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After Marco grabbed the shard from her hand, Skye turned and walked away as he genuinely laughed. He’d never met anyone intelligent enough to catch him in one of his more intricate little side plots before. Slipping the shard onto Tidas’ shirt was nearly impossible with his keen senses. Marco was only able to do it because his little brother was a courageous idiot.

Most people that see a dark figure in a darkened hallway instinctually avoid it, but not Tidas. Running head first into uncertain situations was what he’d done since childhood. He’d been a bit more cautious than Marco had anticipated. Forcing him to use more of his Ether magic to keep himself hidden than he’d wanted. If Tidas wouldn’t have stood around for so long, Marco would’ve had enough magic to push his little brother over the edge before Skye had helped him.

The Crowned Prince did need to speak with Dr. Stein, but his real reason to be there was to play the hero. Tidas was supposed to attack Skye, then he would’ve burst through the door and saved her. Giving him the perfect excuse to kill his brother by ‘accidentally’ throwing him out the window. Three stories was a long way down, so even if he didn’t die, he would’ve been incapacitated. Allowing Marco all the time he could want to bond with Skye, then finish Tidas off whenever he felt like it.

For the first time in a very long time, Marco had miscalculated. He didn’t think Tidas’ intense need to protect Skye would outweigh his bloodlust. He tried to twist his brother’s need to protect her into a need to ravish her. Before he could find the proper emotions to entangle or break, however, Skye had stepped in.

Although she was inexperienced with it, Skye’s magic was incredibly powerful. He could tell by his connection to the shard that she was the reason he’d lost at his little game, not Tidas. Making her barb a little irritating as well as amusing. As Marco turned away with the shard in his hand, he smirked as he imagined what Skye’s expression would be once his ultimate plan came to pass...

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

After Marco left the room, the brothers asked Skye what she’d given to Marco. She looked away nervously as she told them that it’d been a cuff link. All three men in the room could tell she was lying, but no one said anything. Skye rarely lied, so if she was doing it, then there was most likely a good reason for it. At least that’s what Lawrence thought.

Tidas stared at Skye scrupulously. He wasn’t happy about her lying, but decided to wait until after dinner to ask about it. She might simply be trying not to speak in front of Dr. Gohan. Tien was a good man, but he didn’t need to get any further involved than he already was. Lawrence would wait and ask Tidas tomorrow before he left. He planned to wake his little brother up early so they could discuss their mutual concerns over their brother.

.....

“I don’t mean to be rude, but we really need to leave this room,” Tien stated right as two nurses were trying to help a man into the room.

As the words left the doctor’s mouth, two nurses with an elderly man tried to enter the room. The man was tall, but slightly hunched from using a cane. His skin had a slight tint to it, and freckles everywhere from years of sun exposure. His grayish-white hair stuck out on the sides from frizz while the rest was pulled back into a ridiculously long braid.

Skye beamed at the elderly man that wobbled into the room. She recognized Lord Reinbolt instantly, and walked straight over to hug the old man why saying; “Uncle Ry! It’s so good to see you!”

Lord Ryker Reinbolt was shocked at first because he’d forgotten about Skye’s hair color being different. But as soon as he saw her smile, he knew who she was. He squeezed her back with one arm as best he could while the other gripped his cane for balance.

Lord Reinbolt grinned at his adoptive niece; “Skye! Good to see you dear! What are you doing here? Are you alright, child?”

“Aye, I be fine. Why are you here? What’s wrong?” Skye asked with a concerned expression.

Lord Reinbolt sighed; “It’s my leg again. Damn thing is nothin’ but a useless hunk of meat!”

He smacked his leg hard with his cane, showing no reaction to it. It was a problem he had whenever the weather was cold or wet. It made his life extremely difficult, and was slowly taking away the things he loved to do most; like hunting. Skye’s father had told her of how little they’d done last year. It saddened anyone that knew him, but there wasn’t anything they could do about it..

Skye narrowed her eyes in determination, “Ye know what: let me take a crack at yer leg, Uncle Ry. Maybe I can help.”

“Do you have enough magic for that?” Tidas asked, reminding Skye she wasn’t the only one in the room.

Lord Reinbolt nearly had a stroke when he realized he’d been ignoring both the hero prince and the King of Ruscovic. He tried to bow, which caused everyone around him to flinch and tell him that it was ok if he didn’t. After he righted himself with Skye’s help, she walked him over to the chair she’d sat in with Tidas earlier. Once he got comfortable, Skye placed her hand right above his knee, and started to funnel her magic into him.

It took Skye six minutes to fix a problem Lord Reinbolt had been dealing with for decades. His wrinkled face scrunched up into the biggest smile she’d ever seen him have as he stood up without his cane. He was still elderly, but he could feel his leg and foot again. He squatted up and down without any issues.

Skye was about to tell him to take it easy, but Dr. Gohan asked her; “What was his issue?”

“He had calcium deposits in his femoral artery, and most of his other arteries too,” Skye turned to face Lord Reinbolt; “Yer lucky I was here! There was one heading for yer heart that would’ve caused yer death within the next few days! What’s yer diet?!”

Ryker smiled as he replied; “Mostly meat.”

“Did it Ever occur to ye to pick up a vegetable?” Skye quipped.

“I eat potatoes, too,” came the lord’s childish reply.

“That doesn’t count!” Skye yelled.

Right as the princess was about to lecture her uncle, her stomach growled loud enough for everyone in the room to hear. She’d shoveled the food that the nurses had brought her earlier right before Tidas had come into her room. Albeit tasty; it was no where near enough. Considering the amount of magic she’d used, Skye was actually surprised she still had the strength to walk.

Tidas stepped forward with concern and said; “Alright, you can check on Lord Reinbolt tomorrow. Right now, you need to eat before you collapse.”

Knowing her husband was right, Skye smiled sadly at her adoptive uncle as she said; “I guess that’s me cue.. Take care of yer self, please uncle? Eat something green for on occasion; for me?”

Lord Reinbolt grinned softly at Skye before he replied; “For you, sweetheart; I’ll do my best. If you have Peggy give me that salad dressing recipe, I’d eat greens every day!”

Skye laughed and responded as she followed the MacArthur men out the door; “Ye been sayin’ that for years!”

After Dr. Gohan requested Skye make the medical ward part of her daily rounds, the group finally headed down the stars and hallways towards Tidas and Skye’s quarters. When they entered their room, Peggy yelled and lectured the princess as she went straight into the restroom.

Tidas and Lawrence smiled at each other, thankful it wasn’t them being hounded by the old servant. Lawrence hardly knew Peggy, but he remembered her well enough from their childhood to know not to antagonize her. As entertaining as it was to listen to her yelling as Skye, Lawrence’s mind drifted to the same place it always did in a moment’s reprieve; Shasta.

It worried him that she wasn’t back yet. Lawrence had asked her to dinner because he wanted to spend time with her before he left. If she didn’t show up tonight, then he wouldn’t see her again until the Summer Games. As his nerves began to turn edgy, Tidas smacked his shoulder and pointed to the doors to the courtyard.

In the corner of the courtyard sat a heated enclosed gazebo specifically for winter time. The servants had cleared the pathway leading up to it, and had a fire burning long enough to fill the area with warmth. No electricity ran to any of the gazebo, but it wasn’t needed.

Metal scones lined the rounded walls every few feet. Providing the perfect amount of light. It was big enough for an eight person table, and a server’s area for the servants. A large fire burned inside a cylinder-shaped metal grate that sat in the middle of the single room below a hole in the ceiling. It was kept covered whenever the place wasn’t in use, so there was no worry of water.

Once the brothers entered, they were surprised to see Maevis and Nicolas sitting at their tiny table set. It’d been placed on the large table like a centerpiece. They smiled and greeted each other in turns before Maevis asked where Skye was. He explained that she was taking a quick, relaxing bath before dinner, and that it might be a bit before she came out.

When Maevis asked why she would need to relax, Tidas scoffed before he replied; “Since Skye is taking a bath, I suppose we have enough time to discuss it..”

Skye didn’t get the chance to relax, not with Peggy lecturing her throughout her entire bath. By the time she’d gotten out, he stress levels were higher than when she’d gone in. She was angry that Skye didn’t tell her about training with Shasta, even after she’d heard how it all happened.

“I don’t like her. She’s rude to ye, and she doesn’t even know ye! Yer not like the other stuck-up nobles around here.. And she’s a fool if she don’t see it!”

“Ye can be like that, Peg. We don’t know what she’s been through. She’s a Bakeneko, and ye Know what that means..”

“Aye, I do. But a shitty life is no excuse or reason to be a shitty person! If anything; it should make a person want to be better.”

Skye grabbed Peggy’s hand after they finished dressing her; “I know ye don’t like her, but she’s comin’ to dinner as Lawrence’s guest. If ye can’t be nice, then ye can’t be here..”

Peggy huffed in irritation before throwing her hands up in defeat; “FINE. I’ll play nice with the wee kitty.. But the first time I see claws, Ima hosing her down.”

“I’ll bring the water!” Skye joked.

Right as Skye and Peggy were ready to step outside, Shasta came stomping into her room. She was dirty, wet, and had a familiar, rank stench to her. Her breathing was erratic and hard, and her tail was fuzzed up in hostility. Skye and Peggy stared at her with shock as she flicked a strand of hair from her face and and spoke in a low, angry tone; “What the Fuck is wrong with your horse?!”

Peggy turned to Skye and pointed to Shasta as she spoke in a singsong voice; “Ye see; Rude..”