Lionus was led away from the academy along the cobblestone path. People stood along the street as he was led by. Many looked on with disgust. None of this bothered Lionus. Only one thought plagued his mind as he continued walking down the street. "What is my father going to say now?"
The trio stood before the gate where another set of guards met them. After a brief exchange between the guards, the gate was opened and Lionus was led inside.
Commander Griff stood, waiting, as they approached.
"You can take him to his cell." Griff said with no effort to disguise his contempt.
Not even looking in Lionus' direction, Griff turned away from Lionus and the guards.
Lionus was led down the hallway, passing cell after cell, until finally the guards stopped before a cell and proceeded to open the door. Shoving Lionus inside, they quickly slammed the door without a word and turned to walk away.
Lionus looked around the dusty cell.
"That stupid farmer," he said as he sat down, back against the wall.
"This is all your fault, Joedan."
Leaning his head back, Lionus closed his eyes.
*****
Amelia sat beside Joedan's bed. Looking down, she saw the blood still on her hands. The healers had just finished stitching up the wound in Joedan's side.
Brad and Jeff stood a little ways off, watching Joedan rest. Joedan had not woken up yet. They had to use some pretty strong anesthetics to keep him under as they performed the surgery. The healers said if the knife had been even a little further to the right, it could have made the difference between being able to save him. He still had a ways to go for recovery, but as of now, he was still critical but stable. The rest would be up to Joedan's body to heal.
Amelia reached for Joedan's hand. She had been by his side since the end of the battle. Her father and Commander Griff had come by trying to get her to leave, but she had refused.
"Lady Amelia, we will make sure nothing happens to Joedan." Jeff said, to try and comfort her.
"You need to get some rest."
"I beg your pardon, Lady Amelia, but no amount of worrying is going to help Joedan recover any faster," Brad said, as he placed a hand on her shoulder, encouragingly.
Amelia looked away from Joedan to the pair. After a few moments, she finally relented. Standing to her feet, she thanked them both before heading for the door.
"Come find me the moment he wakes, and not a moment after," she said before exiting the room.
"Yes, my lady," both men said as they watched her leave.
Alone in the room with Joedan, the two continued to survey Joedan. A knock came on the door. Brad went to the door and opened it to find instructor Willis.
"How is he?" the instructor asked.
"He will recover," Jeff said.
"That should have never happened," Brad said next, looking right at the instructor. "What are you doing with Lionus?"
"Please, tell me he's going to pay for what happened," Jeff added.
"Lionus is in custody, he has been discharged from the army, declared unfit to be a soldier."
The two men nodded along, relieved to hear that consequences were being meted out and that a noble wasn't just going to get a slap on the wrist.
"I'm pretty sure I know the answer to this question already," the instructor said, pausing before continuing, "I am assuming both of you have decided on the position you wish to serve in the duke's army."
Both men nodded, already making up their mind that they would follow Joedan wherever he went.
"Good, you three formed strong bonds during your time at the academy together. You will make capable bodyguards that I know Lady Amelia will be able to depend on. I will return as soon as I hear word that Joedan is awake. Please let me know as soon as anything changes," the instructor turned to both men, offering his outstretched hand to shake their hands.
Turning towards Joedan on the bed, the instructor placed a hand on his shoulder, offering a quiet prayer.
"There's still much of your story yet to unfold, soldier." he said quietly to himself, before turning towards the door and exiting the room.
*****
"Oh how the mighty have fallen," a man's voice came from across the hall from Lionus.
Trying to peer into the darkness of the cell across from him, Lionus tried to make out who it was.
"Heard you had a little hiccup with our resident farmer," the man spoke again.
Lionus' jaw ticked. Who was this man to mock him? He was tired of people always bringing up Joedan like he was something special.
"Don't worry, I'm not making fun of you," the man said again, stepping closer to the bars of his cell.
His hair was unkempt. The man's cheeks were gaunt, his clothes stained from dirt. The man had a hard gleam in his eyes. His beard had grown long in the months he had been locked in this cell.
"I share no fondness for that farmer, either. In fact, I recognize a kindred spirit in you," the count continued.
Recognizing who the man was who was speaking to him, Lionus stood to his feet. Approaching the bars, the pair looked across the hall at one another.
"Count Reginald." Lionus said.
"How is your father doing?" Count Reginald asked.
"I haven't seen or heard from him since before the final match," Lionus answered.
"It must be hard being the middle noble son. I know your father to be a cruel man, difficult to please. I imagine you will not hear from him again. Your father is not one to show any pity, even for his sons."
Lionus outwardly kept his composure, but inwardly, the words the count had just spoken echoed the same fears he had. Ever since Lionus was born, his father had treated him harshly. He had been ruthless in his training, even before the academy. His father cared about the family name more than anything else, and he would not allow his sons to bring any dishonor to it. Lionus always felt like his father's approval was outside of reach. With his eldest brother being the heir, Lionus was rarely considered. Heaven forbid, he ever made any mistakes. No, Lionus knew his father would not come to see him. His father would not lift a finger to shield Lionus from the consequences of what happened.
As far as Lionus' father was concerned, he no longer had a middle son.
This only made Lionus more upset. If Joedan had never come to the academy, that would have been his chance to prove to his father that he was worthy of being a nobleman's son. But every time Lionus accomplished something, instead of people talking about it, their focus was directed on another recruit.
"There will come a day where Joedan regrets his decision to ever leave his precious farm," the count continued.
"Yeah, what're you gonna do about it?" Lionus asked. "You're gonna be executed any day now, you've lost all your power. You are a nobody just like me, Count."
"Am I now?" the count asked with an eyebrow raised.
"You're so sure of this? You sure you want to write me off this quick?"
"What can you possibly do from that cell?"
"Boy, you underestimate me," the count said as he turned away from the cell, retreating back into the dark.
All Lionus could see was the glint from the Count's eyes as he lowered his eyes to his hands, bound in chains for the first time in his life.