Chapter 46 - A storm in the distance

A month later…

Arthur stepped out of the administrative office, stretching his legs as blood rushed back into them.

Hours of paperwork had left him stiff and irritable.

At his side, Lieutenant Frost walked with his usual lazy grace.

"Hey, Lieutenant, want to grab something to eat?" Arthur asked, casually.

Frost's ice-blue eyes slid to him with suspicion. "And why, in all things holy and otherwise, would you want me to do that?"

Arthur flashed a smile. "Why wouldn't I want to share a meal with my esteemed senior?"

Frost raised an eyebrow. "Esteemed senior? My, my. A lot has changed since the time you compared my presence to sniffing a skunk's ass."

Arthur waved the comment away. "Come on, senior, that was ages ago. I've learned my lesson."

"That was this morning."

"…"

"You just want me to go because you don't have clearance to leave the fort without permission."

"…..no..." Arthur cleared his throat. "I genuinely enjoy your company."

Frost rolled his eyes, but the twitch of a smile betrayed him.

Arthur had cracked the code to the psychopath's heart—at least on the surface. Frost loved humour. Unfortunately, being stuck in the most classified and secure location of the resistance meant few people were ever in the mood to banter with him. His wit had been wasted.

Until Arthur had come along.

"Fine, fine." Frost sighed dramatically. "Since you're begging for my company, I suppose I'll grace you with my presence. It's not easy, you know, being as great as I am."

Arthur smirked.

Frost shot him a look. "Aren't you going to tell Reft where you're going?"

Arthur shrugged. "Officer Reftia will probably just appear. You know how she is."

Frost snorted. "You know, if I hadn't met you, I'd think you two were in a relationship."

Arthur grimaced. "Why has that changed after meeting me? I can be very charming, you know."

Frost shook his head. "It's not that. I'm sure you charm plenty of people… in your dreams."

Arthur scowled.

Frost continued, "It's just that you're a child. And Little Reft has a soft spot for children."

Arthur's smirk faded slightly as he remembered their conversation in the dungeon. "…Yeah, I know."

After grabbing a meal with Frost, Arthur waved goodbye and headed to the Arena for his nightly training ritual—one that had become routine ever since his transfer to Amne' Fort.

He hopped down into the pit.

"Hey, Ace."

Ace, drenched in sweat, wiped his blonde hair back. "Arthur. You're here."

Arthur nodded. "Alright. For the next month, we'll focus on explosive exercises first. Then we finish with sparring."

Ace gave a sharp nod—no complaints. Ever since that first loss, he had worked just as hard as Arthur, that defeat still seared into his mind.

Arthur took a breath. "Alright, let's start with—"

"Wait, Arthur. One thing."

Arthur raised an eyebrow. "Yeah?"

"There are some people who wanna join our training sessions."

Arthur's eyes narrowed. "And how exactly do they know about our training sessions?"

Ace gave a sheepish smile. "Well… I kinda… told them?"

"…How many?"

Ace hesitated.

"Ace."

"Uh… thirty?"

Arthur froze.

"A few," he repeated, his voice flat. "A fucking few?"

Ace took a step back as Arthur's irritation spiked.

"AM I A FUCKING DRILL INSTRUCTOR? I HAVE STAGE FRIGHT, YOU IDIOT!!"

Ace winced, then chuckled nervously. "I was kinda hoping you'd just say yes and move on."

Arthur narrowed his eyes. "Why?"

Ace rubbed the back of his neck. "Because… they're already here."

Arthur's jaw dropped. He spun around.

From the shadows of the stands, people began hopping down—hesitant, but determined. He recognized them. Most had been the ones laughing at his repeated failures against Ace. Until… he had proven them wrong.

A girl with auburn hair and sharp blue eyes stepped forward, holding out her hand.

Arthur stared at it. Then at her.

"Uh, my name's Sasha," she said, slightly awkward.

Arthur blinked. Then, common sense kicked in, and he quickly shook her hand. "Arthur."

He turned to the rest of them.

"So… you're all here to train, huh?"

He had expected nervousness, that creeping dread that had once made crowds unbearable.

But he felt nothing.

'Of course.'

As Reshi, he had struggled with public speaking, with being watched. But he was also Arthur.

Someone trained in commanding attention.

And much to his own surprise—he felt perfectly comfortable staring down an entire squad of soldiers.

A slow smirk spread across his lips.

'If I train them, I can learn their weaknesses. So when the time comes for betrayal…I'll know exactly how to break them.'

Arthur exhaled. "Look," he called out. "You can copy me. Do what I do. But don't expect any help otherwise. I ain't your fucking officer."

They nodded, excited.

Arthur turned to Ace.

"Come on. We've got sprints to do."

Though, as the drills commenced, Arthur kept an eye on everyone, searching for weaknesses, that one day, whether he liked it or not. He'd need to exploit.

.....................

Frost watched Arthur from the shadows, as he always did.

Unnoticed.

Though… this time, he wasn't alone.

"You know," he murmured, barely above a whisper, "some might call you a bit of a stalker."

Officer Reftia crouched beside him, eyes locked on the sparring soldiers below. They moved with steady discipline—swords clashing, spears sweeping—pushed past exhaustion by an hour of relentless drills.

"I'm just checking up on the boy," she replied. "What's your reason?"

Frost smiled. "I've developed a liking for the lad."

Reftia's lips curled into a thin, knowing smirk. "Is that why you're watching over him? Ready to kill him at a moment's notice?"

"Didn't I just say I like the boy?"

"Never stopped you before."

Frost chuckled. "What, killing people I like?"

"No…" Reftia's dark eyes flicked to his, unreadable. "Killing children."

Frost hummed. "I do what I have to, Little Reft." His voice was almost affectionate. Almost. "Besides, if he isn't a spy or a traitor, there's nothing to worry about. Though…" he gave her a sideways glance, "…I suspect you know more about Arthur than I do. They never tell me anything these days."

Reftia didn't answer right away.

Below them, Arthur grinned as he parried Ace's spear, twisting his sword to force an opening. No magic. No skills. Just pure technique.

She finally spoke. "That's because you keep killing anyone you deem half a threat."

Frost shrugged. "Better safe than sorry."

"Nice way of saying you're a psychopath."

He chortled. "We're all insane in our own ways, hmm~?"

Reftia was quiet for a moment, then let out a soft chuckle. "I suppose we are. No wonder they stuck us all in one squad."

Frost snorted. "Probably just wanted to quarantine the crazy into one room."

They both fell into silence again, watching Arthur.

And waiting.

......................

Arthur returned from training, relishing the familiar ache in his muscles. As he stepped into the barracks, he found Frost and Reftia lounging on their beds, deep in conversation.

"You know," he called out, tossing his gear onto a chair, "you two should probably do some training as well."

"We are, dear boy," Frost replied smoothly.

Arthur raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Yes. It's called detection training."

Arthur stared at him blankly. "Uh… nice?"

Frost nodded, looking pleased with himself. "Yes, it's going quite well, actually."

Arthur sighed, shaking his head. He had long since learned that arguing with Frost was as pointless as shouting at a storm.

After a quick shower and a change of clothes, he returned to the barracks and threw himself onto the bunk next to Frost's. He wasn't particularly fond of being near the Lieutenant—especially during moments of calm, which Frost never was—but it felt more polite than sleeping too close to Reftia, who was already curled up on the other side of the barracks.

"What's your plan for tomorrow, Arthur?" she asked lazily.

"Admin work," he yawned, sinking into his pillow.

She snorted. "Forget that. Why don't you come do security with me for one of the meetings?"

Arthur froze.

That was a good opportunity. Too good. His mind raced. 'Is this a test?'

"Sure," he replied evenly, keeping his expression neutral. 'Test or not, it's an opportunity I should take.'

Reftia gave a satisfied nod. "Alright then. Get some sleep, Arthur."

He sighed and turned over, only to find himself staring into Frost's gaze—sharp, knowing, and practically dripping with malicious amusement.

Arthur muttered under his breath. "Not fucking likely."