TBATE-ONESHOTS

An Adventurers Heart 2

Walking hand in hand, Arthur and Tessia made their way through the hallways of the elven royal castle. Tessia leaned in close to Arthur, their shoulders brushing, and she had a bright smile plastered on her face.

Arthur was looking around, noticing the white walls, the gray wooden flooring, and the intricate paintings displayed on the wall. He smiled humorously as he said, "This place never changes, does it?"

"Hmmm?" Tessia hummed, looking at him curiously. She had barely heard what he said as she was so lost in her blissful thoughts. She noticed his flickering gaze and registered what he said. Tessia giggled and shook her head, "You know my father. He's not a fan of change."

"I don't know. He did agree to form the council with the other kings and queens," Arthur pointed out.

Tessia smiled warmly at Arthur, "That was mostly because of you. You helped him open up to humans."

Arthur looked at Tessia, meeting her warm, shining gaze, noticing her smooth lips curved into a smile. He blushed slightly, returning her smile, "Perhaps. But, let's not forget your father didn't particularly like me at first."

Tessia shrugged, "My father didn't like humans in general." She smirked jestfully, "Even human children, it seems."

Arthur chuckled, "To be fair, I was a brat growing up and caused a lot of mischief."

Smiling as she remembered growing up with Arthur, Tessia raised a knowing brow, "If I remember correctly, I was right there with you, causing all the mischief."

"That's true," Arthur smirked and leaned in close. "In fact, most of the ideas were yours. Yet, I was the one always taking the fall."

Tessia looked at Arthur innocently, batting her eyelashes, "You don't hate me for letting you take the blame, do you?"

Arthur chuckled, his blush deepening a little at her flirty behavior, "Never. I can never hate you."

Tessia smiled warmly and stood there motionlessly as she and Arthur stared into each other's eyes. Arthur was the first to break eye contact as he stood straight and jerked his chin down the hallway.

"We shouldn't keep your family waiting. It's already late," Arthur said.

Tessia nodded, knowing he was right. She wordlessly continued to walk through the hallways, Arthur beside her, hand in hand. They approached the closed double doors to the living room, which had an orange glow underneath the doors from the lit fireplace inside.

Virion, Merial, and Alduin were still sitting in the same seats before Tessia left. The three of them looked to the door at the sound of it opening as Tessia walked in and jovially announced, "I'm back. And," She smiled brightly, looking over her shoulder as she pulled Arthur into the room behind her, "I've brought company."

Arthur smiled and waved, "Hello, everyone."

"Arthur!" Merial said, glad to see him again.

Merial, Virion, and Alduin stood from their seats as Tessia closed the door behind them. The three of them also quickly noticed Arthur's and Tessia's hands, which were still locked together. Virion and Merial shared a knowing gaze, smiling warmly. Alduin's brows scrunched up a little, but he quickly relaxed his facial features and smiled.

Arthur and Tessia moved into the room to join the others, finally breaking their handhold. Merial approached Arthur with a motherly smile and said, "It's so good to see you, Arthur." She took him into a warm hug. "I'm glad to see you look well."

"It's good to see you too," Arthur said happily as they broke the hug. He looked at Virion as he approached, "Hey, Gramps."

"It's good to see you, brat," Virion chuckled, taking Arthur into a hug.