A/N: Welcome back everyone its been awhile! ^-^;;
Happy New Year, and thank you to all of you that were patient and supportive despite my long absence. Hopefully I will be back with more chapters to come! In the meantime, please enjoy a drawing of present Altair :D
* * *
The morning sky was a bright muted grey, illuminated by the sunlight that had been scattered by the thin blanket of clouds. The air was now bitingly cold, and Altair could see the gentle winds whisk his breath away. In just a couple of days it will be officially winter, and snow will likely start to fall in just a week or two.
Despite the chill, the woods echoed with life. As he breathed in the crisp morning air, he smelled the tracks of deer that had passed not long ago, taking to the direction of the nearby creek. When he listened, he could hear the thinning branches of trees swaying slightly in the breeze, while the undergrowth bristled with movement from small critters. He let out a small content sigh.
"Something put you in a good mood, kid?"
Altair glanced up from beside Antonio, who continued to walk along the paved dirt road, eyes locked into the road ahead. Despite their destination, he looked as disheveled as ever. From his dark cloak and iron plated leather armor, to his messy dark hair and short beard, every part of him looked rugged and harsh— all apart from his eyes, which despite their tiredness, turned to peer down at him with gentle curiosity.
Altair chuckled softly, turning his gaze back towards the landscape. "I suppose you can say that. Things have just been... working out well recently."
Despite Altair's lack of elaboration, Antonio replied back sincerely. "That's good to hear. Kids your age should be nothing but smiles in this day and age."
Altair let out a fond huff. "You make it seem like I never do, Sir."
"Not your smile, Altair," Antonio chided, his hand reaching down to pat his head. "You're much too sharp for your age."
"A fair assessment," Altair replied cheekily.
Eventually, the dirt path that connected their remote barrack joined with a central, cobbled road. In the distance, they saw a massive structure that jutted out from the rest of the landscape, large and imposing.
"There it is— Gordon Hall," Antonio stated.
It was the great central military hall that has trained and housed the knights, squires, and common soldiers for generations. There was no opportunity to come when it wasn't him escorting Scorpius to his training site, but nothing stopped him from accompanying Antonio on one of his errands.
"Keep an eye out." Antonio instructed. "You won't be able to train the way they do, but you can learn by watching and applying."
As they continued to approach the building, Altair slowly assessed his surroundings, from the formidable structure of the building made out of stone, to the activities around it. Seeing as this was the back entrance, there were an abundance of common soldiers. Aside from the guards, some were hauling wooden crates from wagons, while others were socializing in small groups, likely on break.
"Morning, Sir." Walking up the stone stairways, the armored guards at the entrance gave Antonio a bow, who gave them a quick nod back.
Entering the towering building through the statuesque arched doorways, inside was a grand hallway leading into different rooms, halls, and courtyards, all lit with beautiful morning light streaking through the tall glass windows. Despite the stone brick walls being harsh and clearly aged, it was in no way crude, the scale and intricacies of the architecture rather making it feel timeless.
"Stick close to me, now. There's a lot of people here."
True enough, countless soldiers went in and out of halls, with those passing by the hall giving a small bow to Antonio as they walked through. Some stared at Altair with obvious fascination, but others merely gave him a brief curious glance as they finished their greeting. Others were hard at work outside in the training grounds, all seeming incredibly disciplined. Altair briefly studied them spar with one another as he passed each courtyard, analyzing their movements.
Before long however, they finally arrived at the center most hall, which looked comparably more grand. What caught his eye however, was not its intricate patterned ceilings or well polished floors, but the glimpse of movement outside.
Knights.
There were sounds of clashing metal, with movements embedded with precision, power, and speed. There were only a few of them outside in the courtyard, yet their presence was magnifying. While he wanted to observe more, he was only able to get a brief impression before they passed.
Still, a glance alone was enough to surprise him. His eyes could keep up with their movements, sure, but it was enough for Altair to recognize that their skills and experience heavily outweighed Altair's own. Even so, he noted, only few matched the level of effortlessness of Antonio's movements. He was always aware, not just of his opponent and himself, but his surroundings— unassuming, but deadly.
Finally, they entered the squires' hall. As he scanned the area, observing between slow blinks, bright red caught his eye. An older girl with bright orange-red hair, who looked to be in her late adolescence, was resting on one of the side benches and was staring at him blankly, studying him with her sharp, thin eyes. Out of curiosity, likely, but strangely her expression was hard to read.
A Northern Hwayin?
Ren too descended from a northern Hwayin tribe, the semi-nomadic people who lived in the same grasslands as monstrously strong creatures like wyverns. Unlike other races of humans, they had a distinct fire affinity, which paired with the fact that their society centralized around hunting divine buffalo beasts the size of buildings, made them elite warriors who utilized their fire magic with their unique arsenal of weapons to terrifying efficiency.
Their prowess in battle became infamous as they began involving themselves in global conflicts as mercenaries, but they had rarely settled down in other countries. Much like Ren, she was likely an orphaned child displaced from the battlefield or born out of the community. Seeing her here with all the noble squires, she likely had the rare opportunity to be recognized for her skill and potential. Whether she would actually succeed in being knighted, however, was a different question.
As Altair met her keen stare, she did not avert her eyes, as if testing him. He held the gaze, almost to indulge her.
Antonio followed Altair's line of sight, watching her in the distance before turning away and walking. Altair gave another glance back before following suit. He was good at hiding it, but for the briefest of moments Antonio had stiffened at the sight of her, a flash of recognition in his eyes.
Curious. It wasn't a squire he trained, since as far as he knew no mentorships were held at their barracks. If so, there would have been plenty of squires at their barracks already. Their little barrack had nothing to offer to a young and eager aspiring knight. It was small and forgettable, with no prominent knights to learn from since Antonio liked the quiet so most didn't know of him. The only reason Altair was ever introduced to Antonio was because of Renald. So how was it that these two, or at very least Antonio, knew each other?
Before he could speculate any further, a deep voice sounded from behind them, causing both to turn.
"Antonio," he said. "Fancy seeing you here."
"Kain," Antonio replied, his brows raised. "It's been a while."
Even disregarding his slight slouch, Antonio was a tall man, but Kain easily towered over him as he approached. Almost a head taller than Antonio, he was broad shouldered and very obviously toned, with short chestnut hair.
"Submitting paperwork?"
"Pretty much," Antonio chuckled. "Altair, this is Sir Kain. Kain, Altair."
"A pleasure, sir," Altair bowed. "It's an honor to greet the Knight Captain of the 1st Division and the young master's trusted sword instructor."
Kain stared at him with unhidden amusement. "As it is mine, little Wolf. I would introduce myself further, but it seems you know a lot about me already."
"Of course," Altair said, giving the knight a charming smile. "It's my duty to be informed."
"I see." Kain chuckled, trying his best to stifle his laughter. "Sorry, it's just that you look so similar to Raiul, but if he learned how to smile and be polite."
Altair stared at the man for a bit, before giving him another smile. "I understand. It's common knowledge at this point that my father could afford to lighten up a little. I hear even His Grace struggles with his strictness at times."
"He sure does— it's for the best though. His Grace is not keen on taking care of himself at times. Don't tell him I said that, though."
"Of course," Altair replied, as if Altair had any power to do anything to begin with. "I won't say a word, only if you won't tell my father in return, Sir."
"HA!" Kain let out a rich laugh. "I didn't realize the young master's attendant was such a bright young lad. Raiul could never. I'm glad Olivia injected some humor in you."
Altair simply smiled wordlessly.
"That reminds me, the young master is in the courtyard already." Kain said as his laughter began dying down, "Would you like to go see him?"
"If I am allowed, Sir."
"Go ahead. He should be on the east courtyard. Take that right and you should be there."
"Thank you. Then if you will excuse me," Altair bowed again. As Altair turned and began walking, he heard Kain address Antonio, who began walking away.
"You know, I did hear that you took the young master's Black Dog under your wing, but I didn't think it would be true, given that you always refused to teach kids." Kain let out a deep sigh. "Still, I didn't think His Grace would want to take this kind of direction with the Black Dogs."
"I wasn't going to," Altair heard Antonio reply. "Initially at least. I chose this life so that others didn't have to, after all. Certainly not... kids, Kain. I was just going to leave him up to some of the soldiers until Renald got off my back, but well..." Altair heard him let out a soft, almost defeated sigh.
"Altair pointed out that it was inevitable at his station," he said in a somber tone. "He was right that he might as well go in prepared rather than suffer from his inexperience."
"Does that mean you'll be coming back?"
"... I'm retired from that work, Kain. There's no place for me at a time of peace."
"It's a fragile peace, Antonio. Very fragile."
"But His Grace is doing his best to maintain it for the past five years. I too want to have faith that this peace will last."
Kain's voice sounded wistful. "Right. Peace... would be nice."
As their voices began trailing further away, Altair huffed to himself, closing his eyes. Anyone would expect that a man hardened from years and years of battle would become jaded to the world. And yet, somehow he who believed himself to be a stain to the earth, still clung to idealistic hope that the children who would inherit it after them would never know the horrors of war. Antonio had convinced himself that he would not let them become like him. What he failed to realize however, was that the children would one day become adults, and the world they would inherit was still imperfect. Their sheltered world would crumble as soon as they realize their inexperience.
It was true that Antonio had never intended to teach him. He was far too soft-hearted to let him face any risks, nevermind teaching him anything. He had left him to the soldiers to indulge. But mere indulgence wasn't enough— for him, for his role, and for his goals. As soon as he realized Antonio's intentions, Altair had made it clear to him that if the time were to come, he'd happily throw himself in front of a swinging sword to save his master. What to do then? The child he had tried to shelter had already partially weathered the elements for himself. Altair had left him no choice but to guide him properly, knowing full well what would happen if he didn't.
Altair watched as the younger squires in the courtyard diligently swung their dainty wooden practice swords. Among them, sure enough, was Scorpius who was alone on one side, doing practice drills against one of the straw dummies. Altair watched closely as even whilst his cheeks were flushed pink from the chill of the early winter air, his brown eyes were glistening brightly in concentration, hand tightened around the wooden sword as he struck the dummy with well practiced movements. It was obvious that there was a long, long way to go for him to reach the capabilities of the knights he saw just earlier, but there was no doubt to anyone watching that Scorpius had done his due diligence to get to where he was now.
Ah, was it around this age that Altair too began learning combat in earnest, wasn't it? But unlike him, Scorpius had been learning the way of combat years before now, just as he had done for service.
He stared as the morning sun overhead made the sweat on the young lord's forehead glisten, the light catching his small clouds of breath everytime he exhaled. So young, and so small, yet he had worked so hard.
Altair let out a small huff of air, leaning against the side railings separating the walkway from the courtyard. Since his young lord was working so hard, it would be thoughtless of him to disturb him.
As Scorpius continuously struck the dummy, Altair watched him freeze up as his gaze momentarily met his own, his entire face lighting up wordlessly.
Oh, have I been discovered?
Altair watched in amusement as Scorpius turned away hurriedly, and began anxiously thwacking the straw dummy. Oh my. His form looks a lot sloppier than before— and a lot more aggressive too. Scorpius kept sneaking glances towards him, as if gauging his reaction.
Altair leaned forward on the railing, his chin planted into his hand.
Adorable thing. Was he trying to impress him?
A soft smile found its way to his face, a small chuckle escaping him. He was always so easy to read.
Scorpius sneaked another glance towards him, and quickly turned away, ears flushed with far too much color to have been just the cold. He began violently whacking the dummy again, more ferociously than before.
Footsteps approached from behind him.
"Is that how I taught you to swing?" Kain's voice echoed behind him.
Scorpius's flustered expression quickly became that of an hissing cat, his grip tightening around his training sword.
"Shut up," Scorpius scowled, not even turning to look at his instructor. "I'm not in the mood to hear your nagging right now."
"Like you ever are," Kain said, shaking his head with a sigh. "Time and time again I tell you your frustration and impatience gets the better of you. It'll be difficult for you to improve at all if you keep this up."
"Oh yeah? What should I do then— roll over and let Golden Boy win? I don't think so," Scorpius quipped back as he struck the dummy with one aggravated thwack.
"Comparison will get you nowhere, Young Master. Focusing on your own improvement— "
Scorpius let out a disgruntled 'Hah!' as he shifted his stance. "Why, because we're in different leagues? You already do anyway, and don't even try to deny it because you know it's true."
Despite his obvious anger, once he glanced back at Altair's direction and met his pointed stare, his gaze wavered, quickly turning away as his body deflated.
"My apologies, Sir Kain," Altair said, stepping forward and bowing respectfully. "It looks like I was disrupting his training." His apology for his behavior went unsaid.
At that, Scorpius whipped his head around in surprise. As if calculating what to do next, he briefly glanced between Altair and Kain, sheathing his training sword back to his hip before hurriedly running up to where Altair stood.
"Oh um— Altair!" Scorpius blurted out. "I uh— didn't know you were there! What brings you?"
Altair's expression softened as Scorpius looked up at him hesitantly, eyes glancing back at Kain to gauge his reaction.
"Good morning, Young Master," he said. "It was great to see you working so hard."
Scorpius perked up at that. "I'm normally better, I promise," he said in a quiet murmur. "You should see me sparring with the other kids, I beat them all." He paused. "Well, most of the time, anyway."
That wasn't hard to believe. He had decent form and footwork, at least before he got distracted. The only thing would be his lack of power, but that was understandable at this age. Sir Kain had taught him well.
"Is that so?" Altair mused. "Well it seems I have something to look forward to the next time I come."
Scorpius gave him a bashful, but pleased smile, coughing into his fist again in a poor attempt to hide his expression. "I'm sure you're just saying that, but I'm grateful regardless."
"I am not."
"Really?"
"Of course. I will come see you when I can."
Scorpius's eyes brightened with excitement, his hand subconsciously coming up to gently tug at the helm of Altair's shirt as if to encourage a response. "When?"
"The next month, when it's time to submit reports again," Antonio stated as he approached the three of them. "Unless he will be coming on his own, which I will not account for."
Scorpius narrowed his eyes, eying the man up and down before crossing his arms. "And you are?"
"Sir Antonio, Young Master Scorpius," Kain introduced. "An esteemed knight of Linhearth."
"At your service, young master," Antonio formally bowed, looking like a proper knight for once, Altair mused.
"A knight?" Scorpius echoed. "I haven't seen you much for a knight residing in the estate."
"He's stationed on the far end of the city near the forest, so it's understandable, Young Master," Kain explained.
Scorpius raised a brow. "And how does a knight stationed in the far barracks know Altair?"
"He is my... disciple. Informally, Young Master."
Scorpius's arms uncrossed as his posture straightened in surprise. "You trained Altair?" He snapped his head around towards Altair. "Is that true? You trained with a knight?"
Altair dipped his head in affirmation, "I dare not call myself a squire, young master. I have a lot to learn still, but Sir Antonio has been doing me a great favor in teaching me."
Scorpius let out a quiet laugh of both excitement and surprise. "I suppose that makes sense," he said thoughtfully to himself, "No wonder you were able to handle Orion's bodyguard so easily."
Antonio and Kain stiffened beside them.
"His Highness's bodyguard..?" Kain practically growled, his eyes narrowing harshly.
"Only a friendly test of strength," Altair replied evenly. He was sure that if they actually found out what happened, they too would be furious that Ren dared to draw his sword; however, that didn't match their current story.
Scorpius, realizing what he had said, cleared his throat. "Yup, Orion was pretty eager to show off his new bodyguard, huh? Guess he wanted to see how he'd fare against mine. Of course no one is better than my attendant."
As Kain stared with suspicion lingering in his eyes, Scorpius quickly changed the subject. "Speaking of, how strong are you, Altair? I heard that the new Hwayin bodyguard of his was no joke, enough to equal the prodigy himself. "
"If I were to guess," Altair replied, "In terms of pure physicality, I would be superior. But in combative ability and potential, I would be lacking. He is a magic swordsman, who despite being two years younger than I, is impressive enough to be adopted by Count Volaris and chosen to be trained to serve as His Highness's bodyguard."
Both Ren and Orion had overwhelming and unbending talent. But talent was not what dictated a winning match in the real world, even disregarding whether it was ever nurtured– and a win when it counted was all Altair needed. A win against Ren? It was child's play. If he were to possess his Hwayin ancestral weapon like he would eventually, that would likely be a different story, but Altair would find a way. He always did.
"Could you spar with me, Altair?" Scorpius asked, his voice hopeful. He turned to his instructor with bright eyes. "Could I, Kain?"
Kain hesitated. It was obvious he was curious too, but apprehension weighed on his face far more heavily. "That, I'm afraid, will not be a good idea, Young Master. Antonio teaches—"
"It will be fine, Kain," Antonio cut in. "It's not like that. He will do fine in a spar, I can assure you."
Several thoughts seemed to pass through Kain's head, before his previously concerned expression softened as if in realization. "If you say so."
"I do say so. It would especially be good for the young lord to have some experience sparring with someone such as Altair, whose abilities allow him to fight weaponless."
Setting aside his coat, Altair began rolling up his sleeves and unbuttoned his shirt a bit, exposing his forearms to the crisp morning air.
"As for myself, I would be honored to," Altair replied, gazing back at Scorpius who tilted his head.
"You fight barehanded, Altair?"
"I do. I'm forbidden from using any weapons, though thankfully I don't need to. My natural weapons serve me just fine."
"No shifting, Altair," Antonio chimed.
"Of course," Altair nodded, putting some distance between them. "Not today, anyways."
Scorpius stood across from him with his wooden sword drawn, eye twinkling with new found curiosity. From his peripheral, Altair noticed the other squires shifting their attention, coming closer for a better look.
"Any direct contact by sword or hand signifies a win. Ready—" Kain called, glancing at the two of them. "Begin."
Scorpius bolted forward, charging straight towards him with determined eyes. Altair grinned. He had feared that Scorpius would hesitate, unsure on how to go about this— in his perspective— a rather unorthodox spar. But Scorpius had proved to him that there was nothing to worry about beside himself.
Altair grinned, all too amused.
Let's see what our young master can do, shall we?
* * *
Scorpius thought he hated the sword.
Every time he had held it in his hands, eyes followed— to watch him, judge him, scrutinizing his every swing. How good can the one and only son of the greatest military house of the country possibly be? It was never good enough. There could be no mistakes. He had to be better. Better than everyone else. Better than Orion. He had to improve, and quickly, but as he tried harder to catch up, his goal seemed to only grow more distant, his desperate efforts only making him sink deeper into quicksand the more he flailed and struggled.
But why was it different with you?
It was almost mesmerizing to see Altair weave around his attacks effortlessly, in manners that was only possible because of the other's terrifying speed— that very speed that he saw when he appeared seemingly out of nowhere when he blocked Ren from drawing his sword any further.
Despite being acutely aware of the audience that had formed around them and their watchful gazes, Scorpius's attention was solely on Altair, watching as molten gold gazed at him with an amused, yet piercing stare. He found himself charging forward in newfound enthusiasm, anticipating the moment his training sword would best the other's defenses.
Down. Shift, thrust. Shift, slash up, down.
There was an electric tingling down his every limb each time he charged and swung. It was exhilarating, like it had never been before.
For once, he wanted to see what his opponent would do— what he could do.
For a brief moment, Altair's smooth movements stiffened, leaving a small gap in his defenses. Scorpius eyes widened in anticipation, driving his training sword forward with a powerful thrust. Just as he did however, Altair's previously defensive stance shifted as instead of avoiding the sword, delved forward into Scorpius's own open position. He had been too eager, and fell for his feint.
Scorpius quickly tightened his hold on his sword, just before Altair's hands lightly brushed against his skin, and twisted his forearm. Scorpius winced a bit, but let out a triumphant grin as his hand remained firmly around the hilt without dropping it.
Altair's eyes widened a bit at that, but before Scorpius could retaliate, or at the very least well in his admittedly small victory, he felt his legs get swept from beneath him, his entire body weight crumbling on itself. When he blinked, he was on the ground with Altair hovering over him, one hand clasping the back of his head, preventing it from crashing to the ground.
"...Altair's win," Kain stated eventually.
Scorpius laid on the ground, unsure what even happened. He could hear his heart pounding in his ears, the pants of his short breaths. He felt the sweat uncomfortably sticking between his skin and clothes, and the dirt beneath him.
But strangely, it didn't feel bad. Instead, Scorpius found himself laughing wholeheartedly, a laugh that reverberated from his core to every part of his body.
"I've.." he said through his pants, "Never fallen to the ground like that before. Was that a leg sweep?"
"Of sort— my apologies if that was too extreme," Altair responded.
Scorpius laughed more as he shook his head. "How was that? How did I do?"
"I was impressed," Altair told him, offering him a hand. "Your resilience surprised me."
"Really?" Scorpius grinned, taking his hand. Altair hauled him up from the ground, and helped him dust the dirt off his clothes.
"Yes really. You did wonderfully."
There was that unexplainably pleasant warmth again, that made him feel so alive. A joy that made him want to burst out in a fit of giggles.
Scorpius stood silently, his mouth curved to a quivering smile. "Teach me how to do that, sometime, Altair."
Altair chuckled. "With pleasure."
Never before did Scorpius feel so joyous after a match. There was no sourness of loss, nor was there that awful pressure that remained even after a victory. So what was so different? Was it the fact that his opponent's style was so refreshingly different? His curiosity of how a beastkin would fight?
No. Even if Altair had the same movements as a training dummy, Scorpius had a feeling he wouldn't care. Even if every battle he had encountered had been different and interesting, it would make no difference.
There was no complicated reason. He just liked it because it was him.
* * *
"How has his progress been, Madame?"
The regal Madame Lysenthia sat sipping on the floral tea he had offered with small dainty sips.
"Remarkable," she responded, a gentle smile gracing her lips. "Truly. I was quite worried in the beginning, seeing him so guarded, but he just needed some time. He is an eager and earnest student. He still has some trouble here and there of course— but that's natural. He'll get through— he's a bright young man."
Altair, who was standing beside her, smiled. "I'm glad to hear that. He was very excited to hear that you were a foreign ambassador in the past."
"I thought that was the case," she chuckled, "he perks up like a wee lil' rabbit everytime I mention it. We have taken to having some conversations in Emerian and Yinin. I've told him I would teach him some foreign etiquette whenever we have time, and I believe that's been a great motivator for him so far."
"Yes, he excels at learning languages," Altair sighed playfully. "I fear that he will make my own language studies useless at this rate. I would make quite the useless translator."
"He just might," she replied, her smile lines crinkling. "Though I'm sure you can still offer to be a good partner to practice on while I'm not here. So you'd better study hard."
"I will heed your words, Madame," Altair chuckled, ducking his head.
"Ah, that reminds me. I believe it might be a good time now to start preparing young Scorpius to meet other young lords," she said, taking another sip. "I believe getting him to socialize more would be a great help for him to get more enrichment and experience. He has been doing well in all his etiquette studies, and he has made great progress in managing his temper. He would be ready by imber, or by spring at the latest. A smaller, familiar gathering would fare well for him, especially if we want to prepare him for the rest of high society."
"Is that so," Altair replied, humming. "I concur. It's about time for a well due meeting with the fellow heirs of the Eastern Faction, though I worry since some of them do not get along."
The Madame hummed. "It may be a challenge, but it is an inevitable issue. Trust in the young lord. It may take time, but he will be fine, I'm sure, and I shall be there to assist him with preparations."
"I as well," Altair replied.
She nodded in satisfaction. "Then how does springtime sound?"
* * *
"I don't want to," Scorpius said flatly with a scowl on his face.
"Young Master, it is a necessary act to see the other heirs. They will be the ones working with you in the future for the sake of the eastern territories. Didn't you say that you will try your best from now on to become a better lord?"
Scorpius, however, did not answer. Altair lowered himself to the ground, gazing into the other's avoidant eyes.
"What bothers you so?"
"... I've never gotten along with them," Scorpius answered. "They're annoying and I've always got in trouble 'cause of it."
Altair recalled his fight with Count Poenarus's son, Vincent Poenarus last time, as well as the others which inconsequentially evoked the Duke's anger.
"They're out there picking fights? With the heir of Linhearth?" Altair mused, knowing full well why.
"Well, they were basically asking for it! Them acting all shifty when I'm in front of them and talking about me behind my back is enough, but some of them really think I'm stupid enough to not understand when they talk shit to my face!"
"Language, young master," Altair lightly chided with a chuckle.
Scorpius muttered more curses underneath his breath, recounting some of the things the other young lords had done in the past, varying from the snide remarks of the Young Lord Poenarus and his little gang, to the general avoidance of the other young lords. Though seemingly harmless at a glance, their silence inevitably only resulted in isolating him further from his peers.
If it were up to him, Altair would have liked to prevent even the possibility of a problem by avoiding any of the children that Scorpius disliked. There would always be better people that would be better worth of one's time, those that he would enjoy spending time with.
However, Scorpius was a lord— the heir to Linhearth, no less. While unpleasant, he would have to learn to deal with the other young lords who would surely inherit their own lordships. As the heir of the most powerful noble family, he would be pressured to display feats of leadership, gathering the support of others and uniting the faction.
The burden on his shoulders was undeniably heavy for someone so young. But there was little that Altair could do to alter the seemingly predetermined role of the heir of Linhearth. So until there came a time where Scorpius would choose the path he would take, Altair would ensure that the journey ahead would be as smooth as possible. Small, confident steps, all at his own pace.
"How about this? We'll wait until summertime instead. In the meantime, the young master will do his best to become a great lord. That means—" Altair emphasized, "Eating well, sleeping well, playing well, and doing your best in your studies. Does that sound like a deal to you?"
Scorpius gave him a slow, cheshire grin, grabbing Altair's hand and rapidly shaking it. "Deal."
"If even then someone infuriates you, kindly remind them of their place. We can plan an elegant revenge together— artfully and strategically. Or ignore them. Pretend they have a squid for a head for all I care. You are the heir of Linhearth. Why should you listen to a ridiculous squid speaking nonsense?"
Scorpius choked on air as he burst out laughing. "First of all, I doubt that would work. Second: A squid?! Why a squid?"
Altair feigned a small shrug, pleased that Scorpius finally seemed to be in a better mood. "They look rather undignified, don't they?"
Scorpius giggled. "You don't like squids?"
"They look awfully strange. And they are slimy and have lots of legs that curl and writhe."
"Does that mean you don't like spiders?"
"Spiders are elegant and patient hunters. While I hear squids are intelligent, you'll have to admit they are quite dopey looking."
"I think they're cute," Scorpius giggled.
Altair chuckled fondly. "If the Young Master insists. Have you tried one?"
"As food? Never."
"It's understandable, since we are so far from the coast. Perhaps if we visit the west one day, you can try some fresh. I think it'll be up to your taste. Then you can threaten the squids that dare mock you that you'll dice them up and eat them alive."
Scorpius raised a brow. "Is threatening them a so-called 'elegant' revenge?"
"Hardly not," Altair grinned slyly, too sharp to be friendly. "It's a mercy."
* * *
28th Day, Vacant Moon, 3851th Sun
Madame Lysenthia has encouraged me to write everyday to manage my thoughts. It'll probably grow to be a hassle, but Altair has told me he would keep reminding me.
2nd Day, Frosted Moon, 3851th Sun
Did you know Altair knows how to play piano? We played a duet together and he plays very well. Apparently he can also play the violin. I sometimes wonder if there is anything he can't do, and I ended up asking him. He just laughed.
"Thank you. But don't place too much faith in this humble servant. While we may learn a wide range of skills, outside of our specialties as attendants we are not given much room for depth. We may be good enough to impress, but we are not masters. We only know enough to impress, teach, and most importantly, be informed enough to understand and recognize true masters that could be of service to you."
Altair's fingers grazed over the keys of the piano.
"Becoming a master requires a great amount of time and focus. I'm afraid I couldn't be a master even if I tried."
Scorpius thought he looked a bit sullen at that.
Apparently they've had music in their teaching curriculum since they were just children, which explains his prowess. Altair taught me a song I've never heard before. Altair tells me it's a beastkin folk song from his grandmother that he transcribed. The style is very different from anything my instructor teaches me, so it's no wonder. I want to ask him to play another duet with me. Maybe next time he can play the violin.
11th Day, Frosted Moon, 3851th Sun
It has snowed for several days now. Rebecca has taken to teaching me what a "snowball fight" is. I think it is a brilliant game that utilizes the strategies taught in the military strategies and tactics classes. Her experience heavily outclasses my own, but I, the commander, was great in managing my resources so I emerged victorious!
"Oh young master~! It's not very fun if you keep running away! You're not a coward are you?"
Rebecca's maniacal laughter echoed throughout the field, with the half terrified, half delighted screams of Scorpius following shortly.
"Altair! Protect me!" Scorpius screamed as he came barreling towards him, quickly ducking behind the attendant as Rebecca chased after him, snowball in hand.
"Hah!" he snickered, peeking out from behind Altair's back, "Now you can't— "
Scorpius was just as quickly plummeted with a snowball, exploding right onto his face.
"Hah! Idiot— this is war! There are no safe zones!"
As Scorpius spat out bits of snow, he felt the weight of body shift as Altair lifted him onto his back, wordlessly handing him a batch of perfectly round snowballs with nothing but a sly grin. Scorpius stared at them, before smiling evilly.
"H-Hey! Using Altair is cheating!"
Rebecca let out a shriek as Altair began chasing after her, while Scorpius hurled snowballs from his back, cackling.
"Idiot! This is war— there are no rules!" Scorpius laughed, his cheeks tinted with a rosy pink.
I think they should implement this into the military curriculum. I think it'll be highly advantageous and good practice for soldiers. They can be divided into armies with a designated general that guards their own stationed territory. Think of the possibilities! We could build forts for defense, and have a specialized team designed for stealth and ambush. Also, the attendants of each general should be included— because of reasons.
21th Day, Frosted Moon, 3851th Sun
Altair has encouraged me to visit the towns and explore. I haven't gotten to visit beyond Uptown Leira, but today Altair guided me to the downtown area, towards the marketplace. It's busier, and dirtier too. Lots of suspicious alleyways. But it's livelier, and the people are all so different from each other. I even saw some beastkins. I knew that our city has a decent population of them, but honestly I haven't seen any outside of the Black Dogs until today. I thought they would be similar to them, but I guess I was wrong. Everyone seems wary of me, but Altair assured me that with time they will warm up to me. I sure hope so.
16th Day, Darkest Moon, 3851th Sun
It's the Lantern Festival today. I only got to see the lanterns from the estate before, but this year I visited the downtown area again with Altair. I got to light a lantern. They're a lot bigger than I thought, now that I got to see one up close and not in the sky like every other year. Apparently we're supposed to write our gratitudes on one side, and our wishes on the other. The lantern seller told me they were once used back in historic times to guide soldiers or their souls back home from war. It's on the darkest, longest night of the year for a reason, I guess, since not even the moon could outshine them.
Altair gave Scorpius a gentle smile, helping him lift his lanturn into the air. Together they watched it drift into the moonless sky full of hundreds and thousands of floating lanterns, like a sea of ripe stars ready to be picked.
"Guess what I wrote!" Scorpius asked mischievously, preemptively giggling.
"I'm not sure. Would you like to tell me?"
"Nope! It's a secret!" Scorpius cackled, running around as Altair sighed and shook his head endearingly.
As Scorpius continued to snicker, he took in the sights around him, seeing people stare up in awe, laughing and pointing up at the night sky as celebratory street music filled the freezing night air.
There were so many lanterns in the sky. To think that all of them are full of wishes and gratitudes... that's kind of crazy to think about. I hope my wish gets granted. Altair says that I'm getting better everyday, so hopefully Father thinks so too someday.
Still, it was nice to see people smiling. I think they were too busy with the festival to be paying attention to me. I like it that way.
30th Day, Thawing Moon, 3851th Sun
I can't believe it's the last day of the year. Winter is officially over, and it'll be imber tomorrow already. Thank goodness I'm not meeting the other lords until summer, because I have a feeling spring would pass just as quickly. Actually, I can't believe I'm still doing this writing thing. I was right that I would grow tired of it, but Altair still insists every night.
13th Day, Budding Moon, 3852th Sun
I am writing. I am writing. Altair let me go, please. I'm done. Goodbye.
...Altair has just informed me that men who write have an intellectual charm to them. What do you think that means?
13th Day, Swelling Moon, 3852th Sun
A big thing happened with the servants earlier in the week. Lots of people got called to the Head Butler's office according to Rebecca, and after that they were all replaced. Personally, I'm actually kind of glad. Most of the people I had problems with left, and the new people... well, they seem anxious but I tried to give them a good impression. I'd like to think maybe it worked, because they seem a lot nicer.
I've decided it's a good thing then. I honestly don't feel too bad about it, since according to Rebecca they got what they deserved. I think it had to something with embezzlement? Set-something harassment? I'm not sure. I'm just wondering why it's happening all at once. I tried asking Altair about it, but he never answers properly, saying that 'trash eventually has to be taken out before it stinks up the place'. It makes me want to think that Altair has something to do with it. I asked him again, and he kept just smiling at me. He's a cheeky bastard. He definitely knows something about it.
9th Day, Flowering Moon, 3852th Sun
Rebecca, Altair and I went out to the west gardens today, since the flowers there are in full bloom right now. A gardener helped us around. He's very friendly. Actually, a lot of the new people have been friendly lately. It kinda scares me. What if I mess everything up and everyone will hate me again?
18th Day, Flowering Moon, 3852th Sun
Rebecca and I played tag together. Altair is banned from playing because he always wins too quickly when he's it, and the game never ends when he isn't. I got some of the guards to join too, since it's more fun with more people. Afterwards, Rebecca taught me how to make flower crowns. They were... difficult.
"Ain't it nice?" Rebecca laughed as the three sat on a grassy hill, beneath the shade of a tree with a basket of flowers by their sides. Rebecca showed Scorpius her completed crown with beautiful pink and magenta cyclamens woven in. She fixed the crown on her head, giving a little 'tada' gesture with a light giggle. "Aren't I pretty now?"
"No matter how much you decorate a pig's neck, and pig will still be a pig," Scorpius replied without missing a beat, and Rebecca lightly smacked him across the head.
"Look at you talking! At least my crown looks nice. Yours looks like it got trampled."
Scorpius glared at her, but admittedly she was right. His inexperience clearly shined through because it lay limply in his hands, looking as if a bundle of flower stems had tangled themselves together, with some parts partially unraveled. He glanced at Altair quietly making his own flower crown with his long dexterous fingers, carefully weaving each flower in with gentle care.
Scorpius stared at the other's perfect crown for a moment, before shoving his mess of flowers on Altair's head.
"There! Now that I've given you mine, you should give yours in return," Scorpius snickered in devious victory, but as Altair lifted his head back up, he froze.
Suddenly he was all too aware of the shortened distance, staring as Altair's eyes opened up. He could see the details of his irises from here the way it churned like molten gold, while his pupil contracted from the sunlight that had peaked through the leaves. Scorpius's mangled mess of flowers were tangled into his hair, but somehow that only made him look even softer as delicate petals and buds interlaced with curly strands of dark hair.
As Scorpius sat there completely petrified, Altair gave him the tenderest smile, and leaned towards him. Scorpius's heartbeat quickened, pounding against his throat, when he realized Altair had placed his own crown on Scorpius's head. It was all so perfectly unfair.
"I suppose I should," Altair chuckled, and Scorpius realized he had responded to his earlier demand. "Thank you for this gift."
"Aww, Altair, you look so good!" Scorpius heard Rebecca say, but Scorpius had yet to move. "If you make even a horrid flower crown like that look good, that's a talent."
"Thank you for the compliment."
"So you do admit it was horrid!"
Altair gave her a sly smile. "I never said such a thing."
As the two continued to chatter on, with Rebecca giving the always level-headed Altair light teases, Scorpius was still left wondering what the hell had happened.
It really is strange, though. The flowers this spring were especially beautiful. So much so that I keep thinking back to it again.