Sebek closed his mouth and frowned at the mirror in his room. The bleeding had stopped after a night of rest, but the tooth was split nearly in two.
His mother could re-grow teeth in two days.
"I'll have to pull this one," his father had said. 8-year old Sebek shut his mouth, his eyes tearing. "Come now. You should grow a replacement in a month or two. Be more careful when chewing on things, okay?"
"Are you sure it will grow back?" Sebek asked. He had wanted to show off how strong his bite was—he was sure it was as strong as his older sister! But maybe biting metal wasn't the best idea when he was only 8 years old…
"Your siblings teeth always do," his father had said with a laugh. "I can't be sure—you're all unique in your own way. But your little teeth are tough, like you, Sebek. Now come on, open wide."
The tooth had grown back in three months. He was sure his cracked molar would too. He would just have to put up with the pain for a while, and wait for it to fall out as the new one grew in. He couldn't let it interfere with his studies, or with guarding Lord Malleus. Definitely not.
A knock came on his door, and he whirled, closing his mouth tight.
"Sebek?" Silver's voice came through the door. "Hello? Are you okay?"
Sebek sighed, annoyance making him grit his teeth and quickly unclench his jaw when pain threatened. He had changed into his gym clothes, and was planning to leave to work out before guarding Malleus at breakfast and then heading to his classes. "I don't have time right now!" he shouted at the door. "Go away!"
There was silence for a few moments, Sebek willing Silver to leave. He hadn't wanted Silver to see him in his fae form. He didn't want Silver to defend him from Floyd. He didn't need Silver, a human, protecting him. He wasn't weak!
Sebek glanced at the dumbbell on his dorm room floor, the one Silver had given him. He could work out here, if Silver didn't leave.
It took longer than Sebek would have liked, but finally the sound of footsteps told him Silver had left. Good.
Sebek left the dorm and headed to the gym on campus. There was nothing like exercise to take his mind off things. It would help him get stronger, too. He wouldn't lose to Floyd, or anyone else, ever again. He would prove to Lord Malleus and Lord Lilia that he could be relied on.
Jack nodded at him from the beastman's place by the machines, and Sebek nodded back quickly. They both had their typical routines, and Sebek began his, a series of squats and lunges, followed by curls and chest-presses. He always ended with a bench press. By now, Jack knew better than to bother him and offer to spot him. As he if he ever needed a spotter!
But today's exercises were harder than they should be. He could handle them, of course. But every time he lifted a heavy weight, his broken tooth would throb. It made no sense. Why would exercise cause more pain in his mouth, of all things? But it was unmistakable. Exercise hurt.
Don't be weak. He had to do this. He wasn't so pathetic that a mere tooth would interfere with his training. Lilia had taught him to endure much worse. His only goal in life was to guard Lord Malleus. He had to be strong. As strong as any fae.
His mouth throbbed by the time he moved to the bench. He ignored it. He would prove to himself that he could maintain his usual regimen. No, he could improve! He had to, after Floyd had overpowered him. He would show Silver who really needed protection.
Sebek picked a weight 50 pounds heavier than his usual. Jack flicked an ear in his direction when he did, the beastman currently doing bicep curls.
Sebek lay back on the bench, immediately gritting his teeth against the weight and then regretting it. He kept his jaw loose, focusing instead on the strain in his chest and arms. He could do this.
The pain bloomed like a snaking vine in his mouth when he did the first rep. The bar shook in his grasp. He grunted, lifting it again, sweat beading on his forehead. He could do this.
Another rep. More pain. Another. This time when he lifted it, liquid filled his mouth, and he swallowed the rush of blood. It hurt.
Pain was nothing. Master Lilia had trained him. He would prove to everyone that he could do this! He wasn't a pathetic half-breed! If Floyd could see this, he would think twice before calling him a little crocodile. And if Silver could see this…the thought whirled in his mind, a mix of anger at Silver and something more, a need for Silver to do something Sebek couldn't name.
He put confusion about Silver out of his mind. Silver didn't matter! Silver was just a weak human! He needed ten reps. Ten reps with a weight 50 pounds higher than his usual.
His arms shook, and the pain grew so bad his vision blurred. He swallowed again, the taste coppery.
The barbell trembled halfway through the lift on rep number eight, and stopped making progress. Sebek grit his teeth again, the molars clicking together, pain like lightning zapping deep into his jaw and making his vision blur.
He cried out, and for a heart-stopping moment he expected the dropped weight to hit him in the chest.
"Gotcha," a voice growled. The barbell clanged back onto the resting bar, and Sebek's vision resolved into the form of Jack Howl.
"You're in no shape to be lifting that weight yet," Jack said.
"How dare you!" Sebek shouted. "I was lifting it just fine!"
Jack blinked, his ears going flat. "Are you crazy? You nearly dropped it! And you look like you're about to pass out!"
"I am not going to pass out!" Sebek's voice boomed. "I am perfectly capable! Do not interrupt my training!"
Jack rolled his eyes. "Whatever," he said with a huffing growl. "I'm going to get breakfast. Try not to drop the bar on yourself this time." The beastman left the gym, the last thing Sebek saw the angry swish of his fluffy tail.
Sebek hung his head, running a hand through his hair, and swallowed another bit of blood from his newly-bleeding tooth. Bleeding was part of the healing process, right?
He told himself he wasn't giving up when he left. He simply needed to shower and be ready for Malleus when his lord went to breakfast. Silver would probably have fallen asleep somewhere again, and would shirk his duty like always.
"Greetings, Lord Malleus!" he exclaimed. "Let me escort you to breakfast!"
"Yes, I suppose," Malleus said. It was their typical routine, and it chased away some of Sebek's frustrations from yesterday and this morning as they walked to the cafeteria. After a shower, his tooth even felt better. Maybe it was already starting to heal! Or perhaps it would fall out soon, and the replacement would grow in faster than before. All his training would pay off, and he would be more like his fae mother. Strong and powerful.
The cafeteria was the usual raucous din that it was every morning. This time Grim, that strange monster, had gotten on top of the table and was chomping away at a tart while the ramshackle prefect and one of the heartslaybul students tried to get him down. Someone snapped a bone in half at the Savanaclaw table, and Sebek looked away from Jack's searching gaze. At the Octavanelle table, Azul and the two eels were leaning close, whispering about something, and Sebek's face heated in frustration.
He should focus on Malleus. "Come, my lord," he said, pulling Malleus's seat out for him.
Malleus sighed. "There's no need for that, Sebek," he said.
"Nonsense, my Lord," Sebek said. He took a seat on Malleus's right, as was proper.
As he did, Master Lilia and Silver walked into the cafeteria, and Sebek hurriedly stared at the food in front of him. Had Silver told Master Lilia about yesterday? He wouldn't. It wasn't his place!
His heart pounded when Master Lilia sat down. The full-blooded fae smiled, his fangs obvious. "Ah, Sebek! Did you enjoy the pond?"
Sebek swallowed hard. "Yes, Master Lilia!" he said. "It was just as relaxing as you said."
"Excellent!" Sebek stomach roiled with a mix of guilt at lying to Master Lilia and with certainty that somehow, Master Lilia knew what had happened. Master Lilia must think he was weak. Why wasn't he yelling at him? Demanding he train more? Could Silver really not have told him?
Silver's brows were drawn down, and Sebek looked away. Instead he shoved a piece of bacon into his mouth.
When he bit down, he instantly regretted it.
"Practicing for an opera, Sebek?" Lilia laughed at the high-pitched screech.
Sebek's face flamed. "This bacon is…overcooked!" he shouted.
Silver took a piece and put in his mouth, chewing slowly. "Seems fine to me."
Sebek waited for the throbbing to stop before speaking again. "You have no taste in food then!" he snapped.
Malleus tilted his head over his plate, which was heaped with bacon.
"I mean…perhaps only a few pieces were overcooked!" Sebek exclaimed. "I will choose another!"
He took another piece, this time carefully chewing on only one side. The pain grew, but he could at least hide it this time, ignoring a coppery tang. "Delicious, Lord Malleus," he managed.
Lilia snorted a laugh, and Sebek's stomach twisted. A memory sparked somewhere, one of his childhood.
"Look at him trying to fit in." The fae child giggled.
"Isn't his dad a human?" Full blown laughter. "How does he think he could do it?"
Sebek shoved another piece of bacon in his mouth. The pain made his ears ring and his eyes water, but he chewed and swallowed.
Silver was staring at him, and Sebek narrowed his eyes. He focused on eating, but he could only manage one plate, a far cry from his usual. His stomach groaned with hunger, but he couldn't eat past the pain.
"By the way, Sebek," Malleus began.
"Yes, Lord Malleus!" Sebek said, sitting up straight in his chair.
"I…" Malleus paused, looking briefly at Lilia, who nodded. Sebek's heart thudded. They had discussed something. They knew about the pond. They were going to yell at him, berate him.
"I just wanted to tell you, that you don't need to…guard me at all hours." Malleus's gaze flicked again, somewhere across the room where that strange monster cat was now grabbing at the accursed bacon, the prefect of Ramshackle trying to pull the plate away. "You don't need to worry. I'll be fine on my own."
Sebek's stomach dropped, like someone had punched him. It was worse than he thought. "But Lord Malleus-"
"I will be fine, Sebek," Malleus said, his voice carrying a hint of iron. Sebek winced.
"Yes, Lord Malleus," he said.
"Just take the time to relax more, Sebek," Lilia added with a grin. "Hang out more at the pond when the weather is cold. Attend classes and train. Or train with Silver."
The pond when the weather was cold. Train with Silver. They thought he was weak. Too weak to guard Lord Malleus, so weak that he should train with a human.
Of course they thought that way. He could train and work as hard as he could, but he would never compare. Sebek had lashed out at Silver, who even now was staring at him with those stupid glittering blue eyes, when Silver had tried to talk to him because he didn't need a human helping him.
Malleus doesn't need a weak half-fae protecting him. The thought speared his mind like a vicious thorn.
At his hip, his magical pen darkened.