Chapter 513

513 The Beauty Of Sai

When Skye stepped onto the deck of the ship, she took in a deep breath of crisp air. It was warm in the sun, but chilly in any shade: just the way she liked it. Tidas, on the other hand; hated flying whenever it was the least bit cold.

The higher into the sky one went, the colder the air became. And when he factored in the fact that Skye and Zazzy both loved to go fast..

“Why do I have to go again?” Tidas asked as he followed behind his wife onto the deck.

The difference between the darkness of the ship and the brightness of the sun had caused Tidas’ eyes to blank out at first. He rubbed at them right after he’d finished speaking, so he didn’t see his wife stifle a giggle before saying; “This is why, ya silly man..”

When his eyes had adjusted, a large smile stretched across his face as he looked at the scenery. Beautiful reds, yellows, and oranges filled the trees that surrounded them. Birds sang and squirrels chittered back and forth as they slowed to a light drift, then dropped anchor. As they ran a few steps and jumped from the ship, Zazzy circled above them.

Shielding her eyes as she looked up, Skye yelled to her scaly bairn; “How would ya like ta take yer parents fer a ride, lassie?!”

Zazzy belted out a happy roar as she landed in a small field in front of them. A tiny house sat just a few yards away, where an anxious elderly couple emerged from. At first they looked frozen, but showed signs of life when Skye and Tidas came into view.

Tidas walked over and told them who they were, which sent the elderly couple into a fit of worship over Zazzy. They were Sai natives, and revered dragons like almost everyone else in their kingdom. They praised and referred to Tidas and Skye as the ‘Chosen Guardians’.

Before Skye had a chance to ask them what they were talking about, Genie flew over, and encouraged them to take their ‘joy ride’ before the sun disappeared again. With Zazzy jumping about also, Skye fixed the elderly couple’s small garden, then took off into the air. Genie watched them with a smile, then ushered the elderly couple off to their home.

.....

Once he was alone, Genie’s expression fell as he yelled; “You can come out now.. I know that you’re there.”

A few seconds of silence passed before a person dressed in all black dropped down out of nowhere, and bowed before Genie. He smiled as he motioned to the woman to stand, then patted her shoulder as he said; “It’s good to see you, Hana. How is my family doing?”

The woman pulled her face cover off and replied; “Your brother was poisoned two months ago, but he survived. Mei has had eight attempted poisonings this month alone, and they’re getting creative with the types that they’re using.. If I hadn’t of been with her this last time, Mei would most likely be dead right now.”

A dark expression overtook Genie’s face, sending a shiver down Hana’s spine. She didn’t fear her master and mentor, but she wasn’t stupid, either.. ‘Retired or not: he’s the most deadly assassin in the world.. I know he’d never hurt someone without cause, but I’d also never want to see what he was capable of with certain kinds of motivation..’

“What about the other Senators?” Genie inquired before he lost Hana to her thoughts.

She shook her head; “Sorry.. I checked in on our most problematic ones, and that’s why I’m here now, master. They know that you are coming, and that you are bringing the Chosen Ones with you..”

Genie smirked as he motioned with his hand; “Tell me everything you know..”

***********

“YOU PROMISED!” Tidas yelled as he clung onto his wife for dear life.

Skye and Zazzy both laughed before Skye yelled; “Oh, come on! Twas but a wee flip! And we’re not goin’ very fast like ya asked!”

“That just made it Worse! I could Literally feel my ass lifting off of the saddle!” Tidas hollered back with a strained voice as he squeezed her tightly.

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“Ima beginnin’ ta think that ya dinna like flyin’ wit me, husband!”

“Oh, you think?!” Tidas replied with an indignant tone; “Zazzy NEVER does this to me when it’s just me and her! So it’s You! I love you Skye, but you’re Trying to kill me!”

“Na, husband! Just tryin’ ta get ya ta live a little!” Skye answered with a cheekiness to her voice.

“That requires being able to breath!”

Zazzy chimed in mentally as she outwardly snickered; “Come on, Da! You’ve been getting better with speed when we fly!”

Skye glanced over her shoulder at him; “Oh really?”

“....That was Supposed to stay between us for this Exact reason!” Tidas yelled at his scaly princess.

“What reason?” Zazzy asked as innocently as poss.

Tidas took a deep breath; “What’s about to happen!”

“Ya bet yer arse! Hang on! Zazzy and I’ll give ya a proper view!” Skye called out before Zazzy trilled with delight, then took off.

She flew at an angle to keep her father more comfortable, but Zazzy was still flying much faster than Tidas was used to with her. His grip around Skye tightened even more, bringing a smile to her face. She thought that him conquering most of his fear of heights for Zazzy’s sake was adorable, and welcomed his vice-like grip if it meant that he would experience their first look together..

Turning her head to the side so Tidas could hear her better, Skye grinned as she said; “Zazzy and I gotta thing where we see the sunrise together whenever we can. We were able to do it pretty often in the Highlands. I canna wait ta see what Sai looks like!”

“I can!” Tidas scream-replied.

“Dinna be such a bairn, husband!” Skye called back before she mentally told Zazzy to fly higher.

As they climbed into the sky, they hit a patch of incoming clouds. The cool mist felt wonderful to Skye, but Tidas wasn’t a fan. Flashbacks of riding Nicolas’ sleigh ran through his head, making him grip onto his wife like his life depended upon it.

“Gettin’ a bit hard ta breath, husband!” she yelled as they breached the cloud top.

It was only nine in the morning or so, and the sun was still at an angle. They could see the shadows of Sai’s capital in the distance, but that wasn’t where their attention was. The array of colors that lingered in the sky where awe-inspiring as they cast their fading hues against the clouds.

“Wow,” Skye heard Tidas mumble, bringing a smug grin to her face.

“Ima glad ya like it, husband. Was it worth the stress ta see?”

Tidas lightly squeezed her before he answered; “With you, yes. But I’ll never go this high by myself.”

“You wouldn’t be alone, Da. I’d be with you!” Zazzy replied cheerfully.

Tidas chuckled lightly; “That is true, princess..”

They flew around together looking at the variety of trees, flowers, and wildlife that Sai had. Skye explained a number of things as they went. Including how the Trees of Heaven and the Ginkgo Biloba trees were used to make medications, and how the people used the other various plants and animals. Tidas listened with a smile on his face as his wife went off on a tangent.

He had always found Skye’s impulse to share knowledge sweet. Many would write her off as a know-it-all, but he knew she was just overly enthusiastic due to her love of knowledge. For many generations, women weren’t allowed to learn, so Skye felt that it was her duty to learn everything that she could.

According to Magnus and her father, Skye’s biological mother Sorcha was incredibly intelligent. Lidia was also extremely book smart to begin with, and her travels with Lucas had only added to her intellect and experience..

‘No wonder they were best friends durin’ me mother’s lifetime.. I know from experience that educated women are hard ta find.. I wish it was more like durin’ the ancient times..’

Women worked now because they had to, but most were uneducated. Female nobility never did any form of manual labor. The closest they came to it was needlework, and playing instruments. Most were content with that, but women like Sorcha and Lidia helped to make it easier for others like Skye, Athena, and Nora.

As Skye imagined what the ancient women’s days were like, Tidas smiled gently at her..

“Out your head, love.. Your place is here, with me..”

Upon hearing their pet phrase for each other, Skye snapped back to their reality. She reached up, and cupped his cheek, then quickly kissed him so he wouldn’t be pelted in his face with her hair. However, Tidas didn’t mind it as he pushed his head into the side of hers..

“I love you, Skye,” he said with a sweetness in his voice.

Keeping her hand on his cheek, Skye turned and kissed him again before saying; “I love ya too, Tidas..”

After a flashing him an adoring smile, Skye looked forward and said; “We best get back. Me stomach is startin’ ta gurgle at me!”

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

When the three of them approached the riverbank, they could see a small black figure standing next to Genie as he waved at them. The person was obviously female, but her clothes implied that she wasn’t an ordinary woman. As they landed and jumped off of Zazzy’s backside, Genie and the mystery woman approached them.

As they stopped in front of the two royals, Genie extended his arm towards the woman, and said; “This is Hana Feng, my Second in Command of my ninja corp. She came here to tell me some much-needed information..”

“Is it bad?” Tidas asked, not liking the way Genie was intentionally dragging out his words.

“...Yes and no. If we hadn’t of known about it before we came closer to the capital, then it would’ve been bad. But now: we have an opportunity,” Genie finished with a darkly cheeky expression on his face.

“Ta do what, exactly?” Skye questioned with a no-nonsense demeanor.

“To get the people on your side.. That will be the deciding factor between what the other Senators can get away with, or not. If the general public knows that you two aren’t abusing Zazzy in any way: if they see it with their own eyes, then the Senators will lose all choice on the matter.”

“And how do we do that?” Tidas asked with a touch of snark.

Genie grinned broadly as he motioned to the ship, and said; “We’ll discuss that shortly. Right now, I think everyone needs to settle down for lunch..”