The long-awaited day has finally arrived. Without forgetting his wooden replica of the Lance of Ruin, Sylvain jubilantly joined his father's entourage, embarking for Fhirdiad, the Kingdom's capital. King Lambert's birthday was nigh, and the Kingdom spared no time and effort in preparation for the auspicious day.
It would take House Gautier a week's time to reach the capital. Sylvain looked forward to the end of their journey, for he would finally reunite with his friends, Prince Dimitri, Felix and Ingrid. He imagined the excitement upon reaching the bustling capital.
King Lambert was a benevolent king, who often lent a helping hand to pacify the qualms of his people. He strove to create a prosperous kingdom, in which the people repaid his kindness by preparing a grand feast for his birthday, among other things. Sylvain found himself admiring the king, who exuded a pleasant demeanour around everyone, regardless of status. Be it noble or commoner, King Lambert treated everybody with the same degree of respect.
The boy wished that his brother, Miklan, had a fraction of the king's personality. He always respected his elder brother for who he was, but the latter seemed to harbour an unfathomable disdain towards him. All he wanted was for Miklan to treat him like a brother for once, without the issue of Crests in the way.
In Sylvain's eyes, Miklan was a fearsome combatant, being able to best other fighters without a shred of mercy. He was probably one of the most prominent students in Garreg Mach alongside Glenn Fraldarius. The boy wondered what would happen if the two were to engage in one-on-one combat.
Alas, Miklan's combat prowess held no water in Margrave Gautier's eyes. A Gautier who was unable to manifest the Crest of Gautier was as useful as a cup with a hole at its bottom. Hence, Sylvain was showered with love and affection, while Miklan was left in the dust. It was laid most bare when the margrave decided to bring Sylvain instead of his eldest son to partake in the festivities in Fhirdiad.
Days later, the entourage finally set foot in the Kingdom's capital. Upon their entrance to the castle, the Gautiers were greeted by the Fraldarius. Margrave Gautier went ahead to exchange a few words of courtesy with Rodrigue, while Sylvain had his eyes on something else entirely. Locking eyes with Felix, who was flanked by Glenn, the former sprang towards the redhead, brandishing a wooden sword. Sylvain managed to draw his replica of the Lance of Ruin in time to parry the blow.
"I see your senses haven't dulled at all," laughed Felix, withdrawing his sword. He was immediately chided by his brother.
"Felix, please behave in front of guests, especially those who are exhausted after a long journey. It's very unbecoming of you,"
"It's okay, Glenn. Felix was only keeping my senses sharp," replied Sylvain with a good nature.
The older men noticed the event and chuckled among themselves. It was a good sign to see the children so full of vigour.
"His Highness still has lessons going on, but we should be able to meet him later," said Felix, explaining Dimitri's absence.
"By the way, Sylvain, where's Miklan? I haven't spoke to him in a while," asked Glenn, eyes trained at the entourage, who were being directed by the castle's attendants. "I trust he's been well?"
"He didn't come. Father refused to bring him along, so I'm here instead,"
Glenn nodded in understanding. "Well, it's difficult being the heir of House Gautier, is it not?" he said as he gave a pat on the boy's head.
"To be honest, if this is what it costs, I'd rather not have a Crest," Sylvain's eyes drooped to the floor. "I'd rather be like you and Felix, always close together like peas in a pod,"
Margrave Gautier turned to his son, his expression stern. "Sylvain, you'd better take back your words. Remember, you're to lead the family in the future, and it'd do you nothing to be so close with that no good brother of yours, if he's considered as a son of the Gautier family, anyway," It was clearly a sore subject within the family.
Rodrigue attempted to deescalate the situation. "I'm sure little Sylvain was merely jesting. Children don't understand the weight of words, is all,"
"I meant-" Sylvain tried to protest, but Glenn put a hand over his mouth.
"Sylvain will learn his lesson, milord, so please find it in your heart to forgive him," added Glenn.
"Very well, I will forgive you, as Rodrigue and Glenn suggested. However, I will not tolerate such foul language any further," responded the margrave.
"What did you mean when you said you wished for a relationship like mine and Glenn's?" asked Felix, standing by a balcony overlooking the training grounds.
Dimitri was gripping his training lance tightly, struggling to land a blow on Glenn. Glenn moved about gracefully without any wasted movements. He tackled all of Dimitri's weak spots, explaining each one to the prince as the latter recovered. A broken pile of lances was heaped on a corner, courtesy of the prince. He had monstrous strength, yet struggled to control it.
"My relationship with Miklan was terrible to begin with, and it's all because of my Crest. He doesn't have one, you see," Sylvain ended his sentence with a long sigh.
"Ah, that's because non-Crest-bearers are unable to wield the Lance of Ruin and protect the North from invasions, right?"
"You're right, but he's already so strong without the Crest, and it shouldn't be a problem for him to defend the North. I think he still deserves be the heir,"
Felix shadowed his brother's feint on Dimitri's attack, hoping to imprint it in his mind. "Who knows, Sylvain. Adults are strange, after all,"
"You say that like we won't grow up into adults someday," replied the redhead with a chuckle.
"Perhaps we'll stay as kids forever," joked Felix.
They watched the pair's training in silence. Dimitri had broken yet another training lance. They were able to hear Glenn chastising the prince on wasting resources.
"You were a little weak when you countered my sword just now, Sylvain. Are you injured or something?" queried Felix.
Sylvain instinctively touched his right shoulder. "Nothing ever gets past you, does it? Anyway, I fell down a well and dislocated my shoulder, if it satisfies you. That's quite a while ago, though. It's a good thing my face isn't marred, otherwise the girls would run away at the sight of me,"
Felix winced sympathetically. "It doesn't strike me that you're careless enough to fall into one, but it must've hurt a lot,"
Sylvain's expression turned sombre, as he began to grit his teeth. His friend was right, he didn't fall into a well by accident. Nevertheless, he was not ready to tell the truth.
"Yeah, it did hurt a lot, I guess," he replied absent-mindedly.
Just then, someone tapped on his back. A blonde girl stared back at him.
"Ingrid! Long time no see," exclaimed Sylvain. "I see you're still as radiant as ever,"
"You haven't changed one bit, have you?" huffed the girl. "What are you two doing here, by the way?"
"We're watching the prince sparring with my brother," said Felix, moving over for Ingrid to have a look.
"His Highness hasn't managed to land a hit on Glenn, has he?" commented Ingrid, her eyes mostly trained on her fiancé.
"He's one of the top knights in Faerghus, after all," replied Felix with a hint of pride. "That's how he was chosen to be the prince's retainer,"
"I wonder if I'll ever be as strong as Glenn," mused the girl. She held no interest in being ladylike, much to her mother's chagrin. Her goal of becoming a knight stemmed from Glenn, who valued duty before anything else. The sense of righteousness sat right with her.
"It's a good thing you're already engaged to Glenn, otherwise you won't be able to find a husband," commented Sylvain mischievously.
"Being engaged to him is always better than getting stuck with you, though," said Ingrid before setting off to chase Sylvain. The boy was already building distance from her.
Felix sighed before joining his friends.
Parrying another blow from Dimitri, Glenn glanced at the newly vacant balcony with a smile.
In truth, Sylvain was sure his friend would find the origin of his injury absurd. He decided to keep it to himself unless Felix pressed him further.
Weeks before the journey to Fhirdiad, Sylvain had just finished his lessons for the day. He found himself wandering to the stables, where his brother was usually seen. Sylvain would always watch Miklan from a distance, but he determined that that day was going to be different.
"Miklan, would you like to train with me?" asked the boy as he approached his elder brother.
Miklan's eyes narrowed for a moment before he snickered. "You think you can land a hit on me, rat? You're just a little kid,"
"I've seen how strong you are, and I was hoping you'd teach me some skills," the discouragement did not cause Sylvain to falter.
Miklan regarded his younger brother for an instant before he relented. "Fine, meet me at the gates after I'm done with here,"
Sylvain beamed. Perhaps he had taken the first step towards mending his relationship with his brother.
Since this story is a bit long, I decided to split it into two parts. I know Felix was a little OOC, but I like to imagine that he was a much happier child before Glenn's death. I hope you enjoyed the story so far!