Ari made sure the floorboards were thoroughly scrubbed. He vowed everyone into silence that night, although it was with fear and not words that made them each keep their mouths shut. Like Auovin had told him once how he could smell his fear, Ari could smell theirs. Ari was not the slightest bit bothered by it, though. He was always alone and separated from the rest.

It was all becoming clear to him now, just how different he was. Freir was the only one who would ever see him as no one different from the rest. Everyone else would continue to see him as this thing to be feared and persecuted. There was so much hate nestled in the hearts of humans, and for what reason? He was not like those demons that ate human flesh, nor the ones who attacked cities and towns.

Even when the night became morning, Ari had not slept. He stayed up into the early morning with such thoughts eating away at him. The wind rattled the shutters and shook the flimsy door, keeping it at bay. It stirred the rest, but Ari kept still. He smelled the rain coming. Soon there would be thunder.

"Up, up, up, the lot of you! There is work to be done!"

Ari recognized that voice almost immediately. It was Berit. As Halvar and the rest rose and walked out their side of the barracks and into the front, Ari followed close behind. Berit had a smile showing all of his teeth. A white bandage wrapped around his left eye with the gash going across it. As Ari looked closer, he noticed he had not gotten punished for his past transgression. Priest Reynold may not have gotten to him before his timely demise.

"But you." Berit put out his arm, stopping him from exiting for a moment. "I have something to tell you."

"Is Freir here?"

Berit nodded.

Ari pushed Berit aside and ran outside, looking around for Freir and Rein. As soon as he spotted an orange-haired man with pale skin, Ari quickly covered the distance set between them and hugged him. He nearly caused him to topple to the ground, but Freir kept his balance. Freir wrapped his arms tight around him and let out a sigh Ari could tell he had been holding for this moment.

"You are well?" Freir pushed him away to get a good look at him. It made Ari's eyes swell seeing all the love and care for him just in his eyes. There was still that deep gash going down his right eye. Ari remembered the very day he had gotten it due to him and his shortcomings as a novice some years ago. Still, Ari could only shake his head yes in response and went on to hug him again. It caused Freir to laugh lowly.

"That is good... That is good... Ari, I am so glad you had chosen to stay here with us... I am. You had chosen well," Freir said as he lowered himself to give him a proper hug. He was tall and built with a lot of muscle like much of the other Sanclii that roamed around the encampment.

Ari clutched the back of Freir's shirt tightly in his hands as he nodded against him. He had not chosen them. No, he did not care for the Khaeo and their words any longer. He came back for him and only him. Freir meant too much to him to leave behind for demons who only brought on the feelings of lust and desire. With him, there was love. A love that would never be given by anyone else, and he did not want to lose that.

As he sank his nose into his shirt, Ari breathed in the smell of dirt and pollen. He did not mind it, though. He was happy enough to see him again. Although he could not fulfill everything Freir wanted of him, he would do what he could to make him proud. He did not want to disappoint him, but he did not want to lose himself along the way either.

By the look Rein had for him, Ari could very well tell Rein knew the true reason why he had stayed. It went unsaid for many reasons. They could co-exist with one another that way. They both loved him, but it was a different love than the other. That was the only thing Rein was willing to acknowledge.

"Nolan should be here any day now, and he will know what to do with you," Rein mumbled, causing them to separate.

No matter how much he looked at them together, Ari never would have thought they would be in love with one another. They looked like a mismatched pair, complete opposites. Rein had light-brown skin and long jet-black hair that looked fine. He was leaner in build but was just a few inches smaller than Freir in height. It only made Ari truly believe love was what was in the heart and outside appearances played a very little role in it.

"You did not tell him about any of the things that happened, had you?" Freir said to Rein, bringing Ari out of his thoughts.

Rein pursed his lips.

"Had you?"

"I had only made reports up until Ari was taken from us. I asked for reinforcements."

"Thank the gods," Freir breathed.

"Telling anymore than that would not do us any favors. We would be in trouble as well... I did not do it for him."

"Have you eaten? Why are your eyes so puffy? And you are dirty... We need you clean and looking proper before Nolan arrives," Freir said to Ari.

Ari licked his lips and bowed slightly before leaving. Freir was quick to grab his wrist and turn him back around.

"... Had they treated you well?" he asked.

There was a lump in the back of Ari's throat. His eyes had grown hot with tears. They treated him as they had always treated him when Nolan was not around, but Ari could not bear to tell him this. Freir leaned his head down against Ari's, causing tears to blur his eyes even more.

"You are precious. You are precious to me. You do know this?"

Ari nodded as he bit his bottom lip. Why did those same words mean so much to him and filled him with such emotion when Freir said it and not Auovin?

"As precious as you are... you still do not see your own worth... Do not measure it to those who think so little of you."

"It is hard," Ari sobbed.

Frier looked around before wiping away the tears dripping down his face. He was miserable here and as he would always be. What self-worth did he have when everyone around him thought so little of him? With Auovin... it was different. Being what he was not seen as such a terrible thing. How could his wants and desires be so different?

"You are someone who deserves to be loved and to love in return... " Freir hugged him again. "So stop it with the tears and those thoughts... They are not true."

"Freir we need to go. Priest Rikard is waiting for us. I hope you can think on your feet to explain all of this," Rein said tugging his arm.

"Give me a moment. I will meet you there in a minute," Freir said to Rein. Rein left without argument, for once, which made Ari eye Freir warily.

"What is it... that you want from me?"

"Want from you?"

"... What are your expectations... of me... Freir?"

"Shall I answer all of your questions now?" Freir stepped closer to him. "Yes, saying that demon's name and taking his blood would form a link between the two of you. Names are quite powerful things to demons. They do not share their blood with just anyone, as you have may have noticed. No, the Khaeo is not as righteous as I taught you it was. It is a terrible, unforgiving place, yet it does save innocent lives. We do protect the weak, and ferry on the lost souls. Yes, we do bad things for the sake of what we call the greater good. There is some good in bad and some badness in good. No, not all demons are bad... Yes, you have always been such a pretty thing since you were very young and I knew you would have many admirers when you grew. Yes, there is love between Rein and I, but there are many different kinds of love such as the love I hold for you."

Ari's eyes grew wide.

"You ask me now... what I want from you... and what I expect?" Freir laughed lowly. "I want you to be happy, Ari. I will be proud of you no matter what you become... Am I such a terrible father for saying such words? Many would say yes... But you have lived a life that was not your own for so long. Whatever you decide is what I want for you as well."

Freir pressed a hand to Ari's cheek. "Be happy... and love yourself for what you are... That is what I want and what I expect from you."

Ari nodded as he wiped away the tears from his eyes. It was impossible to say how much those words had affected him. He was a sea of emotions and Freir's words were like the waves causing those tears to amass in his eyes. Freir meant the world to him. He wanted him to be happy, but he could not be here. He could not be without him either. Ari swallowed down the lump in his throat and walked away towards the bathhouse.

He looked around then and saw Berit along with some others staring at them before they went on their way. Halvar and Leif were some of the few that stared. It made his stomach whirl as they cut their eyes away from him and continued to wherever they were assigned for the day.

The sky had not gotten any brighter. There were clouds blocking the sun, making the day seem more like it was evening. It was a humid day. The kind of day that made Ari's skin sticky with sweat. It would rain and Ari always hated it. Thunder rolled through the sky, causing a boom to echo through the air. The bathhouse was nearing. As soon as he was in front of the door, he went inside and quickly undressed.

Ari washed away the dirt on his face first, followed by his chest, in the tub of scalding, hot water. There was no point in waiting for it to cool down, and Ari always liked his baths hot even though it caused his skin to turn red. But not as red as when Freir would be when he was too into his cups. He was not so brown as Rein when his face would flush red either. It was kind of an olive color, browned by the sun, giving him a look more like the west country than the north.

He took a moment to look at his reflection through the still water. A pair gray eyes stared back at him with black hair threatening to block his sight. As soon as he drenched his hair with soap, Ari dunked his head into the water and sifted through his hair. He untangled the knots in his hair with deft fingers and removed any lingering dirt or leaves locked inside. His hair was short, only coming down to the back of his neck, so it made the process go by much more quickly. The moment he was finished, he came out the tub and dried off with one of the towels left on the side.

Ari very well knew it was Freir who had prepared all of this for him. He knew he had not bathed or eaten. He cared so much for him and Ari gave him very little in return. What could he possibly give to a man who only wanted him to be happy and to love himself? Ari sniffed and wiped his eyes.

Once he dried off, he put on some new clothes laid out for him. The trousers and shirt were both black. The dark gray and brown armor was the only thing of color. Ari never minded. Black was a color of the Khaeo. It was something he had worn his entire life and he grew accustomed to it. He fiddled with his shirt, noticing it actually fit him well. Soon he put on the rest of his clothes as well as his boots and left out the bathhouse.

He searched around for Freir, stomach far too upset to stomach any of the food. Ever since tasting Auovin's blood, he had been wanting less and less food. Ari also had trouble with making friends. Everywhere he seemed to go, he made enemies. Going to the mess hall was something he could not do. Just the thought of seeing that woman again made him upset.

Ari looked up at the sky, noticing it had not given way to any light. It had not rained yet either, but there was still the sound of thunder rumbling through. It made the feeling in his stomach to worsen. He did not have a good feeling about this day. As happy as he had been when he saw Freir, he thought it best if he had not come today. Any day but this one and Ari had not the slightest idea as to why.

"Everyone take a knee! A knee!" he heard a man call as he ran throughout the encampment.

Ari swallowed dryly and took to one knee, not bothering to raise his head even when he heard the gates opening. The sound of horses trotting by came flooding through his ears. Shouts and laughter from men came next. Had they finished their campaign so quickly? He closed his eyes and steeled his heart, but it was still thumping through his chest.

He heard a someone getting off their horse nearby him. Next, he heard many footsteps approaching, but they stopped and soon only a pair could be heard. Ari knew who it was without even looking. His presence had that effect on many people.

"Ari." His voice was as dark as it always was.

Ari took a quick look at him. His armor was splotched with black blood with dents and bite marks littered around different spots. His helm was missing, which showed Nolan looking at him with the same passive face he had always shown him. His cold, icy blue eyes were very much the same since that moment when he first found him. The gray that once spotted his roots now traveled down to the very ends of his hair. Yet, he had the build of a young man and a face that could be deemed ageless.

"Rise."

As soon as he had risen, Nolan slapped him with the back of his hand, knocking him to the ground. Tears pricked at his eyes from the sting of it, but he muscled it down. He clutched the dirt in his hand and tried to focus on something else other than the pain going through the side of his face.

"We must all suffer one of two things," Nolan went on to say, "the pain of discipline or the pain of regret or disappointment. Which is it that you think I feel when I look at you?"

Nolan walked closer to him, kicking dirt in his eyes which caused him to move his head. He sucked on his teeth and bent down to his level. Ari hissed out in pain as he grabbed a handful of his hair and turned his head until he saw the side of his neck with the bite marks. Soon Nolan threw his head away.

"I did not save you--I did not raise you to become like them!"

Ari kept his head bowed.

"The little time spent away from me and you become like this." Nolan paced around him. " Very well then. You would like to embrace this very nature of yours, in which I did my damnedest to suppress." He rubbed his face angrily. "I will treat you like one then."

"Father Nolan, it is my fault."

Ari's eyes shot up in horror at the sound of Freir's voice drawing closer.

"No, it is mine and mine alone. I had decided this for myself," Ari murmured.

"I was responsible for him... and I had failed you in that," Freir said to Nolan.

Nolan only leered at Freir before his eyes set back on to him.

"There are lines you should never cross and this was one of them, Ari. I had been soft on you. I had been kind to you and yet you bit the hand that fed you like this and in this way? No, I will not have it. I will teach you a lesson that you will soon not ever forget this time."