Dawning Skye

The party went on until two o’clock in the morning or so, but Skye and Tidas had spent several hours outside with Zazzy. Bringing the party outside with them..

Zazzy was fed a plethora of tasty snacks as random people thanked her for her part in taking down the Monster in the North. Literally hundreds of Highlanders had lost their lives to Richard over the years, and everyone was extremely grateful to the three that had taken it down.

All of the soldiers were celebrated as heroes, but Skye, Tidas, and Zazzy were the ones that had actually stopped Richard’s yearly murder sprees. He was getting closer and closer to the bunkers, which was why the Highlanders had been preparing an assault of their own. The Alconians showing up had saved them from slaughter, and most knew it despite Murdoc’s opposing claims.

Zazzy was given every kind of meat imaginable, but had particularly loved her roasted bear. It would turn into an exceptionally rare treat once they returned to the Capital, so she was overly excited to have it on her final night in the Highlands.

Skye and Tidas ate the equivalent of nearly half a dozen nen between them. Around ten minutes or so into their eating, Skye had recalled the fact that Tidas had gotten stabbed in the hand by Shane. She had immediately started to fuss, but Tidas attempted to brush her off..

“...Are ye daft, husband?! A blade Went Through yer Hand! How are ye not cryin’ out in pain?!” Skye whisper-yelled in his ear.

Tidas shrugged; “Because the wound’s not there anymore. One of the Shamans must’ve healed me when I wasn’t paying attention.”

Skye’s jaw dropped for a moment before she grabbed his wrist, then pulled him along into Zazzy’s little house again. Skye mentally asked her scaly bairn to block the door while she talked to Tidas. Without more than a nod, Zazzy followed after her parents, then wedged her rear into the doorway; effectively blocking most sight and sound.

.....

Tidas had cracked a few jokes as Skye had pulled him along, which was a sign of how tense he was. In truth; he had noticed that his wound had healed almost right after Shane had tried to cut off Zazzy’s head. The fact that there wasn’t any pain when he’d gripped his sword had not been lost to him..

“Alright, spill it. I know that ye were talkin’ out yer arse out there. What’s happened, husband?”

Locking eyes with his wife, Tidas replied; “I honestly have no idea. I realized that it had healed earlier, but I don’t understand how. A Shaman hasn’t touched me.”

Skye sighed heavily; “This isna the first time that ye have healed yer self, Tidas. Back when we were fightin’ Richard, too. And..”

“And what?”

Skye crossed her arms; “Remember our first time meetin’ Petrie? Ya funneled yer power into yer horse ta keep up wit Thoth, remember?”

Tidas quirked an eyebrow at her; “Aye.. What’s your point?”

“...Ye can only do that if ye have Tank and Shaman traits. I think yer trait has been dormant: manifestin’ only when tis needed. Like when yer life’s in danger, or if ya perceive yer loved ones ta be in harm’s way.”

Tidas paced the small space as Skye had talked. She made complete sense, and knew more about it than he did. But it all still seemed so unreal to him..

“Are you sure that I have another trait? I mean, what are the odds? Does the fact that you’re the Catalyst have anything to do with it?”

Skye propped her elbow on her other arm, and rubbed at her chin as she thought out loud; “It might be related. There’s that part of the legend missin’ that we know nothin’ about yet. And yer me Aegis.. I suppose it would make sense that ya would get stronger.”

The corners of his mouth twitched as he asked; “Do you think I’ll get more like you? Oh! Maybe I’ll get all of them, too. I could kick Marco’s ass without issue.”

Skye chuckled before she replied; “Or I could kick his arse for ya.”

Tidas laughed so hard that he had actually scared Zazzy a bit. She flicked her tail on instinct, knocking her father on his ass. As Skye gripped her sides from laughing so hard, Tidas got up, and roughly patted her backside. Zazzy telepathically apologized, then resumed getting tossed chunks of meat by a group of Highlanders who were having an aiming contest.

Skye kissed her husband’s cheek; “I think we should keep that between us. I can teach ya how ta tap into it and refine it, but tis gonna take a lotta work.”

Tidas scoffed; “Like I’m not used to that.”

Skye grinned mischievously at him; “Actually it’s fairly close ta the work that ye do at the RMC Headquarters: readin’. Lots and lots of readin’..”

Tidas had noticed his wife’s voice turn cumbersome as she’d finished. Skye liked to read, but the level of studying she had done to hone her Shaman trait was tedious and repetitive. As she started to name off some books for him to read when they had returned to Alcon, Tidas tapped on Zazzy to let them out..

The rest of the night was filled with laughter and fun times. Various games were played while everyone drank and talked. Highlanders and Alconians broke bread and shared stories. As Amara and Wallace looked around, they shared a knowing grin..

“She would’ve been so proud,” Wallace commented in a low voice.

Amara gently patted his shoulder as she turned to rejoin Gavin; “We can be proud in her stead.. Protect me goddaughter, Wally. Sorcha will thank ya whenever we see her again.”

Before she was too far away to whisper, Wallace asked; “Ye do realize that she can kick the arse of almost everyone here, right?”

Amara stopped and turned back to him; “But she’ll need allies fer when her enemies come fer her en masse.. The day will come, Wally. Best get ready fer it.”

Wallace scoffed derisively; “And how could ye know that?!”

Amara flashed him an impish smile as she replied; “Cause it’s what Sorcha said would come ta pass..”

Wallace’s eyes bulged a moment, prompting a burst of laughter from Amara. As she cackled, Gavin came up from behind her, and wrapped his arms around her waist. As she laughed and yelled for him to put her down, Gavin apologized to Wallace before he fake-dragged her off.

He was laughing so hard that he hadn’t noticed that Petrie had made his way outside. He stood taking with the Alconian royals, which made Wallace grin as Murdoc waltzed up to him. He was obviously very drunk, but didn’t seem his usual cheery self..

“What’s wrong wit ya, ya bawbag?”

Murdoc burped slightly before replying; “We’re leavin’ tomorrow mornin’, and that means that she’s leavin’..”

Confused for a moment, Wallace asked; “Who? Ya mean Skye?”

Murdoc drunkenly glared at him; “Aye! I mean her.. That breathin’ ray of sunshine in the flesh.. I dinna want her ta go! I should kill Tidas, and bride-nap his wife!”

Wallace stared at his king like he was an idiot; “What are ye? Daft? Not only would ye fail ta kill’em, ye would turn her against ye fer the rest of her life.. Ye know how much she loves him.”

“...Aye. But what about how much I love her? Does that mean nothin’?!”

Wallace looked at Murdoc seriously; “Does she return yer affections at all in the way ye want?”

“...Na.”

“Then yer feelings mean squat. She turned ye down, man! Get over it-OUCH! The Fuck was that for?!” Wallace yelled as he rubbed at the back of his head where Murdoc had smacked him.

Murdoc had come to truly love Skye over the past few months, but she had always been clear about whom she loved. He wasn’t mad that she loved her husband, but couldn’t help the jealousy that rose up within him whenever they kissed or touched. It wasn’t rational to get angry about a happily married couple being happy together, but he felt a growing ember of resentment whenever he looked at Tidas lately.

Murdoc being absolutely trashed mixed with his resentment was a volatile situation waiting to explode. So, Wallace took it upon himself to see the Highlander King to his home. If he had left him, chances were that he would challenge Tidas to another round of Shields..

They had played four rounds, ending in Tidas’ favor. He wasn’t nearly as drunk as Murdoc, which was probably the only reason it didn’t go on for forever. He had escalated every time Tidas won, and actually owed the prince quite a bit of money by the end of the night.

Amara, Gavin, and Petrie had laughed with Skye on the sidelines as they cheered for them both. It had been obvious halfway through the second round that Murdoc was far too drunk to be playing. But the fool had pulled his king card, and demanded that they keep playing.

By the end, Tidas had to give up half of his earnings to get Murdoc to drop it. After that, Skye played the violin for a while. As people started to funnel back to their homes, Skye and Tidas sat with Zazzy for a bit before heading inside to rest.

Tidas had gotten a bit handsy when they had first laid down, but Skye ultimately convinced him to wait until they reached the capital before being intimate again. Tidas was going to mention that they had to travel through Moonshire to reach Alcon, but decided to just wait.

As they laid in bed, Tidas could feel an uneasiness about Skye. When he asked, she’d eventually told him about what she had seen when she’d touched the shard from Marco’s amulet. As he listened, a sinking feeling filled him..

Shaking his head lightly, Tidas suggested that they worry about it if one of the visions actually came to pass. It took around half an hour to get Skye calm enough to fall asleep. As Tidas started to drift with her in his arms, the sinking feeling stayed with him through the night...

************

It had been nearly a full year since they had left the Capital, and Skye was anxious to get home. She missed Genie, Magnus, Shasta, and all of her other friends. But the one person that she missed the most was Peggy.

They had never been apart for so long, and she wasn’t in the best of health when they had left. Skye didn’t want to heal her at first because she was convinced that Peggy would’ve insisted on going. When she’d finally broken down and agreed to do it, Peggy had refused.

“I get ta order around a bunch of people instead of doin’ the cleanin’ me self! Why would I wanna give that up?! Just have Tien check up on me to make sure I don’t get worse, and I’ll be fine, me sweet lass..”

As Skye recalled Peggy’s words, Tidas called out to her; “Did you check with your platoon?”

Skye snapped back with a smile as she replied with a cheeky expression; “Aye sir! Both my men, and the Highlander detachment are ready ta head out.”

Tidas grinned broadly before turning towards his gathered Generals; “Alrightly then! Soldiers! Line up! We’re homeward bound!”