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The Alconians were astonished to see it, and Tidas questioned how they went about cleaning it all up. Skye laughed that about it, wondering why he would be focused on such a silly matter when there was so much fun to be had..

The shops had closed down, but had stalls lining the sidewalks filled with goodies of every variety. Skye was particularly excited when she found a book about the topography of the Star Continent. It was written by a man she’d never heard of, but Tidas said was a famous explorer from Ruscovic.

She hadn’t read many books from other countries, aside from the ones in the palace library. Tomes were rarer, so she read those whenever she could, but recent history of other kingdoms might be worth looking into.

Skye knew quite a bit about Sai thanks to Genie, but she didn’t know much about Meccano, Ital, or the Sync kingdoms. Other than her basic studies, Alcon wasn’t big on teaching anything other than their own narrative. So to learn anything other than the superficial about a kingdom would need to be done by the individual.

As Skye wondered why it was done that way, Tidas came back inside from playing with Zazzy. She’d become even more popular with the Highlanders, to the point that Murdoc had to make a sign-up sheet for people that wanted to play with her.

After he had cleared the idea with Skye and Tidas, he and Zazzy figured out what hours she wanted for playing. It wasn’t surprising that the majority of her day was open to it, but it did surprise Murdoc that she had actually wanted napping time, too. According to her parents, it was a sign that she was growing again..

“Bloody hell! How big is she gonna get?!” he bellowed.

“Are ye forgettin’ that the dragon bones that surround Dragonhorn are her mother’s?” Skye replied with an amused expression.

.....

The face that Murdoc had made sent everyone paying attention into a fit of chuckles. Even Zazzy had snickered about it, which intensifed everyone’s laughter. They were fun days, and Skye would always remember them fondly.

After Hogmanay, Malcolm’s trial came, ruining their streak of good times. The trial itself was supposed to be straightforward, but since Malcolm represented himself, it took much longer than it should’ve..

Two weeks had passed before the verdict was declared: guilty. The evidence complied by both the Highlanders and Alconians was overwhelming, especially with Amara leading the charge against him. Life imprisonment was far better than the death penalty that Amara was aiming for.

Malcolm himself had too many connections within the Council to get a completely fair trial, otherwise he would’ve been put to death. The only reason he wasn’t was because of his previous standing within their communities. His lands and wealth had been stripped, but Malcolm still held sway with those he’d helped climb up the ladders of their society.

Neither Skye or Amara liked that such a dangerous character was being kept alive, but there was nothing they could do now, at least not by legal means. Amara had made an off-handed joke about how ‘men in prison hung themselves all the time out of guilt’, and that Malcolm might be the same way..

Skye and Murdoc had immediately chided her about her ‘joke’, but Tidas just sipped his drink. No one wanted to hear his opinion on the matter, considering it was a bit more direct, and messy, than Amara’s was. Keeping his thoughts to himself, Tidas had simply sipped his drink.

They had all gathered at Mead Hall after the trial had concluded, to celebrate the half-win. It wasn’t as fun as usual until Petrie showed up, and forced them all to play a drinking game. Tidas tried to refused, but the Highlanders wouldn’t have it.

He’d looked at Skye, unsure of what to do. She shrugged and told him; “Don’t go lookin’ ta me. If ye canna handle yer drink, then don’t do it. If ye can trust yer self not to overindulge, then have at it, husband. Ima yer wife, not yer keeper.”

Tidas sighed heavily and gave in. He was hoping that Skye would tell him no, but it was an idiotic thought. She would never tell him what he could and couldn’t do, just like he wouldn’t, either. If something bothered one of them, then the other would listen, but they wouldn’t restrict each other like parents with children.

To both of them: that wasn’t a relationship, that was controlling. They were slightly possessive of each other, but that was fine because it was mutual. But Skye and Tidas never dictated what the other could do.

As the night carried on, they played drinking games to pass the time. No one would challenge Tidas to Shields anymore, but he liked to watch the others with Murdoc. It was a good way to train as well, and Tidas wanted to discuss adding it to the RMC training regiment with Zas and Shasta when they returned.

Around two in the morning or so, the two Alconian royals retired to their little bunker, to avoid waking anyone up. At least that’s what they would tell Klaus, Kari, and Ronnie tomorrow. Tidas had relieved them of their duties after the trial, and they would probably panic for a moment in the morning when the two weren’t in their room.

Once they returned to their room, Skye and Tidas took a shower together, then crawled into bed. They had hoped to have a little intimate time together, but Skye’s monthly visitor was upon her. As they laid together, they discussed when they would like to start on a family..

“As soon as we get home sounds good to me,” Tidas suggested with a cheeky smile.

Skye laughed as he wiggled his eyebrows at her in a suggestive manner. Once she got herself under control again, she replied; “Ima eager ta see a wee version of you runnin’ around, but I just joined the RMC. Shouldn’t I put in a couple years before I start poppin’ out bairns?”

Now it was Tidas’ turn to laugh at his wife; “Poppin’em out?! That’s how you see bringing life into this world?”

“Oh, quit yer pickin’, husband. Ima bein’ serious! I don’t want people ta think that I get special treatment fer bein’ yer wife. I earned this, and I intend on seein’ it through.”

Tidas sighed heavily. Following through with things was a trait of Skye’s that he admired, but it also irritated him on occasion. She always kept at it until whatever goal or task she had started on was finished.

Technically her goal was to accompany Tidas to the Highlands. Skye had to join the RMC to do that, but it wasn’t a goal of hers. Curiosity getting the better of him, Tidas asked Skye why she wanted to stay..

“I wanted ta join ta stay by yer side, but Zas convinced me that it canna only be fer yer sake. That the RMC is a commitment, and that Ima responsible fer people’s lives. Tis not a job I can do when the mood strikes me, it’s a responsibility I carry wit me, always.”

Tidas beamed at Skye as he tightened his arms around her. That was the lesson that he, Zas, and Shasta drilled into each trainee’s head within the first few weeks of drills. It didn’t matter what reasons they had when they joined, the only way they survived was by having each other’s backs.

No one but fellow soldiers would come to your aid on the battlefield, so making them like a second family was common. The bonds forged in sweat and blood tended to last generations, with sons and daughters growing up together, and occasionally paired off based on such relationships.

Life and death situations were one of the few things that stripped away status, and built bridges strong enough to withstand the currents of social stations. Skye’s father and King Magnus were a good example, and their bond wasn’t even formed on the battlefield.

If a soldier couldn’t trust the man guarding his back or side, then the entire squad was likely to die. It wasn’t nearly as strenuous due to the snow and cold, but the RMC members still did group exercises, and went out in hunting parties.

Skye had rotated through most of the squads already, and the soldiers saw her as one of them.. ‘If Skye did quit the RMC right away, they would definitely resent her for it..’

As the thought crossed his mind, Tidas replied; “I suppose you’re right. But no more than three! I wanna see a wee lass with a head full of red curls runnin’ about just as badly as you want my little doppelg?nger.”

Skye sighed dramatically; “Yer gonna be wrapped around her wee pinky the moment she’s born, aren’t ye?”

Tidas frowned at her; “You insult me, wife.. She’ll have me from the womb on.”

Skye laughed hard, then they continued to talk about their future together. It had become their favorite subject lately, since it was fast approaching..

The snows weren’t as heavy, and the winds had lost a bit of their bite as the month had progressed. It was nearly February, and an early spring seemed promising. They still wouldn’t be able to head off towards the Old Capital until some time in the beginning of April, but at least they could return to some semblance of their training.

As Tidas drifted off, he thought about trying to talk Skye into a third, or possibly a fourth child..

Skye didn’t go to sleep right away. She was enjoying the peace of the moment, and the simple conversations that they’d been having together lately. From how they wanted to redecorate their home, to how many children they’d have, to how often they would visit the palace.

Once Magnus passed, their visits would be as rare as possible, but they both knew that Marco would make that nearly impossible. They had talked about traveling after Skye was ready to leave the RMC. Going to places like Ruscovic, Sai, and the Highlands would make an excellent excuse to avoid him and court.

Marco didn’t really want Tidas around anyway, and might allow his early retirement as Commander, so long as he had a well-trained and powerful replacement. Tidas wanted to suggest Zas, but doubted that Marco would allow a Fae to be in such a high-ranking position.

As Skye drifted off to sleep, she wondered how her loved ones in Alcon were doing...