Chapter 226

226 Dilemmas

A week had passed by since Tidas had taken Skye out, and Zazzy was kept at her new home. The baby dragon hadn’t been happy when her parents tried to leave her, but felt better knowing she’d actually get to spend more with her mother this way.

As she walked towards Alfred’s to meet up with Shasta for lunch, Skye’s mind wandered to her husband. They were going to have another date that night, and she was very much looking forward to it. Knowing that they would eventually have time together made not seeing him throughout the week more bearable. The few times that they did, they were always surrounded by other people. Having scheduled alone time together once a week was a lifesaver for their relationship..

The amount of work her husband had barely decreased as the week continued. Tidas’ first instinct was to continue working, but beat it down. He’d already cleared any delays with his father, who approved of his reason. Making time for your significant other was crucial for maintaining a strong relationship. Those that failed to do so usually found themselves drifting apart, like he’d done with most of his wives. It made Magnus happy to see Sorcha’s daughter getting the level of affection she deserved.

The small group of investigators that Tidas had sent to Meccano had returned, but didn’t have much information for him. They’d verified that the assassin was from Meccano, not Sai. He’d previously served as a member of the Meccano Royal Guard, which set off red flags for Tidas, but other than that it was all they could dig up.

Tidas wondered if maybe the Meccano King had sent the assassin himself, but brushed the thought aside. ‘His sister’s next in line to be queen, so it would make no sense for him to try and kill her husband. The crown would go to me, and Karena would be dethroned by Skye.. Wait.’

‘What if he was only trying to kill father and Lawrence?! Marco wasn’t on the balcony when the assassin had attacked; what if he was never one of the assassin’s targets from the start?! If he would’ve succeeded, that would’ve made Marco king almost immediately, and Karena queen.. Was that his intent? But why? He and my father have the same agreement in place that Marco will have with his brother-in-law, so what’s the point?! Ahh!’

As Tidas roughly shifted a stack of papers in his hands, a knock sounded from his door. Giving his permission, Tidas was a bit surprised to see Zas in his doorway. He was supposed to be running the Mage Trial candidates through drills right now.

“How’s it going on your end?” Tidas inquired as he set his papers down.

Zas closed the door, then walked over to his friend’s desk; “Pretty good so far. There’s a Lot more this year than I can ever recall seeing.. What’s up with that?”

.....

“What do you mean?”

Zas sighed; “You’re not bothered by the amount of mages popping up everywhere?”

Tidas quirked an eyebrow; “Should I be? I figured it was a good thing. More powerful citizens means a stronger kingdom, right?”

Zas scoffed; “If you wanna be utterly optimistic about it, then yeah. But it also creates.. Issues.”

Tidas stopped futzing completely to focus on Zas; “Like what? The more people that have powers, the safer in general the population will feel.”

“True, but suddenly adding all these mages could easily start something to take away their safety..”

Tidas pinched the bridge of his nose out of exasperation; “Zas, say what you wish to and stop dragging it out please? I have a date with my wife tonight, and I want to finish at least this section of my desk before I leave.”

While gesturing to three out of the dozen or so stacks of papers and files on his desk, Tidas had an almost pleading expression on his face as he’d spoken. Zas felt bad for interrupting him, but the subject was a slightly earnest one. As well as one that he knew would blow up if not dealt with.

Exhaling deeply, Zas explained his plight; “While training some of the newbies, I overheard a conversation that they were having. They were talking about how unfair it is that Marco is next in line instead of you.. I shut it down as soon as I heard it, but according to them it’s a common sentiment within the RMC. The other military branches are loyal to Marco, but..”

Zas leaned forward with a pensive expression; “It’s not just the RMC. I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve heard random conversations in town about Skye. They think that she deserves to be a queen, not Karena. She never does anything for the people she’s supposed to rule one day. I can’t blame them for that opinion.”

“Neither can I.. Honestly, I think Skye was born to be a queen, but I’m the third son. Marco is the first born, therefore the first to rule. He has children already as well; his line is secure. Grant it, they aren’t in the capital, but they exist all the same. By all rights and according to the laws my brother is next to be king.. Unless he turns out to be a psychopath, there isn’t much I can do.”

Zas narrowed his eyes; “But what if he does turn out to be a dictator instead of a king?”

Tidas stood up from his desk and looked out the window. He knew what Zas was driving at, but didn’t want to outright say it. He’d already promised himself that if Marco started stripping away basic rights for the commoners, then he would take his brother’s crown by force, if he had to. Which gave him a sinking, bottomless pit feeling every time he thought about it. Like it was inevitable..

After talking a bit more on the subject, Zas decided to flip to the other concerning rumor he’d heard. He knew that this one wasn’t true in the least, but was circulating none the less. Actually a little scared of how Tidas would react, Zas braced himself for the hurricane he assumed was coming.

“There was one more rumor I heard that I thought you should hear, but.. You’re not gonna like it..”

Tidas sighed; “What?”

“I’ll tell you, but swear you won’t kill the messenger first.”

“Zas!”

“Ok! Ok.. It’s about Skye and Marco..”

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

As Skye entered the Cat’s Paw Tavern, she was surprised to see Shasta looking so desponded. She usually greeted Skye with gusto, especially lately. She’d been so excited about seeing Lawrence and his children. ‘What could’ve possibly kicked her off of her cloud?’

When Skye was only a few feet away from their usual booth, Shasta had finally noticed her friend’s presence. He head shot up and she tried to put a smile on her face, but it was obviously forced. As she sat down, Skye requested that Renee tell Alfred that she’d arrived, and to bring her a tea while they waited for their food. Nodding her acceptance of the orders, Renee scampered off; leaving Shasta and Skye alone to talk.

“Did ye fall off or did someone boot ye off?” Skye asked with a slight grin.

“What? What does that mean?”

Skye chuckled; “Yer cloud nine.. Ye have been in a good mood all week, so what’s changed?”

“Nothing happened that hasn’t before.. It just stung a bit more than usual.”

“What did and why?”

Shasta sighed testily; “Do we really need to talk about this?”

Skye’s small grin turned cheeky; “The quicker ye tell me, the quicker we can change the topic.. So what’s wrong, sourpuss?”

Shasta glared at Skye; “Don’t call me that.. I’m a Bakeneko, what more is there to say?”

Confusion covered Skye’s face; “Umm.. Ima not sure what yer point is-”

“I’m fuzzy! Alright?! I’m basically an overgrown cat with human-ish features, but that doesn’t make me a human! What if.. What if Lawrence’s kids can’t accept me in a human role? Like their father’s partner? What do I do then?”

The sadness in her friend’s voice was heart wrenching. She truly did love Lawrence, but if his children rejected Shasta, then there was no hope for a complete relationship with him. Lawrence’s children meant the world to him.. If they didn’t like Shasta at all, then Lawrence might reject her as well.

“Where is this all even coming from?” Skye asked, shocked at how shaken Shasta had become.

“I-I was shopping for a dress to wear for the first day of the games since I’m not competing until the final day.. There were these women in there.. Normally I couldn’t give two shits about the opinions of others; you know that. But these two just,” Shasta paused to get her emotions under control; “They said some things that really hurt is all..”

The more time Skye spent with Shasta, the more she realized just how kind and sensitive of a person she was. She acted like everything rolled off of her, but the truth was that her insecurities ran deep. She didn’t care what people said normally because she was secure in her identity. ‘What could those bitches have said to rattle her so badly?’

After a bit of coaxing, Shasta finally confessed; “They called me a dirty beast that wasn’t fit to be seen in the palace, let alone on the arm of a king.. I may have to agre-”

Before Shasta could finish her sentence, Skye punched her in her shoulder as hard as she could without needing to heal her afterwards. She glared at her friend as she rubbed her shoulder, even though it barely tinged now.

“Ouch! What was that for?!”

Returning her friend’s glare, Skye replied; “Because ye needed it. Yer freakin’ Shasta! The Vice Commander of the RMC! Ye basically fund the orphanage! Yer a good person and Lawrence would be lucky to have you!”

Shasta felt a lump in the back of her throat forming. It wasn’t necessarily the words that her friend had said, it was the look she’d had while saying them. Pure anger at Shasta’s self-deprecation covered Skye’s face. She really didn’t like anyone talking smack about her friends, even if the person in question was said friend.

“So what exactly is it ye don’t like about yer self?”

Shasta sighed; “Oh I don’t know.. I’m fuzzy, I have dry skin, I smell funny when my fur doesn’t dry all the way, my teeth look like I’m part vampire-”

“Ok, ok.. So yer fur seems to be the center of most of yer problems. Ooo.. I got a great idea..”

The cheeky smile from before turned devilish as she stared at her friend. They hadn’t been friends very long, but Shasta already knew what it meant when Skye got that look on her face..

“I know that look.. I don’t Like that look.. What’s it for?” Shasta asked her friend nervously.

Right as Shasta asked, Renee brought Skye’s tea over. She thanked her, then turned back to Shasta with the still-present grin. It widened slightly as she replied; “Based on what ye have said, I think it’s time that ye had a wee haircut..”