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[Ditto Armunn]

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{"They say without Love, there is no Happiness."
There was once a girl who dreamed of flowers, butterflies, & chickens....}

"I, Ditto, take you, Tarothin, to be my wedded husband. With deepest joy I come into my new life with you. I take you, the man, the beast, and even the bossy soldier, fully & gladly. No matter what may be ahead of us, I happily & willingly pledge to you my every breath, my every heartbeat. Everything that I am will be with you Always for Eternity. I love you."

{There was once a man who dreamed of clouds and battles....}

"Ditto, Your my heart, my compassion, my love.
Your my beckon of light that keeps me from total darkness.
And will forever find me if I stray to deep and guide me back for as long as you wish to keep that light shining.
I will always be there for you, if not in body, but in spirit if you so wish it.
I love you Ditto, my heart, my compassion, my love..."
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~ Nothing. No memories. No dreams. Just the aching emptiness she felt as Ditto looked across the expanse of the grassy field, sitting with her legs crossed and facing the setting sun. She couldn't help but acknowledge the nudging feeling that there was something out there. Something or someone that was apart of her, searching.. ~


~ "You cannot find her?", Dra'maj, empress of New Melnibone, sat quietly & thoughtfully at the news presented to her. Vargonn, the spy, slowly sank backwards, wanting to join the shadows of the throne room. Dra'maj lifted her head up with a jerk, a strand of bone white hair falling down over her oily black skinned cheek. "You've wasted time, Vargonn. Coming to me here, in this realm, to tell me this useless information. HE searches for her too and the only thing standing in between the fate of this kingdom is Ditto. Lord Armunn will search for her and he will find her. Take the dragon ship back to Yarma. Get back to Sosaria and find the Dark Knight instead. He will eventually lead you to her."
Vargonn nodded his hooded head once in understanding before Dra'maj continued. "Because of my guild-vow, you willl not kill her directly. At least..not now. We still have time to do things as planned, but not much time. Whatever you do, do not let her go to the Isle of Melnibone. If she does....I will have no choice but to break my vow." Nodding again, Vargonn turned sharply and quietly to leave the room. Moving as if going to take a step, his form took on the shape of a shadowy black wisp.~

[Ditto Armunn]

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At long last Ditto's dusty & then bumpy journey to Jhelum was coming to an end. The captain of the sea barge took her hand to help her onto the plank as she made her way onto the wooden docks. The sights, smells, & sounds all asaulted her senses, so she stood there a moment, just to take it all in. She was happy to be here in Jhelum. The name on the sign she read seemed to stand out from deep within her mind. Her heart. Perhaps this was her real home? Closing her eyes, she tried to see if she could remember the slightest detail of anything. Anything that might be familiar. ....Nothing. Perhaps if she were to walk around some, she might see something or someone she remembered.
An hour later and Ditto found herself on a grassy knoll near a building & reading the sign to the tailors shop across the road. This spot. The small, ordinary spot. It 'meant' something. She knew it. But she didn't know why. Looking around, nothing on it's own seemed familiar. But this spot seemed to have significance. Again, closing her eyes, she tried to search deep within herself for some memory. ANY memory. But still nothing.....and then, just as she was about to give up, there was something....her heartbeat. She could feel it. Could hear it. But it didn't beat alone. There was another heartbeat, a different one. It beat with hers. Stronger & louder that other heartbeat became. So powerful was the sensation, that she became unsteady on her feet. About to fall, Ditto reached out in instinct to grab something to steady herself. Her hand found his arm at the same time that his had found her arm. Her eyes flew open in surprise and looked up into deep shining blue pools. He was the most handsome man she'd ever seen in her life.
Without really knowing that she was speaking out loud, " You are the cutest man I ever did see." She spoke in a whisper and in utter amazement. "At least, I think so, but since I dun have all my memory I canna be certain"
Tarothin threw back his head to laugh. It was a wonderful laugh to Ditto's ears. Deep, yet musical in it's own way, and brought a smile to her lips.
It only took a second for her eyes to lower and notice his armor. She remembered this armor. And only one man had she seen wear it. The loud, obnoxious, soldier she'd watched boom orders out to the Dark Order troops. She had decided then, a few days ago, that she didn't much care for him & his loud orders, but hadn't seen his face....until now. Scrunching up her nose a bit, she thought to herself, 'why are the handsome ones, always the jerks?'.
Noticing her change in expression he asked, "Ditto, do you remember me?"
Nodding slowly she said, "Uh-huh. Your that loud, long-winded man that I saw the other day bossing the nice Dark Order troops around."
Expecting him to be angry, or at least insulted, Ditto was surprised to see that he took the insult with a gleam in his eyes and a smile on his handsomely chiseled face. The square masculine jaw..perfectly straight, strong nose,....Ditto blinked hard, trying to think of something else. "Would you please let go of me, sir?"
Tarothin's smile widen as he spoke, "I could, but, you'd fall."
Ditto followed his gaze down to their arms. Her hand held his arm in a near deathgrip, and his hand only held her to steady her. She had leaned into him closely, giving him all of her weight. Slightly embarrassed, and very flustered, she straightened herself up and released his arm. Expecting him to release hers as well, she took a breath to ask him why he was here, when instead, Tarothin turned his body slightly & quickly so that he was directly in front of her and then placed both his hands on her arms, gently, but firmly. He then spoke to her clearly & direct, his eyes holding all of her attention. "I'm Tarothin Armunn. Your my wife, Ditto Armunn".
There was truth in his words. A burning truth that seared into her very soul. Those eyes. They were the eyes from her dreams at night. Bringing up her hand, she looked down at her wedding ring.
Tarothin's tone softened slightly, but remained clear, his eyes not leaving hers as he quoted the engraving on her ring. "Eternally bound between our souls"
Her husband had found her. Though she didn't remember him, she should still be happy. She wasn't. This dark-hearted bossy man was her husband. He was not the kind and gentle man that she had imagined. A feeling of panic rose up in her throat. Her heart pounded in her chest and all she wanted to do was run. Run as far away from him and his eyes as she could.
Sensing her panic, Tarothin's grip on her harms shifted slightly and became firmer. After searching for days, he finally found his love and he wasn't about to let her go now.
"Let go of me!" Ditto screamed, kicking out at him in a full panic of feeling trapped and despret. Sighing that it was for her own good and wrapping one arm around her, Tarothin lifted her up effortlessly and swung her up on his shoulder, and chuckled. For those around that heard it, it would've sounded like an evil, malicious chuckle. For Ditto though, she caught the playful tone it had and became angry. Tarothin strode down the streets of Jhelum towards the docks hardly noticing Ditto banging on his back with her fists and yelling out every obscenity she could think of while onlookers went warily about their business, too terrified to help the young lass.
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[Ditto Armunn]

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Part Three:

Nia'lar Farsight sat in the shadows on the deck of the sea-barge. She'd been quietly watching the couple on the bow for over an hour and it seemed as though even the Lord Armunn had forgotten her presence. Tilting her head slightly away from the wind, Nia could hear the breaths of the still sleeping Daerauko. This was the first time since regaining her memory and being reunited with her son, that Tarothin could pull his wife away from the baby. They had gone through much to get to this point, and Nia had held witness to most of it, somehow surviving being in the wake of the fury of the gods of both Chaos and Law. But there was more to be done. Much more. A war was soon at hand. A war that would mean the destruction of an entire race, or the rebirth of a great and powerful nation. It all began with a young Melnibonean lady trying to recover her memory. And it now rested on the shoulders of a single man, infused with the soul and power of a demon.

Nia glanced at Ditto, now leaning far over the rail and giggling while Tarothin was either threatening to throw her overboard or trying to stop her from falling. She wasn't sure which. These would be the small, happy moments, in a dark time to come. But would they be the last?


It had been a long quest they had all shared. A quest to bring Ditto's memories back to her. The answer had been simple, but the outcome, horrific. Nia had tracked Lord Armunn to Jhelum where he had just found his wife, Lady Ditto, after she had dissappeared for a few days. She was stricken with amnesia and getting her cooperation for anything was a chore. Lord Armunn had planned to take a ship back to Dark Order territory to avoid the harrasment of bountyhunters since he had somewhat of a price on his head. But by the dockside they'd run into an odd old man, later to be found out to be something of a sage. A former librarian from Ditto's home realm of the Young Kingdoms. Nestromm. A melnibone and in his youth had worked in the royal court's Library of Legends. It was there he'd first heard of the Well of Memories, he'd said. Why not? There was a Well of Souls, so why not a Well of Memories? It was an artifact that was to be told to be somewhere in the ruins of the ancient port city of Imrryr, the Dreaming City, on the continent of Melnibone. the Dragon Isle. It would be guarded by a giant maze of rocks and those that had attempted to get through without the permission were never heard from again.
Who needed permission when they would be travelling with a decendant of the royal line? A regular royal princess...Tarothin & Nia had looked over at Ditto, who, at that moment was trying to scrape horse dung off the bottom of her barefoot with a rock and mumbling, "..yanno, seems ta me that if the powers that be HAD to make poop, then they'd at least make it smell a lil nicer since people are always stepping in it".
How would they cross realms, at first had been the biggest question. Until..by the time they were done discussing the Well of Memories it had gotten very late and they'd stayed in a room at the local library that Nestromm had arranged and that night Lord Armunn had a late night visitor in his dreams. The vision seemed to be that of Lady Julia of Tanelorn, Keeper of the Gates; the lady that helped raise Ditto, who just happened to be something of an expert at gate travels. In the dreams, the vision of Julia had directed Tarothin to the Serpent Pillars. It would have to be at an exact time, coming from a specific direction and going towards a specific direction. Once through, they would be in the realm of the Young Kingdoms.
Nestromm, who had eagerly agreed to accompany them since he knew the Dragon Isle the best, had remained quiet after boarding the ship the next morning. Nia hadn't trusted this man who seemed unconcerned with the dangers he himself had informed them of and one evening after dinner, she'd stealthily followed him to the cabin they shared. Upon opening the door she'd seen him walk into, however, he'd vanished. There was no way out, yet he was gone. The ships captain and it's crew, didn't remember him at all, though some had even spoken with him. At this point, Nia wasn't too sure about a Well of Memories, but Lord Armunn was determined to help Ditto get her memory back. Nothing else had worked so far & if there was a chance a Well of Memories might exist, then he would see it through. With Ditto being kept as somewhat of a willing prisoner, wanting her memory but not wanting to be around him, Tarothin's orders were that they would continue on to the Young Kingdoms and whatever was to await them. ************************