The night passed quietly without worries. It was sunrise, Itachi and Tessia were still sleeping side by side while Arthur was not far from them either.
Arthur had woken up first while being confused.
'Where am I...?' He had a headache and then he remembered Itachi knocking him out after he saw these bandits.
'This guy…' He looked around to see where he was. He saw his brother sleeping with a girl in the same duvet.
'What ?! My brother already brings girls back at this age ?! I didn't think so...Who knew the calm and intelligent boy would be a playboy ! No...I'm making conclusions too quickly, I have to ask him what happened after he knocked me out.' He got into a meditation position to wait for the two to wake up.
After about thirty minutes, Itachi woke up while Tessia was still sleepy. He had seen Arthur looking at him with expectation in his eyes.
* Sigh * "I'll tell you what happened since you were unconscious. I knocked you out because you were going to attack these bandits without thinking and I warned you to forget about this event. I can do nothing for you. currently, but I guess you've put your mind back in order." Itachi said calmly as Arthur nodded in agreement with him.
"Now that you understand, I'll explain what happened…" Itachi began to recount all the events that took place while Arthur was unconscious.
"I see…So this girl is from the elven realm and they can probably help us get back home…Still, you knocked me out so easily, that gives you 24 wins now." Arthur sighed realizing he was less gifted compared to his brother.
"Good. I told you everything, let's get ready to go. I left you some clothes and provisions in this bag. There is also a dagger that I took from the bandits. defend in case of a big problem. Get dressed and wait for us outside, I'll wake Tessia." Itachi said. Arthur left outside.
"Tessia. Wake up, we have to continue the journey." Itachi was shaking Tessia who was still sleeping.
"Another 5 minutes..." she refused to listen to him and pulled the whole blanket over her.
"I see. I had heard that monsters came and ate the little girls in this forest who didn't wake up in the morning. Guess I have to go." He got up and started from the tent.
"No !! I'm coming, don't abandon me to the monsters!" Tessia quickly stood up, despite the fact that she was still sleepy.
'It was my best night in a few days, he could have let me sleep a little more !' She complained mentally while pouting.
* Sigh * "You are really tired, aren't you? But we have no choice. We have to get to your kingdom as soon as possible." he said as he left the tent.
"All right, I'm coming !!" Tessia followed Itachi then they both went outside the tent.
"You can get to know my brother on the way. Now we're going." After they got out, they took Arthur with them and then went.
They continued their journey, with an unfamiliar environment for them and time passing quickly. Tessia had also gotten to know Arthur but she was rather nervous trying to talk to Itachi. Her fears and her little trauma were gone so she wasn't sure what to talk to him about.
Arthur was still anxious about going home. He was worried about his family and did not know their current situation.
Itachi was still calm and didn't care much about this. Sylvia had said they were fine so he wasn't worried more than that. For now, he was more concerned with his Sharingan and his mana core. He hadn't thought about the side effects of excessive mana use. The Katon of a few months ago had an impact on its core. He still had pains from time to time but they were getting lower over time since he stopped training after leaving Sylvia. He was going to take this trip to recuperate and think about his future plans.
What did not understand was mainly another pain coming from his head. This pain hit him from time to time directly on his optic nerves. It was quite painful but he didn't show it outside even though his face was showing a bit of fatigue.
(These are the side effects of his premature Sharingan. He unblocked it too early so the body could not take an instant load. His optic nerves were damaged by this and the influence of the curse makes this more so painful. Don't look for explanations, it's a fanfic who cares.)
A few days had passed. The young group had soon reached their destination as Tessia began to recognize the surroundings. They were leaving at a steady pace even though Tessia's body couldn't keep up very well. To save time, Itachi had taken him on his back so as not to waste time.
She was embarrassed to be carried by a boy but she hadn't refused and had rested her head on his shoulder. Itachi was in a very good physical condition so he wasn't bothered any more than that.
Arthur was behind them and looked at the two with a smile.
'It seems that big brother has a knack for attracting girls... * sigh * I hope he will not bring more than one in the future...' He imagined a figure of Itachi with 4 women next to him holding his nephews. He got chills in his body then shook his head to change his thoughts.
"Say Itachi, what if I gave you a nickname..."
Tessia asked nervously.
"No. I'm Itachi and no one else. But if you want to call me by another name, please do so." Itachi said as Tessia pouted.
"Moee, you could talk and be kind a little more you know ! You're always calm and in the negative, baka ! Look at Arthur, he's more positive !" Tessia said.
"I guess I'm like that. I can't help it." She sniffled in response as Itachi sighed.
'I still don't understand women...' he thought.
"For the trouble, I allow you to call me Tess! It's an honor for you !" she said proudly.
"OK." They continued the journey then Itachi had put Tessia down because she seemed to have found something.
"Itachi, Arthur! Come on! We're finally here!" She had checked several trees by touching them and then she had finally found the tree that was the entrance to the kingdom.
The tree she was touching had split open to create a portal for teleportations.
They bumped into it and then landed on a stone floor. Arthur had awkwardly appeared as the other two landed on their feet.
"It's not fair..." Arthur whispered.
"Here we are, follow me !" Tess said as the two followed.
Still, the landscape was really beautiful. There were buildings on the heights and on the ground with a long driveway in the middle. The houses on the heights were held by trees. Those on the ground were circular buildings that lined up on either side of the road. Itachi admired the view while Arthur did the same.
Then suddenly, wind magic formed in front of the group. Itachi had warned but Tess raised her hand to say that they have nothing to fear.
"We are happy to see the Princess Royal again!" Elves who were all wearing the same uniform bowed towards the group.
'Princess Royal...I didn't expect her rank to be so high but I'm not surprised by her identity. She had mentioned "guards" after all.' Itachi looked at Tessia who smiled at him while Arthur was still stunned.
"Princess, we came as soon as we noticed that the royal teleportation portal had been used." one of the guards said as a golden cart pulled up beside them.
"My Tessia! Are you okay ?!" said the woman rushing towards her.
There was also a man next to her as another slightly older man stepped out of the coach. They were Tessia's mother and father, who were also the rulers of the kingdom. The old man was the former king of the land known as Virion Eralith, also Tessia's grandfather.
He looked curiously at the two boys who accompanied his granddaughter with a smile.
Tessia ran to her parents to hug them. After a few minutes, the father decided to speak.
"Thank you, children. As the father of this little girl, I thank you. As a simple gesture of gratitude for helping Tessia get back to safety, please accompany us to our home. You can rest and we explain what happened." Alduin said sincerely but his eyes did not show this.
"We would be honored to be received by the king of this kingdom." Itachi said politely, still calm.
Tessia decided to break the tense atmosphere and then took Itachi's arm with a smile.
"Let's go ! There are a lot of things I want you to see! Your brother can join us too !" her action surprised those present, also Itachi.
After a few minutes, they made their way to the castle which belonged to the royal family. Needless to say, the 2 brothers were surprised at its gigantic size. They entered the castle and were then greeted by maids.
"These children are our guests. Please wash them and take them to a room to rest." said Merial (the mother).
"I would like to explain what happened first, this point is more important. Arthur, you can go and rest if you wish." Itachi said calmly.
"No, I'll stay with you. You…" Before he could finish his sentence Itachi kicked him on his forehead with two fingers.
"You're going to rest. I'll tell it all without any problems. After all, I'm the one who was there for the events, am I not ?" Itachi said with a slight smile. He didn't want Arthur to come with him because if he was to tell the whole story, he also should have said his real name and killed those bandis.
* Sighs * "Okay, but don't do anything that might offend them." Arthur walked over to the maids and was then taken upstairs.
So leaving the rest of the people present. They went to a room to go talk. They are seated at a large table. Itachi was facing the king while the others were in the side chairs. The guards were behind the king.
Itachi was quick to show up first.
"My adopted name is Itachi Leywin while my real name is Uchiha Itachi, Coming from a small village in the Fir Kingdom. It is an honor to be in the presence of the royal family." He was still calm despite the little tension in the room.
"Despite saying that you were originally from a small village, you seem quite mature and well educated. Alright, I would like to hear what happened." said the king.
Itachi began to tell her story after the separation with her parents, not to mention Sylvia. He had now arrived at the part where he had met Tessia and thus was talking about the slave traders.
"Slave traders! I should have known they were humans!" The king was angry with them.
"Being a slave trader is a profession and not a race, no offense." Itachi said calmly as the guards pointed their swords at him.
"So you saw those slave traders take my granddaughter and you, as a child...Did you negotiate with them? Asked for mercy?" Virion spoke up, narrowing his eyes at him.
"No, Mister Virion. I eliminated these men and saved your granddaughter since I am a mage." Itachi said as the guard grew angry with him. Virion released his pressure on the guard to silence him and step back.
"It doesn't matter if you don't believe me, Her Majesty Princess Tessia has returned to safety. All I wish now is to join my family at Fir with Arthur." he said.
"Are you going to leave Itachi already ?!" Tessia rose from her chair in surprise.
"As far as I know, I don't think a human is appropriate in the Elven Realm, Princess. My priority is to make sure my family is okay and to bring Arthur back to safety."
"Despite our past of our two kingdoms, you saved our daughter and took the trouble to accompany her to us, which entitles you to a worthy reward. Unfortunately, the teleportation portal connecting to the kingdom of Fir is only accessible once every seven years, during the summit meeting between the three races it will take another 5 years before the portal opens. However, we can send a group of guards to escort you to your home in safety.
I would also like to extend our hospitality. Some of us are quite tolerant, but many still hold a grudge against humans because of the war of old.
So for now, make yourself at home, your escort will be ready for tomorrow." The session ended and Itachi thanked them. He walked to his room and then jumped straight onto his bed from fatigue.
* Sigh * 'By taking Arthur to the family, I wouldn't have any worries. I will unfortunately not join him up to the house. I have to train on my own to get strong. I also have to understand to use the willpower that Sylvia has given me.' After thinking it over, Itachi left for a shower.
After about twenty minutes, he came out and went to sit on a sofa and began to meditate to relieve his pain.
After about ten minutes, someone had come knocking on the door. He opened the door and then saw Tessia looking at him angrily.
She put her head back then she charged on Itachi to put a head butt.
He was looking at her in confusion then decided to avoid her attack and hug her from behind, holding her by his arms.
"Let go of me! I told you let go!" She was trying to struggle and then after a few minutes she stopped.
"Are you calm? Why are you angry?" He asked, releasing her.
"Baka ! You talk to my family like that and then you're already leaving !" she was hitting his shoulders with her little hands.
Itachi sighed and then hit her forehead with his two fingers as she looked at him with tears in her eyes.
"I have to be respectful to your family. They're the ones who run this kingdom. Besides, you didn't warn me that you were a princess." He spoke calmly as Tess stuck her tongue out at him.
'Women are always a mystery ...' he thought
"I don't want you to go...You're the first...friend..." she was shaking but Itachi rubbed her head.
"Show me around the castle while Arthur is in his room. Knowing him, he's already visiting the castle." She smiled with joy again then took him by the arm to take him to visit the castle...