Chapter Text
The first time I met the Third Prince of Sama, Arius, was the day I was knighted. I can’t forget how he was back then, nor could I forget my own thoughts at the time.
“Hey,” he whispered to me back then. “Congrats!” He had smiled at me, against the formalities that was expected of the royal family. I could see his father, the King, side-eye him with disapproval. Yet his smile didn’t fade even when he stepped back into line.
“Innocent” was the only way I could've described him back then. He wasn't anything like his older brothers; he was wide-eyed like a baby deer and cheerful for a prince who grew up in the time of war. Even for someone who had just turned twenty years old, he looked like a young boy.
Something about him… pissed me off greatly back then.
We didn't interact much in the early days of the war. Occasionally I'd see him wandering outside the barracks, practicing his intricate ice spells and trying his hand at swordplay with ease. Although his demeanor was rather-- how should I put this-- obnoxious, there was no doubt that he had a talent for both wielding a sword and ice magic. Hell, he may as well have had an edge over his brothers.
I'd be lying if I said I wasn't the tiniest bit jealous. I vaguely remember the day when I heard in the conversations of other soldiers that the prince had been given the title of Commander in the Sama Navy. I shrugged it off. After all, I was part of the Cavalry Unit. Actually, the leader of a unit, specifically. What happened in his division should not have affected me.
Should not…
It all started with the rumors that spread throughout the barracks of a scandal. I paid no mind to it at first, but soon it was unavoidable. He had been painting pictures of the Hero, Selena, without her consent. The specifics varied, but that was the gist of it.
“Do you think he had to peep in on her to paint it?” I could hear someone giggle.
“Heh, who'd have thought? The third prince is a pervert?” was what I heard sometimes in the middle of scouting missions.
The incessant chatting of my unit over the ordeal drove me mad, honestly. “Hey! Keep it down! Focus on the mission or I'll be dealing punishment later! Whatever gossiping you have to do, you can do it later!” Supposedly, my men feared me. That was why, according to the people of Sama, I was called the “Ice Knight.” It was a nickname born out of the fear of my soldiers.
“Geez, what's his deal? Didn't know he was a fan of the prince…”
I wasn't. I just… I don't know, felt bad, I suppose, for the position he'd gotten himself into. Even for a prince, he was the butt of a joke.
And then it happened, one night when I was training on my own in the nearby alpine wood. I enjoyed being alone, and so the woods were the perfect place for me to practice my own swordplay. But that particular night, I was agitated, alert by the evident sound of someone nearby. I had no need to draw my sword, however, for it was only the prince.
He sounded frustrated, grumbling to himself, tearing something apart… his own paintings of Selena. He clawed at them, ripping the canvas apart before throwing it in the river he sat by. He didn't notice me approaching at first. When he did finally notice me by the shadow of my silhouette in the moonlight, he gasped with fright.
“D-Don't do that!!”
I think I had looked down at him with what must've seemed like contempt. “Didn't realize anybody would be up here so late.”
“I-I didn't know soldiers like to train up here…” he weakly defended himself.
“Just me, actually.”
He was trying to cover up the paintings he made. I glanced at them. They weren't even very revealing pictures, simply captured portraits. Although the darkness of the night made it hard to see, I could see the careful details in Selena’s hair, the perfect blend of colors. “I'm sorry, please leave me be…”
“You know, there are sometimes monsters up here.” I wasn't kidding. As we spoke, I kept my hand on the handle of my sword.
“I-I'll be fine, really, Sergio.”
Hearing him say my name… It made me realize that the others rarely called me by name. I’d only been referred to as “Commander” or “The Ice Knight.” He remembered my name, despite the fact that I was but a dime in a dozen knight out of Sama’s thousands.
“You… remember my name?”
“Of course,” he said so matter-of-factly, still ripping his paintings. “I've heard wonderful stories about your endeavors. You’re from the cavalry, one of the commanders, in fact.”
“That’s… right…”
“Meanwhile I'm screwing everything up… It must be nice to be so respected amongst your group…”
I found myself sitting next to him. “Truth be told, they only fear me. It’s not the same as real respect.”
“That's better than being the laughing stock of the whole kingdom,” he laughed, tiredly. “Look at me… I'm supposed to be a Prince, a vision of grace and finesse. Instead I'm just--” he chucked the painting into the water-- “a huge fool!!”
“Your Majesty…” That was when I truly felt pity for him. I had no clue what to say. Here he was, confiding to me as if we were old friends. I'd never held a conversation like this before, especially to someone of such high esteem as him. “I… um... they are very beautiful paintings, you know.”
He didn't look me in the eye at first. I feared I said the worst thing I could. Then he did look at me, two big, emerald eyes looking at me with what I could only think to be gratitude. “Thank you,” he whispered.
I no longer held him to one personality of blind innocence and carelessness like before. He was human. He made mistakes.
That is to say, he kept making mistakes. I heard not just the soldiers who came back from the navy complaining of the prince’s docile nature, but the townspeople of the Sama capital gossiping as well. Tales and accounts of conflicting navy decisions spread in the taverns and around the barracks where I frequented. Thankfully, I believe there weren’t any casualties caused by his indecision, only unrest. But unrest and fear of incompetent commanders in a time of war was far from a good thing.
I couldn’t help but pity him still.
I didn’t expect to see him again by the river, not even a month from our first real conversation. He didn’t have paintings with him that time. He simply sat there, without guard or care. As I approached, I realized he was crying, his sniffles drowned out by the babble of the river.
“Prince Arius?” I asked softly.
He curled up, pulling his knees closer to his chest. “Leave me be…”
I blatantly disobeyed, coming closer instead, standing next to him. “Didn’t expect to find you here again.”
He sniffled, taking a moment to clear his throat and regain what composure he might have lost in his tears. “I-I didn’t think you’d be up here again…”
“I said last time, this is my favorite training spot.” I looked out to the other side of the river, which itself spanned about thirty feet and ran deep and fast. “... I heard about the navy situation.”
“Yeah, well who hasn’t?” he snapped, immediately looking regretful after. “I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…”
“You’ve no need to apologize.” We stayed awkwardly silent for a moment. I was unsure of what to do. “Please pardon me for bringing it up… The last few months couldn’t have been easy on you.”
“... Did you hear about what happened today?” he asked after another brief bout of silence.
“No, actually. I’ve been here all day. What happened?”
He didn’t answer. I didn’t pry. “Sergio?...” He looked up at me with those emerald eyes. Those eyes that added that finishing touch to his innocent visage, that visage I used to resent for reasons unknown even to me...
“Y-Yes?”
“Can you… teach me what you know about fighting with your sword?”
It was such an abrupt and absurd request. Why me? “With all due respect, Your Majesty, don’t you have a tutor or something of that sort?” I didn’t know anything of how royalty lived or how they come to command their own military divisions, truth be told, but I was definitely confused as to why I was asked to fill this role.”
“Well, yes, but I’d like to learn from you.”
“Can I ask why?” I raised an eyebrow.
“You seem like you’d make a good teacher. Please, I want you to teach me.”
“... Give me some time to think about it, okay?” I turned and left him there. He didn’t acknowledge what I said, or stop me in any way. He simply sat there, staring forlornly at the river.
It wasn’t until the next night that I found out what had happened.
On occasion, I’d give myself time at a nearby tavern to ease my worries with a drink or two. I always went alone, not wanting to associate too heavily with the urchins of my unit. I hung alone yet again that one particular night, in a corner at the bar, when I heard something that caught my attention…
“I still can’t believe Arius got told off like that.” It was one of the navy soldiers, distinguishable by the insignia on his jacket. “Major respect for Mega there.”
“Heh, yeah. To think the Commander position got passed off to Mega too…”
“After a speech like that, you gotta give props to the prince for even looking the guy in the eyes.”
“Pfft, props to the prince? He had it coming. Good riddance.”
I listened intently. So Arius made that big of a move… Major props, indeed.
I made my decision then, rising from the bar and leaving, back to the woods. As I expected, Arius was there where I’d met him the first two times, only this time he wasn’t sitting around and moping. He was there, sword out and practicing his slashes on the air in front of him. He swung his sword with audible grunts. There was determination in his eyes.
“Arius,” I called out when I got there. He turned and looked at me with surprise. I was surprised to hear myself call him by his name. “I’ve made my decision. Your training starts right now.”