An Honest Promise

If happiness is a choice, then so is love.

* * * * * * * *

“Commander Szakarilis Drakon, Sir!” A teenage boy standing by the entrance stepped forward to kneel.

“Get up, Rik. You’re in front of the damn hospital.” Szak stopped and watched the boy clumsily return to standing. “If you didn’t get the memo, I’ve been stripped of my titles.”

Rik looked at Szak dead in the eyes, maple eyes glistening below his pitch-black hair. “You will always be my commander, Szakarilis, sir! Permission to speak, sir!”

Szak sighed. “What is it, Rik.”

“Katarina woke up about an hour ago. Vlake is currently visiting, as well.”

Szak nodded to show he had heard, and walked into the hospital. Four days to wake up. That bad, huh?

Rainbow varieties of quartz covered every inch of wall and ceiling, all of its floors and stairways of purple amethyst. Szak went up a set of steps and made a few turns before getting to Katarina’s room. He saw Katarina’s brother sitting beside her from the corner of the window. He knocked on the door three times.

“Who is it?!” Vlake sounded absurdly upset.

Szak rolled his eyes and opened the door to let himself in.

“Commander Szakarilis!” Vlake jumped in his chair and fumbled standing up. “I didn’t know it was you, sir. My greatest apologies.”

“How’s she healing?” Szak asked, closing the door.

“I’m right here,” Katarina snapped. The emphasis of the words took a lot of out her and she panted a couple breaths before continuing. “Just ask me,” she heaved.

“That sounds like a great idea,” Szak said. “I didn’t think of that, because you were unconscious the last time I saw you.”

Katarina looked away. Streams of long vermillion hair followed her movements. Pitch black eyes refused to look at either of the men in the room with her.

“Thank you, Szakarilis,” Vlake mumbled. “I heard you lost your rank bringing a squad out to retrieve her. It doesn’t seem like it, but secretly, Uncle Uzayil is grateful, too.”

Szak nodded and pulled up a chair at the foot of her bed. “Venimi is under detention until you get out of the hospital,” he said to Katarina, instead. “Idiot dragon, forcing an inexperienced intelligence unit to beg for Countermand.”

“You didn’t have to come,” she muttered bitterly. “I took half of them… on my own.” A heavy, controlled breath. “It was below your grade. Child’s play.”

Szak glared at her. “No one’s doubting your ability. Next time, do it without getting separated from your dragon.” He turned to Vlake with a sigh. “It was my Countermand that took it away. I may as well have gone in and made sure it was done right. Idiots running around everywhere.”

“How’s Fiera?” Vlake asked.

“She’s fine. It was my order.”

Vlake nodded and said nothing else. He turned and looked at his sister, bandaged and bruised all over, leg barely keeping together beneath her sheets, and felt, in that moment, that he owed Szak all that he could not offer.

“Vlake,” Katarina whispered.

“What do you need?” Vlake asked, leaning over the side of her bed.

“Get out.”

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Szak looked away to let older brother deal with younger sister. Vlake’s chair scraped against the floor as he stood up, and the two men exchanged knowing glances as they passed each other. The door creaked open, and fell back to a close. Szak cleared his throat.

“I’d knock my brothers off their dragons if they spoke to me that way. Be grateful Vlake has a soft side for his sister.”

“Tell me about the Academy.”

Szak raised a brow. “Feels like a waste of time,” he decided to answer. He stood up and went over to take Vlake’s seat to sit beside her.

“So, there’s no woman I should be worried about, then?” Katarina looked up at him, pitch black eyes in earnest.

“The only woman you should worry about is yourself,” he retorted, leaning the chair back on its two legs.

“I’ll do better next time,” Katarina sighed. “I shouldn’t have gone ahead… after we were separated. The original tip-off was for one ship. We didn’t expect five.”

“Nothing should be unexpected,” Szak corrected. “How’d you get sent out, of all people? You aren’t of age for Oblivion invade.”

“… I requested.”

Szak fell forward on his chair. Its front legs slammed onto the floor. His crossed arms fell loose, and he noticed his jaw had dropped when he tried to find the right words to say.

“Please don’t report this to the Chief,” Katarina whispered.

Szak looked at Katarina like she was ridiculous. “Damn fucking straight I’m reporting this. I get stripped of my rank fixing Uzayil’s mistake?! A mistake he was going to just ignore to save his face?”

“Szak, let me explain.”

“Unacceptable.” He stood up and paced about the room. “What if I didn’t come back right when I did? What if I wasn’t there when the messenger arrived? You’d be dead, Katarina. Does that go through your head?! I wouldn’t be talking to you!”

“… I know.”

“Do you know how I found you? Unconscious, drowned in blood, half your body ripped and bruised, leg nearly detached from the rest of your fucking body if not for that last bit of fiber in your bone!”

Katarina bit her lip and closed her eyes.

Szak couldn’t believe it. The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. Every breath heaved in disbelief. In frustration. He felt like he could breathe fire. “What was so special about this one? Why request to be sent out?”

“I’ve been requesting to be sent out for every mission possible,” Katarina answered. “It wasn’t just this one. Thirty-three since summer.” She took a long, slow breath to let her body catch up. “Promotions… they’re by rate of success in each mission type.”

Szak closed his eyes. He had to calm down. No use getting upset at someone already in pain in the hospital bed. Deep breaths.

“I can do it,” Katarina pressed. “This is only the second unsuccessful one. It’s just bad timing you had to see me like this.”

“You mean it was perfect timing I decided to fly home on time and save your ass.” Szak slammed his hand against the chair. It flew across the room, rammed into the tourmaline walls, and bounced off, clanking against the amethyst floors before laying on its side. He turned back and leaned over the bed, face inches away from hers. Katarina felt her cheeks heat up from how close he was to her, but the anger he exuded was far from romantic, and the fact that half her lower body was bandaged and immobile made it even less so.

“When you challenge me, Katarina,” his voice hissed as he spoke, “it’s a challenge to be the next True Commander.”

“That’s if you’re strong enough to be the next Chief,” she retorted, just as upset.

“Who else, if not me?”

Katarina didn’t respond.

“Who else?” He demanded. Is there, actually, another man who could strike me? The thought was impossible. “Who. Else.”

Katarina bit her lip, but never looked away. Szak took that as Katarina simply saying that to push his buttons. No one like that existed. Did they? They couldn’t.

He narrowed his scarlet eyes. “The only job of the True Commander is to stay alive. If you can’t even do that, you’re not worth my time.” He stood up. “You’re not worth the entire Hearth’s life if you’re just going to run off and die on your own!”

“Get out.”

Szak didn’t leave.

Katarina turned to face the other way, having realized she spoke in a fit of anger. In all honesty, she knew she deserved to be reprimanded, but she would rather it be from anyone else. Not him.

“None of this will mean anything. Not if you die on me, Kat.”

Katarina held tighter fists under her sheets. Szak couldn’t see it, but he did see her eyes sharpen in determination. That determination of hers had always been one of the greatest traits he saw in her. He placed a firm hand on her shoulder. Katarina held her gasp and gazed up at him.

“I’m planning on getting my rank back. When I graduate from the Academy, I’m expecting you to be ready for that. In this Hearth. Alive.”

Katarina gave a singular, gruff nod with blushed cheeks.

Szak pulled his hand away and crossed his arms. “Preferably with all your limbs intact,” he added. “I’ll let you rest, now. I’ll visit again before I need to return to the Academy.” He turned and made his way to the door.

“Szak…”

He stopped. Paused before turning back to meet her eyes again. “It’s my duty to keep my promise to you. I’ll accept your challenge when the day comes. It’s your duty to make sure you’re fit for the duel before any other woman.”

“It’s your duty to make sure your heart doesn’t lose to any other before I get there,” Katarina huffed. “That’s your promise, too.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Szak sighed, opening the door. “Vlake, we’re done. Go on in.”

“Szak.”

Szak turned back once more.

“Tell me, if you find one.”

“You’ll be the first after Fiera,” Szak sighed, and stepped out the room.