Problematic Part 2

So many words could be used to describe my surroundings. Yet nothing seemed to fit. Majestic didn't capture its subtle details. Gorgeous was too vague. Pretty was too basic.

I was in awe of what I was seeing. How could one place be so... so, ethereal. If that was even the right word to describe such beautiful scenery.

We had teleported past the gates of the city, the buildings seemed to be made of jade, or something similar, intertwining with the trees creating a natural and sustainable feeling to it. Homes built in unnaturally thick branches, and material so smooth, I doubted even my old worlds craftsmen could leave a stone so unblemished. Shade stretched across the city, caused by a canopy of branches, rendering this city invisible from an aerial view. Small luminescent orbs, the colour of gold, filled the streets with a warm glow as they passed over our heads.

I was so absorbed in the cities ambience, that I only just caught the shadows appearing in front of us, seemingly out of nowhere, causing me to jolt out of my stupor.

I found Art to my side, grabbing the nearest part of him and jumping back into a defensive stance. As effective as I had been, I had neglected the existence holding onto my brothers hand, resulting in the three of us being a jumbled mess on the floor.

The guards, clothed in matching black suits with green trimming and a golden epaulet on their left shoulder. They had drawn their rapiers at our action, and I noticed I couldn't sense their mana.

All mages radiated mana, the fact that I couldn't sense it meant they were incredibly skilled at hiding their mana, or were far outranking me in terms of core level. Either way, they lived up to the attire they were wearing. Oppressive.

"Unhand the princess at once!" They roared in unison, and my brain rattled as to what they could mean. As far as I was aware, there was no princess amidst our little group. Unless...

Tess immediately stood up, patted herself down and coolly stated.

"I am unharmed, stand down." Her change in tone made it seem as if she wasn't the same person. She seemed to have been replaced by someone else entirely.

The guards then continued to ignore us, although I got the occasional glare, as they proceeded to lower themselves onto one knee.

"We welcome back the royal princess."

'Oh for f*ck sake' I mentally sighed. What else could I do? In their eyes I was the cause of potential harm to their princess. Not only that, the already built up tension between humans and elves, along with when the populace finds out she was kidnapped by humans, that will only paint a bigger target on our backs.

As soon as me and Art were on our feet, Tess took hold of both our hands, and squeezed tightly. She may need the comfort more than both me and Art combined.

"You may rise." Her apathetic tone almost echoed my own, although hers was of her own volition, and could never match up to the real thing.

They quickly moved into an odd salute, slamming their fist into the area their heart should be, and the one in the centre, presumably the captain, spoke on their behalf.

"Princess, we arrived as soon as we saw that the royal teleportation gate had been used. The King and Queen are-" The guard was cut off by a cry, not too far - not too close.

"My baby! Tessia, you're okay! Oh, my baby!" A woman screamed as she ran towards Tess. She was accompanied by another man. From the royal head wear they adorned, it was fairly obvious they were the King and Queen.

The King was tell with a well developed frame. He wore loosely fitting robes with slight decorations. Accompanied by his emerald eyes and a tense face, matching his short cropped military hair, one could say he was an attractive man.

While the king was more noble like in appearance, the woman radiated charm. She was past her youth, the withering of time couldn't mask what she once was. Her bright teal eyes glowed, contrasting her starkly pink lips and fair skin. Her silver hair curled and waved as it fell graciously down her back.

The Queens cheeks were lined with tears, as the Kings taut expression seemed to barely hold back tears as well.

This was our chance to escape. As harsh as it may be, we needed to think of the potential out come for ourselves. As Tess broke down into tears, her face buried in her parents knees, with the parents buried in their daughters shoulders, the guards were distracted, it was what we needed.

I tugged on Art's sleeve, prepared to drag him away if needed, until a man far past his prime came walking in.

His sharp facial features, a glare that could kill a thousand times over, I knew it would be pointless to even try. He had his snow white hair tied up, and a cleanly shaven face. Although, his expression did soften slightly upon seeing Tessia.

I let my arm hang limply, relaxing my body entirely. It would have been difficult to escape just the guards, but now that that man was here, I felt an overwhelming sense of impossibility.

It took several minutes for the group of bawling royals to calm down, all the while, the guards threw deadly, yet curious glances towards us. Even that imposing elder took notice of the two of us. His look filled with emotions I couldn't discern caused my blood to run cold.

The way he walked, the way he held himself, down right to the very way he positioned his clothes. That man could kill us without breaking a sweat.

You have to remember, I was also an assassin in my last life. It was my duty to assess targets, potential threats and other such things. As a guard of the king, I ran into a multitude of trained killers, some even amateurs looking for a lucky score. This type of thing became second nature to me, and right now, it was a gift as much as it was a curse.

The king finally regained his composure, reinstating his air of dignity along the way.

"As the King of Elenoir and the father of Tessia, I must apologise for this unsightly appearance of mine and more importantly, I wish to thank you for escorting my daughter back home safely." I know he didn't believe his own words, his voice was hoarse but you could see it in his eyes. " Please accompany us to our home so that you may rest. After, you can tell us what happened."

His gentle tone implied amicable intentions, but the look in his eyes forced me to realise this wasn't a friendly invitation, but an order.

I balled my hands into a fist. This was like going into the lions den. My gaze hardened as I swore to myself.

'At the very least, I'll make sure if he tries something, I'll make him regret it.'

As I was about to follow behind them, Tessia squeezed between me and Art, taking hold of our hands once again, causing the audience to form shocked expressions. And I felt my own ease... just a little.