After the first two grueling days of training had passed, he visited Lou again. He was starting to get concerned that Lou was a prisoner in his room. Taking it all into account he wasn't that sure that he wasn't a prisoner either. Either way, Lou was an active young man who was used to being outside, used to flying every day. He couldn't imagine that this forced confinement was doing him any good.
His goal for tomorrow was to see about getting Lou permission to come with him to this training. First, he wanted to make sure Lou was okay.
The guards at the door barely even looked at him and just opened the doors as he approached. Lou was sitting by the window looking outside. Even Tate could tell he was bored out of his mind.
"Big brother! You're here!" Lou caught sight of him and bounded up from his seat. Tate was relieved that he sounded more like himself. He never would have believed that he'd missed the term "big brother."
"Lou, how have you been today? Are you okay?"
Lou nodded. "Same old, same old. I woke up, ate, paced around the room, ate, slept, ate, stared out the window, and now you're here!"
"Don't worry I'm going to ask if you can get out of this room." He rushed to reassure him. He hated listening to the list he'd just made, just the thought of being confined like this made his skin crawl. He knew what it was like firsthand, when he'd woken up after Aquana had died it had been the same, he'd been held captive until a healer deemed him fit to go out. It had been a living nightmare.
Lou gave him a small smile. "That would be nice, but don't push it on my account. I don't fully understand the situation, but they've treated us fairly well so far. I don't want to jeopardize that."
"It's okay, I don't think it will be too difficult of a request. Besides I'm just going to ask that you can accompany me to my training to start with. That way at least you get to go outside every day too."
It was at that moment that a dragon female came through the open door bringing a tray of tea and snacks. She smiled at them both kindly, set them down on the little table in the corner of the room, and then nodded her head. She left without saying a word.
Tate looked after her a little creeped out that she hadn't said a single word to them.
"She's just like that, I think she's really nice but she hasn't said a word to me the whole time I've been here. Look! She brought cake!"
Tate grinned at such a childish statement. It reminded him of when Lou had been a kid.
It seemed the past was also on Lous mind because after polishing off two slices he sat on the edge of his bed licking his fingers. "You know, all this time I've been cooped up in here I keep thinking. Do you remember that day you thrashed me and Lancec?"
Taet nodded wordlessly.
"I don't know if I ever told you this. I mean, I hung around you so much I should have told you this but I don't think I ever did. What do you know about my family?"
Tate stopped to really think about it. Lou's tone had switched to being so somber that he didn't want to make a hasty answer. "Your father is Lord Veylin, I don't think I know your father's or your mother's first name. You are the eldest child and you have one sister. Your family's political leaning is loyalist. That's about the sum of what I know."
Lou smiled bitterly looking down at his hands. Tate leaned against a large chair next to him and waited to see what Lou had to say. "All my life I never met my father's expectations. I can't remember a time when he didn't criticize everything about me, but I was his only son, his sole heir. Of course, it's not like he ever spent any time with me or tried to teach me anything. It was like I was left to be ignorant and then punished for it. I had tutors all my life but none of them taught me the subjects my father held in the highest regard. I wasn't taught political science, history, or diplomacy, but I was constantly looked down on for not knowing them. What was odd was my father made sure to have tutors start teaching my little sister these subjects from a very early age."
"What is your sister's name again?"
"Tilly." Lou said an affectionate smile breaking across his face even as he continued to look at his hands. "Anyway, my dream became to become a dragon rider and when I hatched Lancec I was ecstatic he was my ticket out of my father's house and out of the line of succession. Did you know that I moved into the academy that same day?"
Tate shook his head.
"My father was so glad to have a legal excuse to be rid of me that he told me he would send my things, but he never did. My mother was a little sad...I think, but the only person who I know was sad to see me go and who I was sad to leave was Tilly." Lou paused as if collecting his thoughts. "When I met you I was angry, cocky, and felt like I had nothing to lose. I knew who you were, of course I did. You were, are, the most famous dragon rider in modern history. I grew up reading stories of your exploits, but when I came face to face with you I was angry. You didn't look like who I had built you up to be. You didn't look that much older than me, you looked so bored it made it hard to focus on your class. I wanted to know how to be the best dragon rider but once I met you I immediately had the thought that I could learn from anyone but you. I even thought all the stories had been exaggerated propaganda. There was no way that the person who wasn't even a man yet in my eyes, was the hero I'd read about."
Lou's face was red with embarrassment as he admitted this. "Lou, you don't have to-"
"Wait, let me get this out." Lou cut him off. "I know I was constantly smarting off to you. It was my personal and sadistic mission to say anything I could think of to make you look bad in front of the others. I wanted to bring you down in their eyes too. Looking back I hate that version of myself, I had no right or excuse to be that way. All I had was misdirected anger and self-loathing. That day, I'll never forget it as long as I live. You defeated me, utterly, completely, easily, and laughably. You still looked bored but the assumptions I had about you were smashed to pieces. I still remember the humiliation I felt, I'd talked so big but you defeated me so easily in front of everyone. In that moment I don't think I've ever hated anyone as much as I hated you."
The admission was so quiet Tate almost didn't hear it. Lou's ears had turned red from embarrassment and Tate himself felt very uncomfortable. A part of him wanted to cut Lou off and save them both the embarrassment but another part of him just couldn't do it.
"Do you remember what you said to me when I was still standing there like an idiot after my sword had flown off to who knows where?"
Tate shook his head, he really didn't remember saying anything to him at that time.
"You said, 'Get up Lou Veylin, we haven't even gotten started yet. Pay attention and I'll teach you everything you need to know.' I don't know how to explain it but all that hate I had been feeling a moment before changed. You were the first person to offer to teach me. Everyone else had been forced to teach me, and even though it was just part of your job you made it seem like you were going to put in the effort, effort that had been there all along but I'd just been ignoring it for petty reasons. Even when I came to your office and begged you to take me as your apprentice later that year you accepted me. You let me follow you around and learn from you even though I know and knew at the time that I was a huge inconvenience. I got to see and experience so much doing that. I got to meet members of the Dragon Corps and learn from their experiences and even met the Emperor once thanks to you. I saw firsthand why you were considered the Empire's hero, and Tate," Lou paused and looked up catching Tate's eyes, "it has nothing to do with whether you are a dragon rider or not."
Tate actually felt his breath hitch a little at Lou's words. He didn't want to get emotional about this but he was surprised to find that Lou's words actually meant a lot. He'd never taken much time to stop and think about what the young man meant to him, but now that he did he could see it. Lou was a person who made him feel like he still had something to contribute. Lou had indeed followed him around for a full year, a constant presence and pest at times. Yet, Tate looked back on those days with fondness, the time had long since passed since Lou had somehow become a person he liked to be around.
Lou wasn't finished with his speech. "It's because you have always put the Empire and everyone in it above yourself. I've now come to the point in my life where I don't just want to sit back and watch you do it. I'm an adult now, I can help if you let me, but either way I will follow you no matter what you do. I trust you, Tate."
Tate stood and walked to Lou and put a hand on his shoulder. He took a deep breath. After hearing all those words he felt more motivated than before. This was what was important, Lou. Not his curiosity or wonder about this new world, but getting Lou back where he belonged. He owed it to him as his "big brother." "I'm going to get you home. I promise."