Ch 3.6: Guest

“I’m sorry?” Elaina said.

“The Kaldish rebellion,” Alonse said, returning his attention back to his food. He didn’t eat though, just moved it around a bit with his fork. “Our northern border. There has been unrest there for some time, and with growing need for soldiers domestically the kingdom is stretched thin.”

“I don’t— We’re first years, second years at most…”

“A fact I’m well aware of.” Alonse placed his utensils down and emptied his drink into his mouth before filling it up again. “I bought you a month. The ministers weren’t even happy with that, but it was all I could get.”

“So, a month from today…”

“A month from three days ago. They wanted you sent off this past weekend.”

Elaina could barely understand what she was hearing. She’d heard of Kaldish of course, lived near the northern border her entire life, but she wasn’t exactly that close to the country. And there was some rebellion there? She’d never heard of that either. “I don’t really know what this all means…”

“Right, of course.” Alonse took another drink. “You aren’t going to be on the front lines of a combat zone, not really. Just an occupied area with some minor peace disturbances.”

The quavering tone of his voice did little to soothe Elaina’s pounding heart. “So we’re…”

“More like town guards than soldiers,” Alonse said, nodding as if he were trying to assure her, or maybe himself. “It’ll be a good experience, honestly. And you won’t be alone, either. A few groups of third-years and two or three professors will be there too. Those have yet to be selected, but I’ll let you know as soon as they have been.”

And with that, Alonse kept nodding as he resumed eating again. Elaina sat there for a while before she went back to her own meal, but what had tasted like the height of luxury only a few minutes before now tasted like pig’s slop.

“How have your relations with other students been?” Alonse eventually asked.

“Huh? Oh, uhm, fine, I guess.”

“Good. I was hoping that incident at orientation would’ve been moved past by now. Prisma Fireguard hasn’t given you anymore trouble about that?”

“Prisma?” Elaina said, trying to refocus her thoughts. Had he known about what happened between them before, after? “I don’t really understand the question…”

“Then nevermind,” he said, waving his hand like that somehow explained everything. “It’s still very regrettable that ever happened, and I could see why she would feel slighted by my decision, but I’m happy she’s not taken it out on you.”

“Right,” Elaina said, drinking her water again. At least that didn’t taste awful. Still, she couldn’t help but wonder why Alonse had singled out Prisma instead of Waine there.

“Are you perhaps not very hungry?” Alonse asked.

Elaina looked down, noticing the discrepancy between their plates. Alonse hadn’t exactly been scarfing down his food, but his plate was cleared off now, and hers barely half so. “Not really, sorry,” she said. It was a minor etiquette mistake to not clear your plate, but tonight she couldn’t help that.

“Very well then. You make take your leave when you wish, and I’ll call the servants.”

“Sure,” Elaina said, pushing herself up. “I think I’ll go now then.” Alonse nodded, standing up and walking to the door, opening it for her with a wide smile.

Not finishing your food was one thing; staring was another entirely. But Elaina couldn’t help but stare at his bearded face right now, that wide smile. He’d seemed genuinely upset earlier, talking about sending them off to some rebellion, but he’d been able to ignore that before he brought it up, seemed to convince himself mid-conversation that actually it was a perfectly fine thing to do, now was acting like nothing had ever been wrong. She’d been on the fence about how she felt about him before, but this was something else entirely.

There was a complacency in his smile she just couldn’t stand.