TBATE - A New Start

Chapter 4

Casma POV:

I fucked up. I thought if I brought Tess and Art together sooner. It would help create a better future. I didn't think it would screw up the entire timeline. I'm currently in my room rolling in my bed with my hands covering my face. After they went to talk to Mom and Dad about their new relationship, my parents told Art for him to be with her. They would need to be engaged or married since she was a princess.

Since this was such a huge thing for our parents they canceled their plans to be at the tournament and sent a maid to get Art's parents immediately. Art said, he wanted to wait on making it known to the public, but apparently after a stern gaze from Grampa, he cracked. It had been several days since the maid left, and early this morning, the maid had used a communication scroll to let us know that they had finally made it to the Elshire Forest. So they would be here any minute.

Finally settling on my back and laying my hands to my side, I sighed. All my plans down the drain, all cause I thought bringing the two of them together now, would be better than having them question their relationship till it was too late. I'm going to have to revise my plans and adjust accordingly to what's going to happen. This meant that I would need to make sure Art stayed in touch with me about everything he was planning on doing.

As I was planning for all the possibilities of what I was going to need to do, a knock came from my door, "Cas, Queen Merial asked me to come and get you. Arthur's parents should be here any minute." I knew from the kind voice who it was. As I opened the door to see a female elf with tea-green hair standing there in a military uniform, I couldn't help but remember her last moments. She had died without even being able to truly fight back. She passed holding onto Art crying.

I bit the inside of my mouth, the taste of iron filling it. I did this to try and keep myself from tearing up. I know it's not a good way of handling it but it helps me, "Okay." was all I could say. I started walking towards the front of the castle.

We made our way in silence but soon Alea spoke up, "Are you nervous to meet Art's family?"

"No, not particularly. Why do you ask?" I looked at her out of the corner of my eye.

"I specialize in detection and perception, I can tell you're nervous," She stopped in her tracks and got down so we were at eye level, "Cas, I know I'm not your biological sister like Tess, but please rely on me as you would her. After all one day you will be our king. I can't have you getting nervous over something as little as meeting your sisters '-in-laws."

"Can we just keep moving? I'd like to just get this over with." I didn't want to talk about what the future had in store right now. After all, I could no longer trust my own information.

As we got to the front of the castle my family came into view.

"Ah, Cas, just in time," Mom said bringing me into a warm embrace. I returned the hug and looked towards the entrance.

"I guess they are walking up the stairs now?" I asked as she let me go.

"How do you know that?" Alea asked me with a raised brow.

I shrugged my shoulders, "Just a... feeling I guess." Before anyone could question me further the large doors opened with a maid side-stepping, and in came the Leywin family. One thing I knew though was that Art might want to let go of Tess's hand before Alice tackles him. Almost as if I had seen the future, when her eyes fell on him she seemed to disappear and reappear with her arms wrapped around him already sobbing. Reynolds made his way over holding Eleanor's hand. After all, unlike me, she was still young and didn't fully understand what was happening.

I was standing off to the side with Mom, Dad, Grampa, and Tess, who had moved over as soon as Alice got to Art. After what seemed like hours of watching the heartwarming reunion of this family, one that would end up most affected by the war. A family that would lose a father. A son who would never be home, as he would become a pinnacle player in the war. A mom who learned about her son's reincarnation and pushed him to the point that he wouldn't see his own father's funeral, and a daughter who was thrown in the middle of all of this. Who would take everything in stride, trying to get strong enough that people would notice her for what she could do and not as a shadow following behind her brother.