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For the first time in years: Richard was able to see the light of day. He’d been trapped within the darkness, but was now basking in the warmth of the sun. The rain that had followed the soldiers for nearly their entire journey had finally given way to sunshine and blue skies.

As he stared up at the beautiful sky, an equally gorgeous woman stepped into his line of sight. Her beauty and golden hair were unreal, and the sad expression on her face made his heart hurt. As he reached up towards her, a blurry young man’s face came into view..

“Oh, Maggie.. I’m so, so sorry for what I did.. How’s Marie? How is my child?”

Skye and Tidas leaned back a bit and whispered amongst themselves for a minute. Tidas wondered if it was some sort of trick, but Skye didn’t think that was the case..

“I dinna think he knows where he is, or what really happened.”

Tidas quirked an eyebrow at her; “What if he’s just playing stupid? And who’s Maggie?! I’m no woman!”

Skye shook her head; “I dinna think ‘Maggie’ is a woman’s name either..”

Turning back to Richard, Skye hovered over him; “This be Prince Tidas, yer nephew, not yer brother.”

.....

Richard’s eyes shot open wide; “Tidas?! But he....he was just a wee bairn! Four or five months! ....Have I been gone that long?”

Skye nodded; “Aye, sir. Ye have been gone fer quite a time..”

The most pained expression that Skye had ever seen crossed his face; “Oh, my poor Marie.. I can only imagine what she’s had to endure.. I was labeled a traitor, wasn’t I? My poor, sweet Marie..”

The tears that welled up in his eyes were completely genuine, making Skye’s heart wrench in her chest. Tidas knew that they were real, but he had resented and hated his uncle for so long..

‘This changes nothing.. He still chose his path..’

As Richard turned to face his nephew, a sad smile creased his face; “You look just like your father did when he was your age.. He’s such a good man, and a good king.. I know the kingdom has prospered with him.. How is my child? Did Marie have a wee lassie or laddie?”

Skye and Tidas shared a look before Skye replied; “Ye have a lovely daughter.. Her name is Regina..”

A bright smile stretched across Richard’s face, making him look like a thin, sickly version of Magnus. Tidas wondered for a moment if he and his brothers looked as similar to each other as his father and uncle did, but pushed the thought aside. He was more curious as to why Skye had told him of Petrie’s sister.

Seeing the look on her husband’s face, Skye leaned back and whispered so low that Tidas had to use his Tank trait to hear her..

“He doesna have long, and tis best he go comfortably.. I know ye think otherwise, but I glimpsed his heart, husband: he doesna know of these past bloody years.. Twas all the Dark and Ether magic’s doin’... I’ll explain later-”

“You don’t have to...I experienced the darkness, and honestly: I’m shocked that he was still in there,” Tidas glanced down at his uncle as he finished.

Skye watched as Richard started coughing, and blood mixed with black ooze spewed from his mouth. There was nothing she could do to save him; he had been one with the Dark and Ether magic for too long. His body was breaking down on a subatomic level, which was far beyond Skye’s current capabilities.

While she felt sincere pity for Richard, Tidas was conflicted. He had not only blamed him for his father and aunt’s grief, but also for how Marco had turned out..

Tidas had memories of Marco playing with him and Lawrence as children, but they had become fewer and farther apart as they had aged. A certain amount of distance was expected as siblings grew, but Marco had put up walls right after the incident with their uncle Richard.

He thought that Richard’s betrayal had changed Marco into what he was, but that wasn’t the case..

As Tidas looked at his uncle, the questions that he never thought he’d get to ask slipped out; “Why did you get the Ethereal Spear for my brother? What happened back then?”

Richard coughed several times before he answered in a raspy voice; “Marco had asked me to find the Spear for Maggie. He was angry with me at the time, so he relayed most messages for me through Marco..”

“I can’t remember where I found the Spear, but I remember being clouded in darkness as soon as I touched it.. And I remember hearing Marco’s voice calling to me clearly.. Did he know what would happen to me?”

The sorrow that covered his features made Skye reach out and grab his hand as she lied through her teeth; “Na.. I dinna think he knew.”

A melancholy smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, then he turned to Tidas; “Will you tell Marie that I’m sorry.. I think I wrote her a letter.. But I don’t know where I put it.. I missed her so much.. I’m so sorry.. By the gods, I’m so sorry for what-”

“Calm yer self.. Tis nothin’ that ye could’ve controlled. Marie still morns ye, and yer daughter is beautiful.. Ye have done terrible things, but ye were the vessel of another’s will.. I believe ye ta be a victim as well.”

Skye’s words set off a cascade of reactions throughout the gathered soldiers. They didn’t hear everything being said, but they had clearly heard her consoling the monster. Some understood her sentiments, but most of the Highlanders felt that Richard was being treated Far too well for all of the death he had caused..

Whether he had been conscious at the time or not: they blamed Richard for the loss of their friends and family over the years. Tidas tended to agree with them, even though he knew that it wasn’t really Richard committing the murders. He still resented his uncle for his behavior leading up to his attempted regicide.

Skye was different..

She had long suspected that Marco was the one behind it all, but his age had always made her question her conclusion.. ‘Why, at such a young age, did he want his father dead? Was he really plannin’ on rulin’ the kingdom then?!’

Marco’s intelligence had always been off the charts, but when his magic came in, he reached new academic heights. His mind became able to process more information than should be humanly possible, and he remembered everything he’d seen.

As Skye’s common sense and her denial warred within her, Tidas turned and shot his men looks. Their murmurs of murder were growing louder, and he didn’t want his uncle to stop talking before he heard what he needed to..

Taking a deep breath, Tidas asked; “Did my father Ever mention having an interest in the Spear before my brother sent you to look for it?”

Richard gazed at the sky in thought; “We both liked the idea of having a magical weapon as children, so I thought it was due to that.. Why.. Do you ask?”

Skye leaned over him; “Just fer our report, is all. King Magnus wanted ta make sure that of the details: to double-check fer foul play.”

As Richard’s eyes started to cloud over, he mumbled something that only Skye and Tidas had heard..

“...I think he knew.. As smart as he was, I think he knew.. All the months that I spent looking for it.. All the so-called help he gave me.. He knew.. He did this to me and my family..”

As tears started to stream down his cheeks, Richard flashed a sad, weak smile as he loudly added; “Take care of your aunt and cousin, laddie.. Protect what’s most important to you foremost..”

He turned and looked at Skye, and with his final breath, said; “Thank you for saving me from the darkness..”

With that final statement, Richard stopped breathing...

The soldiers all stood in silence as a chilling wind whipped across the battlefield. It wasn’t the glorious battle or ending that any of them had expected. A monster’s head on a platter, a feast for their victory and to their few fallen.. This was nothing like what they had expected.

Close to half of their forces had been killed, and their bodies littered the ground. The body of a broken, sickly old man was all that remained of the monster that had terrified the Highlanders for over a decade. Every aspect of their predicted victory had changed.

There would be no celebration tonight, but a massive funeral for their fallen. Their personal belongings and armaments would be taken back and given to their families, or recycled. The night would be long, but Skye would not let it be filled with darkness..

Skye stood up, picked up the Spear, then jammed it into the ground. As the world began to tremble beneath the soldiers’ feet, the black tar that coated the ground began to disappear. The puddles of ooze and bone were pulled into the earth as a line of grass in the distance came rushing towards them.

Within moments, the battlefield and area surrounding the palace was cleared of all Dark and Ether magic residue. The bones that once literally covered the ground were broken down, and mixed in with the soil. The only body that momentarily remained was Richard’s..

Suddenly, a massive tree like the one that stood outside of the Highlanders’ main entrance started to rise up from the ground. As it stretched up then just as suddenly stopped, Tidas looked over at his wife, and called out her name as she hit the ground: unconscious.

Skye had to use her necklace to handle the Spear, so she didn’t realize how little of her own magic she had left. Fixing the land should’ve waited until she had at least eaten something, but Skye had become overzealous in her attempt to ease the burden of battle from the Highlanders and other soldiers.

As Tidas rushed to her side, so did Klaus, Ronnie, and Kari. The sound of Murdoc and Amara screaming for Shamans was the last thing Skye recalled. And the fearful expression on her husband’s face...