I have had this idea on my Fic Idea list for years, honestly. I've never really felt much motivation towards it until recently, and even then, once I started mapping everything out, things because a bit busy for me. I don't know how long this will take, but I'm very excited to see it through!
For someone who had only known mercenary work his entire life, Priam found Begnion an entirely different beast. Gone were the days of camping, sleeping under the stars, eating what he could afford, hunting when he had no money, and mending his own clothing as needed. His nights were spent in his own private room in Mainal Cathedral. The bed was the softest he had ever slept on, and it was big enough for him to sprawl out in comfortably with more than enough room to spare. There was a wardrobe full of clothing tailor made to fit him, though he preferred his own comfortable, if well loved, garb. The only attire he had put aside was the tattered remnants of his red cloak. His belly was filled with some of the best food he had ever had in his life, though he had never been one to be picky about food. All of this, and more, had been provided by the young empress, Seraphina.
Priam found Seraphina easy to get along with. The title of empress brought to mind a stern, older woman who ruled her country with a firm hand. Seraphina was the opposite of that: a young woman who was easily excited, who spoke to anyone, friends and strangers alike, as though they were the only other person in the room, and who Priam feared relied a bit too much on her advisor, Lehran. Priam found some amusement in watching her flit from one thing to the next with what seemed like tireless energy. 'If the mercenaries I've worked with only put half of that energy into their own work,' Priam found himself thinking of her one day. Would she make a good mercenary? No, probably not on the fighting end of things, but she would have put her entire being into the non-physical work that also had to be done.
As for Lehran, Priam spent more time with the heron than he did the empress. They sometimes spent hours, even entire days, at a large table, carefully reading and copying over pages that had been written long, long ago. The originals, Lehran promised, would be carefully preserved and stored in a safe location. The copies would be the ones studied over at a later date. If some of the locations mentioned could be matched, then they would consider sending scholars to try to find more out about what Ike had done with himself after leaving Tellius. After all, all they had were a few oral stories told to Priam while on his own adventures and Soren's written notes.
What took them so long was not the care spent by the heron in the handling and rewriting of the old papers, but that he would often stop to discuss things with Priam. Most of that time was spent stopping to explain something that had been written, something Priam might not have understood or known about but Lehran felt he needed to be taught. Priam did not disagree. Though he was a mercenary first and foremost, he was very eager to learn where he had come from. That was what started his interest in piecing together where Ike had been during his own travels.
It was not just history lessons Lehran was interested in, however. He would also ask Priam about his own adventures and travels, listening intently as the younger man spoke. Every now and then, Priam would see the hint of a smile from Lehran, and once he even earned a chuckle. His interest in Priam's life was genuine, though he could not help but find the occasional similarity to the Ike he remembered.
If she was not busy, they would be joined by Seraphina. She would sit and listen, wide eyed and eager, as Lehran spoke. Priam once asked if she was truly that interested in hearing stories and history she must have learned about growing up. "I just love hearing Lehran talk," she admitted. "I have heard his stories since I was very small, but they never feel tired coming from him."
Lehran himself chuckled and reached out to stroke her hair. As Priam watched them interact, he realized he had no idea of what their relationship reminded him of. It was not just ruler and advisor, it felt close to a brother-sister relationship. Or father and daughter. It worried him. He did not believe that Lehran would betray her, but he did feel like Seraphina was being treated far too gently for a woman with such an important title.
He would not bring up his concerns at the moment. He was new in their lives, and he feared he would be overstepping if he brought it up. Watching Lehran dote on Seraphina, he made up his mind: he would, as long as he was allowed, try his best to keep her safe. It would not be in an official capacity, but he had the training to work as a bodyguard. She and Lehran had offered him so much that it was the least he could do to return the favor.
Later that day, Priam went to Seraphina with a request. "Of course I can get you a sword, but have you grown bored with the work you have been doing with Lehran?"
Priam shook his head no. He started to rotate his shoulder and flex his hand. "I'm just a mercenary above all else, and I'm starting to feel a little rusty." It was not fully a lie; he had not really trained since he arrived in Sienne. He also did not have a sword anymore, as Ragnell, the sword he previously wielded, had belonged to Serphina's family. He had returned it as it was the right thing to do.
Seraphina sighed and nodded. "Then I must apologize. I had not considered your training or the need to keep yourself in fighting condition, but there is not really a need to fight here. I also should not have assumed you would want to spend your entire time here copying old papers, but your handwriting is quite lovely."
Priam stared at her for a moment before he began to laugh. That was not a compliment he had ever expected to receive. "My mother is to thank for that one," he told her. "She grew tired of trying to keep everything organized on her own. Mercenaries are not often the most literate or tidy people."
Seraphina smiled at him and said, "You will have to tell me of your mother one day. If you want to," she added quickly. He watched as her hands went to her deep purple braid. It was a habit he noticed of hers shortly after his arrival. When something troubled her, Seraphina would pull her braid over her shoulder and began to stroke it. He did not say anything, though he longed to point out how it showed an obvious weakness. She promised to have a sword delivered to his room and asked if he required anything else.
"No, the sword is all I need for now."
It did not take her long to bring him a sword, as he found one waiting on his bed that night. It was a simple sword made of steel, but it would work just as well as Ragnell. He knew it might take a little while to get used to a new weapon, but he did not expect it to take too long.
Priam also did not expect that once he began training, he would attract attention. He had ducked his head into Lehran's room the next morning to tell him he would be busy but he could help him later before he headed outside. The yard was empty save for about ten young men shooting bows at targets. He observed them for a brief moment before he turned his focus to why he was out there.
He started with his grip, making sure he felt comfortable holding a new sword. He then took a few swings, trying to feel the heft of the weapon. Ragnell was heavier, so he did not have to put as much power behind his swings. By the time he felt ready to approach a single wooden dummy, only a few minutes after he had stepped outside, he found himself with an audience. The ten young archers had stopped what they were doing when they realized who he was. Bows lay abandoned on the ground as they huddled together and watched, waiting for him to move. From the corner of his eye, Priam could see others watching, too. A young woman leaned out of a window she was supposed to be washing, her cloth dangling limply between her fingers. Two small boys lurked nearby, grinning like fools. Their mother was a cook in the kitchen, and Priam did not think she would appreciate them being outside when they probably had lessons to attend.
"Hmph."
It was the only noise he made of acknowledgement to the small audience. He knew they would be watching his every move. Well, he had better make himself, and Ike to an extent, look good.
His audience only grew bigger and bigger each day. More children who lived in the castle, some of whom dragged their parents along to watch, filled the yard. There were young boys who had only played at fighting with sticks. The archers from the first morning made no attempt to hide that they were shirking their own training to watch him. A skinny little girl, whose mother Priam later learned was a merchant, observed with him pure joy on her face. She was so willowy that it looked like a strong wind would knock her off her feet. Visiting laguz watched from various perches, usually ears or tails twitching with excitement. Once, while turning to land a strike on the poor wooden dummy, he spotted Seraphina herself with Lehran at her side. He tried to put the gathering crowd out of his head, but he could not ignore the requests that soon came.
It only took three days before he heard, "Can you teach me how to fight like that?"
It had been the skinny little girl to ask first. Priam did not mind. In his own experience, girls like her could become some of the fiercest warriors with the proper training. Once the question passed her lips, he heard murmuring from the others. It seemed they were in agreement with the request but might have been waiting for someone else to speak up first.
Priam glanced over his shoulder at the cathedral. Seraphina was not watching that day. He could not help but feel she would be displeased by him training others... but then again, she never explicitly said not to train anyone if they asked. What harm could it do? "Yeah, OK," he answered. The gathered crowd erupted with shouts and cries of joy and excitement. As they celebrated, Priam wondered just what he had agreed to. He had no idea the level of training and attention each person would require, and as he was the only one who would be doing the training, he could wind up stretching himself thin. He also did not know how much equipment was available to them. As far as the children were concerned, he would really prefer that their parents knew what they were doing. It did not matter, though, as he had said yes.
Seraphina herself was not pleased when he told her later that day. She started to frown as he spoke, and by the time he was finished talking, she was stroking her hair again. "You could not have spoken to me first?" she asked quietly. "I fear that there are so many things that could go wrong, Priam. What if someone gets terribly hurt?"
"A few bumps and bruises won't kill anyone," he tried to assure her. "If anyone gets injured worse than that, there are healers nearby." He stepped closer to her and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. She stopped stroking her braid and looked away. "I should have spoke to you. For not doing that, you have my deepest apologies. If you want me to stop this now, I will. If you allow it and later feel things are getting too out of hand, just say the word."
Seraphina felt her cheeks grow warm as she nodded. "All right," she whispered, "but you must do one thing for me. I want a report directly from you every day."
Priam gave her his word that he would. He managed to keep his promise for weeks. They soon fell into a rhythm, eating their evening meals together as he told her how his training went. She would laugh as he mentioned how the crowd seemed to grow each morning. If he asked for more equipment, she told him she would make sure he had whatever he required. True to her word, it was usually delivered within the next few days. If he invited her to watch her citizens' progress, she would always politely decline and say she might join them some other time.
His new students, he could not bring himself to call them mercenaries, did continue to grow, and the time he spent with them grew longer and longer. He had lost track of time one day and only realized how late it grew once he realized the sun was getting lower in the sky. He sent everyone on their way for the evening, which was a challenge in itself as everyone wanted to speak to him one-on-one, whether it was to recant a story passed down about Ike or to ask about their progress. After he made sure there were no stragglers, he headed inside the cathedral to look for Lehran or Seraphina. He wanted to apologize for taking so long, but he also needed to wash up. His hair clung to his face, wet with sweat, and he knew that was no way to present himself for dinner.
As Priam passed the library, he heard a sound that caused him to stop. What he saw made him feel like he'd been punched in the gut. Lehran stood by the table scattered with papers holding a sobbing Seraphina. She had her arms around his waist and her face hidden against his chest. She had balled her hands into fists and was tightly clutching the fabric of his robes. Lehran's black wings enfolded around the young empress in a protective manner. He was murmuring soft, gentle words that Priam could not hear as he tried to comfort her but the girl only cried harder. Unsure of what to do, Priam stepped towards them. Lehran looked up and quickly shook his head. He then gently shooed Priam away.
Though he did not want to, Priam left them alone. He washed and changed and wondered if Seraphina would join him for their meal that night. He also wanted to know what it was that upset her. Since he had arrived and first met her, he had seen her go through different moods, but at the end of the day, she would always return to her happy self.
It was not Seraphina that joined him but Lehran. "I am sorry, Priam, but Empress Seraphina says she is not hungry though I have encouraged her to eat. She will not join you tonight."
"I didn't really expect her to. How is she?"
Lehran's wings appeared to droop. He looked down and searched for the right words to say. "She has stopped crying," he began quietly, "but she is very distraught. She has... learned of the passing of the previous dragon queen. Despite their vast age difference, the two of them were very good friends and near inseparable when they were together. The queen doted on her like a mother." He sighed softly and said, "I hate to see her like this, but there is only so much I can do."
Priam slowly lowered his fork to his plate. His appetite left him for one of the few rare times in his life. "Can I see her?"
Lehran considered his request for a brief moment. "Yes, I think your company might be good for her." He led Priam to Seraphina's chambers, knocked, then stood aside. Priam thought he might join them, but he assured the younger man he would be outside if he or Seraphina needed him.
Priam glanced at Lehran over his shoulder before he opened the door and went inside. Seraphina's room was not entirely what he expected. While he was certain the furnishings and bedding were worth more than he had made in his life, he wanted to laugh when he took in the state of the place. The bed was partially unmade and the desk was littered with papers. There were a few drops of ink on the desk itself. A wastebasket by the desk held a mountain of crumped papers. A crimson sleeve dangled out of the closed wardrobe door. Three pairs of shoes were lined along the wall beside the wardrobe while two other pairs looked like they had been kicked off in a hurry, left in a pile by their neat neighbors. A pillow from the bed had fallen to the floor, and next to it was a stuffed animal, a bear in a frilly formal dress. On the bed sat another bear, this one dressed in a nice suit. He did not see the empress, but he was quick to note the door leading to the balcony was ajar. He crossed the room, careful not to step on anything or kick anything out of the way. When he passed the bear in the dress, he picked it up and returned it to the bed.
"Seraphina?" he called as he approached the balcony door.
"Hello, Priam." Her greeting was punctuated by a sniffle. "You can come out here. If you want."
He quietly pushed the door open to find Seraphina standing at the railing looking off in the distance at nothing in particular. Her demeanor was one of deep sorrow. He saw little of the excitable young woman he had come to know. And what could he really say other than, "Lehran told me about the dragon queen. I, ah, I'm really sorry to hear about your friend."
"Thank you," she said in a voice barely above a whisper. She sniffled again then sighed. He joined her at the railing, crossed his arms over the top of it, and propped himself up. Though he was facing away from her, he could still take a quick glance her way. Her eyes were red and her face was puffy, but she was dry-eyed at the moment.
They stood together in silence for several minutes, though Priam felt the urge to say something. Everything he thought of sounded foolish to him. Priam had never been the best at comforting someone. He shifted his weight and cleared his throat. Seraphina instinctively turned to face him. With her looking to him he asked, "Do you want to go? For a memorial or something, I mean. I don't know how the dragons do that sort of thing..." he trailed off as he felt it might be best to just stop speaking before something came out of his mouth that sounded rude or disrespectful.
Seraphina looked down at the railing. She began to began to run her finger along the rail, tracing swirls and patterns that were not really there. "I would love to, more than anything," she admitted, "but I do not think I could get there in time. I would never ask her family to wait for my arrival. It would be best if I waited, as they should have the time to grieve without my intrusion."
Priam could only nod his understanding. The two of them fell into slightly awkward silence once more. Seraphina bit her lip and began to fidget. Just as Priam started to ask if she was unwell, she excused herself. He wondered if he had intruded himself and if he needed to leave. Then he heard the rustling of papers from Seraphina's room.
"I'm sorry," she said as she rejoined him on the balcony with a bunch of papers clutched in her hands, "this is perhaps the worst time I could have brought this up, but these are all letters from the various rulers across Tellius. I had wanted to surprise you with this, but now..." she trailed off as her eyes began to fill with tears. She blinked hard to try to force them away. "You see, I had wanted to do something for you, as a surprise or a gift if you will. You have helped us so much in our understanding of what became of Ike that I wanted you to learn what Tellius thought, and still thinks, of him. I wanted the three of us, you and myself and Lehran, to travel and meet with the various citizens. That way, you can learn more about Tellius as a whole. It is your home, too." Realizing what she said, and how rambling her words sounded, Seraphina began to blush. "If you want it to be," she added quickly.
Priam felt himself smile. He would not admit it out loud, but he was touched by her plan. He did have roots there, and so far he was enjoying his stay. Why not learn more about the culture and people other than the Radiant Hero? "Thank you," he said quietly. "I would love that. But," he said as he looked down at the letters she held, "with the dragon queen's passing, we probably should not go to where the dragons live right away."
"Goldoa," Seraphina said, "that's where the dragons live. And yes, we would have to go later unless the royal family agreed to have us." She looked down at the responses from each ruler. "Traveling may take a while, and each location may choose to host us for some time. I could send a letter asking after we've visited - "
Priam cut her off by reaching out and gently touching her arm. "Don't force yourself to do something you feel uncomfortable doing. We can save Goldoa for last or wait longer than that if need be. I'm sure there's plenty of places to go. So where would we begin?"
Seraphina gestured beyond the balcony. "Serenes Forest, it's the home of the United Bird Tribes. Lehran and I felt it would be a good start. While I do work with all of the countries and their leaders, the bird king and I are the closest. He is also looking forward to meeting you." She then let out an awkward laugh and added, "Well, they all are if I must be honest."
Though Priam had settled in comfortably in Begnion and Lehran had been open in answering any questions he had, Priam was still very new to Tellius and would follow their lead when it came to travel. If they felt Serenes Forest was the best place to begin, he would follow along without question. He nodded again and asked when they would leave.
"Tomorrow, if you would like. I have tried to keep my schedule as open as I can, so we are free whenever you are ready."
Though Priam was eager to begin the journey she had planned, he did worry about Seraphina. He did not want her to push herself into something she did not want to do, but he also felt the trip itself would be a great distraction for her. "Tomorrow, then," he agreed. He asked if she needed anything, but she assured him she was fine. He patted her on the shoulder and told her to rest up. "I'll see you in the morning. Good night, Empress."
"Good night, Priam."