Kathryn was one of the few outsiders allowed into the knights' training hall. Though this was mostly attributed to her royal status, she liked to believe she had come to be accepted. Or at the very least, deemed not to be a hindrance.
The sunlight glared angrily at all those who were present, pressing onto their backs as if in an attempt to tire them out quicker. A cacophony of sounds jittered in the background— men shouting, training dummies being slashed, the clanging of swords, maces, and a variety of other weapons Kathryn had never bothered to learn the names of.
She sat in the sidelines, mainly to avoid the reek of sweat. In one corner, Stefan went through the motions of his extreme training regime. She had asked him why he went to such lengths, once, and he had answered that the best could only be the best if they trained harder than everyone else. And she whole-heartedly agreed with this back when she was a child, but it was difficult to hold onto that belief when a more talented young prodigy could easily overthrow Stefan with perhaps half the effort.
Kathryn hadn't bothered telling Stefan that. She had a feeling he already knew. And she had a feeling he didn't mind.
When the knights-in-training were dismissed for a quick break, Stefan came to find her immediately, and Abel followed closely behind.
"Kathryn!" Stefan said, flinging his arms around her. She stayed still, even though every instinct in her screamed to move backwards. She could handle smelling like sweat for a while. She had been intending to take a bath after this, anyway. And it wasn't like she'd be going to any formal events where she had to watch her grooming.
Kathryn gave Stefan a light pat on the back, ignoring the dampness that clung to her hand at just that fleeting gesture. Stefan pulled back, a grin spilling across his face. And by the One had it been quite a while since she last saw him. The banquet, was it? When Damien had gotten lost and come back with a bloody lip and she hadn't thought to interrogate him further despite knowing something was wrong?
Kathryn smiled back. She had missed her brother.
"May I have a hug, too?" Abel asked hopefully, and Kathryn was unable to prevent herself from recoiling. Two body odours clinging to her was...something not even she could deal with.
"Sure," Stefan said, stepping in to her rescue, enveloping Abel with his arms. "An odd demand to have, though. It isn't as if you don't feel everyone's...warm embrace when we spar."
Abel sighed, seemingly not minding who the hug came from. "One desires non-hostile physical contact after a while. This is a mind-numbingly violent practice." He looked at Kathryn, and she could sense the wryness in his eyes even from afar. "I have been learning to hack into human bodies since I was initiated. Perhaps this was the wrong profession."
"Nonsense." Stefan fondly ruffled Abel's dark hair. "You've been making quicker progress than any other rookie we've taken in. Why, you might overtake me if you keep at it for a few years."
Abel looked at Kathryn for a second, less biased opinion, but all she could do was shrug. It wasn't her place to decide what was and wasn't wrong for someone not in her family. Even though she did agree with him to some extent. Abel was excellent at what he did, but that didn't mean he was suited for it.
The Golden Boy. He deserved to be a muse for a masterpiece, not a soldier on the battlefield.
"All I can say is that the maids are tremendously disappointed that you are no longer available for courtship."
The face Abel made caused Kathryn to smile. Stefan called it a distraught expression, but she had always felt it was more akin to that of a deer in the lamplight. Caught in flight, unable to process.
"Ah," Abel said, blinking a few times. "I'm...sorry for their loss?"
Stefan ruffled his hair some more. Kathryn laughed. "There is no need to fret. None of them would have been able to claim your hand in the first place."
Abel nodded, a pink hue tinting his ears. How he had managed to charm so many people, Kathryn would never understand. Standards were odd these days.
Kathryn sighed. "That said, may I ask for a moment alone with my brother? There is something I must discuss with him."
"Oh, alright." Abel turned to look at Stefan. "May I visit the gardens? I'm in need of a breath of fresh air, I fear."
Stefan raised an eyebrow. "Why ask me? I'm not your captain."
"No, but you'll allow me to leave. My captain will not," Abel pointed out. "And he cannot reprimand me if I have your permission."
Stefan let out a huff of laughter. "I could have sworn you weren't capable of scheming two weeks ago."
Abel nodded solemnly. "Learning borne of necessity. I might bite someone if I stay cooped up here all day."
"Go ahead, then," Stefan said, waving him away with a smile. "I give you permission."
Kathryn's smile dropped as she watched him depart. Stefan seemed to have noticed, and frowned in concern. "Is something wrong?"
Kathryn looked away. "Damien is being subjected to violence at the academy."
Stefan's eyes widened. "What?"
"Yes. Worse might be the fact that he is trying to hide it." Kathryn stared at her shoes as if they would give her an insight into her brother's mind. Damien usually had no issue with telling her if someone was hurting him. He was protecting this instigator, for some reason.
A gentle hand landed on her shoulder. Kathryn raised her head and was met with her brother's eyes, and knew it was a lost cause. He didn't agree with her.
"Kathryn," Stefan said kindly, "Perhaps he hid it from you because he didn't wish for you to intervene."
"It was Caleb Beirne," Kathryn blurted out.
Stefan froze. Kathryn watched him slowly place the name to a face.
"...Abel's brother?"
"Yes. The younger Beirne."
Kathryn had intercepted the letter that should have gone to Mother, and it had been mentioned there in mockingly black ink. Disciplinary action will be taken against your son for causing intentional harm to another student, Caleb Amadeus Beirne.
"Damien would never have insinuated such a thing," Kathryn rambled on, "They must have some sort of feud with each other. They got into detention over this, too."
Stefan sighed. "You can't fight his battles for him. And I don't believe he wants you to."
One last attempt. She still had one card that might change Stefan's opinion. "He was bleeding."
Stefan looked unimpressed. "That tends to happen when two boys fight, yes."
"But—"
"Do you not think him capable of looking after himself?"
Kathryn blinked. "That...that is not what I meant to imply."
"But it is how you sound."
Kathryn fell silent. That...couldn't be right. She didn't think Damien couldn't handle himself. That was just untrue. It was just...he had always been unassertive. Soft-spoken. And Kathryn had always been the one to deal with the nuisances who bothered him. She didn't know how he would...
Huh.
Stefan was right. She had no faith in Damien's abilities to stand up for himself.
"Kathryn," Stefan said, beginning to sound exasperated. "Do not step in unless he asks you to."
Kathryn looked him in the eye. "I wasn't planning to."