TBATE-ONESHOTS

An Adventurers Heart

The fire in the gray-stoned fireplace crackled, its light illuminating the large living room inside the elven royal castle. The room was beautiful, with gray wood flooring, shiny white walls decorated with paintings of various natural landscapes, and a crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling. Three black leather couches were set in the room close to the fireplace in an open square formation, all facing each other, with a small coffee table between them.

Three figures were currently sitting in the room, all on separate couches. Sitting on the couch furthest from the fireplace in noble elven apparel was Virion Eralith, elder and former King of the elves. Virion was an old man past his prime, with sharp facial features and a gaze that could kill someone on contact. He had a long gray beard that grew out from his chin, which he was currently brushing his hand through as he stared into the fire.

Sitting on the couch to Virion's left in an elegant silver dress was Merial Eralith, the Queen of the elves. Merial is a middle-aged woman with round green eyes and a shimmering light blue hue, which contrasts well with her lush pink lips. Her silver hair fell in curls down her back.

The third figure, sitting to Virion's right, was Tessia Eralith, Princess of the elves, in a beautiful short-sleeved shining white dress with a low cut back that showed off her hourglass curves and accented her breasts. It was no secret that Tessia was a well-known beauty in the elven kingdom. Her teal eyes were like pearls that shone whenever she was happy, which contrasted nicely with her long, gunmetal gray hair. She had a small, perky nose and thin, luscious pink lips on a face that looked like a carefully molded piece of art.

Virion and Merial looked at the door to the living room as it opened, seeing Alduin, the King of the elves, walk in. Alduin was a middle-aged man with a tall, muscular body, wearing loose, elven noble apparel. His emerald eyes were slanted upward, and he had a military-style haircut.

"The last of the guests have just left, as have Aya and Alea," Alduin announced as he closed the doors behind him.

Alduin walked over to the couch Merial was sitting on and sat beside her. His eyes flicked to Tessia, seeing her staring blankly at the fireplace, fingering the silver charm bracelet on her left wrist. Alduin wasn't a fan of the charm bracelet on her left wrist since that was where marriage and engagement bracelets went. Alduin informed Tessia of that multiple times and asked her to wear the charm bracelet on her right wrist, but she always refused.

Alduin gave her a small smile, "Did you have a good birthday?"

Tessia didn't look at him but knew her father was addressing her. She simply nodded, her lips remaining in a frown, her eyes blank, "Yeah."

Merial gave her daughter a worried look, "Are you alright, sweetie?"

"Yeah," Tessia responded, her voice flat. "I'm fine."

Virion looked at her sympathetically, knowing she very well wasn't fine. He knew she was incredibly disappointed. His heart cracked for her since he knew she was looking forward to today for one reason, and it didn't happen. He wanted to cheer her up, but frankly, he didn't know how. His eyes flicked to the charm bracelet she was manipulating, and he knew where her mind was.

Virion and Merial shared a sad, knowing gaze, seeing their daughter dejected on her birthday. The room fell silent, neither Virion nor Merial knowing what to say to cheer Tessia up.

"So, Tessia," Alduin said, leaning back into his chair and giving Tessia a small smile. "There were plenty of young suitors at the party."

"Alduin," Virion sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Merial shot Alduin a glare, knowing his timing was horrible, and Tessia definitely didn't want to talk about this right now.

Ignoring his father and wife, Alduin continued, "Did any of them stand out to you?"