An Old Friend Of Mine

"Achromo O' Yiostheou." the King admired, "You sure are an formidable person. Strong, brave and sharp. Just like I thought you would be."

Achromo was still in the shock of the situation and thus was quite in a daze of what was happening. This state left him unable to reply, but that did not matter, his face said it all.

"I see you never mentioned me, Rey." He looked towards Rey with an look containing a friendly anger. Rey let his tongue out, representing something close to a mistake, but not exactly one. Neither of them seemed to take this seriously and that was strange to Achromo. 

"Would you mind to elaborate." Achromo said with clear displease on his face, "Instead of all this. You know a King and never even mentioned it to me?"

"He had been much worse than this," the king replied stroking his beard, "when he was along with me at least. But there is a quality to admire within this don't you think? He is never really a showoff. Unfortunately that is the only positive within you're father; except his skills."

"Skills?" Achromo had a questioning tone to his voice.

"Of course." came the reply. "His skills in the army and the military. Has not he mentioned that? Oh well, oh my. That is so typical of you're father to do. What a man won't you say, a bit on the bad side, but still somewhat good. He had always been a trouble to maintain."

"What?" it was rather an exclamation than it was a question, but it was still stirred along with confusion. Rey's face was of an even worse shade. His tongue was out such as a fox would have and his face, to Achromo at least, seemed much more of a tricksters mask(not in a very serious tone for the situation).

 "I used to be in the military." His father came back with a reply after the awkward half minute of silence. "Did I ever mention that? Let's see..."

He feel into a thought, even when he had nothing to think about and even when he had nothing obvious to think about. Achromo knew this too but he decided to remain silent to discover the hidden revelation that he might be having. It was almost as awkward as the last piece of silence they had. Thus, the King spoke to reinstall his presence in the room as he would have gone almost forgotten.

"I don't think he has ever mentioned this by the situation." he said and he did reinstall his presence and it was felt on only Achromo's face. His face looked like a person who had a sudden epiphany. "Whatever it is, the answer will be 'Yes', so you should not wait for the idiot of a father you have for now."

 "Oh. Come now, Felix." he told the King. "You can't be calling me an idiot, at least not in front of my son. What is he going to think about all this. A person of a higher class comes into my own house and then insults me."

"He agrees with me and what's more is that he is capable of critical understanding. That won't work on me now. You have not picked up the wrong things from you're father now, have you?"

Achromo nodded in agreement while Rey seemed displeased. It was a tough matter for Achromo to understand, he still did not fully understand, but he decided to play in as much as he could. King Felix laughed.

"Are you trained, son?" The King rose his eyebrows, partially trying to bring his father into the conversation.

"Of course he is." replied Rey, "What kind of father would I be to keep my son in a pitiful, unaware, and in an unable to fight state. That would be a terrible father, won't it?"

"Do you think I did not train my son?" he replied.

"Not at all." Rey said shrugging a little.

----------------

They went on to discuss something about the military and the time they spent together, none of which Achromo could capture given he had no context of anything that was being discussed. He could only understand a few things. Something about their rank and all which he did not question.

He figured that they were childhood friends. His father had originally from the capital, and lived in the capital his whole life before coming here. He had joined the military and was in the same training batch as King Felix. Although both of them being nearly the same age(Rey younger by a bit), Rey had been serving at a higher rank than him. He even was offered the rank of a General, but he declined. This was where his knowledge was from, because he read a lot as well.

Rey had been quite close with the King and both of them had became close friends by the time. When Felix left the military, he was a prince and he gave the job of both his assistant and personal councilor to his, at the time and maybe even current, best friend Rey O' Yiostheou. Who was of a noble family, which he is the only left descended of. 

He got married a while after his promotion to a higher rank. After a few years of them being together(Rey and Clara), Rey had made a decision to go live in a peaceful space, where he would be happy for the life he had next. Thus he came over to Elna. When he had got higher respect in the army, he had almost decided to stay permanently.

When he was offered the rank of a General, he had already made his decision. He refused the offer given to him by the Prince and left to Elna. He had long before, even before Achromo's birth, had decided for to make him a skilled warrior and mage. 

None of these decisions were clarified by Rey. Nor the actions, nor why he would go to Elna, why he wanted to turn Achromo to a warrior. None of them. It was still quite queer to Achromo and Felix why that must have been.

After a good while of this chat they had, Felix eventually brought up the hair and the eye color. It did not leave Achromo in any kind of distress, he had already been used to such a question. His father, however, seemed to think of it as something much more greater. He brushed the topic off and Felix did not feel like questioning much more about these things. He was left answerless at last.

"How long has it been, now?" Rey said in a low voice to King Felix who had been waiting for him to speak.

"18 years." he replied, "It has quite literally been nearly 18 years of distance since we last met. Long time, eh? You feel just the same as the last time I had met you. You still feel like the General Rey I knew."

"Not quite a General." said Rey, smiling a bit, "I would like to know the reason of this type of visit. Quite strange , now, isn't it? Visiting me such out of the blue. What is the reason, Rey?"

"There is a favor I must ask of you." replied King Felix, with a expression that was now quite a serious look. It had a mix of slight sorrow in it. Achromo and Rey felt a uncomfortable feel that the reason for them was unknown to. 

"What is it?" Rey asked the King, grasping the seriousness of the situation, understood by the face that Felix had brought up now. 

"Well, I can't exactly explain it to you now." he replied, "Tough, I see that you understand the importance of the situation. It is a serious issue, mind that. Maybe I should find a better time to tell of all this to you. Mind that, I won't make reasonless visits for anyone. Let me get to the issue. But first, you must come to the capital with me. It is really important, will you come? Rey?"

"What?" Rey said with the same seriousness that became slightly deduced after the question. He rose his hands to his mouth, making a diamond out of them, "Do I have to come to the capital, Felix? Can you explain the situation to me first. I would much appreciate that."

"Rey!" he exclaimed, raising up from his chair, "It is about the Kingdom. It is for the Kingdom."- his voice calmed down -"I will explain this to you at the Capital. You must come to the Capital with me. Please, Rey. You can always come back."

There was an awkward silence between them, at least for Felix. Felix seated back on the chair and drank from a glass of water that had been sitting on the table. Rey then, chuckled a bit before slightly laughing.

"I can't refuse such an offer. Not when it is coming from the best of my friends. I am willing to come to the Capital Rey. On the condition that my family may follow."

"Of course." Felix got up of his seat, "I am going to need you. Your family may come with us. I will arrange everything you may need. But you must know, Rey. This might be something that you might not be able to do, so answer this. Can you bring back the old Rey?"

Rey did not reply for a while. He then gave a smile that suggested acceptance. The beautiful smile that Felix had loved. Achromo had not encountered this smile for a long while, it was a thing he had only saw when he was in a duel. It was when he had been a warrior towards him. It was his Warrior Smile.

"We shall meet soon." Felix bowed, fixing his cape. "Will you come with me. It is quite late? We can leave tomorrow."

"Would you and you're guards mind?" Rey replied with a bow, "I don't think that you're guards would like this. I mean, a stranger(to them) travelling along with someone like the King. That won't degrade you're reputation."

"They can't stop me." Felix laughed.

"Fine then." he scratched his head, tough not in confusion, "I have no choice."