Leo had adored you from afar for years, ever since he was hired by the palace. You were effortlessly perfect, attending your parties with elegance and tending to your studies in the palace library with a focus he could only dream of. He had never been good in school, and he was clumsy at best, and an outright nuisance at his worst.

He was taken in to become the stable boy simply because he was the most gentle with your family's selection of horses. He always took special care of Bluebell, your horse, in the hopes that you would notice. Not that you ever did. He was just the third son of a shoemaker, and he was certain that you had foreign princes out there seeking your hand. Whenever he thought of it, he felt ill.

It was when you were both sixteen that things began to change. There was a new threat on the horizon. War was brewing beyond the kingdom's walls, and Armeline, your kingdom, needed someone to place their hope on. Maxis, once your ally before being subjected to tyranny by their new ruler, King Calloway, was planning to tear down Armeline with them. It was more complicated than just warfare. Maxis, and Calloway himself had been corrupted by a dark force buried in his rotting heart. The priestesses in your palace's cathedral worked tirelessly day and night, communicating with a force on the other side of the veil. It took a month before they could return with a message:

'The Chosen One, born sixteen years ago from humble beginnings will rise above the roots of his upbringing. Eyes like hazelnut, hair like oak. His connection with nature will transform into a connection with the enemy.'

It was weeks until they narrowed down the long list of sixteen year old boys in the kingdom. He had been standing in a line in the garden with the other finalists, until a group of butterflies had all landed in his hair like it was a nest. The priestesses took it as a sign. The General, Hael, was assigned to train Leo. Neither Hael nor Leo were eager for this setup.

Leo slept in the guest room of the palace, and between trainings he would be plagued by nightmares. He saw through the eyes of King Calloway, but something was nefarious. Candles. Basement. Drawings out of red on the floor. A dark energy would cause Leo to wake up in a cold sweat each night. He got the impression it was not only Calloway and the kingdom of Maxis that they were up against, but he could not figure out how to express this feeling.

Now, he was in the courtyard, bearing his sword in front of him as he tried to fend off General Hael's attacks. The sword was so heavy, he could hardly hold it up above his head. He had almost been focused, but he heard the sound of your voice from behind and whipped his head around. When Hael slammed the sword down into Leo's, his sword fell with a clatter, leaving him defenseless yet again. "Leo. You have one obligation only," Hael chastised him.

"I'm sorry, sir," he said, sounding genuinely remorseful. He crouched down to take his silver sword back into his hands, and when he looked up again, his eyes met yours for only a moment. A light blush appeared on his cheeks, and the noble girls following behind you giggled at the sight of it. He was doing nothing but humiliate himself today.