TBATE: A Hero's Return

Old Friends

A few months later, Tessia found herself at Xyrus, meeting with various Sapin noble families in order to solidify the relationship between the two nations. Most of her old friends from the academy days settled back down in the floating city, so she ended up greeting them and catching up one on one. After some time, Tessia decided she wanted them all to hang out again like they used to back when they were all in Xyrus Academy. Even Arthur and Feyrith took a break from their duties in Elenoir to join them.

Somehow, at the restaurant they went to, Arthur ended up sitting between Claire and Lilia, who were already bantering with each other. Feyrith and Tessia had never seen either of the two girls drunk, so they were surprised at just how boisterous and energetic they both were.

Both of them were also surprised to learn that Arthur had actually kept in close touch with all their old friends. Xyrus was the center of the slave trade, so he had spent a lot of time in city. The Helsteas would always insist on him staying with them, and through Lilia he met frequently with Claire, Curtis, Clive, and Kathyln.

The fact that Arthur and Clive even kept in touch really surprised Tessia, considering Arthur and Clive used to butt heads a lot back in Xyrus Academy. Since the war ended, Clive had mellowed out, becoming less adamant about proper decorum and status. He was now a professor at their alma mater, and he frequently invited Arthur to give guest lectures and demonstrations.

Claire was now the head of the Bladeheart Sword Institution. While she tried to keep calm as she told everyone about what she was doing, her body language and voice clearly showed the pride and excitement she had due to her accomplishments. Everyone was extremely happy for her.

Tessia sat across from them at the table, talking to Clive about her latest trip to Darv. Occasionally, her eyes flicked to the three on the opposite side as she observed the way Claire and Lilia leaned into Arthur, over him, and had their arms and chest pressed up against his arms. Of course, everyone was drinking, but she suspected that those two would be doing the same thing even if alcohol wasn't involved.

She envied their personalities, both of them so fun, and confident in themselves. The comfortable way they touched Arthur indicated that they thought of him as just a friend. She wished she could someday find the courage to be comfortable and easy with him like that, the way they did.

But Claire and Lilia had grown up in relatively normal families and had never had the experience of being relentlessly trained from birth to hold themselves like a princess.

"You know, they have this particular type of metal in Alacrya," Claire was saying, her voice dripping with envy and desire. She sighed as she looked at her hand, imagining the feel of the blade when she'd held it. "It conducts mana incredibly well, so well that it cuts through flesh and bone with just a single slice."

Her arm was resting on Arthur's shoulder, the other hand was now lifting her drink to her lips.

Lilia brightened. Arthur was looking queasy. "Do we need to talk about cutting flesh while we're eating meat?!"

Tessia smiled, but she became pensive again as she marveled at the difference between her and the two women sitting across from her. She sighed. She guessed it was just the result of growing up an Eralith, under the stern, watchful eyes of not only her family but her entire race.

After the human-elf war that robbed the Eraliths of Tessia's grandmother Lania, her family had smothered her with overprotectiveness, treating her like a fragile princess, and robbing her of confidence and self-worth. She was made to feel that she needed to be protected all the time when she was little.

When Arthur came into her life, it was the first time she'd felt that she could change her situation. She'd watched him work relentlessly to train and grow stronger, to fight against the hardships of his life, and had wanted that same drive for herself. Luckily, her grandfather had seen her drive and acquiesced, training and pushing her as hard as he did Arthur. Then her master did the same before her passing, seeing her potential and had supervised her training.