The first thing he was aware of was the blinding pain in his head. Then it was the confusion. He was clearly lying in a forest but he wasn't sure why. His eyes felt heavy and crusted, as if he hadn't opened them in days and his body ached. Something major must have happened to him but it troubled him that he had no idea what. Groaning, he struggled to open his eyes and sit up. As his hands searched for purchase on the damp ground, one of them hit something metal. A sword. Before he could contemplate what that meant, he heard voices. Immediately, his fingers curled around the hilt.

They pounced. With an instinct born of an experienced fighter, he jumped to his feet and easily disarmed the three men who came at him, his sword pointing at one of their throats.

"Go," he snapped, increasing the pressure of the sword tip against the man's throat. Without a word, the three men scrambled away. He watched them leave, then swung the sword he held experimentally, slightly amazed at how natural it felt. Then it struck him, he had no idea why he was so good with a sword. Actually, he had no idea who he was. He frowned, struggling to recall his name - surely he knew his own name.

He didn't.

Panic started to rise in him but he tempered it, sucking in deep breaths of the crisp forest air that was both familiar and foreign to him. Panicking would not help, he told himself firmly. A clear head was what he needed. He looked around the forest, wondering if there were anymore clues to his identity, anything that would suggest who he was. His skill with the sword suggested he was some sort of swordsman, maybe a mercenary or even a knight. He was kitted out in armour and the sword he had was of exquisite quality although how he knew that, he wasn't sure.

Rustling some distance away caught his attention and the dangerous situation he was in dawned on him. He glanced at the sky, noting that the sun was sinking. Aware that surviving a night in the forest alone was risky, he decided to keep moving. With some luck, he might come across a bit of civilisation - somewhere he could rest with some measure of safety.

Apparently, not only was he handy with a sword, he had tracking skills. He might not know his name but he definitely knew how to find his way through a forest. Used trails, scuffs, marks on the barks of trees and a stream he stumbled across helped him find his way to a clearing where a tavern stood. As he stood on the edge of the clearing, fat drops of water splashed onto his shoulders. The deep rumbling that followed got him moving again, darting into the tavern just as the skies broke.

A tavern, he knew, was a hive of merriment and chatter but when he shut the door, he was met only with silence. It seemed that strangers weren't a common sight here.

"Hello there," a voice boomed out from the back.

He eased himself through the maze of tables, ignoring the people staring at him with blatant curiosity.

"Hello stranger. What brings you to my tavern today?" A plump woman leaned across the counter, a wide smile on her round face. The woman's friendly demeanor towards him must have placated her customers as the chatter began and he was no longer at the center of everyone's attention. "Sorry about that," her friendly voice a contrast to the hard lines on her face and the keen glint in her eyes. "I'm Muriel, owner of this fine establishment. It's not everyday we have someone dressed in full battle gear come in from the storm." The wind shrieked in the background, the windows and door rattling against its assault. The woman chuckled at his expression. "You must be new around here. These summer storms are common this time of the year."

"I just need shelter for a night and maybe a job."

Amusement filled the woman's face and a dark brow rose. "A job? Now why would I just give you, someone I don't know, a job?"

"I'll do anything. All I need is a dry place to rest my head tonight."

"Anything?"

He nodded. "Anything."

The woman looked him up and down. "You look like a fit lad and I could always use some muscles. I do have a lot of junk in the barn that I need moved." She grinned. "Don't worry. I'm not going to ask you to do it tonight. You look like you could do with a rest. And maybe an ale." She turned to the back of the tavern and yelled, "Amber!"

A young girl, no older than ten, scurried down the staircase.

"Show this young man to the back room." As he rose from the stool, the woman suddenly frowned. "You have nothing with you."

"I travel light," he said. Until he was sure about who he could trust, the less he said about his situation the better. "It's easier that way."

"Come down and have a drink. I like to get to know my employees better." The smile remained on the woman's face but her tone told him that this was an order not a request.

The room was small, just big enough for the rickety looking bed in the corner and a small side table. Dull green curtains covered a small window. It smelled musty, as if it hadn't been used in a while. Still it was clean and at the present moment, the best he could do under the circumstances.

A throat cleared and he realised with a start that the young girl was still standing next to him. She raised one hand, palm up and looked at him expectantly.

"I've nothing," he said as he turned his eyes away from her, feeling slightly bad. "Sorry."

"How 'bout that ring?" She pointed to the band around his finger but her lips were pursed and her eyes were twinkling. He had a feeling she was hiding a smile.

At her words, he rubbed the band absently, slightly taken aback by the warmth that ran through him in response. Squatting down, he smiled at the girl. "I think this was given to me by someone important."

She tilted her head to the side. "You think?"

Caught out by her perceptiveness, he stood up again, searching his brains for a way to erase the suspicion in her eyes.

"Amber!"

That removed the suspicion from her eyes quickly. "Bye!" She flashed him the smile she'd been hiding, and then ran off as he watched her with a smile.

He had nothing to unpack but he lingered in the room, sitting on the edge of the bed. Slowly he removed the ring from his finger and he stared at it. There was no inscription, nothing that gave him a clue of who he might be. It was heavy and he suspected that it might be real gold. But most importantly, something deep inside his bones told him that the ring was precious, that it linked him to someone precious. Carefully, he slipped it back onto his finger.

A small cracked mirror lay on the side table. Picking it up, he looked at himself in the mirror, hoping that that would trigger his memory. But as he stared at the blond haired man in the mirror, nothing came to mind. He tossed the mirror back onto the table, swearing under his breath and punching the thin pillow as he allowed the frustration he'd kept tightly in leash some freedom.

With the rain still pelting down on the tavern, it was no surprise that it was still packed with people. He found a table in the corner, away from the prying eyes of the rest of the tavern.

"Hello." Amber popped up at his table, a toothy grin on her face.

"Hello."

"What's your name?"

Good question. He supposed he had to come up with a name for himself. "Kay," he said.

"I'm Amber." She stuck her hand out which he took, regretting it immediately when his palm made contact with her sticky one. "That's my mum, Muriel." She pointed to the tavern owner chatting happily to some of the tavern guests, a large jug in her hands. Then, before he could say anything, Amber clambered onto the stool next to his, rested her elbows on the table and grinned at him. "I saw your sword," she said in a whisper. "Are you a bad person?"

He made a show of looking round the tavern, then bent his head close to Amber's and whispered back, "I'm a pirate," enjoying the way Amber's eyes widened. At the back of his mind, he desperately hoped he wasn't a bad person. He didn't feel like one but then again, did bad people feel different from good ones? Then again, a bad person wouldn't have such thoughts would they?

"If it isn't the mysterious fellow," the familiar booming voice got his attention. Amber's mother stopped next to the table. Easily, she plucked her giggling daughter from the stool, gave her instructions to sweep the back, then took her place. "Muriel. And you are?"

"Kay."

"Where are you from?"

He almost laughed. Wouldn't he like to know? "Around here."

The smile Muriel wore on her face faded and her eyes grew flinty. "You looked lost and confused earlier and I took pity on you. But I'm no fool. If you won't be honest with me, then you have to leave."

"I woke today in the middle of the forest with nothing but my sword." His hands fisted as he struggled with the decision to tell Muriel about his lack of memories.

"Not like bandits to leave a good sword."

"No, I guess not."

Muriel crossed her arms and watched him unsmilingly.

Kay let out a sigh. "The reason I've been so cagey is that I know as much about myself as you do."

"That doesn't even make sense."

"I know. And I wish I had a better answer for you," he dropped his voice, "but basically, I woke up in the middle of a forest, with a sword and with no memory."

"That's tough," muttered Muriel, rubbing her chin. "You must have fallen and hit your head. Your memory will probably return in a couple of days. I've seen it happen before."

"I'm done. Can Kay teach me how to sword fight?" Amber came rushing up to them.

"The adults are talking," Muriel said as she ruffled her hair. "Go and bring Kay some dinner."

Amber rolled her eyes but went off.

"Cute girl."

"My pride and joy," grinned Muriel. "You're welcomed to stay for a few days, lad. Don't feel right turning away someone in trouble." Someone yelled Muriel's name and she stood, clapped Kay on the back before turning her attentions to her other guests.

A plate clattered onto his table. "Will you teach me to sword fight?"

He eyed the plate warily, unsure what the slop on it was, then looked at Amber. She widened her grin when he caught her eye. "It's yummy." Then as if to prove her point, she dipped her finger into the gravy then licked it clean.

"Amber!" Muriel sat down the ale and frowned at a completely unrepentant Amber. "Sorry about that. She can be a handful at times." Her dark curls fell into her eyes, and she brushed them away impatiently. Something jolted in his brain, a sliver of an image shimmered but before he could focus on it, the image disintegrated.

"Kay?"

He shook his head in frustration then looked at a concerned Muriel. "Sorry, I was distracted. What did you say?"'

"I said I have some clothes you can borrow. A bit large - they belonged to my late husband - but they should do. Armour is probably quite uncomfortable to sleep in. Also, Amber is far too young to learn how to play with a sharp weapon." She cast a warning look at him before walking away.

"Well?" Amber tugged at his sleeve, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "Sword fighting?"

"Your mother said no."

"I won't tell her," Amber whispered. "We could do it early in the morning -"

Kay bent down so his face was level to hers. "No Amber. You are too young. Maybe when you're older."

He expected her to pout or to throw a temper. Instead, she paused a little, chewed her lips and stared at him. "Ok, swimming then. I bet you can swim since you're a pirate!"

Maybe some people could say no twice to Amber, but that person wasn't him. "If your mother says it's fine." Then he frowned when he realised he wasn't sure if he could swim.

The toothy grin returned and she scrambled onto the stool again. "When you finish your dinner, can we explore the outer forest? You have a sword and you can kill all the bad things."

"Amber!" Quickly, she slid off the stool and turned to where her mother was. "Don't bother the young man. It's getting late."

"She's no bother," said Kay.

"See mum? I'm no bother."

"Amber. Say goodnight to Kay and get to bed."

"Goodnight Kay." Her sticky hand patted his. "See you tomorrow!"

A smile on his face, Kay watched as Amber, clearly the friend of everyone in the tavern, slowly made her way up the stairs at the back.