Allegiance

Chapter 12

Arthur and Tessia walked side by side down the streets of Xyrus. Sylvie lay comfortably on Arthur's shoulder, waving at the occasional child who pointed at her and called her cute.

The streets of Xyrus were full of joyful families who walked around spending time together. There was a slight overcast across Xyrus, with dark clouds in the distance. A nice cool breeze blew across the city, with beautiful rays of sunshine seeping down through the cloud cover over Xyrus and the populates.

Arthur looked up to the sky, gazing at the cloud cover, "Besides the overcast, it's a beautiful day today."

Tessia looked at Arthur and looked up, following his gaze, "I don't know, I kind of like the cloud cover. Keeps the sun off us." Arthur looked at her and watched as she stopped, smiled warmly, and closed her eyes. "Plus," She began, and a cool breeze gently swept across her, moving her hair slightly across her flawless facial features. Arthur's cheeks immediately grew warm and red, thinking she looked beautiful. "This breeze feels nice." She opened her eyes, clasped her hands to the small of her back, and looked at Arthur, "Don't you think?"

Arthur quickly looked to the side in an attempt to hide his blush from Tessia and cleared his throat, "Uh, yeah."

Tessia smiled in amusement, watching Arthur become a little flustered, seeing him trying to hide the blush she noticed. She looked down the street, seeing several stores ranging from weapons and armor to clothing, flood, magic items, and even jewelry.

Tessia looked at Arthur curiously, "Any particular store you want to go to first?"

Arthur looked at Tessia with his blush now gone, and he looked down the street, seeing the same stores Tessia was looking at. "Hmmm," Arthur hummed, thinking about their options. Making a quick decision, he looked back at Tessia with a smile, "How about the magic shop? They always tend to have some interesting items."

"That's true," Tessia nodded jovially, agreeing with Arthur. She spun energetically and began walking down the street, "Magic shop it is then!"

Arthur chuckled in amusement, seeing her energetic attitude, and followed her, walking beside her. As Arthur and Tessia walked down the road together, several passersby and people standing around looked at them questionably and judgementally, which didn't go unnoticed by Tessia.

Tessia let out a deep sigh, knowing why they were getting such looks, and Arthur looked at her inquisitively, hearing her. "Even with the formation of the council and our nations coming together, people still look down on elves, dwarves, and humans intertwining with each other," Tessia said dejectedly.

Arthur quickly scanned his surroundings, seeing the looks he and Tessia were getting, and understood where Tessia's sudden statement came from. "Perhaps for now," Arthur began with a shrug, and Tessia looked at him curiously. Arthur smiled warmly at Tessia, "But you can't lose hope. You can't expect change to happen suddenly. It's a slow process that will take time for people to accept. Humans and elves didn't get along for years because of the previous war. But now, here we are," Arthur gestured to himself and Tessia, "a human and an elf walking together through the streets of Xyrus. Us being together right now shows how things have changed already."

Tessia's lips curved up in a genuine smile, hearing Arthur's words, "That is true." She giggled and cocked her head slightly to the side, "And, was quite wise of you to say. You almost sounded like a politician, or..." Her smile widened somewhat, with images of a man with short pale blonde hair sitting on a throne with a crown on his head and a woman with earthen brown hair sitting beside him, also with a crown. "Like a king."

Arthur chuckled and shrugged, "I appreciate that, but I'm not a fan of politics." Arthur looked up to the sky with a smile, with images of a man with pale, short blonde hair and a woman with earthen brown hair standing side by side on a balcony, waving down at subjects as they cheered for them.