Outside the Glade

Author's Note:

Finally the next chapter is up. Thank you to everyone who has followed, favorite and reviewed this story so far!

Just as a note, I will be changing the summary of this story since the one that I have written was very vague. (More information at the author's note at the end of the chapter)

Without further ado, chapter 2.

"Showered by the empty hopes,

As I tumble down, falling fast to the ground."

-Crystals, Of Monsters and Men

Thomas' feet crunching on the dirt road beneath him was all that kept him from madness. The fog had thickened as he advanced into the woods to the point where he couldn't even see his own hands. In all directions, above, beneath, to the left and right, everything has dissolved into pure whiteness.

At this point, Thomas had very little of reality left to hold onto. He couldn't see anything, he couldn't hear, anything, he couldn't smell anything, he couldn't even touch anything; whenever he reach out, there was nothing around him. The Glade felt like a distant memory, the concept of time was lost to him, and nothing felt real anymore. It was frightening.

Several times he has considered turning around and returning to the Glade, but something drove him on. Surely it wasn't courage or bravery that made him continue on his path, he was most definitely scared. Could it be curiosity?

Nevertheless, Thomas walked on. Left foot. Right foot. Left foot. Right foot. The footsteps were all that kept him sane at that moment. Left. Right. Left. Right…

"Showered by the empty hopes,"

He hears something. It sounds distant. It's coming from all directions.

"Where am I?"

There is shuffling. Someone is there. He's too weak to do anything. Someone is coming, he could tell.

"Is he awake?"

The voice, it's familiar. He can't remember who it belongs to, but it was familiar. It reminds him of safety.

"Can you hear me? If you are awake please say something."

The new voice is unfamiliar. It sounds relief.

He tries to open his mouth, but no words came out.

"As I tumble down, falling fast to the ground."

Thomas opened his eyes to the sound of birds chirping. The songs of the forest felt foreign to his ears, yet he felt like it was something that was commonly heard. Once again, there was no explanation as to something that was familiar, but unfamiliar at the same time.

It made no sense, nothing made sense. Thomas couldn't even remember falling asleep or even stopping. All that he recalled was that he was walking endlessly through whiteness that didn't feel real.

Thomas took note of his surroundings and tried his best to recall what has happened. He knew that he fell asleep, but how, when and where he could not remember. He remembered the Glade however, the safe feeling that now feel so far-off and distant. It was a feeling that was magical almost.

He still had his belongings. His sword was strapped to the left side of his belt while his coin pouch was hanging off of the right side. His bag was laid beside him. A quick check confirmed that he still had everything.

His surrounding was a stark contrast of the haven that was the Glade. It was dark, with several beams of light making it through the hundreds of trees that surrounded him. The trees were green and looked just like how a tree should, but it lacked something that the trees in the Glade had.

Thomas couldn't tell what was missing, but as he looked around, everything felt like it was lacking something that the Glade had.

The earth looked like it is too real to be from the Glade. There was something surreal about the Glade now that Thomas thought about it. In this forest, the trees looked threatening and the sounds of the forest were anything but soothing.

Panic begin taking over Thomas as realization struck him. Where am I? What happened? His new surrounding was so foreign from the only memory he had of reality that it frightened him. He shut his eyes and did his best to slow his beating heart.

Try, just try to remember what happened. Thomas told himself mentally. I was walking, but I couldn't see anything, so I stayed on the path- The Path! Where is it?

Thomas looked around frantically, but he couldn't see any sign of the path, not even a clearing. What is happening to me? Why can't I remember anything?

Thomas was close to hysteria when he suddenly heard the rustling of a nearby bush.

"Hello?" Thomas called out. His voice was raspy from the lack of use, but he managed to croak out the words with some effort. 'Who's there?"

Without thinking Thomas stood up and let his right hand move to grip the handle of his sword. His eyes stayed locked onto the bush that made the sound.

After a few seconds pass, he took a step towards the bush. In a blink of an eye, an arrow flew out of the bush and stuck itself into a tree beside Thomas, narrowly missing him. People begin jumping out of the bushes around Thomas and quickly surrounded him.

All of them were armed with a bows and arrows, although several have swords strapped to their belts. They had their faces covered with scarves and wore light clothing. The group was diverse and consisted of men and women of all ages and colors.

Within a second, Thomas pulled out his sword and held it out awkwardly. He felt like he was holding the sword wrong, like he should be in a different position, but he couldn't remember how he was supposed to hold the sword.

"One more step, hermano, and you would find yourself filled with arrows at places you wouldn't want arrows in."

Thomas instantly turned towards the source of the voice. His hands instinctively pointing the sword at the speaker in a way that felt right in Thomas' hand. The man who spoke had dark skin and was the only person who didn't have a bow and arrow in hand and did not have his face covered. The word Hispanic popped into Thomas' mind although he had no idea what it meant, so he quickly stored the word away.

"Look, I don't want any trouble." Thomas croaked out. "What do you want?"

Thomas had a suspicion that these people wanted his money. Robbery, I believe it's called.

The man in question laughed at the statement. "That makes my job a lot easier." The man said. "You don't look like you have money. Just three questions: where did you come from, where are you going and how can I profit?

Thomas stared at the man for a while. He had a strong built, and his posture radiated confidence. The man was wearing a brown tunic with sleeves that ran the length of his arms, and black pants that reached his boots.

"Who are you?" Thomas asked.

"I'm afraid I'm the one asking the questions around here." The man said as he stepped forward to inspect the boy. "Those who are at a disadvantage are those who speak first. Now answer the questions."

Thomas looked around at the people that surrounded him and decided that there is no point in lying. "I can't remember much, but I work up in a glade in the woods and walked out here. I have no idea where I'm going, I was following a path but I lost it in the night-

"What do you mean you can't remember anything?" The man asked suspiciously as he glanced at the men who surrounded Thomas.

So Thomas told him everything. How he woke up in the Glade with no memory of anything, how the Glade felt comforting. He told him about the fog that surrounded the Glade and how he walked through the fog on a path. As he told his story, Thomas realized how crazy it sounded and worried that the man would not believe him.

The man listened to the boy but showed no sign of any recognition or confusion. There was just a neutral expression on his face as he looked at the boy and listened to the insane story.

"I can't remember how I fell asleep or how I lost the path, but I woke up here and I still can't remember a thing." Thomas finished and searched Jorge's face for a reaction. Still, the man retained a neutral expression.

The man finally raised an eyebrow when Thomas gave up trying to gauge his reaction. "What's your name?"

Thomas blinked, taken aback by the question. "What?"

"Your name?" The man asked. "Can you remember your name?"

Thomas thought about it for a second. He does remember his name, but he didn't notice that his name was the only thing he remembered and was sure of the moment he woke up in the Glade. He was so focused on the things he forgot that he didn't think much about what he could remember. "Thomas. My name is Thomas."

Still, the man was neutral. He shot a quick glance at someone behind Thomas and frowned. "Your name is Thomas? That's the only thing you remember?"

Thomas nodded and decided to take the risk of asking for the man's identity. "So, I told you my name, what's yours?"

"I'm Jorge, king of the bandits." Jorge announced proudly. "And you are someone that is very valuable to me."

Thomas looked around at the bandits that surrounded him with worry. None of them advanced on him, so that's a good sign. "What do you mean?"

Jorge laughed again and answered, "I can never have too many men, and you look like you're handy with the sword." He pointed at the sword that Thomas held in his hand as he spoke the last part of the sentence. "I'll offer you a deal. You come with me. I'll sharpen your skill with the sword. Together, we do business with people who come through these parts and I'll show you the world that your mind fail to remember."

Thomas looked at Jorge for a moment before answering. "You believe me?"

"Of course not!" The man laughed, "But we all have secrets. As long as yours don't get us in danger." The man's tone switched from jovial to menacing within seconds. "So tell me, hermano, will your secrets endanger us?"

Before Thomas could even answer, Jorge held up his hands to stop him from speaking. The king of the bandits had his eyes turned away from Thomas, but he wasn't looking at anything. He was straining his ears to hear something.

Thomas strained his ears, curious as to what caught the attention of his captor. The group was silent for several seconds, but then they heard it, a trumpet. Something told Thomas that it wasn't a normal trumpet that is used to make music. It sounded too loud for that.

Jorge's face twisted into a frown at the sound of the trumpet and muttered something under his breath in a language that Thomas could not understand. Then he turned to the bandits around Thomas and gesture to the bushes with his head.

Suddenly, Thomas was grabbed on all sides. "Hey, let me go. Get off me!" He demanded as he struggled against his captors.

"Shut up you big baby."

At the sound of the voice, Thomas stopped struggling. There was something familiar about the voice, but Thomas couldn't tell what it was. All that he could gather from the voice was that it came from a woman.

As he was dragged into a bush, he racked his mind for any memory of that voice. Two people were tying his hands and feet, which forced him to try harder before they leave him. Suddenly, a name popped into his mind. "Brenda?"

The person who was tying his hands stopped. "How did you know my name?" She asked suspiciously.

He turned to see the person who was so familiar, whose name was Brenda. She was about the same age as Thomas, but was slightly shorter. She had short dark hair and dark eyes. The bottom half of her face was covered by a piece of cloth.

Thomas couldn't help but stare at her. There was something very familiar about her eyes, which was the only part of the face that he could see. As much as he tried, Thomas couldn't quite place where he has seen her before.

"Hurry up!" Jorge called back.

Brenda took one last look at Thomas and then left. "Wait, come back-

The man who tied Thomas' feet shoved a gag into his mouth to stop him from shouting. Thomas struggled ferociously against his restraints, but could not get free.

After nearly a minute of struggling, Thomas realized the futility of trying to escape. He looked around and realized that he has been left alone. He noticed that his bag and sword, which he dropped when the bandits grabbed him, were placed against a nearby tree.

After looking around to make sure that no one was around, Thomas rolled over to his bag. He knew that he probably wouldn't be able to unsheathe his sword with his hands tied, but he might be able to get his knife out of the bag.

When he reached the bag, Thomas grabbed the trunk of the tree and pulled himself into a sitting position. He turned so that hands, which were tied to his back, could reach the bag. He pulled open the sack, which was tied loosely to prevent items from dropping out.

He reached in and dug through what little belongings he had. His hand quickly found the sheathed knife and his fingers wrapped around the leather cover of the blade. He pulled the cutting knife out of the bag and threw off the sheath. The knife made quick work of the ropes on his hands.

In less than a minute, Thomas was free from his restrictions. He grabbed his bag and sword and made a mad dash away from the bandits. He kept his eyes low so that he can see any obstacles on the ground and still be able to avoid any trees that are in his path.

As he ran he heard several shouts of surprise from bushes and trees. The bandits had noticed him and Thomas could only hope that they did not send an arrow into his back.

Looking up, Thomas saw an end to the forest. A clearing stood not too far away. At that moment, he heard the trumpet again and dashed out into the clearing, hoping to find someone who could help him.

The light from the sun blinded him the second he stepped out into the clearing, which forced Thomas to cover his eyes with his right arm. The temporary blindness stopped him for a second until his eyes adjusted enough for him to see ahead and he kept on running. The sun burnt his eyes, but he was more worried about having a few hundred arrows sticking out of his corpse.

His momentum, however, was turned against him as he quickly stumbled and fell. Frantically, Thomas looked around for any immediate danger while letting his eyes adjust to the light.

The forest was quite some distance away, but Thomas quickly realized that he was running along the tree line instead of away from it. Then he heard it again, the trumpet bellowed loud and clear. Thomas could tell that the source of the sound was near.

Looking back, Thomas saw several horses and their riders headed in his direction. The riders were all wearing armors that reflected the light and prevented Thomas from getting a good look at them. But, nevertheless, he stumbled over to them. "Hey! Over here! Help!"

The moment he caught their attention, the horsemen stopped in their tracks. Two of them, covered from head to toes in steel armor, knights, positioned themselves between Thomas and a knight that wore golden armor, who Thomas assumed to be their leader. The two knights unsheathed their blades and held it out, "Halt!"

Thomas did as he was told and stopped a few feet away from the knights.

"Identify yourself and state your business with Sir Newt." The knight on the left demanded.

Thomas felt fear grip his heart, this was definitely not going the way he expected. Could these people be hostile? Thomas was beginning to regret his decision not to stay with the bandits, especially with the women who was so familiar.

'Did you hear me? Identify yourself and state your business!" The knight shouted at Thomas with much more force in his voice.

"Sorry, my- my name is Thomas. There are bandits in the forest. They captured me, but I escape, you have to help me, please." Thomas blurted out.

"Bandits?" a voice with an odd accent questioned.

The voice came from behind the two knights, from the knight in golden armor. From the distance, the armor reflected the sunlight and prevented Thomas from getting a good look at him. All that Thomas could make out was that he was the only knight who was not wearing a helmet.

The knight in golden armor pushed pass his two guards to take a closer look at Thomas. He had golden blond hair which was in a mess from riding the horse at high speeds. He looked young, about Thomas' age, although Thomas couldn't quite remember his age either. A frown was plastered onto the knight's face.

"You were captured by bandits, you say?" The teenager asked, once again with that weird accent.

Thomas nodded in reply. He tried to show that he was confident, but on the inside, he was terrified. He really hoped that this person was friendly.

The knight studied Thomas for a second and then turned his attention to the forest that was nearby. His frown never left his face as he stared at the forest. He was contemplating his next course of action. He muttered something about "bloody bandits" and turned back to Thomas.

"Alright, I believe you." He said. "You have my gratitude… Thomas, was it?"

Thomas nodded. "Yeah, that's my name."

"I am Sir Newt Sangster, Lord of the Sangster Manor." The noble, whose name is Sir Newt, introduced himself. "I can offer you asylum from the bandits in my manor. The bandits around these parts are usually vengeful, but you will be safe in my lands."

Thomas was about to reply when an arrow struck one of the knights in the arm. The knight screamed and nearly fell off his horse, but quickly steadied himself.

Another arrow went flying through the air and struck the Sir Newt in the right knee. His cry of pain caught the attention of the other knights, "Protect Sir Newt!"

The knights formed a circle around the noble and Thomas and held up their shields to protect themselves. But even with their shields up, the knights fell left and right from the arrows that were flying towards them.

Something wasn't right, Thomas could tell. Normal arrows shouldn't be able to puncture through such hard armor. Thomas's eyes searched the tree line for their attackers, and when he saw them, his eyes widened. The bandits were using crossbows, which were much stronger than a bow and arrow.

"We have to get out of here!" Thomas shouted at the knights.

"We're not leaving without Sir Newt." One of them replied.

Thomas turned to the noble and found him barely able to control his frightened horse. In one fluid motion, Thomas jumped behind Sir Newt and grabbed the reins, taking control of the horse.

"What do you think you're bloody doing?" Newt demanded through gritted teeth.

"I'm saving your life. Order your men to retreat." Thomas instructed the noble.

Newt looked like he was about to challenge Thomas but thought better of it and shouted at his men. "We're getting out of here! Retreat!"

The knights fell back with Thomas and Sir Newt in the lead. Still, one or two knights were shot down by the crossbow before the group escaped out of the range of the crossbows.

Turning back, Thomas could see the bandits standing in the clearing, watching them leave. A part of him regretted his decision. The key to his lost memories was right there, and he left it behind. If what Sir Newt said was true, he might have just lost what may be his only opportunity to get his memories back.

No, there has to be other people who can help me get back my memories. Thomas thought to himself. Newt is a noble, so maybe he might know someone who can help.

Thomas was about to ask Sir Newt about anyone who could help him when he decided that it isn't the right time for something like that. Instead he asked a different question. "Where are we headed?"

Newt thought about it for a while before replying. "There is a village not too far from here, it isn't the safest place, but we need immediate medical attention. Plus there is an inn there with a bloody amazing cook."

Thomas nodded. "So where is this village?"

"I assume you're not from around here, are you?" The noble asked Thomas.

"No I'm not." Thomas replied, "At least I don't think so."

Sir Newt turned and looked at Thomas with a raised eyebrow, but did not push on the subject. "Ben! Lead the men to the Homestead!" Newt shouted back at one of the knights.

One of the surviving knights rode ahead of Thomas and Newt and led the group North West. Thomas unconsciously turned the horse in the direction of their guide and followed closely behind. It struck Thomas how natural the movement was; it was as if he was trained and experienced with horses.

He quickly decided not to bother trying to remember how he learnt to ride a horse as he knew it would be a futile effort and would simply distract him from following the knight who is known as Ben.

Without thinking too hard about it, Thomas followed the knight through the grasslands and, hopefully, to somewhere that is safe.

Author's Note:

Thank you all for reading this chapter! Reviews, favorites and follows are greatly appreciated here.

First off, I want to mention that, at the time of writing, the entire month of December is a school holiday here in Malaysia, so I will probably be able to write one more chapter for this story within the month.

Either way, as I have mentioned above, I will be changing the summary of this story in one week. If you rely on the summary to find this story, then I recommend that you either follow this story or at least memorize the title.

Here is the new summary that I'm going to use:

"Thomas awakens in a beautiful glade all alone, with no memory whatsoever except his name. Armed with supplies that he found beside himself, Thomas wonders out of the safety of the glade and into a dangerous yet strangely beautiful world. Getting caught up in a noble revolution, Thomas must unite the kingdom to survive an ancient apocalyptic army of Cranks."

That is it, from now onwards I will not be doing any previews for the next chapter (for this story) because I want this to feel more like a single story rather than several episodes.

I will also only reply reviews that are important to answer. Other reviews I will personally reply by PM. Guest reviews that are not important will go unanswered, but know that I always enjoy reading your reviews whether I mention it or not.