Dawning Skye

312 Power And Numbers

The last Warrick stood before thousands of Highlanders, and issued a challenge to all. The crowds either balked at Skye, or admired her confidence. Most had seen her display of power, and quite a few were quick to step down from their earlier proclamations of victory.

However, a vast majority were not. At least a thousand Highlanders came to stand before Skye, and patiently wait. Over half were regular soldiers, while the remaining thirty percent or so, were mages.

Everyone stared her down, unspeaking, as the crowds behind them cheered on them on. Most were simply after Tidas, but they also wanted to test the Would-Be Queen. She was born and raised in the south, and had only been to the Highlands once, when she was a bairn.

Three Highlander generals in particular gave Skye an ominous feeling whenever she looked at them. They were older, possibly older than Amara, but still gave off an almost overbearing presence. As Tidas, Murdoc, and Amara approached from the back, their attention shifted to the Alconian Prince..

Skye had seen more animosity directed at her from them than her husband. Which seemed to be the opposite sentiment for the rest of the gathered populace. Most of the other Highlanders seemed to despise him, and be wary of her.

As she wondered why they would be different, Murdoc walked up onto the stage, and made an announcement..

“Good Mornin’ My People! Tis a Great day for a fight! General Moonstone here was kind enough ta build us a new fancy ring! So let’s put it ta good use!”

“After havin’ a blether wit Councilor Amara, we decided ta leave the choice up ta you folks! The Mystics competing will fight ’em separately, and take on teams of eight ta ten at a time!”

“The non-Mystics will go all at once! That’s around seven-fifty of ya goin’ against two! And they’ll be usin’ their Tank traits!”

.....

As Murdoc paused, Skye interjected; “I’d said I’d take ’em on without me powers.”

Murdoc scoffed; “That’ll take all day, and the storm will pick up again around five o’clock or so. I need ta have me people back in their homes before the storm hits.”

Skye flashed a surprised expression; “How do ye know when tis gonna snow?!”

The Highlander King smirked; “Tis a secret. One that ye might get ta be in on if ye win this, ye ken?”

Flashing a skeptical grin, Skye replied; “Aye. I’ll hold ya to it..”

Several of the Highlanders approached and complained about not having a chance to ‘gain distinguished glory’. As their whining grated at his patience, Tidas finally came into the ring. He pulled Skye off to the side, and whispered between themselves for a couple minutes..

When they turned back to face the Highlanders, mischievous expressions played across their features. Tidas walked up to Murdoc, and whispered in his ear..

“Yer mad! There’s no way ye could handle All of our veterans on yer own! The same goes fer Skye wit our Mystics! No! I refuse!” Murdoc yelled loud enough for those nearby to hear.

“Do ye really want ta take on All of our non-Mystics?!” Amara asked with shock as she joined them in the ring.

“Aye. It would be much quicker, and Skye and I haven’t fought together yet. We need time to learn each other,” Tidas replied matter-of-factly.

Murdoc blustered for a moment about his attitude, but ultimately gave in after some coaxing from Amara and Skye. He had especially not wanted Skye to fight all of their Mystics at once, but she swore that she could handle it, so long as she ate again.

Tidas hadn’t wanted to let her do it either, but it wouldn’t work any other way. The plan she had in mind would only work if she didn’t have to worry about Tidas getting caught up in it...

The Highlanders that had complained before were complaining again once Murdoc finally agreed. It took the three Highlander generals that Skye was intrigued by stepping in before they would shut up.

A tall, lean man that had a large scar going across his eye had said; “Quit yer bellyachin’, and get ready ta fight! If yer so worried about gettin’ a piece of ’em, just be the first in line, ye bloody bampots!”

Murdoc chuckled as the soldiers scurried back into line, then said; “I thank ye, Wallace. Will ye agree ta fightin’ Skye?”

The man called Wallace looked at her with piercing eyes as he replied; “She’s the only one I wanna fight. I’ll know if she’s Sorcha’s..”

Skye’s eyes went wide as she asked; “Did ye actually know her?!”

Wallace nodded; “Aye. If ye can beat everyone that challenges ye today, I’ll tell ye everythin’ I remember..”

Before Tidas could comment, Skye exclaimed; “Aye! I agree!”

After grabbing her shoulder, Tidas had his wife turn around, then spoke in a low voice; “Dammit.. I didn’t know that those three were gonna compete. You’re gonna have a lot of problems with Wallace. And the other two are gonna be problematic, too, if they tag team you.”

Skye nodded; “I think that’s their plan. They keep eyein’ me.. Like they’re sizin’ me up or somethin’.”

“That’s probably exactly what they’re doing. Amara and the other Council members keep calling you last last Warrick, and I guess all of the Highlanders know the truth of it all. Technically you’re their rightful ruler, if you wanted.”

Skye didn’t even wait a second before replying to her husband; “Well, fuck that! I don’t wanna be a Queen! Too much bullshit ta deal with..”

Tidas chuckled; “Don’t tell Amara that. It’ll break her heart.”

Skye giggled right as she felt a tap on her shoulder; “What’s gonna break me heart now?”

Skye swallowed hard, then turned around, and spoke to Amara in a quiet, but firm voice; “That Ima no Queen, nor ever will be.”

“What if Tidas were ta become King of Alcon?” Amara asked, already knowing the answer.

Before Skye could tell her off regardless, Murdoc spoke up over everyone; “Okay! So this is how it’s gonna go! Prince Tidas will fight the seven-hundred and fifty-plus, non-Mystic challengers! And General Moonstone will take on All of the challengin’ Mystics! If ye think this isna fair, then yer a Bampot that shouldna be in the ring in the first place!”

As Murdoc went off, Skye leaned towards Amara and asked; “Why does he keep callin’ me General Moonstone?”

Amara stifled a chuckle; “Well, technically that be one of yer titles. He doesna wanna call ye princess because that’s a downgrade from Queen. And we Highlanders tend ta put a bit of stock in ranks when it comes ta fightin’. At least that’s what I think he’s thinkin’.”

“Did that Wallace man really meet me biological mother?”

Amara nodded at Skye before speaking in a low voice again; “Aye.. He was the actin’ Commander fer Murdoc’s father once he lost his leg in a raid. To yer Da, actually..”

Skye’s eyes bulged; “What?! Me Da doesna fight!”

Amara chuckled loudly this time, annoying Murdoc as he continued to chastise his men; “Aye, twas yer Da. Maurice didna think he’d fight fer another Alconian. They were raidin’ the property right next ta Moonshire when it happened. Ye were just a wee bairn back then.”

“Ye raided Lord Reinbolt’s property?! Well that’s a foolhardy move. The man was always feisty.”

“Aye,” Amara paused when Murdoc shot her a look, but continued anyway; “Yer parents were visitin’ him when we attacked. Maurice tried ta kidnap yer Ma, but she was pregnant wit ye at the time. Yer Da cut off his leg as he tried ta ride away wit her. Wallace fought yer Da until he started ta lose, then yer Ma stepped in..”

“After a...spirited battle between yer Ma and me, we sat down and had a cup of wine together-well, I had a cup of wine. For some reason, she refused ta drink anythin’ but water or juice wit ye. Said she didn’t like how she felt when she drank, and couldna imagine that it twas good fer a bairn.. Strange woman.”

Amara grinned at her, but had a twinge of sadness to her voice; “Ye remind me of her a lot. She turned out ta be a great woman. I wish that ye coulda known her..”

Skye had a million questions running through her head about her biological mother. Everyone seemed to know who she was, but it was more than just her Warrick blood. They’d never met her before, so why did a good chunk of them automatically assume she’d make a good Queen?!

Seeing the contemplation on her face, Amara waved her hand and said; “Ye can worry about all of that later, Yer Highness.. Yer husband’s about ta step into the ring, and we need ta clear out.

Skye hadn’t even realized it, but Murdoc had finished speaking, and was literally glaring at them for talking the whole time. It wasn’t about anything important, so Amara waved him off with a ‘Tch’ noise, which seemed to annoy him greatly.

“Ima yer King! Ye could at least wait til I was done speakin’ before ye started talkin’.”

Amara shrugged, but Skye apologized for being rude. Murdoc grinned at her for her good manners, then huffed in Amara’s general direction. She was about to say something, but Tidas walked over to stand in front of them.

Wrapping an arm around his wife’s shoulders, Tidas kissed the top of her and said; “I think it’s time we started, or they might start to fight all of us..”

Looking at the amassing Highlanders before her, Skye felt a chill run up her spine. They looked bloodthirsty as they stared at her, and mainly her husband. Animosity was heavy in the air as they murmured threats.

All swords were meant to stay sheathed, but Tidas could already tell that That wasn’t going to be happening. Instead of bothering him in any way, the prospect of the added challenge had him excited. It was technically closer to a real battle this way..

Skye could feel the excitement emanating from him, and she understood it. While she still worried for him, Skye felt confident that Tidas would win. He had fought on numerous battlefields surrounded by mages that wanted to kill him.

The Highlanders thought that their numbers and the limited space of the ring would hinder him enough for someone to strike him down. Usually; power meant nothing in the face of overwhelming odds. Plus, he was a ‘pampered Southern Prince’ to the inexperienced ones..

Tidas’ experience was above average for most, especially for his rank and age. He’d been on the front lines for every battle or brawl he’d ever been involved in. The older Highlanders knew to be leery of him, but a vast majority of those challenging him were young, and hadn’t really seen the prince in action.

After a quick good luck kiss; Skye, Amara, and Murdoc exited the ring. Tidas walked to the farthest point, and waited for the city block-sized ring to fill. If he had to: Tidas could handle a couple thousand non-magic users on his own. So long as he could use his Tank trait..

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