After that day Arion remembered The Duke's command , and it was was executed with ruthless efficiency. Within forty eight hours, Arion, Aiden, and two trusted but silent house servants were bundled into a sturdy carriage and dispatched northward. The destination was the Northern Hunting Lodge, a remote, sprawling property tucked high in the foothills a place built for solitude, now serving as Arion's gilded cage.
The lodge itself was built of rough-hewn timber and stone, grand but isolated, situated miles from the nearest village. It was surrounded by a challenging wilderness, thick forests leading up to treacherous mountain passes. It was the perfect place for a man the Duke wished to keep hidden , difficult to reach, and impossible to leave without notice.
Arion accepted the exile with a cold resignation. He had failed to win his father's support, but he had secured his son's safety. The carriage ride was jarring, but as they ascended into the cleaner, pine-scented air, Arion felt a fragile sense of renewed purpose. The wilderness was familiar territory; the cold and the silence were old, comfortable enemies.
Upon arrival, Arion took stock. The two servants, an older, taciturn couple , were loyal to the House but primarily focused on maintaining the lodge. They would not spy for Kyon, but they would report any suspicious activity to the Duke. This meant his every move was still watched, but at a distance.
The next few years became a period of intense, focused recovery and preparation. Arion established a rigorous routine. He devoted the early mornings to Aiden, who was a child of boundless energy and alarming intelligence. The boy, with his dark hair and piercing amber eyes, was growing fast, already displaying a strong, inquisitive alpha nature that Arion secretly fostered.
Once Aiden was settled for his morning nap or under the watchful eye of the servant, Arion trained. He used the steep mountain trails for endurance, felled dead timber for strength, and practiced his forms with a dull blade until his muscles screamed. He was slowly shedding the last vestiges of the malnourished prisoner and rebuilding the Dragon-Slayer. The years of forced omega biology had changed his metabolism and physique, making him leaner and quicker, but the core strength, the sheer alpha will of his youth, was reasserting itself, tempered by the patience he'd learned in the dungeon.
He also poured over maps and dispatches his mother secretly included in supply shipments. He devoured news of the capital, tracing Kyon's meteoric rise. The reports confirmed the worst: Kyon had secured the Jade Heart, marginalized Cassian, and was now the King's designated successor, ruling with an iron hand veiled in silken charm. Kyon was consolidating every power base, becoming the very Serpent King Arion had warned his father about.
The isolation became his greatest advantage. The Duke had imprisoned him for his shame, but Arion turned the lodge into a sanctuary and a training ground. He taught Aiden about the forest, about survival, and about fighting. He taught him to be observant, silent, and to trust only those few people they knew.
He was waiting for the perfect moment. He wouldn't risk an open fight now; Kyon was too powerful, and Aiden was too vulnerable. Arion needed a weakness, a crack in Kyon's flawless facade. He would let the serpent grow fat on power, and when the time came, Arion would emerge from the frozen north, not as the disgraced soldier, but as the weapon Kyon himself had forged.
"Papa?" Aiden voice call out , he awoke from his nap , his hair messy.
Arion glance back , and smile .
" you are up my little black tiger?" He use his old moniker on his beloved son. Aiden nod and come cling on his leg rubbing his eyes softly and yawning.
" are you tired again?" Arion ruffles Aiden hair making it more messier then it already is.
Aiden nod leaning on his father touch.
Arion smiles softly .