We set up camp that night in a secluded area, and we all fell asleep. However, in the middle of the night, I woke up to see a raven perching on me. The raven told me it was sent from "the fire mages" and that it had an urgent message for me to see. I looked, and the message said this:
Ralsei,
We desperately need you to return to us. Hopefully your adventuring is going well and that you are safe. But we are in great danger. Please hurry to us.
Sincerely,
Alfred
The name "Alfred" rang a bell, and I was ready to help. I wrote a quick note to let my party know that I had to go for an emergency, and once I got the directions from the raven, I made my way over to the Fire Mages. I rode for two days thanks to a wild horse that was willing to carry me.
I finally arrived at the place described to me. It felt so familiar, but when I tried to think of why, my head began to hurt. I was greeted by an elderly man that was smiling slightly.
The elderly man walked up to me, and acted like he knew me for a very long time.
"Ralsei, great to see you again!" he said. "We were worried when you didn't return to us a few years ago. But we could sense that you were still alive. Welcome back at last. We have finally found you again."
But I did not remember him, and I only politely waved hello. Alfred immediately sensed that something was wrong. I ended up telling Alfred that I have lost my memory.
"How unfortunate. But we still have fond memories of you, Ralsei. Please, come with us, and rest for a day or so. Perhaps you can remember something by visiting with your old friends and colleagues."
As I followed Alfred, several of the children of the village called out my name, ran up to me, and gave me a hug. I sadly couldn't remember any of them, but I gave each of them a hug back."
Two children in particular caught my attention. One, who went by the name of Frank, shook my hand, and said he missed me very much. "I'm glad to see you again." I said, not wanting to make any of the children sad by saying that I did not remember them. However, one girl stayed behind, and looked at me. "Fluffy Prince, you're different... What happened?" When she said that name, I knew... She was the girl I remembered calling me that. But then my head began to hurt again, and she noticed. "Ralsei, did you get hurt when they-" Alfred cut her off. "Now, now Lisa. I think Ralsei needs a bit of time to process everything. After all, he did lose his memory." Lisa gasped, and looked at me. She started crying softly, and gave me a hug. "I hope you remember everything again," she whispered to me. And before I could say anything, she ran off. Alfred said nothing, but kept walking. I went with him, and took some deep breaths to clear my head.
Somehow, though... I did remember something... I remembered that I had protected her from some bandits, and she had given me her toy doll as she ran back home. I defeated the bandits, but that was how my memory was lost. Seeing Lisa's face again brought those memories back. However, I stayed quiet about the new knowledge, and planned to return the doll to Lisa before I left as closure to show that I was back, and I would never go missing agian.
Alfred eventually stopped at a small stone house covered in vines. "This used to be your house. We made sure to keep it fairly neat for a while in case you returned, but eventually we had so many new people come into our ranks that we had to expand, and unfortunately, we used your house as one area to house people. But feel free to go inside and take a look around."
I did so, and I found the house quite lovely, but I didn't remember anything. Unconsciously, I grabbed a nearby leaf and nibbled on it. Alfred noticed this and laughed. "Ah, I see you still have a taste for our plant life, haha!" I blushed, embarrassed, and apologized. "No worries, my friend. I was only teasing. It was just nice to see you back, and doing the same things when you first... came here, let us say..." Alfred wiped a tear away that had formed. "Now, let us get some dinner. You must be famished."
Dinner was delicious and very satisfying, but nothing of interest happened. However, as I was exploring the village after dinner with Alfred, I noticed someone walking a bit aways from most of the other people. She turned to look at me for a second, and smiled, waving one of her hands at me. Or should I say... hooves? She then continued walking on.
"I see you have noticed Noelle," Alfred said, smiling a knowing smile. "She usually doesn't communicate with strangers, so I am mildly surprised to see her react to your presence."
I just stared at where I had last seen her, lost in thought...
"It's getting late," said Alfred, interrupting my musings. "Let's get you a place to stay. No, actually... Come with me. You will be my guest tonight, I insist!"
I followed Alfred home, and after he made a room ready for me, I thanked him earnestly, and soon fell asleep...