Author's Note: Decided to split into multiple chapters to make it an easier read.
As the moon lazily asserted itself above the sun to begin its stint as their heavenly body of choice, many of his allies were still scattered about the castle.
Celice, Lana, Altenna, Leaf and Nanna were gathered about on the barracks staring out into the distance with worried expressions, their lips were clearly moving but Arthur was too far to make out what was being said. It probably revolved around Thracia's lost Dragon Knights or some foe they would soon face. The young Princes always seemed so occupied with grand problems, worrying about matters before and after their time.
He pitied that about them, he honestly did. He knew what it was like to have a fear hanging over your head that you could do nothing about, to be trapped looking mournfully at the past… but that time was largely over for him. His sister was safely back in his grasp and now all he had to do was aid Celice in overthrowing the most powerful Empire their world had ever known to ensure she stayed safe.
Well, easy in comparison… from a certain point of view.
He scoffed, these thoughts were getting him nowhere; he had bigger things to worry about. Like making sure Silesia didn't have its first royal bastard of this generation at Teeny's expense.
Following a sombre run-in with a reminiscing Fin and having to get his wind tome back from a vengeful Patty, Arthur found himself under the entirety of the full moon in Thracia castle's courtyard, Luna seeming to giggle at his frustration from her perch in the sky.
Why else would she have brought the three people who would not get out of his head together under her watchful eye? They were of course a Pegasus Knight, her Mage brother and a slim girl giggling at their antics whilst Arthur silently watched from behind, creeping into the bushes nearby like a common voyeur following a random pretty face.
"You should have said something earlier, you were welcome to join us" Sety's tone was light and teasing, something he reserved solely for the excitable greenette now blushing crimson beside him "I never meant to make you feel left out"
"But you two seemed so cosy... I just" Phee's trailed off into silence, gently playing with her skirts to distract herself from her mounting embarrassment while she tried to deflect the conversation elsewhere "How did you figure out I was jealous anyways?"
"I overheard you and Arthur's little argument" Sety answered with a shrug "You both seemed fine with making the matter a public affair"
Teeny looked uneasy as she shifted and nodded gingerly "I he-her-heard as well. I hope you don't h-hold it against Big Brother"
Phee snorted, grinning cockily "Oh, I won't. Can't blame an idiot for saying stupid things, right? Now if I thought he was actually being serious and not just a moody prima dona, then well…" she copied her brother's nonchalant gesture as a chill ran down Arthur's spine at something in her tone he couldn't quite place
"Oh, thank goodness. Brother will be so relieved" Teeny shifted gears to a shy smile, her hands clenching over her heart in relief
"Really?!"
Phee jumped from her place on their shared bench, clutching Teeny's petite shoulders as she spoke, eyes wide with curiosity and (what Arthur sincerely wanted to believe was) hope.
For once, the sudden motion didn't worry the nervous young woman, Teeny actually smiling wider than before "Definitely, you're his favourite person in the entire Army. He told me he'd do anything for you"
Arthur scowled from his hiding place at her blatant lies. Sure, he was in love with her. Yes, he would go to ridiculous lengths to make her safe and happy. And maybe he'd hinted at that to Teeny during one of their many making-up-for-lost-time heart-to-hearts. But he hadn't flat out told her, he had too much pride for that.
"Wow, he always seems so… distant about it all. Are you sure?"
Arthur's brow furrowed as his frown deepened at the wistful tone in her voice. He wasn't that cold, right? Before his doubts could irritate him any further, Sety spoke up, redirecting the Tordo descendant's anger outwards.
"If she wasn't then I wouldn't let him near you"
Phee rolled her eyes and leaned into her brother, who promptly wrapped a loving arm around her shoulder.
"I can take care of myself, thank you"
Sety chuckled again "I know but I wouldn't want your suitors to forget that you have a very powerful older brother. One who's very protective of you"
"What?"
Sety sighed happily, calmly jerking his thumb towards the greenery Arthur had attempted to hide behind "Arthur is hiding back there"
Begrudgingly Arthur decided to stand up before Phee tried to test the theory by running the local flora through with her favourite lance a couple of times. Raising his hands in a submissive position, Arthur grinned uncomfortably at the two girls staring at him.
He tried to open his mouth to explain himself but was quickly cut off.
"Pervert!"
His eye twitched involuntarily but he held his tongue, Teeny was watching and he didn't want to do anything stupid in front of her.
"No, I was just curious about what you were talking about"
"Sounds like a voyeur to me" Phee half-mumbled just loud enough to make sure they all heard her
Sety shook his head at her comment, lightly bopping her on the head "Be nice. No more bickering tonight"
"But!" Phee began before shrinking beneath her brother's stern glare
"Fine" she conceded with a theatrical huff
Arthur had to admit that the gleeful look on Sety's face probably wasn't that far away from his own, and Teeny was covering most of her face in an effort to avoid embarrassing her friend. Another plus for Phee… never a dull moment.
"How are you tonight, Brother?" Teeny asked, as she walked forward to embrace him briefly before turning, leaving both sets of siblings standing opposite one another
Debating his options, he decided to play it coy "Just thinking about some things"
"Like what?" his sister asked innocently
Oh, she didn't need to know what he was going to do with… no, to Sety.
"Nothing important" he assured her before feeling a sharp stinging pain in the back of his head "Ouch, what was that for?"
A very vexed Pegasus Knight had just slapped him across the back of the head and was now eyeing him evilly with a livid frown etched onto her face.
It seemed that Phee had taken it upon herself to make him fess up what was bothering him and he had to admit that the glint in her eyes seemed awfully determined.
Gripping Teeny's hand, Phee began to lead her away, shouting back at the two stunned males "Sort this out between yourselves, now. Before I have to do something drastic"
Unconsciously, Arthur began rubbing his arm. An old injury ghosting across the surface as he recalled the last time he'd pushed her into "drastic" territory. Pegasus Knights were physically stronger than most Mages, and the Silesian backwoods had made him lean and cunning rather than buff. Definitely not something he wanted to repeat but…
That only left actually dealing with Sety, something he wasn't ready for.
Arthur was not an arrogant man (despite what some would say) and knew his magic was weaker than his counterpart's, so a duel was out. He had no idea how serious Sety was about his sister, so pleading and dealing would be difficult.
He was cornered and despite the relatively cool Thracian temperatures, it felt like the moon was harsher than the Yied Desert sun during peak season. Luckily, Sety was tactful enough to ignore his nerves.
The man's heterochromatic eyes crinkled with mirth as he turned to Arthur, his tone friendly and warm "She can be a bit of a handful but she means well"
Arthur hummed in agreement, still attempting to sort out his bitter feelings towards Sety that seemed a lot emptier whenever Teeny left his side.
"Of course, you're not much different from what I can gather"
Arthur's lavender eyes widened at the comment, as he glared at the imposing Sage "What did you say?"
Sety's fingers stroked his chin thoughtfully as he spoke "Well, you two both like to argue for one"
Arthur was willing to concede that. Yes, they both enjoyed a good argument… until he took things too far and upset her.
"You're both constantly looking out for other people even when they don't realise it. Take you for example; you pulled Patty out of the path of that Dragon Knight"
Had Patty told anyone that? Nobody else was around as far as he could tell and the sun's glare had been so harsh when it hung between the mountains rather than above them, the yellow star kissing the ground as it set while they desperately fought to subdue Grandbell's only ally.
"I suppose I did do that" the words were awkward coming out of his lips but Sety just continued smiling as if he was used to Arthur being slow to talk around him
Now that Arthur thought about it that made a little bit of sense considering Teeny had met him first.
"Honestly, you should just tell her already" Sety sighed, seeming to deflate at some unknown thought before trying to force another smile "She needs to know someone won't forget about her"
Arthur's ears perked up at that admission, his thoughts shifting to another green haired wind God "You mean your father"
His tone made it clear that it wasn't a question but Sety nodded anyway.
"Not just him though" Sety continued to shrink it seemed, his shoulders sagging unnaturally far down "I… I was too busy trying to be a hero abroad. I missed Mother's death and didn't even return home when I learned of it. Phee must have been so lonely"
Weighing his options wearily, Arthur chose to quash his own feelings of jealousy and offer some comfort. Plenty more little sisters might have vanished from the Manster district if Sety hadn't sacrificed so much.
"Phee doesn't hold it against you. She says she never felt lonely in Silesia because she knew you were doing something good, wherever you went" Arthur smiled softly as a beautiful pair of cheerful emerald eyes flitted through his mind like a teasing kiss "She thinks the world of you"
"She told you that?"
The childishly hopeful expression on his face was so out-of-place that Arthur actually started to chuckle a little "Yeah, she did"
The two soon fell into a very comfortable conversation about whatever crossed their minds… Sety had the charisma of a true leader, the ability to make you want to listen to him. Even his most ardent rival found himself wholeheartedly agreeing that the Holsety wielder was the stronger mage without a hint of irony.
It was like the stars above them had a calming effect as a thousand lights burning gently in the sky gave rise to a thousand thoughts that could have kept the two talking cordially until the sun finally reclaimed his throne from his sky bound sibling had Teeny not crept back into their words.
"Your sister has a lot of potential" Sety had randomly shifted topics while sitting cross-legged on the bench, a strange glint entering the green eye visible to Arthur
Lying back in the soft grass had nearly caused the Tordo outcast to nod off with one hand resting under his head as a pillow. However, his free hand now began to clutch at the grass tightly, his lavender eyes narrowing as he focused his gaze intently on Sety.
"What are you suggesting?" his mind was racing with hidden meanings and alternate readings of the seemingly innocent statement
"Exactly what I said, she could one day be a very powerful Mage Fighter" Sety's eyebrow rose at the harsh glare he was receiving "Do you disagree?"
Arthur shook his head, his pupils shifting to maintain that hateful glower he'd perfected the second time he'd seen Bloom in person.
"No, I was just wondering how much time you've actually spent around my sister to figure that out"
A new image was painting itself onto the canvas he spotted earlier, now playing out across the surface of the moon. A petite girl the shade of lightning was collapsed on her knees and reaching out desperately for a man with a crown resting upon his head that was briskly walking away from her. He didn't even look back as a light breeze captured his form and scattered it, forever separating it from the crying thunder.
Sety for his part merely looked thoughtful and disgustingly peppy at the question "Quite a bit I suppose, she's always asking for help to improve her skills. Not that I mind"
"That's what I'm afraid of" Arthur muttered irritably
Unfortunately, Sety had rather excellent hearing and was able to make out his words with ease.
"Afraid of what? Teeny improving?"
That had lit a fire under him, the minor Fala blood coursing through his veins seeming to burn at the Sage's arrogance.
"Of course not. You're the problem, so don't try to push it back onto Teeny" the naked fury in his voice caught the older warrior off guard but confusion soon morphed into anger
"Why are you constantly doing this?" he spat, standing over the prone Mage with a gaze just as sharp as Arthur's
The white haired man pushed himself to his feet, standing eye to eye with Sety while letting all of his frustrations finally boil to the surface.
"Doing what?" he challenged back
"Picking pointless fights" Sety's lack of volume was lost on Arthur as Sety's rage seemed to match his own
"Well, why are you trying to seduce my sister?"
Admittedly the comeback had sounded more shocking in his head than it had come out but the fact still remained that he needed to get this out of the way before the entire affair became too entrenched and the roots had to be ripped out of Teeny's already broken heart.
Sety, to his credit, remained calm but a light pink tinged his cheeks.
"I'm not trying to seduce her"
"Then you're leading her on"
"No, I'm not" he attempted to assure Arthur, grinning again despite an obvious strain "Your sister and I are friends and she is also a younger magic user. I'm just trying to help her develop her skills"
Arthur's teeth gritted as he threw his hands up in the air "Forget it, if you're not enough of a man to admit you like her"
"I never denied that" Sety answered smoothly, cutting Arthur off mid-rant and causing his complaints to catch in his throat as they piled on top of one another in a strangled yelp
Sighing half-heartedly, the more mature Sage chose to leave his friend to cool off, approaching the doorway leading back inside "I'm not my father, if that's your concern. I'm not going to abandon her"
"How did you- tch, it doesn't matter in the end" Arthur opted to storm off, heading in the direction opposite Sety with a decidedly darker mood than even the melancholy one he'd entered the courtyard with
He passed Teeny and Phee, who had crouched behind the door to listen in without a second glance, heading straight for the castle battlements to mope.
While he wasn't certain, Arthur swore he heard Phee say "Well, that backfired"