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Thinking back, Kel could still remember her first impression of the man.

He had been in his twenties, wearing his jet black hair at shoulder length with a stubbly face. His cheeks were round and rosy, a stark contrast to his intimidating brawny frame.

Among the many soldiers, eight-year-old Kel picked Barclay out immediately, less due to his bulging muscles and more because of the snot-nosed kid clinging to him. Everywhere he went, a ruby-haired child, who looked about Kel's size, followed the husky soldier

Barclay would have been the fiercest-looking of the king's guards if it weren't for his tiny sidekick and jolly face.Â

"Dash! Look!" Kel had called excitedly one day when she spied the soldier and the child passing.

"Look at what?" Dash asked calmly, glancing up from the book in his small hands.

The two were on break after a 'training' session, which hadn't equated to much more than children playing with wooden swords.Â

Back in those days, many people chided Itzae for taking in the two orphan boys. (With her new haircut and clothes, Kel passed as a male for quite some time.) They always told him he was wasting his time on kids who were too old to learn properly.Â

Itzae would always shrug off the slander and worked hard to personally train Kel and Dash, rather than sticking them in drill school with the younger knights-in-training.Â

"Do you see that kid over there?" Kel asked, pointing toward Barclay and his tag-along with one hand while poking Dash's shoulder with the other.

"What about him?" Dash sighed, slapping Kel's hand away.

"Do you think he's just like us?" The undaunted Kel continued. "Is that his uncle training him because he's too old like we are?"

"You're right. That is his uncle," a deep voice answered Kel's question.

"U-Uncle Itzae!" Both children jumped to their feet, performing clumsy bows.

"At ease, soldiers," Itzae chuckled, softly ruffling their fuzzy heads. "You were right, Kel. That man is that boy's uncle."

"I knew it!" Kel gasped, a large grin spreading across her face.

"However, his uncle isn't training him," Itzae explained, trying to hide an amused smile at Kel's crestfallen look. "Not officially, anyway."

"What does officially mean?" Kel cocked her head to the side.

"It means formally," Dash answered, picking up his book again. He was trying his best to look dignified and uninterested in Kel's childish antics, but he was betrayed by his bright eyes peeking out over the top of the pages.

"Oh," Kel nodded. "..What does formally mean?"

"It means that his Uncle can't train him because he's already in drill school," Itzae replied.

"That's a lie!" Kel exclaimed. "I always see him with that man! When does he have time to go to school?"

"That may be," Itzae smiled, "but how often do you see that man?"

"I see him almost every day while we're on break!" Kel answered enthusiastically.

"Hmmm," Itzae rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Did it ever occur to you, Kel, that the drill school takes a break at the same time we do?"

Again, Itzae had to hide his amusement as Kel's face fell.Â

"Why does he hang out with his uncle so much, then?" she muttered, scraping her shoe against the dirt.Â

"Maybe it's because he actually loves his uncle, unlike some ungrateful brats," Itzae winked. "Back to work now! Come on!"

As Kel and Dash grew older and eventually surpassed most of the guards their age, they started to receive the honor of getting sent on missions. Thanks to sharpening her skills to be a soldier, practicing to be a princess, and fine tuning her fire ability, Kel had completely forgotten Barclay and his small nephew. In fact, the next time she met the boy, she had no idea he was related to Barclay at all.

She ran into Barclay again long before his red-haired nephew, however.

The first time she was sent out without the king, Itzae or Dash, Barclay was her team leader. Just as it was her first mission alone, it was Barclay's first time being the sole commander. Their troop was tasked with meeting and escorting an envoy from Pandreia.Â

It was probably that mission when Kel first developed her fascination with the balmy coastal kingdom.

After departing Mevani's capital city, the entourage of young knights traveled south along one of the main trade routes. The journey went exceptionally smoothly, much to the relief of both Kel and Barclay.Â

The group spent the days hiking along the trail, chattering and laughing as they followed Barclay's lead on his horse. At night, they roasted meat, swapped stories and laughed even more loudly.Â

Barclay hardly participated in the festivities, always maintaining the image of a perfect leader. Kel noticed whenever she snuck a glance at the somber man, though, he seemed to be barely holding back a smile.

When the group finally made contact with Pandreia's envoy, Kel was astonished by the dark-skinned people draped in vivid colored fabrics. She truly believed they were the most beautiful beings in the world.

Their stories of their homeland moved her heart even further. Adventurous tales of taming the high seas swam through her dreams every night and musical descriptions of breathtaking beaches flowed through her ears during the day.

"Pandreia.." she whispered to herself one night as she kept guard outside camp. "I want to go there someday."

"It's not quite as beautiful as they make it out to be," Barclay remarked, emerging from the trees. "It is pretty close, though."

"Sir!" Kel greeted him. "You've been there before?"

Barclay nodded and motioned for Kel to sit down next to him.Â

"I went there once," he recalled, "but I was very young."

"What was it like?" Kel questioned eagerly, staring at her superior with widened eyes.

"It was nice," Barclay smiled. "Nice and warm."

Kel caught herself before she gasped at the man's warm expression. So far on their journey, this was the first time he'd openly displayed such a face.

"Did you go to the ocean?" she continued, leaning against her knee to hide her own grin.

Barclay's smile disappeared at her question. He stared ahead quietly until Kel wondered if their conversation was over.

Finally, he slowly parted his lips, his voice coming out low hum.

"I did."