Irhaboggle Pride (2023) I Saw the Signs and Symbols

Venus

Waver's secondhand embarrassment from watching Rider coddle his magical bulls was unspeakable. In fact, it was all the young mage could do not to run away as red as his Servant's wild hair. Instead, he crossed his arms and scowled impatiently as Rider cooed at his "noble steeds".

"Aren't you just the bestest bulls in the whole wide world?" he asked, using both hands and arms to pet all four of them at once. It was a comical sight, but anything else would've felt unfair, and Rider had literal eons to perfect the art of petting four bulls at one time.

Waver scoffed under his breath, but Rider heard it. "Get over here, boy," he growled, not taking his gaze from his bulls. "Come pet them."

"What?!" At first, Waver expected to be chastized for scoffing, but somehow, Rider's true proposition was even worse. Unfortunately, Waver didn't have many other options. With a pout, he approached the bulls cautiously. "You can be more forward than that, boy," Rider's low chuckle vibrated deep within his burly chest. He took one of Waver's tiny hand in his own, his finger as large as Waver's palm, and pushed it forward.

"Hey!" Waver stumbled forward, hand suddenly pressed against one of the bull's smooth, warm flanks.

"See? Gentle as a giant!" Rider bellowed happily, sounding quite bullish himself. At the same time, Waver caught one of the bulls' big, black eyes. It gazed at him disinterestedly before looking away again and Waver almost huffed in indignation.

Well... You too! He thought lamely, scowling at the bull. Then, he glowered up at Rider. "What... purpose does this serve... exactly?"

"Things don't always have to serve a purpose, boy!" Rider laughed, finally releasing Waver's hand. A surge of embarrassment rushed through Waver when he realized how long he and Rider had been holding hands. "Sometimes, it is simply enough to enjoy life!" He threw his arms open wide before embracing his bulls again, grinning and chuckling and cooing at them.

Unbelievable... Waver's eye twitched, but Rider wasn't done.

"If, however, I had to assign a specific "meaning" to this task," he said, "I would say that it is a way to keep a man's heart soft while keeping his bonds strong." The King of Conquerers turned his beaming gaze on Waver as he continued to pat his bulls.

Unbelievable... Waver thought again, but just like the first time, Rider had more to say.

"Don't roll your eyes, boy. These bulls carry you into, and out of, battle. The least you could do is show them a little respect. After all, isn't this what the Holy Grail War means to you?" Getting the respect you deserve for your achivements rather than others' perceptions of you?

Waver was left speechless. At first, his eyes widened in horror and outrage, and he opened his mouth as if to fire back with the usual sass, snark, and shouting, but nothing came out. Rider smirked to himself, but after half a minute of silence, he turned away from Waver calmly.

"Today, you are going to help me clean and feed them," he said, gesturing to the corner of the stable farthest away from them. Tools, troughs, and other treasures awaited.

ooo

If anyone had asked Waver how long he thought it would take to feed and clean four giant, magical bulls, after snapping and saying that he hadn't the foggiest idea, he would've estimated no more than maybe an hour per bull.

Feeding can't take too long, he thought. And even cleaning shouldn't be that bad with a Servant by my side!

Oh, how wrong he was. Whether he overestimated the power of magical bulls, or if Rider was intentionally taking it slow, the simple act of feeding and cleaning took the entire day. Ordinarily, Waver would've been furious to lose an entire day doing something so trivial as playing with pets like it was a kiddie zoo, but for once, he actually enjoyed himeslf, and in that, lost track of time entirely.

This is stupid! He thought bitterly. In the beginning, it really was a hassle and a chore, lugging and dumping sacks of food around for the bulls and then filling up pail after pail after pail of water for washing, but Rider only watched him with a silent, knowing smile. His negative opinion of himself was not his fault, but for better or worse, it was his responsibility to recognize it, and where it came from.

There's not a doubt in my mind, that boy doesn't just struggle with self-image, he struggles with understanding the definition of a hero. He thinks that in order to be someone of any sort of worth, he has to be strong, tough, powerful, and manly. He feels so alone and defeated now that he overcompensates. Why else was he so quick to lash out at people, even those who genuinely meant no harm? It was a classic, textbook case of someone hiding fear, loneliness, and self-loathing behind toughness, ferocity, and extreme independence.

All good traits, of course, Rider thought. Traits befitting a warrior of Ares! But... there needs to be a balance. After all, who was Ares' other half but the Goddess of Love herself? To those not in the know, it seemed comical to imagine someone like Aphrodite standing beside someone like Ares, but to those who understood the power, depth, and rage that love could be capable of, they were a perfect couple. Waver's "Ares" side was fine. It was his "Aphrodite" side that needed work, and that was the true purpose behind the petting of the bulls that day.

I would say that it is a way to keep a man's heart soft while keeping his bonds strong.

Of course, Rider wasn't just referring to the bulls. As they were in the middle of cleaning the fourth and final one, Rider caught Waver smiling at the bull out of the corner of his eye. A large soap bubble had landed perfectly on the bulls' nose, and the sight was so comical and cute that even Waver was moved. Maybe he thought it was safe because Rider wasn't looking. If only he knew, Rider had seen it anyway.

Waver, my boy, you do not always need to hide your true feelings, be they your vulnerable feelings, or even your happy ones! A man is so much more than his toughness and his rage. A man is equally defined by what he loves, and what loves him.

As Rider had said before, a king incapable of connecting with his subjects was no king at all. Where was connection and understanding without empathy, without love? There was more than one type of love, after all. It didn't always mean kissing or weddings.

"A true king, or queen, needs no permission to feel, just as they need no permission to lead or to rule," Rider said as he and Waver finished their work for the day. "It is what they were born to do, and what they practiced for years." The Heroic Spirit gave his Master a knowing smile before gesturing to the stable doors. It was time to go home. Behind them, the bulls bellowed a soft, sleepy farewell.

For a second time, Rider caught Waver looking over his shoulder and smiling at the bulls out of the corner of his eye. Rider smiled too.

AN: This is based off the Venus/mirror symbol used to denote females, but for subervsion's sake, I had it starring two men, but then for double subervsion's sake, I had them doing something "feminine" (caring for and coddling beloved animals).

Since the character of Rider was more Greek than Roman (chronologically speaking), that's why I used Aphrodite instead of Venus, but the symbol is the same.

Also, happy birthday to my best friend, Penguin! Here's to you!