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“Should-” Ronnie leaned towards Klaus; “Should we be hearin’ all of this?”

Klaus kept his voice low; “We’re guards: we don’t hear anything unless we’re told to, understand?”

Ronnie straightened back up as he nodded. It was odd to him that nobles and royals ignored those around them so easily. ‘I know we’re not supposed to ‘hear them’, but how ridiculous is that?! Do they really not realize servants and guards talk about it anyways?!’

Klaus was thinking along the same lines, but a bit more positive about their situation. He saw it as a sign that the princess trusted them not to say anything. He would stress his point to Ronnie later. The gleam in his eyes as Skye, Marie, and Maevis dished about Karena let Klaus know that he would have to pound discretion into his friend’s skull later. Ronnie wasn’t the best at keeping secrets, but would do it for Skye.

Everyone knew how psychotic Karena was about her image. If Ronnie sparked a rumor, she’d most likely be sent on the war path. Set to destroy anyone who dared defy or mock her. Skye was currently the main focus of all the kingdoms, which infuriated the Crowned Princess. Everyone that interacted with the palace, even slightly, knew it. She detested not being the center of the universe, and generally did everything she could to stay in the spotlight.

Marie was currently speculating that it was the reason for her performance tonight. She had paid the best musicians in Alcon to preform with her, as well as hired the best dancers to act out the music piece she had picked. To top it off; she’d instructed the palace chefs to make different dishes from the norm, and gave them a list of popular dishes from various chic and trendy restaurants.

It was full of outrageous and complicated dishes. With some, the preparations took days for things to marinade and rest. She had just given them the list the day before, and expected them to have everything ready! There wasn’t much anyone could do about her unreasonable demands, either..

One of Karena’s favorite things was to remind people that she was going to be Queen someday, and would remember those who were with her, or against her. Most of the servant’s feared her, but the head chef was one of the few that didn’t. He’d been hand-picked by Magnus to run the kitchens, and didn’t care to stay on after the king passed away.

.....

Marco, on the other hand, wanted him to stay. His father openly admitted that the kitchens had never run so smoothly before. Plus Marco didn’t mind his food. Finding the compromise for his spoiled wife, Marco had forcibly ordered the more complicated ingredients for the dishes directly from the recipes’ sources. Causing most of the restaurants to exclude their most popular dishes from their own menus for a few days.

The owners hadn’t wanted to give up their ingredients, but what could they do? Defy the future king? None were stupid enough to do it. Marco had a reputation for being similar to his wife: he didn’t forget whoever defied him. After watching their ingredients carted away to the palace, the owners all complained, talked, and agreed; they all wished that Prince Tidas was the next in line to be king..

As the three started to get into personal, annoying habits of the future queen, Klaus interrupted them; “Pardon princess, but where would you like these books and papers put? I don’t think we should be hearing all these..details..”

All three looked like caught children, with their wide eyes and shocked expressions. Skye and Maevis had completely forgotten that they’d accompanied them to Marie’s quarters. Marie hadn’t even noticed they’d been in the room at all. Skye instantly felt bad, but Maevis decided to joke with them a bit.

“You guys have that statue-like presence down! I completely forgot you two were here! Good job,” Maevis’ voice was amused and almost melodious as she spoke.

Klaus took it as a compliment, but Ronnie saw the fun Maevis was having at their expense; “We’re not statues! Tis not our fault ye got the attention spans of a gnat..”

Maevis gave the most fake, indignant face she could while Skye laughed hysterically at the truth of it all. Marie was astonished that Skye’s guards would say anything other than yes or no. Most guards actually did act like statues most of their time; standing at attention until called upon. It made her smile to see the friendly banter between the four.

‘Of course Skye would befriend her guards. The lass could probably befriend a Barghest, given the chance.. Oh! That reminds me!’

Not thinking about seeming rude, Marie blurted out; “I forgot to tell you that I’m taking a trip to Dragonhorn in a few days. I can’t resist going! I want to see the Cu Sith that’s tending to the orchard there.”

Skye perked up; “What? Cu is helpin’ with the orchard now? No wonder we’ve been able to get apples so out of season. Have ye heard anythin’ else about her?”

“Apparently her and a man walk through town to get to the orchard each day. The townspeople see it, or her, is it? Well, they see her as a mascot or protective deity of Dragonhorn now. There’s reports that both children and adults give her offerings daily. I wonder what they give her?”

Skye chuckled; “Probably hard cider. The man she walks around with is most likely Jonathan McKurdy. Tidas and I met them on our honeymoon. Cu is very fond of the hard cider they make at the orchard.”

Marie’s eyes lit up; “Oh Aye! I remember you telling me about them now! My goodness lass; you get around, don’t you? Haha! Tis comical that they bonded over alcohol.”

Maevis perked up at that comment; “Oh, trust me dear.. Fae love to drink as much as humans. Well, that’s a lie: we drink more. Cream counts as alcohol for us.”

“Umm... Princess?”

Looking over, Skye realized that Klaus and Ronnie were still waiting to put down the papers and such. She apologized profusely before instructing them, then sending them on their way. Marie assured the two that she would send her own guards with Skye later, to escort her back to her quarters. Knowing the princess wouldn’t be left alone, the two left to go find General Zas to train..

Once the two left, the three woman discussed a bit more gossip and such before Skye pulled out the legend. Marie examined it with scrutinizing eyes. The material it was on was like a thick-weaved cloth instead of any kind of paper. It reminded her of the material that the Dragon’s Legacy Prophecy was written on in Sai. To the point where Marie mentioned it.

“Oh Aye! I completely forgot about that one! How stupid of me! You’re right, the material does look the same,” Maevis commented as she felt the texture of the scroll.

“Dragon’s Legacy? What’s that one about?” Skye gripped one of the research books in her hands with slight trepidation.

A strange kind of nervousness began to build and spread inside Skye’s chest as Marie spoke; “It’s just like every other one: a hero will rise to save us all while riding on the back of a dragon. The legend states that the ‘Chosen Blood’ will bond with a dragon, raise it, and save the world. It mentions something about light.. Wait, no. Something like light, but I can’t remember..”

Skye made some kind of squeak-noise before she pointed to a specific line on the Catalyst legend; “Was it illuminate?!”

Looking at the legend, Marie nearly yelled; “Aye! And the prophecy in Sai says something about a nightmare too.. This is strange..”

Skye and Maevis spoke at the same time: “What’s strange?”

Marie squinted at the paper like she was having problems reading it; “Life, Creation, Earned, Will, Gifted, Illuminate, Nightmare, Flames, Madness, Darkness, and Chaos.. They all lead into each other; like steps or instructions. What could they mean?”

At that moment, the servants had decided to bring in their dinner. None of them wanted to stop their discussion, so they continued as they ate. Marie preferred finger foods and light meals, so their meal reflected her tastes. The tiniest chicken pot pies Skye had ever seen were stacked on top of each other on one of the trays.

Another had a variety of tiny finger sandwiches ranging from cucumber, to ham and cheddar. The final tray was full of desserts. Three flavors of mini pies covered it. Marie had chosen chocolate, strawberry, and apple for their flavors. They were slightly bigger than tarts, and were warm. Skye postulated that the chef most likely made them in a cupcake pan. It explained the tall sides and deep fillings. ‘How did he get the dough not to fluff?! I wish Peggy could see these!’

As they ate and talked, Marie kept looking at the legend like something was gnawing at her. When Skye asked what was wrong, Marie hesitated a moment before sharing her thoughts. She didn’t even know where she was going with her theory.

“It’s these key words.. They wouldn’t flow into the next like it does without cause. I think there’s and order you’re supposed to be following here, but I just don’t know what! It’s frustrating me to madness!”

Maevis sipped her tea that the servants had brought out for the three to drink with their dessert. Her eye had been caught on the way the legend flowed as well. Every word seemed to drip with meaning, but what? If there was something specific that Skye needed to accomplish, then why make it so difficult to figure out?! The thought darted through her mind’s eye; ‘The gods love their entertainment. How hard they must be laughing at us right now..’

As the hours dragged on, Marie began to mumble, she was so tired; “Nightmare.. Nightmare is right. Why do the gods have to make everything so complicated? Why can’t they just make it clear?! Birthed with Life.. Creation.. Nonsense..!!!”

Knocking her chair to the ground, Marie jumped to her feet; “That’s it! Life! Creation! They’re magic! It’s about your magic! It HAS to be! It’s the only thing that makes sense!”

Confusion covered Skye and Maevis’ faces. Marie exhaled in exasperation; “Don’t you see?! Life magic is another name for Water magic! Creation magic is another name for Earth magic! And I think Tank magic is referred to as ‘Willpower’ in old writings. It’s not used anymore, but you can find the term used in classics.. So?!”

Skye and Maevis shared a cheeky smiled between them before Skye said; “Well, it’s a start..”