The Warden

⭑ · · ᯓ 𐃈 ᯓ · · ⭑

The great axe still felt foreign in Felix’s hands. Yet every time his fingers tightened around the haft, they settled naturally into the grooves in the metal, as though they already knew where to go.

It was the kind of monstrous weapon that would require two hands just to hold upright, but it had an unnatural lightness to it. Or perhaps it just seemed that way to the man holding it.

A war veteran and an experienced fighter, the Warden, meanwhile, choked down fear for the first time since his youth. He was conscripted into the war against the Mad God’s forces on the western frontier, barely a hair on his chin.

He had watched men die laughing until their throats bled and attacking their own friends. Now he looked upon a very different kind of monster, a storybook aberration in the flesh, and the Warden was the only man martially capable of delaying his march to the front gates.

Smoke rose from the prison before him, and the battle faded into little more than a shrill ringing in his ears. Like he had done countless times before on the battlefield, a deep breath brought the Warden back into the moment as he readied his rapier. Studying his younger opponent, he couldn’t help but think something was off about him.

What’s with the kid’s stance? Is he so unconcerned that he doesn’t need to keep his guard up…?

He had heard whispers from his rural post close to the end of the war.

An inhuman weapon, incapable of understanding or mercy, Hero Felix Atlasse. And yet, the man before him behaved as a scared boy awaiting discipline from a father. Explanations ran through the Warden’s head, each more baffling than the last. He searched for the trap hidden in such carelessness from his prisoner and found none.

That frightened and angered him more than any battle cry could have. He gripped his rapier until his knuckles turned white.

Felix felt a chill run up his spine as the energy around the Warden shifted, but his posture remained the same. Kite had placed her faith in him, so he couldn’t turn tail and run, but he didn’t have the experience to predict what would happen next. The best he could hope to do was react and adjust in the moment.

The Warden continued to stew. The man who had marched through the Forgotten Kingdom, the man who slew the Mad God.

The man they warned me about… is this really him?

He remembered back to when Felix was brought to the prison, the ramblings and confusion that made him think he had simply lost his mind. That man hardly matched the legends.

His mind…

A realization struck. What if, the Warden thought. What if his freedom wasn’t the only thing they took away?

The Warden finally broke their stalemate.

“Tell me something, thirty-two.” He said. “And I want the truth.”

“…Yeah?” Felix had no intention of lying, though the break in the tension startled him. “What is it?”

“Do you remember the Hundred-Year-War?”

“Of course. Everyone does.” Felix nodded immediately.

“…Did you fight in it?” The Warden watched him carefully.

“No…” Felix pursed his lips. He told the truth, but something about it felt uncertain. “I was training to be a knight. King Dynas, he…”

The Warden’s stomach dropped.

“…he’s waiting for me, I think. My family too.” Felix said. “That’s why I have to get out, why I can’t let you stop me here.”

“Just one more question, son.” The Warden closed his eyes, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “Do you know who you really are?”

People kept asking him that, and Felix almost laughed until he saw the look on the Warden’s face.

“I’m Felix Atlasse.” He paused. “Isn’t that enough?”

No…

“Then forgive me, son.”

It’s not…

Blood sprayed from a gash in Felix’s shoulder before he had even seen the old man make his move. Had it not been for pure instinct, the rapier would have plunged into his throat, ending the battle in a single instant.

The next slash came from the side, sending sparks flying as the flat of Felix’s axe swung automatically to meet it. Felix’s heart raced faster than his mind could process the thought. He didn’t know what he had said wrong, or why his name sparked such a reaction in everyone, but he was in a fight for survival now.

“—!” A kick landed in the center of his gut, making him roll backwards. The Warden bellowed out a yell as he charged forward again.

Felix had watched the royal knights train countless times from the Studium dormitory overlooking the training yard. He knew what a proper swing was supposed to look like, the years of training it took to fight like one of Aberdeen’s finest.

What he did not know was why his own body suddenly moved as though it had already lived those years.

Every exchange should have ended the fight. Somehow, it didn’t. Felix stumbled from one desperate block to the next, while the Warden found himself giving ground one step at a time.

The blood continued to trickle down Felix’s arm. The adrenaline in his chest dulled the pain, but it was a poor substitute for a chirurgeon’s touch. He knew a simple healing spell or two himself, but as long as his anti-magic cuffs remained, he wouldn’t find time to use them.

Another blast rocked the prison yard as the door beyond the Warden splintered into shards of wood. Chants of freedom sang as the rush of prisoners surged past Felix and the Warden like a babbling stream around a stone.

With the prison collapsing around them, neither paid it any mind as the two men continued to circle one another in a deadly dance.

How, the Warden thought. They took everything from you, and yet…

The great axe met steel, again and again as the Warden's blade chipped away.

How are you still so strong?!

Felix didn’t get careless, but he no longer felt the same mortal fear. With every swing of his weapon, with every sting of his wound, his resolve grew. He couldn’t explain it. Somewhere between the pain and the rhythm of the battle, his hesitation began to disappear.

The Warden could swear he saw the purple stone in the center of the axe twinkle as his opponent became faster, harder to block. The old man let out a chuckle without realizing it. Frustrated as he was, he was relieved in a way. He had received a good fight in place of an execution, and his spirit welcomed the duel.

But his body reacted differently.

“—Ack!” The Warden grabbed at his shoulder, an old wound from the western front arriving at an inopportune moment.

Felix didn’t tire, however, keeping up the onslaught while the Warden retreated to the back foot.

Damn it…

“ARRRRGH—?!” A strange sound interrupted the Warden’s battle cry, as Felix’s axe struck his rapier one final time.

That’s him alright.

The broken tip of the rapier spun several yards away before burying itself in the dirt as the Warden, at last, fell to his knees. Felix hovered over him with his weapon primed and his expression darkening.

“Do it.” The Warden shut his tired eyes.

…

But something stopped Felix from bringing it down.

The killing intent vanished as quickly as it had come—if it had ever belonged to Felix at all. He felt many things, relief first among them and confusion. But hatred for the old soldier? That feeling never came.

And that mercy alone made the Warden rethink his earlier assessment of the man called ‘Felix Atlasse’.

Maybe he isn’t him, after all.

Kite landed gracefully beside Felix, dusting herself off. Her eyes panned between her friend and the Warden, impressed, but congratulations would have to wait.

“The door’s wide open, let’s get out of here, Felix!”

“…Right.”

The Warden looked at Felix’s retreating frame, remembering the dagger in his pocket. He could lunge if he wanted to; he could turn the hero’s mercy against him and finish things here. He could bring the legend to a close.

But he didn’t. Somehow… he couldn’t. The hand that never hesitated during the war, the one that earned him a comfy post and a future retirement in the capital, remained at his side as the most confusing man he’d ever known disappeared from view.

Only after they’d left did he remove the dagger from its sheath on the inside of his blue sequined coat and push himself to his feet. Corpses lay scattered across the courtyard from friend and foe alike. Smoke billowed through as the flames consumed the now-empty prison entrusted to his care.

He simply shook his head with a scoff. A figure appeared from the smoke, one of the Warden’s own.

“Lieutenant.”

“Warden, sir, there were too many of them…” The guard limped up to his commanding officer, favoring his left leg. “I’ve… failed in my mission.”

“No… we have.” The Warden replied, placing a free hand on his pauldroned shoulder.

A force of nature might have just slipped by into the wide world beyond these gates, he thought.

And damned if they’ll let it slide.

“Say, lieutenant? Would you do your commanding officer the honor of one final request?”

“Anything, sir!” He answered all too quickly.

“Then… will you be my second?”

The lieutenant glanced down at the dagger in the Warden’s hand for the first time.

…

“…Of course, sir.”

4.2

“You were incredible out there! Have you been holding out on me?”

“Well, I wouldn’t say that…”

Crows took to the sky as Felix looked back at the smoldering prison in the distance. Burned timber mixed with the damp smells of the forest, and light leaked through the trees above. They never knew freedom could feel so warm and itchy, because of the bug bites.

Trying to put as much distance between them and the scene, they thought of what to do next. Should backup arrive to assess the damage, it was best to be prepared. As they made their way down a dirt path through the woods, Kite stood beside Felix with her hands around the back of her head, putting one talon in front of the other.

“Nah, I mean it, Felix, you fought well!” Kite insisted. “I saw it all from the watchtower; the old fart couldn’t keep up.”

“Yeah, and what about you?” Felix grinned. “I’ve never seen anyone move that fast. My eyes couldn’t keep up either.”

“Hah, well, no one can catch Kite!”

“Then how’d you get locked up in the first place?”

“Hey, you—“ Kite didn’t take kindly to the smug look Felix gave her, so she gave him a playful shove. “That was different, idiot!”

Felix couldn’t help but laugh, but in doing so, his shoulder stung a bit. He sucked air through his teeth.

“You alright?” Kite tilted her head in concern, noticing the gash in his prison jumper.

“Yeah, the wound closed on its own somehow.” Felix flexed his left arm and fingers to test out the pain level. “I should still go see a healer later so it doesn’t get infected, and get these cuffs off too.”

“Huh…” Kite nodded, unconvinced. “You’ve got one weird body, pal.”

“You’re telling me…”

“First that shoulder, and then the way you fought…” Kite pondered over something. “…You really don’t know what you are, do you?”

“I’m beginning to think everyone knows something I don’t.” Felix laughed it off. “But I’m not so slow as to think that there wasn’t something strange going on during that fight…”

The fact that I’m alive is proof of that.

“Well, in any case.” Kite waved her hand. “I don’t care if everyone else thinks you’re some big shot hero. To me, you’re just my buddy Felix. So don’t go getting full of yourself, either, got it?”

Felix’s eyes widened, and a genuinely wide smile painted his cheeks. He nodded in agreement, then looked right into her eyes.

“I’m glad we became buddies, Kite.”

“Jeez, don’t make it weird.” Kite huffed, crossing her arms. The man’s earnestness never ceased to catch her off guard. “We should probably stop yammering already and figure out what we’re gonna do next before the sun goes down.”

“Fair point.” Felix agreed. “We did just break out of a high-security prison.”

Birds chirped overhead, and Kite continued to walk beside Felix, but her steps slowed until she had completely stopped in the middle of the road. A gentle breeze blew, but the young woman said nothing.

“Kite?” Felix turned back. “Everything okay back there?”

“Uhuh, yeah, I’m fine,” Kite mumbled through an eerie grin, shrugging her shoulders. “We just broke out of a prison, is all. Haha… hahaha…”

“Uh, yeees…?” Felix didn’t follow. “We did.”

“…A purse, Felix.” The words were barely audible.

“Hm?”

“I was in for stealing ‘a’ purse, Felix! ONE!” Kite pulled on her winglets, a look of pure exasperation plastered on her face. “One stupid purse! I was almost at time served, too, and now…”

Kite began to pace around, biting her nails. She suddenly looked upwards, yelling at the sky.

“NOW I’M A WANTED FUGITIVE!”

“Well… us.” Felix gestured to himself. “If it helps, I’m wanted too!”

His attempt at comforting words only earned him an incredulous look from the harpy.

“Don’t you get it, Felix?!” Kite shook Felix’s shoulders, but the gravity of the situation didn’t set in, so she began muttering to herself instead. “You know what, forget it. It ain’t like it’s just us they’ll be looking for. Maybe we can slip out of the country, and go some place else… maybe Windia!”

“Hey, Kite…”

“No—Wait, they’ll be checking carriages on the rainbow bridge for stowaways. Then maybe to Crestalis by boat? No, that’s even worse…”

“Kite.”

“But if bounty hunters already know what we look like, there’s gonna be trouble before we can even find transport. Damn it! There’s got to be a–”

“KITE!”

“WHAT?!”

Felix finally managed to get her attention.

“I think I have a better idea.”

“Huh? Seriously?”

“If we run now, we’ll spend the rest of our lives running,” Felix explained. “I won’t be able to clear our names… and I won’t ever see my family again. I can’t accept that.”

“Oh yeah? And what’s this miracle plan?” She was unconvinced, but wholly out of options. “Leaving sounds miserable, sure, but I don’t see how we ever get to live a normal life in the Human Magic Kingdom again.”

“Then we’ll go to the capital, to Aberdeen.”

“…Why?” Kite couldn’t even pretend to be shocked anymore. “How about I just fill myself with arrows instead? It’d be a lot faster than walking up to the gates.”

“I know how it sounds, but trust me on this.” Felix wore a serious expression. “If there’s anyone who will know what happened to me, why I ended up in prison, it’s the King. He’ll clear our names, and we can go back to our lives.”

What life, Kite thought to herself. But there was a bigger problem.

“You’re still on that nonsense?” Kite sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. “We’re already out of prison, you know? You don’t have to make things up anymore to feel better about—“

“—I’m not! I’m being serious here, Kite.” Felix insisted. Suddenly a thought struck him. “The book! I have proof, I have—”

Felix reached for his waistband, and then his pockets. Then every inch of his prison jumper, but still he found nothing. Nothing at all. His shoulders sagged as his arms dropped to his sides in defeat.

The book… it’s gone. My only possession from those days…

“I must have left it behind in my cell during the escape…”

Silence fell between them. Felix looked defeated in a way she hadn’t seen before. His eyes lingered where the old book should have been, and suddenly she understood why he always carried it.

“Listen…” She scratched at the back of her scalp. “I don’t really know what’s going on in that mind of yours, to be frank.”

Felix looked up.

“And I think this whole king business still sounds completely insane, no sugarcoating it.”

“…”

“But…” Kite sighed, finally composed. “I can tell it matters a lot to you. And if the man who saved my life says that he’s got some half-cocked plan to get us out of this mess… Well, I guess I can at least hear him out.”

“Kite…” The light returned to Felix’s eyes.

“A sweet idiot like you is gonna need a hand, though, if you’re gonna make it there in one piece,” Kite smirked a little. “So let’s say—for one second—that you’re telling the truth… What exactly do you think happens when we walk into Aberdeen?”

“He… was like a father to me. He taught me how to read, gave my mother, sister, and me a better life. And all I ever did was chase off a bandit or two that attacked his carriage.” Felix shook his head. “Even so, Dynas, he told me I could be somebody…”

Kite’s expression lost all of its color.

“If anyone can explain why I woke up in prison, how I ended up the way that I did…” Felix nodded. “It’s him. It’s Archmage King Dynas.”

Kite opened her mouth to speak, but closed it just as fast. How could she find the words in such a moment? When his kindness radiated in such a way that it made her feel stupid for being so cynical.

“Felix, Buddy…”

When she knew what she was about to say would break her friend’s heart.

“King Dynas…”

Felix simply stared at her.

“…He’s dead.”