Only One

A few days later, Terrence was in another sparring match. This time, it was a team match with Kayla against the other Royal Knight Lieutenants.

Terrence and Kayla had their backs to each other, stepping in a circular motion as they tried to keep their eyes on a rapidly moving yellow streak, which was zig-zagging around them. Then in a split second, it shot towards Terrence, and he had the momentary view of a dark-skinned girl with a side-braid of blonde hair, and an eager grin outlined by pink lipstick.

He just barely blocked her wooden sword with his own, and Kayla’s support kept him on his feet. But before they could work together for a counter, a luminous blade of Wind magic came speeding towards them. Everyone split up as they dove to avoid it, and the blonde almost immediately lunged towards the Prince.

“Woohoo, we got this Viridi!” She boasted.

Away from everyone else was a shorter girl with round glasses and green hair in twintails, and she lowered her hand as she had stopped channeling magic.

“Electra, I almost hit you.” She said in disbelief. “If you don’t act more carefully, we’ll lose.”

Terrence rolled away as Electra came to slam her sword down on him, and he quickly got up and swung at her horizontally. She nimbly hopped back and leaped back in, he cried out in pain as he was smacked aside by the flat of her wooden blade.

Before Electra could finish him off, Kayla darted in to engage in a blade lock with her.

“Oooooh, you’ve totally been feisty lately!” The blonde remarked, pressing forward. “I’m glad you’re finally fired up!”

Kayla grimaced as she pushed back. “I may not be that good yet…but I’m starting to try harder!”

She glanced at her partner, who had gotten back on his feet and was shaking off his daze.

“Terrence, I’ll handle this! Go for Viridi!”

“Alright!” He complied, beginning to run.

Viridi narrowed her eyes as she channeled her magic again, then did a twirl while gathering the winds around her.

“Aerowhip!” She chanted.

As she faced forward again, she thrust a hand towards Terrence and unleashed the wave of air upon him. He dove out of the way, but Viridi did a spin in the other direction to send a follow-up gust. Terrence cried out as he was blown right out of the ring.

“Terrence!” Kayla called out in concern.

“Eyes on me!” Electra warned.

With the blue-haired girl’s focus broken, the blonde was able to break the blade lock and disarm her. Kayla shrieked as she fell on her rear end, and Electra pointed the wooden blade’s tip at her face before she could start getting back on her feet.

“We win!” The blonde said with a cheeky grin.

Kayla sighed, looking disappointed. “Of course…”

“Sorry…” Terrence groaned as he staggered up.

He and Viridi went to join their teammates, while Electra helped Kayla stand up.

“You two weren’t that bad!” The dark-skinned girl said with a wink. “But Prince Terrence, you still have a lot more to learn than us.”

He rubbed the back of his head. “Yeah, and I need to keep working hard if I want to catch up.”

Suddenly, the voice of a more mature woman spoke out from behind him.

“A futile effort, I’d say.”

He turned around and saw a woman who looked to be around forty years old. She had wavy hair that was white like snow, with a curtain of it hanging over her blue eyes, one of which was regarding Terrence in a cold manner.

“You are but a novice, Prince Terrence.” She continued. “You’re just barely getting the hang of a blade. There are far more deadly monsters than Kobolds among the ranks, and the Demons are a league of their own. You will never match up to them, with how short a time you have.”

Terrence frowned at her with uncertainty. “You’re not wrong…but I still have to try. I’m the Hero of Light, so I’ll do my best to fulfill my role.”

“And if your best isn’t enough? Quite frankly, I think we’re wasting time trying to train you. It would be better if you just handed the Sacred Treasure to a worthier warrior, who has more preparation and training than you.”

Terrence scowled, feeling irritated at this woman’s words. Not just because she was insulting him, but also because she was right in some way…

“Don’t let her get to you.” Bjartbrandr said gently in his mind. “You are worthy, no matter what anyone else says.”

Terrence clenched his fist “But even so…I haven’t completed the Trial of Power yet. She’s right, if I can’t prove that my best can be enough…then there’s no point in me being your master.”

“Then you better be there when I take the Trial of Power.” He told the white-haired woman. “When I complete it, you won’t be able to tell me I’m not worthy of Bjartbrandr.”

She looked at him with intrigue, crossing her arms. “An interesting notion…Then we shall see if you’re the real deal. I look forward to the day you take the challenge. Until then, farewell.”

He stared after her as she walked away, until she left the training hall. It was then that Kayla spoke up, looking rather uncomfortable.

“Lieutenant Glacia is always so harsh…but I didn’t expect her to talk to you like that, milord.”

Electra shrugged. “Eh, she’s just a hag. I always ignore her nagging.”

Viridi adjusted her glasses, which gleamed bright. “Still, she has a point. If Prince Terrence cannot improve his abilities enough within a short time, then it may be best for him to give the Sacred Treasure to someone more capable.”

“I will never let that happen.” Terrence said firmly, touching his heart. “This is my responsibility, nobody else’s. That’s why…tomorrow, I’ll take the Trial of Power.”

At that moment, Lorica came over to cut into the conversation.

“While I admire your bravado, don’t rush into such a challenge.”

Terrence frowned at her. “Maybe I am rushing, but we all know I can’t afford to keep staying here. I need to undertake the Pilgrimage with you all soon, and I have to prove I’m capable of going out there.”

Lorica placed a hand on her hip. “Then wait until Prince Aquare and Prince Hearthstone arrive. You can afford another week of training, at least.”

After a moment of thinking, the Human sighed and nodded in agreement. That made the Elf smile with satisfaction, and she followed through with another statement.

“But you’ve trained enough, for now. Why don’t you take the day off tomorrow? I can tell you’ve been building up a lot of stress lately, so it would be good for you to relax and clear your mind.”

“...I suppose I can do that.” Terrence said reluctantly.

_______________________________________

The next morning, he ventured into the city with Mai and Bjartbrandr, all three dressed in more casual wear. As they were looking to relax, they headed for the bustling Commercial District.

“So what should we do first?” Terrence wondered as he looked around.

Bjartbrandr smiled as she noticed something, and pointed down the street. It turned out to be a cafe, with small tables on the outside.

“Let’s all have pancakes!” She suggested, clasping her hands.

Terrence chuckled awkwardly. “We ate in the palace already…”

Mai giggled. “There’s always room for dessert!”

Once they were inside the building, they looked around at the simple and polished wooden tables and chairs, most of them having been taken by other chattering couples.

“It’s quite a cozy place.” Bjartbrandr said with a soft smile.

“It seems to be popular among lovers.” Mai said with a slight blush.

Terrence chuckled nervously, then followed the girls to the counter, where an elderly woman in an apron greeted them.

“Hello dears, what can I get for you?” She said with a warm smile.

“We’ll have one large stack of pancakes.” Bjartbrandr said nicely. “With whipped cream and strawberries.”

The old lady nodded and went to the back, while Terrence looked at Bjartbrandr in curiosity.

“Why just one stack?” He inquired.

“This is a date, so it’s customary to share one big dessert.” She said happily, tilting her head.

Mai turned red again. “So…we’ll feed each other?”

“If you’d like to, then yes.”

The trio then found a table to sit at. While they waited for their dessert, Terrence looked around at all the other couples, seeing their adoring smiles and wistful eyes. His gaze shifted to the window, where he could see countless people going about their day.

He couldn’t help but think about his responsibility towards them as Prince Terrence, the Hero of Light. It was his duty to protect their peace and happiness, no matter what came to destroy them.

The problem was, would he be able to do that? So many people were counting on him…and he was afraid he would fail them in the end.

“Terrence, are you okay?” Mai called out.

He snapped out of his thoughts and focused on Mai and Bjartbrandr. Seeing their concerned expressions, he knew he couldn’t play this off. But he couldn’t really talk in a place like this…

“...I'll tell you later.” He said with a small smile. “For now, let’s just enjoy ourselves.”

Though they still looked worried, their attention soon turned to a young waitress carrying a large plate of pancakes, which she set in the middle of the table along with some forks and knives.

“Enjoy!” She said brightly as she walked away.

Bjartbrandr was naturally the first to cut a piece of the whipped confection, and she leaned over to hold it up to Terrence.

“Open up!” She said with eagerness.

He blushed slightly, but did as she requested and accepted the treat. As he chewed and swallowed, he smiled and hummed at the sweet and rich flavors.

“That’s actually rather good.” He remarked.

Bjartbrandr laughed softly, then picked off another piece and presented it to Mai. The Cait Sith turned a little pink as she hesitated, but opened her mouth and bit off the confection. She moaned and smiled a little as she also enjoyed the taste.

“It really is.” She said in agreement.

Her cheeks reddened as she also cut off a small chunk of pancake, and brought it to Terrence’s lips. He blushed again in turn as he accepted it. For a moment, they looked at each other, then glanced at Bjartbrandr, then at each other again.

“Are you…” He was about to suggest.

“Thinking the same thing?” She finished.

They laughed a little and relaxed, then they each cut a piece to give to Bjartbrandr. The Sacred Treasure blushed bright as she was taken aback for a moment, then smiled with great warmth and opened her mouth. She hummed happily as the sweet flavors hit her tongue.

“It’s just as I remembered…” She said wistfully. “I could never forget such rich flavors…”

She cut off another piece, continuing the cycle feeding. As Terrence saw the relaxed, happy smiles of his lovers, he began to feel truly at ease. He then realized…it had been a while since he had truly felt this at ease. Was it because…he hadn’t actually spent time outside, amongst the people?

When he thought about it, he figured that was correct. He hadn’t spent time so simply, since he undertook his duty as Hero of Light…

He glanced around, seeing the townsfolk enjoying themselves without any worries. He remembered when he used to be like that…but now everything was so different. He had so much weight on his shoulders, threatening to collapse on him.

For the first time since the day he obtained Bjartbrandr, Prince Terrence was feeling like a townsperson again. And so, as he fed Mai and Bjartbrandr more cuts of pancakes, he chuckled lightheartedly with them.

Later, when they left, the elderly lady watched them in curiosity, with her eyes on Bjartbrandr in particular.

“Hm…where have I seen that girl before?” She said in thought.

Her granddaughter, the waitress, gave her an uncertain frown.

“Maybe you served her mother before?” She suggested.

“Yes, that must be it…What a strong family resemblance, oh ho!”

______________________________________

Afterwards, the trio found a spa, where they took a hot bath together.

Mai sighed happily as she leaned against Terrence’s right shoulder. Bjartbrandr leaned on his left, and held Mai’s hand on his chest.

“I like being this close…” Mai murmured, her tail waving slowly.

Bjartbrandr nodded. “Mhm…it’s like we’re one.”

Terrence inclined his head, then after a moment of silence he spoke in a solemn tone.

“I thank you both, for being with me. I honestly haven’t felt so…at peace in a while. I’ve just been so focused on what I have to do as a royal, I almost forgot that I’m just one person.”

“You have a big responsibility on your shoulders, it’s natural for you to focus on that pressure.” Bjartbrandr said gently.

“Although, we were worried about you being too hard on yourself.” Mai added, looking concerned.

Terrence sighed and hugged them both. “I know…I’m sorry to have worried you two. But when I think about my worth as a prince, I feel inadequate. Too weak, too…unworthy. I’m afraid of letting everyone down, and everyone I care about dying or being hurt. What if I can’t be the Hero of Light they need, and the kingdom falls?”

“...When you focus on the bad things, and what could go wrong, you lose sight of the good you can do, and the people who want to help you.”

Bjartbrandr kissed Terrence's cheek in comfort. “Just remember to never stop trusting us with your burdens, like you’re doing now. After all, we’re all people, in the end. And people need each other.”

Terrence leaned back and smiled wearily. “Yeah…I’m just one person. And you two…are the ones I need most. I just…want to be strong enough to protect you, and the people. It’s not just my happiness at stake, but everyone’s.”

“Mhm…and that thoughtfulness is why we love you so much. Just don’t overdo it, or you’ll burn out.”

With a bright blush, Mai moved to straddle Terrence. “So…today, let us ease your worries. Focus on us, nothing else. You still have time, so…just let your mind go blank.”

Her heart fluttered as his hands settled on her waist, and he looked at her with those gentle eyes.

“But…it’s not like I’m the only one with issues.” He said softly. “Have things with your sister been fine?”

There was a small ache in her chest, and her ears drooped a little as she glanced aside.

“Well, we haven’t talked since that day. It’s just…complicated.”

She shook her head, then gave Terrence a more firm look while stroking his chest.

“But nevermind that. This is our day, for us to think about each other. Nothing or nobody else. Right, Bjartbrandr?”

Bjartbrandr looked a little uncertain for a second, but she smiled and moved to hug Mai from behind and kiss one of her ears, which made it twitch and caused her to gasp softly.

“She has a point.” The Sacred Treasure said coyly. “Master Terrence, do you not want to indulge in the two women you love? Just forget everything else for one day, and relax with us. You can worry about your duties tomorrow.”

He gulped and nodded. “A-alright…but shouldn’t we go home first before we…”

Mai froze for a moment before awkwardly getting off. “R-right, we should…”

Bjartbrandr laughed softly, but followed her two embarrassed lovers out of the bath.

______________________________________

It was around midnight when Terrence woke up in bed.

He groaned as he sat up, his muscles feeling sore. After carefully getting out of bed and stretching his naked body, he looked to see the Mai and Bjartbrandr, still sleeping and holding each other. Their hair was all over the place, and Mai looked especially exhausted, yet she still had a satisfied smile. Meanwhile, Bjartbrandr hardly looked tired, and her smile was a lot more vibrant as a result.

Terrence chuckled, having a wry smile on his face. “They wouldn’t let me stop…I should get us some water.”

So he got dressed, wrote a note in case his lovers woke up, then began walking through the eerily quiet halls of the palace.

It wasn’t long before he got lost. He hardly explored the building before, after all. After a few minutes, he sighed and started to retrace his steps…then he spotted a little candlelight down the hall. With a curious look, he carefully walked that way, until he saw who the light belonged to.

“Grandfather?” He called out.

King Randolph VI coughed several times in surprise, as he turned to see his grandson approaching.

“T-Terrence! A-hem! Ugh…S-sorry! What are you doing up so late?”

Terrence smiled wryly. “I’m getting a glass of water. What about you?”

Randolph sighed in a more wistful manner. “I was looking at your grandmother.”

He turned to the wall and held up his lantern, and Terrence followed his gaze. Only then did he notice the whole line of portraits going along the wall, each depicting a king or queen. Starting from King Henry III, each held the sword Bjartbrandr in their hands or arms.

The portrait in focus was at the end of the line. It depicted a slender woman with light muscle tone. She had dark skin and fiery red hair, much like her ancestor Queen Aria The First. Although, her hair was completely let down, and it fell to her waist.

“That’s Aria IV, right?” Terrence guessed. “The mother of my father…She’s my grandmother.”

Randolph nodded. “Yes…My one and only. Such a fierce woman, beyond compare. Yet, so kind and thoughtful. Why she chose a pathetic oaf like me, I still struggle to understand…”

He gave Terrence a more sorrowful look.

“I wonder…if she’s been watching me from up there. Is she disappointed in me, for how I let our son abandon everything? For how I failed to be a good father after her death? When the day comes that I go to Heaven…will she not be there, waiting for me?”

So this was the burden his grandfather had been carrying…Terrence frowned as he wasn’t sure what he should say in this situation. So it took a bit for him to come up with an answer.

“I can’t say for sure…But if she truly did love you, faults and all…then she’d understand how hard these years have been for you.”

Randolph looked at the portrait in longing. “You think so?”

“I don’t know…but don’t lose hope. More than anything else, you need to keep going, for the sake of everyone who is counting on you.”

“Yes…I’ve known that for many years. And although it’s hard, I’m still pushing on. More than anything else, I want to apologize to Steven, and be a good father while I still have time.”

Terrence gave his grandfather a small smile. “Then that’s all there is to it, right? Just know…I’m here too. And when I leave, Mai will be here with Patricia. You have family to help you, not to mention the Royal Knights.”

Randolph smiled back. “You’re right, I’m not alone at all. I have people who support me…and a family who gives me hope. Thank you, my grandson.”

He once again looked at the picture of his late wife, and Terrence did as well. The Prince’s eyes fell to Bjartbrandr, which Aria IV held in her arms like it was the most precious thing. A thought occurred to him then…but he wasn’t sure about bringing it up, at least not at a time like this.

And so, Terrence just bade his grandfather goodnight, and went to find the kitchen so he could retrieve a few glasses of water.