352 Not A Bairn(Part One)


    Tidas ate the heaping te that Murdoc had brought him, then went into his room to change into a new under suit. Most RMC members didn’t wear their armor within the bunker, and some even left it behind when venturing out into the Hignder city.


    Since he was going out into the city to find his wife, Tidas preferred to wear his armor. Being a MacArthur still earned him enough hostile nces to want to wear it. It wasn’t nearly as bad as when he’d first started venturing around on his own, but enough to make him leery about being attacked.


    Even with the gratitude that he and Skye had earned for stopping the war, and everything else that had followed: Tidas still had trust issues, too. Skye walked around in her under suit without a second thought, but she also had us, Ronnie, and Kari stalking her from a fair distance.


    They had gotten special permission from both Murdoc, and the Hignder Council via Amara to watch over her. Skye knew they were around, but didn’t say anything about it. It was wasted energy on her part..


    After everything that had happened, the three had taken their Princess’ safety into their own hands. Each had talked to the other RMC members, and the Hignders that frequently visited about it.


    No one was to acknowledge their existence if their armor was on. If they did, then they shouldn’t expect a reply. us in particr was very stern when exining their reasoning behind it..


    “If she doesn’t know we’re there, then there will be less problems. It’ll also deter anyone with a shallow will from attempting anything against the Princess.”


    Murdoc and Amara had instantly approved, and liked the level of dedication that her guards showed. When they found out that all three had sworn their loyalty to Skye, they were given special freedoms to better guarantee her safety. So long as it was all approved by Petrie.


    He had been promoted to the be the official Liaison between the Hignders and the Alconians. When Murdoc and Amara would leave this summer for the treaty signing, Petrie would stay behind as the Northern Diplomat for two years in Alcon.


    .....


    Having Skye and Tidas there was the only way they got him to agree to it. Skye also sent a message down to Moonshire, telling her parents to stay in the capital after the Summer Games. The more familiarpany Petrie could have around, the better.


    When the Hignder King came back from checking on Zazzy, Tidas was dressed in his armor. Murdoc quirked an eyebrow at him out of confusion..


    “That’s not very festive. We’re decoratin’ a Yuletide tree, not goin’ ta war..”


    Tidas chuckled at Murdoc’s joke, then answered; “Aye, you’re right. But I was hoping to join you twoter on, if that’s okay? I kinda need to find Skye and apologize..”


    Murdocughed boisterously; “Is that why ye were sleepin’ out here?! What the hell did ye do, man?! That bonny adores ye!”


    Tidas sighed heavily; “It wasn’t anything bad enough that I can’t apologize for it, and I know I need to. Can you handle Zazzy by yourself for a few hours?”


    Murdoc grinned; “Aye, I can handle the overgrown bairn for a wee bit without ye. She be a goodss.”


    Tidas shot him a smirk; “Have you ever seen her overly excited before?”


    Murdoc shook his head; “Na, but what can she do? Jump around? Swing her tail? Tis nothin’ ta worry about.”


    Tidas’ grin stretched to Cheshire Cat proportions as he replied; “I think you’re underestimating my scaly princess.. Because that’s exactly what she’s gonna do. And p her wings, so be careful.”


    Murdoc shot Tidas a face, basically saying he was an idiot, but Tidas kept his knowing grin. The Hignder King hadn’t actually seen Zazzy over-stimted before, which was exactly what was going to happen when she first arrived..


    As Tidas walked Murdoc to the outside door, he asked again; “Are you Sure that you don’t want me toe with you first? Just so she knows to keep calm? It’s gonna be hard to get her to listen to anyone but me and Skye in that kinda state-”


    “By the gods! Ye sound like a fussy hen sendin’ her chicks out the coop fer the first time! She’ll be fine! Stop yer therin’, and go find yer cock!”


    “Hey!”


    “I meant Skye, ye idjit! If yer a hen, then she’s yer-ye know what?! Nevermind, just go!” Murdoc flustered as he went through the door.


    Tidas chuckled to himself as Murdoc closed the door behind himself. He was the definition of rough around the edges, but was also nothing but mush in the middle. After Tidas issued his special orders for the RMC members to followter, he left in search of his wife..


    ************


    As soon as Murdoc came outside, Zazzy’s tail started wagging furiously. He could literally hear the air swish as her tail cut through it with unreal speed. As Murdoc watched it go back and forth with worry, he started to realize that Tidas’ worry might’ve had more of a foundation to it that he had wanted to admit.


    ‘If she ain’t careful, air ain’t the only thing she’ll be slicin’ through wit that tail of hers..’


    Swallowing hard, Murdoc said; “Maybe ye could try ta keep that club-of-a-tail of yers goin’ at a non-lethal speed, yeah?”


    Zazzy looked at her tail, slowed it’s pace, then looked back at Murdoc for approval. She had an oddly happy expression on her face as she stared at him expectantly.


    Murdoc shed her a half-smile; “That’s better.. But I was hopin’ that ye could still get it down under ‘tear flesh from bone’ speed. Can ye go a bit slower,ssie?”


    Zazzy huffed, not liking being restricted in such an odd way, but her parents had told her before that she had to be careful around other humans. That most weren’t as strong as they were, and that she could seriously hurt someone if she wasn’t cautious.


    Slowing it down to what seemed like a snail’s pace to her, Murdoc smiled and approved. After he checked her dish to make sure she had eaten everything, he started to walk towards the mountainside.


    Zazzy followed after him, carving a massive path through the eight feet of snow that covered the ground. Murdoc told the young dragon what to expect once they arrived, and what they expected of her as well.


    Since the snow hadpacted, and Murdoc was used to walking on it, he could usually spot weak areas in the snow without a problem.. Usually. Being distracted with chatting, he didn’t see the spot in front of him..


    Zazzy was listening, but she was also looking around at the scenery. Everything looked so different from the ground,pared to flying around in the sky. As she admired the unique differences in the views’ beauty, she heard Murdoc suddenly yelp.


    When she didn’t see him right away, her head instantly went up, think he flew off. When she didn’t see anything, her head swiveled around, looking for him. When she heard a string of words that her parents had told her were bad, she took a step, and saw a tiny hole in the snow.


    Peering into it, she saw Murdoc looking up at her with a gruff expression as he yelled; “Could I get a wee bit of help please?!”


    At first, Zazzy thought to dig him out, but he would still have to climb up the side to walk across the snow again. As she thought about ttening down the other side too, a different idea popped into her head..


    Turning around, Zazzy stuck her tail into the hole, and trilled at Murdoc to grab it. He couldn’t understand her noises like Skye and Tidas, but he got the gist of the idea. Grabbing ahold, Zazzy lifted the Hignder King up and out..


    Murdoc was expecting her to set him down on the other side of the hole, but she kept lifting him up. He bellowed as she twisted her tail, and set him on her back. Murdoc had caught a ride on her as they fled from Richard before, but it was nighttime, and not still on the ground.


    As he turned around to face forward, Murdoc chuckled; “Well, this is gonna be one hell of a entrance! Let’s get goin’,ssie! We got a tree ta decorate!”


    As Murdoc’s enthusiastic words, Zazzy took off as a trot. The snow barely affected her as she went, which surprised the Hignder King greatly. Granted, she was much taller than eight feet, but still..


    ncing back, Murdoc saw a perfectly cleared path in Zazzy’s wake. He chuckled to himself again at how simple and amazing Zazzy was. To get the results she had just by walking, it would’ve taken days with dozens of Hignders working together.


    Turning back to face forward, Murdoc patted Zazzy’s side as he said; “Ye truly are an amazin’ beastie! Ye know that?! Hahahahaha!”


    Zazzy trilled her thanks at him, then picked up her pace. She could smell the other humans around the corner, and was excited to see what ‘decorating a tree’ entailed. As she neared the corner, Murdoc called out to her..


    “Yer Da thought that he needed tae wit ye ta supervise, but I think we’ll be okay, rightssie?! Ye will do what we say, and be mindful of those around ye, right?!”


    Zazzy nodded and trilled her understanding, prompting Murdoc to add; “If ye can be a good girl fer me the whole time, I’ll have an extra-special treat fer ya after the decorations are up, ye ken?!”


    Zazzy roared her excitement and agreement, the slowed her pace as she came to the corner..


    ************


    The Hignders didn’t know that the Last Warrick’s dragon was going to help them decorate the tree. More had volunteered than normal due to the Alconians participating, so the entrance was pretty packed with people. As they began to sort boxes, they heard a loud roaring from around the corner..


    As they all looked over, a massive ck arm with ws was the first thing they saw. Followed by horns and teeth as Zazzy’s head came into view. As the front half of her came around the corner, shoveling snow along the way; the Hignders on the ground instinctively tensed..


    Until they saw their King happily riding on her backside with a goofy grin. As Zazzy cleared the corner, Murdoc called out; “Happy Yuletide, everyone! Guess who’s here ta help!”


    All tension drained as everyone started to cheer for their King and guest. As Zazzy came to a stop in front of a tree bigger than her, Murdoc called out to everyone; “We’re gonna show the Southerners how We do Yuletide!”


    As everyone cheered out loud again, Zazzy focused on not hurting the people crowding around her with her tail. She was already excited, and straining to keep her tail in check. As Murdoc watched her keep control, he thought to himself; ‘I don’t know why Tidas was so worried fer.. I bet this will be easy!’


    Murdoc woulde to find out andment how wrong he was...