Ok guys, so here's more of Kyra's years away from camp...I know it's a long flashback, but I felt like we need to fill in some gaps here, so here's another piece of the puzzle. Enjoy :)

Flashback

I was disoriented when I woke up and then smiled as I remembered. Khai and I had hiked up to a beautiful oasis near the camp and fallen asleep there, talking under the stars. I could feel a warm breeze in my face and I opened my eyes to see the green leafs of a palm tree swaying above my head. The sun was already fairly high in the cloudless sky and I wondered why Khai hadn't woken me up before now… usually I never slept this long. I stretched out on the thin blanket I was laying on, moving my stiff limbs and lazily looked around.

I frowned when I couldn't see Khai anywhere. I'd assumed that he was just a little further away, maybe washing himself in the water, but I seemed to be alone. I stood up to get a better look around, taking in the blue spring, the green grass and the swaying palm trees. I was feeling just a little worried. Khai could take care of himself, of course, but it wasn't very like him to leave me all alone when I was sleeping. There were always thieves or monsters to think about. I could take care of myself as well, but he was a little over protective. The anxious feeling I'd been having increased as I realized something was off… There were also signs of him ever having been here.

There was a little dent in the dark sand where I'd been lying, showing where my body had moulded the sand, but the sand next to it was even and seemingly untouched, although I knew for certain that Khai had been there only a few hours ago. The tracks around the oasis also showed no proof of there having been another person here and I anxiously played with the ring on my finger, a nervous habit, as fear started to grow in my chest. Not fear for myself, but for Khai. Where was he?

There was no point looking around the oasis, I could feel that I was alone, and I was now certain that someone, or something, wanted me to believe that Khai had never been here. My chest tightened as I thought of what that implicated. Was Khai still alive? Was he hurt? By the gods if he was I'd make them pay… but who would do such a thing? I could only come up with one answer, and it enraged me even more. Any time something good happened to me they were always there to ruin it and take it from me! First Caleb, then my mother and now Khai. This time I wouldn't let them!

A fierce determination awakened in my chest as I shadow travelled back to camp. They'd help me find him there, they'd never let any harm come to him. Khai was one of their fiercest warriors, but more than that he was a friend, a kind soul who was always there and whom one could rely on. I wasn't the only one who loved Khai.

I travelled straight into my tent, because most people didn't really like me popping up out of nowhere, only to find it completely changed. My belongings were nowhere to be seen, and whereas my tent had ben simple, with no decorations at all, just a bed and a chest for my clothes, it was now full of fluffy orange and red pillows and rich carpets. It smelled funny too, as if someone had dropped an entire box of perfumes in there, and rich golden goblets and plates were scattered all over the place. I doubled back, thinking that I'd gotten the wrong tent, but I was certain that I'd travelled correctly. I had long overcome the stage in which I'd appear in the wrong place. This was my tent…. So why did it look nothing like it?

An uneasy feeling began to stir in my gut, and a suspicion formed in my mind. First Khai, then my tent? What was their plan? I stepped outside of the tent and walked right into someone.

"Excuse me" I started and stopped when I looked up, only to see Khai starring down at me. Now I know that the usual reaction for a worried girlfriend would be to hug him and be relieved, but I immediately took a step back, bracing myself for confrontation. I wasn't convinced that the person before me was Khai at all… It could be an impostor.

He made a noise of surprise, took a step back and went into his defensive stance, sizing me up. I looked at him and felt my heart clench in my chest. It wasn't the lack of a smile on his face, or the fact that he hadn't apologized, no it was the fact that he looked at me as if I were a complete stranger. A stranger who had attacked him and was thus a possible threat. Even if this person wasn't really Khai, the look on his face still hurt.

"Who are you?", he growled, his voice threatening and icy cold. I felt it pierce through me like a knife. The longer I looked at him, the more I grew certain that this was indeed Khai, my Khai… and that made his words hurt even more. I immediately knew that he wasn't joking, he'd never do that to me. He was dead serious.

"Khai… it's me… Kyra", I said it carefully, hesitantly and hopefully, although I already knew better. Someone was messing with me big time…Still I hoped that hearing my name, hearing me say his name, that that would somehow make him remember me. But it didn't.

He raised an eyebrow in surprise as I mentioned his name, looking me over more carefully, as if trying to figure out where he knew me from. His stance grew a little less aggressive, his shoulders relaxed a little and his voice lost some of its edge as he sized me up again, coming to the conclusion that I wasn't a real threat. It made me remember what he'd always said to me: "You don't look dangerous Kyra, and that's your advantage. People won't know what hit them." I felt my hear tighten again at the simple memory.

"How do you know my name?", he asked, his voice softer now. He looked at me as if he was dealing with a confused little girl, which almost hurt me more than his look of hostility before. I turned away from him and looked around. A couple of people had come out of their tents and were looking at us now, people I knew well, people I loved, but they all looked as if they'd never seen me before in my life. Some looked hostile, some amused, and some plain confused, whispering to their neighbours and asking what was going on.

Did no one here remember me? Was that even possible? I'd spoken to these people only a few hours ago, and now they all seemed to think me a stranger! I felt tears starting to form in my eyes and I clenched my fist, digging my nails into the balls of my hands. I would not cry. I looked back at Khai, my fists still clenched and my chin held high. Whatever was going on I would not give them the satisfaction of seeing me broken. I was stronger than that!

Khai, who had noticed that I was close to tears, held out his hand to put it on my shoulder, but I angrily swatted away. I didn't want him to pity me like a lost little girl. I wanted him to remember me! He looked at me in surprise and retracted his hand, his face hardening again as he regarded me. His eyes went pass me to the tent and suddenly his posture went back to being threatening.

"What were you doing in that tent?" He asked with an edge in his voice that let me know, that saying it was mine would be a really bad idea. I had to play along until I figured out how to get out of this mess and make them remember me. This was my home now! They couldn't take that from me too!

I took a step back from him and his blue eyes, which always looked at me with warmth and tenderness, turned icy cold.

"I… got lost… I was looking for you. I'm here to learn how to fight." Almost the exact same words I'd said to him only a year ago… Only a year? It felt so much longer and yet so much shorter since I'd been here, in this wonderful place.

He regarded me one more time, arching one eyebrow as if to say that he didn't think I could fight. He'd thought so a year ago too and I'd proved him wrong. If I had to I'd do it again, I'd make him fall in love with me all over again. Yes, I thought with determination, that's what I'll do. And then he'll remember me.

He seemed to believe me when a high pitched voice suddenly interrupted us.

"Khai?", a girl, no older than 17, pushed her way through the crowd. She was rather tall, half a head taller than Khai, who wasn't all that tall, and at least two heads taller than me. She wore elaborate gowns, lined with gold threads, and rings on her arms that made annoying noises with each of her movements. She came to a stop next to Khai, an adoring look on her face that made me want to hit her, and then turned to me. Her face went from puppy love stricken to a nasty grimace so fast it made me take a step back. The expression on her face was one of pure hatred, evil and vile.

"What is she doing here?", she spat, her voice like acid.

I frowned in confusion. Did she know me? I'd never seen this girl in my life, I was sure that I'd remember her if I had. She was exactly the kind of girl that gave me anger management issues. Khai looked first at me and then her in surprise.

"You know her?"

"Of course I know her! She's a vile thief who was cast out of our village for stealing. It was I who caught her, and she must have followed me here to extract her revenge! She's come to kill me!", she squeaked with fear so fake I nearly laughed. Then she hid behind Khai and I actually chuckled. A mistake as it seemed, as Khai immediately went into protective battle stance.

"Is this true?" he asked, his voice suspicious, his hand on her shoulder. Was he caressing her with his thumb? A pang of jealousy coursed through me as I regarded them. What was going on? I felt like I was in a bad dream…

"Me? An assassin? Of course it's not true! I've never seen that girl before in my life."

I knew that I sounded hostile, but I couldn't help myself because…well… I was. I was pissed at the girl for accusing me, I was pissed at Khai for not remembering me, I was pissed at Khai for helping that stupid brat and I was pissed at the whole situation, but most of all I was pissed at the Gods. You're gonna pay for this, I thought up at the sky.

"Don't trust her Khai", the girl said, her voice suddenly soft and velvety making me believe her. I shook my head to shake of the sensation… charmspeak… She was using some kind of charmspeak! And a very powerful one too… Khai's eyes glazed over and he grabbed my wrist, twisting it behind my back.

"You're arrested for the attempted murder of Eris, princess the western nomads."

"I haven't done anything!" I exclaimed, but my voice cracked, making me sound pitiful. I looked around helplessly but was only met by the harsh stares of people who couldn't remember that they were my friends. This had to be a nightmare, it just had to be. I'd wake up and I'd be back in the oasis with Khai besides me.

Khai twisted my arm further, making me cry out in pain.

"Don't lie to us. I saw you coming out of princess Eris tent."

"I'm not an assassin! I don't even know that girl! She's lying.. I don't know why, but she is", I yelled, tears now running down my face. "It's me Khai! Kyra! Remember me! Please please remember me", I said in-between sobs, painfully aware of the looks of disgust the people were giving me, but incapable of stopping. This just couldn't be true, it just couldn't be!

They tied me to a post outside of camp, as it was custom for criminals, and so I stood there in the blazing sun and cried.