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As soon as she walked inside, her adrenaline began to surge. The magistrate that had been extorting money from all of the Fae business owners was there, and seemingly threatening Alfred. He was in the process of saying something derogatory to him when the group had walked through the door. He was smart enough to stop talking as soon as he saw the palace-issued armor that Klaus and Ronnie were wearing.

Looking at Skye, he was shocked at her attire, but recognized the expensive, sturdy materials they were made from. That, coupled with the fact that she was being escorted by palace guards, tipped the magistrate off as to her possible status. It irritated him that he’d have to come back again to collect from Alfred, but he couldn’t risk anyone associated with the palace seeing him shake down one of the beast men.

“Deliver on what we discussed or I’ll.. I can’t help you,” the middle-aged man mumbled.

After the man nodded curtly at Skye, he quickly walked passed her as Klaus stared him down. She immediately walked over to Alfred and asked what the man had wanted from him. When he answered, “Money”, Skye sighed in exasperation.

“How stupid can he be?! Harassin’ ye in broad daylight?! I can’t wait until Tidas takes him down a peg or two..”

Alfred sighed tiredly; “I just want to run my business.. Why do things this always happen?”

Skye quirked an eyebrow; “What do ye mean?”

“This isn’t the first tavern I’ve ever opened. The first was technically what Zas owns now. I was being extorted in Dragonhorn, so I sold my business there, and moved here at Shasta’s suggestion. I was always coming and going to the capital.. It just made more sense for me to cut the hassle out.”

.....

Alfred flashed a nostalgic smile; “Zas wanted to be closer to Mary, and was looking for a tavern to purchase, to run with her. Her children were adorable, and her grandchildren are just as cute.”

Skye smiled; “It’s adorable that ye seem so fond of children.”

If it wasn’t for his fur, Skye could’ve sworn he was blushing. The edges of his ears turned pink as they perked straight up, and his eyes darted about. He laughed nervously and scratched the side of his head before he replied; “To be honest, I’ve always wanted some pups of my own.. But I’d most likely have to travel to the Fae Kingdom to find a proper mate. Or marry a human that had children already.”

As Alfred spoke, Renee came out of the back room. She was carrying a tray full of silverware that had been rolled up in a cloth napkin. She was about to start placing them on the tables when she realized Alfred wasn’t the only one there. ‘Why is the princess here again?!’

As if reading her mind, Skye said; “We’ve come to eat some delicious food for lunch, if yer open?”

Alfred grinned; “Of course! I just finished roasting some chickens. Would you three like sandwiches, or my special for the day?”

Finishing her Shaman rounds early had left enough time for some indulgence, so Skye answered; “Would both be askin’ too much?”

Alfred laughed warmheartedly at the princess’ expression, and sizable appetite. She had scrunched her shoulders like a child fessing up to something insignificant. It was a charming idiosyncrasy, and reminded him of Renee a bit.

He’d hoped since the princess was a friend of Shasta’s, and Tidas’ wife, they all could get along. Shasta was a nearly daily customer, and with her training Skye; chances were that she would become a patron as well. The look Renee was shooting Skye now told him that he was in for a fight on the harmony front..

It didn’t take long for the sandwiches to be delivered. Alfred had been generous with their servings; sending out two sandwiches per person. The first had one inch pieces of roasted chicken, shredded cheese, seasoned tomato sauce, and more cheese between toasted long rolls. The second sandwich nearly dripped with a sweet chicken salad on a crispy bed of lettuce. The bread wasn’t toasted, but had been baked with honey and sweet oats mixed in.

After the three killed the sandwiches, Renee brought over three mugs of hot peppermint tea. It not only worked as a kind of palate cleanser, but warmed the bones on the windy day. The weather was still cold, but it snowed less and less. Moonstone Castle would still be seeing snow for a couple more weeks due to how far north they were, but the capital could almost taste spring..

The two most well-known events in Alcon were the Mage Trials; held right before winter, and the Summer Games. The Summer Games were a combination of various ancient cultures’ festivities. The challenges covered both group and individual events, and even had special rewards attached. Anyone, common or noble could participate. The only restrictions were set into age groups; to keep things fair.

The Summer Games were held during the Summer Solstice, and signaled the beginning of summertime. It wasn’t as big of a deal as the Mage Trials, but was growing bigger every year. More and more events, games, and food stalls popped up each year, showing the growth of Alcon’s economy..

Skye looked forward to spending this year with Tidas. She’d only ever gone to three Summer Games; the last one being spent mostly with Tidas. The rest of the time had been spent with Mei. It was one of the few times she’d visited Alcon, and one of her most memorable times with her surrogate sister. It was also the only time Mei had met Tidas.

To put it in the nicest way: Mei did not like Tidas in the beginning. She thought he was arrogant, controlling, and secretive. To be fair; he was hiding his powers at that point, but so was Skye. She never even told Mei she had magic. Only Peggy and Genie knew until Tidas had ‘returned from the dead’. She knew that a simple letter wouldn’t be good enough for her dear friend. It would have to be something told in person.. Or so she had hoped.

That was when Skye realized that Mei most likely already knew. The stories and rumors of her multiple traits had probably reached Sai. Mei didn’t like to participate in gossip, but she loved to listen to it. Stories of her Shaman abilities would’ve most likely reached her at least a month ago.

Her surrogate sister would get a good laugh out of the news. She and Skye had talked about what they would do if they ever got powers since they were little. They both really wanted Wind magic like Genie, but Skye already knew her trait then.

With Mei’s level of deduction skills, she most likely figured out that Skye’s first magic was Water. Since it was the magic she had, Skye often discussed ways ‘someone’ could use and manipulate it with Mei. It had led to some great surprise attack ideas, as well as helped Skye better understand the nearly limitless potential of her trait..

Mei had actually been the one to help her design her favorite attack: her Water Bubble. It was the same move she’d used on the Nomads in Warrick Forest. It was perfect for both defensive and offensive, but required quite a bit of concentration to maintain. She’d secretly been working on it every time she took a shower or bath. Trying to maintain a bubble of water near the ceiling every time she bathed had been steadily increasing her capabilities, but it wasn’t enough.

Skye knew that she’d never be as strong as Tidas, or as fast, but she knew she could outsmart him. Her key to winning the trials all depended upon her ability to strategize and follow through with a plan.. Something that was generally hard for Skye to do. She liked having structure with most things, but fighting rarely ever turned out how one planned.

The few fights Skye had ever seen or been involved in were all so fast, and so slow at the same time. It was like reality constricted momentarily whenever her adrenaline began to pump. It had even happened a few moments ago when she’d seen the magistrate. Time slowed and sped at the same time; like there was something she was supposed to notice or see.

The only odd thing that she’d seen about him was a deep scar by his chin, and a strange red pin on the collar of his shirt. Skye wouldn’t have even noticed it if the sun wouldn’t have glared off of it as he passed by her. He was a creepy, shrewd looking man that probably had no right to be in the position he was in. He most likely had a noble family, or was controlled by one..

As Skye’s thoughts ran amuck in her mind, Klaus and Ronnie discussed their latest training session with Zas. He’d been acting strange lately; pressing upon them the importance of of their jobs. They both felt like he wanted to ask them something at the end, but he’d never said anything to either of them. As they discussed possibilities and Skye chewed on her thumb in thought; Renee scrutinized them.

‘That princess is an odd one.. Why is she just sittin’ there like that? Is she sucking her thumb?! How weird.. What the prince sees in her, I just don’t get. Maybe it’s just a power play marriage? The Moonstones are ridiculously wealthy, so it would make sense for him to marry a commoner for just that. Her powers added in; I suppose I see the reason, but still.. She’s so weird. Who puts their fingers in their mouth in public?!’

As Renee zoned out as bad as Skye, Alfred came out with the main dish. He’d taken the chopped chicken and mixed it in a parmesan and garlic-based sauce, mushrooms, and poured it over noodles. He’d left and come back with garlic and buttered breadsticks, and a side of the creamy sauce to dip.

The smells overwhelmed her senses, and brought Skye out of her head with a roar from her stomach. She ate like a starving person; polishing off two heaping plates, and a basket of bread by herself. The two hearty sandwiches Peggy had made her for breakfast were delicious, but had felt like a snack to her. As her magic grew, so did her appetite, which Skye didn’t really mind; she loved to eat. If it wasn’t so inconvenient to need to physically stop and eat, she’d have no issue.

It would, however, become a serious problem if her appetite continued to grow as it was. Skye barely had time to eat her three meals a day as is, and constantly felt peckish between them. If she couldn’t figure out a way to keep her body fueled without needing to mainline food all day long, her chances of participating in the Highland Raid would be squashed; Mage Trials results be damned.