"Should we wake her up?" A female voice asked.

"We should leave her be," A much gruffer male voice replied, "She is probably just taking a nap."

"In the middle of a road?!" The female voice half shouted exasperatedly.

The woman in question cracked open her eyes. Bright sunlight blinded her temporarily, forcing her to shield her eyes with her right hand.

"Ah, she's awake," the female voice commented.

Upon opening her eyes, the young woman on the road saw the owners of the voices. On her right stood a lady, probably in her late twenties bending down to observe her. Long, lush blonde hair flowed down over and around her face and past her shoulders. Concern evident in her eyes... or well, the one eye that was not covered by her hair. A gold circlet sat upon her crown, decorated with draconic fins on either side as well as an intricate centrepiece in the middle. She was dressed in a modest scarlet robe with pale yellow accents around her cuffs and collar. Golden armour covered her collarbones and grilled pauldrons sat upon her shoulders, shining in the sun. In her right hand, she held a gold staff adorned with a crystal orb on top.

Opposite her stood a tall giant of a man. He was bent over, his massive stature blocking out the sun that glinted off the crimson armour, outlining his silhouette. White hair fell from the top of his head and around his horned helmet and aged face, a face that had a stern and cold gaze that pierced through her.

The woman started and backpedalled slightly, intimidated by the huge man.

"Now look what you did!" The lady scolded, shooting a glare at the behemoth of a man, "You scared her!"

"I was merely trying to assess her wellbeing," The man stated flatly. The lady turned her attention back to the startled woman.

"Don't worry, Hon, he won't hurt you," She reassured, offering her free hand.

The woman looked unconvinced, but she took it anyway, eyeing the big man she was pulled to her feet.

"I think some introductions are in order," The lady said, "My name is Pheros, and this big oaf here is Walhart."

She motioned to the other man with her staff. The woman stared for a while at the both of them. Then her gaze dropped to the axe that the huge man was resting on. It was a massive crimson weapon, the head of the blade was as tall as the man's shins and more than half a metre in length. The head itself was as thick his forearm and was connected to a sturdy metal handle to came all the way up to his chest. The bottom half of the handle had a hand guard running parallel alongside it and at attached at the bottom was a heavy black pommel.

"Hello..." The woman began, her eyes fixed on the axe, "Nice to meet you both... My name is..."

Suddenly, she felt pain fill her head. She turned to the side, gritting her teeth as she clutched her head with her hands.

"What's wrong, Hon?" Pheros asked, worry evident in her voice.

The pain disappeared as quickly as it came, though it left a throbbing sensation in her temples.

"Nothing," the woman replied, releasing her head, "I'm fine,"

She regained her standing posture and started again, " My name is... uh... what was my name again?"

That was odd, how did not know her own name? How COULD she not have known her own name? She began to rack her brain for the answer but it never came.

"You don't know your name?" Pheros inquired quizzically, raising an eyebrow at such a ridiculous prospect.

"I really don't remember," The woman admitted, scratching her head, "I know it sounds odd but its the truth."

"Pah, I've had enough of this rubbish," The man called Walhart said dismissively, turning away, "Come Pheros, we need to get back to our patrolling."

Pheros turned to follow until the woman called out to them.

"Wait! Where am I?"

The two turned around, narrowing their eyes at the confused woman.

"Valm," Pheros answered flatly, "Hon, are you being serious right now?"

"I know it sounds ridiculous," She replied shakily, "But I really have no idea where we are or who I am."

"Hah! She plays quite the fool!" Walhart remarked, "Claiming to not know the very land she stands upon."

"Please believe me," The woman begged. Her face a mix of confusion and desperation.

"If she's telling the truth we can't just leave her," Pheros reasoned, looking at Walhart. She had never been one to leave another in trouble.

"She could very well be a brigand for all we know," Walhart argued, levelling his axe at the other woman, "Or even worse an enemy spy."

The woman felt her blood turn cold as fear washed over, quickly frisking her own person for a weapon. However, she found to her dismay that she was without one.

"Walhart, look at her," Pheros pleaded, "she needs help. Besides, a thief would be too stupid to try deceit and a spy would definitely have a better alibi."

Walhart looked at Pheros, then the woman. Panic and fear in her purple eyes as she patted down her heavy dark coat for something. Her short, unkempt, silver hair sticking out in places, presumably from sleeping on the pathway. Her actions reminding him of a lost child looking for a misplaced toy. He heaved a sigh in resignation.

"... Fine..." He finally said, lowering his axe, "Let her ride with you and we can report back."

"Thank you," Pheros acknowledged.

Then turning to the woman she was defending, she said, "Come with me, have you ridden a horse before?"

"I-I think so," The silver-haired woman replied, obviously still shaken from the prior threat. Just then, a memory floated to her fore.

"And uh, my name is Robin, I... uh just remembered..."

"Well it's good that you do," Pheros said kindly, smiling at her new companion. Walhart merely raised an eyebrow at the convenient revelation.

The three of them went a short back down the road they had been on. There, tethered a tree were two horses, one was grey with white on the fur near its hooves and muzzle. The other was bigger and as black as midnight. It wore crimson armour that matched with Walhart's and looked no less fierce than him. Walhart unhitched both horses and brought them over. He mounted his black steed while Pheros gently helped the woman onto the grey one.

"Slowly now," Pheros guided, adjusting Robin's seating position. Then she mounted her horse and the trio set off.

Robin looked around her, taking in the scenery. It looked like something out of a painting. They had been trotting through a large grass field, decorating the grass was small wildflowers that grew along the pathway. The green plains rolled long and far until they reached the foot of the mountains in the distance. Scattered about were a few lone trees and houses but not much else. Near most of the houses seemed to be patches of farmwork. Mostly wheat fields but other had gardens or even orchards. Great clouds floated in the bright blue sky, casting massive shadows onto the plains below.

"This Valm is really quite beautiful," Robin commented softly, her silver hair rustling in the breeze.

"Indeed," Pheros agreed, glancing around, " And I would do anything to keep it safe. Which is why we are patrolling in the first place."

"You are both soldiers?" Robin asked, "I knew Walhart was probably a soldier but I had thought you were a peaceful woman of the cloth."

Pheros let out a light laugh.

"I am, Hon, but that doesn't mean I won't help out my own country's military."

Walhart's pace slowed as he looked out into the horizon in front of them. Pheros noticed the change in pace and slowed down next to him.

"What's up?" She asked, now beside the big man.

"I see smoke," Walhart replied, whipping the reins of his mount, "Follow me!"

The black horse whinnied in excitement as it shot forward into a sprint, tearing down the road.

"Hey! Wait up!" Pheros called out, kicking her horse into high gear as well, "Hang on,Hon."

Robin leaned into the cleric's back, pressing face into the soft fabric. The wind whipped past her ears as the horse she was riding began galloping at breakneck speed.

As they neared, Robin saw what Walhart had seen, plumes of smoke rising from a village that they were rapidly approaching. As they drew even nearer she saw that a good part of the village was in flames. Silhouettes of armed men dashing through the buildings were accompanied by loud shouts of glee followed by screams of terror.

"Pheros, stay on the outskirts and tend to the injured," Walhart commanded, drawing his axe, "Robin you assist Pheros."

"Yes, sir!" Pheros shouted, breaking away and circling the village. Walhart continued charging forward and into the burning village.

"He's not planning to take all those bandits on by himself right?" Robin asked, staring at the shadows they had seen earlier.

"Hah! It'll take more than a ragtag bunch of bandits to stop Walhart," Pheros replied, "He's more monster than man."

As they circled the village, Robin's eyes scanned the buildings for anyone in distress. Her nose stung from the awful stench of burning flesh and smoke that rose from the village. There were even louder screams and cries of pain as a new force joined the chaos.

"Brutes! You'll meet your maker today!" Robin heard Walhart roar, his voice echoing throughout the village.

Then, out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of what she could only assume was a mother and child in an alleyway. They were backed up against a wall as another figure approached them from the shadows, the looks of terror on their faces told Robin all she needed to know.

"There!" Robin shouted, alerting Pheros and pointing in the direction. The cleric grunted in acknowledgement and spurred her horse to go faster. The horse galloped and turned into the alley taking the bandit by surprise. It bashed into him, smashing him onto the opposite wall. The man crumpled upon impact, blood leaking from his skull.

"Are you alright?" Pheros inquired, dismounting and approaching the family. They merely looked at her, tears in their eyes.

"It's not safe here," She continued, gently urging them to their feet, "Come, let me bring you to somewhere safer"

As she helped them to their feet, a couple of brigands came out from one of the side paths, one of them scanned for victims, his small beady eyes looking around the alleyway. Pheros positioned herself between the thugs and the villagers, her free hand outstretched.

'Crap' Robin thought, looking around her. The dead brigand's cutlass caught her eye as she scanned the alley, its wicked curved steel glinting in the light of the flames. She immediately crouched down and picked it up, her fingers gripping firmly on the leather handle.

The brigands rushed at Pheros, cackling wildly as they swung their weapons with reckless abandon. The blonde woman braced herself, gathering magic in her outstretched hand.

Suddenly, Robin burst into the fray, thrusting her sword forward and catching the front man at the base of his neck. He yelped and pedalled backwards, dropping his weapon and grabbing his wound as bright red blood gushed out like a fountain. Robin wasted no time, whirling around and slashing his abdomen and spilling his guts. The man fell over dead, his blood pooling beneath him.

The other brigand roared in anger and brought his axe down on Robin. The silver-haired girl sidestepped the attack, letting the axe fall and bury itself in the dirt. She lashed at the thug, slicing his thigh open. The brigand cried in agony and he pulled his axe out of the ground. He stumbled on his injured leg but still managed to swing at Robin. She palmed the flat side of the cutlass, using the blade to direct the axe away from her and into the wall of the alley. Her foot shot forward almost reflexively, smashing into the man's hip with the heel. The brigand screamed in pain and he fell over, clutching at his waist. Robin lunged forward, burying the weapon halfway into his chest. The man gurgled weakly and breathed his last and blood bubbled out of his mouth.

"Wow... that was some fight," Pheros said in awe, dropping her hand, "I didn't even need to cast a spell."

"It... just sort of came to me," Robin replied, looking at her palm as she flexed it.

Pheros led the frightened mother and child out of the village. She pointed to a huge boulder in the distance."Go there, you will be safe there," She reassured the villagers. The mother nodded weakly and followed her instructions.

"Let's get back to it," Pheros said, turning back to the village. Robin nodded in understanding, mounting her horse.

The pair went back to the village, continuing to circle it. The sounds of battle within began to die down, indicating Walhart had done his job.

"Over there!" Robin shouted, pointing to a small group crowding around a burning house. Pheros went over, stopping at the building.

"What's going on?" The cleric shouted, getting the attention of the crowd. A woman stepped forward, distress etched on her face and tears in her eyes.

"Please help!" She cried, pointing to the building, "My son is stuck in there!"

Pheros looked at the house, flames were already bursting out the windows on the ground floor and the second floor was no better. The roof had already partially collapsed inwards, allowing the inferno to rage high into the sky.

"Ma'am... I fear it may be too late," Pheros said softly, "The fire has gotten too big for us to-"

"Which floor?"

Pheros snapped her head behind her to see Robin dismounting her horse.

"Robin?!" She exclaimed, "You can't be serious!"

"I am," Robin stated frankly, striding towards the house, "Now which floor?"

"He's on the third floor!" The woman replied falling to her knees and clasping her hands together in thanks, "Thank you so much!"

"Thank me after I finish the job," Robin said, ignoring Pheros' shouts of protest and rushing into the burning building.

The smoke attacked her eyes as the searing heat enveloped her. Robin coughed violently as she bent down to avoid the smoke. She looked at the floor and saw broken bottles and flaming oil.

'Oil flasks,' She noted, stepping around the glass shards and flammable liquid, 'Despicable bastards.'

The walls of the wooden building were almost burned to charcoal, creaking as they threatened to collapse at any moment. Robin quickly navigated through the building floor, avoiding the falling debris and burning objects that were all around her. She saw a staircase near the corner of the room.

'Must be the way up,' She thought to herself as she brushed past a flaming table. Suddenly, a piece of the floor above broke with a loud crack, sending a large piece falling towards her. Instinctively, Robin shielded herself with her arms, bracing for impact. The burning wood smashed upon contact, knocking Robin to her knees. Much to her surprise however, her sleeves were only mildly charred.

'Magic resistance?' She pondered as she regained her footing, 'Just who was I before I lost my memories?'

She made her way up the stairs, sidestepping the holes where the wood had given way. Upon reaching the top floor, she scanned the room, searching for the child. A motionless figure in the far right of the room caught her attention.

'That must be him,' She thought, dashing over to him. The floor complained as her boots landed on the weakened wood, parts of it crumbling into cinders. Robin knelt down beside the child, looking for injuries. Fortunately, he was unscathed but unconscious. She sighed in relief as she picked up the child and sheltered him in her cloak.

'Must be a lack of air,' She deduced, feeling her own vision beginning to swirl from the lack of oxygen.

She began to carry the child back the way she had come when the house suddenly rocked violently. Robin steadied herself but felt the house very dangerously lean to one side. To her horror, it began to move. Robin's mind began to race for a way out as the house began collapsing.

'Staircase? No. Too far,' She thought, 'Roof?'

She looked up. To her despair, most of the straw roof had already broken inwards and was set ablaze. She quickly checked the room another time, the staircase was in front of her, burning debris was obscuring her view of the centre of the room and close by there was a window. No escape route could be found.

Wait... a window?

Robin ran towards it as fast as her legs could carry her, ignoring the debris that fell on her. One small piece even smashed against her cheek as it fell, burning her. She could care less, all she wanted was to get out of this building as fast as possible. She leapt through the window, shattering the glass as she barreled through it.

Oh right, this was the third floor.

Robin's eyes snapped open as she began to free fall towards the ground, the house collapsing onto itself behind her.

'Crap, crap, crap," Robin's mind was going into overdrive thinking of a way out of this situation. The wind whistled past her ears as she descended, tossing her unruly hair around her face. Suddenly another memory surfaced and Robin put it to use immediately. She stuck her left hand out in front of her and shouted.

"ELWIND!"

Robin felt what could only be described as warm electricity surged into her forearm from seemingly nowhere. The sensation coursed through her veins, gathering in the palm of the hand. To her surprise, a large gale burst forth from her hand and rushed forward at the ground beneath her. The wind collided with the ground, sending out a small shockwave of air that blasted the nearby debris away. That same shockwave was sent back to Robin, slowing down her descent but making her tumble midair. Robin shut her eyes and braced for impact.

The silver-haired woman let out a groan as her side hit the ground with a loud crack, pain erupting from the ribs. She tumbled along the dirt, tightening her hold on the child in her arms in a bid to protect him. The last thing Robin remembered before blacking out was the cold sensation of stone smacking her hard in back of her head.