Classy, Controlled Chaos - The STEAM Team Adventures

🌱 Overgrown Ivy [4/6] 🌱

King Arthur's POV:

Once we arrived at the Horizon Library's general location, we organized a battle plan.

There would be two stations of fighting: In the sky for the vines, and on the ground for Blackthorne.

Addison would act as bait for the ivy to distract it, luring it away from the ground and along the pillars.

Tia would attack first, letting the creature "catch" her for Nyx and I to swoop in and land a few deadly blows on the plant.

Blackthorne would get to see the commotion going on and panic, and that's where Sophii comes in.

All she does is act cute and distract my son enough for Marshall to secure a couple hits and take them off the island.

Then, all we do is accept our victory and win.

We all agreed to this plan, anyways.

Tia was silently leaning against me, tucking herself under my arm and huddling in her captain's coat.

It was surprisingly cold tonight, considering that we were in the middle of the summer season and only around sea level.

She was usually resistant to any drastic weather or temperature changes, but for some reason, her body betrayed weakness.

Was she cold? Was she scared? Was she nervous?

The urge to protect her washed over me, and I gently patted her on the back.

To me, Tia was like the daughter I never had.

She saw me as the fatherly figure that never left.

Whenever we met, we knew we could trust one another regardless of what happened to us.

If she had a bad week, the captain would vent to me and ask for some advice or comfort.

Of course I would give her some reassurance, but we had to keep our meetings secret.

Everyone in Northwynd, even before the whole ordeal with Tia's mock-execution, knew some revolution was stirring in Baywharf.

According to Tia, her home was always like that; Both of our kingdoms have a bad reputation.

She shivered, tucking her hands into her pockets.

"Tia?" I glanced down at her stare up into the sky. "What's wrong, tell me."

"No." She tugged the bandages on her injured hand. "I'm not saying. It's really dumb."

I frowned at her. "Tell me, Tia. You're worrying me. I don't like when you seem uncomfortable."

A moment of silence passed between us as she took in a steady breath, steeling her nerves.

"I'm... Nervous." She whispered, looking up to face me. "I don't want to fight."

This wasn't usually like her. "Why not? You have an excuse to show off your moves for once, and you get to side by me. You're not fighting this solo."

"Yeah, but..." The captain sighed, shaking her head. "I don't want to hurt Blackthorne. He's your son, and-"

"Ah." I put a gloved finger over her lips. "That's not what I taught you. Remember what I said? It doesn't matter who they are, even if it's Heaven himself, kick their butt if they hurt you."

"That's not exactly what you told me, but it's close enough." Tia chuckled, taking my hand and moving it away from her face. "So you give me permission to banish your son from existence."

I gave her a cunning smirk, placing my hands on my hips. "Be my guest. He needs to learn a lesson from you, kid. Eighteen years ago, I made a mistake... And I need you to fix it."

She quickly understood what I meant, comfortably nuzzling her head against my side. "I'll try, Arthur."

We stood in the shadow of the floating island, standing directly under it.

Moonflowers bloomed in the grass around us, endless waves of white in the midst of the darkness of the world around us.

I plucked one from the ground, holding it up to Tia.

"Look, Tia." I began, watching her gaze dart to the delicate petals. "You know these are edible, right?"

"Really?" She blinked at me, watching as I began to pick a few more. "I thought they were poisonous."

"Poisonous to pure humans." I smiled, holding up a handful toward her. "Try one."

"Are you trying to kill me?" Tia squeaked, nervously backing away.

I rolled my eyes. "Duh. Half your body mass is a whale, you're a hybrid! You're not a pure human, silly."

She let out a chirp, which was surprisingly similar to her aquatic counterpart. "Orcas are dolphins, not whales. And fine, I'll eat one..."

After balancing on her tail like a portable chair, she gently lifted one of the flowers from my hand, quietly putting it in her mouth.

"So?" I asked, standing back up to my full height.

Tia seemed to like it, letting out a series of soft clicks and whistles. "Tastes like honey... Subtly sweet, but kinda buttery, for some reason."

I smiled at her. "That's good. I ate one once, and they ended up being really bitter... I found out what food poisoning was the hard way."

She gave me an amused squeak, getting back on her feet and flicking her orca tail. "Ouch. Maybe I can ask Addison to make a jam out of this stuff for you to try, without the whole poison thing?"

"It's fine." I chuckled, patting her on the back. "Anyways, let's see what your friends have been up to."

A couple of feet away, the rest of our companions sat in a circle beside one another, speaking in hushed tones.

Marshall had his wing around Addison, explaining the battle plan further.

Nyx and Sophii were intently listening, leaning in to catch what the phoenix was saying.

"You're a frostbreather, right?" The blacksmith asked the ivory knight, shifting in the grass.

"Yes, yes I am." Nyx nodded, wielding his arming sword. "I'm not exactly the best at controlling my ability, but I'm a skilled fighter."

"Another question." Addison politely raised her hand. "Frostbreath is inherited by blood, right?"

"Yes." The knight replied. "All frostbreathers have a tuft of white or silver hair depending on their ability. It comes naturally."

Everyone almost immediately turned to face me.

I dipped my head respectfully. "I am simply old, young ones. Carry on."

I hate to say it, but that was a lie.

Well, a lie for the greater good- A white lie.

I was only forty years old, but I appeared much older because of the battle scars crisscrossed on my body.

However, they were all hidden under my royal clothing, making me appear like an ancient soldier without my uniform.

No one was supposed to know that I was a frostbreather in the first place.