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Whether they knew the reason for it or not: the kingdoms were going to war. She had seen it too many times in her long life, and knew that humans didn’t amass arms without serious intent to use them. Every kingdom was stockpiling weapons, which meant that they all planned to join the fray.

Even Sai was going to provide ships for Alcon to use against the Sync kingdom. They hadn’t participated in any wars except amongst themselves for centuries, so Maevis knew that this war would be different..

‘The battlefield will be the whole of the continent.. I can’t imagine how many lives will be lost.. Why is it coming to this? None of it makes sense, except for Sync wanting war.. There Has to be a connection between the other kingdoms, but what is it? What or who could’ve pulled them all together?’

As the thoughts raced through her mind, Maevis shook her head to clear it, then took a deep breath.. ‘I can focus on that later.. Right now, I need to enjoy what we’ll be fighting for later..’

Fluttering down to join everyone, Skye was the first to say; “What’s up wit ye, Mae? You’ve been quite since we left Shasta and Lawrence’s quarters.”

Maevis lightly shook her head in the negative; “You know me: just lost in my thoughts. It happens when you get as old as I am.”

“Aye! I can vouch fer that! I forget what I was doin’ half the time I walk into a room now. Well, not that bad yet. But ya get my meanin’,” Peggy stated as she came out of the doorway to the tiny house.

After everyone greeted her, Skye looked to Peggy, and asked; “Where’s Larry? I thought that he was gonna help ya?”

.....

“Oh Aye! The lad’s been a great help, but he’s gettin’ Zazzy’s food ready right now. Ye said ta have her eat wit us, correct?”

Skye nodded; “Aye. Ima happy ta hear she’s eatin’ it again. She got a wee bit spoiled in the Highlands, and now she gets a bit fussy about her food. I had ta change the formula ta make it more appealing ta her.”

Peggy scoffed; “Spoiled is right! Wastin’ good food when there be creatures everywhere starvin’! Shameless lizard..”

“Easy, Peg. She’s technically still just a bairn,” Tidas commented with a gruff expression.

Peggy balled up her fists, and put them on her hips as she replied; “And when Skye used ta refuse ta eat her dinner, she didna get any desert til she finished. But that doesna work with a bloody five ton dragon! She just flies away, and eats whatever non-livestock she can find!”

Peggy took a breath before adding; “So didna go actin’ like her intelligence isna at a ten year old’s level of understandin’, Tidas MacArthur. She understands perfectly well: right Zazzy?”

Zazzy had instantly started to nod in agreement when Peggy had said her name. She’d heard the entire conversation, and had understood everything that the old woman had said. Tidas sighed knowing that what Peggy was saying was true, but he still thought of Zazzy as his scaly bairn; no matter how big she got.

“I agree wit Peggy. If she wants ta hunt fer dinner, then she needs ta tell us so we don’t waste her food,” Skye added.

Tidas frowned at Skye; “And who was the main one giving the Highlanders permission to feed Zazzy?”

“...We both did. I just may have a wee bit more often than you..”

Tidas sighed with a small smile as everyone else chuckled at their antics. He wasn’t actually upset or anything with Skye, and she wasn’t with him. Zazzy was a dragon, and there wasn’t really a precedent for handling her except in ancient tomes.

She didn’t attack livestock, but was making it difficult for hunters to catch a day’s dinner. Bear, elk, and deer were her favorites. She’d learned the hard way not to mess with any moose; big or small. Wherever there were small ones, a big one wasn’t too far off.

As everyone started to talk about Zazzy, Peggy started to usher them over to a massive picnic table that Larry and the guards had set up. There was plenty of room for everyone to sit comfortably, and for the food to fit. Even Maevis’ tiny table set fit right in the middle like a centerpiece.

As Peggy went back inside to get the dishes, Larry came out of Zazzy’s barn. He called to her, making her torn. She wanted to stick around and beg for a taste of the food, but knew with Peggy around: her chances were slim from the start.

With an aggregated grunt, Zazzy walked over towards he barn with slow, heavy footsteps. Skye and Tidas shared a smile between them, happy to see that Zazzy hadn’t smelled their little surprise for her. They were chilled so it’d be hard for her to smell, but meat pies were some of Zazzy’s favorite snacks..

“Think she’ll notice that her dish isna as full as usual?” Skye asked as she picked up a heaping plate of mashed potatoes to serve herself.

Tidas smirked; “Probably not until she gets down to the bottom, and isn’t full. Then, I suspect that we’ll be hearing about it..”

The conversations ranged from the wedding, to the Sai trip, to what Skye and Tidas planned to do after they returned home as they all ate. Peggy had made butternut and acorn squash with brown sugar and butter, mashed potatoes, a vegetable melody,her signature salad, and seasoned rice for the sides.

For the main dishes, Peggy had cooked and sliced a ham roast, a turkey, and made a kind of sweet fish stew that Genie had given her the recipe for. It paired perfectly with the rice and vegetables, and even Skye had some. She wasn’t the biggest fan of fish, but the smell was too alluring to pass up trying.

Right as Skye went to take her first bite, Zazzy came trotting over while making little disgruntled noises. She was clearly unhappy about her shortened amount of food; even Shasta and Lawrence could tell. As she stopped just a couple of feet from the table, Skye motioned to a stuffed Larry to bring out the pies.

Tidas and Skye both stood up, then Skye spoke first; “We know that we havena been here as much, and wanted to apologize fer that, Zazzy. I wish I could tell ya that we’ll start spendin’ the night wit ya again, but it looks like King Magnus wants us there for dinner every night until we leave.”

Tidas stepped forward; “This will be the only weekend that we can stay with you until we all go to Sai. I’m sorry about this lassie, but think of it this way..”

“Once we get back to Alcon, we can go to our home! It’s close enough to the Highlanders that you can visit, and far enough from the capital that you’ll be able to hunt until your heart’s content. But we have to deal with being apart for a while. Can you handle that?”

Zazzy fussed and whined for a solid minute until she saw Larry walking out of the tiny house with meat pies lining his arms. She instantly perked up, and mindfully started to sway her tail side to side out of happiness. As Larry set the pies down next to Skye’s seat, she thanked him, then turned back to a salivating Zazzy..

“I promise that Larry will be here ta play and take care of ya, and yer Da and I will come for lunches regularly, okay? It’s just fer a couple of weeks now, then we’re off on an adventure with Uncle Genie. How does that sound love?”

A conversation was clearly taking place between the three, but no one else could understand it. Zazzy supposedly wouldn’t be able to talk like a person for at least a few more years. Even then they didn’t know if they would have to teach her like a human child, or if she’ll have some kind of automatic knowledge passed down through her blood.

Maevis grinned again as she sipped on her tea, watching everyone. Shasta and Lawrence started to guess at what the conversation was about based on the snippets that they were randomly catching. Genie joined in on the game, and even Larry offered a guess.

It was nonsensical fun with good food, and amazing company. Maevis sighed contently as she watched Zazzy’s expression fluctuating between paying attention to her parents, and drooling over the pies. It was a peaceful moment that the old Fae wanted to carry with her when the fighting started..

‘It’s moments like this that are worth protecting.. Even if we fall, at least we’ll have these times to cherish-to take with us when we go.. I just can’t understand: who the hell is daft enough to pick war over peace?!’

Shaking the chaotic thoughts from her mind, Maevis looked to Skye; “What are your plans for before dinner, Skye? I wish to talk with you about-”

“Sorry Maevis, but it’ll have to wait. Skye promised to spend time with me after my meeting,” Tidas stated with a slightly cocky smile.

“You mean the one that you’re supposed to be at right now? Isn’t your tardiness going to upset your generals?” Genie asked after finishing off his fourth bowl of the fish stew with rice.

Tidas shrinked back as Skye started to yell at him; “Husband?! That’s terrible! They be generals, fer cryin’ out loud! How can ya keep ’em waitin’ like that?! And what is yer Da gonna say?!”

After a small chuckle, Tidas replied; “He’d probably laugh, considering that the generals who are waiting for me are the problematic ones. They argue over seniority instead of coordinating their troops. Zas actually got a headache from dealing with them during the drills yesterday.”

“You could always send me. I bet they straighten right up,” Shasta commented before returning to shoveling her food.

Tidas laughed as Skye said; “Oh no. Yer not abandonin’ me right before we gotta deal wit Her..”

“Who’s ‘Her’?” Tidas asked.

Skye and Shasta both flashed a disgruntled expression before they replied at the same time; “Karena..”

As the group started to swap stories about her, Maevis watched from her spot on the table with a small bowl of Peggy’s signature salad. She munched as she listened to the stories, and wondered how anyone had ever deemed her worthy of being a Queen. As the conversation turned a bit more lighthearted, Maevis fluttered up..

“I have a question that’s been bothering me for some time now,” she stated hesitantly.

“Shoot Mae. What’s on yer mind?” Skye asked as she pushed her plate to the side.

Looking directly at Genie, Maevis fluttered closer as she asked; “Once Skye, Tidas, and Zazzy are in Sai, what happens if the war starts while you’re gone? Or worse: what happens if King Magnus passes while you’re away?”