The Bonding Jellybeans Create Between Praetors

Reyna

Reyna still remembered the first time she met Jason.

It had been during sword training, she was still new.

He was winning his fight, of course.

The other boy, laughed, as Jason, who then, she hadn't known, parried another strike.

"Alright," The boy laughed. "Alright, I yield."

"Don't be a wimp," The centurion, Matthew said. "Finish the fight."

"It's not being a wimp to surrender to a superior opponent," Jason said.

"You think you're superior?" Matthew asked, almost laughing. "Then fight me."

Reyna wasn't sure why she said anything, but all these years later, she was glad she did. "That's hardly fair. You're three times his size."

"You want to fight me instead, probatio?" Matthew laughed.

She shrugged. "Sure."

Matthew was good, but Reyna was a daughter of Bellona, and she had fought worse than him.

The fight whizzed by, Reyna landing stroke after stroke on the older, larger boy.

"Yield!"

"Never," He replied prideful.

She got him on the ground, her sword to his neck.

"I win."

"Not bad, probatio." The centurion stood up. "Not bad at all."

"Not bad?" She laughed. "Next time you fight someone, make sure they aren't a daughter of Bellona."

The centurion went to pair up other fighters, and presumably repair his pride.

"Nice," The boy Jason had been fighting said. "I'm Dakota."

"Jason." Her future friend introduced himself.

"And I'm Reyna," She smiled.

"I owe you, I'm good, but Matt's better." Jason smiled.

"It was nothing."

"At least take these," He pulled a plastic bag out of his pocket.

"Jellybeans?" She asked.

"I don't like any of those kinds," He shrugged.

"The only ones missing are the purple ones."

"Those are the only ones I like."

"Those ones are gross."

"Then we're at an agreement then. Next time you have jellybeans, I get the purple ones."

She rolled her eyes. "Deal."

"Dakota get over here." The centurion called. "You're against Gwen."

Dakota ran off, without a word.

"How old are you?" Jason asked.

"Twelve."

"Same."

"Jason, you're against the probatio." Matthew said.

Their swords clashed, again and again.

She had beat Jason in that fight, but she hadn't been able to do that in a long time.

..

She remembered the next year, by which she was a full member of the legion, a member of the second cohort.

Jason was at the mess hall, waiting for her.

"Aviya Ramierez…"

"Jason!" She shot him an angry look.

"Sorry," He blushed. "I was just trying to pronounce it."

Her look turned murderous. "That was the name of a little girl in San Juan," she told him." I left it behind when I left Puerto Rico."

"Sorry," He repeated.

..

Another year after that, she became one of the centurions for the second cohort.

"I told you, you'd do it." Jason said. "Watch it, one of these days, you'll be praetor."

"Doubt it," Reyna laughed.

"I guarantee it." Jason said. "I believe in you, Reyna."

"We'll be praetors, together, just watch." She said, trying to convince herself, more than him.

"The son of Jupiter and the daughter of Bellona," He laughed. "We'll be unstoppable."

..

Another year.

"Praetor! Praetor!"

"I told you." Jason whispered, not looking at all awkward in his praetor's cape.

"That you did." She whispered back.

Octavian was shooting them angry glances, but they were ignorable.

Jason smiled. "Praetors, together."

..

Only months later.

"Jason, we need to talk, privately."

"What?" He asked.

The senate meeting had just ending and Octavian was shooting suspicious glances.

"Come on." She pulled him into the principia.

"We're out of jellybeans."

He laughed. "You had me worried for a second."

She joined in, laughing. "Seriously, though. Get some on your way in tomorrow."

"I will."

He never did.

..

She didn't eat a single jellybean in all the time he was missing.

Then, he came back.

Then, his friend, Valdez, attacked New Rome.

Then, he fled with the others.

She went into the principia, and angrily threw the container against a wall.

She picked up all the purple ones off the ground, and ate them all, hating every second of it.

But Jason didn't deserve those.

"Oh, Jason." She sighed. "What happened to praetors together?"