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Skye’s cheeks were slightly indented like she was starving, and her clothes looked loose compared to their skin-tight fit from before. It was like any and all of the fat in her body had been burned away when she had faced off against Richard..

‘I know using one’s Tank trait past it’s limits does this, but I thought that her necklace would’ve protected her? Or did her life have to be in immediate danger for it to activate? Will this happen every time she uses the fragment?’

As Tidas’ eyes clouded over with unanswered questions, he and Skye made it to the food tables. She was literally starving, and felt like she could eat all of the food there herself. The idea to guard it like a rabid dog was tempting, by Skye was too exhausted and hungry to be cheeky.

The air was filled with tantalizing smells that beckoned Skye to fill multiple plates. The elk and wild rice stew with hearty chunks of carrots and onions was her favorite. She went through five bowls and two loaves of bread for her first round.

The second thing that Skye devoured multiple servings of were stuffed, twice-baked potatoes. She had taught the cooks to take out the innards, mash it, then mix it with bits of mushrooms, cheese, salt, and pepper. Refill the skins, and cook again for six minutes or so until crisp.

Peggy had taught her the recipe a long time ago, but she had never actually made them herself before coming to the Highlands. She had suggested them in the bunker one time after the Highlanders had given the RMC a ridiculous amount of potatoes after the harvest. After that, they had become a favorite amongst the soldiers.

After eating about three large ones, plus the left over filling: Skye was nearly full. The last thing that she wanted was something sweet to end her the meal with, which Tidas supposedly had for her in her tent. She hadn’t recalled seeing anything like chocolate or candy in there earlier, but he swore there were sweets there waiting for her..

When they practically crawled into her tent, the first thing that Tidas did was grab Skye, and snuggle her. He really had been scared when she’d fainted after changing the ground back to a lush, spring green. Seeing her body fall and be so still had sent a wave of fear through him that had shaken Tidas to his core.

.....

Skye laid with him for around five minutes or so before she started to call him a liar. She felt foolish letting him lure her away with the promise of sweets; like a naive child following a stranger..

“Yer an arse, Tidas MacArthur! Ye Do Not lie to a woman about sweets! Ever! Especially after the day we had!”

Tidas wanted to chuckle at her semi-fake outrage, but knew it was most likely a trap to extort more sweets. With a cocky smile, Tidas reached over, grabbed a small pouch from behind her pillow, then dropped it on her belly.

Like most of the soldiers, Skye only had her body suit on. Since she’d eaten, it didn’t look nearly as loose anymore, which appeased some of his worry. The other part wasn’t going away any time soon..

Skye squeaked with happiness as she picked up the small, leathery pouch, and got candied pecans as her treat. Tidas had been saving them for when she needed a pick-me-up, and he figured that now was the perfect time for them. As Skye shoveled, her husband spoke in a sincere tone..

“You seem to be a bit off.. Is there anything you want to talk about?”

Skye slowed in her munching as she focused her eyes on the tent’s wall; “Just didna think winnin’ a battle would feel so...hollow.”

Tidas nodded, understanding what she had meant; “The loss of life makes it hard to celebrate, yeah?”

“...Aye. I canna stop thinkin’ about Teresa and Michael.. Their families.. Bestie and her brothers are gonna be heartbroken, and I canna imagine how Mikey’s sister will react. Their parents died when they were young, so each other was all they had.”

“Isn’t she getting married?” Tidas inquired, positive that Skye had mentioned it before.

She nodded her head; “Aye, but tis not the same as yer given family.. There’s a certain comfort that family ye been wit yer whole life gives ye. I wasna close ta me parents, but we came together at our weddin’. I feel terrible that Lucinda willna have anyone wit her on her special day..”

“Would you like ta be there for her? I can arrange it with my father. Given the circumstances, I don’t think he’ll mind me taking time off to accompany you.”

Skye grinned broadly at her husband; “Aye, I’d love that. I’d also like ta pay fer somethin’ special fer ’em. Like their honeymoon or somethin’, but I dinna want her ta feel like Ima tryin’ ta buy off her grief..”

Tidas shook his head in agreement, knowing all too well that people who were grieving did Not all react the same way. Some cried, some became irrationally angry, and some shut down. There was a myriad of responses in between, but most could generally be categorized as one of the three.

Taking a breath, Tidas tightened his hold around Skye and spoke in an experienced tone; “Soldiers rarely celebrate victories that come with a high cost. We doubt everything for a time at some point.. Was our choice to take action correct? Should we have retreated? Could a different call have saved lives?”

“A few never second-guess themselves until they retire, and the rarer few never second-guess themselves at all; writing it off as circumstantial. But we All have regrets, Skye. They may be big or small, but every soldier that I’ve ever met has some kind of regret..”

“It may be someone that they left behind in their former life, or someone that left them because they had to join. There’s also survivor’s guilt, and PTSD.. I’ve met soldiers that regretted being born because their magic meant that they had to be indoctrinated.. Not everyone wants to go to war.”

“Is that why ye fought Magnus and Marco so vehemently on the indoctrination age limit?” Skye asked as she paused in her munching.

Tidas nodded; “Aye.. If it were up ta me, the military would be volunteer-based, not mandatory. But father and Marco would never go for that. They would lose a quarter of their current troops, and probably half of the ones recruited.”

Skye put the few pieces left in the bag to the side, and asked; “So, if you were ta become king: ye would abolish the indoctrination law?”

Tidas smiled softly at her; “Aye, but I would make school mandatory for children between certain ages. Children with magic would take slightly different classes, but I think all of the children should be able to go to school together..”

Skye quirked an eyebrow at him; “And do ye plan on forcin’ the parents ta pay fer everything?”

Tidas scoffed; “No! If I make it a law for children to go to school, why wouldn’t the kingdom flip the bill? Smarter, more intelligent children means smarter adults. Advancement comes from intelligent people, which benefits everyone. Plus, technically, it’s the young that take care of the old in one way or another.. I’d like my nurse to be competent and well-paid.”

Skye giggled; “I ken this is gonna be good: why do ye say that?”

Tidas smirked; “A well-paid nurse is a happy nurse. A happy nurse is a nice nurse.. I went with you those few times to that retirement center. Those nurses looked ready to kill someone..”

Skye laughed out loud this time; “Ye should stop by when we get back. They be is much better spirits since ye started donatin’ ta them.”

Tidas grinned cheekily; “Well, that investment with your father is paying off rather nicely, so I thought I’d make a few other investments.”

“Why in the nursing homes again?” Skye asked, genuinely curious about the real reason he was doling out gold.

After kissing her forehead, Tidas replied; “Mainly because my men will eventually go there, and I want them taken care of. The other is because we will probably wind up there some day, too.”

Skye scoffed; “You focus on helpin’ out fer yer soldiers’ sakes. I’ll pay fer private care in our own home, though we probably won’t need it..”

While gesturing to herself Skye smiled as she added; “Shaman, remember?”

Tidas chuckled; “True.. But my original point was that everyone has regrets, love. We cope with them in many ways, but there’s one way that reminds us of our reason for fighting in the first place: our friends and families.”

“The troops might be down right now, but I bet you it all changes tomorrow when we get back to the bunkers..”

“What do ye mean?” Skye asked as she snuggled against him.

“You’ll see...”

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

As the troops marched down the strath, Tidas was proven right. Large groups of the Highlanders stood waiting for their friends and family to return. All holding signs, and cheering for their victory.

A messenger bird had been sent ahead with the casualty list similar to the report sent to the Capital. The families that had lost loved ones were notified as soon as they had received word. They were all at their homes now, grieving in private.

A memorial would be held in a few days, but before then: the majority wanted to celebrate the defeat of the monster that had been plaguing their lands for years. As well as celebrate the heroes that had brought it down. Welcome home and thank you signs lined the path heading towards the bunkers.

Many of the troops had instantly lightened up as the smiling faces of their loved ones came into view. The heavy atmosphere that had surrounded them slowly lifted the closer they came. As spouses and children rushed out to embrace them, the soldiers recalled why they had risked their lives in the first place..

Zazzy watched the happy humans from above with a despondent expression. As she circled to land, she glanced at her smiling parents as several Highlanders greeted them... ‘I wonder what my punishment will be for killing those soldiers?’

As the thought crossed her mind, several of the Reinbolt men watched her land with hatred in their eyes. Both Prince Tidas and the King of the Highlands had tried to sway them, but their minds were set. One way or another: they would have their justice...