Bravest of Hearts

"You're pathetic, Asbel Lhant."

The words still rung in his ears as a practice sword crashed against his thigh. Pain overwhelmed his senses and drowned his hearing, making the boys' laughter sound distant and vague. He wished they really were distant. He wished they'd go away.

It was not the first blow, nor the second, nor the third. Actually, Asbel had lost count of how many times they had hit him with those wretched swords, while he stood, unarmed, against the wall of the deserted alleyway. And soon he wouldn't even be standing, for his knees were shaking under his weight. How long until he fell to the cold stone pavement?

"C'mon, Lhant boy. Admit we're right, and we'll let you go."

Asbel gritted his teeth. They aren't right. He wouldn't admit to a lie, no matter what they did to him. A knight always remained true to his convictions, even under the direst situation.

The next blow was to his left shoulder, the pain so excruciating that he couldn't hold back a cry. There was another round of laughter, and with his head still swimming, Asbel wondered how such cruel children could be aspiring knights.

One of them stepped closer to him, sneering. "None of this would be happening if you just admitted that you don't deserve the instructor you got."

Again, more false words. Asbel's sky-blue eyes, bright against the dark red that trailed down his face, locked on his tormentor's smirk. Despite the pain, he was still on his feet, breathing heavily. And his gaze was as unyielding as his resolve.

"Why are you staring at me like that?!" The boy's voice was shaky, as if the intensity in Asbel's eyes scared him. It was the first time he spoke without hitting Asbel. "Y-You know you only got Captain Malik because you suck up to the prince!"

"Shut up!" Asbel shouted, even though the action made his whole body hurt. "Richard would never use his power like this!"

"See?" Another boy stepped up. "He only ever answers when we talk about the prince!"

"And he calls him by his name!"

Asbel balled his fists. He usually remembered to use a proper title, but he had been so angry he forgot about it. After taking a moment to gather enough strength for another shout, he blurted, "You're the ones insinuating that he is corrupt! And he isn't!"

"If pulling strings to get the Captain to instruct you means being corrupt, then he totally is! That stupid pretty boy prince just sits on his ass all day and he still-" His voice faded into a gasp. Asbel slammed his body against his, making the boy fall to the ground with a cry. He opened his eyes to find Asbel looming over him, surprisingly steady despite the amount of blows he had received.

"Don't you dare talk about Richard like that! You don't know anything about him!" Tears were forming in Asbel's eyes. "You don't know what he has to go through!"

The boy looked up at Asbel's face, dark with blood and anger, eyes shining so bright it seemed as if he was summoning hidden magic from within. For a second, he was terrified, as if some power would pour from those angry blue eyes and crush him.

But then he remembered he had his whole group to back him up. "W-What are you idiots waiting for?!" He yelled, voice shaky. "Get him off me! Make him pay!"

Asbel watched as the group surrounded him, countless arms dragging him from the fallen boy and throwing him towards a wall. Air escaped from his lungs as his back crashed against hard bricks, and he dropped to his hands and knees, gasping. He barely had enough time to catch his breath before a boot kicked him on the ribs, making him roll across the damp pavement to stop at another boy's feet.

Head spinning, Asbel felt someone stomp on his chest, pinning him to the ground. He tried to look up, but his vision was too blurry. Nothing would come properly into focus.

"Not so brave now, right, little lordling?" The bully poked with his wooden sword at Asbel's face, as if torturing an unfortunate stray dog. "I bet a rich boy like you never thought he'd end up sprawled on the floor like this."

There was laughter; cruel, harsh, and terrible. But Asbel couldn't hear it. His surroundings faded away as he was taken back to years before, to a dark night in dark catacombs. Bodies thrown to the ground, falling motionless, reeking of blood. The death of a friend. He had been powerless against a much stronger opponent, and had failed to protect those dear to him.

The memories burned inside him. When he spoke, his voice came out as steel, sharper than any sword he had ever wielded.

"Get off me."

The whole group froze, shocked by the sound that left Asbel's lips. For a second, they did look as if they were about to run, their eyes wide and full of fear in contrast to Asbel's piercing azure gaze. But Asbel was the one on the floor, trapped under their boots; and as soon as this dawned on them, smirks crept back to their faces.

"Quit trying to scare us away, Lhant boy!"

"You act like you're so strong, but you're helpless against us!"

"Why didn't you even try to fight back?"

"If you're as good as you think you are, you should be able to steal one of our swords and beat us with it!"

Asbel's face was swollen, bruised, caked with dirt and dried blood. His eyes, however, remained clearer than the sky. "I won't try to attack you! We're in the Academy together, training to be knights. And knights aren't supposed to get into petty, pointless fights!"

The group of bullies faltered again, getting on the verge of backing away - but they all thought of Asbel, the perfect aspiring knight, the boy that surpassed every instructors' expectations - and their jealousy flared.

"Stop talking like you're already a knight! You're not one, and you never will be!"

There was a cheer of approval following the angry words, and a flurry of kicks fell over Asbel's body. He curled into a ball, trying to shield his vital organs, the pain growing so intense that his eyes watered. The ever-present cruel laughter resounded in his ears, along with curses and obscenities that were lost to Asbel's wavering consciousness. All he could feel was pain.

The kicking couldn't have lasted more than a minute, but it felt like an eternity to Asbel. When they finally stopped, he was gasping and trembling and almost sobbing. He rolled on his back, trying to will the pain away, but it was hopeless. It would be staying with him for a while.

"Look at you."

Asbel finally opened his eyes. He could barely see, but it was clear that the whole group was still there, around him. He realized his face was soaked with tears.

"Listen to us, Asbel. You won't become a knight. You can't even defend yourself. And someone who can't defend himself can't become a knight."

The words were spoken matter-of-factly. As if they were absolute truth.

"No."

Asbel's voice was broken, weak, barely a whisper. But in the quiet alleyway, it resounded, ominous.

"You know nothing about what being a knight is. It isn't about defending oneself. A true knight must be willing to lay down his life to defend others. He must have the courage to sacrifice himself to save those in need." He paused, every eye locked on him. In the silence, the only sound was that of his heavy breathing.

"You ambushed me while I was on my way to meet my friend, and started beating me because you were jealous. But the reason I made it so far is because there are people I want to protect. That's why I'm stronger than you.

"You guys won't get anywhere if all you have is pride!"

Asbel had barely stopped speaking when he heard a frenzied scream. There was a strong blow to the side of his head, and everything faded to darkness.

Pain.

That was the first thing Asbel was able to feel - every inch of his body seemed to hurt. His head was throbbing, and even the simple action of opening his eyes felt painful. For the time being, he decided it was best to leave them closed.

He tried to remember what had happened. Asbel had been on his way to meet Richard... Yes, they were going to celebrate how quickly he was rising through the trainee ranks. They were to meet at the hilltop on North Barona Road, and Asbel was leaving the city... when he got attacked. By his own fellow students.

Everything returned to him now. The beating, his own words, and the final blow to his head. Giving what he went through, his body was hurting a lot less than it was supposed to.

Actually... that was not the only thing Asbel found weird.

He was far too comfortable. The stone pavement couldn't be this warm and soft. His body also felt dry and clean, while before, he was filthy and sticky with blood.

Curiosity getting the best of him, he opened his eyes. His vision was blurry, and everything around him spun for a moment before coming into focus. And he realized he was no longer in the damp, deserted alley.

Asbel was lying on a feather bed, inside a cozy, fancy chamber, certainly belonging to the most luxurious inn in the city. Small eleth lamps glowed on the walls, lending the room a comfortable yellow illumination. It was meticulously decorated, though one chair was out of place, having been moved from the coffee table to the side of his bed. The wooden furniture was fragrant, and the bed sheets smelled of flowers. There was also a subtle smell of antiseptic, and Asbel found it came from a collection of medicine vials resting on the bedside table. Looking down, he realized he had been thoroughly cared for; his body had been cleaned, his wounds had been bandaged, and from the look of it, his benefactor had even spread balm over his bruises.

Now that he felt safe, his pain seemed to diminish considerably. Being in such a warm bed in such a nice room certainly helped, too. It was a welcome change of scenery from his cramped room at the Academy, and it reminded him of his childhood at the manor. Without the help of his father, Asbel would never be able to afford staying at this inn-

He panicked. What if whoever dumped him there expected him to pay for lodging and medical expenses? He barely had enough money to pay the Academy's tuition. If that came to happen, he'd have to drop out... No, he couldn't, he was supposed to become a knight! That was the reason he ended up here in the first place!

Suddenly, Asbel froze; someone was knocking on the door. What if they had come to charge him money? If only he weren't so injured, he could run away... No, that wasn't knightly. He wouldn't do that, either way. Biting his lip, he watched the doorknob turn, expecting the worst.

However...

"Richard?!"

"Asbel! You're awake!"

The blond prince closed the door and rushed to his side, pushing back the hood of his cloak as he did so. He sat on the chair by his bed - was that the reason it had been placed there? - and took one of his hands into his own. If it had been anyone else, the action might've been painful. But Richard was always so delicate and gentle that Asbel felt soothed instead.

Richard held on to Asbel's hand, his face flushed. "How are you feeling, Asbel? Does it hurt? ...No, that was a silly question, I'm sorry. Of course it hurts. Does it hurt too much? Is there anything I can do? Please tell me if-"

Asbel laughed. That made his body hurt, but he couldn't bring himself to stop.

"A-Asbel? Why are you... why are you laughing?"

"I-I'm sorry, Richard," he said between chuckles, "but that was just too funny. I was expecting some evil contractor to come in here and extort money out of me, but... all along, it was my best friend." He grinned, giving Richard's hand a weak squeeze.

Richard's concerned expression faded into a smile. "You don't need to apologize, Asbel. I was just... I was so worried about you. You had so many injuries..." He trailed off, his gaze falling to the bandages along Asbel's arm.

"I'm way better now, though." Asbel grinned; he was so happy to have Richard by his side. "Thanks, Richard. You patched me up real good."

"W-What? I didn't treat you myself, Asbel," he said, blushing. "I wouldn't even know how to begin. I hired a doctor. The best I could find."

"Oh." Asbel paused, feeling a little silly. Of course the prince wouldn't go about bandaging him. "But thank you, anyway. I... I will pay you back."

Richard frowned. "Don't even speak about it, Asbel. You're my friend. You don't owe me anything."

"But, Richard-" He stopped when the prince glared at him. "Okay, okay. Geez, you look really scary when you do that."

Richard smiled, and brushed a lock of auburn hair from Asbel's face. Then, he stopped for a moment, growing serious again. "Who... who did this to you, Asbel?"

There was no answer. Asbel only looked down at the sheets, at his bruises, at the bandages.

Richard's voice resounded once more, chilling in its coldness. "I will find them. I will have them arrested. They will pay for this, Asbel."

Wide-eyed, Asbel stared at Richard's face. The prince looked angry. Furious, even. He meant every word he said.

"No, Richard! They... they were just kids. Please don't have them punished."

"Just kids, Asbel? Look at what they did to you!" Richard had lost all of his usual calmness. "Do you even know how long I spent waiting for you to wake? I... I thought you..." He trailed off, one hand brushing his glassy eyes.

"Richard... Richard, it's okay. I'm okay." Asbel was now the one holding his friend's hand. "It got out of control. But I'm sure they didn't mean to... really hurt me."

"But they did it, Asbel. They really hurt you." His voice was quiet, almost a murmur. He didn't seem to be angry anymore, only... sad. "Were they... students from the Academy?"

Asbel looked down, muttering a faint 'mmm'. For a while, he remained still, holding Richard's hand - or was Richard the one holding him now?

"They... they didn't know better, Richard. They're... they're still too young."

"...You're barely any older than they are, Asbel."

"I know. But I..."

Silence. Unspoken words hung in the air - "I have been through things they couldn't even dream of." Richard understood; he knew, too, what it meant to be forced to grow older than your age. He had even more darkness in his past than Asbel himself.

"...I'm sorry, Asbel."

Asbel looked up, dragged away from his reverie. "Don't be, Richard. It's not your fault. They will... They will realize it, one day. They will regret what they have done, and learn what being a knight really means."

Richard smiled softly. "You speak as if you're a knight already, Asbel."

"I..." His face flushed. "I didn't mean to sound conceited, I just..."

"Asbel. I wasn't chastising you." One of his hands moved to touch Asbel's cheek. "To me, you're my bravest knight. That's how I've thought of you ever since you saved my life." He smiled again. "My knight, and my best friend."

Asbel couldn't help but smile back, blushing slightly. "I will do my best to serve you, Your Highness."

Richard laughed, and stood from his chair. Asbel's cheek still felt warm where Richard had touched it.

"Well, my dearest knight, I shall now reward you for such unwavering devotion. How does curry sound?"

Asbel's smile widened to a grin. "The best thing I could ask for right now."

Richard ruffled his hair - carefully as not to touch his bandages - and left the room. Smiling to himself, Asbel lay back against his pillows, the warmth in his chest dulling the pain from his wounds. He thought of his future, standing by Richard's side and helping him rule a peaceful country.

Yes... for that, Asbel was willing to endure anything.