The longer Archelaus spent time with his uncle, the better he was beginning to get at reading him. Archie wasn't particularly good at reading anybody, but he could definitely tell there was something on his uncle's mind. As everyone began to huddle together, Archelaus continued to remain quiet. For his mother and brother, his usually slack smile crept along his lips during his silence. He returned his mother's nuzzle by bumping the side of her snout with his own, but it wasn't long before his attention was back on Leo.
Everyone had come in so quickly, he didn't really notice that a few people were missing. One in particular, though, was Amalia. The longer the seconds accumulated that Leo began speaking, the bigger the feeling of something offset about the event began to grow. His red eyes gave a quick glance around the crowd once again, until finally Leo managed to inform them of Razor's death. Archelaus frowned, almost immediately and genuinely- he hadn't spent any time with the child (he kept a safe distance from most children) but still.. it was incredibly sad to hear and it made perfect sense why his uncle might seem a bit off.
Archelaus sighed, it seemed every meeting he attended offered some horrible news about their loved ones. His thoughts really reflected on Leo's request that they apply themselves more to their duty of protection. Honestly, it was embarassing.. someone had crossed their borders without them knowing and it really spoke volumes as to where their focus had been lately. Archelaus was the biggest culprit for this, and he even admitted to himself that had he took things more serious.. perhaps less people would have to worry about tresspassers and the like. Mother nature was already ripping them of their family in her various ways of claiming life, they didn't need disrespectful wolves walking in and risking further loss.
As Leo informed them of their mother's request, Archelaus couldn't help but let his attention drift to the woman at his side. It was incredible to think about how many years she'd been serving Fiori as a Knight. To not have her in such a role would be.. quite different. Though, it made him worry even more about Amalia's whereabouts. What had happened? Perhaps his mother really needed time to be elsewhere right now, though.. but her stepping down as Knight meant the rest of them would have to work even harder on patrolling the borders.
The thought did cross his mind about stepping up to take the role, and two incredibly amazing things resulted from this. Archie had been known all his life as lazy, snarky and generally uncooperative; but he recognized right then and there a really unique change in his behavior. The mere thought of even trying to obtain that much duty by even THINKING about stepping up to the responsibilities of the Knight rank made him wonder... perhaps he was searching for a calling? What was even more interesting was his desire to work even harder to make it easier on his mother now that she was entering retirement. He was actually thinking of ways to apply effort to make things easier on someone else!
YUCK! What was this?! Last he knew, he didn't care about anyone and though he loved his family.. he was perfectly fine getting by with the bare minimum. Although.. perhaps this change had been happening subtly all along? Had he not been pushing himself to keep up with the physical requirements of being a Squire? He may not have been the greatest at social interaction with his family, but he certainly did not want to allow himself incapable of protecting them if the moment he needed to were to arrive. He remembered his mother asking him what he'd plan on doing with his life before he'd left the first time, he didn't know then and he still doesn't know.. but things were beginning to become a little clearer. Perhaps he was closer to finding out what it was that he wanted out of all this. Or maybe, starting to realize that he didn't really want anything at all.. he just wanted to keep what he had safe.
Those rubies casually glanced to the rest of those that had shown up to the meeting today and he couldn't help but hold a soft and simple smile. No words left the tall, gray man.. but he did show effort to lean into his mother once the meeting was declared over. No matter what the future held, Archelaus was beginning to feel his love for his family in such a way he maybe previously had taken for granted. His hopes for them all to be safe and happy were always there, but suddenly.. a new sense of determination had surfaced from that hope- a promise-- no, a purpose.. had been declared. Albeit internally, but still a very meaningful declaration for Archelaus himself.
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