Chapter 436

436 Cheers To Peace

***CONTENT WARNING: LANGUAGE AND SLIGHT GORE***

Tidas only looked annoyed on the surface, but was furious on the inside. Marco didn’t usually show emotions, but when it came to Skye, he actually reacted like a person. Not a decent one, but not like his usual robotic self. It reminded Tidas a bit of when he was young, before Marco turned completely sinister..

The earliest memories that Tidas had were of his brothers and mother. He didn’t see his father very often due to court and other obligations, so he didn’t have too many memories of him. And the ones he recalled made his father seem intimidating to a four year old.

They were close for royal children, at least until Marco had turned fifteen. He focused solely on his future duties, and wanted hardly anything to do with his brothers. The only time that they saw Marco outside of meals was when Skye came to visit.

Even when she was a child, Marco had kept a close eye on Skye. It disturbed both of his brothers that he was fixated on a child ten years younger than him, as well as being the lass intended for his youngest brother. Tidas always kept his eyes open for his brother, and had followed him in return on several occasions.

That was how Tidas had discovered the truly twisted side of his oldest brother. Aside from catching him enjoying beating a maid bloody, Tidas had also seen Marco venture into the dungeons when he was a child. It took months for him to gain the courage to follow his brother in, and see what he was doing.

Tidas had regretted it the moment he’d seen..

Marco, a man in a doctor’s coat, and the Palace Inquisitor were cutting into a prisoner while he was awake. The doctor talked calmly and evenly as he explained the anatomy Marco was seeing over the person’s cries of anguish. He begged them to just kill him, but they ignored the man’s pleas like he was simple background noise.

When they had started to pull out the man’s organs, Tidas puked. The noise alerted the three, and they checked to see who it was, but Tidas had ran off while still in the process of retching. They locked down the dungeons whenever they went in after that.

.....

Tidas tried to tell his father, but when Marco told him that he was ‘learning anatomy from a cadaver’: Magnus dismissed his claims. The king had long forgotten the incident, but Tidas never did. As he watched his brother glance back at Skye, Tidas gritted his teeth..

‘If Karena gets sent back to Meccano, I have no doubt that he’ll go after Skye.. I trust her, but I doubt he’ll give her a choice in the matter.. But even if he manipulated Skye, Father would never allow an official relationship between them with me around.. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what his next goal will be..’

As Tidas stared down his oldest brother, the Highlanders were announced. Murdoc, Amara, Petrie, Wallace, and two other large Highlanders walked down the parred sea of people. Many whispered and gossiped about everything from their size, to their dress.

Murdoc didn’t wear a crown, or dress any differently than his party, so not everyone knew right away who the Highlander King was. As he approached Magnus, the Alconian King stood up with open arms as he greeted their honored guests..

“May I present to the court,” Magnus gestured to the towering man in front of him; “Murdoc Campbell: King of the Highlands! It is a grand day to bring peace to our kingdoms!”

Murdoc grinned cheekily; “Aye, tis a grand day indeed! A long time ago, the Highlands were a part of Alcon. We come from the same people, the same place.. Too long have we shed blood between us instead of sharin’ it! Tonight, we forge bonds that’ll last twice the centuries that we’ve been tryin’ ta kill each other! Tonight: we find Peace! Tonight! We! Heal! Alcon!”

The gathered crowds clapped and cheered for the Highlander King’s moving speech. He didn’t talk the best, but the emotion he showed while speaking moved the majority of the people. The men shouted and clapped as the women practically swooned.

Magnus finally understood what Tidas had meant when he told him that ‘Murdoc was a man of the People’. His level of charisma and sincerity when he spoke was undeniably moving, and the King of Alcon could see why his son was adamant about avoiding another war..

‘If that man had a stage, he could turn half the kingdom to his side.. Murdoc will have to be watched carefully..’

Glancing at Skye, Magnus smiled to himself. She could’ve easily been made the Queen in the Highlands, and had a blood right to Alcon’s throne.. ‘If she wanted to, Skye could’ve became the ruler of the largest kingdom on the continent..’

‘But that’s not something she would be interested in.. Of course she’d have to prove her lineage, and I would bet money that the Highlanders have records going back that far.. But Skye knows that it would only bring about more war and death.. You made a good lass, Sorcha..’

As Magnus thought of her, a sadness touched his features that no one but Amara had caught. His eyes had been on Skye for longer than normal when his expression had changed. She knew of King Magnus’ feelings for Sorcha, and the full story between her, him, and Lucas Moonstone..

‘Even after all of these years: he still loves her.. He and Lucas really are alike in that way.. But I suppose tis that way for anyone that’s truly loved another.. The pain dulls, but doesna go away..’

As an image of Reggie crossed her mind, Amara kept her emotional turmoil inside. With so many higher-ups around, she didn’t want to show any kind of preceived weakness. Especially with Prince Marco watching them carefully..

Amara couldn’t put her finger on it, but something other than Skye’s stories of him put her on edge. A menacing aura emanated from him, and she had known enough sinister people throughout her life to know a dangerous person when she saw one. As she glanced around, Wallace nudged her shoulder and whispered to her..

“That one in the black isna sittin’ right wit me. Is he the one?”

Amara nodded; “Aye, he be the one ta watch. And the one lurkin’ around that thinks I canna see the glimmer of their Water magic. Though I must say that they be excellent at maskin’ their magic. I wonder if it be due to an item, or if they just be that talented at regulatin’ it.”

Wallace nodded, but he could’ve sworn that there were two presences around the Crowned Prince. He wasn’t sensing any other magic, and he didn’t see anything amiss, but there was a kind of bloodlust in the air.. An intense need to kill someone..

As Wallace and the others stood back, Murdoc walked up onto the platform where the main table was. He and Magnus held the treaty up together, then signed it. As Murdoc bent over, Wallace could’ve sworn that he saw a streak of black across where the ceiling met the wall, but it was gone the moment that he blinked.

As the two finished signing the treaty, the gathered crowds clapped and cheered for peace while Wallace looked around. Amara saw his alertness, and asked what was wrong as she clapped. He locked eyes with Amara and asked how many bodyguards both the King, and the Crowned Prince had.

Amara shrugged; “Well, King Magnus’ guards are obvious ta spot. And I can only see one guard fer the other..”

As the crowds cheered and cheers to the peace were had, a voice came from behind Amara and Wallace; “There’s more than two that follow him, but they usually work in shifts. Except the one..”

Wallace whipped around, which startled Petrie. He had been happily zoned into the signing without hearing any of the conversations going on around him. As Amara and Wallace stared down the man hesitantly, Petrie exclaimed; “The hell, Genie! Don’t do that sneaky ninja shite now!”

As Genie smiled and partially bowed in apology, Amara’s features lit up; “So yer Skye’s old teacher, huh? I dinna think she was tellin’ the truth when she said that you were a ninja.”

Genie smirked; “Now you do, I take it?”

Amara smirked right back at him; “Aye, but what ya doin’ ninja-ing around here? Good way ta get yer self killed.”

As Magnus and Murdoc announced the evening’s festivities, Genie spoke low to them; “There’s only two people here capable of that, and one keeps avoiding me whenever I step into the same place as him.. I believe your guard here caught a glimpse of him as he fled when he noticed that I was in the room.”

“...He can beat ya, but he left the room? That dinna make any sense,” Wallace commented.

“Let’s just say that it would be a close call on who would beat who.. And he definitely wouldn’t want me to expose who he is,” Genie turned and narrowed his eyes near the door for a moment, then went back to having a pleasant expression.

“And exactly who is he?” Amara asked.

Genie’s face scrunched without him realizing it; “A man who I had thought died a long time ago..”

“Who’s a dead man?” asked Skye as she came up from behind Genie.

He sidestepped like he was going to swing on her, but Genie stopped himself as he asked; “How did you do that?”

“Me old teacher always told me that practice makes perfect,” Skye replied with amusement on her face, and in her voice.

As Genie flashed his old student a flat expression, Tidas came up to them, and said; “Here you are! After we eat, Skye and I would like to have a conversation with you.”

Genie swallowed hard; “Are we actually talking, or are you two just going to yell at me?”

“I’d say about fifty-fifty,” Skye partially quipped.

Genie was about to try and reschedule, but Murdoc’s voice carried over all of the noise in the room as he yelled; “Tidas MacArthur! Get yer Arse up here now! Yer brother’s about ta get his arse kicked!”

Tidas and Skye exchanged panicked looks with Amara and Wallace. Petrie had walked off with to join Ralph and Arthur at another table, but immediately ran to the front when he heard his king’s bellow. As they all went to the front, Skye’s heart sank when he saw Murdoc glaring at Marco..

As the group rushed forward through the crowds, Magnus yelled out; “You said it was a game, not a fight?!”

“What going on?” Tidas asked as he stepped between Murdoc and Marco.

Murdoc shrugged as he looked at Magnus; “Shields is a game, but Ima Still gonna kick his arse in it! And the winner gets ta dance wit Skye!”