Unblinded Faithful

Chapter 6: Time

Nine months have passed since the incident. It is now summer in Thalia, and the weather is only getting more hot and humid as time goes by.
However, the people of Thalia are quite used to it, and go about their business without complaining, except-
"AGH," the young boy grunts, and drops his sword on the ground before laying next to it, unfazed by the dirt covering his back as he does.
"It's so hot I'll die..."
Winter was not nearly as bad for Aide as this. Although he still has to train under his father's watchful eye despite the heat.
The man covered in scars looms over him and shouts, "Stop yapping and get back up, you've got a hundred more swings to go!"
"Y-yes!" said Aide before springing back up and scrambling for his sword.
He has not told his father of what had transpired nine months ago in his room. The search party that had been sent out couldn't find a single trace of the woman, and the case was simply laid off after installing a new tower on the city wall for security.
He has not tried to visit the clearing ever since that day, his father keeping a close eye on him so he doesn't run off to the forest.
Swinging his sword for the umpteenth time, Aide finally stops, and his father produces a satisfied snort that the boy can't help but find slightly vexing when taking his aching arms into account.
Resting on his sword, he wipes the sweat from his forehead as his father talks, "You've been doing well for these past ten months. Now I won't have to feel worried when I go out of the city."
"Huh...?"
"Oh, I didn't tell you, did I? There's been a surge of attacks on people passing through to the city. I volunteered myself to investigate."
"...I see," he rests his head on Dorothy's hilt and stares off to the side.
"...Something on your mind, kid?"
"There is one thing," he says almost immediately.
"What is it?"
"I was wondering why you're so adamant on training me this hard. It's not like anything happens here in Thalia, so why should it matter whether I can fight or not?"
"Hoh? That's unlike you, questioning my decisions," with a lighthearted chuckle, he raises his fist to his mouth and clears his throat.
"Come here kid."
"Sure..." he walks over and stands in front of his father, sword still in hand.
"Now let me ask you something. If I were to take Dorothy away from you right here, right now, and forbade you from holding her ever again, would you be able to stop me?"
"...I wouldn't."
"Precisely. You're too complacent, too docile. You're too weak to keep your sword in your hand. You think that the sword I've already given you still belongs to me, that you don't have the right to keep it."
"That's..."
His father snatches Dorothy from him and lifts her high above his head.
"Did you never think about why I chose for us to live out here in the middle of nowhere, when I could've easily secured a place for us in the capital or in a major city close to it? It's because out here nobody can take anything from you," he drops the sword on the ground.
"If a king orders it, everything you love can be taken away in an instant. Anyone with even a sliver of power can take advantage of you, and you'll never know a moment's rest if you go along with all of it without complaining."
"Then what are we to do...?"
"Well that's simple," he kicks the sword on the ground and it bounces up towards the boy as he grabs it, "you just need to be uncontrollable. Be so useful to the Kingdom that any noble would want to get on your good side. Be so strong no battalion can take you down without serious damage. While I don't expect you to reach such a point, the higher you go, the better it is. Do you understand now?"
The boy remains silent for a few moments before nodding in response.
"Good kid," he pats his head as he says.
Before heading back inside, the rattling of a carriage can be heard getting closer.
Drawn by a bulky wolf of sorts, the humble carriage stops at the door and a man steps out.
He is wearing a sleek leather robe covered with strange markings, and a wide brimmed hat that gives off an adventurous air. The man calls, "If it isn't the great Gideon in the flesh!"
Aide's father responds with a hearty cackle, and raises his hand to greet him before turning to his son.
"Alright, kiddo, that man over there will be your babysitter."
"Right... Babysitter..." he says, pouting.
They both walk over to the man. His sharp gaze pierces the boy as he tries to hide behind his father, and he says, "So you're the little guy I'll be taking care of for the next few weeks? Nice to meet ya, I'm Arlant Stavron. Let's get along, yeah?"
The man pushes his hand toward Aide expecting a handshake, but the boy doesn't move. The man's brown eyes still leave a stinging sensation where they land as if he's looking through his very soul.
"Err, sorry 'bout that. Force of habit," Arlant says, before blinking his eyes a few times, and all of a sudden the stinging sensation dissipates. "How about now?"
"Huh? Um, ok..." Aide very reluctantly reaches out to shake Arlant Stavron's hand, and he smirks in response.
"Ahem," Gideon, sensing the distrust in his son, intervenes. "Aide, this man was one of my comrades back when I was still in service. He's quite capable, and a good man at heart, though he could come on a little intimidating."
Aide hides further behind his father's back. "Come on, now... I've also told him to be your magic instructor until I come back."
"...!" Aide's head perks upwards and the distrustful expression on his face breaks completely.
"Haha, that's the spirit, be good while I'm away, alright? I'm gonna be leaving tomorrow morning."
"Ok Dad!" the ecstatic young boy said, while Arlant was quietly laughing to himself on the sidelines.
This was going to be the beginning of a new chapter in Aide's life, as he is separated from his father, he will be away for far longer than what was anticipated.