Tessa focused on the blade in her hand, brow furrowed and concentration absolute. She drew her dagger across the stone, honing the edge efficiently, as she had been taught. She could hear the others shouting in the background, all celebrating the triumphant victory over the nomads of Redoris. Tessa herself saw no cause for such things. After all, she would have died today if it hadn't been for Orin.
She had made a mistake. The young mercenary had lost sight of her long time charge sometime during the fighting and, in her panic, she had tried to reach for his soul to make sure he was nearby. A nomad had chosen that exact moment to attack her and she had slipped in blood in her desperation to escape. If not for her reflexes she would be a head shorter now. If not for Orin, her skills wouldn't have mattered at all.
The nomads of the plains were a cruel breed, kicked from their tribes for unspeakable crimes and betrayals. Add to that their natural fighting ability and they were a great danger to the outlier villages they tended to target. They were great warriors, yes, but also cowards in a sense. The Nariti Tribes were loath to battle when the outcome was uncertain. She wouldn't have let Orin anywhere near them if she had a say in the matter but the idiot decided to volunteer for the extermination, as eager as ever to make his mark.
She had cursed him liberally but had volunteered as well. He was a fool who often overestimated himself and she found herself having to step in on more than one occasion to ensure he lived through one of these desperate fights. She would never have thought before the battle began that it would be her that needed to be saved.
Tessa gritted her teeth and began to sharpen all the harder, barely paying attention to her work as she continued to smash the stone against the blade. She was doing more harm than good at this point but she didn't care. She just wanted something to take her frustrations out on. Fendi had made sure to let everyone know when they arrived at camp that Orin had saved her. The mockery had been great and Orin's only consolation for her was an awkward smile.
If it had been anyone else then it wouldn't have been a problem. Orin was often treated as the baby of the band, even though he had been with them longer that she herself had been. He was strong and capable, of course, but he was painfully honest and as dense as a stone at times. Many in the band took to looking at him in a protective light, something they had never done for her.
Why would they? Tessa was the perfect warrior in many respects. She was a gifted fighter who didn't speak much and followed Boldrin's orders to the letter. Well, except when it came to Orin's safety. There had been a definite shift in power when it came to watching over him, with Boldrin giving her free reign to do what she believed was best. She was good at protecting him, that much had been made clear when she had stopped that whore from ripping him open in the Empire. Idiot that he was, Orin had asked her not to kill the bitch and she had agreed, if only to spare him the pain. She had been tempted to go back and finish the job but she didn't. Tessa was half afraid that he would go back and see her, so the mercenary had let it lie. She had kept an extra eye on him for the next few weeks to ensure his assassin didn't try and kill him again, though.
She almost hoped that she would. Tessa didn't let the people who targeted Orin live. If he hadn't been there, that lady friend of his would be rotting in a ditch somewhere, throat open and blood pooled around her.
The main reason that Tessa had decided to step away from the festivities of her comrades was she needed to think about what she was doing wrong. She had missed a step somewhere and needed to patch up the weakness before it put Orin's life in danger. He had jumped in front of an axe to save her in Redoris. If it had been the Orin of only a few months ago then he would have been split in half. Some part of her was strangely proud of how strong he had become. With those thoughts, inevitably, came the image of Raiken in his hand. She shivered and dropped the stone and dagger at her feet, biting her lip as she wrapped her arms around her shoulders.
Raiken was never far from her mind these days. The longer she spent with the band, the stronger her feelings became. Being close to Orin was both a blessing and a curse. His effect on her soul was undeniable. It had almost gotten to the point where he didn't have to touch her any more for the familiar feeling of bliss to settle inside her flesh and bones. She would need to distance herself soon, if only to keep up appearances. She had been pushing for extra training with him leading up to Redoris, using the excuse of him being too weak to fight the nomads. In reality she was trying to release some of the pressure in her soul. It craved him more and more every single day. Even a brief half hour of training was enough to tide her over for quite some time. All it took was an accidental brush of his hand and it would settle her. Yesterday had been faintly embarrassing when he said that he noticed she kept trying to touch his hand during sparring. She had blurted out something about trying a new technique before fleeing back to her tent, cursing him out loudly as she went. It was a good way to distract him, she had found. Orin was a simply creature and while shouting at him didn't dissuade him from talking to her, it did make him ponder what he had done wrong for a few hours. It was a practice she had mastered over their years of interacting.
“What are you up to, Tess?”
She knew that voice and yet still she jumped in place. Why in the Spirit's name did he have to come right at that moment? Especially when the image of Raiken still filled her mind and the idea of him wielding her was all the more encompassing?
The idiot had shed his armour, though his sword was still present at his hip, as it always was. He had a stupid grin on his face and in his hands were two plates filled with heaping portions of whatever stew was made over the fire that night.
“What the fuck do you want, Orin?” Tessa spat out the words before she could think, the need to push him away and keep him at a distance so ingrained in her at this point that she couldn't help herself. For some reason, she found comfort in acting like this. It helped her control her natural impulse to Bond with him whenever he turned up.
Orin's smile didn't fade. He was far too used to her abrasive behaviour by now to be put off by it. Instead he joined her on the log, forcing Tessa to scoot away to avoid actually touching him. As much as she wanted it, she needed to control herself.
“Thought you might be hungry,” He said, holding out a plate towards her, spoon already inserted, “It's been a long day.”
Tessa grunted suspiciously, but she was hungry and didn't feel like walking into camp to retrieve her meal. To do so would mean having to listen to Fendi's heroic retelling of Orin saving her and that was something she would much rather avoid.
Tessa snatched the plate from his hand and began shovelling the food into her mouth, barely slowing down before Orin began to do the same. This forced the mercenary to stop and narrow her eyes at her Knight, “You're gonna eat here?”
Orin shrugged, “Sure, it's as good as anywhere.”
“Thought you'd want to listen to how you saved me again,” Tessa said spitefully, aiming the spoon at him. “You should live it up while you can.”
“I know, ain't gonna last long,” He chuckled and kept eating, “Ignore Fendi. He's a dick and always will be. When it comes to you he's like a dog with a bone.”
“Don't I know it,” Tessa muttered. Fendi was most likely still upset that she had rejected him yet again and he was doing this to get under her skin. Orin was right: He was a dick. “What if I don't want you here?”
“Do you want me to go?” Orin asked, all fucking confident, as he kept eating. Asshole, she thought.
“I don't care,” Tessa quipped and returned to her meal, the both of them falling into a comfortable silence. That was another thing that Tessa liked about Orin. He didn't try to fill in the empty space with constant chatter. At least, he didn't with her.
They finished quickly enough and Tessa handed her plate back to Orin, who took it without a word and set them both aside, remaining where he was. Tessa felt her eyes narrow again and her hand twitched towards the dagger at her belt.
Was he going to make a move on her? At this point he had tried it on with near every woman in the camp, including Mildred, who was happily married to Alec. Tessa had known this might happen and had prepared herself as best she could by practising in the small mirror she kept in her tent. She had tried to find the right balance between menacing and disgusted. It had taken some time but it seemed to work on Fendi well enough. She just hoped he didn't touch her. She didn't know what would happen if he touched her.
“I gotta tell you something, Tess.” Orin said slowly, his green eyes swivelling around and holding her in place.
“What?” Tessa replied, her composure slipping slightly. Shit, what if he really did try something? Would she be able to say no? Could she?
“I think I'm gonna go back to Myrin,” Orin replied, his smile sad.
Tessa barely succeeded in keeping back her sigh of relief. The actual meaning of his words hit her in the next instant and her heart dropped into her stomach even as her soul screamed within her chest.
“Oh.” Tessa replied, failing to keep the disappointment from her voice. Orin was going back to Myrin. That decision would mark the end of all of this. She would have to return to the life of before, the life of an outcast and sneak thief. She wouldn't be able to talk to him, wouldn't be able to train with him. She would return to the small room and watch from a distance. But how would it work now? Would he remain at the orphanage or would she have to find a different place to stay? Would she be able to stay away, after spending so much time with him? That question scared her more than the others.
Tessa sat there and tried her best not to react, to not let her panic overwhelm and consume her. They had a good life here among the mercenaries. Why did he want to ruin it? Tessa wasn't sure she could go back to before, when all she knew was darkness and the view from a third floor window. She just wanted to be near him, wanted to hear him say her name. Was that too much to ask?
“Yeah, Boldrin knows. I just told him,” Orin said with a frown, “Seems the timings good. Boldrin said our next contract is in Venos, so he can drop me off and kill two birds with one stone.”
Tessa snorted at that. No way in the underworld had Boldrin picked up a contract for Venos, he just didn't want the two of them returning by themselves. It was smart and, thankfully, Orin was dense enough to believe it.
“Why?” Tessa asked, looking at him carefully from the corner of her eye, barely keeping a tremor from her voice. “You're pretty shit with a sword, but you're still a good merc.”
“Ah, I don't know,” Orin started, looking faintly embarrassed as he rubbed the back of his neck, “I've been thinking about it for a while now. Got people back home that rely on me and I've been gone too long as it is. Maybe it's time to settle down, join the guard or something.”
“You? In the guard?” Tessa sneered, “You're eighteen, Orin. Not a grizzled veteran in the Venosian army.”
Orin sighed, “I know that, and I love the band. Love spending time with everyone, love the jobs and the fighting. But the Sister hasn't got much back home and I worry about my brothers and sisters. Just want to make sure they're all alright. Besides, it just feels like something's missing, you know?”
“No, I don't know.” Tessa replied with a hiss before faltering at Orin's questioning smile.
“You don't want me to leave? That it?” Orin chuckled, lifting an eyebrow at the incensed warrior.
“Couldn't give a shit.” Tessa said quickly, returning her gaze to the camp ahead of her.
“That's what I thought you'd say,” Orin nodded with a smirk, “You're the first person I've told. I'll tell the others tomorrow.”
“Why me?” Tessa muttered, not moving, barely breathing.
“Because you've helped me a lot and I thought you'd be happy about it. Without me around, the story of you getting saved will die down faster,” Orin smiled at her kindly. As though he was doing her a favour by leaving like this. As though she would be happy about it.
“Do what you want, Orin,” Tessa snapped, “No one will miss you.”
Orin flinched at that, his smile faltering as Tessa's heart stopped within her chest. It wasn't his fault. He didn't know, how could he? She opened her mouth to speak again, to make things better and make him feel more at ease, but she failed, as she often did. This wasn't the first time this had happened, wasn't the first time she had said something cutting to the person she was supposed to protect. It was her defence against him and others: Her shyness weaponized. Spending the majority of her formative years in isolation and without social interaction hadn't helped things. She knew that, but despite her best efforts she couldn't stop herself from acting this way.
“Alright,” Orin said, “I'll leave you alone.”
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The mercenary jumped to his feet and made sure his sword was in place before turning to face her again, his smile returning.
“I know you don't like me much, Tess,” he said carefully, “But you helped me out a lot during training and in battle. I just wanted to say thank you. This might be the only time I get you alone and I know how you get when cornered. Shit, now that I think about it, it's a miracle you didn't stab me.”
“It still might happen,” Tessa warned, immediately berating herself in her own head.
“Yeah, well...” Orin held out a hand, “Thanks, Tessa.”
Tessa hesitated. She knew what touching him would mean, knew what it would do to her. But, in that moment, she didn't care. If Orin was going back to Myrin, she didn't know how many chances she had left. She got to her feet.
Tessa grunted and shook his hand. She fought against the feeling she knew was coming and managed to keep the look off her face. Her soul shivered with ecstasy as goosebumps ran the length of her arms. She felt her lips part slightly but she slammed them shut before anything could come out and viciously bit her tongue to give her something to focus on.
Eventually, mercifully, Orin let go and left without another word. Tessa was left standing there, her whole body trembling and hand still extended.
She sank to the soft grass beneath her and curled up into a ball, her eyes closed as she sought to savour the feeling.
He was her Knight.
He was leaving her.
Tessa remained there for most of the night. The place that Orin once stood now echoing the emptiness that filled her own heart, accompanied by the disparaging pangs of his fading touch.
*
Of all the memories to come to the fore at a time like this, why was it one so steeped in despair? That moment had marked a time when Tessa thought all was to be taken from her. She was a respected mercenary, a member of Boldrin's Brigade and she could spend all the time with Orin that she wanted. Then Orin decided to leave and she would leave with him, as was her duty as his future Smith. She had never questioned his decision, never tried to push him to stay. She had been afraid of telling him too much, of revealing her true purpose and his own.
If she could go back now, to that very moment, she would have told him everything. About Heirs and her father, about leaving Ragora as a young girl. She would tell him of watching him through the window, of following him through the streets, of laughing at his antics and stopping the people who meant him harm. She would tell him not to go to the wedding.
But, Tessa realised, we all make decisions like that. They are steeped in fate and can change the course of our destinies. If Orin had put off going back to Myrin for another month, or even a few days, how different would things have become?
Venos would have descended into war. The Princess would be with the Mentor and the King and Queen would have long since fallen. Orin's homeland would be in a cycle of war, one that was greater than anything that had been seen on this side of the continent for over a hundred years.
It was a strange thing, fate. Tess put little stock in the idea that 'everything happens for a reason'. She had seen too much death and cruelty in this world to believe in something as capricious as destiny. No, Boldrin had taught her that if you wanted something then you needed to take it. He had taught her strength, both of arms and mind. She had learned at a ravenous pace, her need to be the dragon that Boldrin had once claimed she needed to be had filled her every waking moment. For Orin, she could do anything. Her commitment had waned over the years but after meeting him in the Brigade her oath to protect him had been reaffirmed. She would be his champion, his Smith, the one he deserved to follow him towards whatever destiny threw his way.
But Orin didn't want that. He didn't need that. What he was asking for was much harder, a near impossible task for someone as broken and battered as her. He wanted to see what was beneath, to see past her facade, to see her true self.
Boldrin had always said showing vulnerability was a weakness. He had meant on the battlefield, but Tessa took the lesson to heart in more ways than one. She couldn't show Orin what was beneath the veneer of scowls and curses that she had cultivated over the years. It was her armour, built to protect her from the reality she had been living in. He wasn't asking for this directly, nor even intentionally, but it was what he wanted. What if he hated what dwelt under the surface? The scared little girl from Ragora, so far from her family and friends. Pathetic.
Tessa had made for Myrin at all speed after leaving Boldrin and the Brigade. The need to see Orin, to reassure him and herself, was all consuming. She had been a fool, giving into base emotions that had only succeeded in pushing him away. She had abandoned her horse near Estalin, instead running through those mighty trees as though possessed by a demon from one of the old tales. She only rested when she was too tired to keep going. Even then, she would push herself a little further. The gates were closed upon her arrival, but she took advantage of the tunnel they had used to escape the great Venosian walls and once again found herself in the city that had been her home for a decade.
She hated it. Venos was a backwards country and Myrin was it's shining jewel. A diseased and festering diamond that was almost as cracked and flawed as she was herself. They made a good pair, or so she told herself. Orin was her only light during the years in this place, the only one who had given her any peace. He had not even known it at the time, but seeing his face when leaving the orphanage in the morning was one of the highlights of Tessa's day. She remembered it now. Orin would come out the doors with a yawn and her eyes would light up at the sight of him as she peeked over the edge of the window. More than once she had come close to calling out. Close to letting him know that she was there, that she was keeping him safe. She had never been one to pray, but as a child she would ask the Great Spirit for the courage to do just that.
Tessa also hoped he looked up. All he had to do was gaze upwards and he would see her. Then they could be together as Knight and Smith, a Bonded pair, tackling monsters and madmen the continent over. She had even planned what she would do if that were to happen. She would smile her best smile and try to get him to look. She had played that game for years.
He never looked up.
She thought about all this and more as she made her way to the orphanage. She knew he was there. His soul was fire and she was a moth flying single-mindedly towards the flame. Her steps didn't hesitate or stutter, but they did grow heavy. The closer she got the harder it became to put one foot in front of another but she still pushed herself to go on. She had run away before. She wouldn't do it again.
Tessa arrived at the orphanage and used the back entrance after seeing that the royal guard, resplendent in dank cloaks that did nothing to hide they were Noble, occupied the entrance. Tessa thought she recognised the one at the front from Paldrum but ignored her all the same. They were Elora's servants and so the Princess would be with Orin.
Tessa had known she would be but it still caused another wave of nervousness to pass over her body. Boldrin had been right in his assessment. Orin and Elora were a package now. To join them she would have to play nice with both Orin and his First Smith, something she was not looking forward to in the least.
Putting aside her personal feelings towards the Princess, Elora was a stranger who barely knew her at all. It would be hard enough to talk in front of Orin without regressing back to her natural state, never mind an entitled Princess who stole what was hers!
Tessa stopped at the back door to the orphanage, leaning against the wall as she took a steadying breath. She couldn't afford to think like that any more. She couldn't afford to blame Elora for perceived wrongs. She was important to Orin and that was enough for the sharp-eyed mercenary. If Tessa wanted to be a part of Orin's life going forward she would have to find a way to bring the Princess around to her way of thinking.
Tessa had sneaked into the orphanage many times over her years as Orin's watcher. She had excused these visits to her handlers by telling them she wanted to make sure that the home of her Knight was secure. In truth it had been an excuse to watch him sleep. She found it strangely peaceful, as well as a good exercise in how to move quietly. Orin was a light sleeper and more than once he had stirred when she had gotten close enough.
Stepping back into these halls was terrifying for another reason now. Tessa wasn't a phantom any more, moving from shadow to shadow. No, she was entering this place as herself for the first time since she was seven years old. It was oddly intimidating but she strove to push through the feeling as best she could. There was no going back now.
She heard the voices soon enough. Erin had already begun to tell Orin the truth of her past. Tessa herself had never heard the full story. The good Sister had often visited her in the beginning, bringing Ragoran tea and company for the newly isolated girl. It had been nice, a normality in its simplicity that Tessa hadn't known she had missed, but it couldn't last. As the years passed her by she had changed, becoming obsessed with her duty. The Sister's visits slowed and then stopped altogether. She couldn't say that she missed those moments now. After all, only Orin mattered, everything else was secondary.
Tessa's heart hammered in her chest as Orin spoke. He sounded firm and strong. His words were gripping, demanding to be heard. He wanted to know who had killed the man who put the scars on his back.
It had been her first kill. It was clumsy and messy but she had got it done. Boldrin had been nearby if she needed the help but her anger had seen her through. She recalled standing over the bleeding body of the pig who had attacked her Knight, the knife shaking in her hand as her eyes stared blankly at the corpse at her feet. She had felt Boldrin place a hand on her head. He had told her he was proud of her for protecting Orin. She had smiled then.
“I stabbed him to death,” Tessa said quietly, her words a struggle but the memory of that first great victory ensured they did not falter.
She stepped through the door to the dining room and stood there, eyes fixed to the ground as she tried to suppress the nervous energy running the length of her body. She could feel his eye on her. A glowing orb of green that reminded her of the Sunshine Sea. Unfathomable in its complexity.
“He hurt you,” She muttered, not able to stop herself. The memory caused her old anger to rise to the fore, to fill her to the brim with renewed wrath.
Tessa lifted her eyes to stare at her Knight, pinning him in place with a flash of shining steel. For the first time, she let him see.
See the creature that lurked beneath. What she had been forced to become to keep him safe. She let him see the pure feeling she felt for him, the overwhelming care in her heart. He was everything to her, the one thing she had clung to when her life from before Venos was ripped out from under her. Orin was debris in a storm, one that Tessa had clung to with everything she had. Without him she would have been washed away by the current.
“So I hurt him!”
Silence descended. Tessa's eyes remained fixed on Orin. She didn't look at the Princess or the Sister. She needed Orin to understand. He said nothing, his eye fixed on her. There was no anger. No hatred for her having run away when he needed her most. There was an absence there and Tessa didn't know if that was a good thing or bad.
“I'm sorry, Orin,” Tessa stated, her hands twitching towards her daggers as her panic threatened to overwhelm her. “I ran away. I shouldn't have done that, but I was afraid.”
Orin stared at her, not moving. “What were you afraid of, Tess?”
“Of being alone again,” Tess replied as tears began to gather at the corners of her eyes. It had been some time since she had cried and she didn't intend to start here. But talking about these things, about her greatest fears, made her feel small again. “I was alone for so long, Orin. S-so long.”
The tears fell as Tessa's hands clenched into fists. She refused to sob and swallowed it back down before the sound could emerge.
“I waited for years,” Tessa said, her teeth gritting together harshly, “Years. I watched from a distance and kept an eye. You never saw me. Not once.”
“Tess-” Orin started but Tessa interrupted him before he could stop her. Before he told her that she was worthless, that she was pitiful.
“B-but then you did see me,” Tessa smiled at him brightly, “Do you remember? At the camp when we sparred, you saw me and you talked to me. I loved that. It was amazing. Part of me hoped that one day we would be that close but for it to actually happen... I didn't expect it. You were so nice to me.”
Orin was staring at her with hints of something she didn't recognise on his face and Tessa looked away, not wanting to take the time to figure it out. She was right: He hated her. He hated that she had kept his secret, had followed him around without his consent.
“I kept you safe for years. I followed you through Myrin every day, making sure that no harm came to you. Boldrin taught me to fight, to kill, for your sake. The man who put you in that bed deserved to die for what he did. He shouldn't have touched you. None of them should've touched you. I stopped all of them when they tried.” Tessa grinned at her Knight, wanting him to tell her he was proud even as the tears ran down her cheeks. “See, Orin? I did everything right. I followed every order, watched your every move. I was rewarded by getting to spend time with you in the band, but it wasn't enough, not after the Severance. I-I wanted more. I shouldn't have done that. I should have talked to Elora, should have talked to the both of you together but it was so hard.”
“Tessa-” Orin got to his feet but Tess cut him off yet again, not wanting him to reject her without hearing the whole truth.
“I hated you for a long time, after what my father did,” Tess wrapped her arms around her shoulders. “He told everyone I was dead, Orin. My friends, my brother and sisters, they all believe I died at sea. They even held a funeral. It was all for you, to keep you safe. I hated you for that, hated having to be here in Myrin, hated having to call Venos my home. But without you it would have been so much worse. Even if everything went to shit, even if my life had fallen in ruins, I still had you and I didn't need anything else. When I met you in the Brigade, everything seemed better. I could actually spend time with you, be close to you. I didn't have to look at you through a window anymore”
Orin walked towards her and Tessa took a step backwards, afraid of how he would react, of what he might do. Her head ran the gauntlet of worst case scenarios, it was like she couldn't break free of them. All of them ended in rejection, in her being chased from the orphanage like the rabid dog she believed herself to be.
“I wouldn't change anything, Orin,” Tessa pleaded, “Not one thing. I was happy to be sent here. I felt our connection when you were lying on that bed all covered in scars. You can't feel it but I promise that its there. You are my whole world, Orin, please-”
Orin hugged Tessa, pulling her to his chest and wrapping his arms around her tightly. The mercenary froze. She hadn't thought this would happen. Even in her wildest dreams, she didn't expect him to react like this. His touch was as blissful as she remembered it to be and she felt herself sink into his comfort and warmth, yet she didn't hug him back. To move at that moment would be impossible, she remained rigid even as the tension left her body. She didn't even breathe, afraid doing so would ruin whatever was happening.
“Fuck,” Orin muttered over her shoulder even as he put a hand to the back of her head and pulled her closer still. He was trembling.
Tessa began to move her arms slowly, hesitantly. Finally she was hugging him back. It was a first for her. Any sort of contact with Orin needed to be carefully planned in advance. She couldn't have him be suspicious of her motives, after all. But this... this was different. Whatever it was, it was nice.
Orin was the first to break away and Tessa fought to keep the disappointment off her face. She had never touched him for so long before. The euphoria of his touch had settled into a pleasant hum near the end, something she never wanted to end.
“I need a minute,” Orin said, looking at her the entire time, “Don't run away. If you do, Elora and I will catch you. You aren't faster than a Knight, Tess.”
Tessa's eyes were wide, her expression confused, but she nodded without question. She watched as Orin walked over to Elora and placed a hand on her shoulder. The Princess gave him a smile and placed her hand on his. Something unknowable passed between them before Orin walked to the doors of the dining room and left, the quiet sound of them closing behind him reminding Tessa of the boom of a trebuchet as it roared out in the painfully silent room.
Tessa didn't know what to do. She hadn't thought this would happen, hadn't expected Orin to act like that. Was he okay? Should she follow him to make sure? No, that was a return to old habits and something she would never need to do again. She was living in the light now, a person in full and ghost no more. But... what should she do? Orin said he needed a minute, was he upset with her? Did she do something wrong, something that she hadn't thought of yet?
She felt a hand touch hers gently and she turned away from the doors to find Elora, Princess of Venos, standing before her and wearing a strained smile.
“He'll be back in a minute,” The Princess said brightly, “Will you sit with us, until he comes back?”
“I... I don't...” Tessa didn't know how to react to this. Elora was being nice. It was strange. If it had been Tessa in her place then she wouldn't be acting so calm.
“This is difficult,” Elora stated, her hand tightening around Tessa's, “But we need to talk anyway. What better time than now?”
“I... I would like that,” Tessa said with narrowed eyes, afraid this was some cruel ambush. Was Elora trying to lure her into a false sense of security before striking? It was what she would do.
“Excellent,” Elora replied before turning to the Sister, “Sister, do you have any tea?”
Erin nodded and wiped at her eyes which had turned noticeably red. “Of course, I have just the blend. Remember the one I used to make you as a child, Tessa? I developed quite the taste for it so I always have some around.”
“Ragoran,” Tessa muttered, causing Erin to light up.
“Just the one. Sit down and relax. Orin may take some time.” Erin replied, getting to her feet and walking into the kitchen.
Elora pulled Tessa over to the large table and sat her down in a seat opposite her own before joining her. The Princess and the mercenary looked at each other across the hard surface, eyeing each other up in a way that wasn't hostile, but wasn't that comfortable either.
“So.” Elora started.
“So.” Tessa mirrored, still anxious this might be a trick.
“Let's talk.” The Princess said seriously.