Classy, Controlled Chaos - The STEAM Team Adventures

🗡️ Perseverance [2/4] 🗡️

King Arthur's POV:

Once we were settled down in the combat training room, Tia practiced a warm up session with one of the dummies propped up against the wall.

"I'm going to be frankly honest with you," She began, thwacking her orca tail against the dummy's head. "Both of your sons are kinda weird. Like, they both like me."

I cocked an eyebrow at her, crossing my arms. "Is that so, Tia?"

"Yeah," The captain groaned, slamming her fist into the dummy's chest. "Blackthorne said if he won the duel, I'd be his maiden. Edward told me that your wife wants me to marry him."

Queen Cordelia Ravenclaw was my wife's name, and she was a wonderful woman.

She had these beautiful locks of pure golden hair, like a sunset in the clearest sky.

Her skin was toned this perfect tan, yet she had splotches of porcelain skin across her sleek, thin form.

Emeralds gleamed in her eyes, which matched her jade tiara that she always wore.

Such a beautiful woman was condemned to the infirmary after the first brutal assassination attempt.

In the third year of the Great War, an assassin from Everhallow was sent to try to kill me, my wife, and my two children.

He managed to deal a serious amount of damage to Cordelia's, not enough to take her out but enough to leave her impaired for the rest of her life.

Blackthorne and I fought him off, but he managed to survive the scars we gave him and ran off.

Now my beautiful Cordelia lives off of magical life support, leaving me alone to fend for the kingdom myself.

"I'm sure she has good intentions," I smiled, watching her pummel her tail into her target. "But if I would have to choose a man for you, neither of them are enough to make you happy."

"Thank you, finally someone understands!" Tia laughed, backing away from the dummy and giving me a genuine smile. "I thought you'd agree with Her Majesty."

"Just because I'm married to her doesn't mean we share the same thoughts." I chuckled, gesturing for her to come over to me. "We're not a hive mind, I have independence, don't worry."

She happily trotted over to me like a fox, her tail raised off the ground and swinging from side to side.

Even without telling me, I knew that being around me made her feel overwhelmingly happy.

"You're surprisingly energetic for your age," I noted, watching her skid to a drop beside me. "Most of you guys would probably be exhausted by this point; You're pretty tough."

"Thanks, sir." Tia smiled, lifting up her temporary hood and wearing it as her normal captain's coat. "As you know, I do my best."

"Of course you do," I chuckled, playfully ruffling her hair. "Now that you're warmed up, care for a quick spar?"

She gave me a confident grin. "You're gonna get toppled, old man."

"Oh, it's on." I got into position, gesturing for her to come at me. "Ladies first, kiddo."

Before she could spring, there was a knock on the training room's door. "Your Highness?"

I nodded at Tia before turning to approach the door. "Who is it?"

"Sir Nyx, sir." The door creaked open, revealing a knight wearing ivory armor. "We have a visitor from Pyronica. They must see you and your... Tailed companion at once."