The Lout's Pet Squirrel (og alcale)

Part 5

Perhaps Alver relaxed too soon.

The elderly servant that attended to Cale on most days kept looking at him.

Not the innocent curiosity that one might spare for a fluffy creature that had taken up residence with the young master. No, the sharp look in his otherwise benign features managed to speak volumes.

Alver had bet his entire life on being able to read others well and it had served him well in the political landscape.Now it just meant he could read the eyes of one otherwise innocuous servant.

Those eyes said I know what you are and I'm going to amuse myself with you when you're alone.

Alver made a point to stick to Cale like glue when he first felt that sharp gaze pinning him in place.

Cale made no effort to hide that he'd picked up a pet squirrel but he desperately hid how kind he was around Alver. Which created some strange situations. Alver couldn't help but disapprove. Cale was lucky that Alver wasn't actually a wild animal, otherwise this behavior might have scared the poor thing senseless.

As it was, Alver was nervous as well.

"...is that...?"

"...I heard but it's still weird..."

Distant whispers of servants could be heard with Alver's sensitive ears and he peeked down at Cale's face to determine if the lout had noticed.

He needn't have looked, Cale had already stopped scratching behind Alver's ear and tossed Alver carelessly onto his shoulder. Alver held on for dear life before adjusting to the new position and glaring at Cale with a disapproving chitter.

Alver supposed it was lucky that Cale hadn't placed him on the ground like last time and yelled at him to get lost. He might have a grudge over that one. Alver would have listened to Cale's dishonest demand out of spite alone if he hadn't spotted the elderly servant watching nearby.

Alver had hurriedly climbed up Cale's pants and nestled himself in Cale's pocket, causing the lout to curse at him but seemingly give up before storming away with the squirrel safely tucked in.

Dishonest.

That was his current theory to explain Cale's incongruent behavior. It made the most sense to Alver. Cale was simply a completely different person behind closed doors and it was only the presence of watching eyes that triggered his change in demeanor. Alver didn't have any proof this was the truth though. Aside from that first breakdown after Alver lashed out at him, Cale kept his emotions and thoughts locked tight.

If not for Cale's bad habit of talking to himself, Alver wouldn't know anything about him at all.

Today, he knew that Cale was heading toward the training grounds because of his sister. Cale grumbled about it while getting out of bed this morning and made an extra effort to dress appropriately.

Although he was grumbling, Alver couldn't help but sense the tiniest bit of excitement in the way that Cale sped through his normal morning routine.

Does he like his sister or hate her?

A difficult question to answer. Alver had never witnessed Cale being outwardly aggressive toward his siblings but he was dismissive and generally ignored them. From an outward eye, it looked for all the world like he resented them deeply.

Alver could believe that. The 'replacement family' was often resented by the 'replaced'.

The trouble was that Alver was growing quite confident that nothing about Cale was what it seemed on the surface.

"Ah... oraboni."

The slight girl squirmed under her older brother's cool glare and Cale clicked his tongue as though in disapproval.

"Let's get this over with." He said coldly, heading toward the rack of training swords and tossing one at Lilly who caught it deftly.

She nodded, a nervous smile taking over her bright features as she sank into an appropriate sparing position.

Alver wisely hopped off of Cale's shoulder before they started and watched from the sidelines.

They didn't waste time with talking or ceremony, it was an entirely utilitarian spare where Cale made snappish comments about her posture or decisions. To Lilly's credit, she took each criticism with enthusiasm, correcting herself with just the tiniest comment and improving rapidly even within a single spare.

Alver was impressed. She was sure to be an amazing swordsman when she grew up. The control she already maintained over the blade and her clear commitment, drive, and determination gave her an edge.

He was also surprised with just how skilled Cale was. He knew the man had muscles, having witnessed him change more than once, but he hadn't really imagined the famous lout having such elegant form.

Cale had clearly taken his training quite seriously once upon a time. Perhaps even until now.

Complicated feelings threatened Alver as he watched.

Strangely, his gut churned as he remembered Robbit. The scene ought to remind him of Tasha or even Shawn. The years spent under careful tutelage and sparing with his beloved aunt and trusted maternal connections was so similar to the scene in front of him in a way that truly did make his heart ache for it all.

But his mind was lost on Robbit.

One of his younger half brothers. Their age gap was much smaller than Cale and Lilly's, only three years and yet they'd lived their lives so differently.

The third prince was the most ambitious for the throne but Robbit was the most likely contender now that Alver was gone. He was married with a young son, Alver always felt strange that he wasn't close to his nephew considering his own strong relationship with his aunt, and generally popular among the citizens and nobility.

He was the noncontroversial option.

He was also once as small as Lilly.

The Robbit today and even back then had been like a stranger to Cale but he was... a complicated stranger. Alver remembered seeing that awkward shy smile on Robbit's lips when he looked up at Alver during a rare informal meeting between the prince's.

Robbit had shifted uncomfortably under Alver's critical gaze and Alver remembered thinking this child is too weak for the throne before turning away coldly.

How old had they been? It was such a long time ago. Certainly before Alver had learned the value of hiding his emotions and pretending to be friendly even with his enemies.

It was an odd memory to focus on but it made Alver's heart ache.

They weren't brothers anymore. The Crossman family was sure to disown any connection to Alver and disavow him in the strongest possible terms. They were never family, not the way that Alver was family with his maternal connections.

...but there was something about Lilly's awkward attempts to impress her older brother that reminded Alver bitingly of Robbit.

Would things have been different between them if they hadn't been in conflict over the throne?