to meet a knight!"

"I don't think I'm a knight," Matt said with a weak grin.

"But you have the bag and the shiny sword! You've gotta be a knight!" Jake insisted.

"I'm not even sure I know how to use this sword," Matt said skeptically.

"Weren't you insisting he was a bandit when we found him?" John asked with a grin.

"Don't be dumb, John. Everyone knows the bandits use daggers and blowguns. Matt…" Jake paused dramatically, "is a knight!"

The boy's stubborn insistence made Matt laugh, only for him to cut off when he saw John freeze. The teen shifted backwards towards the other two, looking around fearfully. Matt frowned and listened intently. He became aware of a snuffling sound. Soon, a long howl rang out, raising the hairs on the back of Matt's neck.

A massive, black wolf with a single horn on its head pounced out of the tall grass on either side of the path and snarled at the three humans. Its red eyes gleamed in the darkness and saliva dripped from its large fangs. The wolf took one step forwards and the three humans took one step back, eyes locked on the monster. Suddenly, the creature lunged forwards with a bark. Jake screamed as the creature just barely missed John's arm with a snap of its jaws.

Matt's body snapped into instinctive action. He forgot about his dizziness and pain as he spun his sword in a gleaming twirl. The monster turned its attention from its prey to the sudden threat of the swordsman. It leapt backwards, snarling defiantly at the blond. Matt stepped forwards, away from the two boys, and glared at the wolf. For a long moment, the two simply stared at each other.

Behind Matt, the two young boys were frozen in panic. "There's no way he can win. He's wounded and he doesn't even know how to use that weapon," John thought in terror. He protectively pulled Jake close to him, "We should run while it's attacking him." Nodding to himself, John began to inch to the side.

Matt was staring the wolf down and saw the flicker of movement as the wolf's eyes shifted to something behind him. The swordsman seized the momentary distraction and slashed forward so quickly that he became a blur of movement. The wolf dodged enough to avoid being slain in that first attack, but let out a high-pitched yelp as the blade still sliced across its shoulder. The beast whirled and snapped at the swordsman's off-arm. Matt hissed in pain and slammed his sword hilt down on the wolf's head, dazing the creature enough to twist his arm free. Both fighters broke away to circle warily. Black blood ran from the cut on the wolf's shoulder and red blood dripped from the deep punctures in Matt's arm.

Jake's fear had faded into awe as he watched Matt holding his own against the wolf. He had been terrified when the monster had first appeared, but the swordsman had launched into action almost immediately. The fearless assault reinforced in Jake's mind that Matt was some traveling knight.

John blinked in stunned amazement, plan for escape forgotten. He had never expected Matt to launch the first attack. and when the wolf had bitten the blond he had thought that was it. The teen could hardly believe what the swordsman's pain tolerance had to be for him to be able to bash the monster and tear his arm free with only a hiss to show any discomfort. John began to think that everything would be fine when Matt stumbled slightly in his smooth motions. The teen's heart lurched in fear and he let out a shout as the wolf detected the hitch that signaled a weakness, snarling as it lunged forward again.

Matt was beginning to feel the pain and dizziness of his head wound again. The world twisted in his vision slightly, throwing off his balance. The swordsman recovered quickly, but he knew the wolf would have caught the miniscule shift in movement. Grimly, he noted that he was right as the beast leapt forwards, triumph flashing in its eyes. The monster slammed into Matt and the pair went down. The wolf's snarl broke off with a choked yelp as the blond used its own momentum against it, allowing the monster to impale itself on his sword. The gleaming red eyes dulled and the wolf fell limp.

The swordsman let out a sigh of relief as he heaved the wolf's body off of him. Standing up, he planted his foot against the corpse and yanked his weapon free. Matt turned to the boys standing behind him, blood still dripping from his arm. He could see both of them shaking as they gaped between the dead monster and the bleeding swordsman. "Looks like I do know how to use this sword," he joked with a tired grin. The humor snapped the two out of their daze and their faces broke into huge awe-filled smiles.

"That was amazing!" John cried. He shook his head, "I thought for sure that we were all dead when that monster showed up. Usually monsters that large takes at least three fighters, but you took it out all by yourself!"

"You're the best knight ever!" Jake cheered, "I bet you can beat anything!"

Matt gave them another tired smile, "It just clicked. I guess I must fight things a lot. Anyway, shouldn't we be getting you two back home? I'm sure your parents are worried."

John's eyes widened, "Oh, shoot, that's right!" He gave Matt a worried look, "Are you going to be okay to get back? It isn't much further, but still…"

"I made it this far and fought an oversized pooch; I think I'll be okay to walk to wherever you need to go," Matt said with a shrug.

John nodded, "Okay. Mom and dad should be able to help patch you up some, too." He turned to his brother who was still staring at the battered swordsman with shining eyes, "Jake, be completely quiet on the way home, the less noise we make, the better."

The young boy nodded and covered his mouth with both hands, and the three continued along the dirt path. John constantly threw worried glances at Matt. The swordsman's feet had begun dragging and his breath came in pants. His blue eyes were dull with exhaustion and pain, yet he kept his sword in hand, just in case. The bite mark on his arm had stopped bleeding in a stream, but Matt held it stiffly to avoid breaking the wound open. Jake waved his hand silently, prompting John to turn his head with his eyebrows raised in question.

"I think I hear someone," the young boy whispered.

Sure enough; now that John was paying attention, he realized he could hear worried voices calling out in the darkness. His face spilt into a smile. "It's mom and dad! They must be looking for us," he said with relief. He raised his voice, "We're over here!"

The calling voices died out briefly before rising again, this time with joy. Soon, two people came running up the path, carrying torches to light the way. As soon as they saw the missing young boys they ran even faster. The man reached them first. He fell to his knees and pulled Jake and John into a hug. The woman came up behind him and also wrapped her arms around them.

For a few seconds the family spoke all at the same time. John insisted they were fine, and that no, he was not crying—he was too old to cry. Jake babbled near-incoherently about a hero-knight and a wolf. Their mother cried about how glad she was that her babies were safe as she pressed kisses to their foreheads. Their father scolded the pair and said they were grounded for life. The happy reunion was cut off by a dull thud and clatter as Matt finally passed out.

John whipped around, breaking free of his mother's smothering hug at the sound. He cried out in dismay at the sight of Matt lying on the ground. "Mom, dad you've have to help him! He saved us from a huge Horned Wolf!"

Jake piped up, "Yeah! It was awesome; Matt's the bestest knight ever! You've gotta save him!"

Their parents' eyes widened at the sight of the huge bite mark on the blonde's arm that had begun oozing blood again. The man swore under his breath and immediately moved to heave Matt up by hooking the blonds arm over his shoulder. He grunted at the surprising weight as he stood up straight. "John, grab his sword and both of you stay close until we're back inside," the man ordered. John dragged Heaven's Gate along the ground as his father hauled Matt the rest of the way to their home.

As soon as they were inside the small cottage, their father carefully laid Matt down on John's bed. "Mary, get me a bowl of the water we were boiling for tea and some clean rags, please," the man said. The woman nodded briskly and rushed about, bringing her husband the requested items plus a tin of herbal disinfectant. The man turned to his sons who were staring at the unconscious blond with wide eyes, "Your dinners are being kept warm by the fire, so go eat. Your mother and I will take care of your new friend. You can tell us about him after we're done, okay?" The boys nodded, and John leaned Matt's sword up against the wall by the front door. They both settled down to eat quietly, listening to the low voices of their parents as they worked to patch up Matt.

The man accepted a clean rag and dipped it in the bowl of steaming water. Wringing it out to get rid of the excess water, he carefully and gently cleaned the sticky, half-dried blood from Matt's arm. As soon as the blood was cleared, his wife smeared a generous amount of the herbal salve on the teeth marks and wrapped a second cloth tightly around the wound, knotting it to hold it there. Matt only shifted once throughout the entire process, during the cleaning, but he didn't awaken. The man frowned at the blood along the blonde's hairline. He carefully turned Matt's head to the side to find the source and sucked in a breath at the nasty gash on the back of the man's head. "Mary, can you hold his hair out of the way while I clean this?" he asked in a quiet voice.

"Of course, dear," his wife murmured. She winced in sympathy at the wound and watched as her husband carefully dabbed it clean before rubbing some of the salve into the cut and pressed a small piece of folded cloth to it. The woman moved to grab some bandages that she then carefully wrapped around the blonde's head to cover the wound. The pair stepped back and sighed, cleaning their hands on the leftover towels.

"Okay, now why don't you two tell us about this young man," the woman said in a soft voice, turning to face her children. "You mentioned that he saved you from a Horned Wolf?"

John swallowed his last mouthful of food and nodded. Together, he and Jake explained everything from when they had found Matt up to when their parents had come. The couple's faces twitched into smiles as Jake insisted that Matt was a heroic knight. Their father had to hush them several times when their voices rose in excitement as they described the battle against the wolf.

"He was so fast I couldn't see him move," John said in an awe-filled tone. His voice quieted some as he admitted, "I thought we were done for when the thing showed up. I didn't think Matt had a chance—especially since he wasn't even sure he knew how to use the sword he was carrying. I was thinking maybe Jake and I could run for it while the wolf was busy with Matt."

Jake twisted to stare at his brother, "You wanted to leave Matt there? But he fought so hard for us!"

Their mother interrupted any argument that might have sprung up. "I'm sure John was just thinking about your safety, Jake," she soothed, "Besides, Matt won the fight and you all made it here mostly okay."

"She's right. You both should thank him when he wakes up tomorrow," their father said, glancing back at the sleeping swordsman. He turned back to his sons, "Now then, time for bed. John, you'll have to share Jake's bed. I know it's small, but Matt needs to rest peacefully if he's to recover. You can take the extra quilt from our bed." The two boys glanced at each other and nodded. "Good, then off you go! Goodnight."

"Goodnight, you two," their mother said, giving them each a kiss on the tops of their heads.

The two boys scurried off and there was a short, muffled argument as they fought over who had to sleep on the edge. Finally, John gave a huge yawn and let Jake crawl in first. The two boys quickly fell asleep as the excitement of the last few hours caught up to them. Their parents watched the two sleeping boys fondly before moving to sit down. Mary poured some tea into two cups and slid one over to her husband.

"Amnesia, huh?" the man mused with a frown. "He seems like a nice enough of a man from the boys' description of him. It's going to be hard to feed him, though. We barely have enough money to feed ourselves and the kids."

"Well, we can hardly kick the poor boy out with those wounds and no memory, Harold. Besides, he saved both our son's lives," Mary chided gently. She sighed, "If only the king would stop calling for more money."

Harold nodded, "I know, I'm just pointing out an obvious and serious issue. I wonder where he came from and how he ended up on the trail with no memory. The boys think he's an excellent fighter, so I doubt anyone who fought him would have left him there alive." He gave a soft laugh, "Although, they may be exaggerating the tale. I find it hard to believe that one injured man brought down a full-grown Horned Wolf by himself."

"They do seem to have a bit of a hero worship going for the boy," Mary said with a smile. She frowned thoughtfully, "Maybe he's a sellsword? That would explain the combat experience."

"Doubtful, the king has been snapping up all mercenaries and fighting men for his army, and any who don't join go 'missing'," Harold said. He glanced at Matt's gleaming sword where it leaned against the door, "I suppose we'll just have to wait until he's recovered enough to give us an example of his skill." He turned back to his wife, "In the meantime, we need to figure out some way to feed him."

Mary hummed thoughtfully, "We can always have slightly smaller portions until he is well enough to walk. I'm sure he can help out somehow to earn his keep. Maybe, if he's as good as the boys' claim he is, he can hunt for some extra meat."

Harold sighed, "I suppose that will have to do. I hope he recover's soon. And I suppose it's possible he has friends who are looking for him. John did mention a letter signed by a 'Lance,' after all." His face darkened, "We should keep an eye on him while he recovers and not tell anyone he's here. He may have gotten that head wound from being on the wrong side of the wrong people."

"I don't much like the thought, but it is possible," Mary murmured. She drained the rest of her tea and stood up, "Now come, let us be off to sleep ourselves. Morning is always sooner than we think."

DDDDDD

Matt woke with a throbbing in his head. He turned his head to the side with a grimace, trying to ease the pain. The blond could hear familiar voices speaking quietly nearby. He slowly slid his eyes open to see who it was and found himself lying in a small, room. He could see through an open door leading to the main part of the cottage. John and Jake were sitting at a small wooden table, eating some kind of porridge. A fire crackled in the hearth nearby.

The swordsman swallowed thickly and called out to them in a hoarse voice, "Hey you two, d'you mind getting me some water?"

The two boys spun to face Matt, with spoons sticking out of their mouths and identical wide-eyed stares. John pulled the spoon put of his mouth and stood up, motioning for Jake to get the injured blond some water while he walked over to the door. The older boy poked his head outside, calling for his mom. Meanwhile, Jake carried a tin cup full of water over to Matt and waited it until the blond had pushed himself upright before handing it over.

Matt gulped the cool liquid down. He sighed in relief as his headache died down somewhat and gave Jake a small smile, "Thanks, I needed that." He frowned suddenly, "Are you and your brother okay? You didn't get attacked after I passed out, did you?"

A woman's voice answered him, "Other than from a scolding from their father for being out so late, no."

Matt twisted his head to see a woman with long brown hair pulled into a braid standing in the doorway with John by her side. Her brown eyes were staring at the blond sitting on the bed with an unreadable look one her face. Matt gave a sheepish grin, "That might be my fault. They found me unconscious and it distracted them from being home on time. I'm sorry it put them in danger."

The woman's face softened some, "No, it isn't your fault." She gave her two sons a stern look, "They had gone too far out to be back in time, anyway; despite their parents' many warnings not to do so." She turned back to Matt with a smile, "My name is Mary and I'm the mother of these two rascals. They tell me your name is Matt, but you don't know much more than that." Mary stepped forward and looked Matt over critically, "Before we get into that, though, how are you feeling?"

"Pretty good, actually," Matt said with a grin, "My head hurts some, but it already feels much better than yesterday. My arm doesn't hurt almost at all."

Mary blinked, "Really? That's surprising; it was a very deep bite." She moved to sit on a stool at Matt's bedside, "Let me see your arm, please?" The swordsman held out the injured limb to be unwrapped. The cloth bandage fell away to reveal that the bite mark had already healed significantly, drastically reduced in depth and redness from the night before. "Amazing!" Mary gasped. She carefully prodded the wound in a couple of places, but Matt hardly twitched. "You must have magic in your blood to heal this quickly. I don't think this even needs a wrap anymore."

Matt frowned, "Magic? I don't know, maybe." He paused as a vague thought formed in his mind of a pillar of fire rising from the ground at the tip of his sword. "Actually, I think you might be right," the blonde said slowly, "I kinda remember using magic to attack."

Jake, who had managed to stay silent up to that point, squealed, "You can use magic too?!" He turned to his brother, "A bag-of-holding, a shiny sword, and he can use magic? I'm telling you, he's a real hero!"

"Boys, go play outside," Mary suddenly said, having caught the wince Matt had given at the high-pitched noise.

"But Mooomm, he just woke up…" Jake whined, his brother pouting next to him.

Their mother gave them a stern look and pointed at the door, "You can talk to him later. For now, I need to ask him some things and it will be easier without you two being distracting. Now go outside, but don't go far." She watched with an amused look as they two boys pouted and grumbled, but headed out the door. Mary turned back to Matt to see him also smiling after them, "They've taken quite a liking to you. You're all they would talk about at breakfast."

Matt grinned, "They're good kids. I'm glad they're okay." he glanced at the woman sitting next to him, "And you and your husband. I was worried that we were still far from your house when I passed out. I guess we couldn't have been too far, though. Thank you for taking care of me."

"It was the least we could do after you saved our boys' lives," Mary said with a smile and a wave of her hand, "I hope they weren't a bother to you. Jake is very energetic and John can be worse, sometimes,"

"They were fine. John was very helpful and kind," Matt assured her. He grinned, "Jake was nice too, although he seemed to want to sell my sword for some reason. Now he seems to think I'm some kind of bedtime hero." His face softened into a somewhat nostalgic smile, "They remind me of someone, but I can't remember who."

Mary frowned, "That was one of the things I wanted to talk to you about. John told us that you don't remember much of anything and that it took reading your name on a letter to figure it out; is that right?" She watched as Matt nodded. Her face was sympathetic as she went on, "Well, he also said the two names gave you some vague ideas and you say my two boys remind you of someone. Maybe all you need are some familiar things to remind you."

Matt smiled uncertainly, "I hope so. I can't remember much of anything about myself. I-I think I have a few friends, but I can't remember their faces or names, and they weren't around when John and Jake found me." He looked over at his sword by the door, "That weapon is familiar to me too, but I don't know when or how I got it. I wasn't even sure I knew how to use it until I fought that wolf; instinct just sort of kicked in."

"I'm sure you'll remember everything soon," the woman assured him with a warm smile. She frowned slightly, "My husband, Harold, and I were skeptical about the boys' description of the size of the wolf. They seemed to think it was a full grown one. Harold went to find the corpse today, but for now can you tell me what you remember of it?"

"I don't think I've ever seen anything like it before—not that that means much right now—so I don't know what a grown one would look like," Matt said, "Its shoulders reached my own, if that helps, though."

With a surprised huff, Mary leaned back, "That would be a full grown one, all right. I'm amazed that you defeated it all on your own, especially with that head wound you have." She shook her head, "It's a good thing for our village you killed it since it was prowling close by. We don't have any trained fighters here anymore so it would have taken a large group to kill and there would almost certainly have been casualties. Thank you."

Matt shrugged, "You're welcome. I have the feeling it wasn't the first big monster I've fought."

"I can believe that," Mary mused. Her eyes widened suddenly, "Oh, my, forgive me; I forgot to get you some food! I'm sure you're starving by now." She laughed as the blonde's stomach grumbled and he blushed, "And that answers that! Wait one moment." She bustled away and came back with a bowl of the porridge the boys had been eating earlier. "I'm sorry the portion is so small," Mary apologized. She sighed, "The king keeps raising taxes and we barely have enough money to feed ourselves anymore."

Matt had started eating but froze when he heard that. He lowered the spoon back into the bowl, "I don't want to eat your food if you don't have enough to share."

"No, no, you need to eat," the woman insisted. When Matt remained hesitant she adopted the stern look she had used on her children, "You need to eat if you want to be healthy, so eat that porridge right now, young man." She watched as Matt flinched and began stuffing the food in his mouth. Soon he was finished and she took the bowl away again. "Now then," Mary said, settling back down, "My husband and I agree that we can't throw you out to the world's mercy in your condition, but the lack of food will be a problem." She frowned, "We don't have the money to buy more and a boy your age eats a lot, I'm sure."

The swordsman flinched again, "I don't want to be a bother. I can leave now; I'm well enough to travel."

"No you are not, so don't you dare try. Even if you may be nearly well enough physically, you have no memories and that can be far more dangerous than any wound," the woman snapped. "Besides, we think we have a solution to the problem," she paused until Matt nodded, "The fact that you killed a full-grown Horned Wolf by yourself means that you can certainly hunt for meat. When you're well enough to stand without a pounding headache, we'd like to ask you to go out once in a while to bring back game."

Matt nodded empathetically, "I can do that. I'm not so sure how soon that will be, though. What do you use to buy food around here?"

The woman shrugged, "Oh, gold, jewels, the usual. Sometimes we trade skills or services instead." She shook her head, "I don't think you have any significant amount on you. I'd suggest offering your skills with fighting in exchange for money, but it wouldn't be wise."

"Why not? I could probably do that easily," Matt asked with a frown.

"The king has been rounding up any and all able fighters. Villagers, travelers, mercenaries, even paid bodyguards if their clients are willing to accept money in exchange," the woman explained. She sighed, "We don't know why, but it's true. And the people have never gotten a choice in the matter."

"Oh, that would put a stop to that," Matt said with a frown, "I don't think I like this king-guy very much. He's forcing you to pay more than you can afford and taking strong people away? That seems like trouble." He shook himself, "Anyway, I'd be glad to hunt for some meat when I'm able. In the meantime, maybe you can use these to buy some extra food?" He reached into his pocket and pulled out the gemstones he had found in there the night before.

Mary gasped at the glittering rocks, "Where did you get those? Wait, that's a stupid question, you wouldn't remember." She reached out a hand and Matt poured the jewels into her palm. "These will certainly cover extra food until you are well enough to hunt, and then some," she said with a relieved smile. Suddenly, the woman gave Matt a sharp look, "You don't look like a wanton thief, but I have to be sure. Do you know if you stole these or not? They look to be of very high quality."

Matt shook his head, "I don't think I am. I-I think I got it from beating some monster, but I'm not sure." He winced suddenly, and placed a palm on his forehead, before giving a sudden surprised laugh, "I just remembered something!"

Mary stared at him for a few seconds before a smile spread across her own face, "Oh, really? May I ask what?"

Matt's eyes closed in concentration as he held onto the image that had popped into his mind. "A girl with green hair; she was mad at me for something, but I can't remember what. Anyway, I get the feeling that she was a friend of mine and that she was very nice."

"Green hair? That's an unusual color," Mary mused. She grinned, "Maybe she's your girlfriend?"

"I don't think so," Matt said with a thoughtful frown, "I think she was a friend, but not a girlfriend. Maybe she'll come looking for me."

"I'm only teasing, don't worry. I'm sure your friends will be looking for you. Now then, let me check the cut on the back of your head," Mary said. She waited for Matt to turn around, and then unwrapped the bandage tied around his head. "It looks to be healing nicely; I don't think it needs the bandage anymore. Do you want to try standing up, or would you like to go back to sleep?" the woman asked.

"Standing up, I'm not tired at all," Matt said instantly. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and carefully raised himself to his feet. The room spun for a second, but Mary's firm hand on his shoulder kept the blond from falling back down. "Huh, maybe I'm doing better than I thought. My headache isn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be," Matt said with a grin.

"Are you feeling up to entertaining the boys? I need to run to the store and buy some more food and I'm worried they'll break something or sneak off while I'm gone. They'll be ecstatic to talk to you, so I think they should be pretty well behaved," Mary asked.

Matt nodded, "Sure, I can do that. We can stay outside, too."

"Wonderful, thank you so much," the woman said as they crossed the room, "My husband should be back soon, so you won't need to watch them for long." She opened the door and the two walked outside. "Boys, I'm leaving Matt in charge while I run to the store. Be good for him and keep in mind that he's still injured, okay?" she smiled as the two boys jumped up from where they had been drawing in the dirt and ran over to Matt. "I'll return soon, maybe even before your father," Mary told them and then left down the street.

Matt waved as she walked off then turned to the two boys with a grin, "So how are you two doing?"

Jake jumped up and down, "I'm doing okay! Can you show us some magic? Or a fancy sword move? Or-"

"Jake, stop," John interrupted, "He's still recovering remember?" The older boy turned to Matt, "I'm glad you're up—Dad thought you wouldn't be until dinner or later." He smiled suddenly, "Thank you for saving us last night! The way you took that huge monster out on your own was awesome!"

"You're welcome, I'm glad you're both okay," Matt said with a grin. He turned to Jake, "I don't think I could show you any magic even if I was well enough to try; I don't remember how. Also, I've been told that fighting is a bad thing to show off right now, but we can have a play fight when I'm better, if you want."

"Oh, wow, really?" John said excitedly, "I want to try fighting you, too! Jake is too small to be a very good opponent." He paused, "Wait, are you staying here?"

"For now," Matt confirmed with a shrug. He smiled as the two boys jumped around cheering before he got a weird look on his face, "Your mother seems to think running around with no memory is a bad idea."

Jake stopped bouncing and grinned, "She scolded you, didn't she? She can be scary sometimes."

Matt nodded with a laugh, "She sure can be. Anyway, what were you two doing before we came out here?"

"Drawing," Jake said. He grabbed Matt's hand and tugged him over to the patch of dirt to proudly show some crude figures scratched on the ground.

There was a stick figure with a long triangle in one hand, attacking a slightly better drawn four legged creature with jagged teeth and a horn. The monster had X's for eyes and its tongue was hanging out.

"Is that me killing the wolf?" Matt asked with an amused grin.

"Yup! Jake drew you, and I drew the wolf," John said with a big smile, "You have to be the strongest person we've ever seen! I wish I could fight like you do!"

Matt gave a slightly embarrassed laugh, "I'll take your word for it."

Unknown to the three standing over the drawing in the dirt, a man with short black hair was watching them with a fond smile. He finally spoke up, "You almost certainly are. I saw what you did to that wolf; very impressive."

Matt spun around and stepped protectively between the man and the boys. A split second later, he recognized the stranger from the night before and relaxed. "It was luck, mostly. If the thing hadn't lunged at me, I might not have beaten it," Matt said with a smile. "You must be their dad. Their mom went to the store to get some more food."

"I am indeed," the man said with a smile. He stepped forward and held his hand out, "My name's Harold. I'm glad to see you up already. Thanks for keeping an eye on these two; both last night and just now."

Shaking the offered hand the blond grinned, "You already know my name's Matt and you're welcome." He gave a laugh, "But really, they saved me. I wouldn't have woken up if Jake hadn't poked me with a stick and John took charge getting us to your house. I probably would have been eaten if they hadn't. Also, thanks for taking care of me and letting me stay."

Harold smiled, "Of course. Now what's this about Mary going to get some food? I'm pretty sure we don't have the money for that right now."

"I gave her some gems I found in my pocket," Matt explained with a shrug. "I told her I'd be happy to bring game back when I'm able to hunt," he added.

"Really?" the man asked, "Well, that will make this much easier on all of us. Thank you."

At that moment, the woman walked into the yard with a basket full of food. She walked over and gave her husband a quick kiss; the two younger boys 'ewwed' at the display, covering their eyes in disgust. Their parents broke away and grinned down at them, while Matt laughed.

"I got all of this for one gem, and they gave me some gold, too" Mary said with a broad smile. She tried to return the remaining four crystals to Matt.

The swordsman waved his hands in front of him, "No, no, no. If you guys are going to be boarding me then keep the gems. If there are any left by the time I leave then we'll talk, but for now keep and use them however you want."

The woman hesitated and glanced at her husband who shrugged. "Very well, thank you so much," she said finally, lowering her hand. She glanced down at the drawing on the ground and laughed, "What a fine masterpiece! We're raising little artists, Harold."

The two boys pouted as their dad laughed. "Nuh-uh, I'm going to be an awesome swordsman," Jake insisted.

John nodded his head fervently in agreement, "Me, too!" He made a face, "Who wants to sit in a dusty room painting all day?"

Matt grinned, "Not me!"

""Fine, fine, you two will be amazing swordsmen, like Matt," their mother chuckled.

"That's right! I'm going to better than anyone!" Jake said with a puffed out chest.

"Well, before you can do that, you need to do your chores," his father said with smile, "I don't see those leaves raked up like I asked you to do when I left."

The two boys groaned and complained, but headed off to a small shed across the yard. There was some clattering and then they emerged holding two battered wooden rakes. The two parents watched with exasperated smiles as their children continued to groan as they worked.

"Should I help them?" Matt asked with an unenthused look on his face.

Mary grinned at him, "No, you're still recovering. We'll see about chores for you later. For now, come inside and have some more water, you're still looking pale."

"I don't think guests should be doing housework, dear," Harold mentioned.

"If they're going to be living with us for a long time, they should," his wife shot back.

Matt sighed, "Sadly, I have to agree with you, Miss."

"You can call me Mary, sweetie," the woman told him, leading the way back indoors. She settled Matt down at the table and bustled about bringing him a tin cup full of water and a couple slices of the bread she had bought. She then set about slicing up vegetables and meat to make a stew for dinner.

Harold and Matt talked while she worked. The older man was interested in anything the swordsman could remember about himself. Matt wanted to know everything he could about the village and surrounding area. Matt told them that he didn't recognize any of the names of places and people they mentioned. They told him that the few monsters and other things he could remember didn't sound familiar to them at all. There was a brief discussion of the king's recent policy of high taxes and building up of his military. It seemed to Matt that the man was getting ready to attack somebody, but Mary and Harold couldn't think of who or why. They said the neighboring kingdom was on good terms with them currently. The boys walked in from the yard just as the stew finished. There weren't enough seats at the table, so Matt offered to wait until they finished before eating. John said that he didn't mind eating on the floor or on his bed—which was what ended up happening—but that brought up the problem of where Matt would sleep.

"Just give me a blanket or two and I'll be fine on the floor," Matt said.

Mary frowned, "That doesn't sound very comfortable."

"I'll be fine," he insisted, "Besides, I can't ask one of you to give up your bed while I'm here. Your family is doing so much for me already by just letting me stay until I recover or my friends show up."

Finally, the woman reluctantly agreed, but only after the blonde's wounds had completely healed. "I don't want those getting infected from the dirty floor," she said.

Matt sighed, but agreed to the terms and the rest of the meal was finished in relative quiet. Harold looked at Matt's bite wound and the back of his head. He commented that he was amazed at the blonde's recovery rate and that he figured Matt would be good enough to hunt in a couple of days, maybe even the next day. Soon after, the five people headed for bed. Jake and John squabbled over who had to sleep on the edge again, but their mother put a stop to it by saying it was Jake's bed, therefore he should decide. Matt promised that he would be better soon and then John would have his own bed back.

The next morning saw that Matt's injuries were completely healed. He shrugged at the exclamations of surprise the others gave and said he didn't know if that was normal or not, but he was glad that at least he could be helpful now. Harold smiled and assured the swordsman that he was not any huge burden.

Later that day, Matt headed out with Harold to see how good the blond actually was with a sword. Jake and John pleaded to come along, but their father firmly stated that they were still grounded and tracking monsters was dangerous. To the two boys' disappointment, Matt agreed. They were somewhat placated with a promise to tell them all about it when he returned.

The pair of men hadn't been out of sight of the village for long when they were attacked by a large toad. The animal reached to about Matt's waist in height, and its head was covered in rounded horns. The thing croaked at the pair and Matt motioned for Harold to stand back. The man hesitated, gripping his hunting bow, but followed the silent command. The fight was over in seconds. Matt dashed forwards and in two blinding swings, the toad lay dead on the ground.

"That's amazing! John was right: you move too fast for the untrained eye to follow easily," Harold said in admiration.

Matt shrugged, "I must have been doing this for a living, or something. I can just… tell the best way to attack a monster. And my body has no problems following through with attacks."

The older man whistled, "You seem a bit young to have that kind of experience, but it must be true." He frowned, "I wonder if you're with the king's mobile unit. They're said to be strong and versatile fighters."

Matt frowned, "Maybe. I can kind of remember being part of a small team. That green-haired girl was part of it as well as two, maybe three others?" He shook his head, "The idea of a king still seems foreign to me, though."

"I doubt you were if there was a girl on your team. The king never hires women for combat service," Harold mused. The man gave himself a shake, "Well, regardless, you're as good as the boys claimed or better. Should we see if we can't find some more tasty game?"

Matt grinned and said, "Lead the way!"

The pair returned a few hours later dragging a wild pig. Matt skinned and cleaned the meat before slicing it into smaller pieces. Meanwhile, Harold piled some green wood chips in a large hollowed tree trunk with a small door at the bottom and angled roof at the top. Soon, they hung the pieces of meat up inside the trunk and lit the chips on fire. Smoke filled the tree and they shut the door capturing the smoke so that it would preserve the meat. A little smoke floated out of a small gap in the roof of the log and dissipated on a light breeze.

"That should hold us for meat for a while," Harold said with a content smile. "Thanks, Matt. Hunting alone can be dangerous, I'm grateful for the experienced help."

"No problem, it was fun," Matt said with a grin.

DDDDDD

Several weeks passed like that. Days were filled with helping around the yard and house, having play fights with stick with John and Jake, or hunting in the fields and forests surrounding the quiet village. Matt remembered small things every now and then, but they were hazy memories and weren't substantial enough to figure out where he came from. The tidbits seemed to point to being a mercenary from a distant land, but they couldn't figure out how the blond had wound up unconscious and alone on the trail.

It was apparent that while Matt was happy living with the small family, he itched to be traveling. He didn't like sitting still, he told them. He felt he was supposed to be doing something, or searching for someone, but he didn't know who or what. Mary and Harold told him to wait a little longer. They said they understood his having wanderlust, but insisted Matt stay with them until he either remembered enough about himself to be safe or until one of his friends found him. Matt chafed at that, but agreed that it was probably the smart thing to do.

The peaceful life ended abruptly one day. A small contingent of the royal guardsmen rode into the small village, demanding more money from the residents. If someone didn't cough up enough cash, they were hauled away in chains. When the men came to the door of the house Matt was staying at, Mary told the boys to stay in their bedroom while she dealt with the soldiers. The swordsman frowned, but agreed so as to avoid trouble. He went into the room with Jake and John, shut the door most of the way, and listened to the conversation outside.

The woman gave one of the remaining two jewels over, saying that was all they had to offer. The men exchanged glances and their leader said that it wasn't enough. One man suggested a different kind of payment, his tone saying exactly what they wanted. Mary firmly refused, but offered to give them some fresh bread she had just baked and smoked meat instead. There was a brief discussion and the soldiers agreed. While the woman gathered up the food, two of the men grabbed her and she began shouting and struggling.

Matt burst out of the room and tackled on of the guards. He delivered a solid punch to a guard's throat that left the man wheezing for air and stood back up. His sudden appearance and attack stunned the men, but they quickly recovered. The soldiers released Mary, who scrambled out of reach with wide eyes. The men ignored her and sized up the young man standing before them, glaring with his hands curled into fists. With a vicious grin the leader tilted his head at the blond and three men surged forwards. Matt ducked under their grabbing arms and darted outside. He heard shouts from behind him as all of the guards followed him into the yard. He turned his head, trying to keep an eye on all eight of them as they spread out to surround him.

"Well, at least they're away from the others," Matt thought grimly, eyeing the men who circled him. He wished he hadn't left his sword inside, but figured it was probably a good thing. It would be far easier to fake being a weak fighter if he didn't have a weapon. "This is going to hurt," the swordsman thought as the leader ordered them to attack.

The next few minutes were a blur of motion and pain. Matt managed to avoid taking too many hits to the face or head, but by the time the guards finished, his entire body was covered in bruises and cuts. He let out a few coughs and blood splattered on the ground as the men stepped back and laughed. While his vision slowly faded, he heard the leader say one last thing: "I suppose that bit of fun is enough payment. Let's go boys—we have a few more houses to visit." As they tromped off, Matt gave a small sigh of relief and passed out.

As soon as the men were gone, Mary, John, and Jake came running out of the house to check on Matt. The woman gasped at the wounds covering Matt's body. She immediately ordered Jake to set some water to boil in the kettle and John to help her drag the blond inside. The two boys leapt into motion and soon Matt was lying on an old blanket on the floor with Mary carefully cleaning what cuts she could. Jake and John stood nearby, faces pale as they watched and fetched whatever their mother needed. Tears filled Mary's eyes as she found out that Matt had a couple of broken ribs and his left arm was dislocated at the shoulder. A sudden banging noise from the door slamming wide open had the woman looking up to see Harold panting in the door.

"I heard from our neighbor there was a commotion here while I was at the store and came as fast as I could," the man said rapidly. His eyes fell on Matt's beaten form on the floor and he gasped, "Gods above, what happened?"

Mary sniffed and wiped the tears in her eyes away, "They came here for more money and what I gave them wasn't enough. When they asked for a different form of payment I offered some food, and it seemed like they would take that. But when I turned to get the food, they grabbed me."

"What? Are you okay?" her husband asked frantically.

"Yes, but only because Matt came flying out and attacked them," she said with a sob, "He led them outside, but he didn't have his sword on him and they beat him—badly." The woman gestured at the blonde's chest, "They broke at least two ribs, his shoulder is dislocated, he's covered in bruises and cuts, and his breathing sounds off. He needs proper medical treatment and no one here will know enough to help."

Harold sucked in a deep breath, "I heard from a traveler that there's a talented healer who's been seen nearby. Let me go and beg him to find that person and bring them here." He didn't wait for a reply and ran back out the door.

John spoke up in a small voice, "Is Matt gonna be okay?"

"I hope so. If there really is a healer nearby, then yes. If not…" Mary's voice trailed off with a worried sigh.

Jake sniffled, "But he's gotta be okay! Who's gonna tell me all about monsters if he isn't?"

His mother stood up and pulled her sons in for a hug, "I'm sure your father will find this healer and bring them here. Don't worry. In the meantime, we need to be strong and help Matt however we can, alright?"

Both boys wiped their eyes and nodded. At that moment their father came running back in, "The traveler said he would do his best. He knows where the healer was headed for next and it isn't far from here. He promised to be back in a couple of days with them."

Mary gave a relieved sigh, "That's wonderful." She lowered her voice to a whisper so the boys couldn't hear, "Now we just need to make sure Matt is still with us in a couple of days."

Harold nodded with a worried frown. "You're right," he said quietly, "He doesn't look good. I think we should avoid moving him as much as possible and keep the wounds we can see clean."

DDDDDD

Matt woke a day later with a horrible ache all over his body and feeling cold. He groaned in discomfort and heard footsteps rush over to him. The blond pried his eyes open to see a blurry face hovering in his vision. He closed his eyes and opened his mouth to try to say something, but couldn't get anything past his dry throat. A gentle hand slid under his head and lifted it up slightly. A cup pressed against his lips and he gratefully swallowed the water. Opening his eyes again after the cup was empty he found that he could make out the worried face of Mary leaning over him. "Are you okay?" he whispered.

The woman gave a teary laugh, "I should be asking you that. I'm fine, thanks to you." She frowned worriedly, "You're very injured, we sent for a healer. But for now, how do you feel?"

Matt took a long time to process that question. "Very sore and freezing," he finally croaked, "Can I have another blanket?" Mary stood up to fetch the requested covering. When she got back, Matt had already passed out again.

Harold came in from outside to see her gently tucking another light blanket around the injured blond. "How's he doing?" the man asked in concern.

"He woke up and drank some water. He asked how I was doing and said that he's in pain and cold," his wife replied. She looked up with fear in her eyes, "He's already running a fever, Harold. I'm worried that he won't make it until the healer arrives."

With a swallow, the man stared at the young man on the floor. "He will," he said in a fragile, hopeful tone, "He's young and strong. He'll make it until the healer comes."

Mary sighed, "You're right. We can't believe otherwise until it's true."

DDDDDD

Matt woke sporadically and for indeterminate amounts of time. He couldn't make sense of what he saw before he passed out again. Pain was a constant, as was the shifting feeling of being too cold or too hot. He thought he heard Mary speaking to him but then it seemed like the voice morphed into Jake or John. His dreams were filled with monsters he hadn't seen before and places he couldn't remember going to, but he recognized all the same. He saw shadowy figures in each of them, but couldn't see their faces or hear their voices, and when he called out to them they didn't respond. At one point he thought he could see the guards again and he thrashed, needing to stop them only to find hands pinning him down. A jumble of voices whispered unintelligible, soothing words until he was out once more. Harold swam into view at one point, telling him to hold on. Matt wanted to ask what he was supposed to hold onto and why, but he couldn't get his tongue to form the words.

Finally a face he didn't recognize, but seemed so familiar, appeared. A young woman with long orange hair stared at him, ringed by light. Tears formed in her blue eyes and she seemed shocked as spoke, but Matt couldn't figure out what she said. A cool and soothing feeling washed over the blonde's body. He welcomed the sensation as it melted into his skin and bones, coating aches and pains. A second equally pleasant sensation followed on the heels of the first. When the feeling evaporated, it took the constant pain and unbearable heat with it. Matt felt comfortable for the first time in days. He tried to say something, to thank whoever had helped, but his body rebelled and his mind slowly drifted once more. The last thing he heard was an achingly familiar—and yet not—voice whispering his name in a tone of disbelief and joy.


A/N: I have given Matt anime amnesia, or animesia, for short! He'll get over it eventually, though, don't worry. I loved writing for John and Jake; especially Jake. xD So we've got a crappy king, violent and abusive soldiers, the party is split up, and Matt's got animesia. Yup, this sounds like a pretty standard RPG plot, don't you think? Anyway, next chapter will be Natalie.

This story is also self-edited, so let me know if there are any horrific errors. Now, leave me a review and I will be back to post the next chapter at some point!