Lucia's Point of View

The Drunken Cloud

Days had passed, and we were finally over the Middle Ocean. With the coast barely a day behind us, we prepared for the long few weeks over the water below. Everyone had fallen into their roles. Austin and Typhon helped around the ship, while a few of us rarely did anything. Alwin and I were never expected to help, nor were we asked.

As for Arthur… "Does he ever do anything besides stand there?" Alwin commented.

Ziah looked at him. "No disrespect, Sir, but I'm sure he has his reasons."

My guard rolled his eyes at that. "To stand towards the front of the ship all day every day?"

"If there is anything I've learned from working with him, it's that the General has a reason for everything he does." The Zugal answered.

"That ain't nothin! Ah seen him sit in the same place for three days straight!" Austin told us as Typhon and he were playing a game with sticks.

We all looked at him. "He sat in the same place for three days?" Typhon asked the question we all wanted to. "Why?"

Austin shrugged. "It was when he came back. He seemed hurt, so we did our best ta help him." The boy was quiet for a second while he picked up a stick from Typhon's pile. "Slow and careful is how Ah'd describe him during those days."

I looked amongst the other adults. "Maybe it was from his battle with Rudnurth? Although, he was gravely injured when I retrieved him to inform him about Rudnurth's escape…"

"His wounds were really bad from what the Captain told me." Ziah added.

Alwin crossed his arms as he looked back towards Arthur. "You believe his previous injuries were more severe than the battle he endured with Rudnurth himself? Who would be able to match Rudnurth with his magic?"

Looking up at him, I smirked. "Aside from Arthur?" Alwin frowned at that. "All I know is that Arthur tends to keep his distance from people. Why he is trying to do so on a ship full of people is beyond me." Without further warning, I moved towards the Knight of Lestrania as the others merely watched.

Several bowed or gave a nod of acknowledgment towards me, but Arthur was my goal. "What do you want, Lucia?" He asked suddenly before I even spoke.

My eyes widened slightly at that. "How did you know it was me?" I inquired.

"You're the only one aboard this ship with white magic." He told me and then turned toward me. "Not only that, but you have a lot of it. It tends to flow around you even if you don't mean for it to."

"Can the Priestesses sneak up on you?"

"They have far greater control over their magic than you do if that's what you're asking. Those two tend to keep as much of it contained for when they need it." He stated and crossed his arms. "My guess is that they are more disciplined and had more time to control their magic than you."

"I am not so lucky to get private lessons in my situation where I can hone my own skills." I said with a sharp tone on accident.

Quirking a brow at me for a moment, he soon looked back to the horizon. "I thought not." Then he continued. "And yet, they still find time to send you to another kingdom. Fascinating decision, don't you think?"

That made me frown. "Who can say what they have planned or why we were sent?" Arthur was far more insightful than the Priestesses gave him credit. "Have you ever taught anyone? Surely someone of your skill has passed down your knowledge to a worthy student once or twice."

He didn't look at me as he replied in a somber tone. "Once or twice." Arthur confirmed.

"Have I heard-"

"No." Arthur quickly cut me off as he stared blankly out at the endless horizon.

"I see…" I was quiet for a moment before I stepped next to him. "We have a long journey ahead of us." He didn't respond to that. "Maybe this would be the perfect opportunity for me to learn?" I suggested.

Glancing down at me with a quirked brow, he gestured to Alwin with his head. "What about Elf boy over yonder? Why not have him teach you?"

I smiled at that. "He has been, but Alwin can only do so much. Most would be reluctant to be hard on me while teaching me."

Arthur scoffed. "So, your boy toy isn't mean enough when it comes to training you?"

"He is not my bo-"

"Yes, he is." Then he looked at Alwin. "I saw the two of you in The Slums, smiling, laughing, and perusing the shops." Noticing my concern, he continued. "It's none of my business, and no one will hear about it from me, but I can't teach you."

Furrowing my brows at that, I frowned as I questioned him further. "Why not? Are you too busy?" My sarcastic tone made him roll his eyes.

Gesturing to himself, Arthur explained. "I don't have magic, so it's a little outside my area of expertise."

That was surprising. "Truly?" He nodded. "Interesting."

My words seem to stump him. "You actually believe me?" Arthur asked in a small amount of surprise.

Shrugging gracefully, I answered. "I see no reason not to."

"Huh… Almost no one else has believed me except for one person."

Made me curious as to who that person was. "I hardly believe you would lie about something so blatant."

He chuckled at that. "If only others thought the same. No, I have no magic. I use something similar but very different at the same time. While they look the same, it has been confirmed that I have no magic."

Crossing my arms in thought, I replied slowly. "I believe I heard the Priestesses discussing this once, but I am unsure. I doubt most people would believe such a claim."

"Nor should they." Arthur stated. "Trusting people at face value is the epitome of stupidity. It's one of the reasons I was so worried about the Priestesses making me a Knight and putting me in charge of their military. If I wanted to, I've had several opportunities to remove them without challenge."

"Perhaps it was that trust that allowed them to see that you would not do so." I said with smile. "After all, you have done nothing but try to aid them and the people of Lestrania. I should know."

The Knight became quiet for a moment as he stared at me for a time, which was a little worrying. However, it wasn't as if he was studying me. Instead, it looked as if he was hurt just by talking with me. My eyes widened slightly when I thought I saw some tears in his eyes, but I blinked, and they were gone. Perhaps the heat was getting to me, or I was just tired.

"Arthur?" I called out to him as he kept staring at me.

"Yeah?"

"Could you teach me just a few things to help with my magic?" My question made him close his eyes for a moment.

After a deep breath, his shoulders sagged before he opened his eyes to look at me once more. "Yeah…" Arthur answered.