Chapter 34: Remember Me

Krista couldn't believe that she actually said it. The unspoken words that she kept close to her heart; it just came right out. She had liked Damien for quite some time now, even after spending more than six years apart, he always had a place in her heart.

Sure, Damien couldn't remember the time they spent together in Journey, but that didn't matter. Even before realizing that Damien was Damien, she was able to fall in love with him all over again. Both her loves happened to be the same person, Krista couldn't believe her luck, so she wasn't going to let her chance slip away.

"C-Could you… Could you repeat that Krista, I'm thinking I may have misheard you," Damien spoke slowly, carefully, and he could already feel a headache coming on. He more than aware that Krista had some feelings for him, but he was not ready for a development like this in the situation they were in.

"Damien, I've been love with you for a while now, and I want you to be mine," Krista's face burned. As she spoke, Krista realized that she didn't truly know what she meant by that. Did she just intend to have him as a suitor, or maybe she was even saying she wanted to make their fake roles official.

Luckily, Damien looked much the same, even through his dark skin, she could see him blush, "Well Krista, what about that guy you were talking about before, did something happen between you two?"

Even though Krista thought that it didn't matter if he remembered their time in Journey, it still stung that he couldn't share all the memories she had but maybe that could be to her advantage.

"Damien, remember how I've told you we've met in the past, in Acuemenos?"

He tentatively nodded his head, "When I was 9, and I think you were 10, I infuriated my parents, and they sent me to Acumenos to set me straight. They believed some time away from people who could use wattiez would do me some good. Grand Auntie and I were sent to live with our ancient allies in Acumenos, and It was there that I had my first love."

The cogs within Damien's mind turned and turned until her subtext finally landed, and he started laughing, "I must say, you have some pretty consistent taste in men."

"It's your fault for being so charming!" complemented Krista with a smile herself.

The two stayed like that for a short while, both laughing at the absurdity of their situation while gazing deep into one another, "The time we spent together, in our past, do you have any idea why I can't remember it? For me, that time is like a dark void, and I get headaches whenever I try to remember it."

"It could be any number of things, Grand Auntie and I were with you for three years. A lot happened in that time, including Ms. Mariah's…" Krista's voice trailed off, she was referring to the death of Damien's mother.

Even Damien wasn't completely sure what caused death, it occurred during the time of the void years, and Jerimiah never wanted to talk about it, "I'd like to know what happened during those years. Would you tell me about it, including my mother's death?"

Krista thought he might ask, and she was more than willing to oblige, "The first day we met, I was playing around, throwing knives, you know the usual. You snuck up behind me and I threw a knife at you. Somehow, you managed to dodge it, and just before I could punch you, you finally told me your name."

"That does sound like you and that does sound like me. Guess we were always like this, huh?"

Krista nudged him on the shoulder, "We didn't get along at first. I was working my way through a difficult time, and you kept sneaking up on me wanting mse teach you how to throw knives."

Damien looked at her wide eyed, "No way, I learned it from you, but you're so bad!"

"I'm going to let that little comment pass because we're having a moment here. In truth, all of this was before I met Amelia, so you were my first best friend, at least around my age. First best friend goes to my Grand Auntie."

"I'll appreciate the place of a close second."

"I think we had fun together, and we did plenty of things. Good and bad. You once convinced me to 'rescue' the turkey they were going to cook for your 15th birthday. I'm pretty sure I still have some marks on my rear from when we- or should I say I got caught." "Couldn't handle the stress from lying?"

"Not even for three days. You know, we used to argue a lot back then, fought a few times, too, but no matter what we did we always made up quickly. Eventually, my feelings of friendship grew into something more. I'll be the first to admit that back then I was a little… really clingy."

"Gramps did used to tell me to be wary of women from New Dawn. Guess he had a reason for doing so."

"Even so, the moment I truly fell in love with you, Damien… was nearly the same moment your mother, Lady Chancellor Mariah, passed," Hearing his mother's name, he became much more alert, his joyful outlook shrunk to a scowl. He was trying to hold it in, but Krista could see his eyes water, "Do you really not remember what happened?"

Damien seemed confused at the statement, then he grabbed tightly onto Krista's arms, "What do you mean, how it happened? Did something happen?"

If his grandfather was alive, she wasn't sure why he wouldn't know, but Krista felt he had a right to know, "We were all having dinner, it was in commemoration for our trip back to New Dawn. Grand Auntie and I were going to go back soon, and so we were celebrating all the fun we had. Of course, you and I were sitting together, and your mother was well aware of my feelings for you, but she was actually supporting me."

A single tear rolls down Damien's face, "Yeah she was that kind of person, always silly, always looking for ways to tease her son."

Krista placed a single hand on Damien's shoulder, "Should I continue?" He immediately nods his head, Damien probably didn't want her to stop for anything, "During the dinner everyone spoke words about our time together, even you gave a little speech. Since I was the youngest, I was going to be last. After you gave your speech, I attempted to say something, but no words came out. In fact, my whole body stiffened, and I couldn't move. I think you could feel something was wrong because you immediately sprang into action and tackled me to the floor. In my place an arrow was left embedded."

Damien was incredulous, "An assassin?!"

"Assassins, but I only learned that after the fact. I couldn't see what was going on, but I could clearly here the sounds of swords hitting one another. I managed to say can't move to you, to which you simply replied understood. I thought you were so cool. You picked me up and started running, but you didn't get that far before you tired out, probably due to sprinting while holding the entire weight of my body."

He tried his best to smile, but it doesn't seem like he could even lift his lips to do so, "I had noodle arms back then, but I've grown since."

"You know, while I laid there, helpless, you shielded me from one of the attackers that slipped through the guards. You held onto me, used your own body to try and save m, but just before the assassin could attack us, your mother…she… she saved us. She suddenly appeared in front of us, almost like she teleported and saved us both, at the cost of her own life."

"The assassins, do you know if any of them are still alive?"

There were three, but my Grand Auntie and your guards managed to kill two, but the third got away. His entire body was covered from head to toe, these people were professionals. I doubt that he was ever caught."

"Was he…" said Damien as his voice trailed off.

"Yes, he was the one who killed your mother." When Krista said that last bit, Damien grabbed onto his head and lurched, "Are you okay?!"

Damien looked to be in horrible pain, but he waved her off, "No, no, I'm fine. I was just the head aches I mentioned before, please continue."

"As she laid dying, she said something to you, or rather whispered it."

"What did she say?"

"I-I don't know, she voice was so light, and she just spoke to you. She passed away right there in your arms. I still sometimes see the light leave her brilliant purple eyes when I close my own. It was after that, that we had our falling out."

"We parted on bad terms?"

"Yes, and I think it was mostly my fault. When your mother passed away, I came to you and said something… something inappropriate for the moment, and you got very mad. You told me that you hated me, and that you never wanted to see me ever again. After that, I don't know, I remember getting extremely upset then darkness. When I woke up, we were already on our way back to New Dawn. I never got to apologize… I'm sorry Damien."

Krista lightly touched on his face, but he grabbed onto her hand, "Krista I-"

She didn't give time to speaking before placing a kiss on his lips. It was hard and forceful, definitely unlike what she had imagined her first kiss being like, but Damien didn't pull away. Whether it was a genuine enjoyment or just shock, he allowed himself to fall victim to Krista's advance.

When the kiss finally ended, they were both the color of roses. Sitting in an awkward silence of the mostly unpleasant kiss until Krista spoke up, "It wasn't just that, when I met Damien in Acumenos. I had thought he was the one, the person I loved most. Then this stranger, Darius, came into my life. I had no idea who you were, but during our travels, I fell in love again, only for the two of you to be one and the same!"

Krista felt that she may have come on a bit too strongly as he reeled back from her exclamation, "Seriously, Krista I-" Damien gives a sharp yelp and held his head tightly as the pain returned.

"Damien! Damien, this-this is not okay. Not okay at all."

Krista pulled her hand away from Damien in order to get Amelia to help, but the pain quickly subsided. Both parties were left confused as to what just occurred staring at each other in silence for a short time before Damien spoke, "Krista, that night when I said I hated you, just what did you tell me. I have a feeling that this may have something to do with your words." She didn't want to answer, lowering her head without saying a word, "Please, I don't care what you then, that is who you were. The Krista I know now is a friend I would never hate, regardless of what they said."

Krista relented, "I know, I know, so I'll tell you, but I don't want to say-" She glanced at Damien who looked at her resolutely. She took a moment to regather herself, "Fine, after your mother passed away, I watched you crying while holding onto her body. In all of my wisdom, I decided to come to your side and tell you not to worry, you'll be fine so long as you have me."

Damien held onto his head, but it was far less intense than before, "Then I got angry. What happened next?"

Krista didn't say anything immediately, the only sound from the room coming from the rhythmic tapping of her foot, "You yelled at me, told me that you hated me and never wanted to see me again, and everything went black."

"No, no, I remember, there were weapons…" As Damien began to speak, another huge wave of pain hit him until it subsided after a short time, "Krista… I'm sorry, I like you, I really do I just… I don't know. Right now, I don't think I can give you a set answer, especially not a definite answer like yes. I at least need some time, and apparently my body thinks so too, so in the meantime, I want to thank you. You have no idea how much I needed to hear all this."

This was not going exactly like how Krista envisioned this would, but his genuine thanks did touch her heart, "Fine, then I'm not taking this as a no either, you better make up your mind, and you'd better not forget this time!" Krista exclaimed that last part, and she mostly meant it as a joke, mostly.

He chuckled, "Of course Krista, I promise to give you a direct answer when I can, thank you for being so understanding."

I smile and nod then moved to leave the tent, "I'm going to go sleep with Amelia and Matilda, it'll be a bit tight, but I don't think I can sleep in here tonight."

"Probably for the best."

Even though things did not go as planned, Krista simply chalked this up to a successful first step, " I really hope I can get some sleep after all that."