"No, Maman… everything is peppermint," Lior said, his voice trembling. "I-I… can I come with you every day? Please…"
Ezra drew in a slow breath and stroked Lior's hair, then gently lifted him onto his lap.
He had just explained that starting soon, maybe even tomorrow, he would have to leave for a few hours each day.
Helios was determined to reinstate him as Captain of the Sunward Sentinels, and with everything the king had said, Ezra knew he would likely return to duty.
He was willing to do it.
If it meant helping Helios regain the king's favor, if it meant protecting the kingdom.
But Lior hadn't taken the news well at all.
Tears clung to the edges of his eyes.
"You used to be okay with me leaving for a few hours, little one," Ezra said gently. "It's the same as before. Just like I told you."
"But everything is peppermint," Lior insisted, his lip wobbling. "Everyone is peppermint."
Ezra's chest tightened. 'Of course it feels like that to him,' he thought. 'Everything here is new. Too new.'
"I know it's scary," Ezra said softly, cupping Lior's chubby cheeks so he had to look at him. "I'm the one who told you to be careful, remember? But Fizzy… that friend you met earlier, he isn't bad. He's like Mr. Frank."
Ezra offered a small smile. "They even both have F names. While I'm gone, he'll make sure you're safe here."
Lior sniffed. "Really…?" he asked quietly. "He's really nice?"
"You met him just earlier, sweetheart," Ezra replied. "Did he seem bad to you?"
Lior puffed his cheeks again, thinking hard, then shook his head. "N-No."
"Exactly." Ezra squeezed his cheeks gently. "You'll be safe as long as you listen to me, my little one."
Lior didn't respond.
He stayed quiet, cheeks still puffed, arms folded against his chest.
Ezra recognized it instantly.
He wasn't scared anymore.
Ezra watched Lior for a long moment. The puffed cheeks. The little furrow between his brows.
The sadness hadn't gone anywhere. It had only gone quiet.
'Think,' Ezra told himself. 'How are you going to make him smile again?'
His gaze drifted around the room, then settled back on Lior's face. Slowly, an idea formed.
"Little one," Ezra said softly. "Do you want a story?"
Lior's eyes lifted almost immediately.
"A story?"
Ezra hid his smile. He knew that look well. Storytime has always worked. On good days. On bad ones. Especially on the days that felt too heavy.
"I know you don't feel like talking right now," Ezra continued gently, brushing his thumb along Lior's arm. "You don't have to say anything. Just listen."
Lior stayed quiet.
Then, after a short pause, he nodded.
Ezra felt his chest loosen just a bit.
"Alright," he murmured, shifting them both so they were more comfortable on the bed. He wrapped one arm around Lior, letting him lean in however he liked. "This one is about a kid. A little older than you, but not by much."
Lior shifted in his lap, curiosity beginning to replace the pout. His head tilted slightly.
"And," Ezra added, lowering his voice the way he always did when a story truly began, "he lived right here. In this kingdom."
That did it.
Lior straightened, eyes wide. He didn't say anything, but the look he gave Ezra was bright and expectant.
'There's my curious boy,' Ezra thought, warmth spreading through his chest.
"He wasn't born important," Ezra went on, smiling softly. "He didn't even have a name at first. And he didn't have a home either."
Lior's fingers curled into Ezra's tunic. "He didn't have a name?"
"Mhm," Ezra nodded.
"That's… sad…"
"It was," Ezra agreed quietly, eyes lifting to the ceiling as he remembered. "He survived by looking through scraps and trash. Sometimes he'd find bread. And when he did, he shared it with his friends before eating any himself."
Lior considered that. "He's nice."
Ezra smiled. "He was."
"One day," Ezra continued, "the nameless kid saw another child in danger. Some bad kids were trying to steal a keepsake the other child got from his own maman. So the nameless kid stepped in and helped him."
"Bad kids," Lior muttered, shaking his head with clear disapproval.
Ezra chuckled. "They really were."
"The kid he saved turned out to be very important," Ezra said. "Very powerful. And because he was grateful, he brought the nameless kid here. Gave him a place to stay. Training. A chance at a better life."
Lior's eyes shone. "And then happy ever after?"
Ezra shook his head gently. "Not yet."
Lior frowned.
"The nameless kid," Ezra said softly, "who we'll now call Crimson, had a hard time adjusting. Life here was very different. And part of him felt like he didn't deserve it. Especially because he had to leave his friends behind."
Lior was quiet again, thinking.
Ezra pressed a gentle kiss to the top of his head.
"Luckily," Ezra said softly, "Crimson was promised something. If he behaved, if he learned, if he adjusted well, he might be allowed to help his friends someday."
His fingers tightened slightly around Lior without him realizing.
"So he worked hard," Ezra continued. "He worked every day. Days turned into weeks. Weeks into months. He learned how to read, how to fight, how to survive in a place that was nothing like the streets he came from."
A faint smile tugged at Ezra's lips. "He worked so hard that, eventually, they let him go see his friends again."
He hadn't thought this far ahead.
As the memories surfaced, so did everything he'd buried with them.
Ezra's gaze dropped to the bed, his voice lowering without meaning to.
"But…" Ezra drew in a slow breath. "His friends weren't there anymore. Well. They were… but not the way he remembered."
Lior's body stilled.
"In this kingdom," Ezra said carefully, "there are monsters called Dark Ones. They were once human. But when they're infected, they die…" He paused, choosing his words. "They turn into Dark Ones too."
"That's scary…" Lior whispered, then froze. "Crimson's friends…?"
Ezra nodded once. "Yes. They became Dark Ones."
"Oh no…" Lior breathed, his small hands clutching Ezra's sleeve.
"Crimson was devastated," Ezra said, his voice thickening despite himself. "He felt like everything he worked for had been too late. Like the world had taken something from him before he even had the chance to hold it again."
'Just like it did to me,' Ezra thought.
"But that's when he finally understood something," Ezra went on. "Why does this place exist? Why are knights trained? Why people fight?"
Ezra lifted his gaze, meeting Lior's eyes.
"This place exists to protect others," he said firmly. "To stop the Dark Ones. To save people before it's too late. Everything inside these walls may seem frightening, but what's outside them is even worse."
He stroked Lior's hair gently. "And it's the people trained here who go out and make sure others can live safely."
Lior was quiet for a moment.
Then he looked up. "Do you… fight Dark Ones too, Maman?"
Ezra smiled, warmth softening the heaviness in his chest. "Yes," he said proudly. "Your Maman is very strong. Even the Dark Ones are scared."
Lior's eyes widened. "Really?"
"Really."
"T-Then…" Lior hesitated, then asked softly, "Did you help Crimson?"
Ezra felt something ache in his chest.
"Yes," Ezra said quietly, pulling Lior a little closer. "I did."
"What happened to Crimson?" Lior asked softly. "Is he still here?"
Ezra nodded. "Not right now but…" He paused, brushing a thumb over Lior's hair. "There's still more to his story."
Lior's eyes lit up immediately. "Really? Can you tell me more, Maman?"
Ezra smiled, a gentle, teasing curve of his lips. "I'd love to, little one. But I'll only tell you the rest of the story when you're a good boy."
Lior's face scrunched up into a pout. "Aw… really, Maman?"
"Really," Ezra said warmly. "So you have to behave, alright?"
"EEH–" Before Lior could protest further, a knock sounded at the door.
"Uh, Sir Ezra?"
Ezra looked up, recognizing Fizzy's voice on the other side. He gently set Lior down on the bed. "Stay here for a moment, okay?"
Lior nodded, still pouting faintly.
"Yes, Fizzy?" Ezra called as he moved toward the door, already assuming the food had arrived.
But when he opened it, Fizzy's expression was different. More careful.
"Sir Ezra," Fizzy said quietly, "His Highness, the third prince, Aurien De Luxaelian Sunthyr, is here to speak with you."
Ezra's eyes widened.
'Why…is he here?'