Chapter 398

398 Brownie In The Cupboard

***CONTENT WARNING: LANGUAGE***

“The Fuck was that?!” Skye yelled as her hands went to her swords.

Tidas did the same thing as his wife while Peggy huffed in annoyance. She walked over to Skye’s vanity, and yanked the chair out with unusual force. As it thumped against her foot, a tiny person came tumbling off of the matching chair, and onto the floor.

Peggy pushed the chair back into place, then turned to look down at the tiny man; “That’s a very creepy thought.. Why were ye in me room back then?! Bloody pervert!”

As Skye and Tidas leaned over the little man with suspicious eyes, he hopped up onto his feet while screaming; “What the bloodly yell was that for?! Stupid chit! Learn some manners! And I’m not a pervert! Tis my job to watch over the house!”

Peggy glared at the tiny man who was obviously a Fae; “Ima gettin’ a headache.. Nevermind the way back when: What were ye doin’ hidin’ in me lassie’s room?! Ye puny pervert!”

The little man’s jaw dropped, he was so offended; “You-What?! I never-?! The AUDACITY! I’m done! Maevis and Nicolas can send someone else to deliver their message!”

Skye’s ears perked up; “Do ye have a message fer me from ’em?!”

The tiny man nodded as he folded his arms over his chest; “Aye, I do! But you’re not gettin’ it now! And you can blame that Barghest of a woman for it!”

.....

Tidas stepped forward; “Aye, she’s a wrinkled pain in the arse, but she means no harm.”

The little man huffed derisively; “Yeah, well my sore ass begs to differ.”

As Tidas regretted his word choice, Skye offered a trade..

“What if I give ya a bottle of cream all fer yer self? Would that make up fer her rudeness?”

The Fae rubbed at his chin with a contemplative expression; “You’ll have to do better than just one. I mean, look at her! She probably tricks little kids into her gingerbread house to eat them..”

Peggy glared at Skye, then turned back to the Fae when he’d made the gingerbread crack; “I could squish ye wit me bare hand.. Keep talkin’ shit, ye discount Leprechaun!”

“I’m a Brownie! Not a fairy! Not a leprechaun! A BROWNIE, you demented old troll!”

As the yelling started to get out of hand, Tidas motioned to Skye to cover her ears, then clanged his swords together as loudly as he could. The two had instantly jumped, then covered their ears as they screamed at him for being too loud..

“Yer kiddin’, right? The troops can probably hear yer bickerin’, and they be on the other side of the bloody castle! Get yer shit in line, or I’ll straighten it out for ya!”

The wee man and Peggy had the good sense to look abashed before the man spoke; “I apologize for my part. I shouldn’t take out my frustration cause by her on you..”

“Maevis and Nicolas are currently at the palace waiting for your return. They have a message from the Empress for you, and have other news to share as well.. I can only say that it pertains to the Catalyst. I know no other details, for my own safety.”

Tidas nodded his head; “Smart of them. You might’ve been tracked or caught, then pumped for information.”

“By who?!” Peggy asked with a shocked expression.

“We’ll explain later,” Skye interjected before the wee Fae spoke again.

“Oh, they didn’t neglect to tell me: I refused to hear it! They can tell you whatever it is that you need to know in the capital. I’m not getting mixed up in your crazy human problems. I’ve got enough of my own to deal with.”

Peggy snorted; “Wussy..”

“That’s Mr. Smartass to you,” the little man replied.

“By the way, what’s your name?” Tidas asked as he grabbed his set of clothes off of Skye’s bed.

Peggy outright laughed before saying; “Aye.. Tell ’em yer name..”

“...You are such a bitch.. It-it’s, you know what?! It doesn’t matter! Call me Mr. Brownie if you have to call me something!”

Skye giggled, then gasped; “I remember you! I thought that ye were a doll! I actually Played wit’cha! Oh shit! Ima So sorry fer dunken yer head in tea! It was steamin’, too! Ima so, so sorry!”

Mr. Brownie didn’t look any different on the outside, but on the inside; he was moved by Skye’s sincerity. While she got down on her knees and told him how sorry she was for treating him so badly as a child, he didn’t sense any deceit or malice in her words.

In truth, Skye didn’t really treat her toys badly. The tea was always lukewarm by the time she was allowed to drink it, but she and Peggy had pretended that it was hot.. ‘She’s confusing her memories with nostalgic influence. It’s kind of endearing in a way..’

After he let Skye get her rant out, Mr. Brownie bid the three goodnight. He was the House Brownie for the Moonstone Castle, and had missed his little nook greatly. Traveling back hadn’t been as hard or lengthy as going to the human capital, but he didn’t like to be away from his home at all.

Once Mr. Brownie took his leave, Skye, Tidas, and Peggy got to work on their bath. Their servants were bringing in the hot water, but Skye had dismissed them. Saying that she and Tidas could handle it.

They felt a tad put out by their young Lady not needing them, but also a touch proud. Everyone in the castle had watched and helped Skye grow, so it was a touchy situation. She and Tidas were just used to handling all of their own needs now, which also perturbed Peggy a bit.

After a bit of banter that had gone sideways, Peggy asked in an overly-dramatic voice; “So I’ve lost me usefulness to ya, huh? Not even a full year has passed, and ye no longer need me? Is that how it tis?!”

Skye chuckled, then looked at Peggy with affection; “I may not really need yer help wit much anymore, but that’s a good thing. Means ya raised me ta be a capable person. BUT: I’ll always Need ya, Peggy. I love ya.”

Peggy inhaled a sharp breath, then turned away so Skye wouldn’t see the tears forming in her eyes.. ‘Sometimes that lass says the sweetest things..’

As Peggy tried to hide her joyful tears, Tidas finished filling up Skye’s giant tub. She helped Tidas with his armor, then Peggy helped with hers. After Peggy left the room, Skye walked into the bathroom, and slipped into the bathtub with Tidas.

They lay in the oversized tub for several minutes talking about when they made it to the Capital. They were both looking forward to returning so they could pester Magnus into letting them head to their home. As Tidas lazily washed his wife’s back, he realized something..

“You know, we haven’t given Zazzy a bath in months. Not since she couldn’t fit in that wee pound. Is that something we’re supposed to do for her?”

Skye grinned cheekily to herself as he continued to scrub her back; “Yer sweet, husband. Technically we don’t need ta wash her anymore, but Ima sure that Zazzy wouldna mind.”

“What makes you think that?”

Skye chuckled again as she wetted her face; “Cause I be twenty, and still like me back scrubbed. Hell, I’ll be eighty one day, and I bet I’ll still like it.”

Tidas laughed out loud; “And I’ll still like to sit in a bath with you. We can help each other in and out of the tub.”

The two talked for a bit longer before they finished washing, then rinsed, and got out. Tidas dressed in the bathroom like usual while Peggy helped Skye into a dress. It was a dark-green color with tulip sleeves, and felt like a feather compared to her armor.

As Peggy tightened the laces, she happily chatted with her bairn. She would never say it out loud, but Peggy missed Skye like a flower misses the sun. Her health had suffered for quite some time right after her bairn had left for the Highlands, but Dr. Tien Gohan had taken care of her.

He convinced Peggy that Skye would need her once they returned, and started working on having a few little princes and princesses. The idea of grandbabies had reinvigorated Peggy’s resolve to keep going. She had decided to take better care of herself after that.

As she tied off the strings, Tidas emerged from the bathroom. His slacks were a dark grey color, and his white shirt was a simple dress shirt. They were clothes the two had left behind for occasions like this.

“Are you ready, love? I can smell the food from here,” Tidas said before his stomach made a loud grumbling noise.

Peggy and Skye laughed hard before Skye said; “I think ye may have been spendin’ too much time wit me, husband. Yer startin’ ta sound like me.”

Tidas flashed a cocky, dismissive smile as he replied; “There’s no such thing! I’d spend the rest of my life with you if I could..”

As Skye calmed herself, she remarked cheekily; “Oh Really? I suppose you’ll have ta marry me then..”

Tidas walked over, and tenderly cupped her cheek; “I guess so..”

“...Ugh.. Ye two are gross sometimes,” Peggy said as she turned and headed for the door.

Skye and Tidas laughed boisterously at her as they followed behind. Completely unprepared for what they were walking into in the banquet room...

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

“What’s all this?!” Skye exclaimed when she came into the room.

Purple and blue streamers were hung everywhere, and little bunches of heather were on the tables in little vases every few feet. A medium-sized cake with purple candy flowers sat in the middle of the table, next to an oversized pumpkin pie. Platters of food lined the tables as the Highlanders and RMC officers walked around, filling their plates.

As soon as Peggy had opened the doors, everyone stopped what they were doing, and greeted the happy couple by screaming the same thing: “Happy Early Anniversary!”

Skye and Tidas smiles and waved, but Peggy kept an annoyed expression on her face. She had moved away so Skye wouldn’t see it.. ‘They need ta celebrate right now.. They’re gonna be Super pissed when the King tells them where their goin’ next..’