TBATE: A Hero's Return

Doing Something Owed

ARTHUR LEYWIN

I could feel my long-suffering sigh deep in my bones. The source of that sigh was standing just to my right, all gunmetal gray and gorgeous and annoying right now. I shifted a little in the formal attire she had picked out for me.

Tess made sure that I had no idea where it was that we were going while we entered the portal, closing my ears and eyes both as we marched in together. But as I opened my eyes, I was met by a sight that I did not expect.

We were in the main courtyard of the flying castle, which was completely decked out for what was seemingly a major event. The lighting artifacts were lit such that the stage at the front was the center of attention for the event. A solid block of ice sat as the main centerpiece and attraction for the event. Despite having been in the midst of bright lighting that poured onto it from its place on the pedestal, the ice did not melt at all, keeping its impressive form as it reflected and refracted pure white into an assortment of the colors of the rainbow that hit the ground in a visually appealing manner. There is only one person I know capable of such a thing; a certain white haired fellow lance must have been here recently to set this up.

There were things that were obviously different from the event the setup brought to mind, but memories flowed into my thoughts nonetheless.

Out of nowhere, a particular mad scientist appeared with an irritated scowl on his face. "Princess, everything is set up. You owe me. This was a major pain in the ass."

"Oh shut up, Gideon." The familiar voice of my bespectacled friend from our school days came and pinched him on the ear. Emily continued, "I have been looking forward to this for weeks since we found out about this! You will not ruin their moment!" She then proceeds to drag the mad scientist away as he yelps in pain at the force applied to his poor ear. "Have fun you two!"

"Thank you guys!" Tess bellowed after the duo before giggling at their antics.

"What is going on? Why are we here Tess?" I ask. Clearly a lot of thought went into this, but I still had no idea what this was about.

Tess moved away from me towards a small stall near the back of the area we were standing in. "Oh come on, Art. What fun would it be if I just told you the answer? I need to do something, and I expect you to have figured it out by the time I come back." She then steps into the stall before closing the door behind her.

I walked around the yard, still not exactly sure what it is I was supposed to realize. It was clear that the courtyard was decorated exactly as it had been during the retainer party. Back then, Tess and I were still only friends, but Tess wanted to dance with me at the party. We never got the chance as we were surrounded by nobles from all races and smothered in political conversation.

"I think you still owe me something."

I turned around and my face immediately turned bright red at the sight.

The figure standing in front of me, head tilted ever-so-slightly in an adorable fashion, wore a lavishly decorated dress of shimmering black. The silky fabric came up just above the base of her neck, with subtle frills adding a girlish touch. The sleeves covered the length of her arm with the same delicate frills at the ends, while the dress fell on the shorter side—coming up just short of her knees.

Locks of gunmetal hair flowed down on one side in entrancing twirls that contrasted starkly against the dark color of her attire.

I swallowed at the sight. This dress was an exact replica of the one she wore that night.

She came up to me and placed my hand on her hip and placed her own on my chest. I reached out and grabbed her other hand with my own, entwining our fingers as I pulled her close to me.