@the-king-of-the-wind || Continued
The admission was somewhat surprising, enough so that it turned the monarch’s head as they walked down the familiar hallway. Normally someone in his position would do their utmost to hide such things, to convey an image of righteousness. Yet not only did he admit to something more would consider questionable, he did so without any prompting.
“I had already guessed your skills more than simply the conventional sort.” Not just anyone could sneak into his office as Isaac had, must less nearly undetected. He had learned such things somewhere and he was not a novice by any means. “And I have seen for myself you’ve a great degree of aptitude with them. Had I not been in my office, you very well may have gone undetected.”
Richard paused. It would be wise to inquire, to try and find out where Isaac had learned such things, why he so practiced in skills none ought have need for. Yet so too does he know what it like to have darkness linger in one’s past.
“I think many have things we wish we not so skilled at. I could name a great many myself. It is not so terribly uncommon as one might think. What matters, is how one chooses to make use of those skills. Though your motives were quite questionable initially, you have worked hard, without complaint, to prove your intentions.”
Time alone would tell now if this man one to be trusted.
“You had nothing to gain by admitting that, yet you were frank with me. If nothing else, know I appreciate that very much.” There were far too few people with such honesty in this world.
Even with his efforts to prove he meant the king no harm, Isaac found guilt in his attempt to sneak in to the castle. How differently things could have gone if he’s walked through the front door and made his case to the king directly? It didn’t guarantee any favorable results, but it wouldn’t have left Isaac feeling like scum. He couldn’t change the past, even as Aeon’s assistant, but he could try being completely honest with Richard and see if it helped.
Isaac almost wanted to laugh. Could the mission have gone that smoothly? Him slipping in, finding the sword Aeon sent him for, then running off to face the monster that threatened the land, all without any detection by King Richard? Getting caught y him almost seemed pre-ordained, which wasn’t unlikely knowing Aeon... “When I first started learning those skills, I had no idea how sinister they could be. I was naive.”
Isaac’s past was hardly dark. He lived a carefree life like any noble would. It wasn’t until he was eighteen and Aeon approached him for the first time that things changed. It was simple enough really. He was told he’d been chosen to aid Aeon, and after being buttered up with words like ‘hero’ and such, he heartily accepted. His training was difficult and Aeon was a demanding teacher, not sparing Isaac any pain he may feel in a real battle, but it taught Isaac well. It wasn’t until he was asked to kill did Isaac start to realize the true nature of his situation. He was not some destined hero. His mother owed a debt and his services had been the requested payment.
What skills did Richard have that he wished he could do without? Just what was the king’s past? “My skills...are so that I may handle any situation regardless of tools available to me. I am told what I do is for the greater good, I do not agree with the methods I’m asked to employ.” But the plans Aeon had cooked up seldom had an alternative options. Isaac did trust Aeon know the best course of action, even if it meant taking a life. It didn’t matter if the person was pure or pure evil; a life was a life.
He looked to Richard and felt a lump growing in his throat. “You’re welcome, your Majesty. I’d rather not keep secrets from you.” Nor anyone for that matter, but there were times where Isaac donned a mask a played out a persona far different from his own just for the sake of keeping distance between himself and those he encountered on a mission.
