Tess woke up in a bed.
She didn't know what happened and why she wasn't in Arthur's room anymore, the last thing she could remember was a headache, a white light and then nothing.
After she sat up she touched her temples with her hands. Her head still hurt a bit but it was bearable.
Sitting up caused the inside of her head to slosh, which made it even harder for her to focus on the surroundings.
Tess looked around and realized that she was in a room she hadn't seen before. The room was not as luxurious as the room Arthur was in. It had room for 2 beds, a closet and a shelf with books and wine on it. A wooden door, which was the entrance, was closed, another door leading to a balcony was open.
Still confused and curious about what had happened to her, she now stood up. Her shoes and the robe she had worn since arriving at the castle stood next to her bed. She was still wearing the rest of her clothes.
She stood up and at that moment a woman stepped out of the door of the balcony. It was Caera.
"Hey, you're finally awake," Caera smiled.
Tess, trying to understand what happened, asked, "What happened? Where am I and where are the others? I can't remember."
"You screamed and fainted," Tess's confused expression didn't change, so Caera continued, "You're in mine and Seris' room. There were no rooms left in the castle. Since Seris doesn't need to sleep and this room is right across the hall from the room Arthur is in, we carried you here. Virion and Seris left some time ago because they wanted to talk to each other. The two of them get along surprisingly well." Caera smirked, "Ellie and Alice are still with Arthur. How's your head?" Caera noticed Tess's distorted look.
"It's fine. I've been through worse," Tess replied.
"Let's go outside for a bit. I made some tea and the sun is shining. That will help you," said Caera.
Tess thought that at the moment everything would be better than lying in bed and thinking about her problems, so she went to Caera on the balcony and sat down on one of the two chairs. A table stood between the two chairs and on it stood a pot of tea and two cups.
After pouring herself a cup and taking a big sip of the hot tea, she burned her mouth slightly. A glass of water would have been better for her now. She ignored the pain and looked at the city that could be seen from the balcony.
Thousands of people were walking in the war-ravaged city. However, although she didn't see the faces, she could see that it wasn't a depressive mood. People were just happy that the war was finally over.
Tess looked at Caera, still getting used to her horns but not uncomfortable sitting here with her either. "I wonder if the city would be so peaceful if they knew a Vritra was watching them," she thought to herself.
After a while of comfortable silence, both looking at the city, Tess had the feeling she wanted to talk to Caera.
She didn't know how to start so she began with the only connection between the two young women. "So, how did you meet Arthur?", Tess asked.
Caera had to think for a moment. Should she say that the first time she saw him was when he was lying naked on the floor? Caera didn't even know if Tess knew what the Relictombs were. But she knew that there were Dicathen Dungeons. So she answered the question as vaguely as possible.
"I met him in a dungeon. He wasn't in the best of health and I didn't pay attention to him at first. But we met again later and he was.... How can I put this? I think he was interesting. That's probably the best word. I didn't know how interesting he was at the time, though. We had a lot of experiences together," she answered honestly.
Tess recalled meeting Arthur in a dungeon after he returned from Ephetous. She nodded, "Yes, that's typical Arthur, it seems to be a habit of Arthur to hide in dungeons and wait for young women."
Caera looked at Tess puzzled, but Tessia ignored it and smiled.
"And where did you meet him the first time?" asked Caera.
"He saved me when I was very young. After that, we lived together for 3 years. We also went to school together after that.", painfully she recalled the attack on Xyrus. Her school days were a carefree and pleasant time, probably the last easiest time in her life. Still, she couldn't help but think only of the end.
"School? I went to a school with him, too. He was a teacher there for melee enhancement class. He told me he had taught there before but never mentioned where. I didn't know he was there with you," she said.
"He was a teacher? Did he beat up a professor again?" asked Tess with a smile.
"Beat up professors? What do you mean?"
"Well, in our school he beat up one of our professors on the first day and had to take over the class afterwards," Tess had to smile. She didn't tell him back in the day but she couldn't stop laughing after she learned that Goodsky made him a professor.
Caera laughed, "No, he didn't tell me that."
Tess sat back and took another sip of her tea, which by now was just warm. "Good times," she whispered. She then continued. "You know, I was the Student Council president back then" She didn't even know why she told Caera that, probably because she was still proud of it.
"I'm not surprised," Caera said, smiling.
Tess looked at Caera. She didn't know what she meant. Caera noticed the expression on Tess' face and continued. "Your aura. The way you move. Your voice. Everything about you radiates authority. At first glance, people see you as a soldier, but when they look closer, they see that you're a high blood."
Tess didn't know how to answer. It was obviously a compliment, but she didn't know if she should say thank you. She hadn't felt like a princess for many years and didn't want to be treated that way. But that it was still visible to other people surprised her. So she just nodded.
After that, her mind wandered to her childhood and a thought came to her. "Sylvie!" she said aloud. How could she have forgotten? She had thought of her so many times in the last few years and now she was having tea with a woman who probably knew what happened to her.
"Sylvie, do you know what happened to Sylvie?" she asked excitedly.
"Sylvie? Sorry, but I don't know who that is," Caera replied, knowing full well that Tess least of all wanted to hear that answer.
"Arthur's bond! A cute little fox-like creature, or maybe black, or a mighty dragon, or a little girl with horns?",Tess knew that she should be calm again, she could see that Caera had no idea what she was talking about, only at the word bond she showed a reaction. Disappointed and quiet, she answered herself. "So Sylvie wasn't with him. It must have been very lonely for him."
"I'm sorry, I've never heard the name Sylvie. But Arthur had a companion. His name is Regis and he has a wolf form," she said. She decided to call him Arthur from now on. Even though it was still unfamiliar not to address him as Grey anymore. His family and all his friends call him that.
"Regis?", Tess was interesting. So he wasn't alone all the time.
"Yes, a purple wolf. The most sarcastic and strange creature I have ever met. He was constantly hitting on me. But to be honest I liked him, it was funny and could lighten the mood even in the worst situations. To be honest, I miss him. He'll be back as soon as Arthur wakes up i guess" Caera explained.
Tess was slightly confused but relieved. "Where is he?"
"Well, he's tied to Arthur's Core and will probably come back as soon as he wakes up. But don't ask me how to do that. I have no idea. Honestly, I don't even know what he is. I asked him once what he is and he said he is a mighty weapon. I'm not even sure he knows himself."
"Um, okay," was the only thing Tess could think of to say.
During a short pause with silence, Tessia poured herself another cup of tea. By now, the tea had grown cold. But she liked it. She knew it was a strange habit but she always preferred cool tea. Besides, it helped her against the headache that was still there. After pouring herself the cup, she asked Caera. "Do you want some more tea, too? It's already cold, though."
"That's good. I've always preferred cold tea. Thank you." Caera replied.
Tess was surprised. "So I'm not the only one," she thought to herself.
Now came a thought Tess hadn't had before. She wasn't sure if she should ask the question but after the conversation she felt confident enough to ask.
"You and Arthur, are you a couple?" asked Tess.
Caera had expected this question. After all, she was a young woman and spent a lot of time with Arthur. "No, it was never like that. It's not like I never thought about it but we never had those feelings for each other. We were comrades, maybe friends, but never more. What about you?"
It became a very personal conversation. They sat together for some time, but discussing such topics was unusual for two women who would have fought each other a few weeks ago. Still, it wasn't awkward. Both felt good and surprisingly familiar. As if they had known each other for a long time.
Tess continued. "No, as a child and as a teenager I honestly loved him. I confessed my love to him. But he always rejected me. To this day I don't know why he never showed interest in me and rejected me. But it's different now. There's still a strong connection but I won't have a relationship with him." She paused for a second and smiled bitterly , "even though it will probably break my grandfather's heart."
Caera widened her eyes as she realized . "Tessia didn't know. She had learned it herself only a few weeks ago, but that Tessia, who had lived with him for a long time, didn't know, she couldn't understand. Arthur had been reborn himself. The boy Tess loved was a grown up man. That is the only reason why she was rejected. Why didn't he ever tell her? Arthur is an idiot, he should have told her, but at least he wasn't a disgusting piece of shit who took advantage of his young body to pick up girls."
Tessia realized Caera's look.
"Is everything all right?" she asked.
"Yes, it's fine." She didn't know anything else to say about it. It was Arthur's decision if and when to tell Tessia.
Caera stood up and walked to the edge of the balcony to get a better view of the city. Lost in thoughts, she didn't immediately notice that Tessia was standing next to her.
"What are you going to do now?" asked Caera quietly.
It is the same thought Tessia had since she heard about the end of the war. It was a relief for her that she could finally say it.
"I honestly don't know. I lost so much in the war. My home is destroyed, I lost my parents and..." she paused and sniffed, "I lost my childhood. I don't even know if I can go back. How will I be able to live a normal life? Am I going to be a princess again? I don't want that." Tess didn't even notice but a tear ran down her cheek. "What about you?"
It was not only Tess. Caera was almost crying too. A very sudden change of the mood, both didn't have the opportunity to express their emotions freely for a long time
"I didn't fight in the war but I don't know anything else other than fighting, I don't have a family. I lost my brother long ago. Only Seris has always been there for me. Now everyone hates me on this continent and on my home continent. I have nowhere to go. There is no place for me".
Caera couldn't hold it anymore. It was strange, she had thought about it but it was never emotional. It was over. Agrona was dead and the war was over. She didn't have to go back to the relictombs, that should be good for her but her life had lost its meaning.
Caera cried.
Then something happened that she never expected. Tessia, the woman she didn't even know a few hours ago, patted her head. She didn't realize it at first, it felt good, but when she realized it, she immediately turned her head to Tess.
Tess didn't look at her, but still at the city. She also wasn't aware of what she had just done. Only when Caera turned her head to her and Caera's horns touched her hand did she also slowly turned her head to Caera. They looked at each other. Both with a red face. Tess withdrew her hand.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. I didn't think about it. I'm really sorry..!" said Tess, who was more ashamed than ever.
"It's okay. Actually now i feel better. Thanks." replied Caera while smiling.
Tess was liberated. She had no idea how she would have reacted.
On the bright side, neither of them felt sad anymore.
Tess, still with a red face, said "Your horns..." Tess paused. She didn't even know what she wanted to say.
"Do they look strange to you?" asked Caera softly.
"No, no. It's not like that. They're.... interesting," Tess still unaware what she was just saying.
"Well, it's probably like with your ears. We don't have any elves on our continent," Caera said.
Tess's eyes widened. She was right, it must be the same feeling. She had never seen elf ears before.
"Can I touch them?"
"What did you just say?", Tess was totally shocked.
"Well since you touched my horns I would like to touch your ears. It's just fair.", Caera didn't even know what she had just said, but since she saw elves for the first time she wanted to touch their ears at least once.
"Yes, but.... Only if I can touch your horns again. I want to know how they feel." said Tess in a totally embarrassed voice.
"Okay, deal", said Caera.
Both looked at each other and slowly moved their fingers to each other's heads.
Then it happened.
Caera touched Tessias elf ear and Tessia touched Caeras demon horn.
Both of them had heads like tomates while touching the other.
It was a voice from the room behind them that startled them both.
Virion and Seris were standing in the room behind them.
"And what are you doing here?" asked Virion, confused.
„Nothing!", they both answered simultaneously.