Chapter Text
The first time Cyril saw him, he wasn't sure why his eyes lingered on his face as long as they did.
It was a habit of his to remember the face of the Golden Deer's house leader. Fodlan was wary of Almyra, but that was a dulled edge compared to the bare hate from those of the Leicester Alliance.
As a general rule, it was best to keep away from those of the Golden Deer, but it was doubly important to avoid the head of the house who could turn all those heads to look right at him.
The three house leaders were gathered before Lady Rhea as she told them of their responsibilities. Cyril had known this ahead of time and swapped cleaning duties with another worker to get a look at all three at once.
The house leader of the Golden Deer stood out.
Brown skin well loved by the sun. Wiry hair that twisted about in a multitude of directions yet somehow Cyril also knew was perfectly in place.
He had only meant to take a glance and slip away, but instead, he found himself staring.
Features like that were normal in Almyra. He hadn't realized how much they could mark him until he was taken to Fodlan. He had realized even less how much he had missed seeing them somewhere other than his own reflection.
Of course, that familiarity was all wrong. Even within his hazy memories, he knew he would be able to recall if he had seen eyes in such a bright shade of green in Almyra, and certain things aside, the house leader looked like he could be from Fodlan. This was a Riegan after all.
Still, there was something familiar about his face. Not like the familiarity of a friend or family member, but like Cyril should know it anyhow. He had seen the previous Riegan heir once or twice while he was bound to House Goneril, but that wasn't it…
The Golden Deer leader's glance slid from Lady Rhea to him.
Cyril jolted and the handle of his broom thudded against the wall.
Immediately, Lady Rhea stopped speaking and silence fell over the room. All heads were turned on him. Cyril tightened his grip around the broom.
Cyril thought he saw the house leader's eyes flash with recognition--as though Cyril too, looked familiar to him--but with a blink, that was cleared away and only an amused smile was left.
"Need some help, kid?"
Cyril shook his head rapidly. He turned to Lady Rhea with his eyes averted to his feet, too embarrassed to look at her. "I-I'll come back later to finish cleaning, Lady Rhea." A quick bow, and he turned again, barely able to restrain himself from running out of the room.
He hadn't meant to be seen. It was nice when he had a few days of peace while none of the students were aware he existed. A few weeks if he was very careful.
And this time he was so careless he had blown it all before classes had even started for the year.