Though his memory was still faint, the moment he saw the face of his bride, his heart throbbed, in its own remembrance of some subconscious connection between the two. Standing around her were her two brothers, each decorated with the vibrant trophies of some past glorious battle. Her father, the chief, sat on the gleaming throne in the open air courtyard within his kingdom. 

“Li Xuan,” He bellowed, “My daughter has accepted your proposal to marriage, will you accept this loyal bond and pledge dedication to our people?”

Li swallowed what was left in his dry mouth.

“I accept. I have made a sacred vow to cherish her, to stand by her and to protect your people as if they were my own”.

Murmurs and gasps of satisfaction rippled through the crowd of Elite Warriors who had gathered on this rare occasion. The chief nodded and leaned back in satisfaction. Li took a step forward and embraced the girl.

Shit, how fucking ironic is it that I can’t even remember the name of my lover on the day of our wedding? Also what time is it back home. I should probably stop worrying, dad will wake me up when he gets home from work.

The wedding proceeded, and Li’s hands were bound with graceful silk-like fabrics with his unnamed lover, symbolizing their eternal bond. Lukewarm at first, the silk soon grew hot with the growing tensions of the forgotten memories

Night fell and the center bonfire lit the courtyard. The celebration resumed, with food, gossip and relaxation. Li danced with a forced gracefulness, though frustratingly, he still could not remember her name, having resorted to calling her “love”, in order to avoid bringing up her name. The fire in the center grew larger and the heat of this summer planet never seemed to decrease. He gazed into the dark blue sky. Then, without warning, he was no longer there.

This memory, far darker than last. Li was limping across a thick grassland, his arm around someone. Blood had pooled up within his armor and eventually became indistinguishable from his sweat covered shirt. Someone on the ground looked up, Xiao Shu was killed, he cried. Then he fell, never waking. Li dropped to his knees, the blood and tears racing down his body. Howling into the distance as rain began drizzling.  

Li’s legs buckled, he didn’t realize it, but warm tears were streaming down his face. His vision grew blurry, stumbling, he snapped back to reality just as he fell into the loving embrace of the chief’s daughter as the name “Xiao Shu” rang in his mind like an endless church bell.