"Child," he is addressed by the guard at the front gate. Neither guard unsheathe their weapons to his surprise. If he'd seen someone approach in his state, he doubted he'd need to bring a sword to their throat. "What is your business here?"
Consciously, he pulls at the strap of his back, his arms shaking at the movement. It'd been about five weeks since he'd left Mifune's barn and he'd yet to stop for a full night's rest. He was tired, hungry, and cold to the bone despite the scorching summer heat.
"Im seeking shelter," he answers, his voice hoarse. He doubts his vocal cords would never heal properly after what Medusa had done to him.
"Where are you coming from?" The second guard questions, taking a step closer to him.
"The Kingdom of Cinder," he replies, "I'm fleeing the war."
The guard glances over him and scoffs. "You sure don't look like the fighting type." He turns to meet his eyes with the other guard before shaking his head. "No wonder you ran."
Soul scoffs under his breath. He could fight, he knew he could. Maybe if he didn't have a killer assassin up his ass and had properly packed for such a long trip he wouldn't be in the shape he currently was.
"Do you have someone who could vouch for your character, kid?"
He looks back to the second guard, racking for the name Mifune had fed to him.
"Stein."
Both guards gave him questionable looks before the first guard insisted he'd be back before he turned and walked through the gates of the kingdom.
"Take a seat," The second guard insisted, "You look ready to pass out."
He obliged, dropping his pack to the ground before following after it. He hit the ground harder than he'd expected, pulling his bag into his lap as he rummaged through it. He pulled the small amount of clean water he had left out, savoring every last drop as he waited for the other guard to return.
Half an hour later, that same guard returned with a man he didn't recognize. The second man was decked out in clean and shiny armor, a cigarette hanging from his lips. He had light gray hair sticking up in every direction, and large scars that sectioned his face into three.
"Who are you?" He asked, crouching down in the grass in front of him.
He clenched his bag closer to his chest. "My name is Solomon." He replied uneasily, "Mifune sent me."
The man Soul assumed to be Stein stoof, hummed as he turned his attention back to the other two guards. "I'll vouch for him." The guards nodded as Stein returned his attention to him, plucking his pack from his lap.
Again, he crouched before him, whispering very quietly into his ear, "I'm going to take you in, got it? Don't question what I do. Just follow my lead."
When he returned to the guards quarters late that night, he hadn't expected anyone to be awake, let alone to be greeted by anyone. To his surprise, Stein was sitting in the entry room leaned up against the wall holding a candle.
"Soul," He addressed in a very matter-of-fact tone.
"Stein?" He replied cautiously, shutting the door behind him hard.
Stein pushed off the wall, the candle flickering dangerously in his hand. "I have information you're not going to like." his body stiffened as his fingers left the safety of the doorknob.
"Well, nice to see you too," he sarcastically said, bringing his arms up defensively against his chest.
"Yea, yeah, nice to see you too," Stein drawled out before flicking the candle he'd been holding right in front of his face. "This is serious, Solomon."
He could practically feel the blood drain from his face at the use of his full name-the name he discarded years ago.
"What's wrong?" He quickly questioned, his eyes watching the flame cautiously.
"You can't let anyone know I told you this, and I mean anyone, got it?" He nodded quickly, watching carefully as Stein dropped the candle closer to their chests. "I overheard Oxford talking with some guards outside the gate today about one of the former guards here." Soul focuses on Stein's serious face now, watching the way his eyebrows drop and his lips press together.
"You remember Crona, right?"
At the mention of Maka's previous guard's name, he falters. He and Maka had just talked about them. "Don't tell me they found something out about him," He laughs nervously.
Stein's facial expression doesn't change, however. He doesn't laugh back. He doesn't reveal this is all a joke.
"They were a spy for The Kingdom of Cinder."
Soul feels like the world is suddenly caving in on him and Stein obviously notices because not even a second later there's a sturdy hand clapping onto his shoulder.
"Hey, calm down," Stein orders him sternly. "Do you remember a guy named Ragnarok? He was a former guard."
He's teleported back to that night- the night he killed him. He vividly remembers the way Medusa had charged after him once the bullet hit him, the way she turned to address the third man who'd been part of their party- the party that was sent after him to bring him home.
"Don't you dare leave his side, Ragnarok."
He stares directly at Stein, his mouth going dry, the words dying on the tip of his tongue. Instead, he nods in reply, his hands clenched into fists at his side.
They found him, didn't they? They were coming back for him.
"Calm down, seriously, there is no way they know you're here, okay?" Stein insists, shaking his shoulder. "Does anyone here know you're not from here other than me?"
Soul nods, "Kilik and Blackstar. I've only told them back when we first roomed together."
"No one else, right?"
"Absolutely no one," Soul answered carefully.
Stein sighs, dropping his hand from his shoulder. "Then there should be no reason to freak out, okay? Maybe they decided it was best to leave because they didn't find anything. You've been careful."
Soul nods again, unable to find the right words to say. Too much was running through his head.
"Get a good night's rest, and just stay out of trouble, got it?"
"Yes, sir."
Stein gives him a weak smile before walking down the hallway and disappearing out of sight. Feeling worn for wear, Soul trudges to his shared room, ignoring the pain in his palms.
To his surprise, Stein wasn't the only one awake waiting for him. When he opened his bedroom door, a single candle was still lit. While Kilik had been fast asleep, Blackstar was still wide awake, sitting at the end of his cot fidgeting.
The moment he stepped into the room, Blackstars head rose. "Soul!" he spoke happily. The fight that had been waiting in Souls shoulders left immediately at the loving and welcoming tone. With a smile, he waved back at Blackstar, shutting their bedroom door.
"Why are you back so late again?" Blackstar asked him as he made his way over to his belongings, already shrugging off his armor.
"Got caught up in stupid offical buisness," he replies, already halfway though changing. "Everything's in the last stages of planning for the Princess's party so they're really working hard on getting every detail right."
The lie comes naturally- and he feels sorry for it, truthfully.
"Oh," Blackstar replied. "That sucks."
"Kind of."
Once he's finished, he retires to his own cot. Blackstar turns himself over in his bed to face him, a lopsided smile pulled against his lips.
"I missed you, man." he laughs.
Soul can't help but smile, feeling familiarity between the two of them for the first time in days. "I missed you too, you idiot."
After another long day of meeting with royal advisors, tailors, and caterers, Soul is finally left alone with Maka in the main dining hall of the castle. He's almost grateful that Maka had yet another busy day. While Maka was kept busy, he didn't have to worry about the Princess catching onto his anxious behavior. It spared him some time to settle down and take in the news he'd received yesterday.
The Kingdom of Cinder was sure to find him, eventually.
"Soul?" Maka beckoned from the head chair of the table. Pulled back to reality, he dipped his head, making his way from the corner of the room to the Princess's side. "You look tired," maka pointed out, lightly tapping at her arm.
"What makes you think I look tired?" Soul questioned, a hint of laughter lacing his voice.
"You're hunched over, usually you have pretty perfect posture, almost better than him."
Soul raised an eyebrow, amused, but not surprised that the Princess read him so well once again. Beside him, a chair is kicked out and Maka motions for him to take a seat. He obliges, pulling the seat out the rest of the way before slumping against the soft cushion in relief.
"Didn't sleep too well last night," He admits, shrugging. "I guess you could say I received some disappointing news? It's not… It's not harmful to you, but it was still unsettling."
Maka nods, propping her elbows up onto the table. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"Ah, not really." He slumps against the chair even more, sinking into it. "My past is finally catching up to me, you could say."
Out of the corner of his eye, he can see Maka staring at him. She's not doing it very discreetly. It looks like she's hanging off his every word, deeply interested in everything he has to say.
"Have you lived here your whole life?" Maka questioned, leaning closer to him.
Soul hesitated, thinking back to Stein's words. He can trust Maka.
"No, I haven't." Soul laughs nervously, the slightest wheeze escaping him. He stiffens at the sound of it, coughing, hoping to mask the awkward laugh that he hates so much. "I came to Eibon when I was seventeen or eighteen, I don't really remember."
"Oh, interesting. What made you come here?"
Soul again shrugs, focusing his eyes on the chandelier above them. "I was traveling for a while, searching for a place to settle down. One night I ended up crashing in some random man's barn. He suggested I come here, so I did. The rest is history." Soul stretches his legs out under the table, pulling his arms over his head in a leisurely manner. "Nothing really important brought me here. I wasn't even looking to become a guard."
"You were… traveling by yourself, at seventeen?"
"My family was filled with a bunch of unkind folks, so I left them."
He doesn't miss the way Maka flinches, either.
"I'm really sorry to hear that." The Princess sends him a small smile before turning her attention to the table. "Um, you said you never were looking to become a guard. What did you want to do with your life then? And what persuaded you to join the guards?"
He watches as the Princess fiddles with her thumbs for a moment before plucking her hands from the table.
"Well, aren't you just filled with questions today," Soul mused, pulling himself back up properly in his chair.
Maka snaps her attention back to him. "Sorry," She sputtered, biting her lower lip, "I feel like I know nothing about you- I was just curious. You don't have to answer if you don't want to."
For a second, Soul felt breathless. He wondered if it was normal to feel so giddy over such a small thing- to feel ecstatic over someone just simply wanting to know a little more about him.
"I didn't want to do anything with my life. I used to be pretty well off, money wise. I wanted to travel the world, see everything I could." He paused, observing the way Maka's gaze seemed to soften. "That's what I meant when I said you and I are more alike than you think. I've been searching for freedom my whole life, Maka."
A steady silence builds between the two of them. Maka has still yet to tear her gaze away, to Souls surprise.
"But uh- anyway, when I finally made it here and decided it was best for me to just settle down, I stayed with a friend. They insisted I go into the guard training with them, so I did. I didn't have anything to lose or gain from it so it wasn't that big of a deal. I had been pretty skilled with a sword so it came pretty easily to me- the whole guard thing."
Soul exhales, feeling winded even more. Maka just smiles his way.
"I was expecting more of an extravagant story from you, Soul." Maka said with a laugh that sounded like a million soft chimes in his ears.
"I'm not an extravagant person, Maka," Soul insisted, "I'm actually a pretty boring person."
"You dont spark me as a boring person," Maka points out, waving a hand at him. "I mean, come on, look at you. You have the whole mysterious vibe going on. How can you be a boring person and keep your past a secret?"
Soul simply shrugs, a smile tugging at his lips. "You got me there."
"Exactly," Maka smiles triumphantly. "But anyway, you know you're not the only one who's skilled with a sword, right?"
"Oh, really now?" Soul doesn't quite believe the Princess.
"Yes, really. I've been practicing for a while actually."
"I find that hard to believe," Soul admitted bashfully, leaning across the table. "Who would have taught a Princess like you to wield a sword?"
Maka lifts an eyebrow, leaning in closer as well.
They're close, Soul points out to himself. Too close.
"What's that supposed to mean? You dont think a Princess should know how to fight?"
"I never said that," Soul politely corrected, "All i was saying was I was surprised. This Kingdom doesnt get into a lot of wars with people, I wouldn't have expected the royals to know how to defend themselves."
Maka laughs, pulling back suddenly. "I'm the only royal here who would know how to defend themselves and it's because I picked things up from my first guard. You know Kim used to be one, right?"
Taken back by the new information, Soul finds himself recoiling too, stiffening against the cushioned chair. "Kim, as in the kitchen cook, used to be a royal guard?"
Eagerly nodded, Maka grins. "She's the daughter of my parents' royal advisor. We've known eachother since we were children. I watched her train to become a knight. I managed to pick up things here and there." She paused, cracking her fingers. "A few years ago she decided that being a guard wasn't for her. That's why Crona became my new guard."
Soul cant help but stiffen at the mention of Crona- of Ragnarok.
"Oh," Is all he manages to croak out.
He tried to ignore the way his limbs instantly kick into fight or flight more as Maka continues speaking.
"I could show you my skills tonight if you're free."
"Are you asking me to a duel or something?" Soul muses.
"Okay look, I'm not good enough to take on a fully trained royal guard, but i can surely defend myself and hold my own." Maka huffs.
Soul just hums, pulling himself out of the dining room chair. "I'd like to see you try."
"Is it a date then?"
Soul pauses midway through pushing his chair in, his eyes flickering back to the Princess who is still seated, a shit-eating grin plastered across her face.
"Sure," He speaks through gritted teeth, ignoring the way his heart clambered in his chest, "It's a date."
"Why did Mifune send you here?"
They'd been walking down the kingdom path no longer than a minute before Stein started grilling him. They were shoulder to shoulder, a hand resting on his elbow as the guard pushed him along the path.
"He saved my life from an assassination attempt. I told him I've been on the run for a while and he suggested that staying here would be my best option."
Stein doesn't seem to react to his story. "Who's trying to have you assassinated?"
Soul nervously rubs his hands together, his eyes fixated on his worn shoes. "The Kingdom of Cinder."
Suddenly, Stein comes to a full stop, pulling at his shoulder and forcing him to stop as well. With a tight grip, the guard pulls at his shoulder, forcing him to look his way. "What did you do?"
The way he speaks, it's not a question. It's a demand for him to answer. Guilt swarms in his gut uneasily as he stares up at Stein's stone-cold face. He can't bring himself to answer.
The guard doesn't like his silence.
"I asked you a question. What do you do that you have a Kingdom like that looking for your head?"
He licks his lips nervously. Can he even tell him the truth?
"I was running from the war," He lies, watching as Stein's facial expression morphs from the stone-cold still expression he'd been sporting to one of confusion.
"I don't do lies,kid." He whispered, "So you either tell me the truth, or I kick your ass back outside of the gates. Your choice." He stiffened at the sudden change in his voice, the monotone way he had turned into something dark and gritty.
Guilt wasn't the only thing shaking in him now. Fear pulled at his chest now, urging him to bring his shaky hands into fists. He didn't have anything to lose by telling the truth, did he? He was damned if he did, damned if he didnt.
He had two options, and neither were looking good. His first choice was to refuse to tell the truth and go back to traveling on foot, but he was in no shape to continue on that way and if Medusa did catch up to him, there was no way he'd be saved. He would be brought back to Cinder and be killed or Medusa would slaughter him on sight. His second choice was to tell him the truth and wait for him to tell the royals here, then ultimately get killed anyway.
It was a lose-lose situation.
He swallowed his pride.
"Im running from the throne," he insisted, his voice shaky, "I murdered my royal guard when i made my escape."
