By ones and twos, the guests of the Pewter Griffon had made their way back to the inn.  None had been seriously injured, but without exception each bore the mark of the day they had just endured.  While their wounds were being cleaned and bandaged, Thorn questioned them about their battles.

Each bit of conflict was as individual as the combatants involved, but a central story soon developed.  In the wee hours of the morning, a fast ship full of privateers had dropped anchor just beyond the bend in the river, her crew descending on the town in lifeboats, making shore under cover of darkness.  Their first target had ben the harbor master’s hoard of gold.  After that, they had spread out to see what other treasures the village might have to offer. The ship had been spotted at first light by a member of the local guard.  After assuring themselves of its nature, the pirate ship had been sunk using a single shot of the cannon, and the alarm bells had been sounded.

What followed was a series of bloody skirmishes as the vastly outnumbered river rats, still clutching their stolen treasure, attempted to make their escape back to the river past the defending citizenry.  For most, this would not happen.  Many were killed, a few captured, and a very few made their way to the lifeboats.  Brun had also lost some of her defenders in the battle.  A fast rider had been sent to the next village down stream to warn of the pirates impending arrival, and the badly wounded had been taken to the temples for healing.

No one, when asked, had seen Utah, but one person had seen someone of Ebon’s description helping the wounded after the battle was over.  Thorn determined to seek him out later; Utah would be looking for her first at the inn (if he was able), and she wanted to be there when he arrived.

Hours passed; the guests, being mended and fed, retired to their beds to rest from their arduous adventures.  Thorn and Polly cleaned up after the meal, sending Esau and Gita off to spend some quality time together.  Long after she had sent Polly off to bed, Thorn had sat by the low, flickering fire and waited for Utah.  He never arrived.  By the time high moon had come and gone, Thorn had reached the conclusion that Utah wasn’t coming.  Either he was badly injured or dead, or surely he would have arrived by now.  She decided that the only thing to do was to get some rest, then seek out Ebon’s help in finding him at first opportunity.  Not once did it occur to her that Utah would not be found.

The sunrise found Thorn trying to get her morning chores done before setting out to look for Utah.  Gita discovered her mixing her usual biscuit dough; she chased her out of the kitchen, insisting that she and Polly could handle any work that needed done.  “You go look for your friend,” she had scolded.  Not needing to be told twice, Thorn had given her a hug, donned her cloak and sword, and headed out the door.

More snow had fallen overnight, and the pale morning light reflecting off the blanket of pure white was so peaceful as to bely the violence of the day before.  Thorn’s footsteps took her to the temple, where she found Ebon Darkflame tending to the wounded that were still housed there.  He was relieved to see her alive, but had not seen Utah since he last time they had all been together.  He gladly agreed to help in her search as soon as he was available to do so.  He agreed that Utah would have contacted them if possible, but they decided to err on the side of optimism in their search.  They chose to search the temples before looking in the morgue.  After some hours of fruitless searching, it seemed that fortune was finally on their side.

They were directed to try a nearby chapel where several of the more severely wounded had been taken.  Situated near the fighter’s guild, it was dedicated to Tyr, the even-handed.  The Paladin at the door greeted them warmly, and indicated that someone of Utah’s description was indeed to be found inside.  “It was I who found him on the street,” he confided.  “He has a grievous head wound, and at first I believed him dead, but then he opened his eyes.  He seems powerfully confused, but I think perhaps he will live.”

It was dark and cool inside the temple.  The chapel held several cots, each of which was occupied by a wounded combatant.  In the corner, barely recognizable under the turban of bandages, Utah was seated on the edge of his bed, staring into nothingness.

Crossing the room quickly, Thorn dropped to her knees in front of him.  She took his face into her hands and kissed him tenderly.  To her great surprise, he jerked away from her.  “I don’t know what you’re doing, lady” he growled, “but I don’t think my wife would appreciate you kissing me.”

“Your…wife?” Thorn queried.  She looked from Utah to Ebon and back again, but Ebon looked as confused as she felt, and Utah’s expression had not changed at all.  Thorn stared into his eyes while he glared back at her.  She had never seen him look so angry.  “Yes, wife.” he repeated, somewhat impatiently.  “Look, whoever you are, I’m not who you think I am, so please just call my wife and I’ll get out of here.”

Utah, “her” Utah, had never had a wife, and Thorn wondered how one would “call” her if he had.  To say she was confused would be an understatement.

“My name is Thorn,” she answered him, “and this is Ebon.  We’re your friends.  I guess that nasty bump on your head has made you forget.”  Utah reached up to touch his bandage, “I suppose that’s possible,” he said,  “but I don’t see how.  Look, just in case you’re the ones who are crazy instead of me, could you at least try to find my wife?  My name is Charles Wesley Simpson from Cincinnati, Ohio.  My wife’s name is Judy.  We’re in the phone book, just look us up.”

He explained that his friends “back home” called him “Homer”.  He chuckled at that, but even when he tried to explain, Thorn didn’t get the joke, or even that it was one.  She also didn’t have any idea what a “phone book” might be.

Thorn and Ebon left the temple, happy that their friend was alive, but confused and upset that he didn’t have any memory of them.  They had promised to return to visit him soon.  He would be at the temple several more days; hopefully that would be long enough for them to figure out what to do next.

By the next Godsday, Utah’s wounds were better, but his mind was much the same. He still had no memory of Thorn or Ebon, and he was still very upset that his wife had not been found.

Esau and Gita had been generous with her time off, allowing Thorn some time each day to visit him.  They were getting to know one another and once again becoming friends, but it was different this time.  Utah had no memory of their past time together, and he still insisted that he had a wife, and that all effort must be made to find her.

Thorn had her usual half day off, but this week, instead of seeking out her friends for companionship, she decided to wander the streets alone for a while.  Promising herself that she would be at the temple in time for services, she set off to find some much needed solitude.  Despite recent events, she still felt safe on the streets of Brun, especially with her few found confidence in her skill with the bastard sword that was now always at her side.

The early hours of the evening found her wandering in a park near the temple.  It was one with which she was familiar from her work with Ebon, and so she was not surprised to see people about, even at this hour and in this season.  What did surprise her was the sight of what appeared to be an Elvin child sitting atop a rock formation, soaking in the last rays of the day’s sunlight.  Just a bit under four feet tall, what drew Thorn’s attention was the curly shock of variegated pink hair, looking for all the world like a rose in full bloom sitting atop her head.  While she watched, the child stretched to her full height atop the rock, then blinked out of sight.  Glancing quickly around, Thorn caught sight of that same shock of pink hair moving deeper into the park.  As she watched, the slender figure turned toward her and waved good-bye.  Thorn raised her own hand in return, watching until the young elf was out of sight.  This put a happy note into what had been an otherwise pensive day.

Ebon’s sermon that night was about unconditional love, and Thorn was glad she had made it back to the temple in time to be a part of the service.  These past months had been an emotional swing ride with both highs and lows, but always in motion.  It was good to be reminded that the highs would come again.

It had been Ebon Darkflame who escorted Utah back to the home he no longer remembered.  Thorn had visited him there on her day off, but the furniture had all been moved, and the conversation impersonal and full of awkward silences.

Life at the Pewter Griffon soon returned to normal, and Thorn found herself happy for the routine.  She continued to see Utah when she could find the time, but he seemed to become more agitated with each visit.  It broke her heart to see him so upset, but there seemed to be little she could do about it.  She had come to the conclusion that “her” Utah, the dear, sweet half-elf she had known and loved, was gone, and that somehow, someone else had taken his place.  The face was the same, but the expression on it had changed; even his speech patterns were different.  The final piece of the puzzle came when she realized that her own emotions had altered.  While Thorn still cared very deeply about him, Utah no longer felt like a future lifemate.  Thorn took a deep breath, then made the decision to help Utah find the lifemate he already had.