A/N: I'm back! Enjoy this chapter!

(Derrick)

I woke up tied to a chair, sweat streamed dowm my face, a dull ache spread throughout my body, my mind fuzzy. Where am I? What happened? I tried to remember something, anything. The only think I remember is orders and being injected with something. "Welcome to life as an assassain. Your mission is to kill everyone at Redmont Fief. Do you accept?" I remembered my answer being 'yes'. After all, what was Redmont Fief to me? Who am I, exactly? Have I ever been to Redmont Fief? Do I know anyone there? Why am I following this man's orders? Why am I injured and tied to a chair? What's going on here? Why do I feel like I'm missing something? How come I can't remember the important details?! I sighed, all these questions raged through my head; none of them I had the answer for. The door opened and I looked at the man that walked in.

"Are you ready for your mission?" The man asked.

I don't want to kill anyone, but I need to follow along with whatever this man wants. "Yes, sir."

He smiled, "Good. However, not yet. You will train with the others for one week, then you will attack Redmont Fief."

"How shall I attack Redmont Fief, sir?" I asked, curious.

The man laughed, "You really want to attack Redmont Fief, don't you kid? They say to fight fire with fire, but we're going to start the battle and finish it. We burn down as much as we can in one night, but it's mainly a diversion for the real attack."

"Real attack, sir?" I asked.

"Don't worry about it yet. Just focus on your training." The man untied me from the chair. "If you are injured during this training, your wounds will not be treated. They will have to heal on their own without any medical assistance. We believe this makes the individual stronger. If you protest or whine, you will be killed on the spot. Do I make myself clear?"

I nodded, "Yes, sir."

"What is your first instinct in battle?" He asked.

I hesitated for a moment and lied, "Fight as long and as hard as I can even if it kills me."

"And-" The man prompted.

"Kill anyone who stands in my way." I replied, trying to hide my confusion and dishonesty. The rope fell from my hands and I rose to my feet and followed the man to the training room.

*Four Days Later*

Exhausted, I made my way back to the room I was assigned. Bits and pieces of my memory was returning, but none of it made sense. Who is the girl I keep seeing in my dreams? Who were the people I was with in the woods when I was protecting the same girl? Who is the man that taught me how to shoot a bow? Who taught me how to ride the horse that will nearly pull your arm out of socket if you're not careful? Is this my past life?

"Let go of me!" A girl's voice rang through the corridor. "Get away from me!" A loud smack echoed off the walls. I walked to the sound and saw one of the guards standing in front of a girl, who was on her knees.

"What's going on here?" I asked.

The guard looked up, "Stupid girl bit me. I had to show her who was the boss."

"You are aware the prisoners are to be unharmed, right?" I asked, looking at the small girl. "Besides, she's probably no more than seven years old. What do you want with her?"

The guard gritted his teeth in anger, "That's none of your business, new recruit." He stepped on the little girl's hand, making her cry.

"That's enough." I said, but the man didn't even acknowledge me. I walked to him, grabbed him by the collar and slung him against the wall, "I said enough!" The man looked at me, surprised, scared, and furious. "Get out of here right now, or I will tell the boss you disobeyed his orders. I'll be taking guard duty tonight." I let go of the man and he spat at me before walking away. When he was gone, I looked at the girl. She was crying and holding her hand, the sight reminded me of something, but I just couldn't remember. I crouched down next to her, "Let me see your hand."

She shook her head, "You're one of them."

"Get away from her!" A woman screamed. "Don't you dare hurt her!" I looked at her, there was a cell between me and the other prisoners. Apparently, the boss had moved the prisoners to a different location recently.

I looked back at the young girl, "I'm not going to hurt you. I promise. If I wanted to see you hurt, I wouldn't have stopped that man. Trust me."

The woman stopped screaming at me and the little girl looked up at me. "How come you're not mean to me?"

I shrugged, "I don't know. I just don't think I'm the kind of person who stands on the sidelines when other get hurt." I smiled, "Can I see your hand?"

The little girl nodded and gave me her hand. I smiled at her, "It's not broken, but it will be sore for a few days." I tore off a piece of my shirt and tied it around her hand, "Keep that on there until it gets better, okay?"

"Okay." The girl smiled and, before I knew what was happening, she hugged me. "Thank you, sir."

I hugged her back, "You're welcome. I'm sorry, but I have to put you back in there."

"Will that man come back?" The little girl asked, scared.

I shrugged, "I don't know, but I'll stay here for the rest of the night."

"Will you protect me is he comes back?" She asked.

For a moment, I hesitated. Deep down, I knew I was not the person the boss was training me to be. I wanted answers, but I just keep running into more questions. When the boss asked me what my first instinct was in battle, I lied to him. My first instinct is to protect. That was the only thing I knew about myself, I never even learned my name. "Yes, I'll protect you." The little girl smiled and I opened the door to the cell. She went in and I locked the door.

"Derrick?" The woman asked.

Is that the little girl's name? I wondered and looked up at the woman to find she was staring at me.

"Who?" I asked.

"Derrick, don't play that game with me. It's me, Melody." She said.

Melody? How does she know me? Do I know her? "I'm sorry... I don't know you."

She became frustrated, "Derrick Treaty don't you dare pretend you don't know me."

I was confused. Derrick Treaty is my name? Melody... who is she? "I don't know what you're talking about."

Before I could step away from the cell, she grabbed my shirt collar and pulled me closer to her. "Oh my god, Derrick... What- what did they do to you?" She was looking at my neck and face, which was littered with cuts and bruises.

I escaped from her grasp and went to the opposite wall, "Look, lady, I don't know you."

"Yes, you do! Just think about it!" She screamed.

I closed my eyes and tried to remember something, anything that could help me in this situation. "Look, lady, I don't remember any-"

I opened my eyes and realized I was no longer in the corridor. Instead, I saw my younger self sitting outside a cabin brushing a small pony. A man walked up behind the other me. "Derrick, you really like Tug don't you?"

The younger me smiled, "Yeah! He's as fast as the wind!"

The man laughed, "How can you tell if you've never experianced it?"

"I don't know..." The younger me said.

The man retreated into the cabin and came out with a saddle. He showed the younger me how to put it on the pony and got on it's back. He reached out a hand, "Come on. Tug won't mind." The younger me grabbed his hand and, a few seconds later, the pony bolted forward so fast, you could barely see him. When he returned, the younger me was laughing.

"He is as fast as the wind, father!" The younger me exclaimed.

Wait, I thought. This man is my father? The image disappeared and, next, I was inside the cabin.

The younger me asked a woman, "Mother, how did you and father meet?"

"We both grew up in the Ward. Can you believe your father and Horace were enemies back then?" My mother asked.

The younger me looked suprised, "No way! Uncle Horace and father? You're lying."

"No, it's the truth. They fought all the time before Horace went to Battleschool and Will became a Ranger's Apprentice. After training for a while, when Harvest Day came, they had a pretty bad fight. A while later they both went on a boar hunt and they both protected each other. After that, they were friends." She finished.

The younger me asked, "They both protected each other?"

"Yes." She answered.

"I want to protect everybody, too!" The younger me said, "I want to be like father and uncle Horace."

Mother smiled and started tickling me, "What about me?"

The younger me managed to say between laughing, "I want your intelligence and wisdom."

I smiled at the scene. So this was my life before this? Everything came back to me in an instant. I remembered my friends, family, Melody, everything. I remembered the news of the Ranger's capture, confronting Gilan, being captured myself, and agreeing to betray the kingdom. Then, I remembered the torture and how I lost my memory. I was back in the corridor, sitting against the wall, shaking.

"Derrick? Are you okay?" Melody asked.

The torture... "It was awful." I muttered.

"What?" She asked.

"I remember everything... Being captured, the choice I made, the torture..." My voice broke off and I realized I was terrified. I managed to hold back the tears, though. "I promise every one of you I will get you out of here. Just, please, trust me. I'm on the enemies side now, but I will save you. No matter what happens next, please remember I'm loyal to you all, the Ranger's, and Araluen..."

Melody nodded, "I trust you Derrick. We all do."

I nodded my gratitude, then tried to fight back the nightmarish visions of the torture. My blood trickling to the floor, the pain I felt, the want to die... It was all too much. Tears streamed down my face, but I made a silent promise. I won't let anybody go through what I did.