Part 17

                                    

                                          

Alver knew a whole new level of anxiety over the following two months.
Cale had yet to reply to either letter and silence from Cale normally meant something bad. Although no matter how he prodded his informants in the area, none had anything significant to say about the young master.
Well, aside from the increased amount of time he spent shopping in the city and the visit he paid to young master Eric Wheelsman.
Somehow that information didn't offer Alver any comfort whatsoever. Cale had not found the time or inclination to reply but he had all the time in the world to spend with Eric and some shady shopkeeper.
Alver couldn't explain why the thought was so disconcerting. It was good for Cale to have other friends and he ought not feel so possessive merely because Cale was his first and only friend. Sometimes he regretted that he hadn't pursued opportunities for other friendships. As much as he currently couldn't feel anything positive towards the shopkeeper, he knew that he had an easy chemistry with Roksu. He was an easy person to talk to. However, he'd been in disguise and it was best to limit Bob's personal connections to zero. It wasn't a friendship that could go anywhere.
And of course there had been other people Alver could have pursued for companionship. People he enjoyed talking with. People he liked spending time with.
No one was quite like Cale though. Perhaps it was because their relationship had been so turbulent but Alver felt that singular friendship was utterly irreplaceable.
So of course he made an attempt to replace it now that Cale wasn't contacting him. Mostly he did so with work. But his most recent distraction was training.
His personal guard, a youthful swordsman who'd followed him obediently for nearly a year now, made for a surprisingly good sparring partner. He wasn't just impressively strong and capable but he was always quick to point out Alver's errors and offered quite good advice for fixing them.
It emptied his thoughts of everything but improving. The guard was reserved but surprisingly affable. Alver knew he couldn't befriend a guard or really any of his retainers but he felt that if he were to break that taboo, Han would be a good friend.
The thought alone was enough to comfort Alver to the extent that he felt the need for a friend diminish inside of him.
Strangely the need for Cale didn't diminish though.
"Rest."
Alver blinked in surprise at the sudden command. Han lowered his sword and fixed the prince with a stare that appeared to see a whole lot more than Alver was comfortable with anyone noticing about him. It was unusual for Han to end training early though so Alver found himself sitting obediently.
Han sat beside him, an unusual gesture from the swordsman. Alver was suddenly struck by the knowledge that he hadn't ever seen Han outside of a standing up position, usually standing to attention.
Alver couldn't help but worry over the sudden change in behavior but he kept the worries to himself, lapsing into a silence as he rested as requested.
The aches in his body made themselves known and Alver felt that he knew the reason behind Han's sudden change. He really had been pushing himself too hard this time. It was just that his thoughts drifted more and more towards the Henituse territory of late and a part of him was tempted to just teleport over and see for himself.
A ludicrous idea and one that he was overworking himself in an attempt to forget about.
Apparently he was also over-training himself.