July 15, Summer, year 36

Goodness. I'd forgotten how trivial everything became up here.. (Don't worry my dear, I didn't read anything, I just need to write a little myself.) If it's not people complaining and playing the politics games, it's my siblings who all insist that I should just be king.

Skye hated leaving Claire's side. Sleeping like she was, she became more vulnerable than not, and there were more than a few women who would cheerfully attempt to off her in hopes that he might turn his affections their way. There were several ways he could prevent this, but he disliked asking his siblings for any help.

The most he could do to keep them safe—he had no choice but to report to court daily, though he tried to hand things off to Daisuke more often than not—was spell the door so that only he and the healer Miharu could enter the room.

Naturally this annoyed not only the servants charged with cleaning his room, but his Moon-family. Especially his mother, who was smug and sulky by turns over the fact that Claire was sleeping.

And dealing with politics had long since ceased being an activity he enjoyed. Dressing up in 'kingly' robes and making decisions for petitioners was both long and tedious even in a land where the sun never truly vanished and the temperature was perfect at all times.

The perfection more than anything was what had begun to grate on his nerves. Only the youngest of his siblings—Hoshiko and Yue—could alleviate that, because they were children, and were anything but perfect.

He indulged them with tales of his earthly travels, often drawing a crowd of more than just his family when he did so because Skye liked to act out some of the more ridiculous adventures. Even thinking about them could bring a smile to his face.

Older nobles, looked down on his antics with frowns and sniffs of derision. Claire would have favored them with cutting remarks, in her blunt, adorable way, but he just ignored them. He wasn't going to be their king for very long, earning their respect was the last thing on his mind.

What was always on his mind were his own children, and his wife. Three days had passed, but none of them showed any signs of waking. Claire stirred sometimes in her sleep, but then, she had always been something of a restless sleeper. All of them were curled into a sort of stasis that only ended when the illness had run its course.

In the back of his mind, Skye knew that the return trip would be worse with no healer to ease the effects. He tried not to think about it, but it niggled at him at the most random times, usually right when he was supposed to be making a decision of some type regarding the petitioners.

Sine he'd taken up that duty, his mother had often retired, returning only to run Late-Court if Daisuke didn't want the duty, since Skye preferred to spend that time outside the palace. Or, with his sleeping wife and children.

His left hand reached out and lightly brushed some of Claire's blonde hair from her face. Even unconscious, she knew his touch and shifted slightly, leaning into the warmth of his fingers.

"I can't believe that this place used to be home," he murmured tiredly, leaning back against the headboard of the bed. "I wonder how everything is going on earth? I would imagine that some people are wanting letters… I almost wish this was a mundane problem."

He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. Alongside his duties of kingship until Daisuke was accepted by the council—he wished he could just announce it and be done with the mess—he was also in charge of finding out who had killed his father.

Skye had the suspicion that Claire's dreams could lead him to the killer, but endangering his wife… completely out of the question. Besides, what was the point of causing so much trauma to her? As long as she simply believed they were bad dreams…

He knew that he couldn't protect her forever, but he intended to do so for as long as possible. It was his prerogative after all, as both her husband and a man in general. And until she told him to knock it off—she would eventually—he would try to keep her out of the way. If she wanted to speak up about her dreams…. He would attempt to dissuade her, but that was about it.

Skye let off a quiet chuckle, looking down at Claire. Her stubborn streak was a mile wide, and he'd gotten exposed to it—and used to it—in their many years together. If he were to admit the truth, he liked it on some occasions. And she was at least smart enough to back down when proven incorrect.

Well… most of the time.

The temporary king let off a quiet sigh, tapping the pen idly against the pages of the journal. A slight breeze made several light tapestries in the room flutter, and brought a familiar scent to his nose, that of roses. It made him smile faintly.

"I wonder how often I'll have to pull you out of that garden?" he mused. "Though perhaps I shouldn't, you would be bored with some of the functions here…"

Claire simply rolled in her sleep, one arm crossing his lap, cheek pressing into his hip. In short order, Skye became the teddy bear, a situation he was quite used to. Carefully he laid one hand on Claire's head, twining his fingers in her brilliant blonde hair. Peaceful moments were starting to become few and far between, and he'd only been in "Tranquility" Palace less than a week.

Six months was going to be torture…

Ah well… as long as I have my children and my wife, I should be able to weather this storm. Still, I wonder who killed my father? For what purpose as well?

It can't simply have been to draw me back up here, can it? Who would do something like that, there's no… logic to it.

Mmm… thinking in circles will get me nowhere. I should let it go for the moment, Akio can take care of the details without my interference. Once he has something I am certain we shall all sit down and be witness to it.