#non-apprentice

Aric Vernersson / Aedan 

Where do they live?: He lived in a fishing village with his parents and sister. Now, he lives in the palace. 

Is your character considered plain, ugly, beautiful? Would the character agree with this assessment? He's a handsome son-of-a-bitch. Just ask him. 

Does your character lose a parent/caregiver?: He had to leave his family when his cousin, Morga, sent Linnea and himself to look out for Montag. Eventually, they will succumb to the plague, along with most of their village and extended family. 

Does something else happen that changes everything for him or her?: Serving under Lucio. 

How old is your character when this happens?: He was 18 when he was sent to Vesuvia. He serves under Lucio for 6 years and dies just before his 25th birthday. 

How does this affect the character?: He had to give up most of his passions and learn how to be subservient and structured. 

Does his or her social status change during childhood? If it does, why does this happen and how does it affect the character?: He was used to being a member of a tribe. It was a hell of a culture shock. Thankfully, his father had always been a storyteller, so he knew how things were outside of the village, and they did travel some. But, Vesuvia is a whole other ball of wax. Being part of Lucio's inner circle is very insulating and lonely, but he finds ways of making fast friends. 

What is your character’s relationship with his or her caregivers like?: He adored his father, who taught him what it was to be a decent man and to be giving to others and see the beauty in the world. His mother was his strength and always pushed him to learn and observe, and how to treat people with dignity and grace. 

Who does your character love most?: He loves his sister, but the nature of their arrangement doesn't allow them to be near one another often. He loves Lucio like a brother, but Lucio's head is pretty far up his own ass. There's a couple girls that work in the kitchen that he doesn't mind spending time with, especially when they can make it a...group activity. 

Is he or she popular?: Yep. He is fortunate to be well compensated for his time and efforts with Lucio, which isn't afforded all palace staff. He likes to share his good fortune with the underserved in town, making sure that the dock kids have something hot to eat or clean to wear. He can't do much, and it's all very hush-hush so word doesn't get back to Lucio. He also likes to bring gifts to the other staff. Flowers, jewelry, sweets. Even for the courtiers, to keep in their good graces, though they scare the ever-loving fuck out of him. He also likes to bring Lucio spiced cookies, the thin ginger ones, like dad made, from their family recipe. 

What interests, hobbies, and sports does your character enjoy?: He loves fishing and he's a hell of a hunter. Lucio gifted him a hunting dog on his 20th birthday, like Mercedes and Melchior, but with brown patches. He thinks the gladiator matches are amazing but doesn't care for how they treat that poor Scourge fellow in the slightest. 

What is the character’s greatest fear?: That he'll never be able to reach Lucio and that something will go wrong. Valdemar is also nightmare fuel. 

Did your character complete his or her education?: He never had a formal education. 

What does your character do for a living?: Royal guard. Professional bro. 

 What goals does your character have?: He might settle down with a nice girl, someday. Maybe. For now, Lucio is a full-time job. 

Is your character in a relationship?: Nope. 

How many times has he or she been ‘in love’? How have these people influenced the character?: He thinks people rush to "love" way too fast. His parents had an arranged marriage of sorts and they worked out fine.

How do they see the world?: The world is awesome. I mean, have you seen it? Fucking growing stuff and water and fish and birds. Shit's incredible. People are pretty cool and most of them are nice. 

Is your character independent?: Not really. He likes people. People like him. 

Does he or she live alone or with somebody?: He lives in the palace. There's always someone nearby. 

Does your character have children?: Nope. 

What is your character’s favorite quotation?: Friendship needs no words — it is solitude delivered from the anguish of loneliness.

Aedan trailed Lucio. Ebba close at his heel. Mercedes and Melchior were somewhere, far up ahead, probably scaring any game within several mile radii into hiding.

As with most activities with Lucio, it was a better idea in theory, than in practice. Aedan loved hunting. This, on the other hand, was walking in the forest and watching Lucio get pissed off. Which, while entertaining, was not the point of the endeavor.

They had managed one kill. A rabbit. Which Melchior had thoroughly mangled. The dogs had zero bite control when it came to retrieval. They were sweet dogs, but untrained, and dumb as a bag of hammers. The rabbit was unsalvagable. Thank the gods they weren't counting on this for survival.

A cry from above caught Aedan's attention. He'd know that sound anywhere. "Duckhawk," he muttered, looking up. Sure enough, there it was. A brown and white bird on the breeze. Soaring overhead.

"Duck...what?" Lucio stopped and looked over his shoulder, eyebrow arched. "That's not a duck. It's a falcon."

"Yes, Your Excellency. I am aware." Aedan replied, rolling his eyes. It was a Peregrine Falcon. Known to his mother's people as a Duckhawk.

"Have you ever seen a duck before? We have them at the palace. They swim in the fountain. They quack." Lucio continued, mocking.

Aedan sighed. "Yes, Lucio. I know what ducks are. Where I'm from that particular bird is called a duck hawk. I know you call it a peregrine falcon. It's a...regional distinction."

"So people are stupid where you come from?" Lucio turned to face him, arms crossed. He was fully smiling, now, teeth bared.

Well, at least he'd gotten him to stop bitching about the poor hunting.

"It's a po-tay-to/po-tah-to situation, bud. I know what the fuckin' bird is." Aedan said, playfully. Verbiage another guard wouldn't have gotten away with. But, when they were alone, like this, Aedan knew that the boundaries were much laxer.

"I'm not sure you do. Calling falcons ducks." Lucio laughed. "What kind of ignorant shit is that?"

Aedan laughed, breathy. "You wanna talk about ignorant? Have you met you?"

Lucio barked a laugh. "Me? I'm the fucking Count, motherfucker. I run this shit." He swirled an alchemical finger in the air.

"Which only proves failing upwards is a thing." Aedan retorted, eyebrow arched.

They both burst into laughter. Aedan shook his head and reached into his satchel, producing a small bag. He opened it and extended his arm to Lucio. "Cookie?"

Lucio sobered, reaching out to take the pouch from his hand. He sniffed it, warily. Then, his eyes softened a bit. "Where the hell did you get these?" He said, quiet.

Aedan scratched the back of his neck, looking away. "It's...an old recipe. I showed some of the kitchen girls how to make it. I mean, they're a bit thicker than I like them but...they got the spice right."

"Where the fuck did you get a recipe for Pepparkakor? I haven't had these in..." Decades. Since he was a kid.

Aedan waved his hand, dismissive. "Just...one of those things. Someone passing through passed it on to someone in the village. No big deal."  

Lucio pulled a cookie from the bag and held it between two pointed fingers. Star-shaped. It was thin, but Aedan was right, just a little too thick. They were intensely fragrant, with cinnamon, clove, ginger, cardamom. A light dusting of confectioners sugar clinging. He placed it in his mouth. It snapped when he bit it, and then melted on his tongue. He closed his eyes. "Fuck me." He muttered, sighing.

"Good, ja?" Aedan watched, appraising him.

Lucio's eyes snapped open, eyes darting over Aedan. "Yeah...yeah. Good."

Aedan stuck his hand out, to retrieve the bag. Lucio placed a single cookie in his hand.

"Really, bud?" he asked, incredulous.

"Yeah. Fuck you. My cookies now," Lucio teased. "Be grateful I shared. You're welcome."

Aedan rolled his eyes and retrieved a bag of jerky from the bag. He was nothing if not prepared. Bad hunting was always made better by good hunting snacks. He took a piece for himself, and offered a piece to Ebba, who gratefully accepted, gently taking it from his flattened palm. He looked past Lucio into the distance.

"Where're your fuckin' dogs?" he asked.

Lucio turned, throwing a hand up in frustration. "Fucked if I know. If I had to guess they're up to their fucking ears in that muddy creek." He shook his head, then shrugged. "They'll come back. They always do."

Aedan scanned the scene and saw a downed tree. "Well, this has been goddamn useless. I'm gonna take a load off. You?"

Lucio nodded, resigned.

Together they sat. They passed the food back and forth. Dried fruit. Smoked almonds. Jerky. Aedan had even packed a block of cheese and a cheese knife.

"You got a whole goddamn charcuterie platter in there?" Lucio asked, a bit taken back by the spread.

"Close enough,"  Aedan replied.

They sat in companionable silence for a while, munching. It was a nice day. Warm, but wet. Overcast. The sky was white. The "duck hawk" was sitting on a branch overhead, observing them. Lucio stared up at it.

"Tell me about your village. I gotta know more about you ignorant fucks."

Aedan pulled a face. "You know that's my mommy you're talking about, right? I oughta beat your ass."

"Go for it. I'd like to see you try." Lucio laughed. "Seriously. What's the deal?"

"You wanna talk about me? Serious?" Aedan retorted. "You feelin' okay?"

Lucio narrowed his eyes. "Storytime. Do as you're told."

Aedan put his hands up in concession. "Fine, just remember, you asked."

He regaled him with stories from the village. Tales of crabbing. Diving, looking for abalone. He pulled his hunting knife from his boot, showing him the beautiful shell inlay in the hilt. A gift made by his mother and father when he was a child. A treasure. He talked about the mystics, like his mother and sister. Lucio perked up when he talked about the Datura ceremony.

"So, drugs. They had you doing drugs? For your 13th birthday?"

"I mean...you're not wrong." Aedan shrugged. "It's...a rite of passage. You see your dream helper. It's not exactly a good time. Unless you think feeling like your whole body is on fire and your eyes are burning out of your skull while an old man wafts stinking smoke in your face is fun. And that shit does not wear off for a while. And it can really fuck with your..." he waved his hand at the side of his head. "...brain. It took me a long time to get leveled out afterward."

Lucio tilted his head. "But, it worked? You saw your 'dream helper'?"

"Yeah...for all of us, it's pretty much the same." He said, pointing upwards at the bird. "Duck hawk."

"Huh," Lucio said, following his hand. "Interesting. What did it tell you?"

"It...showed me things. A great city. Great fortune. Loss. A lot of loss. There were weird visions of...bugs. Beetles. I felt death." He said, shifting uncomfortably. "I don't know. A lot of it didn't make sense. And I was a kid. And, it's a poisonous plant administered by an old fucker in a hut. Would not recommend."

"I'd like to try it, sometime," Lucio said.

Aedan rolled his eyes. "I'm not at all surprised by that information." He shook his head. "If you're serious...I know someone who can do the thing. But you have to swear not to hold her responsible for whatever happens."

"You think an apple is the thing that's gonna put me under? Please." Lucio laughed.

"Thornapple. Important distinction. And, it's entirely possible that it could be. It's not really something to fuck with." He cautioned, somewhat more serious. "But, the girl knows what she's doing. You'll be fine. Probably. Hopefully."

Then, across the clearing, two streaks of muddy brown, galloping towards them.

"Oh, fucking shit," Lucio swore, standing. "MERCEDES! MELCHIOR!" He stomped off to retrieve them. Aedan roared with laughter, nearly falling off the log. Lucio scrambled after them. "Fucking HELP ME!"

---

Some months later, in spring, at a private dinner with Lucio and Nadia Lucio produced a mid-sized box and passed it over to Aedan, a wicked grin on his face. The box rocked back and forth in his hands like something was moving inside. He heard tiny quacks from inside and made quick work of opening it. A tiny duckling. A mallard. Still yellow and brown. He scooped it up in his hands, equal parts baffled and amused.

"That is a duck," Lucio said, howling with laughter. Aedan laughed, too, stroking its downy feathers.

"Oh, you fucker," he replied, planting a kiss on the tiny beak. "I love him."

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