Summary:

"I know you haven't taken an apprentice in a while," Matt mentions one day after a meeting. Arkarian only sighs, having known this moment would come.

"They remind me of him," he admits. "They also did when he was alive, but it was alright then. Ever since... it feels wrong."

"Well, they're not him," Matt reasons. "I think one of our youngest apprentices, however, could be a good match for you. It's been years, Arkarian. Will you give him a chance?"

"You have something in mind, don't you?" he asks, and when their eyes meet, Matt can't help but think of how tired he looks.

"Yes," he replies simply. "You know I wouldn't suggest this if I didn't think it through, right?"

"I know. Alright, I'll train him. I'll... I'll try, at least. Has he been Initiated?"

"He will be next week. His name is Jamie."

"... okay."

I don't even know where this story idea came from. I wish I could tell you, but all I can say is that I knew immediately I would call this oneshot "legend" and that I wanted to experiment with how people felt about Arkarian's status in the Guard as opposed to how it feels to actually know him in person. And also throw in some sads about the future because don't we all love the sads.

I hope you enjoy this!

((I promise it's not all sads))

"That's dumb."

The sentence is said almost off-handedly, like whoever has spoken hasn't just challenged the knowledge of one of the oldest members of the Guard. Like whoever has spoken doesn't know what this man is capable of.

Jamie shudders, almost scared to look at his Instructor. When he does, however, the man is simply rolling his eyes, so Jamie dares look around him.

The person with a death wish is... just a girl. She's so short, she has to be even younger than Jamie himself. Then again... Well, ever since meeting his Instructor, his concept of 'looking a certain age' has changed a lot.

"Why, hello dearest, are you here just to interrupt our training?" he asks, almost... teasingly.

Jamie starts to understand that they know each other, and he chances another look.

She's... charming, he thinks. Has a nice smile, her long, dark blond hair tucked neatly into a ponytail that swishes as she walks towards them. Her arms come up when she's close enough, and she all but leans into his Instructor like it's no big deal. Far from scolding her, he welcomes her, passing an arm around her waist.

"So, this is the new guy," she murmurs, looking at Jamie with open delight. "It's honestly been so long since I met one of your students, I thought you might never take another."

For some reason, her wording strikes Jamie as odd, and he decides it probably has some hidden meaning. Judging by the soft smile in his Instructor's face, he's not far off the mark.

"He's quite similar to him, as well," he muses, not really looking at him when their eyes meet. "One has to wonder if our sage Immortal knew beforehand."

"I wouldn't put it past him. Let me know if it's going to his head," she adds. "I'll bring him down to Earth faster than you can say 'immortal'," she promises.

Jamie decides she definitely has a death wish.

It's perhaps this last thought that makes his Instructor chuckle. He has been told about his ability to read minds, but he isn't clear on how he's supposed to protect his thoughts, or whatever... The girl looks between them, amused, before she addresses him directly.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. The name's Isabel, and you may see me around a lot... I'm Arkarian's wife," she says, and oh. That's a thing. He didn't know his Instructor was married at all! He arches his eyebrows slightly, takes the hand he's being offered. Sneaking a glance, he quickly realizes that the ring should have been a hint from the beginning.

"My pleasure. I'm Jamie," he replies, and wonders, passingly, if she can also read thoughts.

He more or less assumes she's also older than she looks, but she doesn't leave him waiting too long.

"Yes, I'm older than I look. No, I'm not as old as him. No, I'm not a Truthseer, but I imagine that's on your mind right now. And yes, if you ever need translating, you can let me know. I swear he gets more cryptic by the century," she jokes. Or, Jamie hopes she's joking. He can't decide if it's her words or his thoughts that make Arkarian laugh again.

"I'm sure I don't know what you mean," Jamie tries, but she laughs as well.

"You don't have to be that polite. He can read your thoughts anyway. You do know that, don't you? You look like you do. Who told you?" she asks, like there's a catch to the question. Arkarian watches, amused.

"Er, someone at the palace in Athens, during my initiation," he answers, thinking back to that time. "We hadn't talked much beforehand, in any case. I gather he's a bit of a legend, though?" he asks, because if anyone's going to tell him, it has to be his wife, right? Said wife simply laughs some more, whatever is in her mind making Arkarian chuckle along.

"Ah, lucky you. I was left in the dark for so long, it was so embarrassing when they finally told me!"

"Oh," he grimaces, feeling a bit of secondhand embarrassment on her behalf. "That sounds a bit nightmareish."

"Eh, it was alright. Anyone else would have let it go to his head, but he was really cool about it," she shrugs, grins. "About that legend thing… I don't get to hear most of the rumors, actually. But I used to, when less people knew who I was, so I'm not surprised people have told you he's a legend. His powers are… extensive. You'll see for yourself," she waves him off before Jamie can ask, and she looks up at her husband, thoughtfully. "One thing I wish I'd done was meet more Guardians when I was a kid. I didn't get to, back then it was all rather secretive... but I assume they already thought the same about him, back when we first met, and it's been a while."

She doesn't specify, leaving him to wonder how long. It can't be that long, she still has normal-colored hair and eyes. Arkarian's lips twitch at the thought, but he doesn't actually say anything, and Jamie tries to think of something else.

"Well, from what I hear, he has to be one of the oldest people in the Guard," he offers, but she already knows that. She shrugs.

"I guess. Some of the Tribunal members will regale you with stories about him when he was younger, if you catch them in a good mood, and they like you enough. Took me years to finally get on the right side of Queen Brystianne, but damn she's funny when she wants to be," she adds, and once more, Jamie can't shake the feeling she's speaking in tongues. Arkarian tilts his head, and entirely changes the topic.

"Do you know, I think Jamie might have an innate ability, just like he did," he murmurs, and Jamie isn't sure it's meant for him to hear. Isabel looks up at Arkarian.

"Intuition, huh..."

"Most likely. Then again, you're not exactly subtle," he teases, looking at her with a gentle smile. She rolls her eyes.

"I love you too."

It's said casually, a sarcastic jab, and it almost makes Jamie want to look away. They're painfully close to one another, the kind of couple that makes lonely people sick. He smiles, trying to clear his thoughts just in case, but Isabel who pushes herself away from Arkarian before anyone can ask her to.

"I don't need my sixth sense to know when I'm overstaying my welcome," she smiles as she says this, mostly yet another jab at Arkarian, but placating Jamie's nerves as well. He would have hated to push her away… "Take some time to get used to this world, don't worry too much about what's proper or not. Arkarian might be a legend, but he's really cool about it. He will tell you anything you need to know, and you'll learn to ask around what he doesn't tell you outright," she promises. It's... certainly something to keep in mind, Jamie supposes. Arkarian doesn't seem to mind her words. "You probably can't, but if you decide to learn how to annoy him, let me know so I can watch and give you pointers," she adds before she fully disentangles her hand from Arkarian's. It's unexpected, and it makes Jamie snort. She perks up at that. "There he is! We'll get him to laugh at you yet."

"I knew I could count on you for that," Arkarian murmurs, pinching her arm. "Come on. Don't you have anything to do? We have allegedly dumb training plans."

"Ah, yes! The dumb plans. Come on, Arkarian, have you seen him? It's his first day, get him something exciting to do! You'll bore him to death with normal things like weight lifting!"

"How do you suggest I find him a sword that doesn't require...?"

"He'll get to that. Just give him the sword so he knows what he's training for, sheesh. Do you not remember picking up a sword for the first time? We all know it's been, like, millenia, but..."

"It's not been a millenium yet, and yes, I remember, thank you," Arkarian does push her away at that, still gently, but with the slightest hint of a pout to his words. Jamie pretends not to notice, pretends not to be amused, and hopes Arkarian isn't reading his thoughts in this particular moment.

"Were you his apprentice as well?" he finds himself asking. Isabel pauses, smiles again, but this time it's a little sad.

"No. I was an apprentice to someone who was his apprentice," she says. Jamie waits. "But this person passed away a long time ago, of old age. You're really lucky that your Instructor will hang around for a long time, Jamie. I miss mine everyday."

She says it with heartfelt conviction, but Jamie can tell that the wound isn't fresh. The sadness in her eyes is deep, but softened with acceptance. He nods.

"I'm sorry for your loss," he offers, and she smiles a little brighter.

"Thank you. Don't feel too bad, though, if you can. It's just how life is," she muses, then shrugs. "Arkarian is real good with words, especially about this. If you're feeling awkward about his ability, a word of advice is to come out with it and ask him," she continues. "I may be older than I look, but I'm still figuring things out as I go, really."

"You don't look a day older than eighteen," he says, pretending to be shocked, and she laughs.

"As well I shouldn't! I'm still closer to the single century than seven of them, though."

"Oh."

"Sorry to disappoint," she adds, teasingly. Arkarian actually snorts at that, and he pushes her arm again, a little.

"Come on. We do have to train eventually."

"What's the harm? I wanna get to know him, we're going to see each other a lot from now on. You know how curious your apprentices used to get about me, no need to beat around the bush. Plus, you never talk about me, so!"

"I— well, but..."

It's all Jamie can do not to laugh. They either notice, or in Arkarian's case, read his thoughts, because they both turn to look at him as he tries to hide a smile. He fails, and they both sigh and chuckle along.

Jamie supposes even legends must have a soft spot for their spouses. It's somewhat of a relief to see her interact so freely with him, he thinks. He'd been told during his Initiation how he was really lucky to have Arkarian as his Instructor, how the man would make a fine Guardian out of him. But perhaps the real advantage is that he gets to have both Isabel and Arkarian around, and he can learn from a legend while still having someone vouch for him to get a real sword before he's fully ready for it. Perhaps, he reflects, it's true when some people call their spouses their better half. Perhaps that's the real best part of his legendary Instructor. Not that he would ever say this out loud, but…

He realizes belatedly that he's fallen quiet, and that Arkarian is most likely hearing all of this anyway. For a moment he expects to be scolded, but as he watches the man himself smile at his thoughts, he knows he doesn't mind.

Most interestingly, Jamie has the feeling that Arkarian agrees.

"Come on," his Instructor says, softly, ignoring Isabel's inquisitive stare. "Let's find you a sword."

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed my story :D

If you did, please consider leaving a comment, they're greatly appreciated!

If you want to yell with me and share more headcanons for these dorks, you can find me at my tumblr, kyokotsukuyomi, the comments section down below, or via PM. Don't be shy!

Love,

~Lena