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Although everyone in the Cavalry had always thought that Yuder was a hidden expert or spy because of his not-so-hidden strengths, skill, and even experience, no one was sure who Yuder was affliated with or worked for if he was a disciple of someone important or a spy.
...That was, until they escorted Ejain Afnan Nelarn, the Second Prince of Nelarn, to the Great Sarain Forest.
"No. That is not normal." Gakane whispered to his companions, squinting at the horseback-riding pair in front of them. "If we had been strangers and asked to share a horse with Yuder, Yuder would have stared us down or ignored us, order from the Commander or not."
Kanna, Emun, Hinn, Finn, and Lusan agreed with nods, ignoring the Nelarn people that shared some of their horses and was listening in with bewilderment.
"Yeah! Yuder didn't speak to me until the fifth meeting! He didn't even know we met four times during our training months! He thought our first meeting was when we were introducing ourselves for the Red Stone Retrieval Mission!" Hinn said and Finn fervently nodded, glaring at the silver-haired prince that was laughing at something Yuder said.
Was Yuder joking? Saying something funny? Had Yuder ever joked with him?
"Yeah!" Finn agreed with his sister. "Yuder would never talk to an actual stranger like this at first meeting! Like. He's actually talking. Paragraphs. Not just nodding along and answering questions and saying a few sentences without prompting every half hour."
They all nodded in agreement, watching as Yuder's mouth moved for minutes, even half-hours, something none of them had ever seen. Even if Ejain was asking questions and Yuder was answering them, they never received answers that long from Yuder before!
Oh, how they wish their ears were as sharp as Commander's because it was obvious that Commander could hear them despite the wind rushing in their ears because of how fast the Misty Wind Horses were traveling.
And then there was that point! That!
"Even if they're sharing the same horse, I never would have thought that Yuder would allow His Highness to hold his waist and lean all over him like that either." Emun shared his observation.
Because that was the most amazing thing too.
It was no secret to everyone in the Cavalry that Yuder hated touch. Especially from men. Especially from touchy, flirty men. (And all of them desperately hoped that it wasn't for the worst reasons they could think of as their most flirtatious and friendly comrades toned down their acts of affection to everyone around Yuder.)
Though they knew Prince Ejain's behavior wasn't intended that way, Yuder should have grimaced or backed a little away or something like he did in the beginning when Gakane first slung his arms around his shoulders or Kanna hugged him or others extended their hands out for handshakes or fist bumps or similar reasons as Gakane and Kanna.
What was this, letting Prince Ejain hug his waist and sit completely pressed against his back and even letting Prince Ejain talk in his ear while Prince Ejain's long hair completely blanketed him and tickled his face?
"I want to ride a horse with Yuder like that too!!" Hinn complained and everyone found themselves nodding, some more embarrassed than others when they realized that they were nodding in complete agreement to that statement.
This was suspicious. Too suspicious.
"What are you all talking about?" Melbon asked, utterly confused by what their escorts were talking about and what the problem was with Prince Ejain and the strong Assistant sharing a horse.
Melbon thought it was quite nice.
Prince Ejain didn't have many people his age that he could talk to so openly and happily like this. Watching Prince Ejain chat with the Assistant neverendingly was like watching a dream Melbon had from years of watching the lonely prince grow up being fulfilled.
Was there really a problem?
"Obviously talking about whether your prince and our Yuder knew each other before!" Finn sulked, crossing his arms, "Yuder isn't like this to people he met for the first time!"
"Oh. Really?" Melbon asked before smiling, "Then how fortunate it was that we saw him in the Imperial Gardens." Though they hadn't talked much then, if that was what allowed the Assistant to open up a little more and allow his Prince to have such a wonderful time now, then Melbon was glad for his Prince!
The Cavalry riding next to him gaped. "You met where?!" They shouted before exchanging looks and discussing amongst themselves in Cavalry code if their garden meetup was actually to deliver spy information to Prince Ejain.
Their workaholic, training-obsessed assistant take a casual stroll in the gardens to relax and smell the flowers? It was more believable if that 'casual stroll' was actually a disguise for a secret mission to meet up with his real employer!
What are the odds that Yuder would be in the Imperial Gardens and just so happen to meet up with the Nelarn Prince by chance if not because he was a spy for Nelarn?
That was it!
Yuder had to be a spy for Nelarn!
......And they were heading to Nelarn!
All of them panicked as they realized, wait, if Yuder missed Nelarn or if the Prince was really this happy to meet Yuder again, would Yuder stop his spywork, leave the Cavalry, and return to Nelarn by the end of the escort mission?
All of them paled before deciding to convince Yuder that the Cavalry and Orr Empire were both so much better than Nelarn. They wouldn't force Yuder to stay if he really didn't want to, but they all wanted him to stay with them even if he was a spy!
If everyone was praising the Orr Empire for months to come to make sure Yuder knew that Orr was objectively better, Yuder didn't notice as he accepted the numerous gifts, wonderful things of Orr, people were giving him for no reason.
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After all of Prince Ejain's attendants were found to be traitors of some sort, Yuder saw Kanna's dark look and decided to privately speak to her.
Yuder is stunned to learn about Kanna's worry for the possibility of traitors appearing in the Cavalry in the future and he assures her that she doesn't have to worry because he'll take care of it if it ever happened.
Kanna thanks him before adding with a big hug around his shoulders, "And don't worry, Yuder. If you ever happen to be a traitor, we'll all still welcome you home and love you with all our heart. Everything will still be okay and normal."
Yuder gives her a more bewildered look. If he ever became a traitor to the Cavalry, their response should be to arrest him and execute him like Prince Ejain's attendants. Why would it be okay and normal?
But he gets more hugs from everyone else as if they saw from across the room and flocked around on Kanna's cue.
"Yeah! If you ever get revealed to be a spy, we won't treat you like these jerks! You'll only get the fluffiest bed and best foods and access to anything you want, including our wallets and paperwork!"
"It's fine if you ever betray us. Don't be afraid to tell us if you ever want to just talk or do so as long as you stay."
"Yeah! Don't run away or switch target locations to anywhere else, okay, Yuder? The food in our capital is actually the best. I'll introduce you to a couple restaurants and bakeries when we get back from this mission."
"Old man Steiber's cookies are actually amazing! You can't find them anywhere else so you have to stay in the Cavalry no matter what!"
Yuder is utterly bewildered as he accepts everyone's words and hugs in confusion.
Yuder looks to Kishiar for help, at least some explanation, but his Commander just laughs and waves off his concern.
...Okay?
-
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"He asked you to be his friend and exchange letters with him from now on?" Kanna asks when Ejain leaves. "Okay, I'll share the story with the others."
Yuder blinks. Why? And what story.
Before Yuder can ask, Kanna sees Gakane and waves at him. "Gakane! Yuder and Ejain are 'friends' now. If you see them write letters to each other, it's not suspicious at all, okay? They're just friends!"
Gakane gives her a gesture of compliance. "Got it. I'll make sure no one checks the letters to Yuder from Nelarn and vice versa!"
Yuder feels like he missed something, but when the conversation is repeated upon meeting the other Cavalry members and they all seem to act like it is normal, Yuder decides to leave it alone.
Even after getting to know everyone and talking with them a lot more than he did in his previous life, he was never the best at understanding people and the odd things they sometimes did or said anyways.
It should be fine. He went through one life ignoring all the rumors and things said over his head; it shouldn't hurt to do the same again.
-
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As amusing as it was to hear and watch, Kishiar doesn't actually believe his cute subordinates' theory that Yuder was a spy, much less a spy for Nelarn (Yuder was too self-sacrificing and dedicated to the Cavalry for that), until one day he has a dream of Yuder being executed.
And it gets repeated.
Again and again like a foreboding premonition.
But why would Yuder get executed? For what reason could anyone execute Yuder, especially after he became the Hero of the West?
The answer comes to him just as the memory of Ejain's face when the Second Prince executed the traitors, once thought to be close, beloved allies and friends, at the forest hut near the Western Star of Nagran Village-Base does.
Treason. Of the highest kind. Betrayal of the Empire's deepest secrets to another Kingdom.
Kishiar fears, especially as he thinks of Yuder's uncharacteristic closeness to the Prince who declared Yuder to be his only friend after that dark night of finding out that all his personal attendants were traitors and sneaking out of the mansion to talk to Yuder under the cloaking sound of rain, those things he once thought were harmless and misunderstood in the light of a possible execution, and Kishiar gets out of bed to seek Yuder in one crazed moment.
Kishiar shakes Yuder awake and pays rapt attention to all of his body language and expressions as he asks if Yuder was a spy.
To his relief, Yuder gives him a very sincere, blank 'what are you talking about at 3 am in the morning' look before seemingly deciding that Kishiar had a bad and very nonsensical dream, especially when Kishiar laughs and answers his own question,
"Sorry. I just had a crazy dream."
Yuder believes him, but still looks at him with worry. "Do you want to talk about it?" Yuder offers.
Kishiar thinks about it, but it's still late and he feels a little bad for waking up Yuder, especially for doubting his most loyal assistant so much that he did so.
So Kishiar shakes his head and gets under the blankets to hug his beloved. "It's fine. I still want to gather my thoughts. Instead, can I sleep with you like this tonight?"
Kishiar can't bring himself to leave after watching Yuder being killed in his dreams. He wants to feel his beloved, hear his breaths and heart.
Yuder doesn't and even holds Kishiar's arms, wrapping his hand around one of Kishiar's and squeezing. "It's fine. You can always come to my room when you have a nightmare, Commander."
Kishiar smiles and presses closer to kiss Yuder on the head. "Don't say that. Now I'll be wishing I have a nightmare every night."
"You can also come to my bed whenever you want, Commander." Yuder corrects himself and Kishiar turns him around to kiss him deeply, unable to stop himself and remembering how Yuder always told him to never hold back.
How he loved this man.
How could Yuder be a spy when Yuder didn't know what his words did to him?
Forget spywork. Kishiar would give him the whole world for each of his sweet sentences.