Preparation |A TBATE What-If?|

Chapter 1 - Judgement

? Pov

To think that such a simple mistake had thrown this large a wrench into my plans was utterly ridiculous. No matter. I will deal with it in due time. The boy is ready enough. He should be plenty prepared to face the oncoming assault.

I just hope that his feelings for the girl don't cloud his judgment as much as I fear they will. He is a rash one, but perhaps he could still be useful yet.

~~~

Tessia Eralith Pov

15 years after Arthur's arrival to Epheotus

My eyes darted, tracking each and every movement in the dense Sapin forest. Our 'squad' approached the shore. I brushed a stray branch away, signaling my teammates forward.

"All clear," I whispered as the lone lance strode past me.

It was uncanny...the way that she, and all the other lances by extension moved with such purpose and poise, like they had mastered the physical form. The sounds of her movements, even through the dense forest were soundless. If she was a silent shadow panther stalking her prey in the night, Curtis and I were her clumsy pups, stumbling through the forest and alerting any potential target.

"How does she do that?" I glanced at Curtis who was equally as baffled as by the lance's ability to hide her mana while remaining so vigilant.

"Sapin's best assassins couldn't hold a candle to lance Alea," the king reassured. "You shouldn't compare yourself to her, Tessia."

"That's Princess Tessia to you," a voice came behind the both of us, startling the young ruler and leading to me tripping over a stray root. Alea caught my arm, shooting me a mocking grin. "You two are unfortunately imperceptive."

Curtis's cheeks tinged a shade of pink, "Ahem," he cleared his throat. "As I said, we can't be compared to the likes of you."

The lance chuckled but offered no rebuttal as we continued our seaward march. Our mission, assigned to us by my grandfather and authorized by the man walking next to me was a simple reconnaissance assignment, meant for Alea alone but Curtis and I insisted that we come along.

It hadn't taken much convincing seeing as no Alacryans had been spotted thus far, but the locals had made such a ruckus over some disturbing presence that we had to at least investigate. Although, I suppose errand was a more apt name for our trek through Sapin.

I imagined that Grandpa would have made much more of a fuss had it been just the king and myself, but with Lance Alea at our side, he was left far more confident.

While the mission wasn't without danger, and the Alacryans were mysterious, it wasn't like we weren't well-defended. Our military had 6 powerhouses in total, eloquent as they were powerful. The lances of Dicathen were true pillars to rally around...how could we lose with both them and the asuras on our side?

I winced as a spark of memories flashed by at the thought of the word asura. My thoughts found themselves drifting back to him, as they often did. His azure eyes and deep auburn hair...those strikingly attractive features both intelligent and imposing.

He'd been gone longer than I'd known him and yet such a sizeable brand had been burned into my memory. His laugh, his smile...the way we'd fight over stupid stuff. There was little I wouldn't give to go back and relive my childhood with him.

I missed it all.

Youth was such a wistful melody...a duet of joy and camaraderie. We were like two boats lashed together in perfect harmony, sailing through the calm waters of adolescence. But if youth was a calm tune, adulthood was a tempestuous symphony. Where waves of duty and currents of destiny separated our boats, leaving behind a trail of cherished memories.