Archive of Our Own ^beta

Hunter had a very strict schedule.

After all, if he was going to be the Golden Guard one day, he had to be prepared for the position. So if he wasn't training he was studying, and if he wasn't studying he was listening to one of his Uncle's lectures.

Every moment of his life was spent on bettering himself to make sure that he was worthy of the title.

It was also for his benefit.

Not many people can afford the best tutors or dedicate all their children's time to studying and training. That was reserved for the very best of society and Hunter knew not to take this opportunity - and his Uncle's good grace - for granted. He would never dare to of course. He wasn't a small kid who would complain about having so much homework to finish, or that he was tired after training all day. He is older now and learned what a privileged position he was in.

In a sense, he grew into it.

It was also lucky that he was a naturally curious and diligent child. A trait that served him well.

Uncle Belos praised him for it and encouraged him to keep up the hard work. He tried to live up to that.

He can rest when he sleeps, after all. Only, Hunter doesn't really sleep. He often stays up long into the evening, past even dinner. There was always something that needed to be done, some extra reading material from a tutor to study, a lesson the reread and memories, homework to finish, an essay to write. There was no end to the things he could do - of the things he should do.

Hunter didn't complain. He loved to learn and he knew it would serve him well.

But every time he caught a glance at an interesting book - be it the architecture of early Latissa, or the first witches who climbed the Knee, or anything really that pointed to a life outside of the stone walls of the castle - he was quickly reminded to focus on what's important. He had a set study plan, and he should not deviate from it. That was something both his Uncle and his tutors agreed on.

He knew better than to argue, they knew best, it was for his own good.

But in the dead of the night, when he heard the last of the night patrols pass his door, Hunter would slip a bag out from under his bed.

It was an unsuspecting brown bag, he used to carry his books to his lessons before the strap broke and he needed a new one. But he didn't throw it away. Instead, he fixed it up the best way he could and kept it for personal use.

Namely, to hide away things he was not supposed to have. Like say, books that were deemed useless to read.

Or worse, books he was not supposed to read. His mind immediately jumped to 'Bones to Earth: a Study of Wild Magic' which seemingly found its permanent place in the bottom of his secret stash. If Uncle were to find out that he read it - he didn't even want to think about it.

When he was sure that he would be alone, Hunter would pull out the bag and its contents smuggled from the library or the archives. 

Guilt eats at him. But it wasn't enough to make him put down the books. Instead, the allure of the forbidden drew him in deeper and deeper.

It didn't mean that he didn't fear a surprise room check like his Uncle used to do when he was little and made a miss-step that made him doubt his own nephew's dedication to their cause. He made sure to never be on the receiving end of that treatment again. So far it seemed he was in the clear.

But for a moment he could ignore all that.

Here, under the lamp light and safety of his room, Hunter could get lost in whatever book he chose to his heart's content, reading long into the night.

At least for the time being.

Then tomorrow would come, and Hunter was back in the same cycle of lessons and training. And he would throw himself fully into everything - as it was expected of him. Until curfew rolled around. Only then he would have a few precious hours for himself.

He savored every moment of it.