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“Amber…? Is something the matter?”
The royal soldier by the same name was currently sitting on a log, tending to his lance with a melancholic look in his eyes when a soft – if a little timid – voice reached him. He lifted his head to notice a young person in front of him, with an expression that mirrored the tone of voice employed with a tiny bit of gentle worry on top.
Then again, that was the third most common look Alcryst could give, next to the pathetic and gloomy of usual and the cold and deadly on the battlefield.
“Oh, it’s nothing, really!” Amber answered, trying to sound enthusiastic before going back to his melancholy. “I was… just thinking about an old friend, that’s all.”
Alcryst’s expression softened in response. “Do you want to talk about it?”
The retainer let out a small chuckle, trying to bring his joy back. “If you’re willing to listen, then sure! Just, you might wanna make yourself comfortable first.”
The young prince gently settled himself on the other side of the log before softly looking back at Amber, a small nod to confirm he was ready.
“Okay, so…” The retainer took a second to think, then started, “I was thinking of the lil’paca I met back at the castle. Nine years ago, if memory serves.”
He was met with a surprised look. “There was an alpaca at Brodia Castle?”
“No, of course not!” He gestured wildly, in a classic Amber manner, before calming down and focusing on the story. “As much as I would love to… it was a young child. Looked barely eight. We crossed paths at the castle at a point when I was missing my home and doubting my abilities as a retainer…”
“I suppose you still have trouble accepting you’re here, due to your second place at the tournament…”
“That I do… Anyway, about the kid, he approached me one day, asking me how I was. I tried to downplay it, saying I was fine, but that little guy saw right through me! To this day, I wonder how he did it.”
“Sounds like a really perceptive kid…”
“Then he looked at me and almost begged me to tell him a story! It was really cute to watch, seeing those red eyes of his brimming with excitement… So, I told him about a legend, and he really listened to my words…! Was almost like he was excited on my behalf…”
Alcryst softly smiled at Amber’s fond recollection. “He was really sweet, wasn’t he?”
“That he was!” The retainer beamed. “He softly smiled at me when the story was over, told me some nice words about my abilities, then left.” His tone then dropped down. “I never asked for his name…”
“Oh…”
“But he kept coming back. Each time I was feeling down, he was here. Ready to listen to anything I would tell him. From the coolest of legends to the saddest stories of my woes, he was there. I kind of feel bad for unwinding some of my darkest moments to such a young kid, but he never complained. All that mattered to him was that I was feeling better at the end. I started calling him my lil’paca, because of how soft and sweet he was.”
Amber looked away sheepishly. “That, and I may have completely forgotten my mission to get his name at some point. Not my proudest of moments, must admit.”
Alcryst softly chuckled. “Perhaps you could try describing him? You said he was young and had red eyes, but is there something else you noticed? Not that this could guarantee an identification, but perhaps it is worth a shot?”
Amber excitedly looked back at the prince. “Yeah, you’re right! Thank you, Prince Alcryst! You’re the best!”
“I’m not,” he tried to deflect like usual, “but that’s not important right now.”
“Right.” The royal soldier brought his hand to his chin, deep in thoughts. “If I remember correctly, he was really small and cute. That also contributed to the nickname. And his hair was a really unusual color, which I swear I’ve only seen three times in Brodia. Fitted him well, though!”
A dreadful realization started to creep in on Alcryst’s face. “Please tell me it wasn’t dark blue.”
Amber looked at him with a surprised relief. “It was! How did you guess?”
The prince now stared at the ground, as his voice dropped down, the reality of the situation setting in and his thoughts catching back. “Oh… no…”
The royal soldier grew concerned. “Prince Alcryst…? Did I do something wrong?”
“You didn’t! It’s just…” He gently hugged himself, trying to soften the blow. “I know who he is… and I have terrible news.”
“Oh…” Amber’s voice died in his throat. “Is he… gone…?”
“Oh, no, he’s still alive! Sorry for making you believe otherwise.” Alcryst frantically backpedaled, trying to correct his mistake. “It’s… just…”
“Go on out, Prince Alcryst!”
“Right.” He took one deep breath, then softly glanced at Amber from the corner of his eye. “The truth is… about the child of nine years ago… you’re talking to him. Right now.”
Amber grew confused. “But wait, I’ve been talking to you for the past ten minutes!”
“That’s right…” Alcryst admitted.
“Oh… Oh!” Realization grasped Amber like a child, and he immediately and excitedly went to hug the poor, unsuspecting prince in front of him, tears of joys sliding down his face. “That’s SO COOL! It feels as if I’m meeting an old friend for the first time again!”
He then noticed his expression, and sheepishly laughed as he started letting go. “Oops, sorry, got kinda overboard there…”
“It’s alright”, Alcryst answered in what he tried to be a soothing manner as he slowly relaxed, eyes closed. “It felt… nice.” A soft smile appeared on his face. “Weird… but nice.”
Now with his unspoken permission, Amber returned to the previous position. “I suppose you’re not used to it, huh?”
“… not really.” Alcryst’s face dropped, as he prepared himself to confide in. “The truth is… I looked up to you at first. As someone who didn’t let a second place stop him from reaching his dreams.”
Amber catastrophically misread the mood. “You? Looking up to me? Wow, that is definitely an honor!”
“Don’t tease me… Anyway, I noticed you were feeling down, so I came to you all those years ago. That’s when your stories started to grow on me, and I wanted to hear more… But then, our duties kept us apart and it was hard to find an opportunity again…” He held back some sobs that were threatening to fall out. “I’m sorry I didn’t think about telling you my name back then, I’m sorry we had to grow apart, I’m sorry that-”
His spiraling train of thoughts was interrupted by a tighter hug. “No need, Prince Alcryst… If anything, I’m glad we found each other again.”
The prince stilled down, then slowly hugged back. “I… guess I’m glad, too.”
He absentmindedly fiddled with some of Alcryst’s hair strands. “You’re as sweet as the day we split apart. A little down on yourself, but sweet nonetheless.”
“I know… I know. I’m sorr-”
Amber started drawing circles in Alcryst’s back, another soothing shushing gesture. “It’s okay. If anything, I still have to repay you for what you’ve done to me back then.”
He was met with the classic deflecting confusion, as the hug broke. “I… haven’t done anything, though…?”
The retainer softly laughed as he fondly stared at the blue sky. “For you, it was probably nothing. But this meant everything to me. Nothing ever felt like seeing you coming to ask for the next story. It also… I dunno, felt like you never truly left? While you were no longer asking, I could still feel you were nearby, silently comforting me.” He then looked back at the person in front of him. “And… I wanna be there for you now. Like you were for me back then.”
“Don’t you have more important duties, though?”
“As far as I know, making sure Prince Diamant’s younger brother is happy is a really important duty!”
Alcryst ran his hand in his hair in embarrassment. “Oh, come on…”
“I’m not kidding, though!”
This lead to another small chuckle. “Alright…” He then drew some distance, before softly smiling in Amber’s direction. “Say, wouldn’t you mind telling me one of your stories, just like old times?”
Amber softly smiled in response, as he tried to think of this new chapter would begin. “Anything for you, my lil’paca.”