Worthwhile

The next day Leonidas is up and, despite the protest of the medics and after acquiring a new cloak, back to work. It helps, he's realized, to be active. As long as he has something to do, he can keep his mind off the painful things.

Shucking off his gloves, Leonidas stalks into the barracks, shedding snow on the hard stone floor. The fire is not lit, the stone instead warmed by sunlight. Today is a rare warm day in the mountains, allowing the men a brief respite from the weather.

The boy spent the morning gathering firewood for the keep with the rest of the recruits. He did his best to avoid Ruhban, but despite his best efforts his twin still managed to find him. Ruhban had tried multiple times to strike up a conversation and having to ignore his twin all morning managed to do nothing more than to sour Leo's mood. He now has half-an-hour to relax and eat before he is to start his watch shift in the westernmost tower.

The barracks consist of seventeen consecutive rooms on end, each capable of holding nearly forty-five men. In hind-sight, the keep probably did not need to be made so massively, as four of the rooms are in use at once. Though the extra rooms allow the recruits to spread out more and, consequently, get in more trouble. The beds have green wool blankets and a small hay-stuffed mattress. It can get quite cold at night if the fire is not managed properly.

Removing the new cloak from his shoulders, Leo hangs it up on the peg beside his bunk. Then, kicking off his boots, he sighs softly and reclines on the bed, staring at the wooden supports holding the bunk above him.

He feels exactly how he hoped to never feel: Utterly alone, worthless, cowardly, and quite stupid. How could he have not realized that killing Ausren could quite possibly bring the dragon's military, also known as the Endefe, to its knees? Ausren is the Crown Prince, next in line for the throne of Soladirwin. Which would, assuming he takes the throne, make him the king of the dragons. He is an amazing fighter and the loss of his leadership would have given Nayanamh a distinct advantage in the war. And yet… despite feeling horrible for leaving him alive, Leo still wants to see Ausren. He still wants to go back and talk with the dragon. Perhaps it is the fact that the dragon protected him, or found something worthwhile in him that is creating the attraction. Leo wants to make sure that Cecil's efforts to track down the prince have been in vain.

The recruit has been planning ahead in his week, attempting to find the best day in which to sneak away and go to the dragon. If he takes a more direct route, it will take less time to get to the dragon, but might allow the hunters to track Leo directly to the prince. He needs to exercise caution, for if he is found with the prince, they'd both be killed on the spot. Stealth is key. So, he must plan a more lengthy, indirect route, and have an excuse to be gone for most of the day.

There is a knock on the door, which is surprising. These are the barracks. No one has any privacy and no one bothers to knock. No one cares enough to knock.

Immediately after knocking, the door opens, admitting a small, bright-eyed little man dressed in silks. Red and gold silk. Definitely not someone from the fort and definitely not someone Leo has ever seen before.

Sitting upon his bed, Leo raises an eyebrow at the mousy man. He is short and lean, almost skinny, with a head of straight, bland brown hair. His eyes, a deep coffee brown, are bright and quick, reminding Leo of some sort of rodent.

"Oh, good, someone's here," the man says, bustling into the room and clasping his hands together.

Leonidas raises his eyebrows higher, so shocked that he simply comments, "If you were just going to come in, why did you bother to knock?"

"My apologies. I just wanted to ensure you were aware of my presence," the man says.

"I… who are you, exactly?" Leo asks, too confused to say much else.

"I'm General Windsor's personal assistant. I deliver messages for him and other things, such as planning his trips and days. I have a message for a Leonidas and I was informed he would be here. Are you him?"

Leo blinks, trying to process this information. Cecil has his own personal assistant? How did Leo not know that, and where has the little man been? How come he was not the one to come get Leo when Cecil arrived yesterday?

"Wait a minute," Leo mutters. "You are my brother's personal assistant?"

"Yes sir! And you must be Ruhban! Do you know where your twin is? I was told--"

"I'm Leonidas," the boy breaks in, stopping the rapid flow of words coming from the small man. "But… how long have you been here? I haven't seen you around."

"Oh, of course not! I just arrived today! Please, excuse my mistaking you with Ruhban. I hear you're identical twins! Now, may I deliver the message from your brother?" the man asks, scurrying farther into the room. Leo crosses his arms, scowling at the man.

"It is just like Cecil to send someone else to do his dirty work," Leo thinks sourly. Then, after a split-second of reflection, he realizes how flawed that statement is. The Cecil he knew two years ago was not the same man he is now.

"Go ahead," Leo growls, crossing his arms and glaring at the floor.

"Thank you! Your brother has sent me to inform you that he has declared you unfit for duty. Until further notice, you are not to partake in any activities that might compromise the safety of this fort. Such as taking a watch in the towers, or even mundane tasks such as gathering firewood. Think of it as suspension," the man says, his tone light and a smile plastered on his face.

For a moment, Leonidas simply sits, shocked, and stares at the man. Everything has gone quiet. Work helps him to keep his mind focused on constructive things, helps him to help those around him, and allows him to work toward correcting his mistake. And now…

The momentary silence shatters into rage, setting his blood to pounding in his ears. Leo rockets to his feet, snarling, "What?!"

The man actually recoils, suddenly seeming to realize that Leonidas might actually pose a threat.

"Sorry, sir. Not my words, but General Windsor's orders. You are hereby suspended until further notice." With that, the man backs up to the door and disappears out of it. The heavy door shutting is the only sound in the room.

For a moment, Leo simply stands, his hands at his sides staring with hatred at the door. Why must Cecil take away everything he has? Why is it that Cecil has suddenly turned into some sort of monster, haunting Leo's every step? What exactly happened in the two years that Cecil was in the army?

Letting out a feral snarl, Leo turns from his position back to his bunk, thinking about punching something just to release his frustration. He just wants to help. He wants to do something. Anything, really, to make up for not killing Ausren.

Leo stops before his bed, spying the cloak out of the corner of his eye. For a moment, he stops, staring at it. He has wanted to go to the dragon, to speak with him, and it is only early morning…

Scowling, Leo grabs the cloak off of its peg and clips it into place. Then, turning to his sword, he pauses. Will he need it? Most likely not. It's heavy and will impede his ability to be light on his feet and quick over the scree. His armor, still lost in the forest and yet to be replaced, is obviously of no use. Not that he would want to bring it ….anyway??

Kneeling down, Leo reaches under his bunk and pulls out his travel bag. Sifting through it he quickly locates a cloth used for washing and the collapsible bucket. Then, tucking them beneath his belt, he makes his exit. All he needs to do now is find a way out of the fort and he'll be able to make relatively good time to Ausren.

Once outside, Leo heads behind the keep to the wall. In more than one spot, he knows, the back wall is crumbling. It is not a very big concern, seeing as any cracks are too small to admit a dragon. Hopefully, however, at least one of those cracks will be big enough to allow him to squeeze through.

Between the keep and the back wall, there is only about six feet of room for nearly half the length of the keep, until the keep breaks away and a shabby building that is a sorry excuse for a stable takes up residence. In short, it's not a bad place to go if you don't want to be spotted exiting the fort.

Slipping between the wall and the keep, it takes Leo only two minutes of scrutiny to find a nice break in the wall. It is about seven feet above the ground where two or three blocks have shifted just enough to allow a human to squeeze through.

Reaching up, Leo tosses the bucket through first, not wishing to get caught half-way through the crack. Then, with the bucket out of the way, the boy turns his attention to getting himself through. Jumping up, he takes his weight on his hands, then pulls one knee up to take the brunt of the force. Then, carefully, he maneuvers his body in such a way that he slips sideways through the slanted crack. The process takes a surprising amount of time, requiring him to unhook his shirt from where it catches on the rocks multiple times.

Then, finally, he slips free on the other side, falling the remaining feet to the ground. Landing the fall upright, he locates the bucket, wraps his cloak tighter around himself, and starts into the trees. Being on the backside of the fort, he needs to go left, to the northeast, and up the mountain there. His plan is relatively simple. He'll wrap around the backside of the mountain, then come up and around to Ausren. It'll take a good few hours, but it should throw off the hunting parties. Especially since they will be looking on the other side of the mountain for any scent trail that could lead them to the dragon.

Scrambling through the snow, Leo heads for the base of the nearby mountain, threading through trees, clearings, and streams. The journey takes longer than Leo expected, barred with a rather large number of cliffs that kept creating impassable barriers. Eventually, however, he finds a way past the cliffs and up the steep slope of rocks.

Before he enters the scree slope he bends down, opening the bucket and scooping up as much snow as he can. Then, starting off once again and searching for a minute or two, he locates the entrance of the cave. Once again, he almost falls directly into the opening. It is indeed a very good hiding place.

"Ausren?" Leo calls into the dark. The last thing he wants to do is to startle the dragon and get himself killed accidentally.

For a second, there is silence and in that moment of silence, dread coils around Leo's gut. Did the dragon leave? If so… there's really no one else he has anymore. Ruhban, perhaps, but at least for a while longer, Leo wants to harbor the hatred and anger in his heart. For some reason being angry and alone is easier than being around his twin.

However, before he can panic too badly, a soft purr comes from in the cave. After a moment's hesitation, an eye appears in the darkness, nearly blazing with purple fire. Next, scales appear from the shadows and Ausren is peering up at the human from the darkness.

"Hello, Leonidas," the dragon greets him brightly. "I was worried that you hadn't made it back to the fort." Immediately the depression weighing on Leo's chest lifts. Here's a creature, supposed to be his enemy, that is not only happy to see him but was worried about him. It's a very nice change from Cecil's anger and Ruhban's bad excuses.

"Hey," Leo responds. "Sorry about that. I just got back on my feet today."

The dragon lets out a low purr and blinks. Looking down beneath Ausren's jaw, Leo sees that the fall from his position to the beginning of the cave's sloping floor is only about five feet. Sitting down on the rock beneath him, Leo slides down to the sandy floor. Stumbling on impact, the boy nearly sends the bucket flying. Before he can fall, however, Ausren catches him with his head, holding the boy upright as he gets accustomed to the sandy floor.

"How's the wound?" Leo asks, laughing softly at his own clumsiness.

Ausren removes his support as the boy is steadied, turning to look at where the wound below his wing is slowly weeping blood. It's not good by any means, but it is also not awful. The cloak has been removed, meaning a great deal of progress has been made in the clotting process. And basically overnight. Well, two or three nights, anyway.

Now, however, the main problem is making sure to avoid infection. And, for that, he needs to sanitize the wound and make sure it is clean. Hence the bucket. And the snow.

"It's not horrible," the dragon responds. "It's not great either, but it's not too terribly bad."

"Good," the boy murmurs, ducking around the dragon into the dark. Ausren shifts to follow him, gingerly crawling farther into the cave. The action, just as it had with him on their first meeting, sets off an instinctual reaction in Leo, who skitters sideways. The boy can see as the dragon's eyes narrow slightly, following him through the dark. With a nervous laugh, Leo sets the bucket nicely on the ground. "Sorry," Leo mutters softly. "It's still my instinct to be wary."

Ausren snorts softly, flames flickering at his nostrils and casting light on the dark edges of the cave. "No need to apologize. I understand," the dragon says, then tilts his head slightly. "I do not, however, understand why you have brought a bucket full of snow."

"Oh, that. Yeah. I was thinking that if you melted that into water and maybe even heated the water, we could disinfect the wound."

"Hmm," the dragon purrs. "Yes, I believe I can do that."

"Preferably without killing the bucket," Leo cuts in before the dragon can do as asked. "I want to use it to get you water as well."

"Oh," Ren murmurs. "Well, no worries about that. I went out the morning after you left and scattered my scent and tracks around. Seeing as I have not had any visitors before you, I would say that it worked very well. Anyway, I also found that cat I killed for food and visited the streams for water. You don't have to worry about that."

Leo smiles slightly, murmuring, "Alright. Well… if you need anything… I'll bring it to you."

Ren bares his teeth, the gesture resembling a smile, and replies, "Thank you, Leo."

Leo smirks, then jerks his head at the bucket. "Aright, light it up."

Ren, without warning, opens his mouth and blasts the bucket, making Leo yelp and scramble backward. The fire is not very hot, surprisingly, and doesn't carry much of a punch. However, it does create the needed amount of heat to melt the snow and, slowly, heat it until it is bubbling.

Then, with a snap, Ausren shuts his jaw and cuts off the stream of fire. With a soft snort, smoke curls from the dragon's nostrils and into the air. Grinning slightly, Leo grabs the bucket off the ground, simultaneously freeing the rag from his belt.

"Come over to the entrance," Leo murmurs, treading over to where the light is pouring into the little cave. "I need to be able to see what I'm doing.

Shifting around, Ausren settles himself near the opening of the cave, watching as the human creates a level patch in the sand and places the bucket in it. Crouching down next to it, Leo dips the cloth into the water, hissing against the heat. Undeterred, he wrings the cloth out, then has to stand to bring it to the wound. Gently, he dips the cloth to scales, trying to free the edges of the wound from clotting material.

Silently, Ausren watches him work, his head resting in the sand. The dragon only twitches every now and again, almost like he is attempting to rid himself of flies. Dirtying the rag up does not take much time, requiring Leo to bend and rinse it frequently. As he works, in silence, listening to the soft sounds of the dragon, depression starts to creep back in on the boy.

He keeps going over the words Cecil said, how he called him a disgrace. How Ruhban wouldn't deny it and tried to stick up for the eldest brother. It hurts and it creates a burning rage somewhere deep in his chest. It makes him want to tear into something.

"Are you okay?"

Leo jumps, nearly spilling the bucket as he starts. "I… uh, yeah," he mutters. "I'm fine."

The dragon blinks, its eyelid making a snick sound. "Are you sure? You seem… far away."

For a moment, the boy contemplates lying again. However, as he stands back to the wound, starting to work away the dirt clotted inside the wound, he decides against it. "My saving your life was not appreciated by my people."

Snick. "Then why have you returned? Helping me will only make your punishment more."

Leo sighs softly. "I don't really know. Maybe I just… Well, you didn't even know me and basically, you said I was brave and worthwhile. Then you protected me, which no one has bothered to do for a very long time. I guess I just… felt welcomed."

Ausren snorts softly, murmuring, "Well, I am glad. I may have been new to you, but you were very new to me. It's always been kill or be killed. And yet, when I met you, you flipped the script. Suddenly I had a choice in the matter, and I did not have to kill you."

Leo is silent for a moment, continuing to work on the wound, before whispering, "You know… my brother pointed out to me that if I had killed you, I could have conceivably bought Nayanamh the edge they needed to win the war."

Ausren snorts softly, and says, "Oh? Is that what he said?"

"Yes," Leo mutters. "And the thing that hurts the worst is that he's right."

"So why didn't you come here and kill me?" the dragon asks.

"I don't know. I couldn't kill you the first time. I don't think I'd be able to kill you the second."

"You could've killed me," the dragon mutters. "You could have. But you wouldn't. There's a difference. Now, about you winning the war for the humans by killing me… that is not true. In a way, it is, but in a way, it is also not. I am crown prince, sure, but I have three younger brothers. Two of said brothers have been groomed from birth to fight and lead small strike groups, just like I was. The Endefe is really run by my father and the Tribal Chiefs, not the Crown Prince. I have very little involvement in the Endefe unless I am instructed to lead a battle. So, maybe for a day or two, as they search for my body, the Endefe might be slightly weakened. But not enough to win the war for Nayanamh."

Leonidas blinks, frozen beside the dragon for a moment, before suddenly laughing. Once again, Ausren seems puzzled by Leo's laughter.

"Sorry," Leo wheezes, seeing the prince's confusion. "Sorry. It's just… we think we know so much about you. And yet, we don't even properly know how your military works. It just strikes me as hilarious. If I would have killed you, we would have thrown all our forces at the front line, thinking the Endefe was severely weakened, and we would have lost horribly." Clutching at his sides as he fights to stay upright through the spasms of his laughter, Leo takes a moment to breathe. Then, he finishes, "My brothers outcast and belittled me because I saved thousands of lives. The irony!"

For quite a while Leo laughs hysterically, gasping through the spasms racking his body. The relief that comes with knowing that he did not kill hundreds of thousands of soldiers is immense. It is like the weight of the world has been lifted off his shoulders. The knowledge takes the sting out of his brothers' words, not that they don't still hurt, but they feel empty now. It's easier, knowing that he did the right thing.

Eventually, the spasms reside and leave the boy breathless and panting. Only when he has caught his breath and resumed the cleaning of the wound does Ausren speak. "Are you alright, Leonidas?" the prince asks.

Still smiling slightly, Leo asks, "Yeah. Why?"

"You seem to be switching between emotions quite quickly. One moment you were relatively sad and the next you were laughing quite hysterically."

Tilting his head slightly to the side, Leo murmurs, "Ah. I guess I understand how that would be confusing. It just struck me as comedic. Both of my brothers seem to think that because I didn't kill you, I am therefore worthless. I'm a coward to them. Killing seems to be everything. Yet in reality, I saved thousands of lives. We know so little about you and how your society works. We seem to think that just throwing humans at your lines will eventually earn us the win. It just seems like a shame. A waste of life."

Ausren lays his head down on his front feet, watching Leo out of the corner of his eye. "I do not think you are cowardly. I think that killing for no reason is cowardly. If you had killed me, I probably would have considered you cowardly just like the rest of your humans."

"I appreciate it," Leo says, turning enough to smile at the dragon. "But the rest of my species doesn't agree."

Leaning back down, he dips his fingers into the water. Unsurprisingly, the water is starting to cool. Not to mention, the cold is starting to make itself known.

"I'm going to go get some firewood," Leo says, cleaning his hands off on his pants. "I'm getting cold."

Ausren blinks blearily, before responding, "Alright. Should I come with you? No offense, but your human arms seem inadequate to carry large amounts of lumber."

Snorting softly in amusement, the boy shakes his head. "No. I'm only gathering some small fallen branches. No need for 'large amounts of lumber'."

"Alright," Ausren repeats. Closing his eyes, the dragon sighs softly, smoke curling lazily from his nostrils.

Suddenly feeling much more content, Leo smiles softly at the drowsy dragon and carefully makes his way out of the cave entrance. The water is still clean enough to allow further use, meaning it can be left behind. Besides, Ausren does have a point. Leo can't carry all that much firewood on his own.

Hauling himself out of the cave entrance, the boy steadies himself for a moment, picking his way down the rocks carefully. The faster he can get to the trees and back up, the better. He doesn't want to spend much time out in the elements, and he definitely doesn't want to spend much time hiking up and down the treacherous rock slope.

Finally, after a while of studying the terrain, he sets off, slipping down to the trees in relatively good time. Now… to find some loose or fallen branches that will make decent sized logs for fire. Casting around, the twin decides that his best bet is to move farther within the forest. The few scattered trees where the forest meets the peak are not yielding many good pickings.

Approaching the forest, as it always does, invokes a sense of awe in Leonidas. The trees, standing so tall above him, stretch mighty bows together, creating a nearly impenetrable wall of needles. Below these limbs, the ground is nearly bare. Only about an inch of snow has managed to slip through the protective layer of branches and make landfall. With the continuous snow, however, the forest is locked in a state of perpetual silence and cold. No animals dare move about freely, only exiting their hiding in the months of midsummer, when it is warmest. The only living things are the trees themselves, swaying and groaning in the wind. Pushed by the wind, their limbs enter a state of battle, cracking and slamming against each other, sending out an eerie, haunting sound that never seems to have a source.

To many people, it seems foreboding and terrifying. To Leo, it has always seemed nearly welcoming. Safe, in a way. Nothing hunts in these trees, nothing but the trees themselves, beating out the rare underbrush in a competition for sunlight. It is comforting.

Brushing aside a large branch full of healthy green pine needles, Leo enters the forest, taking a moment to stop, close his eyes, and breathe in the air. The forest always smells amazing as well. Pine and underbrush, water on soil… satisfying and clean smells.

Opening his eyes and smiling once again, Leo moves farther into the forest, hunting for firewood. It does not take him long at all to find what he is looking for. Laying on the ground, grey from the death of its bark, a branch lays. No doubt it was defeated in battle by a neighboring bow and was consequently wrenched from its hold on its home tree and thrown to the forest floor.

Bending down, the boy seizes the branch and prepares to break it into smaller pieces, easier for stacking and carrying.

Crack.

Distantly, a snap rings through the forest, as though an animal has broken through the trees. Immediately, Leo turns his attention to his surroundings. Despite the trees being mostly mature, they grow close together, only allowing Leo about ten feet of sight on any given side. With close scrutiny, the forest is revealed to be empty. Nothing moves, no sounds ring out, even the air seems still.

However, the forest no longer seems homely. Suddenly it is cold and dark around Leo, sending chills down his spine. It seems that, from any given angle, there is a pair of eyes peering back at him through the trees.

"Threat," his body seems to be saying, "There is a threat. Run."

Scowling, ignoring the instinctive shiver that runs through him, Leo breaks the branch and steps a little farther into the forest. "It's probably just the trees," he mutters, attempting to calm his nerves. "Quit freaking out, Leo. You've been in here plenty of times."

"And I've never felt like this before," his body answers.

Chuckling softly at himself, Leo locates another good log and gets to work readying it to be carried.

Thud. Thud. Thwish.

Footsteps. Unmistakably, the sound of soft footsteps to his right and slightly behind. Leo freezes, his heart rate ramping up as adrenaline is pumped through his body.

"Fight or flee, we must do one. Fight or flee," the little, helpful voice called common sense whispers in his mind.

Slowly, Leo straightens, arms full of wood, and casts around himself. Still, the forest is silent and still. Whatever imagined footsteps were there are now gone. Softly, feeling shaky, Leo lets out a breath of relief. Every sense is now on fire, his vision sharpening, his ears picking up even the smallest brush of needles, and his nose now able to smell the decaying needles on the forest floor.

Nothing is there. The forest is still and silent.

Shaking his head, Leo huffs a small laugh at himself and turns back to the forest. He does want to exit the forest, but not without his firewood. Four more steps deep he gets.

Ba-dump. Ba-dump. Ba-dump.

"Great," Leo mutters softly to himself, grabbing a full-length branch off the ground and standing fully. "Now I'm hearing my own heartbeat."

"Turn. Around."

The voice seems to come from nowhere and everywhere, both inside Leo's head and yet echoing in his ears. It definitely does not belong to any of his inner dialogs. However, it does the trick, and the boy whips around, startled and yet fully expecting to find nothing there.

Five feet from his body, neck extended and jaws gaping open, is a dragon.

Lips peeled back to expose massive teeth, the dragon reaches forward, suddenly seeming to be moving forward in slow-motion. Its eyes, a deep amber color, nearly shine in the dim lighting, narrowed into blazing slits. Its scales, unlike Ausren's, are a shining blue, accented in yellows, purples, and pinks. Its underbelly is smooth, sporting a deep royal purple color, and between its horns stretches webbing. Currently, its horns are flattened back to its head, streamlined for the motion of its lunge.

For a split second, long enough for the dragon to gain another three inches on the startled boy, Leonidas freezes in fear. However, before the action can get him killed, instinct kicks into gear. Dropping his broken logs, Leo brings up the only intact one and, at the last moment, wedges it into the dragon's open jaws.

This, while still allowing the dragon to slam its nose into his body and throw him backward, stops the devastating snap of those jaws which would undoubtedly kill him. Then, before he knows it, time comes crashing back in on the human.

Leo suddenly finds himself flat out on his back, staring up and an enraged dragon, wondering for a split second how he got there. Once again, it is his instinct that saves him, pushing him up and into a stance that will allow him to flee. He needs, he knows, to get to Ausren. Without his sword and armor, he stands no chance against the beast before him. The dragon prince is the only chance he has of survival.

The only problem is that the dragon is currently between Leo and the cave.

Throwing its head up, jaws wedged open by the fallen branch, the dragon roars, a long red tongue making an appearance. For a moment, the dragon strains, attempting to snap the nicely sized branch in its mouth. Then, with a crack, the branch nearly shatters, shrapnel scattering in every direction.

The dragon recoils, locating its prey, and roars at the human. Once again, a lot of teeth, saliva, and tongue, but no fire.

"Huh," Leo mutters, peering through the trees at the slope of rock that is barely visible from his position. "No fire."

For a moment, the rage and indignancy in the dragon's eyes dim, replaced by curiosity. Mind working quickly, Leo does not allow the dragon time to recover.

Instead, he moves.

Taking one last deep breath, sending up a prayer to whoever might be listening, Leo bolts directly under the dragon's front feet.