Eclipse

Chapter 21

★Elio★

Dayton and I walk back to the tent, the gravel crunching beneath our boots. The yells and bickering of the other soldiers increasingly faded as we walked.

"Ciya Solten." The voice comes from behind me, the familiar boom sending me into a straight posture with my hands behind my back. Dayton continues on with his posture similar to mine.

Arino Lidin stands in front of me now, his hands behind his back as he stares me down. He watches me for a moment, his eyes flickering between mine and my stance. His lips curl just slightly, and I wonder if I'm imagining it, or if he really seems like he might be smiling a little.

"Yes, Arino Lidin." I say it as a fact, not a question. It's more of a way to say that I'm listening, that my attention is fully on him, than it is of giving him permission to speak. I wouldn't dare say it like that.

Arino Lidin releases his stark complexion, a small, comfortable grin playing on his lips. He lifts his head in a friendly manner with a slight head tilt. It's odd to see him like that. "Follow me," he says, his voice warms this time, quieter in contrast to the loud boom.

And so, I do. I follow him back to his hut and he closes the door behind him. The lantern in here is already lit, set on the desk in the middle of the room. The flame casts a shadow behind the two of us, causing it to look a bit eerie.

Arino Lidin rounds the desk and motions for me to sit down with a smile before doing so himself. He clasps his hands together and holds them just under his chin, resting his head on it, and his elbows on the table. I couldn't help but notice that his hair was tied with a red ribbon today, matching the dark red cuffs at the end of his wrists, only slightly covered by the sleeve of his uniform.

I sit in the chair, keeping my posture straight and my hands neatly in my lap. I can't help but wonder what it is that he called me in here for. Earlier, I had been patrolling with everyone else, per his request. He told me that he didn't have any special training for now. Maybe he changed his mind, maybe I did something wrong. I couldn't help but worry.

Arino Lidin clears his throat, a deep, gravelly sound. His icy eyes met mine. "Ciya Solten, I want to speak to you about your decision to become Arino," he states, as if this whole time I was training, I hadn't been thinking about it. As if we hadn't already had this discussion.

I opened my mouth for a single moment before closing it, not wanting to say something I regret just for not understand the situation. I could have sworn we had both come to the same agreement. That I didn't care what happened, that I'm becoming Arino, married or not. Did the king change his mind? Am I too young after all? I could only feel my mouth drying at the thought. At the moment, I desperately needed water. I attempted to lick my lips to ease the feeling, but it hardly does anything for comfort.

Arino Lidin tilts his head down and smiles, the corners of his eyes creasing as he does, and the scar on his face curling in the slightest bit, though it is still noticeable. "Calm down, Solten," he begins. "I'm not going to take away your choice. You can still be Arino if you wish it."

I can sense a but coming in and I can barely stand it. I thought we were past this. He continues. "But, Ciya Solten, I want you to take the rest of today off and think about it. I've heard the rumors. I know you met a girl, and I know that you are intrigued." He pauses, his lips thinning into a straight line. "We don't have to go through this process yet. I still have many years to live, I can assure you that. But I don't want you to make a rash decision, and your whole life is affected because of it."

I don't realize until then that I began to stare only at my hands. I pictured her eyes, the multi-colored irises, staring back into my own, as if hypnotizing me to listen, to feel something. I look back at Arino Lidin and nod. "Alright. I will think about it, Arino Lidin."