The balcony basked beneath the sun. From this height, the capital looked bright and endless, a massive sea of rooftops stretching out toward the hills. It would have looked completely peaceful, if not for the faint, distant clinking of armor from the guards patrolling the palace gates down below.
Zarius stood right at the edge, his hands resting on the stone railing as he stared out at the royal palace spires in the distance. He had been quiet ever since they stepped outside, as if he just needed a moment to breathe away from the suffocating crowd.
Flio stood just a step behind him, waiting patiently.
"Flio," Zarius called, his deep voice carrying easily over the soft rustle of the wind.
"Yes, Your Grace?"
"How long have we known each other?"
Flio blinked, momentarily thrown off by the casual, almost nostalgic nature of the question. He adjusted his stance, a small, rare smile touching the corners of his lips. "Technically, My Lord? Probably since we were infants. Our fathers worked together. But my first real memory of us... we were just children."
"A lot of time has passed since then," Zarius murmured, turning his head slightly to look at his right-hand man. "We’ve been through a formidable amount of things together, Flio. You’ve helped me with more things than I can count. More than any lord has a right to ask of a single man."
"That is indeed true," Flio said softly, nodding his head. He looked out over the sparkling capital, the memory of their shared decades weighing comfortably on his shoulders. "Through the campaigns, the political isolation, the winters where the rations ran thin... we survived it all. It has been the absolute foundation of my life."
They stood in silence for a moment, the casual banter drifting away like the wind. But Flio’s sharp eyes darted sideways, trying to read the sudden, uncharacteristic gravity in his master’s demeanor. There was a shift in the air, a heavy stillness that didn’t belong to a simple trip down memory lane.
Zarius shifted his weight, leaning one hip against the stone railing and crossing his arms over his chest. His expression darkened, returning to that of a man carrying the weight of an entire realm.
"How are things... between you and Karson?" Zarius asked quietly.
The name hit the open air like a dropped blade. Flio’s posture went instantly rigid. The lingering warmth from their childhood memories evaporated in a fraction of a second, replaced by a shield constructed from years of strict discipline. He kept his expression flawlessly blank, though his fingers tightened against the stone.
"Your Grace, I must ask you to disregard whatever nonsense Elios was running his mouth about earlier," Flio said, his voice dropping into a perfectly clipped tone. "Nothing happened. Elios simply enjoys the sound of his own voice and thrives on turning minor, old acquaintances into dramatic theater. There is nothing between the Crown Prince’s aide and myself."
"Flio," Zarius said, looking over at him. "You don’t have to put up your guard with me."
Flio didn’t look away, but the muscles in his jaw tightened until they practically throbbed. He took a short breath, stepping back to look his Duke directly in the eye.
"I am your aide, Your Grace. That is my destiny, it is what I am supposed to do, and it is the only path I have ever desired," Flio declared, his voice ringing with absolute clarity and fierce devotion. He pressed a fist firmly against his chest over his heart. "I have dedicated my entire life to your side and to the safety of the North. If my presence here, or my past proximity to the imperial court, has caused you even a shred of unease, if you have any reason to doubt my absolute loyalty to..."
"Stand down, Flio," Zarius interrupted, his voice returning to its usual commanding strength, though a thread of genuine warmth remained.
Flio stopped, his hand still resting against his chest, staring at his lord.
"I have never once doubted you," Zarius stated firmly, holding Flio’s gaze to ensure the words sank deep. "Not when we were surrounded in the treacherous passes of the western peaks, and certainly not now in a room full of whispering nobles. You and Elios have stood by me since we were children, I trust you both completely."
Zarius paused, a faint, rare smirk playing on his lips as he added, "Though, by all means, do not repeat that part to Elios. His head is already large enough to match the palace spires, and I have no desire to endure his insufferable gloating for the rest of our stay here."
Flio let out a genuine laugh, the intense tension completely draining from his shoulders as he lowered his hand. "Understood, Your Grace. The secret dies with me."
The light moment offered a brief reprieve, but Zarius didn’t turn back to the scenery. His eyes remained fixed on Flio, heavy with a profound emotion that Flio had never seen in his commander until very recently. It was an expression born entirely of a newly awakened heart.
"I didn’t really understand it before Cherion came into my life," Zarius spoke softly, his gaze dropping to his own hands before rising back to meet Flio’s. "Before him, I only saw the narrow path right in front of me. Personal attachments were a liability, a weakness a ruler could not afford. I expected everyone around me to be as cold and unforgiving as the ice we rule."
Zarius took a slow step closer, the dark fabric of his cloak brushing against the stone. "But things are different now. Having Cherion by my side... understanding what it means to look at someone and know that your entire world would crumble if they were taken from you... it changed me. It forced me to look back at the people who have stood by me, and see what they truly gave up."
The Duke looked out at the distant palace spires, his jaw clenching. "Karson is tied to the capital, bound to the Crown Prince. You belong to the North. Because of the political divide, a union between the two of you was almost impossible. You chose the North. You chose me. And in doing so, you left everything else behind to bleed out in the shadows. Now that I know what love actually feels like... to imagine being forced apart from the one we love..."
Zarius turned back to Flio.
"I looked at what you gave up, and I never realized the cost," Zarius said bluntly. "I took your loyalty for granted, Flio. I let you put your life aside for my duty, and I never once stopped to think about what it cost you to stay by my side. I am sorry for that."
Flio stared at him, completely frozen. For the first time in his years of service, the unshakeable aide was utterly speechless. Hearing Zarius speak with such raw, quiet honesty shook him to his core, breaking through his stiff military posture.
Slowly, the tension left Flio’s shoulders. He looked at his master, also his friend, and gave a small, tired shake of his head.
"You have nothing to apologize for, Your Grace," Flio said softly, his eyes turning back toward the distant capital. "He and I... we were just never meant to be."