ready for you [rhys]

Fenec tugged at the collar of his coat, pulling it closer to his neck as a strong breeze blew past him. Though the capital had been teased with a glimpse of spring over the last few days, another snowstorm (likely - hopefully - the last) had greeted Egress overnight, covering the palace and the surrounding cityscape with a thick blanket of snow.

Fenec was typically indifferent toward the snow, as it rarely affected his work and he, of course, had more than the necessary means to keep himself warm. Today, he found himself annoyed as his horse slowly trudged through the snow to the imperial army's base, where Fenec was prepared to make a request, or perhaps a demand, of his long-time ally, Thoth.

As his large black horse made its way under the bridge that came before the base's gate, Fenec allowed himself a moment to appreciate the snow's beauty, reminiscing about a fond memory of rough-housing with his brother as young boys. Back then, Coen gazed in awe at the gates of this base. Perhaps it was best that he hadn't known the truth then. Perhaps not.

As he approached the gates, Fenec nodded at the soldiers guarding the compound. "Jansen, Visser," Fenec said respectfully, the two guards acknowledging him in return as they opened the gates. Fenec was familiar with each and every soldier in the capital's base and beyond, and had been for some time. As the advisor to the Empress, knowing people was his job.

As he finished securing his horse at the stables, Fenec heard a familiar voice behind him.

"Never trust the first sign of spring, eh?" Fenec turned around to see Thoth, who had been expecting him today and thus made himself readily available for his arrival. The two hugged, patting one another's back in a warm and rough embrace.

"Good to see you, Thoth," Fenec said with a genuine smile. He took off his gloves as the two chatted briefly, pocketing them and crossing his arms while taking a look around the compound. Thoth looked around as well, a small smile showing the pride he felt for his role in maintaining the base; but while Thoth examined details, Fenec looked for people -- particularly young Rhys.

"The base is in top shape, Thoth. I'm glad someone knows what they're doing around here," Fenec said with an approving nod. Though Fenec didn't feel any particular way about the state of the place, he knew Thoth would be pleased to hear it.

"My lord," Thoth replied with a respectful bow of gratitude. "Shall we head inside?" Fenec took one more look around the camp before nodding and following Thoth's lead toward the great hall.

Rhys’ heavy breaths came out as plumes of steam as he drilled with his fellow soldier Lyr in the courtyard. For now, the adrenaline was enough to keep them from noticing the cold. They sparred with swords—mundane training only, no ascarya. The use of ascarya was strictly, strictly prohibited, unless under the orders and supervision of Commander Thoth or his superiors.

Out of the corner of his eye, Rhys caught a glimpse of the commander watching them at the edge of the yard, standing beside an Egressian noble. It was Lord Fenec.

Lyr’s sword came down on Rhys’ wrist. He dropped his own and it clattered to the ground. Still out the corner of his eye, Rhys saw Commander Thoth shake his head. Disappointed. Lyr on the other hand looked quite pleased; he had never disarmed Rhys before.

“Soldiers, attention,” Thoth called out. They all faced him, standing straight up with their hands behind their backs. He and Lord Fenec approached.

“You know better than to get distracted during battle, Soldier,” Thoth admonished when they reached him. “If that had been a real fight, you’d be missing a hand right now.”

In a real fight I would have killed Lyr in an instant with my ascarya. “Yes, Commander.” His eyes drifted over to Lord Fenec, before he quickly dropped his gaze. “My lord.”

Lord Fenec wasn’t like the other nobles. Other nobles were fairly predictable—they gave orders, he followed them, they were pleased. Some of the crueler ones were harder to please, but one could manage. Lord Fenec was—there was no other word for it—friendly. Not just courteous. Genuinely kind. It was unnerving.

Fenec finally spotted Rhys on the way to the great hall and was pleased to follow the Commander's lead in approaching the sparring soldiers. He did find it unfortunate that, prior to a conversation in which Fenec was prepared to regard Rhys as one of Thoth's best soldiers, the boy fumbled while sparring with a considerably less skilled soldier. He paid it little mind, though; between Fenec's authority and his long-standing working relationship with Thoth, he had no concern about his ability to move forward with his plan.

"Rhys, Lyr," Fenec looked both boys in the eye as he addressed them, standing tall. While it was too improper for Fenec, in his position, to bow his head in respect for the ascari soldiers, he was one of few nobles - if not the only one - who chose to address soldiers directly by their names. He had found early on that this practice built trust while also helping him keep track of individual soldiers in his mind.

"Impressive move, Lyr. Disarming Rhys is no small feat," he added with a smile and a glint in his eye as he looked to Rhys.

Ignoring Fenec's compliment, which he felt was superfluous and uncalled for, Thoth turned to address Lyr directly. "Lyr, return your swords. Head back to your encampment and make yourself busy." Obedient but a bit disgruntled, Lyr picked up the sword Rhys had dropped, addressed the Commander and Fenec, and made his way to the southern end of the camp.

Thoth turned to Rhys. "Lord Fenec has requested your company at our meeting. You'll follow us to the great hall."

Rhys stood impassively as Lord Fenec complimented Lyr for disarming him. He wasn't offended. Pride was something they stamped out of the wild-caught ascari as early as possible. This was something Lyr still had to learn, judging by his disgruntled look. At least he didn't talk back. That would have earned him a whipping.

My company? He must be getting a new mission. Perhaps they had found another rebel base they needed him to smoke out.

He followed the two men to the hall where Lord Fenec waved a hand at Thoth to indicate he should wait outside. That surprised them both. Surely the army commander should be present at a mission briefing?

Ignoring the pit of dread forming in his stomach, he followed Lord Fenec alone into the hall. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do, so he fell back on a familiar phrase: "How may I serve you, my lord?"

Fenec now led the way, having temporarily dismissed the Commander before entering the hall with Rhys. He directed Rhys to the empty wooden benches gathered around the large fireplace, which roared and warmed the entire hall.

Waiting for Rhys to sit first, Fenec seated himself next to the boy.

Coren, who headed the kitchen for the entire compound, approached them quickly. She had been informed of Fenec's arrival on that day, and held two cups of steaming coffee in mugs. She had anticipated that Fenec would be accompanied by Commander Thoth, and not a mere soldier, but she offered Rhys the cup of coffee anyhow.

"Thank you, Coren," Fenec said as he wrapped his cold hands around the warm mug.

"Anything else for you, m'lord? We've prepared lunch to be served soon." When Fenec declined, Coren bowed and whisked away into the kitchen.

Typically, Fenec would have preferred to have a meeting such as this in a private space, but Thoth ran a tight compound and the great hall was basically empty, aside from the occasional soldier on an errand and the kitchen staff. After blowing on his coffee and taking a sip, he finally turned to address Rhys.

"I've come today with a proposition for your Commander, Rhys. Our young princess requires a new guard, as Ser Sienne's retirement is upon us. She's served the Empire well, and we're sad to see her go. I wondered if you might take her place." Fenec took another casual sip of his coffee, his demeanor too calm and collected for such a suggestion.

Not only was he proposing that a wild-born ascari soldier serve in the palace (which had never happened), but he was suggesting that one guard the princess directly. Of course, Fenec understood how absurd the idea was, but he was also willing to stand by it. While Fenec had his own motivations for bringing Rhys to the palace, he had convinced Isadora on the basis of other reasons, which he would also share with the Commander. As much as others pushed back against Fenec's ideas, and as receptive to them as he could be at times, he was nevertheless skilled at getting his way.

Rhys accepted the mug of hot brown liquid. He had never been permitted to have coffee before. It was a luxury reserved only for nobles and high-ranking soldiers on rare occasions. He took an experimental sip and tried not to wince. Did nobles really enjoy this drink? It tasted to him like Coren was trying to poison them.

I've come today with a proposition for your Commander, Rhys. Our young princess requires a new guard, as Ser Sienne's retirement is upon us. She's served the Empire well, and we're sad to see her go. I wondered if you might take her place.

He said it so quickly, so casually, that Rhys almost didn't process what had just been asked of him. "Me?" he asked incredulously. "Why?"

Stupid! he immediately admonished himself. Never, never, never question your orders. It was the first thing an ascar learned when brought to Egress. Lord Fenec didn't look angry though. Just expectant. "Forgive me, my lord," he quickly apologized. "I would be honored--I am honored--I am just surprised you want someone of my background for this task."

For what it was worth, Rhys' reaction was less extreme than Fenec had anticipated; then again, he was a lifelong trained soldier, not the ruler of an empire built upon the persecution of the ascari. Fortunately, he knew that convincing the soldiers - anyone, really - would be much easier than it had been with the Empress.

Fenec nodded along as Rhys raised his questions, which were fair, of course. This was new territory, and while Rhys was an impressive soldier, there were more seasoned soldiers of noble blood that may have seemed like better choices. Perhaps they were, in some ways. But, as always, Fenec had his reasons. He set his mug down on the wooden bench, opposite of the side that Rhys sat, and turned to face him more fully.

"I trust you, Rhys. That's not why you've been chosen, but it's a start. And it's why I'm not going to lie to you." Fenec's presence was as straightforward as his words were: aside from occasionally glancing around to ensure no one was overhearing their conversation (though this would likely all be public knowledge soon enough), his attention was fully devoted to Rhys in this moment, and his words were genuine. Fenec had the natural ability of making people believe he cared; for Rhys, he truly did.

"Wild ascari are organizing in ways we've not seen before. We've learned more about their leader over the past few years, enough to know who he is. His name is Coen, and he was noble born." Fenec decided to leave out some major facts about Coen, particularly that he was Fenec's brother, and perhaps most importantly, that he was Rhys' father. Fenec continued. "If - when - this information gets out, it would be detrimental to the empire."

Fenec sighed and looked down at his boots, which were damp with melting snow. He knew this was a risk, telling a young soldier of an imperial ascar soldier turned rebel. But Fenec believed in his plan, and he believed in Rhys' loyalty - especially with the knowledge that Fenec had gathered, which he was prepared to use as leverage if needed.

"You've been with us a long time, Rhys," he started again, looking back over to his nephew. "You've been loyal, and I trust you're more than capable of keeping the princess safe. We need to keep the people's trust in our army -- we can't have people fearing every soldier as a possible rogue. If there's an ascar, a wild-born ascar raised in our army, protecting the princess...then that trust is more justifiable."

While he didn't mention the possibility of ascari slaughter in the future (at the hands of the people, the empress, or both), he hoped Rhys understood the devastating consequences of the generational fear and hatred that had come from the Egressian throne.

Rhys sat back, taking all this information in. A noble born rebel? That contradicted everything they'd ever been taught about the wild versus bred dichotomy among ascari. No wonder Lord Fenec didn't want that particular bit of information getting out. It wouldn't just be detrimental to the Empire.

They'd never trust us again, he thought. If the people didn't believe, truly believe, that the imperial ascari were the tame, loyal pets of the Empire, they would never let them live.

He didn't know why, but as Lord Fenec spoke to him, he found himself believing that he was being honest--that he truly did trust him. Everything about Lord Fenec was suspicious, from his kindliness to his willingness to trust a wild born ascari, but when he spoke, all that suspicion seemed to melt away. At least until the next time he came around.

"Coen," he repeated. It was a name he felt as though he had heard before. Oddly familiar. He wanted to know more. Maybe he could disguise his curiosity as needing to know more information for the assignment. "Do you think he'll try to attack the princess? What is his ascarya?"

Fenec picked up his coffee mug, taking a sip as Rhys seemed to let all of the information settle within him. After being quiet for some time, the first thing that Rhys spoke of was Coen, which piqued Fenec's curiosity. Did Rhys remember who his father was? Fenec had never received a report suggesting so, but it was possible that Rhys had hidden that information from Thoth and the others. Unlikely, but possible.

Do you think he'll try to attack the princess? What is his ascarya?

Fenec glanced down into his half-empty cup of coffee, pondering. "To be honest, I'm not quite sure what he is capable of," he answered truthfully. He didn't want to think of the inevitable aftermath, if Coen did choose to attack the palace. Regardless of who would prevail, there would be an absolute bloodbath and an uprising among the kingdom to follow. Fenec shook the thought from his mind.

"He has some type of power over minerals," he said, bringing his thoughts, and his gaze, back to Rhys. "There were few recorded instances of him using his ascarya while in the army, so we're unsure of its limits." Whether Rhys knew the truth about Coen or not, this was crucial information for the soon-to-be guard of Princess Alessi, and so Fenec felt fairly comfortable sharing it.

He glanced toward the entrance of the great hall, where Commander Thoth peeked his head in to check on the two of them. "If you'll pack your things, I'll speak with your Commander. We can discuss more along the way. I suggest we head out after lunch." Fenec looked to Rhys matter-of-factly as he spoke of completely uprooting the boy's entire life in one afternoon. Fenec hoped it was for the better, at least.

And so it was. In just a few hours, after they had eaten, Rhys had packed up all his worldly possession (of which he had very few), and Lord Fenec had made arrangements with Thoth, they left behind the only home Rhys knew. It hadn't been a happy home, no, but it had been familiar. The idea of the royal palace, by contrast, seemed strange and foreign.

The brown filly they'd given him to ride trotted beside Lord Fenec's stallion. It was silent, besides the beat of their hooves. A few flakes of snow fell around them.

Rhys burned with questions on the inside. When Lord Fenec had explained everything to him, it had seemed to make sense at the time, but now all the doubts were seeping in. It still didn't seem right to him that he of all people had been chosen to protect perhaps the second most important person in the Empire. It still didn't seem right how Lord Fenec treated him so well. Rhys wasn't just any wild-born ascari--he was the child of a deserter. Nothing about this seemed right.

And besides all that, the knowledge of the rebels and their leader had latched onto his mind and refused to let go. It wasn't as though he had never encountered rebels before--one of his main duties was to deal with them--but for some reason he couldn't get this particular one out of his mind.

The compound always ate well when housing visitors from the palace, and today was no exception. Fenec sat with Thoth and Rhys among the rest of the soldiers in the great hall, catching up on details about recent rebel raids across the kingdom. Thoth and Rhys both seemed a bit on edge, which didn't exactly surprise Fenec; he had spoken with Thoth about Rhys' new assignment just before sitting down for their meal.

Thoth had granted Fenec's request only after suggesting at least five other soldiers that he thought would be a better fit to serve as the guard of the princess, but Fenec had made up his mind on Rhys.

After lunch, Fenec surveyed the base with the Commander while Rhys gathered his belongings. Before long, Fenec and Rhys were saddled up and prepared for the journey back to the palace.

"Thank you for everything, Commander," Fenec said as he gave Thoth's shoulder a squeeze and looked him right in the eye. "You can trust me, I assure you. The boy will be of great service to the princess and the empire. You should be proud." Though still concerned about Fenec's decision, Thoth felt a wave of relief wash over him and nodded in understanding.

Fenec and Rhys started their journey silently on horseback. Rhys obviously had a lot on his mind, but asked no questions - typical of a loyal and obedient soldier.

"You can ask me questions, if you'd like," Fenec said, breaking the silence. "About the princess, or the palace -- anything. It might be better to do so before we arrive." Fenec looked over to Rhys without any pressure or expectation in his expression, but rather an invitation for Rhys to speak if he desired.

You can ask me questions, if you'd like. About the princess, or the palace -- anything. It might be better to do so before we arrive.

Anything? Rhys sincerely doubted he could ask anything. He couldn't show too much interest in the rebels without being suspected of harboring rebellious feelings himself, even if it was just out of curiosity. He also couldn't ask why Lord Fenec treated him so well, because that could suggest he thought poorly of his other masters.

He also couldn't be sure if Lord Fenec would be honest with him. There was something trustworthy about him--something that made Rhys want to believe the things he said. But he was still an Egressian noble. He had no reason to be honest with Rhys.

"You said I'm the first wild-born ascar to ever serve in the palace," he said slowly, deciding to test the waters. He wanted to see just how honest Lord Fenec was willing to be. "If the royal family is displeased with my service, what will happen to me?"

Even the imperial ascari heard the whispers of what the Empress did to the servants who displeased her.

Fenec nodded at the question, which he found to be completely reasonable. Isadora wasn't known for her mercy, that was certain, and she made sure all in the kingdom knew it. However, Rhys was in quite a unique position, with much of the fate of the ascari peoples -- and the empire -- on his shoulders.

"Having a wild-born ascar serve the royal family is a risk for all involved," he said calmly, his eyes on the road ahead. "You'll likely have suspicious eyes on you for some time, but it would not serve the empire well to have you punished in any way that would hinder your ability to protect the princess." He turned to look at Rhys. "Under my command, you are not to be put in harm's way unless doing so to protect Princess Alessi."

He returned his gaze to the road as their horses trotted along. Fenec had many regrets in his life, and he briefly remembered young Isak and Thea, taken from this world much too soon, and with Fenec's help. He had done truly awful things for love, but he would not allow Isadora to harm Rhys. Bringing him to the palace and having him serve in this role was the best way, for now at least, that Fenec could ensure that Rhys was safe -- and this plan, if successful, could pave the way for further integration of imperial ascari throughout the empire.

These were lofty goals, and Fenec knew it would be a struggle against Isadora, but with many small changes come a slowly shifting bigger picture. Whether he was successful in the end or not, it was worth trying. And that started with Rhys at the palace.

"Of course, the Empress has more authority than I," he added. "While I have her ear and she often heeds my advice, I would suggest you follow orders and not challenge the boundaries of your role in the palace. Not even I can control the Empress."

Lord Fenec spoke many words without actually answering Rhys' question, though he did say enough to leave Rhys with the implicit answer he had already known: If the Empress was displeased with his service, she would have him executed. None of Lord Fenec's attempts at reassuring him would change that.

"Thank you for your candor, my lord," he said, trying to keep the bitterness he felt out of his voice. How he wished he could truly speak his mind. "I'll do my best not to disappoint you."

No doubt, Fenec heard the sarcasm in Rhys' response. He couldn't blame him; he wouldn't feel safe in Rhys' position either.

Assessing the situation, he decided against attempting to build trust with Rhys right now. He could use his ascarya to try and persuade Rhys to trust him, but he was honestly a bit wary about using it among another ascar, which he, to his knowledge, hadn't yet done. Would an ascar be able to tell he was using ascarya?

Regardless, he didn't want to try and influence Rhys at this moment. It was appropriate for him to be wary of his new placement and responsibility, and Fenec wanted to let the situation play out on its own. Still, Rhys had a lot to learn about the ways of the palace, and so Fenec started with the basics: Rhys' lodging, his schedule, his direct supervisors. Throughout their journey back to the palace, Fenec continued on, answering the occasional question for clarity and giving Rhys the necessary information to get started right away.