Chapter 110

110 Penny Thoughts and Living Quarters

As Skye happily munched and chatted about something called a ‘shower’; Klaus and Ronnie had barely moved throughout the entire ordeal. Ronnie had been dumbstruck since Vice Commander Shasta had walked in. He’d smacked Klaus’ arm repeatedly; spazzing out like the fanboy that he was. But the moment she’d started in on the princess, Klaus had smacked him back once, out of frustration.

When the fight had started; they’d been astonished at the princess’ skills. Even more so when they felt drips of water as Skye pulled gallons of it through the door’s cracks, and positioned it onto the ceiling. When the king had said no to her joining the trials, then explained; they’d felt torn about it. The decision clearly upset Skye, but they’d been right.

Nearly everything that the king had said, Zas had said to them; albeit in a longer, more comprehensible way. Klaus understood the emphasis that the VC was putting on teamwork, but he still hated how she’d talked to the princess. Ronnie hadn’t like it either, but became distracted by a sudden thought.

Turning to Klaus, Ronnie asked in a low tone; “I get them not wantin’ her to go fighting, but why can’t she go as a medical assistant or somethin like that?”

Klaus thought a minute or so before he answered; “Same principal, I suppose.. I mean; would you trust a doctor to operate on you if he’d never done it before? Never learned the proper procedure; just wings it with pure talent? I understand their points, but the VC didn’t need to be disrespectful like that.. Some day, I’ll make her apologize to the princess.”

Hearing their conversation from across the other side of the room, Shasta winked at the two before she mouthed, “Bring it boys.”

After finishing up with the others, Skye followed Peggy to her and Tidas’ quarters. At her old home, she’d only had her bedroom, closet, and courtyard. The room meant as a playroom, parlor, or study had been given to Peggy. Turning through various hallways, Peggy excitedly led her to their new living area.

A short hallway held three doors on one side, one door on the other, and one at the end of it. The first door was Peggy’s; her room was much larger than her old one. The walls were a mellow green color, and the boarders around the windows and walls were off-white. The bed was queen-sized with bedding that matched the color scheme. The room also came with a coordinated dresser, a wardrobe, and a table set that sat in front of a large window. As well as a decently-sized fireplace that was directly across from the foot of her bed.

Peggy beamed as she looked over her beautiful room. The color reminded her of the yule trees, right as they began to change for the year. It was a comforting setting to her; which gave Skye peace of mind. She’d been worried that her dear Peg wouldn’t like living in the palace. It wasn’t their permanent home, but would be theirs for the foreseeable future.

.....

Even after everything with Tidas’ uncle was settled, it would still be a frequent one. With Tidas’ position; he would need to be at the palace often. Skye wasn’t about to be away from her husband for extended periods of time; not if she could accompany him. The quarters they were in had been Tidas’ his entire life, and as far as the princess knew; would always be.

The room on the left side was where the couple’s clothes and other various items were stored. Peggy had placed the armor that Skye had made behind her dresses; very effectively hiding it. She’d also put the dragon leather and journals in another trunk, and stored it in the corner.

As Skye looked over the room, she realized that she had dresses hanging that she’d never seen before. When she asked Peggy about it, all she’d say was that they were a gift. She named off a few people like Tidas, her father, and her mother, but got nothing for it. As she walked over and touched the fabrics, she noticed that the necklines were all similar to her purple dress; very daring.

Laughing as she shook her head, Skye said; “Let me guess; Tidas’ aunt?”

Peggy chuckled as she grabbed the dress that the prince’s aunt had designated for tonight. It was a beautiful dark blue, crushed velvet material with silver lining. She’d also picked out matching clothes for Tidas to wear.

Dinner was also going to be Skye’s formal introduction to the nobles. Being common born set many of the nobles against her before they’d even met her. Lucas’ friendship with the king was considered inappropriate by most of them, at first. Through business dealings and mutual interests; Lord Moonstone had won over quite a few of them. But half the nobles thought a commoner being a close friend of the king was something to be weary of.

Moving onto the second room, on the right wall; they found Tidas’ office. The walls, trims, and fireplace were all the same color as in Peggy’s room. The furniture was made of ebony, and the cushions matched the trim.

A comfortable looking chair set and small table sat off to the side of the fireplace. It shared the same wall as Peggy’s, on the other side. A full-sized sofa sat directly across from it, with a wall-colored rug and an ebony coffee table on it, between them. Behind that, in front of the window, sat Tidas’ desk.

Stacks of papers and folders covered it, and the garbage can next to it overflowed. Skye and Peggy both clicked their tongues at the mess; both surprised to see the prince’s work area in such disarray. He was usually very organized, but this was his comfort area. While there was no excuse from Peggy for him; Skye could relate due to the frequent state of her own old study area.

Before her dear servant could touch anything; they quickly left to explore the final door on the right wall. Upon opening it, they realized it was a large closet, of sorts. Tidas had told them to refer to it as a ‘bathroom’, or a ‘restroom’. Based on what they saw; they preferred restroom. A permanent washing bowl called a ‘sink’ was immediately to Skye right upon entering. The prince had told Skye that it was only used for minor cleaning like hands, teeth, and occasionally one’s face.

Looking around the rest of the room; there was also a shower, a large bath, a vanity, and a modern version of a chamber pot called a ‘toilet’. It was all connected to a pipe system that emptied out into a larger one called a ‘sewer system’. It was nearly finished being installed when Tidas had left two years ago.

A tome had been found that explained the basic concept of ancient plumbing. The cover had been a little worn, but it was referred to as a ‘Do-It-Yourself’ educational book. A traveling adventurer had sold it to the kingdom a little over ten years ago. It had taken nearly two years for Magnus to agree to the massive project, but after Marco had crunched the numbers and compared the pros and cons, he couldn’t say no to the benefits.

A shower had been installed in Tidas’ aunt’s quarters the last time she’d been in the capital. Only the king and her had one at the time, and the king was the only one with a functioning toilet. Now every quarter of the castle had both, and the sewer system was extended throughout most of the city. Showers weren’t as common yet, but baths and toilets were found in most businesses and homes. Except, of course, in the slums and lower servants’ section of the capital.

Walking into their restroom, Skye squeaked as she looked at the shower. She noticed other doors at the end of the room, on either wall. The one on the right wall led to Tidas’ office. The one next to the shower led to their bedroom.

Skye was elated she didn’t have to venture into the hallway to gain access to her restroom. She’d always loved the fact that she could roll out of bed in the morning, and walk immediately into her closet to relieve herself. It hadn’t been an actual concern, but she was glad for the continued simplistic convince.

Entering her bedroom; Skye took in her surroundings. Immediately to either side of her, four bookshelves lined the wall to her left; all the way to the main door. A large, rectangular-shaped royal blue rug that matched the walls ran the length of the room. It was in between the main door, and the largest couch Skye had ever seen. It was an interesting U shape, and matched the rug behind and the rounded one in front of it. A large coffee table with a few books sat on top of the smaller area rug.

To her right; one bookshelf was tucked into the corner. Three more lined the next wall, leading out into the courtyard through another door. The bookshelves were made of the same ebony wood that the rest of Tidas’ furniture seemed to be; from his office, to the bedroom.

On the other side; the wall was bare except for a few hung pictures, before it led into the second corner. A four person table and chair set sat in front of a large window affixed in the next wall. The wall spanned the entire length of the room, and had an oversized fireplace in the center of it; directly in front of the couch and rug. Another window was on the other side of it that had a vanity for Skye, just a few feet away, against the next wall.

Instead of being a regular rectangular, four-walled room; Tidas’ took up the space equivalent to the bathroom on the opposite side. The extra space made a kind of deep alcove, and was where Tidas’ bed was positioned. It matched the rest of the room, and was the biggest bed she’d ever seen in her life.

Peggy grumbled at the ridiculousness of it before saying; “Ima NOT messin’ with those fitted sheets.. Someone younger can deal with it!”

Skye chuckled loudly as she set Zazzy down on the oversized bed. The room was warm due to the pre-lit fire, and smelled of wood and Tidas. She was angry at him for not sticking up for her, but his scent still made her heart thump in her chest.

Sighing out of frustration, Skye motioned to Peggy to help her undress. As she pulled the strings on her dress, Peggy scolded her for fighting. Skye argued that it was the only way for her to go with Tidas to the highlands, but Peggy wasn’t hearing it.

“Ye already agreed to wait til next year! And ye knew Tidas going beforehand was a possibility. Why on Earth would ye fight a bloody Pillar?!”

Rolling her stockings off, Skye rebutted; “I didn’t care Who it was! It was me only chance! What did ye expect me to do?! I didn’t get hurt, and I lost anyways..kind of.. Ima still made at Magnus for that.. What Ima most angry about is why he won’t at least let me go as a healer?!”

As the two walked into the restroom, Peggy replied; “I agree with him; ye barely have any experience or knowledge of yer other traits. The human body if far more complicated than yer wantin to admit.. Don’t think I haven’t noticed ye flexing and rotating yer hand and wrist, child. Like his Majesty said; yer talented.. But like the feisty feline said, ye don’t know shit yet..”