Virion Eralith POV
When Rinia looked confused at Arthur's presence as we first arrived, I was a little surprised. There's usually nothing you can get past Rinia.
While we were sitting down at the table, I watched as Rinia used her abilities to look into Arthur's future, to learn about him. But a wave of concern washed over me as I watched Rinia yell in pain, as she grabbed her head.
After a while, Rinia composed herself, and sent Tessia and Arthur to the other room. Probably so that Rina and I could have a private conversation. Rinia looked deep in thought for a second, before she looked at me, and broke the silence.
"Virion, where did you find this boy, and what do you already know about him?" Rinia asked in a curious tone. "What, you can't see that for yourself?" I replied laughing. Though, my laugh soon died down when I saw the seriousness on her face.
"Rinia, is everything ok? You didn't see anything bad about Arthur did you?" I asked concerned. Rinia looked away for a second, her eyes looked deep in thought before she looked at me.
"No Virion, I didn't see anything bad about Arthur. In fact, I didn't see anything about him at all. I didn't even know he would be coming here. I expected you and little Tessia, but not once did I see this Arthur boy." Rinia replied.
"How is that possible? I thought there was nothing that could get past you?" I asked curiously. "Virion, do you know how my powers work?" Rinia asked. I thought for a moment and replied. "If I remember correctly, you use an ability powered by what you call aether."
"Yes Virion, that's correct, through aether I can see possible futures, and see what is happening in the present day. Hell, I could even communicate long distance through a mental connection. Not once have I ever come across someone I couldn't even see. Until now." Rinia began.
Rinia placed her hand on her chin as if thinking. She looked at me again. "This Arthur, he is protected by aether. It's as if a protective spell of aether was placed on him by something, or someone. And whatever this spell is, it is beyond my comprehension." Rinia began.
"I ask again, what do you know about this boy, where does he come from, who are his parents?" Rinia asked me while I looked down thinking.
Would it be ok for me to tell her Arthur's secrets? Bahhh it's Rinia, if you can't trust her, who can you trust. "Arthur is very special. He is a quadra-elemental, and a dragon tamer with the body of a dragon. As for his parents, they were killed not too long ago by a groups of hu-bandits. He's all alone now, and I've taken him in as my disciple." I said looking at Rinia, who seemed shocked and contemplating what I just said.
"Interesting, very interesting. Though, I don't think any of those reasons would block my vision. Hmmmm, I wonder." Rinia looked at me with a curious gaze. "Virion, have you noticed any weird markings on Arthur?"
I thought about this for a second. I haven't exactly seen the brat undressed or anything. But nothing came to mind. "No, I can't say I have, why?" Rinia leaned back in her chair. "No reason, just a thought. Well, you've given me a lot to think about Virion. I must say I'm curious about this child now. I'll see if there is anything I can find out. I'll let you know if I see anything."
"Alright Rinia, and thank you." I got up from the table, and walked to the back room where Tessia and Arthur were. I got their attention, and walked with them back to the carriage, after they said goodbye to Rinia. Once at the carriage, I instructed the driver to go, and we set off back to Zestier, our capital city.
I sat in the carriage thinking about what Rinia told me. I must've had a concerned look on my face since I heard the brat speak. "Are you ok gramps? What did Rinia see? Was it about me? Was it bad?"
I looked at the brat, and saw Tessia had him in a hug. I gave them both a quick smile, before I looked back out the window. "No brat, she didn't see anything bad about you. In fact, she didn't see anything. Anything at all..."
I looked back at Arthur a few minutes later, and saw he had a confused look on his face. "Don't worry brat, everything is fine. Don't concern yourself." My eyes then fell on Tessia who had fallen asleep next to him. Her head was laying on his shoulder and she had a smile on her face.
Arthur looked over at Tessia, and I saw his face turn a little red. A small smile formed on his face as he gently laid his head against hers. Seeing them like this brought warmth and happiness to my heart. "Take good care of her Arthur. You and Tessia have both been through a lot, especially considering how young both of you are. I'm glad you both have each other to lean on." I began.
I looked straight at Arthur giving him a small compassionate smile. "You're a nice boy Arthur. I can tell you have a goood heart. But, if you do end up hurting her, I will tie you upside down, cover you in tar, and beat you senseless with a cactus." I said in a semi teasing and serious tone.
Arthur seemed to go pale and wide eyed. "But you don't need to worry, as long as you keep her safe." I laughed as I patted his shoulder.
I leaned back and continued to look out the window as we continued our journey home. When we reached the castle, I looked back at Arthur and Tessia, and noticed they fell asleep leaning on each other. I smiled again before the carriage come to a halt.
When the carriage came to a halt, Arthur and Tessia both woke up. They both lifted their heads groggily, and looked at each other. After seeing how close they were, they both blushed and scooted slightly away from each other. "S-sorry." Tessia said while blushing a little more. "N-no, it's ok." Arthur said with a smile, blushing as well.
"Hahahaha, you too were sleeping on each other this whole time, and you still get embarrassed. I'm sure you're boyfriend didn't mind little one." I said laughing.
"Grandpa!" Tessia yelled as she leaned forward, and pulled my beard. "Ouch, that hurts little one."
"I-I really didn't mind Tess, it's fine." Arthur said blushing. "Really? O-oh, ok!" Tessia said happily.
I smiled at this. "Alright brat, we will begin our training tomorrow. So for now, relax a little and get some rest."
Tessia looked at Arthur, and smiled happily as she almost jumped out of her seat. "Hey Art, is there anything you want to do?"
Arthur looked like he was thinking. He looked at Tessia and smiled. "I've never really been in a big city before, wanna show me around?" Tess smiled brightly at this. "Of course!" Tess grabbed his hand and they dashed out of the carriage.
I laughed at their actions as I also stepped out of the carriage. When I steeped out, I saw Alduin and Merial approaching me. Merial was looking in the direction Tessia and Arthur ran off while giving a warm smile. Alduin gave a confused look, probably wondering where the fire was.
I walked over to them, and gave them a greeting. "Good afternoon you two. How was everything while we were gone?" I asked.
"Everything was fine, it was quiet in the castle so we got some paperwork done." Alduin replied. "How did everything go with Elder Rinia?" Merial asked.
I looked away for a second and thought about the meeting. I looked back at them and saw they had confused looks. "It was interesting to say the least. Rinia didn't even know to expect Arthur, in fact she doesn't know anything about him, since she isn't able to see anything about him." I said thinking about the meeting with Rinia.
"How is that possible?" Alduin asked. "Rinia said Arthur is protected, a sort of spell or seal was placed on him to keep him safe. We don't know what, or who placed this seal on him. But whatever or whoever it was, they were very powerful." I replied.
They both nodded at this. "Come, let's go get some tea and relax. I have to start getting ready for Arthur's training tomorrow." I told Alduin and Merial as we walked to the castle to relax and have some tea.
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Arthur Leywin POV
Tess and I ran out of the carriage holding hands. We ran towards our rooms, and Tess looked at me. "Hey Art, I'm gonna get changed really quick. I'll be right back!" Tess said as she ran off.
I waited there in the hallway for Tess while looking around. My eyes fell on a painting of Tess and her family. Seeing them together made me think of my family. My eyes grew wet thinking about them, about how I missed them. Memories of my mom and dad flooded back to me, and all I wanted to do was hug my mom again.
I heard running coming from down the hallway and I quickly wiped my eyes. Tess came into view and was wearing a pink sundress with a flower pattern with a pink sun hat. "Ready Art?!" Tess said smiling. Seeing her made me feel better, and I felt my face become warm.
I smiled brightly at her. "Ready when you are Tess!" Tess beamed with happiness as she ran up to me taking my hand, while I intertwined our fingers. We ran out of the castle laughing, and ran to an area that was full of shops.
It was amazing to say the least. There were so many places to visit, with a lot of elves walking around going shopping. Tess and I would run around looking at shops seeing what they had. Tess would point out some shops, saying what they were, and places where she liked to visit.
While we were running around, I noticed a couple of the people were giving us strange looks. I didn't know why they were looking at me so weird, maybe they thought I was dressed funny. I didn't care though, I was just happy to be with Tess.
We eventually made our way to a pastry shop, and looked through the window. What I saw made my mouth drool. Pastries with frosting that covered it, with a dark lining. "Those are cinnamon rolls! They're really good!" Tess said looking at the cinnamon rolls hungrily.
"Can we get some?!" I asked in excitement. Tess nodded, "of course!" Tess and I ran into the store excitedly. The store owner, a tall skinny elf with dark gray hair and a beard noticed us come in. He looked at me and raised a brow, then he looked at Tessia and his eyes went wide.
"Princess Tessia! What bring you here princess?" The store owner asked. "Arthur and I wanted to get some cinnamon rolls!" Tess said while pointing to me happily.
I gave a smile and waved at him. The old man looked at me curiously, and seemed to be surprised by Tess' actions. The old man smirked at me as he leaned forward. "So, Arthur is it? What brings you to Zestier."
"Arthur is now the disciple of my grandfather, elder Virion." Tess said smiling with her hands on her hips. The mans eyes went wide at this. "Ah, so this is the boy I've heard about. I should've known. The royal family sent out messengers saying elder Virion had taken a human disciple. I should've put two and two together." He said laughing.
"Well let's get you some cinnamon rolls! Call me Aberforth. Lena!" Aberforth yelled. A young blonde elf walked out of the back, and looked at Aberforth. "Yes father?" She asked. "Please bring two fresh cinnamon rolls for the princess and elder Virions disciple will you." Abertforth instructed.
Lena quickly went to the back, and got some cinnamon rolls for Tess and me. We sat down at a table, and slowly ate the cinnamon rolls, which tasted delicious. "These awr su gud." I said with my mouth full. "Tuld ou." Tess replied also with her mouth full. We laughed at each other as we continued to eat the delicacies.
After we ate our cinnamon rolls, we left the store and continued to walk around until I felt someone bump my shoulder.
I turned my head, and saw a male elf with long blonde hair who was a little taller than me with what looked like two of his friends. "Ew, I got some human germs on me." The boy said looking at me. He then turned his gaze to Tess.
"Princess Tessia, it is good to see you. How about you leave this human, and come with me. I, Feyrith Ivsaar III will escort you!" Feyrith said with pride as he stuck his hand out.
I felt a little hint of anger with him trying to take Tess' hand. I was a little worried Tess might go with him, until I felt her take my hand. I looked at Tess who was giving Feyrith a disinterested look. "Art, there is a bug in that direction, and I don't want to accidentally step on it with my new shoes. Let's go." Tess said.
Is she calling him a bug? I couldn't help but laugh at Tess' comment, and nodded at her smiling. Tess smiled back at me, and we began to walk off until I heard Feyrith yell. "Hold it brat, I'm not done with you! I heard you're pretty talented since you managed to become elder Virions' disciple. But I would have you know that I am considered a genius myself, being a water conjurer, and being at the red stage. My mother even said I'll be able to manipulate plants soon." Feyrith said with his head held high.
I wasn't sure if this was supposed to be impressive or not. I just looked at him confused and said, "congrats?" Which earned a laugh out of Tess who didn't bother to hide her amusement. Tess and I proceeded to walk away again until I saw a handkerchief fly past us landing on the ground.
I looked back at Feyrith and saw his face was as red as a tomato glaring at me. Several attendants stopped to watch what was going on, and let out a few gasps. Was dropping a piece of clothing really that bad? Maybe I should go pick up the shirt off the floor in my room.
"How dare you initiate a duel with the disciple of elder Virion. You may be of noble birth, Feyrith, but you should still know your place! Take it back!" Tess ordered with anger in her voice, and her eyes narrowing.
"I'm sorry princess, but my father taught me never to let my pride be stomped. Arthur! Ready yourself for a duel, or retreat with your tail between your legs. Just know your actions will reflect that of your mentor! The choice is yours." Feyrith said.
Some of the people began to gather around us to watch the duel. Tess looked unsure about this. I just squeezed her hand leaned toward her and whispered in her ear, "if you want me to walk away I will. But I will be ok." I gave her a smile, which caused her face to turn red, gaining some gasps from the crowd.
Tess nodded saying, "ok Art, I trust you." Tess backed away a couple of steps smiling at me. "Princess, please do us the favor of initiating the duel!" Feyrith said with pride.
Tess rolled her eyes at this and said, "let the duel commence."
Adam told me about duels. How it was a challenge to see who was stronger. He said there was one good way to win, strike first, ask questions later.
I burst forward with wind magic, and wrapped wind magic around my right fist. I slammed my fist into Feyriths chest, and sent him flying. Feyrith flew a few feet before landing on his back, skidding to a halt.
Everyone around us grew wide eyed. Tess quickly ran up to me, and pulled me away. We ran away from the area before we burst into laughter. Tess explained to me how there are certain unsaid customs in an elven duel. The challenger makes the first move, and it's just a demonstration of magic, not an actual duel. I guess I shouldn't have listened to Adam.
After Tess explained the duel, we made our way back to the castle, and Tess told her parents and gramps about our day out. Her parents seemed overjoyed at Tess' happiness, and gramps laughed when he learned about my duel saying elven duels are a waste of time anyway.
"Alright you two, I'm glad you had fun, but you need to get some rest brat. We will be training bright and early tomorrow." Gramps said.
"Alright gramps, I'll see you tomorrow." I walked away while Tess followed me. When I reached my room, I looked at Tess, and told her goodnight. Tess seemed to hesitate for a moment, before she said goodnight as well.
I walked inside my room, washed up, and got dressed into my sleepwear. As I laid in bed alone, I found my thoughts drifting towards Tess, wishing she was there to keep me company again. I missed having her with me, I hated being alone.
As if on que, my bedroom door opened, and I saw Tess peek her head in with a worried look. "Art?" Tess asked hesitantly. "Tess? Are you ok?" I asked.
Tess walked into my room and walked over to my bed. "I-I just. I just wanted to know if you wanted some company." Tess said looking away red faced.
I couldn't help but smile brightly at this as my face grew warm, happy that I didn't have to be alone. "I would like that, thanks Tess." Tess looked at me and smiled wide, she jumped into my bed and laid down next to me getting comfortable. We settled ourselves under the sheets as she scooted close to me.
"Goodnight Art"
"Goodnight Tess"
With Tess next to me I felt comfortable, safe, and no longer alone. I felt drowsiness come over me as I fell asleep.