Clarette and the boy were greeted by her parents, already settled at the table where a wide array of dishes were placed, from a refreshing, colorful salad to a plate of oven-roasted meat, glistening with oil. The boy was immediately drawn by the sight and fragrance of the well-cooked meal, and his mouth began watering instinctively. Clarette’s mother, Amandine Ruzena, noticed this and chuckled softly at his innocence. Her father, Kelsus Ruzena, was the first to speak.

“Clarette, I hear you met this boy by the river?” 

“Yes, on the route that I walk every day, this boy was half-submerged in the river when I saw him, so I was quite concerned.” 

She glanced briefly at him, and then continued. “He has many injuries, and according to the maids, there are some especially large wounds on his chest.”

“I see,” Kelsus replied. He turned towards the boy, who was still eyeing the food on the table, and asked, “Boy, what is your name?”

The boy looked up, finally drawn away from the meal before him.

“Are you from nearby?”

The boy opened his mouth as if to respond, and then shut it before any words came out. The three others watched him carefully, waiting for his response. The boy repeated this a few more times before he said at last, “...I don’t know.”

“You know neither your name nor where you come from?”

The boy shook his head. The three Ruzenas looked between each other, perplexed by this boy of unknown origin that had somehow landed in their territory. 

Trying to get any information out of him, Amandine asked, “Do you remember anything? Any events, or the scenery, or people…”

The boy was silent for another moment, as if thinking hard about the question. In his brain that was mostly filled with white space, there was something that seemed to be hidden in the midst. He tried to reach at it, to grasp what it was. 

“There was… beeping… glass… fluid.” Something came to mind. “...There was a loud noise where I was, and pain… then nothing.” He looked up at the pairs of eyes curiously gazing at him. “Then there was grass… blood… and a moving sky!”

He continued mumbling, trying to express what he had seen and remembered from a while back. “...The dots in the sky were pretty… And the thing in the water moved weirdly.”

After that, he stopped, staring back at the others, somehow expectant. However, for the three of them, his ramblings were inconsistent and hard to understand, and provided, for the most part, no useful information. 

“Well…” Amandine stated, after a bit of pondering, “It seems he was left stranded in the plains after an explosion… or something like that.” 

Kelsus nodded. “That would explain his wounds.”

“Although…” he added after a pause, “what kind of impact would cause him to lose his memories like this? His words and actions are also immature… like a young child.” 

“The shock could have caused him to forget,” Clarette suggested. “Regardless, shouldn’t we provide him a place to stay for a while?”

Amandine gazed at the feeble-looking boy who looked back with eyes of curiosity. “Indeed, it could be dangerous for him out there.”

“It is our duty to aid anyone who comes into our land,” Kelsus responded. “We will provide him with food and shelter until he is ready to move on.” 

Clarette turned towards the boy and smiled brightly. “You hear that? You can stay here with us for the time being.” 

The boy, though not fully comprehending all that was mentioned in the conversation, bowed down just a little in response. “Thank you.” 

“You have good manners, don’t you?” Clarette laughed, pulling out the chair across from her mother. “Come, let’s sit and eat.” 

Following her, the boy pulled out the chair next to her and sat down, before finally getting to taste the dishes that caught his eye the whole time. 

***

The boy followed Clarette down a spacious hallway that was periodically decorated with glinting ornaments and beautiful paintings. His stomach was full from the meal they had had earlier, and the unusually nourished feeling made him a little sleepy. 

“For now, you’ll be sleeping in the guest room, which is just down this hallway, next to my room.” Clarette stated. “If there’s anything you need, feel free to call me, okay?”

The boy nodded, his eyelids growing slightly heavy.

Suddenly, Clarette stopped walking, and if he were a bit more tired, he would have crashed into her. He stopped right before her, and looked up at her face.

“I completely forgot,” she exclaimed, “that I haven’t formally introduced myself to you!”

She did a light curtsey in her dress, and then stated. “My name is Clarette Ruzena. I look forward to getting to know you from now on!”

The boy nodded in return. “Me… too.”

“Hm… but,” Clarette mumbled to herself, looking at the boy. “It’s a bit hard not having a name to refer to you by…” 

“Is there any name you’d like me to call you?” 

The boy didn’t know how to respond, for he could not remember any name he had ever been referred to as. In fact, he didn’t even know any names on the spot that he could choose as a new one. “I… don’t know any.” 

“Is that so?” Clarette pondered for a moment, and then asked, “Would you mind if I gave you a name I chose? A perfect one just came to mind.” 

The boy nodded a few times, excitedly. “That’s… fine.” 

Clarette smiled, gazing directly into the boy’s crimson eyes. “From the moment I first saw you, your eyes stood out to me. They’re so bright and beautifully deep red. That’s why, I think it’d be fitting to call you Flann.” 

“Flann.” 

The boy savored the sound of the name that now belonged to him, repeating it over and over in his mind. Unaware of it himself, a small smile crept onto his face, and he laughed a little, surprising Clarette. “Thank you, Clarette… I like it very much.”

Seeing his smile for the first time, Clarette couldn’t help but to grin in return. “I’m glad you like it, Flann.”