A.N.: I had this sudden urge to annoy Hector. And I can't go to sleep unless I do so.
Everything is not going so well for Hector on his birthday. The first thing that ever happened to him that morning was to fall out of his bed, his blanket strewn around his muscled torso. He doesn't remember why he had fallen out of bed, but before he could get back into his bed, his loyal retainer, Matthew came barging in.
"Ho, milord. Rise and shine. A new day awaits you and -" Matthew stopped babbling when he saw Hector trying to climb back on the bed. He couldn't resist a grin.
"Milord Hector." Matthew said, "What are you doing on the floor half naked?"
"It's none of your business." Hector said through gritted teeth. He got back onto his bed and, irritated, threw a pillow at Matthew who dodged it and hit his older brother full on the face instead. Matthew and Hector looked at him, shocked.
"Well, good morning to you too, Hector." Uther said as he picked up the pillow. Matthew hurriedly bowed his way out. "I did not expect you to be this energetic so early in the morning." He approached his little brother, extending his hand that holds the pillow.
"I can do well without your severe expression, brother." Hector mumbled as he took the pillow from Uther. He saw his brother looked at the bad state of his bed.
Uther smirked. "You may have grown into a man, but you still sleep like a kid."
"Mind your own business."
Uther ruffled up Hector's already tangled hair. "Well, you better get up and bathe. You have a long day awaiting you."
Hector looked up at his brother. Did he remember his birthday? Is he finally going to spend some time off with him? His thoughts must have been so obvious on his face that Uther smiled at him.
"You have a lot of things to do in Court."
Hector rolled his eyes. Oh great, he should have expected this.
As the day wore on, Hector got more and more irritated: The Advisor had given him the wrong set of papers to sign; Serra had complained that she needs a new escort towards the Biran Mountains; Matthew keeps on bugging him about random stuff. And not once did he hear from any of them utter the phrase "Happy Birthday".
It was already late in the afternoon when he emerged from the Audience Chamber where he stood beside his brother during an audience from Ilia's messengers. He loosened his formal clothes to breathe.
"You'll ruin a very good robe, Lord Hector." he heard a woman said from behind him. He turned to look and found the young tactician who helped Lyndis of Sacae to repel Lundgren some months ago.
"What are you doing up here? Aren't you supposed to be at the Tactician Towers?" Hector said irritably.
"Well, they got annoyed at me for ruining their tactics full of loopholes. To think Ostia is known for their tacticians, it's somewhat disappointing."
"Well, they're just newbies." Hector mumbled as he led the two of them to the outer gardens. "You can't really blame them for having flaws. And it's like as if YOU don't have flaws in your tactics."
"I'm proud of not having flaws when it comes to theoretical tactics."
Hector is already bursting with irritation at this point. He sat down on the bench and threw the upper portion of his robe open. The young tactician stood by in front of him.
"You sure are full of yourself, aren't you?" Hector said.
"But of course." she replied. "No self-respecting tactician would ever look down on their own theories."
"Oh, there you are." They heard someone call from the hallway. The two of them looked and saw Matthew who came walking in with a set of books that will take at least three weeks to finish. Hector eyed the books.
"Don't tell me my brother wants me to read those?" he said incredulously. Matthew gave him a look.
"Why would Milord Uther make his brother read this kind of stuff? Everyone knew that you hate reading theoretical stuff." Matthew handed the books to the young tactician who seemed to be really thrilled and went off to her room near Uther's bedroom, a privilege not given to any normal people. Hector even wondered why his brother had placed this unknown woman near him.
"You seem to be really tired, or rather irritated, milord." Matthew said.
"It's none of your business why I'm irritated." Hector said.
"As you say, milord." Matthew replied. "Anyways, milord Uther wanted to talk to you later."
"You wanted to talk to me, brother?" Hector said as he entered his brother's room. He saw his brother on his bed, reading a book.
"Ah, yes. Hector." Uther said as he put down the book. "There's something I'd like to give you." He pointed to the corner of the room. Hector followed his hand and saw a nicely made axe standing by the corner. Hector stared at it.
"Well? Are you not going to take it? Or should I sent it back down to the blacksmith?"
Hector could not really believe his eyes and ears. His brother actually remembered his birthday! He walked over and weighed the axe. He saw that the handle is hand carved, and the metal used is silver.
"Do you like it?"
"Very much." Hector spluttered. "Thank you."
"You're welcome."
Hector stood at the corner of his brother's room, admiring the hand carving on the handle. His brother gave him a look.
"Is there something you want to say?" Uther said.
"Well, I can't honestly believe you remembered my birthday."
Uther blinked. "Your birthday?"
Hector looked at his brother. "Why yes, my birthday."
By the look on his older brother's face, Hector knew he didn't remember his birthday. This irritated and annoyed him the whole night as he locked up in his room like a kid while his brother knocked on his door, worried like a father.