Erik's Journey | The Fall

The Golden Soldiers

Five years?

I stared at his shoes, unwilling to look up. "I was here five years ago? Did I... used to live here or something?"

His shadow that was being cast on the ground shook its head no. "Not quite... The Viking raiders who once roamed the northern seas would often stop here to buy supplies, or to drink away their ill-gotten gains at the inn. And when they came, Erik... you came with them."

I glanced up at him, a bit surprised. "I'm a... Viking?"

I sighed and looked back down at the ground. This was starting to become too much for me to handle. I was being overstimulated with things I never knew, and it was starting to take a toll on me. I just wanted to be alone to think about everything that I was being told.

Behind me, Hendrik said, "So that is why the men I sent to scour Heliodor for details of your origin would always returned empty-handed— you were born here... a Viking..."

The priest spoke up. "Not born one— Erik and his younger sister were orphans. The Vikings found them, took them in and raised them as their own." He looked at the Luminary. "Whether that was for good or bad, I really couldn't say— by all accounts, they treated the poor children like slaves. Then, one day, we heard rumors that Erik's sister had passed away. And though the Vikings returned, Erik never did..."

A faint memory began poking at my brain, making my head hurt again. I turned away from them and said quietly, "...Stop."

Ignoring what I had said, the priest kept going. "It has always saddened me that I was not able to help those poor children more... Perhaps if I can help you to recover Erik's memories, it might-"

"I said STOP!" I shouted, stepping forwards a little towards the priest but keeping my head down. 

I noticed the priest step back a little, and I could feel everyone's eyes on me. The room was dead silent, and all you could hear was everyone's soft breathing. I groaned out in frustration and shook my head back and forth.

"...I need to be alone for a while," I muttered, then I abruptly turned on my heel and left.

(My part again :D)

I had no clue where I was going, but I was irritated and disoriented. I burst through the doors of the church and ran out of the town. I found a cliff-side that hung out over the water and I stopped, staring out at the ocean from it.

I hated not remembering anything. I felt like a stranger in my own body. I hated not knowing the people I used to be buddies with; I hated not knowing anything about them or myself. I just wanted to remember who they were again; I wanted to remember who I was again, too. 

I heard faint footsteps behind me and I turned around, angry. My anger was quickly swept away when I saw it was the Luminary, although I don't know why.

"...Hey. I'm sorry I ran off like that. It's just-" I looked down, contemplating whether or not I should tell him. He seemed trustworthy, and I felt oddly safe around him. Before I could say anything, though, we heard a loud scream come from town.

We both looked out into the ocean and saw a huge ship sailing towards Sniflheim. It was filled with...

Golden soldiers? Why are they-

"I-Is that...?" I started, then that horrible pain hit me again as another forgotten memory tried to bubble to the surface of my brain.  I pressed my hands to my head and slowly sunk down to my knees, groaning. My vision blurred and I put one hand out to the ground so that I wouldn't fall over.

I heard more footsteps and Hendrik's gruff voice said, "That ship— if the townspeople's screams are anything to go by, it is not a welcome sight!"

More footsteps approached, and the pain seemed to only get worse. "I will take care of Erik," the priest said, who must've just gotten there. "Please, you must hurry to the harbour!"