Chapter 138

138 Dinner Time Surprises

“Ima sorry I worried you.. I honestly didn’t think it would take that long,” Skye could barely breath due to her husband’s embrace.

Tidas pulled away enough to lock eyes with his wife; “Ralph told me most of it, but what happened with the heckler?”

It hadn’t taken long for Skye to explain the situation. Ralph had said most of what his wife was saying now; minus some details. The heckler’s animosity seemed to have switched targets from Maevis, to the blacksmith named Sven. Tidas knew of him through his father, Zas, and his men; but had never met the man himself.

Athena was more familiar to him, due to her dealings with the military. The prince had met her a while back after the plans for her riot gear had been approved. He’d been curious about using steam to power things. He knew the ancients had used it to power ancient machinery like boats and trains before, but had never heard of it being used for weapons.

The prince had been fascinated by her family’s private tome collection. The palace registry was the first time he’d seen the last name. A few of the books were more mundane, but the best techniques for weapon and armor crafting came from the Helmschimed collection. It was registered with the palace, so Tidas knew what they owned, or at least what they’d reported..

After Skye had caught her husband up on her day, she asked how his had gone. As they went about getting ready for dinner, Tidas went on about taking over the Commander position from Zas. His office was in order, but the paperwork was weeks behind. Both Zas had Shasta hated doing paperwork, and always left it to the last minute. He’d basically spent his whole day locked up in his office, playing catch-up.

Once finished; the couple rushed out their door, and headed to Marie’s quarters. Tidas wore a dark purple vest over his basically black suit. He didn’t even want to change that, but Skye wanted him to match her dress. It was a well fitted, but more modest dress she’d picked out at the market earlier.

Skye loved the dresses Marie had picked out for her, but didn’t think the bust lines on them were appropriate for a private family dinner. Peggy was still de-wrinkling and taking in most of her dresses from home, so it’d been a minor inconvenience to stop at a dress shop. The man in the store gushed to the princess over her complexion and figure. She’d lost weight since unlocking her Shaman trait.

It was like her body was constantly burning through her magic, even when the princess wasn’t actively using it. When she’d fed Zazzy last night before bed, she’d felt more drained than usual. Skye had just wrote it off as exhaustion due to the alcohol and Marco. But she was starting to wonder if she had a serious problem that she wasn’t aware of..

.....

Tidas squeezed his wife’s hand as they neared his aunt’s quarters; “Out your head, love.. Your place is here, with me..”

The familiar phrase brought Skye back to her present as he kissed her cheek. The two guards outside of Marie’s library were Magnus’ personal guards. She knew that the others were most likely waiting on them, but the thought was lost as Tidas placed his hand on the cheek he’d just kissed.

The prince gently tilted her face up by her chin, and kissed her sweetly. He asked twice if she was ready before she actually replied in the positive. The guards shared a smile between them before opening the doors for the couple.

Marie stood up from her seat, and shuffled over to Skye and Tidas for a hug. Maevis and Nicolas sat at the dollhouse table, which at the end of the human-sized one. The table was rectangular; with Magnus at the head, and Marie and Lawrence sitting across from each other. When Skye and Tidas sat down, the princess noticed that there were no seats for Marco and Karena.

“Are Karena and Marco not joining us?”

Marie took her seat and turned to Skye; ” No; they’ll be managing the banquet hall in Magnus’ absence. That’s usually what happens when the king isn’t able to attend.”

Marie didn’t comment further on the matter. Instead, she began to ask Skye about everything else. Within their meal; Skye had completely caught up Marie and Magnus on the events of the day. They’d only briefly discussed it in the hallway before.

Magnus had perked up at the mention of the Helmschmied family. He liked Athena quite a bit; she was intelligent and innovative. It didn’t surprise him that Skye got along with her. What did shock the king to hear was that’s she’d convinced the father and daughter to work together.

Best

Athena had told him many stories of when she was younger, of random things she’d built or invented. Magnus had noticed that she always seemed to be alone in her stories. It saddened him to think of her alone all the time, but there was nothing to be done now. All he could do for her was listen, and give her honest feedback and support.

As the conversation went on, various dishes were served that wasn’t commonly found in the banquet hall. The first thing offered was a trencher full of chicken noodle soup. Two fresh and steaming chicken pot pies, a plate of smelted sparlings, and a fire-roasted haunch of elk were all set out on the table for convenience. A heaping bowl winter greens, a cheese plate, multiple loaves of fresh bread, and butter were set out for the final touch of their meal. Baked apples sprinkled with brown sugar and cinnamon were set aside for dessert.

Skye ate like she’d been starved for a week. She didn’t care much for fish, but ate all of her soup and bread bowl, a generous helping of the greens, and she created a sandwich from the elk, bread, and cheese. Marie was shocked at her appetite, but having multiple traits had to be tiring. Tidas ate slightly more than his wife had, but that was expected; the prince always ate a lot.

After the group finished their meal, the men broke off to chat while the women did the same. Marie wanted to know more about their wedding and honeymoon. Skye told her of Roland Snare’s secret. Maevis and Nicolas had been spending most of their time with the prince’s aunt, and felt as though they could trust her.

Nicolas in particular had been spending copious amounts of time with her, which Skye and Maevis thought was adorable. He clearly liked her, but Maevis flat-out told Skye not to expect anything to come from it.

“Let’s just say that we Both had human lovers in the past; it never works out, and usually ends tragically.. Don’t get your hopes up, lass; you’ll only be disappointed,” was all the old fairy would say about it, although Skye had her theories.

The night progressed quickly as everyone enjoyed themselves. The servants brought in wine, and a bottle of Lucas’ favorite smokey whiskey. Skye smiled as the taste made her think of her father and home. Tidas saw the soft smile, which caused him to join her as he stated; “Two days, and we’ll see them, love.”

Lawrence popped back and forth between the men and women, enjoying all the gossip Marie and Magnus discussed. From Lord Fowler’s execution date, to Lord Bowers’ son’s tussle with Tidas. It was a plethora of knowledge, and Lawrence intended to absorb as much as her could.

The King of Ruscovic loved to use any and all information to his benefit; no matter how mundane it seemed to others. It was how he’d bargained a temporary truce with the Kingdom of Ital. The king was having an affair with his sister in law, and Lawrence managed to get proof of his infidelity. The news would’ve caused civil unrest among his people, if they found out.

Much like his own circumstances; the King of Ital married into his title. If the queen’s family suspected him of adultery, they could strip his power, and transfer it to his oldest son, whom was around the same age as Tidas. Disrespectful actions against one member of the Medici family was considered a declaration of war on them all. Few survived their wrath, and the ones that did were left as examples to others...

Skye had hoped to have dinner alone with Marie, but it would have to wait until after she returned. There were certain things she did not want to say in front of Lawrence and Magnus. Marie was a massive history buff. If was any information about the legend in the palace anywhere, Tidas’ aunt would know. Once back from her holiday visit, Skye planned to be very busy.

Not only did she want to study up on her own traits, but she wanted general knowledge on all of them. If she truly was the Catalyst; at some point, Skye would have control over every trait in existence. She didn’t want to gain a Fire trait and roast someone accidentally, or float away if she gained an Air trait.

The idea of having an Air trait like Genie’s excited her greatly. Skye had always wanted one so she could fly like Genie. He was the strongest Air user she’d ever seen, and she was jealous of him for his control and power. He’d explained that he was jealous of her Water trait because she could go anywhere, do anything with her trait.

Skye didn’t understand what he’d meant at the time, but she did now. Water was the source of life; almost everything died without it. She could be lost in the tundra, or a desert, and Skye would survive. Water attracted animals, so a food source would never be out of reach to her for long.

Genie had not only taught Skye magic, but general survival. If she would ever be caught out in the wilderness alone, the princess’ chances of survival would be favorable. The RMC gave survival training to all those indoctrinated. The only thing Skye had actually missed out on by hiding her powers was experience, and direct training on her own trait.

Skye had already sent messages to the Water and Earth victors from the trials. She requested their time after the holidays to train, and was excited they’d accepted. The princess knew it was most likely due to who her husband was, but she didn’t care. So long as they took her seriously, Skye would do whatever she had to. Tidas’ side was where she belonged, and nothing would stop her from reaching her goal...

As the night was ending, Magnus turned to Skye with a bright smile. He told everyone to gather around because he had an announcement/surprise for his wonderful daughter in law. Once everyone settled in place, Magnus cleared his throat before speaking.

“I may not be happy that you hid your powers from me, but I understand your reasoning. You and my son have loved each other since childhood. You compliment each other in every way, and I couldn’t be happier than to have you for a daughter now.”

A sinking feeling began to spread in Skye’s stomach as Magnus continued; “I know you don’t want to leave Tidas’ side, and that’s the main reason you’re joining the RMC. Every year, the competitors get stronger and faster. You need practice dealing with traits that you’re a poor match against..”

The sinking feeling in Skye’s stomach became a full-blown ache as the king finished with a smile; “So, when you get back from Moonstone Castle, Shasta will be your trainer!”