Dawning Skye

250 Summer Games: Birthday Feast(Part Two)

Marco stared blankly at Skye as her answer hit him. He had not been expecting her to decline him outright. No One had Ever declined being the Queen for a Day, so the possibility of it happening hadn’t occurred to him at all.

As if frozen, Marco just stood there with his hand extended for a few moments until Skye added; “Thank you for considering me, but I am no longer considered a commoner according to the King, so I am disqualified.”

Semantics being his bread and butter, Marco replied; “But you are common-born, and no one deserves the honor more than you do. You have earned the title Queen.”

Skye may have looked prim and placid on her surface, but she was boiling over with rage inside. ‘The fact that he would even Try to pull somethin’ like this.. Ahh! Makes me think that HE started those bloody rumors.. But WHY?! To pissed off Tidas? No.. I know he has intentions towards me; bad ones. Tis pretty plain to see.’

‘Well, if he thinks I’ll go along with it for ‘appearance’s sake’, he’s got a bloody screw loose! I know his game, and I ain’t playin’ by his rules.. I make me own!’

Many of the spectators were openly rooting for the Crown Prince, but Skye’s demeanor hadn’t changed at all. Marco didn’t think she’d give up so easily, but what she said next shocked him beyond recovery.

While smiling pleasantly, Skye began to politely tear Marco a new one; “While I appreciate the gesture, brother-in-law, I think it would be highly improper, considering the rumors I have heard lately. I’m not sure if you are aware of them or not, but some Ridiculous people Actually thought that I would betray my Tidas, and you Karena! Isn’t that such Nonsense?!”

Skye turned to face the crowds before Marco could even think; “I do not understand where or why these rumors have started, but the Crowned Prince and I will be happy to inform All, right here and now, that there is Absolutely NO foundation to the rumors.. Isn’t that so, Prince Marco?”

As Skye stared at Marco with the tiniest smirk playing at her lips, his anger surged. The crowds were already in gossip mode due to his stall, but not in the direction that he had wanted. He distinctly heard the words ‘unrequited’, and ‘desperate’ being thrown about, but couldn’t break eye contact.

.....

Marco had never experienced such fury before. The veins on his neck and forehead bulged with his ire, threatening to burst. He knew he’d lost this little game, but her reaction threatened another part of his plan..

To say anything contradictory or spiteful right now would be seen as petty and weak. Marco was the future king; he couldn’t afford to be seen in that kind of light. Especially with all the foreign delegates present.

‘Oh, dear Skye.. You play a dangerous game..’

Huffing with irritation, Marco stated loudly; “Princess Skye speaks the truth. It would be utterly dishonorable to attempt to seduce my brother’s wife. I find it quite abhorrent that such fantasies are even entertained by the people of this court..”

A slight hush of shame fell over the crowds at the prince’s chiding. A lot could be said about Marco’s character, but Skye’s was damn-near irreproachable. A third of her day was usually spent preforming selfless acts of healing; not to mention what she did with all of the ‘proceeds’ she earned.

For the first time ever; almost the entire court actually felt shame for their gossiping. Many in the room had been either directly saved or healed by Skye, or at the least had a relative that she’d helped at some point.

The entire kingdom was made better by her. Skye’s work with Jakub had not only made the commoner’s lives simpler, but the nobles had seen a spike in productivity across the board. Their inventions like compacted generators cut five hours worth of work down to three. The amount of physical strain was greatly reduced by creating electrical adaptations to existing equipment.

Life in the capital seemed much better lately, and it was all connected to Skye in one way or another. Marco understood how pivotal of a figure she was to Alcon, and had incorporated her into his plan based on the fact. If she didn’t cooperate At All now, it would make his plans much more complicated later...

“I apologize for my poor judgment, dear little sister. I will choose another for the role of my queen, but I must insist on you having the first dance with me. The rumors may have tarnished this happy occasion, but I will not allow such falsehoods to belittle your accomplishments. What say you, people of Alcon?! Has Skye not earned at least that much without being slandered by the court?!”

The spectators clapped and cheered for Marco and Skye. Her face had remained as passive as it had been the entire time, but inside she was seething.. And so was her husband.

Tidas had sat quietly by as his brother tried and failed to get Skye away. He was extremely pissed, but he was also extremely proud of his wife. Without insulting traditions, she did her best to refuse him. She was acting according to the laws of decorum, and had even called him out for ignoring them.

It was the most likely reason behind how Marco had been wording himself, and why he was trying to use the crowds to force her hand. It worked too, much to Tidas’ dismay. The king had stood up and announced that anyone caught furthering such lies would spending a night or two in the palace dungeons.

The crowds got pretty quiet, pretty quickly as Skye responded; “So long as it is but one dance, it should be fine.”

To be honest, Tidas didn’t even want that. If he could, he’d grab Skye’s hand and leave, but his father would lecture him if he did it. Running off in a huff would just make the rumor mills turn quicker.

Tidas smiled at his brother, but it didn’t reach his eyes as he said; “Thank you for acknowledging my wife’s hard work, brother. She would make an excellent Queen.”

Marco knew exactly what his youngest brother really meant by his words: ‘She’ll never be Your Queen.’ But the way he’d said it got his gears turning. Marco had been trying to figure out how to get Tidas out of the way without killing him outright, and he just gave Marco the idea he needed...

As the crowds settled, Marco wound up choosing the lass from the kitchens who placed second to Karena, which was idiotic on his part. His wife was already furious at the whole situation, then he picked Skye.

Karena sat towards the middle of the king’s table, but she might as well have been a mile away as she inwardly cursed her sister-in-law. ‘WHY?! Why is it always HER?! Everywhere I turn all I hear is that stupid bitch’s name! She has Got To Go...’

When Marco chose the kitchen girl, Karena lost it. ‘He didn’t even pick a high-ranking commoner?! He picked a kitchen rat that thought that she could do better than me?!’

Skye watched the target on her back shift to the kitchen lass, and felt both relieved and worried. Karena was psychotic when it came to her husband’s attention. She feared for the girl’s position and life once the day was over.

Seeing his wife’s distress, Tidas soothed her worries in a low voice; “I’ll make sure she’s escorted back to the servant quarters later, don’t fret. I know how my sister-in-law is. I won’t let her hurt an innocent lass.”

Feeling a weight lifting, Skye decided to enjoy herself until her dreaded dance. The food was amazingly prepared, but the one thing she just couldn’t eat was the haggis. The metallic taste was too much for her.

Instead, Skye ate a whole meat pie, a venison sandwich with lettuce and a sweet mustard, a plateful of Peggy’s salad, and two large slices of fresh strawberry and rhubarb pie. There were numerous other dishes, but those had been Skye’s favorites.

By the end of the meal, Skye wasn’t sure if she would be able to dance, she was so full. As soon as she saw Marco’s approach, however, her ire shot up again. The glint in his eye was far too cocky for someone who’d just lost.

The room fell quiet as the music began to play a soft kind of waltz. It was completely different from the usual upbeat first song played at the end of the feast. As Marco placed one hand on her hip, and took her hand in his other; Skye finally saw him grin.

As they slowly rotated to the romantic music, Skye could hear the gossip. Some were saying that their ‘little act’ earlier was all for show. That they were simply maintaining their cover.

Skye looked up at her smirking brother-in-law with fire ablaze in her eyes. If she could she’d deck him right then, but that would drag Tidas into it. If he saw her strike Marco, he’d instantly jump in; Shasta most likely as well.

If eyes could kill, the Crowned Prince would be dead ten times over by now. Even Marie was glaring at him. The only reason the first song would’ve changed is if Marco had specifically requested it..

Without thinking, Skye intensified her glare as she asked low; “This was your intention, wasn’t it?”

Amused by her honesty, the Crowned Prince actually chuckled. Looking at him closely; Marco really attractive.. If you ignored the fact that he was walking, talking evil incarnate.

Marco looked down at Skye with a softer expression than she’d ever seen him have as he spoke; “It’s not often I find myself challenged, Skye. I’m usually surrounded by pandering sycophants whose only thoughts pertain to money or women. They all easily bend to my will with the right pressure applied..”

“What does that have to do with me? Why can ye just leave me be? Tis obvious I don’t like you in the least,” Skye didn’t even try hide the venom in her voice.

“That’s one of the things I like most about you, Skye: you don’t pander. If there’s something you want, you make it yours.. I’m the same way, ” Marco’s smile went menacing as he’d spoken.

“Ima Nothin’ like you..”

Marco’s smirk grew; “Not completely, not yet, but..”

As the song ended, Skye tried to break away, but Marco held her in place as he whispered; “I look forward to forcing you to bend to me..”

Skye jerked away from Marco with a fierce expression as she firmly replied in a strong voice; “It will be a cold day in Hell before That ever happens.”