TBATE-ONESHOTS

Honorbound 7

The atmosphere inside the carriage was tense as Arthur sat casually with his arms crossed and stared out the window. His eyes would occasionally flick to the seats across from him, seeing Kristine and Tessia sitting beside each other. Tessia had a blank expression on her face as she rested her head in her hand and stared out the window. Kristine's eyes, however, held a powerful glare, her eyes locked on Arthur.

Arthur's eyes flicked to Kristine once more, noticing her glare, before he looked back out the window and sighed, "How long are you going to sit there staring at me?"

Kristine's eyes narrow, "Until we make it to the palace." She grinned, "Or until my eyes burn a hole through that annoying head of yours. Whichever comes first, I suppose."

Arthur rolled his eyes and looked at Kristine with a deadpanned expression, "You know as well as I that a royal order must be followed." His eyes flicked to Tessia and narrowed, "Even if the person following them is royalty herself."

Tessia's gaze darted to Arthur, her expression remaining blank before she looked back out the window. Arthur's brows raised slightly, as he had honestly expected her to say something back to him. Kristine looked at Tessia a little sympathetically, knowing that tonight wasn't going to be a good night for her. Angrily, she looked back at Arthur.

"Why couldn't you have minded your own business?!" Kristine snapped. Arthur looked at Kristine, surprised, as he had not expected such a tone from her. "Everything would've been fine if you had just let her go," Kristine continued. "But no. You had to be an annoyance and stop her."

Arthur's eyes narrowed, growing irritated with Kristine, "Of course I did. I have a lawful order to ensure she gets to this meeting on time." He glared at Tessia, "The fact that she wants to act like a child and disregard her royal duties is disrespectful."

Tessia's eyes fell, not looking at Arthur this time. Arthur's eyes narrowed on her, wondering what was wrong with the poor, annoying elven princess.

"Disrespectful," Kristine scoffed. "What are you talking about?"

Arthur looked at Kristine, "Her father is the king, and she is his heir. When he gives a command, she is expected to follow it. It is no different than me with my superiors. When I'm given an order, I'm expected to follow it. Her blatant disregard for her father's orders and wishes is disrespectful to him."

"Disrespectful to him?!" Kristine chuckled sarcastically. She glared at Arthur, "You are nothing but a dimwitted soldier."

Arthur clenched his jaw, "Excuse me?"

"You heard me," Kristine snapped. "You don't know anything. You don't know what her father is trying to force her to do. All she wants is to have some control over her own life."

"Have some control over her own life?" Arthur said, shaking his head. "What in the stars is that supposed to mean? She's the princess. She can get whatever she wants with the snap of her fingers."

Kristine scoffed, "By the leaves, you're an idiot. She-"

"That's enough," Tessia cut in, her tone flat. Kristine's eyes flicked to her and softened while Arthur raised a brow at her. "It doesn't matter. Nothing is going to stop the meeting now." Tessia's eyes flicked to Arthur, staring at him blankly, "Plus, I don't expect him to understand."

"Tess," Kristine said, eyeing Tessia sympathetically. Tessia went back to looking out the window while Kristine sighed, sat back in her seat, and shot Arthur another glare.

Arthur rolled his eyes and looked back out the window. He could see they had just passed the palace gates, where a few guards were standing by. His eyes flicked back to Tessia, seeing her expression remained flat, yet there was a sort of sadness in her eyes. Arthur shrugged it off and looked back out the window, watching as the carriage neared the palace and came to a stop.