Ronodin's Backstory

Part 6

"Syndra did it!" Cairnon exclaimed when he saw Ronodin.

Ronodin grinned. "She sure did."

"What happened yesterday?"

Ronodin grimaced. "Nothing important. I should've known better than to- well, you know. But I'm here now, and thanks to Syndra, everything's going to be fine. I don't have long, so we need to get started on your-" he stopped as Cairnon put a hand on his shoulder. "What are you doing?"
"You need to slow down," Cairnon laughed. "You aren't even going to say hi? Ask how I am? Make sure I'm not dying?"

Ronodin rolled his eyes. "I saw you yesterday."

Cairnon pouted.

Ronodin groaned. "Fine. Hi Cairnon, how are you? You're not dying are you?"

"Well, that's a silly question. Of course I'm not dying."

"But-"

"Skip the pleasantries, Ronnie, we've got training to do."

Ronodin opened his mouth to object, but swallowed his retort with a sigh. "You're lucky I like you," he grumbled.

Cairnon grinned. "You like me?"

Ronodin's eyes widened. "I- what? No- not like- not like that!"

Cairnon gave him a playful shove. "I know that. You've really got to learn how to take a joke. You'd think I just revealed your deepest darkest secret by the way you reacted."

"Right," Ronodin mumbled.

"Cheer up and get your sword ready."

Ronodin pushed away his bruised feelings and Syndra's echoing words. He'll never know how you feel unless you tell him.

"No," Ronodin thought. "That's not how I feel. And even if I did- which I don't- it wouldn't matter. I've never mattered, why would that change now?"

"Ronnie," Cairnon said, waving his hand in front of his friend's eyes. "Anyone home?"

Ronodin snapped out of his scrambled thoughts. "Right. Sword. Sorry." He pulled out his horn and willed it into its sword form.

"Aren't you going to do the- uh- thing to them?"

Ronodin yawned, the long day finally catching up with him. "The thing? You mean the protection spell?"

Cairnon nodded.

"Why don't you try it? I'll watch and make sure you do it right."

Cairnon gulped. "Maybe you should just do it."

"You're never going to get any better if you don't try," Ronodin said.

Cairnon sighed and put his hand on his sword, brow scrunched in concentration. After a moment, the air around his sword shimmered, covering the blade in a veil of magic that wavered for a second then solidified. Ronodin nodded his approval.

"Looks right," he said.

"Looks right?" Cairnon questioned. "You aren't going to check it?"

"I'm sure it's fine," Ronodin responded. "We've kind of got to get going here; there isn't much time today."

Cairnon sighed. "Right, sorry."

"It's all good." Ronodin raised his blade, and Cairnon slowly followed suit. "Are you sure you're ready, Cairn?"

Cairnon nodded.

"You don't seem-"

"Ronodin. I'm fine, okay? I just need to get this down. I'm already behind as it is and I keep feeling like I'm never going to make it into the Queen's guard."