Amnesia

Valdor had gone to handle an uprising on a planet several sectors away. The Emperor had nearly gone himself, but Valdor insisted that it was unnecessary. He took a few other Custodians with him to lead the Imperial Army who was already working on the uprising.
The uprising was settled rather quickly after a lucky shot from the rebels took out the building Valdor was using as a command center. He had been inside, coordinating the fight when the building collapsed. The wrath of the other Custodians was enough to cause capitulation from the rebels within moments.
They were able to extricate Valdor from the rubble of the building. He had been helm-less when the building collapsed and was unconscious. With the rebellion ended the other Custodes took Valdor back to Terra. He did not waken on the journey back.
The Emperor was waiting for them at the Apothecarion when they landed with Valdor. He had kept the Primarchs away, wanting to assess the situation before bringing any  of them. The chirurgeons took Valdor as soon as they were inside. It was a while before the Emperor was allowed to see Valdor.
"What is your prognosis?" the Emperor asked the chirurgeon with him.
"I believe that he will make a full recovery, lord," the man answered. "He may have some issues when he first wakes, but we won't be able to assess that until then."
"Understandable," the Emperor said. He stayed for a few moments before leaving Valdor.
"How is he, Father?" Fulgrim asked when the Emperor entered the residence.
"He is unconscious," the Emperor said. "We won't know much until he wakes."
"He's strong, Fulgrim," Mortarion said. "He'll be fine."
"True," Fulgrim said. "It's still concerning."
"We can't do anything about it," Ferrus said, he sounded sad about that.
"We could make him something," Perturabo said. "LIke the lithocast message we made for Father when the ork hurt him."
"There's no need to make a vid-message though," Roboute said. "He's right here, so that doesn't make any practical sense."
"Maybe a banner?" Sanguinius suggested. "We could put all of our names on it and hang it in his Apothecarion room."
"I like that idea," the Lion said. The Primarchs set about finding an appropriate sized banner and writing utensils to sign their names. The Emperor smiled at his sons, pleased with what they had chosen to do. When they were done, he took the banner and had the medicae staff hang it in Valdor's room. They positioned it so it would be one of the first things Valdor saw when he woke.

*********************************

He woke, unsure of where he was. It was quiet, but not oppressively so. The room was a neutral color, with only some decorations. The main thing that he saw was a large banner that had been pinned on the wall facing his bed. It read "Get well soon, Valdor" in large lettering. There was a well-drawn, double-headed eagle after the wording. There were also eighteen signatures spread around the wording. After a moment he recognized the eagle as the aquila. 

He looked around, wondering who "Valdor" was. There was no one else in the room, leaving him with the answer. He was "Valdor", but the name meant nothing to him, nor did the eighteen names signed on the banner. It made him wonder if he was the father of the children who made the banner. He noted two doors, and a window in the room. The other decorations were a few generic paintings. One of the doors opened, admitting a young woman into the room. 

"Hello," she said in a cheerful tone. "It's good to see you awake, lord. Can you tell me where you are?"

"An Apothecarion," he said, he recognized the insignia of the medicae on the woman's body glove.

"Do you know which planet you are on?" she asked. She didn't seem satisfied with the answer he had given.

"No," he admitted after a moment. 

"Can you tell me who you are, lord?" she asked, a frown forming on her face.

"I'm not sure," he said. He indicated the banner. "I seem to be named Valdor, according to that."

"I'm going to get the Apothecary," the medicae said. "I'll be right back, please don't try to stand, lord."

"I will not," he said and the medicae departed. She returned a few moments later with a man following behind her. 

"Greetings, lord," the man said. "Alyse says you are disoriented a bit."

"I do not remember anything before waking up here," he said. "What planet am I on?"

"Terra, lord," the Apothecary said. "This is the Apothecarion in the Outer Palace districts."

"Outer Palace?" he asked.

"The Outer Palace is part of the Imperial Palace," the Apothecary said. "The seat of power for the Imperium."

"Terra?" he asked. The Apothecary nodded. "Why would I be here?"

"You live here, lord," the Apothecary said. "Alyse, please inform the Emperor that Lord Valdor has awoken, without his memories."

"Yes, sir," Alyse said and departed again. 

"I would like to examine you, lord," the Apothecary said. "Could you stand for me?"

"I believe so," he said. He stood, and was confused as to why he was so much taller than the Apothecary. "Why am I so tall?"

"You are a Custodian, lord," the Apothecary said. "I am a human normal. I claim the title of Apothecary because I work with the Legio Custodes."

"The Legio Custodes?" he asked. 

"Yes, called the Ten Thousand," the Apothecary said as he went about his examination. "You are the Captain-General of the Custodians. The protectors of the Emperor. Do you know how long you have been awake for?"

"Four minutes and fifty-three seconds," he said without thinking. The Apothecary checked a chronometer and nodded his head. 

"Excellent, you may sit again," the Apothecary said. "I would like to look at your head." He sat, seeing the sense in the other man's request. The door opened again a few moments later. Instead of Alyse, it was a tall man with dusky skin, dark hair and dark eyes. Something about this man's presence had him standing, to step aside from the Apothecary and bend knee to this man. 

"Do not kneel," the Emperor, for it could be no one else, said. "Sit, Constantin."

"Constantin?" he asked, but sat again as he had been ordered. "I thought my name was Valdor."

"It is," the Emperor said. "Though Constantin is your first name."

"I understand, Great One," he said.

"Don't call me that," the Emperor said. "You sound like a tech-priest when you do."

"What should I call you then?" he asked.

"You typically call me 'my lord', 'my king', or 'my liege'," the Emperor said.

"My apologies, my lord," he said, dipping his head.

"Your apologies are unnecessary," the Emperor said. The Apothecary made his exit, leaving the two alone.

"I am informed that you have lost your memories," the Emperor said. He nodded, concerned about speaking. "You must have questions, ask them."

"Am I a father?" he asked. This caused the Emperor to look surprised.

"No," the Emperor said.

"Then who wrote the banner?" he asked, indicating it. "That is all clearly the writing of children."

"It is," the Emperor agreed. "My sons made the banner."

"Oh," he said, he could feel his face heating as he colored in embarrassment.

"There is no need to be embarrassed, Constantin," the Emperor said gently. "It was a logical conclusion."

"Why did they make it for me?" he asked. Now that he knew they weren't his children, the banner made a bit less sense.

"They consider you part of the family," the Emperor said. "They were quite concerned when you were injured."

"That makes sense," he said. "What injury?"

"You took about half a building to the head," the Emperor said bluntly. "You weren't wearing a helmet."

"I would think that I should be dead then," he said. 

"Any normal human would be," the Emperor said. "Custodians are tougher than that though."

"Will my memories come back?" he asked. He hoped that they would, he felt like he was a mostly empty shell without them.

"Most likely," the Emperor said. "Your trans-human physiology should take care of whatever is causing the amnesia."

"That is good to know," he said.

"I'll bring a pair of my sons with me this evening," the Emperor said. "I don't want to overwhelm you with all eighteen of them in one sitting."

"As you say, my lord," he said. The Emperor departed.

**********************************

He was in a very depressed mood when the Emperor returned with two blond boys in tow. The boys looked very similar to each other, each with long hair. One had green eyes and the other had blue eyes. He bowed instead of kneeling, this seemed to have more approval than earlier. He still felt the sting of chastisement from before.

"It was not meant as chastisement," the Emperor said, seeming to have read his mind. "I was thinking that some of your psycho-conditioning was intact, despite your memory loss."

"Oh," he said.

"What you experienced was somewhat of an occupational hazard for me," the Emperor said. He then turned to the boys.

"Hello, my princes," he said. He wasn't sure how to address the boys, but that made sense. The Emperor was his king, and these were two of his sons. 

"That's not what you call us," the green eyed boy said. "You call me Lord Jonson, and him Lord Russ."

"Introduce yourselves," the Emperor suggested. "Your names, something about yourselves, and a memory you have with Valdor."

"I'm Lion El'Jonson," Lord Jonosn said. "The El' get's dropped when referring to me by my last name only. I can sense living things, even when they are hidden. You have been teaching me how to fight multiple opponents at once."

"I'm Leman Russ," Lord Russ said. "I like food, and alcohol when I can get to it. You once helped me find Freki and Geri when they got lost in the Palace."

"Freki and Geri?" he asked.

"My wolf brothers," Lord Russ said. "They are Fenrisian wolf pups. This was years ago,  when they were being housebroken. Geri had an accident on one of Magnus's books. Magnus is one of our other brothers. Magnus sent Freki and Geri away with psychic powers. You found me looking for them and helped me."

"Where did we find them?" he asked, curious. Lord Russ moved onto the bed and motioned for him to lean closer. Cupping a hand over his mouth, Lord Russ whispered into his ear.

"We found them marking the Eternity Gate," Lord Russ whispered. "The gate to the Imperial Dungeon. We both swore to each other that we would never tell Allfather where they were or what they were doing."

"Well, I think that oath has been renewed then," he said as moved away from Lord Russ. Lord Russ giggled at that, and hopped back off the bed. He turned to Lord Jonson.

"Am I a good instructor?" he asked.

"Yes," Lord Jonson said with a smile. "You are a very good teacher."

"That's good," he said, he felt that was important. He wasn't quite sure why, but it was important that Lord Jonson was learning to be safe. Some of his melancholy must have slipped through, because both Primarchs frowned. 

"What's wrong, Valdor?" Lord Russ asked. 

"I have been trying to remember anything," he said. "So far I have been unsuccessful. It is most frustrating, and depressing."

"I did not expect your memories to come back today," the Emperor said. "It will likely be a few days before that happens."

"Don't worry," Lord Jonson said. "Father's right, you'll remember."

"Yeah," Lord Russ agreed. "It'll also probably help to get out of the Apothecarion."

"Where would I go though?" he asked. 

"The Tower of Hegemon," Lord Russ said. "That's where Custodians live."

"Alright," he said, though he didn't seem convinced that it was a good idea.

"Being in familiar surroundings is more likely to bring your memories back faster," the Emperor said. "I have already made arrangements for you to be discharged tomorrow."

"It won't be familiar to me though, my lord," he said. 

"Not at first, but it is where you have lived for most of your life," the Emperor said. 

"You can also access your files in the cogitators and see all your awkward neophyte picts," Lord Russ said with a smile. 

"And the pict from when you first came to Father," Lord Jonson said with a giggle. "That's a strange pict." 

"How will I find it?" he asked, he wasn't sure how large the Palace was, but it was likely large as the Apothecary had said "Outer Palace districts" earlier.

"I'll have one of your Custodian brothers escort you back," the Emperor said. He had thought about that as well. 

"Very well," he said. He felt somewhat reassured by this. 

"I bet he'll remember something about me first," Lord Russ said to Lord Jonson.

"Maybe," Lord Jonson said. He didn't offer any opposition to it, but he didn't seem convinced.

"We should go," the Emperor said to his two sons.

"Good night, Valdor!" the two chorused, smiling and waving at him.

"Good night, Primarchs," he said, unsure of where the word had come from. The two Primarchs' grinned wider, the Emperor also looked pleased.

"You remembered the term for us," Lord Russ said, noting that he looked confused. They left, and he went to sleep.

**********************************

"I don't wanna go to bed!" Leman half-wailed, half-slurred. He was clearly drunk, and running away. Valdor was close on his heels though, and lunged onto the naked Primarch. 

"It is time for you to go to bed," Valdor said, lifting Leman up so that he could carry him off to bed. The door to the rest of the Palace opened just then, admitting the Emperor. Valdor turned to greet his master, with an explanation of why he was holding a naked, drunk, Leman. Before he began, there was a distracting flash of pain, as Leman bit his arm. 

"Six," the Emperor said in a sharp tone. Leman released Valdor's arm and stopped struggling. Even drunk, Leman knew when he was called by his number. 

"Bring him here," the Emperor said, indicating a chair. Valdor stepped over and deposited Leman on the chair. "Are you alright, Constantin?"

"Yes, my king," Valdor replied. "He did not break the skin. Or use acid."

"He may be too drunk for that," the Emperor said. "You may go." Valdor knew it was a dismissal, and departed.

**********************************

He woke, and mulled over the dream that he had had the preceding night. He was still thinking about it, staring at Lord Russ's name on the banner, when Alyse entered. He knew that the man with her was a Custodian. It was obvious from how he towered over the medicae. The Custodian was wearing a crimson robe and was holding another, he assumed it was for him. 

"I am Lucial," the Custodian said. "Our master instructed me to escort you back to the Tower of Hegemon."

"Very well," he said. He took the robe from Lucial and changed before departing the Apothecarion. "Do you think that our master will check on me?" 

"He will," Lucial said. "He told me that he would bring two more Primarchs with him later today."

"That is good to know," he said. He was happy that he was going to be able to meet more of the Primarchs. He had enjoyed meeting Lords Jonson and Russ the previous evening. They arrived at the Tower and Lucial showed him to his room. He found it to be very plain, but that wasn't surprising somehow. There was a suit of golden armor in one corner, he looked over the armor, and found a long inscription on the inside of his breastplate, winding around to his abdominal plates as well.

"What is this?" he asked Lucial, who had stayed with him. 

"Your name, lord," Lucial answered. 

"After my name," he specified.

"There is no after your name," Lucial answered. "We earn names for achievements of various kinds. You have one thousand nine hundred thirty-two names."

"That is a lot of names," he said, he didn't know if he could really make any claim to any of them.

"Yes," Lucial said. "You have the most of any of us. My own name has only four hundred sixteen parts to it."

"That is not a short name," he said.

"It's a respectable length," Lucial said. "I have not had as many opportunities as you, lord."

"Yet," he said. 

"True," Lucial said. 

"I do not remember earning any of these names," he said, touching the inscription.

"You earned them all," Lucial said. "Our master doesn't give names for no reason. Though I still feel that my last name that I received was not fully earned."

"How did you get your last name?" he asked.

"I was assigned to keep Lord Russ away from alcohol at a fundraiser," Lucial said. "I was mostly successful, he only got one drink of alcohol. Lord Russ insisted that I receive a name for it."

"I had a dream about a drunken Lord Russ last night," he said. "He bit me."

"That may not have been a dream," Lucial said. The Emperor had told him to pay attention to any mention of dreams that Valdor might make. "That could have been a memory."

"Truly?" he asked.

"Yes," Lucial said. "When I was studying Lord Russ before the fundraiser, you told me that Lord Russ had once bit you when he was drunk. You said that he was so inebriated that he does not remember it himself."

"Interesting," he said. Lucial left him then. He put up the banner from the Primarchs. He had brought it with him, feeling that it was something that he should keep with him. 

**********************************

It was several hours before he heard the distinct tread of the Emperor, followed by the lighter treads of the two Primarchs that he had with him. He felt that he wasn't quite as depressed as when he had met Lords Jonson and Russ. This time the pair of boys looked very different from Lords Jonson and Russ.

"How do you feel, Constantin?" the Emperor asked.

"I feel well, my king," he answered. He turned to the two boys. One was quite pale, with long, dark hair and black eyes. The other boy was smaller than the other three he had met, his hair was shaved much like Lucial's hair. 

"I'm Konrad Curze," the boy with the long hair said. "My original name was Night Haunter, but Father named me Konrad Curze when I wouldn't change it myself. Malcador once scared me when we were playing. I cried and ran away, right into you. You kind of told him off for scaring me."

"Who is Malcador?" he asked.

"Malcador, the Sigillite," Lord Curze said. "He's Father's friend, and will sometimes take over for him when he's off planet. He was watching us while Father was off planet. We were quite small at the time. Though it did lead me to pranking people."

"Have you gotten him back?" he asked.

"No," Lord Curze said. "Malcador's hard to prank because he's psychic. Also, he's not a young man, I don't want to hurt him."

"I'm sure you will find a way," he said, intending to be supportive.

"I will," Lord Curze said with a devious smile. This revealed his teeth, which had been filed to a point.

"Did you do that to yourself?" he asked, surprised at what he saw.

"Yes," Lord Curze said. "I want to always look scary."

"Alright," he said, and turned to the other boy.

"I am Alpharius," Lord Alpharius said. "I like spies and covert operations. You helped me come up with my Father's Day present."

"Father's Day present?" he asked.

"Yeah, we had a Father's Day celebration," Alpharius said. "I was distracted during training and you noticed. I told you about Father's Day, and that I couldn't think of anything to make for Father. You suggested nesting dolls."

"Nesting dolls?" 

"Yes, they are dolls that fit inside of each other," Lord Alpharius said. "You helped me learn how to make them and get the sizing right so that I could fit all of us with Father as the largest one."

"Interesting," he said. Lord Alpharius smiled at that. "Did it go over well?"

"Yes," the Emperor said with a smile. He hadn't been aware that Valdor had also been involved in the Father's Day celebrations. 

"I train all of you then?" he asked Lord Alpharius.

"No," Lord Alpharius said. "Lion's getting special training from you. You supervise everyone else's training."

"I see," he said. That did make some sense. He would be quite busy if he personally trained all eighteen Primarchs. The Emperor and his two sons departed not long after. 

***********************************

The next few days seemed to drag for him. The only excitement that he got were the visits from the Apothecary and the more interesting visits from the Emperor, always accompanied by a pair of Primarchs. After meeting Lords Curze and Alpharius, he met Lords Fulgrim and Manus.

"I'm Fulgrim, I'm the prettiest Primarch, and you once carried me on your back when I had cracked my ribs," Lord Fulgrim had long white hair and violet eyes. 

"I'm Ferrus Manus, my hands are covered in a metal called necrodermis, and you were the one who found me after the accident that caused my hands to be covered," Lord Manus had dark hair that he kept close to his scalp. 

"How did you crack your ribs?" he asked Lord Fulgrim. 

"I encountered a large snake called a titanoboa," Lord Fulgrim answered. "I mistook it for a vine."

"That must have been painful," he said. Fulgrim nodded.

The next day it was Lords Perturabo and Dorn. Lord Perturabo had several augmentations that didn't seem strictly necessary. Lord Dorn, like Lord Fulgrim, had white hair though he kept it short. It also didn't seem to lay flat very well.

"I'm Perturabo, I can break any wall Rogal puts up, and you let me take apart part of your armor once," Perturabo said. "I got it back together without any problems."

"Rogal Dorn, Perturabo cannot break any wall that I make, and you took me to see the foundations of the Palace one time," Lord Dorn said. "It was a lot of fun."

Then it was Lords Khan and Magnus. Lord Khan kept his long dark hair in a topknot. Lord Magnus was red, and only had one eye.

"I'm Jaghatai Khan," Lord Khan said. "I like to talk to storms, one time you took me for a ride on your jetbike."

"I'm Magnus the Red," Lord Magnus said. "I turned my eye inward to learn the truth of myself. You sometimes help me get books I can't reach in the Imperial Library."

Lords Sanguinius and Lupercal were next. Lord Sanguinius had wings, which had startled him at first. Lord Lupercal looked more like a taller version of Lord Alpharius. 

"Sanguinius, I helped Fulgrim draw the aquila on your banner," Lord Sanguinius said pointing to it. "You caught me when I flew for the first time, keeping me from falling on my face."

"Where was your father?" he asked Lord Sanguinius.

"I was trying to fly from him to you," Lord Sanguinius said. "I nearly made it."

"I'm Horus Lupercal, I'm Father's favorite," Lord Lupercal said. "We once hid from fangirls in an old storage room you knew about."

"Fangirls?" he asked.

"People, typically women, who are obsessed with us," Lord Luprecal said. "Not just Father and my brothers, but you and Malcador as well. There was a group that got loose in the Palace one time. You carried Malcador and he was quite mad about it."

Lords Angron and Mortarion came by the following day. Lord Angron seemed angry, but no one seemed interested in why. Lord Mortarion wore a hood, and was quite interested in talking to him.

"I'm Angron, I have the shortest temper of all the Primarchs," Lord Angron said. He seemed a bit too proud of that fact. "You are my favorite Custodian."

"I'm Mortarion, I'm immune to every toxin on Terra," Lord Mortarion said. "I once ate some berries that I wasn't immune to, and you weren't happy about that."

"What happened?" he asked, hoping for some clarification.

"I had some really bad farts," Lord Mortarion said. "I also had a less pleasant reaction." He didn't ask for clarification on that. 

He didn't have any issues recalling the Primarchs once he had been reintroduced to them, but he couldn't remember them from before. Lords Guilliman and Aurelian were the second to last pair. Lord Guilliman and Lord Aurelian looked like they had just had an argument.

"I'm Roboute Guilliman, I hate spiders," Lord Guilliman said. "You had to kill a really big spider that got into my room one night."

"I'm Lorgar Aurelian, I like religion," Lord Aurelian said. "You once caught me trying to sneak out of the Palace to go to a cult meeting."

"I think I saved you from being in very deep trouble," he said. He did remember the Imperial Truth that said there were no gods. 

"Probably," Lord Aurelian said. "I didn't think so at the time though."

The last pair was Lords Vulkan and Corax. Lord Vulkan was the tallest of all the Primarchs, along with being an unnatural shade of black with red eyes. Lord Corax looked nearly identical to Lord Curze.

"I'm Vulkan, I like dragons," Lord Vulkan said. "You told me about the time I was dancing naked in the entry halls."

"What?" he asked, surprised. 

"I was sleepwalking," Lord Vulkan said. "Seems I made it to one of the entry halls and took off my pyjamas to dance. Corvus was quite embarrassed."

"We were being recorded on auspex," Lord Corax said.

"True," Lord Vulkan said with a smile.

"I'm Corvus Corax, I get mistaken for Konrad sometimes," Lord Corax said, taking his turn. "You went on a water ride with me once. Vulkan refused to go."

"I get seasick if you forgot," Lord Vulkan said. 

"I didn't forget," Lord Corax said. "We were going to be sitting, and it was more like a roller coaster than anything else. I still think you would have been fine."

"I don't think so," Lord Vulkan said, though he didn't sound too angry with Lord Corax. 

"Did you enjoy the ride?" he asked, hoping that Lord Corax had had fun despite the issues with his brother. Lord Corax stepped over to a stand in the corner of his chamber. Reaching behind a few other things, Lord Corax picked up a pict-display. He activated it as he stepped back over to the others. The pict that came up was of him with Lord Corax, both with their hands in the air. Lord Corax had his arms fully extended with a wide smile on his face. He kept his hands more level with his head, and looked confused.

"You have the same look on your face now," Lord Corax said with a giggle. "I talked you into putting your hands up like everyone else."

"I see," he said. Lord Corax deactivated the pict-display and put it back. 

********************************

After meeting all the Primarchs again his days became more dull. He was still trying to remember, but he could only get a few bits and pieces to come back. That was almost worse, because the few memories that he could get back were isolated and made very little sense. The Apothecary assured him that this was progress which was a good thing.

Several days after meeting Lords Vulkan and Corax, he was invited to the Emperor's residence to have dinner. He went, unsure of himself. Lord Lupercal came and escorted him from the Tower of Hegemon to the residence. He found that the path was somehow familiar.

"It's possibly your memories trying to come back," Lord Lupercal said when he mentioned it. "You come this way a lot."

They entered the residence and he was greeted by Freki and Geri. He didn't have to be reintroduced to them. The two wolf pups stayed close to him until he pet them, they seemed quite happy with the attention. He became interested in the fish tank to one side of the living room. 

"Those are Two and Eleven," Lord Lupercal said, noting where he was looking. "Our two lost brothers, or the placeholders for them. Only Father knows the truth about them."

"Two and Eleven?" he asked.

"Allfather gave us numbers when he first made us," Lord Russ said, jumping into the conversation. "We chose our names later. Sometimes he calls us by our numbers when we are being bad."

"I had a dream that you bit me and your father called you 'Six'," he said to Lord Russ. Lord Russ broke into a wide smile.

"You remember something I don't remember," Lord Russ said. "I drank Mortarion under the table and then bit you when you were trying to get me to bed. Lion! I told you he'd remember something about me first!"

"He remembers you biting him," Lord Jonson said. "That's the part of you that's unforgettable, even if you drop a building on him."

"It's something," Lord Russ insisted. Lord Jonson decided to ignore that. There was a chime from the kitchen and they went into the dining room. This required passing through the kitchen. He noted a calendar on the wall, the pict was of three Custodians in leather outfits. He stopped short at the pict. 

"Oh, we forgot about the Custodes calendar," Lord Khan said.

"What are they wearing?" he asked. 

"I'm not sure," Lord Khan said. "despite it all they were the most dressed of everyone in that calendar. Though you are holding a kitten in your pict."

"A kitten?" he asked. He knew what a kitten was, but was confused as to why he was holding one in a pict for a calendar. 

"Yeah," Lord Khan said. "They wanted something cute in the calendar or something."

"Interesting," he said and followed Lord Khan out of the kitchen. Dinner went smoothly, with Lord Sanguinius escorting him back to the Tower when the evening was over. 

"I could probably find my way back myself," he told Lord Sanguinius as they went.

"That's not why I'm with you," Lord Sanguinius said. "We haven't been seeing you since you've re-met all of us. The Apothecary said that you seem to be lonely, and other Custodians have also mentioned this."

"It's strange being around the others," he admitted. "I can't remember them, and they seem to be very stilted around me. As if we can't interact until I'm Valdor again."

"You are Valdor now," Lord Sanguinius said. "It's just hard because it's more like you are just Constantin Valdor, with no other names afterward. Many of them don't know how to interact with you just being the most basic you."

"What of the others that are older Custodians?" he asked. "They would remember me from before I earned my other names."

"They've grown accustomed to the man you have become," Lord Sanguinius said. "You aren't that man without your memories. It's probably harder for them than the younger ones who just look up to you. It's like seeing you become that man all over again, and they can't help you."

"That makes sense," he said. They walked in silence the rest of the day back to the Tower.

"Good night, Valdor," Lord Sanguinius said. "We'll try and be over again, or have you over."

"I could watch you if your father needs me to," he offered. "That shouldn't be too difficult."

"I'll tell Father that," Lord Sanguinius said. "I think that would be good for you too." He waved and headed back to his residence.

****************************

It was a few days before the Emperor took him up on the offer. It seemed that his master needed Malcador for some other task. This left him as the best choice for watching the Primarchs on a day off from Nova. The Primarchs all seemed very happy to see him. 

"Let's go somewhere," Lord Khan said. 

"Where should we go?" Lord Magnus said. 

"I don't know," Lord Khan said. "We could go around the hive outside of the Palace. There's a park like area not far from here."

"True," Lord Aurelian said. "We haven't been out there in quite a while."

"Yeah!" Lord Russ said. "Let's go!"

"Does everyone want to go?" he asked. The other Primarchs nodded, they all seemed enthusiastic about it. "Alright, let us go then."

The Primarchs lead the way, Lord Russ had brought Freki and Geri on leashes. This meant that he was in the lead, as the wolves dragged him along. 

"Slow down a bit, Lord Russ," he called ahead, he was towards the middle of the group, keeping his strides short so as not to outpace the Primarchs. Lord Russ pulled in on the leashes, forcing Freki and Geri to slow down a tiny bit.

"Better," he said. Lord Russ smiled over his shoulder. They arrived at the park area and the Primarchs spread out. They did try to stay where he was at least aware of them. Most tried to stay where he could see them as he found a place to watch them from. 

He watched the Primarchs play for a while. They all seemed quite happy to be outside. Lord Russ was throwing a ball for Freki and Geri, while the others were chasing each other around. They seemed to be playing a game that involved one of them trying to touch one of the others. They said it was an ancient game called tag.

"Time to head back, Primarchs," he called after most of an hour. The Primarchs all gathered to him, Lord Russ re-leashing Freki and Geri. They headed out of the park area and back to the Palace.

Lord Jonson froze and Lord Magnus staggered just before the Primarchs were all grabbed by human normals. It became obvious that the one holding Lord Magnus was a blank. Like the Sisters of Silence, but a man. Lord Magnus was turning pink, the close proximity to the blank causing him problems. 

"Let them go," he said, pleased at the commanding nature of his voice. He knew on some level that he could take these people down without hurting the Primarchs, but he couldn't remember how. With his size he didn't want to risk it without his memories, which left him in a very bad position.

"I don't think so," one of the people growled. He didn't sound like he was from Terra. The insignia on their clothing was unfamiliar. "I think we are going to take them from you."

"No," he growled. Lord Magnus was paling even further. He could see what looked like fear on Lord Curze's face, and pain on Lord Fulgrim's. Most of them were trying to fight, but they didn't have any leverage. Freki and Geri were growling, but weren't attacking.

The world seemed to spin to him. Memories flooded his mind. A crying Konrad, arms stretching as far as they would go around his leg. Fulgrim struggling to keep up with the group. The Lion looking determined as he fought five servitors at once. Sanguinius falling just short of his waiting arms. Corvus looking sad that Vulkan wouldn't go on the water ride with him, and the smile that came with him saying he would go instead. Carrying Malcador like a Bloodbowl ball, running from fangirls. Ferrus sagging against the lava-fueled forge, his arms smoking. A dark, crowded ground vehicle and being covered in sleeping Primarchs.

Cavlor asking who Angron's favorite Custodian was. An unconscious Magnus, reacting poorly to drugs in his system. The Primarchs running around the docks on Oceanus. Waking up to Geri's butt in his face. Squishing a spider half the size of Roboute's hand, Roboute himself pressed into the corner as far as he would go. Telling the Primarchs stories of when he was becoming a Custodian. Watching the Primarchs take their first steps. Meeting Freki and Geri for the first time. Mortarion running into the bushes, and the horrid smell that followed. Holding a purring kitten while only wearing half his robes, concerned at the fact that it was vibrating. 

Valdor brought his thoughts back into focus, looking at the rebels holding the Primarchs. With his memories back he recognized the men as being from the rebels that had caused his amnesia. Magnus was nearly unconscious, he couldn't hold off the effects of the blank, though he was still struggling feebly. Valdor took the blank out first, Magnus fell to the ground once released. He crawled behind Valdor, before passing out completely. Leman called an order to Freki and Geri, who moved over to Magnus. The rest of the rebels fell in short order, all struck before they could harm the Primarchs. 

Jaghatai made his way over to Magnus as soon as he was free. Magnus groaned, opening his eye. He was still a pale pink, but looked a bit better than when the blank had been holding him.  Valdor picked Magnus up, then activated his vox bead.

"Tolax, Quellen, Fellnor and Bryth," he voxed. "I require you to detain some rebels who attempted to harm the Primarchs."

"As you command, lord," Tolax replied, echoed by Quellen, Fellnor and Bryth. Valdor closed the vox channel, and turned to the other Primarchs. 

"Are the rest of you alright?" he asked. The Primarchs nodded, they also all looked happy.

"You remember!" Sanguinius said.

"Yes," Valdor replied. "I have all of my memories back. Or at least all the ones that I had before my injury."

"Still don't remember causing your catalepsean node to misfire?" the Lion asked.

"No," Valdor said with a chuckle. Tolax arrived with the other three just behind him. This time they were all wearing power armor. They took the rebels to hand, herding them away. Valdor escorted the Primarchs back to the Palace and their residence. Magnus' color returned once there was more distance between him and the blank, though he still seemed weak.

"Are you alright, Magnus?" Valdor asked, a concerned frown forming on his face.

"I will be," Magnus murmured. "That blank should have been taken by the Assassinorum. He would have done well with the Culexus clade."

"I do not think that will be his fate," Valdor said. Magnus nodded, resting his head against Valdor's shoulder. They entered the Palace, and were met by the Emperor. Tolax had informed him of what had happened, including that Valdor seemed to have his memories back. 

"Is everyone alright?" the Emperor asked, then noticed Magnus.

"I'll be alright, Father," Magnus said, sounding a bit stronger. "I was being held by a blank. He was very powerful."

"Valdor has his memories back!" Horus said happily. "That's good, right?"

"Yes, Horus," the Emperor said, though he was still focused on Magnus. Valdor shifted Magnus, intending to hand him over to the Emperor. His master shook his head though, indicating that Valdor should keep him. 

"My apologies for pulling you from the meeting with the rogue trader," Valdor said. 

"Your apologies are unnecessary, Valdor," the Emperor said. "It is good to have you fully recovered."

"It is good to be fully recovered, my king," Valdor said. "I will take the Primarchs back to the residence."

"Good, stay with them until I finish," the Emepror said. Valdor nodded and led the way back to the residence. He set Magnus on a couch when they entered the residence. The red Primarch was actually red again. This made Jaghatai happy.

"It's good that you have your memories back, Valdor," Corvus said. 

"It's good to have them back, Lord Corax," he said.