ARD
As they progressed through the fields, Ard kept his gaze upon the surroundings and let his brother handle the conversation. He stared hard at the grasses, the skies, and the looming spire that they slowly approached, weaving along the dirt path through the prairie. Apprehension was a familiar feeling within his chest, and his frown grew more severe. They didn’t know what to expect once they arrived. What if things were just as bad in the Dusk Court as it had been in Vreis’ army? They had no way of knowing, of course, but, well… Ard was nothing if not paranoid.
The younger twins’ eyes, hardy and piercing, turned to focus on Marisol. Even though they followed along peacefully behind her, Ard tried to spot any form of deception from her steady march. He wanted, needed to be prepared for any potential betrayal she might be planning. Yet, he saw none. It seemed as though she struggled to sort through Erd’s boundless questions and his insatiable curiosity, and for a moment he felt an inkling of pity for her. Try growing up with him, he wanted to say, but instead only turned his face away to hide a smirk.
The answers that they had been given seemed to satisfy Erd to some degree, but his brother’s following questions weighed far more than the Halcyon Unit commander might understand. Did she understand cruelty? Did she understand unnecessary, manipulative abuse? Did she understand what it was like to be both hated and coveted, hunted and molested? He knew the depth of the question that his brother would not speak.
Will they scorn us if we misbehave? Will we be starved and beaten if we do not perform adequately? Will we be your enemies?
“… Will they try to kill us?” The question was soft and rough as gravel, escaping Ard’s lips before he could even stop them. He stared hard at the Halcyon Commander, the turquoise of his eyes deep and expression daring as though challenging her as they walked. He watched for any notion of treachery, any hint of foul play. Any, and Ard would take his brother and run. Pacifist though he yearned to be, Ard was no stranger to drawing pointless bloodshed… And he hoped that his first few moments in this new land would not result in such a thing.
He had no doubt that in a fight, Marisol would win. Ard and Erd were not soldiers. They were warlocks; pacifists. Yet they were accustomed to the trials and pointless death of a battlefield. The twins had killed countless during their slavery, but this world… They did not know it. They were foreigners amidst a foreign land, and every advantage belonged to the Commander.
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