Birthday

When Caine returned to their room that evening he found Riley laying in bed next to Gavin who was sitting up and reading from a book. The Scene caught him off guard and he found himself smiling as he closed the door.

"You two look cute."

Gavin closed the book and gestured for Caine to be quiet.

"He was having trouble sleeping and he had mentioned that reading had helped him fall asleep before. It seems to have worked."

"Mhmm."

Caine takes the book and sets it aside. He moves to the bathroom to undress and wipe away the dirt from the day then joins them in bed.

"You two seem to be doing well."

Gavin looked down at Riley's sleeping form and his face softened. He had watched Riley from afar for so long, always believing that a prince was out of his reach. The more he was around Riley, the more he got to know about him, the more he liked him.

"With you I'm finding myself changing, becoming stronger but also harsher towards others. I remember that I'm human when I'm with Riley. It's almost like I'm just a kid in high school again."

Gavin turned to look at Caine. "It's like the both of you balance me out."

"Isn't it a little late to be so introspective?"

Caine waved his hand and the magic that illuminated the room went out, leaving them in complete darkness. Gavin let out a snort as he moved to lay down.

"I get the hint."

"Oh, that wasn't a hint. Be quiet and go to sleep, I'm tired."

Caine laid awake listening to the sound of Gavin's breathing settling into a rhythm that made it clear he had fallen asleep. Caine, on the other hand, could not find sleep. His mind was going over all the preparations that were being made. He went over every possible scenario that might come about once Edicia discovers demons have taken over Dreymore.

Mostly, though, his mind kept returning to Gavin and his place in Caine's life. Caine has never lost sleep over someone before, not once. This is foolish, I should heed my own advice and sleep.

*******

The sun was barely making an appearance on the horizon but the castle was already a busy place. Soldiers moved about, maids and staff rushing around to start the day. In the castle's courtyard were three men, two of which were stretching before their day started.

Riley sat to the side as he watched the two. Gavin had decided it was safe for him to be out since Ondrea had a slave mark. He had made it clear to Ondrea that he was not allowed to speak about what happened within the castle.

"Alright, before we start anything I want to see how strong your flame is."

Ondrea held out his hand and produced a flame. Gavin frowned at the sight of the flame that was little bigger than what a candle would produce.

"We definitely have a long road ahead. Before you can even think about using spells you will need to produce a stronger flame than that. The first part of your training will be meditating with your flame."

Gavin sat crossed legged on the ground and motioned for Ondrea to copy him. Gavin held out his hand and produced a flame that was three times bigger than what Ondrea had shown.

"I want your flame to be at least this big before you start to train with spells. Have you ever meditated with your flame before."

"No."

"Summon your flame again. Good, now I want you to close your eyes and just feel the flame in your hand. Pay close attention to how your body responds to it. Feel the energy coming into your body, feel the energy of the fire element that is around you."

Ondrea summoned his flame as did as directed. As he followed Gavin's directions he let out a gasp and opened his eyes, the flame went away.

"I felt it!"

"I want you to meditate with your flame as often as you can. Before bed, when you wake up in the morning. Every free moment you have. The more you can connect with the element of fire the stronger your connection will become. The stronger your connection, the stronger your flame."

"Yes, master."

Gavin stands and smiles, though it feels more ominous than happy.

"Do you know how to wield a sword?"

"Yes."

Gavin glances over to Riley who sees his que and brings over the sword that had been sitting by him. Riley gives the sword to Gavin and returns to his seat. When Ondrea stands up he's handed a sword.

"The second part of your training will be physical. This part we can start now."

Gavin pulled out his short swords and took a step towards Ondrea. The other immediately drops to his knees, the sword he had been holding was dropped and his arms raised in a defense posture.

Gavin crouched down in front of Ondrea, a frown visible on his face.

"That's not how this is supposed to work."

"S-sorry, master." Ondrea lowered his arms to reveal a pale face and wide eyes filled with fear. The moment Gavin had drawn his swords Ondrea had flashed back to the first time he had met Gavin.

Gavin stood and offered a hand to Ondrea. It took a moment before Ondrea took the offered hand, his own hands were shaking.

"Take a breath, relax. I'm here to train you, not harm you."

Gavin picked up the sword and held it out for Ondrea to take.

"I want to make this clear right now. So long as you're loyal and do nothing to betray me I will never do anything to harm you. We are here to train so that you can become stronger. Don't let your fears hold you back."

Ondrea nodded, though he still looked uncertain. He took the sword from Gavin and moved into a fight stance.

"Now, let's start slow."

Gavin used the techniques that Xanthe had used to train him. They started out slow, practicing moves without blades actually touching. Gavin worked him up to quicker movements while making certain to hold himself back. They did this until Ondrea couldn't hold the sword up any more.

"I think that's enough for today. I want you here tomorrow, same time. You'll start your physical training with sword training mixed in. If you'd like, we can try out different types of weapons. Doing the physical training isn't an option.

"I know that most human mages focus entirely on magic. We don't. Every demon is capable of fighting as well as using magic. There will be times when you won't be able to use magic. You've seen my skills with my blades. My magic skills are just as strong."

To prove his point he turns to a training dummy that had been setup earlier. It was just outside of where they had been working.

"Immolate."

The training dummy was suddenly consumed in flames. Within seconds it was little more than ash on the ground. Ondrea let out a gasp, his face once again losing its color.

"That is a basic spell. Once your flame is where it needs to be you will learn this spell."

Ondrea went down on one knee and bowed his head.

"I will do my best, master. You won't regret giving me this chance."

The light of determination burned brightly in his eyes when he looked up at Gavin. It was in that moment that Gavin knew he had made the right choice. He will become a great asset.

"I will hold you to that."

With that he sent Ondrea away, reminding him once more about meditating and returning the next morning.

Gavin's life moved into a busy routine. His mornings were spent working with Ondrea. His afternoons were spent working with Caine and Xanthe on strategy, planning and restructuring the city. His evenings were when he got to spend one on one time with Riley. Riley would spend the day following him around, but it was in the evenings that they could sit down and talk.

Gavin continued working on his education of the world. Riley had a way of making it all seem interesting. It was rare for him to find himself alone with Caine, both of them were too busy for it. What little free time Gavin had was spent working on his magic skills, exercising and sparing with the soldiers that were assigned to him.

The days quickly passed and before they knew it Dreymore had been under demon control for a week. It wasn't completely stable within the city, but the walls had been reinforced by the elder demon mages and the whole city was now under a protective dome. Human soldiers had been integrated within the demon army and were adjusting well.

All that was left now was to wait for Edicia to act. When one considered the fact that the soldier delivering the news of Dreymore had arrived in Kael five days after leaving they had a while to wait.

Today Gavin found his routine changed. Caine had called for an official dinner with all the captains. Ondrea had even been invited to the dinner. Caine felt that it was important since he now bore Gavin's mark. Ondrea sat next to Riley at the table, both sat to Gavin's right while Caine to his left and at the head of the table.

The meal was eaten mostly in silence, a few quiet conversations broke out here and there. The atmosphere was casual and relaxed. Ondrea only looked a little uneasy being around so many demons.

"I am proud of everyone's hard work. I foresee us having to wait another week before we see anything from Kael. As easy as it would be to let down our guards, we mustn't. We must remain vigilant."

Caine spoke up once everyone was done easy and the table had been cleared.

"Tonight isn't for talks about war. Tonight we are here to celebrate, albeit early, the birthday of General Gavin."

Cheers went up around the table and Gavin found himself surprised at the announcement. I had completely forgotten the date. He had been so busy with training and preparing for war that he had forgotten about his own birthday.

"The reason we are celebrating this early is because we would like to send you home tomorrow."

Gavin furrowed his brows in confusion. "To the pocket dimension?"

Caine chuckled and shook his head. He found it telling that Gavin had thought of the pocket dimension at the mention of 'home.'

"No, back to your world. It would just be for a visit. It's quiet enough here that we can afford for you to go away for a few days. It may be a long while before you have another chance. I also thought it would be appropriate to send you back on your birthday."

Gavin found it suddenly hard to swallow, his eyes shimmered with unshed tears. He would finally have the chance to see his family. It had been nearly a year since he had seen them and he's certain they believe he's dead.

At the opposite end of the table one of the demons stood. It was one of the elder mages. He was smiling so much that his eyes were glowing.

"Lord Caine came to us when we arrived and asked if we would have time to build the portal for your return. When he told us why we were happy to accommodate his request."

Caine nodded his head, "They worked night and day, between reinforcing the wall and building the portal."

"Thank you. I am honored and moved by your gesture."

Gavin stood and addressed the elder mages, bowing in their direction to emphasize his words. The mages bowed in return and they all sat back down.

"Thank you."

Gavin turned to address Caine. He couldn't put into words how much it meant to him. He would be able to see his family, to let them know that he was well.

"Just remember to come back to us."

"I have too much invested here to not come back."

Gavin looked back at Riley and took his hand, then at Ondrea, his student. Lastly, he turned back to Caine.

"No, my life is here. I've committed myself to leading Yisa to victory. I can't go backwards with my eyes on the future."

"I think that's enough with the sentiments. It's time to celebrate."

Xanthe spoke up as she motioned to the lone maid in the room. A moment later several maids walked in and placed platters on the table. The platters held sweet pastries that gave off a pleasant aroma. Afterwards wine was brought out and the relaxed atmosphere returned.

Gavin found himself adding this night to his list of happy memories. Even though the day they first met had been a dark day with the loss of his companions, Gavin had experienced more happy memories while with Caine than he had while with Edicia. He had been here six months before meeting Caine, and had only known Caine about three weeks.

He was getting excited about seeing his family again. A part of him, though, was worried about it. So much had happened in such a short time and he had changed a lot. Gavin wasn't the same person that his family knew. How will they react to this change? Could they still love me knowing that I've killed people?

Gavin pushed away the negative thoughts as quickly as he could, but they remained there, just below the surface. Tomorrow he will be reunited with his family. Then and only then he would know how his parents would react.