"You will what?!" Anemone exclaimed after hearing what Ceremus said.
"You heard me the first time. Don't make me repeat myself." He replied as he scanned through the documents in front of him.
"Your Majesty, you cannot possibly be thinking of bringing a twelve-year-old boy as a guard, venturing off to the unknown, for days on end with no other supervision?! Do you not hear how ridiculous that sounds? He only just became a knight, for goodness' sake!"
This wasn't the first time Ceremus had made such ridiculous requests or made reckless decisions. The king had been ruling the nation as he saw fit, doing whatever he wanted with no regard for the consequences of his actions. And countless times, Anemone could only watch, fearing Ceremus's reprisal if he spoke up. But since Hael had come into his life, Ceremus had mellowed out a little, slowly changing and becoming a little more reasonable. But as the saying goes, people don't change that easily.
"Atilla was it? Yes, that boy is the best in his class, ranked first, and the youngest knight in the order. According to the instructor, he's a mature and capable boy. I don't see why he can't come with me." The king said, interrupting his thoughts.
Anemone scoffed. "You are only bringing him because he's from the North. Which isn't a good enough reason to bring him!"
Ceremus put down his papers and looked at the advisor. "Did you not say I should bring someone who is familiar with the region?" He asked.
Anemone was too stunned to speak. He stared at the king as if he was the biggest idiot on earth. "Have you gone insane? Ha, no, you've always been insane, but I feel like your insanity has gotten worse over the years. It's like you have a one track mind who only sees or listens to the things you want. By your logic, anyone would do as long as they meet your goals!" Is what he wanted to say, but the only thing he could do was sigh.
I'm getting too old for this job. He thought to himself.
"Fine then. Let's say you bring this boy with you. What will you do when you face trouble, Your Majesty? When roaming in the open country, your title as king temporarily disappears, preventing you from acting as you wish. Any trouble you made could have diplomatic repercussions and you won't be able to use your king card either. Not to mention, that boy has never had to travel such long distances before. How is this going to work?"
Ceremus shrugged. "Either he comes with me, or I go alone."
Anemone had a powerful urge to strangle Ceremus right then and there, but luckily for him, he was still sane enough to know how badly things would end for him if he acted on those urges.
"If that is what you wish for, Your Majesty, then I shall oblige." He said in defeat.
"Good. I plan to leave in two days. Have everything prepared for me." He said.
Now all that was left was Atilla's answer.
As he returned to the barracks, the only thing he could think of was the king's words.
"Becoming a personal knight?" He whispered to himself. Just saying the words out loud was ridiculous.
"What did you just say?" One boy who was walking back asked in disbelief.
Atilla shot him a brief glance, momentarily forgetting that he wasn't alone.
"This boy has just become a knight and is already acting like his tough shit. Unbelievable." He scoffed, looking at him with eyes filled with contempt.
The others watched as the older boy stared Atilla down. Their eyes glimmered with excitement at the prospect of a fight ensuing.
Atilla, on the other hand, didn't pay the boy any mind, completely ignoring his existence. His indifference seemed to aggravate the boy even more.
"I've seriously had it with you, acting like you're better than all of us when you're just a little runt from a country who abandoned you." He said, his voice laced with venom.
Atilla was going to ignore him, but the words halted his steps. He slowly turned to look at the boy, and a smug smile appeared on his face once he saw that his remark had finally garnered some attention from the younger boy. "What? Have my words offended you? They are the truth, are they not?"
"What was your name again? Agus? Atlas?" He suddenly asked.
The boy's eyes flared. "It's Magus!"
"Yes, right, Magus? I've been wondering this for a while now, but do you perhaps harbour some romantic feelings for me? Ever since I've arrived, you've been doing everything to get my attention. I ignore you, and you do everything in your power to get me to notice you. If that is the case, I apologize, but I cannot reciprocate those feelings. I don't care for weak men." He said.
Magus' jaw dropped, and gasps and exclamations erupted in the hallway.
"Did he really just…"
"Wow, I can't believe he said that!"
The older boy's face turned a deep shade of red and his veins popped out, looking like he was about to explode at any second. "You…just what in the hell…who would like a freak like you?!" He shouted.
Atilla tilted his head, a flash of amusement in his eyes. "So you don't deny it, then?"
"I—I, haa, whatever, I don't need to explain myself to the likes of you." Magus said before leaving for his room in a huff.
The boys all stood there, staring at Atilla with wary eyes. The boy ignored the pointed looks and went to his room. As he closed the door, he let out a deep sigh.
"No matter what I do, these people will never respect me." He mumbled to himself. "Perhaps it would be best for me to leave here, while I still can."
Suddenly, the thought of going with His Majesty felt appealing. So the boy left his room, in search of the king. At the same moment, Anemone was leaving the king's study.
His eyes grew wide when he saw him. "Excuse me, little one," Anemone called out to him.
"Yes?"
"If you're looking for the king, you can go right in. I believe he is expecting you. "
Atilla stared back at the advisor before nodding. Taking a deep breath, the young knight knocked on the door.
Silence greeted him, and before he could knock again, he heard a voice say, "If you've come back to complain again, you can save your breath."
His deep and stern voice startled the boy a little, making him hesitate. "Um…this is Atilla, Your Majesty."
Silence.
The boy furrowed his brows. "Your Majesty?"
"…Come in."
Atilla opened the door, peeking his head inside. He saw the king sitting near his desk, that riddled with documents. The man looked up from his pages and saw the young boy peeking his head in, wondering whether he just go inside. The sight made the corner of his lips go up.
"You can come inside. I won't bite." He told him.
Atilla swallowed before fully entering the room, closing the door behind him.
"So? What did you come here for?" He asked as he gazed at the boy.
"…I came to give Your Majesty an answer. If you'll still have me."
"Hm. I hope your answer will be positive." He said as he beckoned for the boy to come closer.
"I would like to become Your Majesty's personal guard if the offer still stands."
"Hmm? May I know why you've agreed to my request?" Ceremus asked.
Atilla looked up in surprise. He didn't expect the king to ask for his reasons.
He debated on how to answer the question. Should he give the perfunctory answer, say something the king would like to hear, or be honest?
"I…I believe my talents would be best served at your side rather than staying here. I haven't been able to find a place I belong…for some time now, and I figured doing something out of my comfort zone would help me figure out what I want to do from here on out and discover who I am…" he said, his face now flushed with embarrassment.
Ceremus listened to the boy the entire time he spoke, feeling an instant sense of kinship with him. As he looked at Atilla, he finally understood why Hael was so taken with him. It was like looking at a younger version of himself. Lost and feeling like he had no purpose.
"I see. Well then, it looks like we'll get along fine." He then got up from his desk and walked towards the boy. Putting a hand on his shoulder, he leaned down and told him, "we will travel North starting the day after tomorrow. Prepare yourself, since it will be a long journey."
The boy stared back at the king, suddenly regretting his decision.