Mane left the bathroom with a refreshed look on his face. A bath was always a relaxing way to cool off. He wasn't just exhausted physically, but mentally as well. The bath he had taken relieved him of his psychological exhaustion. It worked almost as well as a healing spring. The relaxed smile on his face didn't last long. Once he re-entered dining room a bitter smile took its place. He looked at Frederick as if waiting for explanation.
"What are you looking at me for?" the older boy questioned. "You know as much as I do that I cannot stop him from going anywhere." Fred shrugged nonchalantly. Mane wanted to peel the skin off the Student Council's President's face. There was no way the guards of his home would have allowed Aegeus in if his brother didn't vouch for the boy. That was always how Aegeus got inside. Yet Frederick was feigning ignorance and pleading his innocence, as though the situation was out if his control. He cursed his shamelessness and wondered how he should deal with the situation at hand.
Alexis had a playful smirk on her face, relishing her son's situation. The reason for Mane's discomfort was simple. Since about three weeks ago, Aegeus had been a regular visitor of Mane's home. The first time the boy came it was to apologize for his behavior, something that Mane never expected. After all, although they had encountered each other just once, the older boy didn't leave a good impression on Mane. He was overbearing and rude. He was rash and arrogant, and Mane had kicked the living daylights out of him because of that. Well, that was partly the reason Mane left him bedridden. So when the boy had appeared with Frederick, Mane was genuinely curious, wondering what the boy's mission was. He considered many things, yet Aegeus had thrown Mane off when he apologized for his behavior.
Since Aegeus came with Frederick, Mane considered that he had been forced to come and apologize. He was wrong. The apology was genuine, with no malice involved. And Mane could even see a bit of longing and adoration in the boy's eyes. The problem came after Mane graciously accepted Aegeus' apology. The younger brother of Frederick was elated upon seeing that his apology had been accepted. Once he confirmed that there was no bad blood left between them, he began to pester Mane. The boy asked to join Mane's team. He wanted to grow as strong as Mane. The admiration in his eyes when he looked at the blonde haired boy was the same look diehard fans of popular stars gave them as they pursued them for their autographs.
Over the past few weeks Aegeus had learned to control himself, but the look of adoration in his eyes never disappeared. On the contrary, they grew stronger as Aegeus watched Mane train week after week. Mane tried to avoid the boy. He even asked the guards not to let him through whenever he visited. But that didn't stop Aegeus. Upon realizing that he was being rejected, he came up with a solution. And it didn't take him long too. He tagged along with the Silver Wolves team whenever they visited. The guards couldn't do anything to him since the team was allowed inside. And the crafty Frederick always vouched for his brother anytime they came, saying that Mane had personally asked for Aegeus. The Student Council President was happy that his brother was focusing his energy elsewhere.
After all, normally Aegeus would be running around the academy with his band of hooligans, chasing after trouble. It always kept his hands full- cleaning up his brother's messes. Now Aegeus had a new goal. The strength Mane had displayed then had awed him, and his awe grew greater whenever he watched the blue eyed genius train. Although Ray was also strong, Aegeus completely ignored him. In his eyes, Ray was old, and it was normal for the father of a strong boy to be strong as well. He was fascinated with Mane because the younger boy was a student just like him. And his decision to join this group had only been cemented when he realised that everyone in the Silver Wolves team was stronger than his brother. He knew Selina was strong, so it didn't come as a surprise. But the others amazed him with their strength, especially since they were younger than he was. Aegeus was a proud boy, and he had done a lot of stupid things in his short spell at the academy, but he wasn't truly an idiot. Once he put a lock on his prideful heart, his brain worked wonderfully well. He noticed that the reason for the strength of the Silver Wolves lay with their leader- Mane. He finally understood why there were so many stories about Abe and the twins, and none about Mane, yet the other three were always following Mane around. It took a stronger person to tame the strong, and that was exactly what Mane had done.
Aegeus was no masochist, but the blow he received from Mane had woken him up. He suddenly realised that he had been a fool all along. His prideful heart was still there, but he now had the brain to tame it. He realised that relying on his brother's prestige and power to bully those weaker than him was no great feat. Using his own power to make others submit was the true test- one that he wanted to pass. Besides, maybe if he was strong enough, she would pay more attention to him.
Aegeus was just like any other boy his age- he liked good things. He had a girl that he liked. She was beautiful and intelligent. And she was a great match for him. After all, if you looked past his arrogant demeanor, Aegeus was quite the looker. Yet she disdained him. Although they were betrothed, she made it clear each time that she did not want to be with him. Aegeus was too proud to acknowledge his feelings for her. To him, she should be happy that they were bound to one another, after all, his family was more prestigious than hers. He liked her, he really did. However his training never endued him with information on how to wow the opposite sex. So what he regarded as the way to go about expressing his feelings was wrong.
Over the years, the only thing he had been able to accomplish from pestering Aaliyah was her ire and disdain. He wished to change that, only he didn't know how. So when he saw how she talked about Mane so highly, he got jealous, and his jealousy led to the injuries he received. Injuries that left him bedridden for a whole month. It was during this period, when he first regained consciousness that he realised he needed power. His brother had always told him that his approach in dealing with Aaliyah was wrong. According to Frederick, if Aegeus liked her, he should prove it by being there for her and protecting her. To show tyranny towards the one he loved was foolish. Aegeus had rubbished Frederick's theory. After all, he knew his brother liked Selina, yet the girl didn't return his feelings. How could one who couldn't get a girl for himself give any correct advice in that field? But it turns out that his brother was right. The reason his brother's method wasn't working for him was because he was weaker than Selina. And after Aegeus began to think about it he realised that Frederick may be right. He could remember how Aaliyah looked when she spoke about Mane. The admiration was there for all to see, so was the faint blush that covered her cheeks. She wasn't even close to the blonde haired prodigy, yet she had a very favorable impression of him because of his exploits. And this impression was further strengthened by the fact that Mane didn't go around abusing his strength. The respect Mane commanded was through his own efforts, not his family's. It was then that Aegeus had decided that he would grow strong. He would grow strong enough to be a true reflection of his name. He would become a protector, and show Aaliyah that he was worthy of her.
There was a problem though. Aegeus knew his limitations. He didn't have the greatest of talents, and he wasn't the brightest. It would be difficult for him to even be as strong as his brother when he reached Frederick's age, not to talk of surpassing his brother. But there was someone who gave him hope. Someone who had him believing that even with his meagre talents he could still become strong. The one who had bested him so easily and was too strong for his age. This person was standing before him now. He knew what he had to do. He had to get Mane to acknowledge him. The blue eyed boy must accept him and teach him the way to go. And although he had been rejected many times, he would never stop. He will persist until he got his way. That was just the kind of person he was. If there was something he could do very well, it was to wait patiently for what he wanted. He would be consistent with his visits, and wear Mane down. Even if the blonde hair boy wasn't willing to accept him, he may relent eventually just to get some breathing space.