Chapter Text
The sun of Faunacht could be as merciless as its monsters. No breeze brought refreshment, not a single cloud wanted to cast a shadow over the training grounds.
Eden really didn't felt like training today. Roasting in his armour, he watched the soldiers groan under Klara's iron fist.
She had as much mercy as the sun.
Rested against a wooden fence, Eden let his gaze wander over the training grounds. His interest fell on Linard, prowling between tents, looking for who-knows-what. How come he didn't look all tarnished and forworn under the cruel reign of this cruel heat? Not a single drop of sweat on this handsome face, his hair, in perfect shape as always and no sign of fatigue in those ever-watchful eyes...
“What yer staring at, Cap?” Robin's cheeky voice pulled Eden out of thoughts he didn't even know he was having.
He blinked, mildly embarrassed to get caught gawking at Linard like this.
“Or should I rather ask who you're staring at?” Robin grinned after he'd followed Eden's gaze.
“Ah, shut it, Robin,” Eden said and tried to sound as casual as possible.
“I know that look on your face,” Robin continued to poke. “Same look you always gave the son of the shoe maker. What was his name again...?”
“This is nothing like that,” Eden felt the need to explain, raising his hands in an appeasing way. “I am just wondering... how does he do that?”
“Does what?” Robin wanted to know and got on his toes to get a better view at Linard.
“Don't you notice how refreshed he seems, how unaffected by the heat? I am roasting over here and get exhausted from taking a breath, meanwhile he's patrolling since who-knows-what-hour in full armour and there's not even a drop of sweat on his skin.”
“Who knows,” Robin said and hopped on the fence. “Magic, probably? Or maybe his cold gaze provides enough chill,” he grinned at Eden who could just roll his eyes, “I mean. It's like he radiates ice just from his mere pre-” Robin cut himself off the moment he noticed a shadow behind him.
“Anything in particular you two are staring at?” Linard asked, his voice sounding collected but with that ever-lurking hint of a knife underneath.
“We weren't staring,” Eden lied.
“Oh we were,” Robin corrected. “We were just wondering why you're so unaffected by the heat? It doesn't seem to bother you at all. What's your secret? Ice magic? “
Now it was Linard who stared at the pair, his arms crossed over his chest, his face as stern as always.
“Training,” he finally said.
Robin and Eden exchanged a questioning look.
“Two years,” Linard explained with emphasis, watching both of them with certain disappointment. “Two years we're out here in the desert and you two want to tell me that the heat still affects you? Training does not mean to steel your muscles and torture your body like Klara does. Training does not mean to shoot hundreds of arrows in the dark into a tree. It means endurance. Perseverance. To stand every condition.”
Eden could tell from the look on his face that Robin took this personal.
“Gods, way to take a joke...” Robin mumbled and hopped down from the fence. He lifted his hand as a goodbye and wandered off towards the shades of the tents.
Eden sighed.
“You didn't had to mention the arrows now, did you. No one else tries as hard as Robin to be a better version of himself. You shouldn't have-”
“I know,” Linard interrupted him and for a second Eden could swear that Linard's voice sounded gentle for a change.
“What about you?” Linard asked then, sharp. “Do you try as hard as him?”
“I-” Eden started. Well. Did he? He sure should train these weird powers that lurked inside of him. And yet, even after two years, he had barely any control over it. A lame flash of lightning that liked to hit random spots and never where he aimed at. Some crackling and sizzling between his fingers that just didn't want to be more. And Albrecht was much too patient with him all the time. Eden assumed that Albrecht's fascination for Venezeus and the Eidolon's powers simply kept him from pushing Eden harder in training or... or maybe he believed that Eden just lacked the ability to wield these primal forces at all.
“That's a no, isn't it,” Linard concluded. Weirdly enough, he didn't sound judging at all.
Eden let out a heavy sigh and wiped some sweat off his brow.
“I just don't understand magic. Suddenly I get a Grimoire handed over and Albrecht assumes I can just wield it. I tried to talk to Gabriel, tried to figure out how he does it... he wasn't born a prodigy either, he was a smiths apprentice and yet he throws fire balls now. I just... I like steel. You know? A trusty sword is so much more predictable.”
Linard let out a hum and gazed Eden up from tip to toe.
“Get out of your armour,” he then said in all seriousness.
“What? If you want to get me naked, you have to offer me some wine first,” Eden joked but one grim glance of Linard made Eden shut up.
“While you have to get suited to learn how to wield magic in armour eventually, it is better if you get comfortable using it in the first place. You will see that it comes easier when the movement of your body isn't as hindered and no weight of heavy plates pulls you down,” Linard continued unimpressed and walked towards the training grounds, Eden on his heels.
“Are you going to get out of your armour, too?” Eden asked perky.
“No.” Was the very flat and very simple answer.
“Not really fair, don't you think... I am much more vulnerable to you this way... plus you can see how drenched my shirt is from all the sweat and that's embarrassing, you shouldn't see your commander like this!” Eden joked while he peeled himself out of his heavy armour.
Linard wrapped himself in stoic silence, his mouth didn't even twitch amused, he just waited patiently for Eden to lose every piece of metal.
“Alright,” Eden huffed, finally freed from his armour, “so how do we start this, Albrecht always has me-”
A heavy gust of wind knocked Eden from his feet and threw him into the dirt. Coughing from dust, he slowly got back up.
“What the-!” he started but any word of protest was cut off by Linard who just threw another blast of air against Eden.
“Lesson number one: never get caught off guard.” Linard said.
Eden worked himself back on his feet a second time. He frowned deeply. However this time he wouldn't do the mistake again to waste time and breath by stammering some words. He tried to remember what Albrecht had taught him: that a Grimoire wasn't like a weapon, wasn't like his sword. It was a focus to concentrate and focus spells into mighty and destructive forces of nature - but it wasn't necessarily needed.
Eden ducked under another sharp wind gust and concentrated on their surroundings. The scorching sun, the torrid desert they were in, the warm sand under his feet, the sweltering air. Fire. He watched how Linard pulled his arm back and at the same moment, Eden's own hand shot forward. A small yet heavy blast of flames exploded against Linard's chest and made him stumble, he lost his aim and his spell shot off into the sky.
“Ha!” Eden yelled triumphant and decided that he wouldn't give Linard a moment to collect himself. With the very same focus he yanked his other arm forward, throwing another fiery missile.
Yet Linard decided to block it off with a fire blast of his own, resulting in a medium explosion between them. The blast wave let both of them stumble backwards and for a second, Eden was seriously concerned. That could've gone wrong, very wrong...
“Wait, Linard! When we fight with swords we use wooden ones, shouldn't we... I mean isn't this dangerous?!”
“Isn't that the point?” Linard just said while flames and sparks already started to ignite around his fingers.
Eden felt cold sweat running down his spine and suddenly he wasn't so sure if that was due to the blistering sun. Carefully he watched Linard's arm, focused on his gaze, tried to predict where he would hit. Throwing himself to the side, he managed to evade a fire ball from the size of a pumpkin.
“I start to think that Albrecht treats you with velvet gloves,” Linard said.
Eden narrowed his eyes. Then he noticed something. Linard's gaze seemed glued on Eden's movements but he never really moved much of his own. With that a smirk crossed Eden's face.
“Balastar will not do that when you face him again,” Linard continued and formed another, even bigger fire ball. Under different circumstances, Eden would've wondered if Linard planned to set the whole training ground on fire but right now his mind was blank and just focused on his next move.
Right when Linard's fingers clenched into a fist like they always did shortly before he let his fire spells erupt, Eden dashed forward.
It clearly took Linard by surprise to get tackled down all of a sudden, considering that the smaller Eden, not wearing any armour at all, threw himself against the taller Linard who was clad in full battle mage garment.
A muffled noise told Eden that Linard had landed hard and unprepared on his back. The spell he'd held evaporated into the air and he suddenly faced a fist close to his face, with fingers glittering from ice around them.
Eden sat astride on top of Linard, one hand on his shoulder to press him down and one raised into a fist, forming an ice spell. He wore quite the cocky smirk on his face, despite his heavy breathing.
Linard took in a deep breath and narrowed his eyes slightly.
For a second or two the air between them was so tense, it could be cut with a knife.
“Not bad,” Linard finally admitted through gritted teeth and that was when Eden laughed and got off of him. He offered Linard a hand and helped him out of the dust.
“You caught me off guard. I clearly underestimated you,” Linard said and dusted himself off, trying to regain his countenance.
“Lesson number one: never get caught off guard,” Eden repeated Linard's own words who only answered with a grumpy: “hmpf.”
“You were right,” Eden said and plucked up his armour from the sides of the training ground. “It was much easier to form spells when my arms had more freedom. Plus it was also much easier to evade your spells that way.”
Linard nodded. His way of saying 'you're welcome, always at your service, no problem Eden, you can come to me anytime.'
“I need to find a river to bath in now,” Eden breathed out and let his hand run through his hair that clinched all wet and sweaty against his forehead. Walking past Linard, Eden put a hand on his shoulder and smiled up to him.
“And Linard? Thank you. Think I learned a valuable thing or two.”
With these words Eden left the training ground. He didn't turn around and yet he could feel Linard's gaze on his back. Maybe, Eden thought amused, he wasn't the only one staring at someone...