Arthur honestly thought he would faint again. Like right there, in the hallway, before even reaching the outside door. His legs felt like noodles that had been boiled too long and then dropped on the floor. Soft. Shaky. Gross.
"C'mon, Arthur," he muttered to himself as he walked. "People are watching. Don't collapse like a wet tissue."
A pair of servants actually slowed down as he passed, probably because he looked like a baby deer learning how to walk. He tried to stand straighter but that just made him wobble more.
By the time he stepped outside the manor, the wind slapped his face and immediately made him regret being alive. It was cold and smelled like dirt and smoke and something… maybe wet dog? Hopefully not wolves already.
Soldiers were scrambling all over the training yard. Some were tying ropes around logs, another group digging awkward holes, and one older guy was yelling so much his voice cracked.
Leon was in the middle of all of it, moving like he belonged there. He carried two logs on his shoulder like they weighed nothing. Arthur was pretty sure those logs weighed enough to kill him instantly if they fell.
Leon noticed Arthur and jogged over, stopping just short of saluting again. "My lord! The men are following your instructions. Well… most of them. Some are still confused."
Arthur, who was also confused, decided to lie. "Good. Keep… doing that."
Leon stared at him for a moment, then nodded like Arthur had delivered the wisdom of a thousand generals.
"Right away, sir."
Arthur swallowed. This kid was way too trusting.
He forced himself to walk toward the edge of the yard to examine the "defenses." Honestly, it looked like a group project done by classmates who didn't know the assignment until the last second. Holes too shallow, logs uneven, rope knots tied backwards. One guy was literally sharpening a stick with his eyes closed.
Arthur rubbed his temples. "Oh man… we're so dead."
A voice behind him said, "That doesn't sound very encouraging."
Arthur yelped and spun around so fast he nearly twisted his ankle. It was Evelynn, carrying a basket of cloth bandages and herbs. Her expression was calm, like she already expected today to be awful.
"My son," she said gently, "you shouldn't be on your feet this soon."
"I didn't have a choice!" Arthur whispered harshly. "There are wolves coming! Big ones! With extra big teeth!"
Evelynn sighed in a patient, motherly way that made him feel like an idiot. "I know. But panicking won't help."
Arthur wanted to argue but couldn't because she was right and also very pretty, which made it harder to disagree for some reason.
Lily peeked out from behind Evelynn's dress. Her tiny hands clutched the fabric like she was holding onto life itself. "Brother… are you going to fight the wolves?"
"No!" Arthur said so fast Leon looked back in confusion. "I mean— absolutely NOT. I'm not fighting anything. Ever."
Lily blinked. "Then who will?"
Arthur pointed vaguely at the soldiers, who were now arguing with each other over how deep a "pit" should be. One guy fell into his own hole.
"Uh… they will," he said weakly.
"Oh," Lily whispered, not reassured at all.
Arthur wasn't reassured either.
A horn blared from the forest. It wasn't a dramatic, noble sound. More like someone had taken a cow horn and blown into it really badly. But everyone still froze.
"That's the scouts," Leon said, rushing back. "The wolves are close."
Arthur's heart immediately started beating in all the wrong places.
Leon continued, "We should move now. The choke point needs someone to direct the men. If… if you're well enough to come, my lord, your guidance might—"
"I'm well! Super well! Totally fine!" Arthur lied, voice cracking like a broken flute.
Leon looked unsure. Evelynn looked worried. Lily looked like she was going to cry again.
So Arthur did something stupid.
He straightened his back and forced himself to walk forward like he wasn't internally screaming at every breath.
"Let's go," he said.
The Ridge Path
The group moved quickly through the forest. Arthur was definitely the slowest one, tripping over roots and stepping on his own foot twice. Leon stayed near him, probably afraid Arthur would walk into a tree and die before the wolves even arrived.
The ridge they reached looked exactly how Arthur remembered from the map — narrow, sloping downward, with rocks scattered like nature's own booby traps.
Soldiers scrambled into position. Logs were rolled over, pits half-hidden under leaves, torches lit.
It almost looked like a real plan.
Almost.
Leon gave quick orders, his voice steady. "Archers, to the high ground! Spearmen, form up here! Don't break formation unless you want your faces bitten off!"
Arthur grabbed Leon's sleeve. "Wait— I don't have to be near the wolves, right?"
"You'll be fine," Leon said, totally misunderstanding. "We'll protect you."
"That's… not comforting at all…"
Before Leon could respond, the forest went silent.
Painfully silent.
Like even the bugs decided to leave.
Arthur's breath caught.
A low growl rippled through the trees.
Then he saw them — glowing yellow eyes between the branches. Too many. Way too many. Furry shapes moving low and fast.
Wolves.
Huge wolves.
Crap.
"These things are bigger than I thought," Arthur squeaked.
One wolf stepped into the clearing. Then five more. Then a dozen. Their fangs glinted like tiny daggers. One of the bigger ones had scars across its muzzle and eyes like it hated the entire world.
"That's an alpha," Leon said.
"No kidding," Arthur whimpered.
Then the wolves charged.
Chaos exploded.
The first wolf hit a pit and vanished with a loud whump. Arthur flinched so hard he nearly fell in too.
More wolves rushed forward and slammed into the logs, which bent inward exactly how Arthur planned—by accident, actually, but still impressive.
Arrows rained from above. Soldiers shouted. Wolves snarled. One wolf jumped the pit entirely and almost tackled a soldier before Leon appeared out of nowhere and kicked it in the face.
Arthur swore under his breath. "Holy—! He's terrifying."
Leon moved like someone had forgotten to tell him physics was real. He dodged, ducked, swung his blade, and knocked wolves aside like they were obstacles in a race.
Arthur tried not to faint.
Everything blurred into noise until suddenly—
A giant wolf leaped straight at Arthur.
"WHY ME?!"
Arthur screamed, fell backward, and landed on his butt. The wolf soared over him and crashed into a tree.
Leon immediately ran over. "My lord! Are you hurt?!"
"My dignity is dead," Arthur wheezed. "Everything else is… fine?"
Leon nodded gravely like that was an actual medical diagnosis.
The fighting lasted probably five minutes, but to Arthur it felt like seven years. Finally, the last wolf collapsed and the forest quieted again.
Soldiers cheered. Some cried. One man immediately lay on the ground and said he quit.
Arthur lay on his back, staring at the sky, wondering how he was still alive.
Leon kneeled beside him. "My lord… your strategy saved us."
Arthur's eye twitched. "No, your everything saved us. I… mostly panicked."
Leon shook his head. "Your mind is sharp. You… you see things differently."
Arthur made a weird choking noise that might've been a laugh. Or a sob. Hard to tell.
Evelynn reached him soon after, Lily clinging to her skirt. "Arthur!" she cried. "You didn't die!"
He sat up slowly. "Yeah… surprising, right?"
Lily hugged him so hard his ribs hurt. Evelynn smiled at him with relief so warm it almost made him cry for real.
And for a moment, Arthur felt something strange.
Pride? Maybe.
Or maybe just the realization that he wasn't completely useless after all.
Except then he remembered something horrible.
This was only day one.
He groaned. "I'm… so screwed…"
Leon helped him stand. "My lord?"
"Nothing," Arthur said miserably. "I just realized my life here is going to be one long panic attack."
But even as he said it, he didn't pull away when Lily grabbed his hand.
Maybe… maybe panic wasn't the worst thing.
At least he wasn't alone.