TBATE: A Hero's Return

Entranced

Over the weeks, Tessia and Arthur grew fonder of Eva and Cordelia. At times when they needed to be professional, their guides were perfection incarnate, appearing completely poised and letting Tessia do her job in peace. Cordelia, an elf herself, was of especially great help. She helped Tessia soothe out potential issues that she may come across due to cultural differences, being very familiar with highblood society as well as elven culture.

Arthur was quite impressed with how good Cordelia was at this role, especially considering she wasn't even supposed to be there at the moment. She knew nuances and tendencies to a better degree than he himself did despite spending less time on the continent than he has.

But it was when Tessia was not meeting with officials and was simply traveling and touring various locations across Alacrya that Eva and Cordelia really opened up. Their adorable antics even left Arthur smiling in quiet amusement. They were clearly madly in love and took every chance they could to spend time with one another.

At first, they brought Arthur and Tessia to more politically and culturally important locations, such as the locations of buildings, and statues across Alacrya. But as the couple grew closer to the princess and her lance, they shifted away from the more formal tour they had been expected to provide, to instead take them to do all sorts of activities instead. Tessia's eyes sparkled in curiosity, seeing all the interesting and unique recreational activities available in Alacrya.

Today, was one such day. Eva and Cordelia were already sitting on a nearby bench, changing out of their normal walking shoes to instead put on special shoes that had a blade of metal underneath. Arthur and Tessia simply looked at each other before staring at the distance in front of them.

They saw a white expanse of pure white ice, appearing well polished across the surface despite the divots carved into its surface. Numerous Alacryans were standing on it, wearing the same bladed shoes, called skates, they saw their guides putting on just moments before.

Eva came up to them, somehow able to still walk on the points at the base of the skates. "Princess, Arthur are you guys okay? If you don't feel comfortable doing this, we can go do something else."

Truthfully, Tessia was nervous about it. She had never seen anything like this before, but she was willing to try it nonetheless. What kept her stuck in her position was Arthur. He kept it hidden quite well, but she knew the slight shaking in his hand as he gripped the gate to the rink was anything but normal behavior for him.

It was as if he was back in the war again, flying above the frozen expanse of Etistin Bay. He could still hear the shouts and cries of pain echoing across the cold emotionless expanse of white. He could see the pure white slowly but surely become blotted with various hues of pink and red, becoming tainted with the lifeblood of fathers, mothers, sons, and daughters.

"Art!" Arthur came back to his senses, his heart beating heavily in his chest as he turned to face the direction the call came from.

To his side was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Eyes of emeralds more beautiful than the real stone could ever hope to bore down on him, pure concern for his well-being present within. Her hand was on his shoulder with a comforting grip as she searched his face for any signs of what could have been bothering him.

"Princess, maybe we should call this off," Eva said, concern on her face as well as she saw something on Arthur's face that gave her pause.

Arthur shook his head. This wasn't about him right now. He promised Virion and his father years ago that he wouldn't let the echoes of the war rob him of any more of his life. He wasn't about to let his past affect him or those around him.

"No, you guys go ahead. I'll be right there. Let me just put on my skates, and I will meet you there." Arthur mustered up the most convincing smile he could.