1.8
They say that time flies when you’re having fun. It’s an old earth proverb, passed down from the mother planet to the colonies long ago, along with a litany of other such phrases and slang. It means that when you’re living in the moment, enjoying the time you’re spending with family or friends, that hours seem to slip past in the blink of an eye. If the saying was true, Cameron must have been having the time of his life.
Before he knew it, two weeks had come and gone, and he hadn’t even realized it. He had been too preoccupied, caught up in learning all he could concerning his newfound passion; piloting. His days of late mornings and even later evenings filled with wine, women, and song, had been replaced with a grueling training regimen of Logan’s own design. He was up long before the sun, vomiting from strenuous exercise by the time most of lowland class had risen to tend their fields. At night, he’d nearly have to be dragged by Markus back to his to his bed, body aching, and awake long enough to wolf down leftovers from the dinner he had missed, only to pass out, and do it again the next day. He’d never been happier.
In contrast, Logan had never been more annoyed.
“This isn’t supposed to be fun y’know” He said, looking down at Cameron from the top of a steep incline. “Why the hell do you have that look on your face?”
“W-What look?” Cameron sputtered out in a gasp, looking up at Logan through a mop of black hair, clinging to his sweaty forehead.
“That shit-eating grin.” Logan said, feeling his eye twitching. “It’s weird. No one should be happy doing this.”
The activity in question was a simple and painful one. The pair had taken a private train to a nearby island, where a large plateau sat, hidden amongst the dense foliage of the untouched jungle. There was only one way to reach the summit, and that was through a winding, kilometer long trail, so steep in sections that it would have been easier to climb instead of run up it. But run they did, with Logan sprinting ahead, using his enhanced agility and dexterity honed from years of combat to reach the peak before Cameron had even gotten halfway.
“W-what are you talking about, man? I’m having the time of my life.” Cameron shot back, widening his grin as he came to the last few hundred meters of terrain that ran at a near ninety-degree angle.
“I think I hate you just a little bit more now.” Logan said, watching the prince struggle and slide back a few meters, a wry smile of his own threatening to break his stern gaze as he mused to himself. The kid had heart. Who knew that a simple ride inside of a squire would elicit such a response out of him? He was damn near a different person compared to the spoiled brat logan had met two weeks prior. And though he’d never admit it openly, there was a part of him that looked forward to these early mornings. Whether it was movement, strength training, or combatives, Logan was enjoying his time with the kid as well.
It took a Cameron fifteen more minutes to summit the plateau, crossing the finish line on his hands and knees, dry heaving and dripping sweat. Logan didn’t speak right away. He waited a few minutes, letting the kid catch his breath, choosing instead to sit at the cliff-side in silence, watching the sunrise paint the sky a gentle pink.
It took a while before Logan heard Cameron’s footsteps coming towards him. Still, he kept his back turned to the boy, a silent invitation to come and enjoy the moment with him.
“What are you looking at?” Cameron asked as sat down next to Logan, grunting from pain and exhaustion as he did so.
Logan shrugged, “I guess it’s more when I’m looking, not really a what.”
“Okay…” Cameron said, voice rising in inflection to voice his confusion. “Care to enlighten me or do you just plan to leave me in suspense?”
Logan chuckled, shaking his head, as he nodded in the direction of the capital island. “Just remembering what it looked like when I had first left.”
“Well, has it changed much?”
In all honesty, it had. In terms of the aesthetics that much was definitely certain. The alabaster turrets surrounding the palace were new, looking as if they supported the sun itself from where it crested just over the island. But it wasn’t just Logan’s surroundings that were different. It was as if the very energy of the planet had changed. There was a tension in the air, an underlying current of anxiety and urgency that had kept Logan on edge ever since he touched back down to Ketris. He knew he was there, speaking with Augustus, and shaking his hand, and yet, it felt like his old friend was a million miles away. He was a stranger to this world. Not here to reminisce or bring up good times long past, but to do a job, and then expected to leave without a word. It was enough to cause his stomach to knot up with a feeling of disgust, but he wasn’t about to show it, especially not to Cameron.
“Nah, I don’t think it’s changed too much.” He replied, shaking his head, “Course I’ve spent the last decade and a half as a professional punching back so my memory ain’t all it’s cracked up to be.” He said while tapping his temple, chuckling at his own expense.
Cameron responded with a snicker of his own as he stood, proffering a hand to Logan to help him up. “Maybe. What do you say we head down? Should be able to get back home without having to fight the morning rush.”
Logan raised an eyebrow, a smirk beginning to form on his face. “What are you talking about? Who said we’re done here?”
Cameron gave a look of confusion and shrugged. “Oh… I don’t know. Just figured since we-”
“We’re done when I say we’re done.” Logan said, cutting Cameron off. His tone wasn’t angry or hostile, yet still carried with it an authoritative weight that cause Cameron to nod, a serious look taking over his face.
“Understood, what do you want me to do?” He asked.
Logan responded with actions rather than words. In a flash, he spun and delivered a hard kick to Cameron’s back. It wasn’t a full powered strike, but his enhanced strength made sure it still had enough impact to force Cameron over the edge, tumbling down the steep terrain towards the start of the trail below.
“Run it again!” Logan called out, laughing as he heard Cameron’s curses trail lower in volume the farther down he fell. Logan wasn’t sure if the kid was swearing at him, or the pain of crashing repeatedly into the hard packed dirt, but he knew Cameron meant every word.
There was a one sided tension that filled the train car as Logan and Cameron made their way back to the capital. The car was empty save for the two of them and they used the ample to room to stretch out and relax, each taking a separate side of the car. Well, Logan was relaxed anyway, lounging back against the seat, arms stretched out, smirking at Cameron as the boy glared daggers at him across the way.
“What’s wrong?” Logan asked with a chuckle.
“You’re a fucking sadist, that’s what's wrong.” Cameron shot back in an angry growl.
Logan couldn’t hold his amusement in any longer, clutching his stomach as he laughed heartily. “Oh come on kid. You gotta admit it was at least a little funny.”
“You kicked me off a mountain!” Cameron bellowed.
“First of all,” Logan began, holding up one finger and flashing a smarmy grin. “It was a plateau, a mesa at best. Second of all, you’re alive ain’t you?”
Logan watched as the Cameron eyed him hard, studying him for a moment, before wincing and sitting back, relaxing in his own seat. “I think I’m starting to miss the time when you couldn’t stand me.”
“Who said I can stand you now?”
Cameron’s eye twitched, and Logan knew that was enough jokes for the time being. As much shit he’d given the boy in weeks past, Logan was happy that Cameron had come to enjoy and look forward to their training sessions. It made his job easier of prepping the kid before his ascension to Seneschal at least. He may as well cut him some slack.
He cleared his throat, his smile morphing into one of sincerity instead of amusement, as he looked at Cameron. “All jokes aside, you did good today kid, really.”
This seemed to catch Cameron off guard. He looked up at Logan, meeting his eyes with his own, and raised an eyebrow. “Oh… thanks. I’m really just doing what you tell me to, though.”
“You’d be surprised how hard that can be for some people.” Logan shot back, looking at the window as spoke. “Being able to take orders is just as important as being able to give them.”
“Yeah well… I’ve never been too good at either of those things.” Cameron said, bringing Logan’s attention back to him.
“So I’ve heard,” Logan said. “Any particular reason as to why? Or do you just enjoy making your father’s life a living hell?”
Though he meant it as a joke, Logan felt a pang of regret as he watched Cameron’s face fall into an introspective grimace. He was quiet for a long time, not responding to Logan who was silently cursing himself for ruining the mood. He chewed his lip for a moment trying to think of what to say.
“Kid… I didn’t mean-,” He began, before Cameron cut him off.
“It’s whatever man,” Cameron said, eyes cast down, not meeting Logan’s gaze. “I’ve heard it all before. I just… I wish things were different y’know? I mean, no one wants to be the family fuck up. It’s not fun to be surrounded by people, not because they want to be around you, but because they feel like they need to babysit you.”
A feeling of pity accompanied the regret Logan was feeling as he listened to Cameron vent and he realized that in the time he’d been here, never once did he bother to understand why the kid was the way he was. He looked back out the window and saw that they still had a ways to go before pulling into the station, before turning back to Cameron, who looked like the human equivalent of a kicked puppy.
“And I’m not an idiot,” Cameron continued, his head going up to look at the ceiling, seemingly willing to look anywhere but in Logan’s direction. “I know that this is only a problem of the privileged. ‘Oh I have to be in charge of the military and get to hang out in the royal palace while driving around in a giant mech, woe is me.’ It’s not lost on me that I’m just a brat whining about a job most people would kill to have.”
“Then why are you whining about it?” Logan asked, egging the boy on. He didn’t mean for it to sound harsh or antagonistic, merely wanting Cameron to let it all out.
“Because it’s the lack of a choice, Logan.” Cameron replied, his voice coming out as a growl. Logan could see that he was grinding his teeth, a vein pulsing on his temple as he continued. “That’s everyone else’s privilege. Not mine. It’s not about whether I want to be Seneschal. But what I want, is a choice. I want to set my path and not have it based on some policy written hundreds of years ago. It’s not fair. Because now I have to be the man for the job. They can’t find someone better than me. I’m it. Full stop. But did anyone stop and think about the fact that maybe leading an army isn’t right for me? No. Because I’m going to lead it whether I want to or not.”
The rest of the journey passed in silence, the only sound being the gentle rumble of the high-speed train on its track. Finally, as the train pulled into the station, the hiss of it’s hydraulics sounding out through the relatively quiet morning, Logan spoke up.
“I’m sorry Cameron.” He said, his voice soft and warm, carrying a tone of deep sincerity.
Cameron simply shrugged, shaking his head, eyes looking out the window as he replied. “It is what it is man I’ll be -”
“No.” Logan cut him off, the word coming out as a defiant order that caused Cameron to finally meet the man’s eyes. Logan was staring at him, a look of sympathy on his face, eyes shining with a something akin to a shared understanding.
“I’m sorry for not taking the time. I’m sorry for not trying to understand until now just what you were going through. From everything I’d heard, I thought you were just some spoiled rich kid throwing a tantrum because daddy was making you doing something you didn’t want to do.”
As Logan spoke, he could see Cameron’s head lowering again, going back into a sadness that had probably been affecting the kid long before he’d come around. Cameron needed someone to cut him some slack, and in that moment, Logan was going to fill that need.
“But I was wrong.” He began, his voice keeping in line with a firm authority, causing Camerons forehead to wrinkle in confusion as he looked back up. Logan sighed, looking at him. “You got heart kid, a drive I haven’t seen in a long time. You were just lacking passion I guess. You were lacking a choice, and more than anything, I’m sorry you didn’t get one.”
Logan could see Cameron’s eyes go misty for the briefest moments. He looked visibly more relaxed. Like a heavy weight had been taken off his shoulders. He watched as Cameron chewed the inside of his cheek, trying to think of a reply, but Logan simply held up a hand, cracking a smile in an attempt to cut the emotional atmosphere that had filled the compartment.
“You don’t need to say anything back. Just seemed like it need to be said is all. Besides, I’m paid to be your trainer, not your therapist.”
Cameron chuckled, causing Logan to do the same. Then the kid stood and crossed over to where Logan was sitting, holding out a hand as the doors to the compartment opened.
“Thanks Logan. I appreciate it. Really.”
Logan’s smile grew, and he gave a nod, reaching out to take Cameron’s hand, standing up and turning to look out to the streets of the capital as they filled with commuters on their way to work.
“You’re welcome kid. Now, more importantly, are you hungry?” He asked looking over at Cameron with a raised eyebrow.
Cameron laughed, his grin going ear to ear as he nodded. “Yeah, I could eat.”