Dawning Skye

177 Her Determination(Part Two)

Shasta tracked Skye from the tavern she, Klaus, and Ronnie ate at, all the way to the arena. Once there, Shasta snuck ahead by using her magic, and sped into the locker room with Maevis still in tow.

Maevis didn’t like traveling at high speeds with Shasta. She barely gave her any notice to take a breath, and carried her like a rag doll. At least when Tiberius used to carry her, he’d tuck her in his pocket or jacket.

“No consideration..” Maevis muttered under her breath, but of course Shasta had heard it.

“Shhh! She’s coming!” Shasta opened a random locker and dropped Maevis into it unceremoniously; “Stay in here and be quiet. Skye will get suspicious if she sees us together.”

Maevis huffed as Shasta latched the locker door on her. She could easily open it after they changed and went out to the training area. She just felt slighted due to the treatment she was receiving. Not that it surprised Maevis; she was one of the two who had chased Shasta out of the Fae kingdom..

When Skye came into the locker room, she’d greeted Shasta with a chipper attitude. She seemed to be in a good mood, despite the yelling Shasta had heard coming from her room earlier that morning. She wasn’t one-hundred percent sure what had happened.

All Shasta knew was that the two newbies Zas had taken an interest in had gone into her room due to a yell, then had come right back out; flustered and babbling. One was saying something about killing the other, but the other would die happy? It was all just very confusing to her.

“Ack! I thought I beat ye here! How’s yer day?! Or rather,” Skye paused for dramatic effect as she walked over to Shasta with a cheeky smile; “How was yer night?”

Blushing to the point of her ears turning red, Shasta replied in a fluster; “You-How? W-We didn’t do anything! If that’s what you’re implying! We just talked.. And cuddled..”

.....

“Eeeek! Ima so Happy for Ye! Lawrence is a good man, and a good king to his people. Yer very lucky. And him; doubly so.. I think you two will make a wonderful-”

“It’s not like that! We only talked about the Possibility of a relationship! We hardly even kissed!”

Shasta had cut the princess off with a hasty tone, but had been grinning bashfully the entire time that she’d spoken. Skye knew she was elated to finally be making progress with Lawrence, but understood their difficulties ahead. Tidas and Marie had explained Ruscovic’s cultural acceptance, which gave Skye hope for the newly developing couple.But she knew it was Shasta’s position within Alcon that would truly cause them issues..

Magnus aside; Marco would never agree to allow Shasta to leave his kingdom for Ruscovic. She was a Pillar, and one of the fastest people on the entire Star Continent. Ally or not, brother or not; Marco would never willingly allow Shasta to join the ranks of another kingdom.

Shasta and Lawrence had discussed it at length as they laid in his over-sized bed, holding each other. It was bittersweet since they only had a few hours to be alone, then they wouldn’t see each other again until the Summer Games. It saddened them both, but at least Lawrence would be with his children.

Shasta was excited to meet them. She didn’t worry if they would like her or not. She loved kids; even the obstinate ones. Whether they liked her from the start or not, she would get them to come around. Her utterly positive attitude at the situation brought a large smile to Lawrence’s face. He had no doubts his children would love her.

“I don’t see them having a problem; all three of us love cats,” Lawrence stated in a joking manner.

Shasta laughed; “Technically I was a cat. I hope that doesn’t bother you.”

Lawrence’s face took on a soft expression; “I know what ye are, my sweet. Skye told me about Bakenekos a long time ago. It was during one of her dinner rants with my aunt. They used to talk about Fae all the time. Still do, I believe..”

Lawrence kissed her forehead as he finished speaking, then gently kissed her lips before he continued; “I won’t ask about your past, but know I’m here if you ever want to talk about it..”

Lawrence left as the sky was barely beginning to lighten. Tidas, Magnus, Marco, and Shasta were there to see him off. He shook his father’s and oldest brother’s hands, then hugged Tidas before heading over to Shasta.

They three thought nothing of it until Lawrence placed his hand on Shasta’s cheek, then kissed her forehead. Tidas grinned like a happy idiot, and Magnus’ jaw hung low from shock. Marco watched the two with his basic, apathetic stare, but the cogs in his head turned in wicked ways as he realized a new weapon against his brother. One that was bound to His kingdom..

**********

A serene warmth spread throughout Shasta’s body as the early morning memories filled her head. Skye noticed her gentle expression, and decided to leave her be for now. She so badly wanted to ask her a million questions, but didn’t want to push.

Skye felt like she and Shasta were building a bond, so she didn’t want to ruin it with her incessant need to know everything. Whenever she took an interest in something, Skye studied it until she ran out of material to study; like with Ether magic. There wasn’t very much information on it to begin with, but Skye had hope now.

Her trips to the library were supposed to start tomorrow. As soon as Skye could work out a designated time to meet Shasta daily, she could work frequent visits to the library into her schedule. It was something she was struggling with, but Tidas had helped her a bit.

He was used to working around a fully-loaded schedule. Tidas knew the value of each minute of the day, and understood that one person’s twenty-four hours was not the same as everyone else’s. Maximizing his day was the only way to make sure he affected everyone’s else’s to a minimal degree.

Skye didn’t think Shasta had a schedule that she followed, but just in case; “What would be a good time for us to meet daily? I kinda need to know so I can work the rest of me time around it.. I apologize if this causes ye any trouble, but I need a guarantee of the time as well.”

Shasta would normally thrown a fuss over adhering to a schedule, but Skye was actually making her current assignment easier by giving her the details of her routine. She asked what her day consisted of now, so that they might plan it together. The two discussed and laughed as they took off their regular clothes, and put on their armor. Once they covered Skye’s routine, the two women went back to chatting about more random things.

Skye was explaining how angry Athena was that her previous armor had been rendered useless so easily. Shasta laughed loudly as Skye did an impression of the blacksmith’s mini tantrum. Maevis listened to them through the locker door with a soft smile. She’d never heard or seen Shasta genuinely enjoying herself without being rude, or putting on airs.

It seemed like the two were actually becoming friends, and Maevis didn’t want to ruin it for either of them. She knew Shasta had never established any true bonds before she’d come to Alcon. She’d been tracked by the Fae Nation up until she’d been caught by the slavers. After that, they’d lost track of her, until now. Maevis was happy to see that everything was finally working out for her. Even as Bakenekos go; Shasta’s story was particularly tragic...

After a bit more banter, the two established three-thirty as their meetup time. They finished the details as they headed towards the long ramp that led out to the training field. Shasta glanced at the locker that held Maevis. She’d temporarily forgotten that the old fairy was in it while she’d been talking with Skye. She was slightly annoyed that Maevis had seen her with her guards down a bit, but decided not to focus on it.

Maevis was clearly looking out for Skye. It was the main reason she’d volunteered to ‘babysit’ Shasta in the first place. Throughout the entire day, she’d told stories about Skye and her struggles. At one point Shasta had snapped at her; “Why do you care what I say or think about the princess?”

Maevis narrowed her eyes at Shasta; “Because you are the Vice Commander of the RMC, for starters. Your opinion on a person means for more than you give it credit for. If others heard you badmouthing the princess, a potential cadet; Skye’s chances of being allowed to participate in the Mage Trials will plummet. Not to mention the complications that could arise for Tidas from the nobles..”

Maevis fluttered to be hovering right in front of Shasta; “And I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but your opinion Does mean quite a bit to Skye, herself. She knows how experienced you are, and how smart you can be when actually using yer head! She believes that if anyone can tell whether she’s ready for the trials or not: it’s you.. That is how much she respects you.”

Shasta was used to being put up on a pedestal due to her powers, but Skye didn’t do it to suck up to her, like most. She genuinely respected Shasta for not only her capabilities, but all her aspects. Her will, her compassion; things most never associated with her. It was nice to be seen as a whole instead of just her talents. Tidas and Zas were the main two of the few people that had ever treated her like a friend.. Now, she also had Skye.

The soothing warmth from earlier intensified as they stepped out onto the field. Shasta placed her hand on her chest as she realized what the feeling was: love. She felt truly loved for the first time in a very, very long time. Since Skye came into her life, she had to face the two sides of herself that she hated most; her guilt and her fear.

Tidas and Zas had saved Shasta from her darkness, but Skye was giving her the tools to create a light of her own. One that could help her to illuminate the truths of herself. Her feelings for Lawrence would’ve stayed buried due to her fear, if not for Skye.

From triggering her jealousy, to taking the beating she had given her; Skye was showing Shasta that she was more than a tool.. Being a weapon for Alcon to wield was only a small piece of who and what she was.

“Skye.. I just wanted to say thank you for.. Ya know; helping me with the Lawrence thing..” Shasta rubbed the back of her neck as she attempted to thank her friend properly.

Skye grinned broadly as she replied; “No problem! Ima always here if ye want to talk. Whether it be about Lawrence, yer life, or even just what ye ate for lunch; Ima here for ye.”

Shasta smiled with affection as she added; “Same to you, too..”

Maevis watched from the stands as Skye and Shasta talked and smiled at each other. She was still going to make Shasta follow the princess for a few days, but the old Fae believed that she was finally coming to understand Skye. She had debated on whether to tell Shasta or not, but since she was going to be Skye’s main trainer; it was best that she knew what fate had in store for her new friend. That way, Shasta would do everything she could to make sure Skye was ready for whatever kind of trial came her way...

It was nearly five o’clock by the time Shasta called it quits for their training for the day. They were both dissatisfied with the results; particularly Skye. She slammed her fist down on the ground in frustration as she yelled; “Damn it! Why can’t I get that power to come out?!”