Washed Ashore

A man once told me that the way to enlightenment is through the heart and mind. I believe him. I am a man of thought and I believe that actions should be thought out and planned for the benefit of all concerned before they are executed. I believe that things occur as you let them. A man is responsible for his destiny, if he is to become, as he desires, he must wait and learn the things that will give him the knowledge necessary to do so. This is what I believe. But I seem to be a far cry from my siblings in these thoughts. Many of the children of the King of Ember believe that they deserve to have everything they desire simply because they were born a noble, and with special gifts. I cannot say that I had not been of a like mind once, I merely state that I have grown to know that for the lie it is. I am not sure where I learned this, only that I have. You see, it all started, for me, about six years ago�

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I awoke to find myself on a pallet. A blanket of coarse wool that smelled faintly of disuse covered me. I sat up slowly, a feeling of dizziness overtaking me. I was pushed back by hands callused and heavy. Then I saw the owner of the hands. A man of light skin, round eyes, and a thick silvered beard adorning his face. He was large, unbelievably so. He must have been at least a quarter again as tall as I, and broad of shoulder. He smelled of fish and ale. He wore a tunic and breeches, tattered and wrinkled, of soft browns. His feet were bare. He told me I was safe and I immediately knew I could trust him, I still do not know, to this day, why.

I asked him where I was and who was he. He stated that I was in a hut on the outskirts of the city of Ember, and that he was Tinson Barlack a fisherman. He then stated that he had saved me from near death, after finding me washed onto the beach. He asked me who I was and where he could send word that I was alive. That is when I realized I didn't know. My mind was blank when I sought any information concerning my past and myself. I began to fell ill at ease. I told him I didn't know, and he just smiled and told me it would come to me when the time was right. He told me not to rush it, that I would only worry myself needlessly, besides, he said, he had an idea of where to start looking. He told me to rest and heal, that it would be at least a couple of weeks before I would be ready to travel and look for answers. I tried to protest, but he merely waved me silent and brought a bowl of stew to me. I was too weak to feed myself, so he fed me. After eating, I fell into a deep sleep and awoke sometime later.

I felt refreshed and troubled. I looked around the small hut and noticed that it was exactly that, small and very used. I arose from the sleeping pallet, as Barlack was not present to stop me. I was dressed only in a loincloth, but the hut was warm. I looked around the hut and found nothing other then a chair, a table, a shelf with a cup, plate, and one set of utensils, a locked chest, and the sleeping pallet I had been laying on. All was well worn and needed some repair. I chanced a look outside the hut. The hut was sitting on a peninsula barely 100 feet across. The smell of the water and the cry of birds greeted me as I looked out upon a world of beauty.

I was still standing in the doorway of the hut when I heard the sound of approaching feet. Then Tinsen Barlack rounded the corner, I was not surprised, but it was clear that he was. He scolded me for getting up when I surely wasn't able to stand completely on my own, and attempted to shoo me back into the hut. I stated that I felt fine, and he laid his hand on my arm. Suddenly before I knew what had happened, I had grasped Tinsen's wrist, had twisted and pulled, sending him flipping head over heels into the sand ten feet past me. A feeling of violation passed through me. I didn't understand what I had done. I was stunned.

Tinsen rose slowly to his feet, as I stood there wondering why and how I had done this. Tinsen turned and regarded me with a look of interest. He then stated maybe he was wrong in his assessment of my condition, a look of speculation crossed his face. He then stated he had a new idea of who to talk to about me. He then carefully approached the door to the hut, which I was blocking. I stepped back into the hut and over by the pallet. I asked him what he meant. He stated that I had been injured two days before, when he had found me, but that I appeared to be fully recovered from the ordeal, except for the loss of memory. He then stated that he knew of only one way that could be, and that we would have to travel to the city to see if he was right.

He then unlocked the chest with a rusted key produced from a pocket in his tunic, then pulled out a set of fine looking clothing, and handed them to me. I was reluctant to take his finest set of clothing, considering I had just attacked him. He stated, that the attack looked to him to be as much of a surprise to me as it was for him, and that seeing as how he was not injured and that the clothes were the ones I was wearing when he found me on the beach, that he didn't see how I could not wear them. I agreed and thanked him for his saving my life. He waved me to silence, and stated that we would leave for the city immediately, to seek the answers to whom I was and what I was doing here. I felt apprehension.

That is how I met the King, a wise and generous man of dubious heritage and even more dubious morals. This king rewarded me for saving the life of a merchant heading to the castle, from rogues that wished to divest the merchant of some rare and unique baubles he was bringing to the Scion of Ember and his family. As I was responsible for saving the merchant's life, and under the circumstances of having no memory, the kind and gracious Scion of Ember adopted me into his family.

I still remember that time. All of the family was there, even the boy Riddyl. I was presented to the King, and asked what I would seek in return for saving the merchant. I replied that to save a life was honor in itself and to do such acts for a reward makes them trivial, and shows the weakness of the man. The King smiled, as I noticed some of the family whispering about what I had said. I got the impression that several of them thought the idea outrageous and foolhardy. I stopped to wonder why I found this so disturbing. The King sat on his throne, thinking, then he rose and advanced upon me. He placed his hands on my shoulders and said that he was impressed by my selfless sense of honor. He said that since I didn't know who I was or how I got there, that for the time I remained without memory I was to be considered a member of his family, a son by adoption, with all of the rights and privileges that entailed. I was speechless, so was the rest of the family.

I looked around and noticed two things. First was that not one of the sons and daughters of the King were happy with this decision, and two that I was being looked at with a mixture of hate or envy from almost every member of the family. There was one exception, Riddyl, he was staring at his feet, a look of resignation or defeat on his face. I felt sorry to have caused this pain for all of them. For some reason, I have no idea why, I never even thought of turning the offer down, or even arguing against it. I accepted it by my lack of defiance.

I was shown to a room where I was to reside. I was informed that I could decorate the room as I desired or, if I wanted, I could have another room. I stood looking out the window of a barren and cold stone room to see a large and lovely garden outside the castle walls. I asked if I could build a hut or small residence on the edge of the garden. I was told I could. I immediately went to the servants of this castle and inquired as to some tools. I was given what I needed and immediately went to work getting lumber and planning my home. I labored for weeks and then I had finished.

I stood there looking at my new residence. A tall ordered building measuring twenty feet by twenty feet, and standing two stories in height. I enjoyed building it, and I put in many things I wasn't sure I would need. I installed Nightingale floors and two hidden doorways to exit or enter the home. It was a wonder to me, where I had learned to do this, but it came to me that I was not done, I needed to add to the garden around it. I petitioned my new adopted father and he granted me leave to build onto the garden as I pleased. So I spent a couple more weeks setting it up and this year, my efforts have finally been rewarded. I have a garden and a home, that makes me feel strangely at home. I do not remember my past home, but I feel that it was similar to this structure and the garden around it.

I arrived in the city of Ember, a few weeks after I was adopted into the de Roceki family. The size and diversity of the city impressed me. I fell in love with the place. I traveled through the city extensively for the first year, being able to walk around during the day, just looking and listening and learning. I learned who was who and where most things were. I started to go at night, and I learned more about the city, things I didn't like, but they existed. I came across a covert group of people working together to steal, rob, defraud, or whatever it took to separate people's money from them. They was a full-blown thieves guild. I went to the city sheriff's office and told him of the situation I had uncovered. He assured me he would investigate it immediately.

Over the course of a few weeks, I would check in with the sheriff and inquire about the investigation. He informed me that he was slowly rounding up some of the individuals responsible. Apparently the thieves guild didn't like being ousted from the city, and they declared a war on the sheriff and his men. It was a silent and strong war that most of the citizens knew was underway, but never really saw anything of it. I enlisted into the sheriff's company. I searched and learned. I learned the laws of the city, and the laws of the land, I learned what to look for in the thieves, how they would hide and how the operated. We fought and searched, and fought some more.

I have a large distaste for fighting, but I have been told that I have a skill almost unmatched in the realm, and that I almost never tire in battle. I wonder where I got the knowledge of battle and fighting, and the endurance I have manifested. During the final battle against the head of the thieves' guild and all of his most senior men, the sheriff was killed. The battle had spilled out into the street and a lot of citizens noticed it. I fought like a demon possessed; a man with a mission. After the battle had been won, the citizens cheered. A few days later, I was asked to fill the sheriffs' shoes. I accepted. I love the city and I love its people. I have found a new home.

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I am sure you are probably wondering what my family has been up to all of this time, well�

Revised: March 5, 2001.
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