Skip forward the next six months. I am staring into the beautiful dark brown eyes of the baby that I-me-somehow gave birth to.

Tove tells me that the labor was short and fairly easy, but I don't believe her. It was the hardest, most painful, most amazing thing that I had ever endured. Well, that I could remember.

Speaking of remembering, I was staring into my gorgeous baby's almost-black eyes. My amnesia didn't remove the knowledge that babies' eyes are rarely anything other than blue. But something was happening that was even bigger than how I was now a mother.

A face.

A clear, colored image.

Tan skin and dark hair. Several small but cruel scars around the collarbone. A short, scruffy beard covered the handsome jawline and cheekbone.

A warm, loving smile that lit the whole picture. And deep brown-black eyes that held more emotions than I could count. I saw compassion and hurt, haunting and memories.

And unlike my previous images, this one stuck. I was sure this was someone very close to me. A brother or husband, though probably not the former, for he looked nothing like me.

But my new child, only a few hours old. She was a different story. This man, whoever he was, looked strikingly like my daughter.

"You're gonna have to name her, you know," said Tove from across the room. She had supported me throughout the pregnancy and graciously allowed me to stay with her even though I was unable to work. I sighed and turned back to look at my little girl.

She had mid-toned skin with the red,wrinkly hue that all babies have, and brown eyes that had a sweet but stubborn appeal. Even now, it was apparent that she would have graceful cheekbones and an elegant jawline. Her nose was small and dainty and her wispy baby hair was thick, fine, and a pale brown.

For the past few weeks, Lydia and I had been coming up with lists of names, both boy and girl, for the upcoming baby, but none seemed right to me now. Karan and Nolana. Right now I had the choice between naming my daughter either Skandian, her birthplace, or Araluen, the country I was fairly certain I had come from.

"Are you a Nolana?" I asked the half-sleeping baby. Her eyes shot open and she wrinkled her nose as an enormous sneeze escaped her tiny body. "I guess not."

"Karan, then," I said. It seemed appropriate that I used a name popular in the country of her birth, and it fit her.

The first few months of Karan Erianthe's life went smoothly and pretty blandly. The only major milestone was when she smiled at me. She loves to babble in her nonsensical language, but, like all babies, she spent most of her time eating, sleeping, and being held.

At about six months she began sitting up, and started crawling not too long afterward. Tove says she is a bright, alert, and physically advanced child. I wouldn't know, but I was proud of my daughter anyway. By nine months, she was walking, and by ten, she could say "Mama" and "Tow-ah". By her first birthday, she was naming simple objects and was incredibly mobile for such a young age.

I was soon able to take her to market with Tove and I without worrying too much. I had to admit that I had settled into Hallasholm quite comfortably. Until Hal returned from a long sea trip with a visitor.

Everyone was making a big fuss around the small ship as Hal and his crewmates unloaded. From behind the loud crowd, I could see two unfamiliar figures, and man and a woman, stepping down the ramp. The woman had short blond hair and a round, cheerful face. Her companion was tall and dark-haired, with an odd cloak and a bow and quiver on his shoulder.

Their faces struck sharp chords in my mind, and I had the now-usual sensation of my past self knocking at the inside of my skull, shouting at me to let them back out. I knew these people, knew their stories, but their names and stories slipped through my mental fingers. I reached down to pick up Karan and weaved through the ecstatic people. I stopped when I made eye contact with the man. Many emotions flashed through his eyes, before settling on one I couldn't interpret.

"Alyss?"

Hope you liked it! I was so happy when I saw that I got three reviews for this chapter! It's so amazing when you know other people appreciate your imagination and writing. Thanks to all who reviewed and thank you to all who are reviewing this chapter now! (hint, hint!)