A small group of soldiers gathered outside of Garreg Mach, most in Gautier armour (if they had any). Standing apart from the group, two figures were staring up at the Monastery. Neither were wearing Gautier colours. The first, leaning on a spear, presented the spitting image of a soldier. His greying hair was cut short, and he had the stocky frame of one who was just as used to loading supplies as he was to seeing combat. He could be placed somewhere around forty, and even in such a casual posture his hand instinctively wrapped around his weapon, prepared to react at a moment’s notice. His brigandine, well worn, bore the emblem of the House of Fraldarius, though it had faded over time.
The other figure did not much compare. His dark brown hair was unevenly cut, and his frame was lean and wiry. The soldier stood half a foot over him, and in contrast to the calm gaze the older man carried, the other figure’s projected a great sense of unease. His uniform did not seem to properly fit, and it showed. The only piece of his outfit that the boy seemed at all comfortable with was the sword at his side.
The two stood in silence for a few minutes. Every once a while, the boy would pull his sleeves up, only to have them slide down again a few seconds later.
Finally, the elder spoke up.
“Time we’re off. Will you need anything, my lord?”
A grin broke out across the boy’s face.
“My lord? Come on, Anton. You can’t say something like that and then leave!”The soldier shook his head solemnly. “No no, master! Although we might have once been brothers in arms, you now attend Garreg Mach, esteemed institution of learning and…"
“And?”“And -- Blast it, I can’t keep it up.” A smile crept across the soldier’s face. “Do you think they’ll all talk like that in there? I can’t imagine it.”
“Me neither.” The boy said. His gaze returned to the imposing figure of the Monastery.
“I truthfully have no idea what I’ll find in there.”“Your sister did fine, lad. More than fine, in fact! You'll handle it well.” The soldier’s gaze was fixed intently on the boy.
There was a long pause.
“Did father say anything more to you before he sent you off to bring me here?” The boy’s gaze met the soldier’s.
“Nothing. I swear it.” The soldier put a hand over his heart. His mouth opened for half-a-moment, but something stopped the words from coming out. Instead, he let the hand drop. “We really should head off. The boys were eyeing the taverns and I’ll be damned if I’m covering their tabs.”
“Alright. Thanks.” The boy took one deep breath, slinging a large pack over his shoulder and starting off in the direction of the Monastery. It was only after a few moments that he stopped in his tracks.
“Anton? Please tell them I miss them.” Kellen Fraldarius should have known better than to expect a response. When he turned around, he saw that Anton, along with the guards who had accompanied him, were already riding off down the hill.
Drop off your belongings. Gather in the cathedral. Meet the faculty. Memorize names. Search to see if there’s anyone you recognize. Avoid making eye contact with anyone you recognize. The flurry of activity that accompanied students’ arrival at Garreg Mach was a bit overwhelming, but Kellen did his best to keep his head above the water. He was quite relieved when the students were broken off and sent to their respective houses, taking a seat near the back of the room.
From what little Kellen remembered of the rare stories Rhiannon would share, the professor seemed quite different from the usual crop. His casual attitude and warm introduction put Kellen at ease for the first time since he had arrived at the Monastery.
The revelation that houses would be integrated was a mild surprise to Kellen. He had rarely listened, but he knew that it was not normal. Still, the idea was exciting to Kellen, who’s only encounters with other nations had been the skirmishes with Sreng. Perhaps he might learn something new from all this.
From his position at the back of the room, Kellen saw a few students react to the announcement of the House Leader with an expected amount of tittering. When one – who Kellen perhaps unfairly suspected to be one of Lonatos listed on the board – turned to towards Kellen with a conspiratorial air, he was met with a blank stare. For that Lonato boy, this expression was a clear sign that Kellen was to be of no use to any planned campaigns to undermine the upstart House Leader. Such an interpretation gave far too much credit to Kellen’s social abilities.
Indeed, Kellen’s mind was far from the social hierarchy of his class, not that it was ever particularly attuned to such things. He didn’t even much care about the position of House Leader in the first place. Instead, it was the prospect that Auberon, someone who had known Kellen as he once was, was attending Garreg Mach
at all that gave him such pause.
Back then Kellen had been keen to spar, mete out fantasies of the great exploits he would accomplish as he grew, and generally make as much of a fool of himself as he possibly could. Auberon and he had had occasion to exchange such tales and the occasional blow with a practice blade during occasions where the nobility of the kingdom had gathered for some event or another. The thought that someone knew that boy and would be able to compare it to this iteration made him feel sick.
It took Kellen a period that felt like hours and probably lasted no more than a minute to collect himself following this revelation. His plans for a school year where he could fade into obscurity were vanishing quickly. He was in no rush to end this period of obscurity, and sat in his seat for some time before he finally worked up the nerve to rise and take in his new group, albeit from a distance.
Assembled before Auberon were one – no - two commoners. Kellen felt poorly that he was so quickly able to identify those who hadn’t passed in the same circles as him,, but there was something in the way they carried themselves that indicated they had not spent time in the halls of power. Even someone uninterested in the procedures, such as Kellen, learned some lessons through osmosis on how to carry oneself, even if he fared poorly at putting them into practice. The thought that he would not be surrounded by the landed elite of Faerghus was a comforting one for Kellen, who had spent a great deal of time with soldiers of little standing over the past months.
However, as he took in the appearance of the woman who was introducing herself, he had a passing suspicion that she was not one to become a fast friend to share tales around a fire with. Lienna, from her introduction alone, was clearly intent on establishing her place in the nobility. He respected the effort, and knew the toll it took.
The other, a red-haired lad who identified himself as Derec, had a bit more of a sense of one of the soldier’s Kellen was able to get along with on the front. Derec Ballard. Not a name Kellen recognized, though that was no surprise.
After a moment of watching the trio interact, Kellen realized that the classroom has mostly cleared itself out. He approached the gathered students with trepidation. Lienna’s comments on Sreng didn’t assist, and as he heard her speak of Gautier he felt a shiver run up his spine. However, he had sat too long to avoid introducing himself.
“Erm, hello everyone. I’m Kellen.” He gestured vaguely towards the board before pushing his sleeves back up.
“Fraldarius. It’s good to meet you. And good to see you, Auberon. Congratulations on the appointment. I’m not surprised.” He looked at Auberon in the eyes for a moment to make it clear he had no misgivings about the appointment.
“And it’s good to meet you, Lienna. I’ve spent a fair amount of time in Gautier, it’s an -” He paused for a moment to try and find words that rung true.
“Impressive place. And good to meet you too, Derec.” He gave a quick nod to the assembled students, keeping his eyes low to the ground in the hopes that he could end this interaction as swiftly as possible.
“I suppose they’ll want us to say hello to the others in our unit - but it's a pleasure to meet you all.”
