Soren shot up, eyes wide and drenched in sweat as his chest heaved. He groaned, rubbing at his face and falling back into his bedroll. This was the third time tonight nightmares had woken him - he was starting to think he should give up on sleep entirely. He threw an arm over his eyes, trying to banish the constant repeat of stabbing Viren in his mind.
They'd been on the road for three days, and he hadn't gotten a good night's sleep for a single one.
Heaving another sigh, Soren got up and pulled on a pair of light trousers and boots. He crouched to step out of his tent, finding most the camp asleep in the pre-dawn light. The air was a bit chill, but would probably warm up as the day wore on.
The elves insisted there was no need for a patrol, so Soren had no one challenge him as he wandered out of the camp. He found a spot where he was pretty sure no one would see him, then started into some warm-ups. A nice run might clear his head, but he didn't want to wander too far - so he decided on some sprints instead.
When he was done with his warm-ups, he settled into a crouch, picking a nearby tree as his endpoint.
This was something he could handle - focusing on his breathing, visualizing his goal - no room for anything else. He took off - cold air burning in his lungs as he sprinted for all he was worth, overshooting the tree and nearly slipping on dew-damp grass.
And again. And again. And again - barely noticing the sun cresting the horizon and the rest of camp waking up.
"You were serious about those work out routines," Ibis commented, startling him.
Soren chuckled breathlessly, leaning over on his knees as he caught his breath, "Yeah - they're the… best!"
The Skywing elf nodded, walking over and offering him a waterskin, "This is the third time you've risen before the sun in order to perform them - your dedication is certainly admirable."
The human straightened up, pushing back sweat-slick hair from his face as he accepted the water. He took a drink before he answered, gasping loudly, "This is so cold!"
"You're welcome," Ibis chuckled, watching the young man carefully.
"Thanks," Soren said, taking a more measured sip, "But hey, gotta put the work in, you know? I'm going to be riding all day, after all."
"... have you been sleeping well?" the elf asked.
The human panted lightly, and took another drink of water instead of answering.
Ibis reached out, placing a hand on the young man's shoulder, "If not, perhaps you wouldn't mind if I… helped you again?"
"I uh," Soren twisted his hands around the waterskin's mouth, frowning, "I don't want to bother you."
"You are not," the Skywing elf said, giving his shoulder a reassuring squeeze.
"I'll be okay," the human decided on, looking up with a forced smile as he handed the waterskin back, "But… thanks."
"... alright," Ibis said, accepting.
The two returned to camp, separating to pack up their own gear separately. Being a Crownguard, the army had found a spare horse for Soren to use in order to ride near Ezran. Ibis spent most the day riding in the back of a wagon, already beginning to teach Callum the basics of Sky magic.
The Skywing mage was glad for such an eager student - he wasn't sure any of the other elves he'd taught were quite so… attentive. Despite this, he felt… distracted, and found himself glancing towards the front of the train more than once.
Callum wasn't unaware, "What do you keep looking at?"
Ibis considered, then waved at Soren, "He looks like he's about to fall off his horse."
The prince sighed, nodding, "Yeah, this must have been really hard on him. I mean, with his dad and all."
"Was he always… evil? Soren's father?" the Skywing elf asked.
"Um," Callum scratched the back of his head, "I'm… not sure I'm the best person to answer that? I just… my dad and Lord Viren were old friends, so I don't think he could have always been evil, but…"
"But?" Ibis arched a brow.
"But he was always kind of an ass," the prince finished inelegantly, shrugging. He hesitated, then said, "Soren was always picking on me when we were growing up - calling me the 'step-prince' and making fun of me for being bad at fighting. I mean, he would be nice sometimes, too - one time, he-" Callum blushed, then waved his hands, "Actually, you know what? That doesn't matter."
The Skywing mage felt himself smiling. These humans were all so… energetic.
"But, before the battle," the prince sighed, seeming to forget whatever embarrassing memory he'd thought of, "That the reason he was picking on me was because he was jealous of me - that it was so obvious that my dad loved me."
Ibis looked back over at the Crownguard, dutifully riding behind King Ezran as he chatted with Queen Aanya.
"Well, and that I was smaller and weaker, but that's just Soren," Callum huffed, then shrugged, "I guess what I'm trying to say is he's dealing with a lot."
"I see," the Skywing elf said, turning back.
He was surprised to catch the eye of General Amaya, who was looking at him with some kind of curious intent. Then her gaze shifted to Soren, and she seemed to nod to herself before increasing her horse's pace to ride abreast with the young Crownguard.
Soren looked up in surprise, blinking away drowsiness.
Gren rode on Soren's other side to act as interpreter as the General signed, "You look like shit - go lie down."
"I'm fine," Soren said, straightening up - and feeling a little lightheaded.
Amaya sighed, face falling in sympathy, "I'm more than enough to guard my nephew - if you fall off your horse and get injured, you'll just cause everyone more problems."
The Crownguard opened his mouth to argue, but was cut off by Gren adding his own two cents.
"The Crownguard shouldn't make the King worry," the man said, equally sympathetic.
Soren sighed, catching the way Ezran looked away like he wasn't watching, "Alright, fine. I just… need to adjust to sleeping on the ground again.
"Isn't that the truth," Amaya signed, letting him make excuses, "There's room on Callum's wagon - then you can stay close."
The young man looked back, then sighed and nodded, letting his horse drop back.
As Amaya watched him dismount and jump into the back - quickly making some comment that made Callum roll his eyes - Janai rode up on her other side.
"Humans," she scoffed, "You are far too soft."
"He just lost his father," Amaya signed.
"His father was a vile murderer you yourself warned me was extremely dangerous," Janai returned, "I will not feel sorry for his death."
Amaya sighed, turning to face Gren so he could read her signs better.
"I'm not sad Viren is dead," her friend interpreted, "And I agree he got what he deserved - but I can't imagine what it must be like to lose a family member and have everyone else celebrate their death."
Janai stiffened, and struggled to come up with a reply. Finally, she huffed again, "I suppose the boy did choose the right side in the end…"
Amaya offered her a warm smile, and signed something that made Gren chuckle.
"What did she say?" the Sunfire elf demanded, leaning forward to look at the man.
Gren cleared his throat and said, "The General says you're really just a big softie, aren't you?"
Janai huffed again, turning her head away - but continuing to ride next to them.
When they stopped to make camp for the night, Soren was surprised when Ibis set up a tent next to his.
The elf offered him a smile, "Is this alright?"
"Uh, yeah," the human replied, "Pitch your tent wherever you want, I guess…"
Soren wasn't very smart - but he wasn't an idiot, either. Maybe the people who knew him well were willing to forgive him and accept him back, but that didn't mean everyone was comfortable being around Viren's son.
The other Crownguards had made it clear that they weren't comfortable with him pitching his tent near theirs. Not in so many words - but there was a tension between them that Soren knew hadn't been there before. He'd moved his tent a little off the first night, then hadn't bothered with the facade the next.
And it wasn't just them. Regular soldiers easily recognized him, and most gave him the cold shoulder. The Duren soldiers found out who he was from the Katolis soldiers, and ended up avoiding him, too. Sometimes he would catch them whispering on accident - falling silent when he came near. The Sunfire elves were far less subtle with their suspicion and anger.
So he pitched his tent near one of the edges of camp, where he wouldn't be bothering anyone.
Soren had ended up drifting in and out of sleep most of the day, leaning back next to Callum. He'd tried to listen to the magic lesson - just out of curiosity, since Primal magic didn't require gross or creepy ingredients - but he hadn't really understood any of it. But he'd liked the sound of Ibis's voice, and watching how his hands moved as he explained things.
"Did you learn anything today?" the Skywing mage asked.
"Um," Soren rubbed the back of his neck, "No. Sorry, I'm not really smart enough for stuff like magic."
"It's not really a matter of intelligence," Ibis said, "Not when it comes to Primal Sources. It's almost impossible to explain if you aren't connected to an arcanum - or even simply not connected to the same arcanum."
"See? Even that was hard for me to follow," the human said, then sighed, "But it was… nice of General Amaya to let my lie down, I guess."
The Skywing elf sighed himself - softly, and left it at that for the moment.
It wasn't long before they bedded down in their respective tents, settling in for the night after a light meal over a shared fire.
Soren was already having trouble just getting to sleep when he started at the entrance flap to his tent being pulled back.
Ibis hummed, "Well, it seems I have the wrong tent."
"Yeah?" the human replied, frowning as the elf casually entered, crawling over to lay down on Soren's side.
"Well, it's too much trouble to go back out," the elf said, pillowing his head on his arm with a soft smile, "I hope you don't mind my imposing."
Soren opened his mouth, then closed it. He bit his lower lip before holding open the blanket he was using, "Nah. It happens."
Ibis easily shifted closer, pulling the young man into an embrace, "Thank you for being so understanding. I'm not used to camping in big groups like this - I might get confused again."
"For a mage, you're kind of spacey," the human mumbled, wrapping his arms around the elf and pressing his forehead against the other man's chest, then snorted, "Oh, wait - just as a sky mage you've… got your head in the clouds?"
Ibis sighed, rolling his eyes good naturedly as he reached up to stroke a hand through the young man's hair, "Go to sleep, Soren."
"Tha' was a goo' one," the human huffed, though he was already half-asleep as he said it.
"If you say so," the elf replied, closing his own eyes for sleep.