The Demon Lord and his Hero

Artemus returned to Syryn with two plates of egg and bacon fried rice. It was seasoned lightly with sauce and spices that the anti mage had found in the kitchen. He offered a plate to the mage who still hadn't caught a single fish. 

Syryn wanted to refuse the plate of food on principle since he had just griped about wanting only seafood. But the steam wafting off the plate smelled delicious and the mage's stomach made it clear it wanted some of whatever Artemus was offering. 

Grudgingly, he accepted the plate. "Thanks. I guess this will do for tonight." 

The anti mage made no response to that. He made himself comfortable next to Syryn and began to spoon fried rice into his mouth. 

"This is actually pretty good," Syryn told the anti mage after tasting a spoon full of rice laden with scrambled egg. "The shitty cook could have offered it earlier." 

"Mmm," Artemus replied. He had taken the initiative to fry the rice himself because he saw the cook was smoking something strange in the kitchen. The anti mage was also put off by the lack of hygiene in the cooking area. Even the rice had been fried only after scrubbing down the pan three times and washing whatever utensils he planned to use. 

"Where's Rowan?" He asked to fill the silence. Syryn was engrossed in eating his food and hadn't said a word since his comment about the taste of the fried rice. 

"In the room," the mage replied after he swallowed a mouthful of rice. "I left him there so he might still be inside. He's been completely immersed in the book he was reading all day." 

"What book?" 

"Some gardening book," Syryn replied. "He has many so I've stopped bothering to check the titles." 

Artemus was pleasantly surprised to know that Rowan liked gardening, or at least reading about it. 

"So Artemus, how did you end up starting a war in Coop when you were supposed to be looking for me?" Syryn asked. The anti mage had cared enough about him to journey to Coop. It didn't make sense to Syryn that Artemus would stop looking for him and get caught up with Sanguine business after coming so far for him. 

"I was looking for a man called Idriz who was the only link I had to finding you. Red Sun had him imprisoned and I couldn't gain access to him unless I befriended a high ranking member of the faction. At the same time, Robin needed my help and so I came up with a plan to serve both needs." 

It was an acceptable answer to the mage who had been a little upset believing that the person who had come to rescue him had discarded him so easily for Sanguine duty. He wasn't blaming Artemus. Syryn was just a little dejected about it. 

"How did Idriz get caught by Red Sun?" He asked, now feeling happier. 

"His ship sank. I heard it was attacked by a squall. Anyway, he was lucky to be rescued from death by a pirate ship. Unfortunately, they sold him as a slave, not knowing who he was. Red Sun recognised him and kept the man captive for future use." 

Syryn blamed his bad luck for the predicament that Idriz had met. If he wasn't on The Fool's Noose, would it have attracted the baby squall? 

"Where's Idriz then?" 

"He escaped during the clash with the Queensmen. I wouldn't worry about him," Artemus replied. "Idriz is a slippery one. He'll probably get to log island before we reach Hide." 

"That's good to hear. I owe him one." 

Syryn placed the empty plate on top of Artemus' plate. The anti mage had finished first and placed his plate between them on the floor. 

"What about you? How did you end up in Silisia?" Artemus asked.

The mage sighed when he thought back to his journey. He had decided that they would make a stop at Silisia to check on the situation with the mer king and maybe take Levia with them. 

"They kidnapped me because of some prophecy about the kingdom. It was bullshit anyway because I ended up doing the opposite of what was prophesied." 

A smile appeared on the anti mage's face. He expected nothing but chaos and contradiction from the mage. 

"I thought you were dead, Syryn. I am ashamed to say that I allowed myself to believe that you could be defeated so easily." A sinking ship was not how Syryn was supposed to die. It was too banal and dreary a way to go for someone so unpredictable and cunning. But then again, since Syryn was so unpredictable, a boring and predictable death would have been the opposite of what was expected from Syryn. The anti mage stopped his thoughts there. It was a futile use of his time and mind. 

"I'm glad you cared enough to still come search for me," Syryn replied. "I guess this erases the debt you owed me." 

Artemus had been looking out at the water but he turned to Syryn now. "This wasn't about erasing a debt, Syryn. I consider you family. I would have looked for you whether or not I owed you my life." 

Hearing that, Syryn got a little emotional. Rowan and Artemus were both wonderful people and they cared about him. And even better, he apparently had a bratty brother and more people who loved him and were anxiously waiting for his return. It was times like these that Syryn desperately wanted his memories back. He wanted to feel loved and cared for by everyone. 

"Thanks, Artemus," he said in a small voice. Syryn was grateful for the people in his life even though he knew little about them. Despite it all, he saw a silver lining to his memory loss. He would get to know them all over again. It was like getting a chance to forget the plot to a favourite book so he could read it from a fresh perspective and enjoy it once more.