Memories Regained

Beatrice spent a lot of time at the lake with Nomar, her personal fairy, teaching her how to use her magic. After some time, she was already getting familiar with the techniques.

Nomar then changed form to a full-grown man made entirely of water, dressed in a costume with a helmet on his head. A Knight's wear, he called it.

Nomar positioned Beatrice's arms in the proper fighting stance. He arranged her legs and her upper and lower body too. He taught her different fighting styles and techniques for beginners, and she mastered all of them to the best of her ability.

He spoke to her as they finished their fighting session.

"Beatrice, you must not tell anyone about this. Not even Alexander," Nomar warned, and she nodded in confirmation.

"Now, Beatrice, as from today onwards, I will always follow you wherever you go. Do you accept me as your personal guide?"

"Yes, I do," Beatrice answered.

Nomar then changed form back to a fish and made himself invisible. Beatrice put on her shoes and proceeded to walk inside when she saw Alexander walking towards her.

****

Alexander had been busy throughout the day. He and Mark, his right-hand man, had been in his office dealing with grants and requests from many of the town's people, especially the peasant farmers. Some of the farmers were embarking on their first farming journey, so they needed a good and fertile piece of land on which to grow their crops.

Alexander approved many of the grants. He stamped and stamped till his arms ached. He only took a break once when Mark had ordered a kitchen maid to bring some edibles in and she had brought in a basket of fruits and a pitcher of cold water. They both munched on the fruits in satisfaction before returning to their work.

Alexander and Mark had finished with their work, and Alexander was eager to see Beatrice. He wanted to find out how she was coping without him. He bade Mark goodbye and turned the final corner to their chamber.

Alexander walked into the chamber. He went straight to the sleeping area and found no one there. He searched the whole chamber and there was no sign of any human presence there apart from his. He was puzzled.

"Where is Beatrice?" he asked himself loudly.

She did not seem to know her way around the keep, so he had asked Lucia, her personal maid, to keep her company. He needed to find Lucia in order to know the whereabouts of Beatrice. He stormed out of the chamber and came across Lucia chatting with one of the kitchen maids. On seeing him, both of them stopped their conversation and bowed low before him.

"My Lord," they chorused.

"Lucia," Alexander called out.

The kitchen maid promptly left before being told to do so. She knew how much the Marquess hated eavesdropping and gossiping.

Alexander fixed his gaze on Lucia and narrowed his eyes.

"Where is Lady Beatrice?" he queried.

"My Lord, she said that she wanted to take a tour of the keep and its grounds," Lucia answered, her heart filling with trepidation. In her mind, she hoped that Lord Alexander would not see it as her fault that Lady Beatrice went to take a stroll on the castle grounds. Her lady simply needed a walk alone, and Lucia saw no harm in not following her where she went.

Alexander was surprised at Beatrice's actions. She did not know where she was again since she lost her memory. Couldn't she be content to stay in their chambers to pass the time and await his return?

He decided to go out to the guard post and enquire about her whereabouts. Alexander stepped out of the great doors into the cool evening breeze and walked straight to the guard post. He asked the sentries there if they had seen Beatrice, and a heavily built one answered in the affirmative. He pointed towards the right side of the keep, past the fountain and further down.

Alexander nodded and walked towards the direction that the guard had pointed out. He walked further down and admired the calmness of the evening and the sounds of nature. He felt his spirit lift at the view, even though he had not found Beatrice.

Alexander went on walking and halted at the sight of his wife sitting at the edge of the lake, her head bent down, putting on her shoes and tying the laces together. He heaved a great sigh of relief and the tension vanished from his shoulders. By the time he had gotten to her side with a smile on his face, she had stood up and was gazing at him expectantly.

Alexander took her hand possessively and spoke, all the remaining tension ebbing away from his voice.

"I have been searching all over everywhere for you, Beatrice. Lucia said you had gone for a walk. Why didn't you tell her to accompany you, milady?" he asked gently.

"I merely wanted some time to myself, to gather my thoughts and put myself together. It turns out that my time of reflection on the lake side has helped me greatly. Shall we go in for the evening meal, Alexander?"

Alexander was surprised at her calmness. He expected her to be confused and even reject his hand. He was also puzzled as to how she knew it was time for the evening meal. She sounded more like the Beatrice he remembered before she lost her memory than the stranger of the previous days. Had she regained her memories? He wanted to know, so he decided to ask her.

"Have you regained your memories, milady?" he asked.

"I have, my dear husband," Beatrice replied. "I told you earlier that my time of reflection at the lake side has helped me greatly. Yes, my memories are back and they are here to stay," Beatrice confirmed.

With that confirmation, Alexander pulled Beatrice into his arms and wrapped them around her, enveloping her in his warmth. She, for her own part, enjoyed the feeling of being in his arms and the warmth emanating from every pore on his skin.

Alexander ended the embrace and took Beatrice's arms in his own, and together they walked towards the castle's great doors.

"I am genuinely pleased with that, Beatrice," he said, while beaming from ear to ear in happiness.

They walked inside the keep together, arm in arm, towards the dining area where a large rectangular table, hand carved from rare mahogany, stayed, surrounded by thirty chairs. At the head of the table stood a tall chair for the Marquess and a slightly shorter one for the Marchioness. They took their places at the appropriate tables, and the maids began serving the food.

The whole place smelt of food. They had been served roasted pork and bread, with a goblet of mellow wine. Beatrice raised her head from her plate and looked at the faces of her dinner companions.

From the descriptions Nomar gave her, she recognized a short-aged woman with curly brown hair and brown eyes as Victoria Thomas, Alexander's mother. She also recognized a tall, handsome man with brown hair and light brown eyes as Isaac Thomas, Alexander's younger brother and Victoria's other son. Their eyes met, and he smiled at her in a friendly manner. She smiled back at him and returned her gaze back to the food in front of her.

Beatrice took the first bite of her meal, and it tasted good, as was common with the meals in this place. Their cooks sure knew how to perform well in the kitchen.

She felt a set of eyes piercing into her bowed head. She raised her head up and her eyes met those of a tall, beautiful young woman with red hair and black eyes. Annalise Solomon: She truly was as beautiful as Nomar had described her to be. Even more so. Beatrice smiled at her in greeting, and she smiled back, albeit reluctantly.

Finally, Beatrice returned to her food and continued eating it, occasionally washing it down with the sweet wine. When she was done with the food, she raised the goblet of wine and drained the remnants.

Alexander had been looking at her throughout the whole meal, and he looked at her again as she drained the remaining wine. The maids came and cleared their plates away, and Alexander raised his voice to announce their departure to the occupants of the table.

"Beatrice and I will be taking our leave now," he said.

"Alright, I will be coming to check on her tomorrow," Victoria replied.

"Have a good night's rest, Lady Beatrice," Isaac called out.

Annalise refused to even utter a word. Victoria excused her behaviour by covering up for her actions.

"I guess Annalise is simply too full from the meal to be able to make any comment. Goodbye, Alexander and Beatrice," Victoria said.

The Marquess and Marchioness made their way to their chambers, undressed and too tired to do anything else other than sleep, changed into their nightclothes, and fell asleep in each other's arms.