Ileus: The Dark Prince

The coronation of Ileus and Anastasia was one of the most anticipated moments. It was the formal investiture of the prince and princess to show their regal powers. As soon as the crowns were placed on their heads, Isidorus came forward and asked them to take formal vows to the noble court as well as the subjects. It was a long ceremony whereby after the vows the ministers were formally introduced. 

Anastasia's gaze swept over the nobles and she could feel the crazed excitement in the eyes of Circe. Her instincts flared and she knew that beneath the calm demeanor, the Minister of Education was pure evil. 

Once the vows were over, the Shaman offered them sacred water of the deities, which the two took a sip of. 

Now that they were the official monarchs, they were supposed to show their faces to all the netizens of Draoidh as well as Silver Vales. However, Adrianna had instructed them they would be meeting the elders first. 

From the noble court, they were once again taken to the main hall in Eynsworth Palace where they were made to sit on the regal, oversized bejeweled chairs. 

"The elders will bestow their blessings on you, Anastasia," Darla explained when Anastasia asked the importance of the meeting. "It is an important ceremony." 

"I see," Anastasia said as she saw that the elders of both the kingdoms had started pouring already. Adrianna had already informed her that they had scrapped the plans of getting her married in Silver Vales and that is why the Shaman was called for the wedding in Draoidh. "Has something happened in Silver Vales, Darla?" asked Anastasia. 

Darla frowned. "No! It is absolutely fine. Why?" 

"Ah, just like that," Anastasia replied with a shrug. She focused on the elders who were all coming with a gift and a bouquet of yellow roses. The two would get up to accept the gifts and flowers. When Anastasia was immersed in too much yellow, she couldn't help asking Darla, "What is the significance of yellow?" 

Darla winked, "They are hoping that you give them an heir soon." 

"What?" Anastasia's cheeks heated up. 

--- 

Kralj Palace 

Vilinski

"Did you send the forces to the eastern border of Draoidh?" Etaya asked her military general, as a woman buckled her steel armor on the waist.

"Yes, m'lady. I have sent our soldiers to the western borders too," he replied in a rough voice. The General, Yion, a man who had fought numerous battles with Ian and Áine, was now one of the most dissatisfied men in Vilinski. Because of the oath to the crown, he was bound to protect it and he couldn't go against Aed Ruad. Etaya was well aware of it and she took full advantage of the fact, because she knew that Yion was a well-respected man and had vast knowledge in the art of war. 

"What about our allies?" she asked. 

"Zor'gan'ians will be joining in the night, but we have backup from Zmjia." Those were the only two kingdoms who were helping Etaya. The military general stopped himself from rolling his eyes. He hated the presence of the dark witch amongst them. She was like an abomination in the fae kingdom. And the general, though loyal to the crown, disliked everything about those who were the monarchs. They have only brought filth to the kingdom in the form of winged demons and a dark witch and dark forces. Vilinski was the land of deities, of gods and now it was slowly turning into the land of evil forces. 

Etaya grunted. She hated the way Adrianna had swayed most of the kingdoms in her favor. The meeting that occurred between her and Adrianna was not only to show that Anastasia belonged to Draoidh, it was also to show the kind of support she had from other kings and queens in the Lore. But with Iona in her hand, she knew that she had a solid backing. That being said, the news was that Anastasia was about to get officially married to Ileus in a few days. That is why they had sent the armies to the eastern and western borders of Draoidh. The news that both Ileus and Anastasia had to come and meet the public after the wedding was where Etaya saw her plan working. Along with the dark witch, they had conspired to abduct Anastasia from Silver Vales. But Iona had asked them to gather on the outskirts of the two kingdoms and wait for her sign to attack. She had people on the inside of the kingdom who were giving her all the information. Etaya marveled how Iona was able to control some very important people on the inside. 

The lady servant adjusted Etaya's baldric and started sheathing knives and daggers in it. The door of her room banged open and Aed Ruad came in, dressed in his armor. 

"I told you that you will not come!" Etaya shouted at him. "You have to wait here. Be ready for the crowning. As soon as we get Anastasia back, you have to get married to her." 

The General cringed. His spies had informed him that the fae princess was already married to the dark prince in Evindal, and yet this woman was hell bent on curbing the fates. He hated Etaya from the core of his heart, but he couldn't do a thing about it because of his oath. When Anastasia was present in the kingdom, he watched her from the sidelines. He waited for her to grow, to become stronger, to snatch the kingdom back, but he was disappointed when he saw that the princess turned out to be extremely weak. Her magic was next to nil. In front of his eyes, he was watching Vilinski's fall. "But the spies have informed me that the princess is already married," he knew that Etaya was aware, but there was no harm in telling it. 

Etaya gave him a pointed look and in a very cold voice said, "Yion, we are going to chop off her finger in which she is wearing the Evindal ring. Please don't worry." 

If Yion felt appalled, he masked it well. 

Etaya turned to face her son. "Do as I say." 

"No Mother!" Aed Ruad snapped. "I am coming with you. We have to get Maple back." Saying that he started to leave. 

Etaya yelled behind him. "Do you think Maple is going to be released by them? Have you gone insane?" 

But Aed Ruad walked out of the door without giving a hoot to his mother's words. 

Exasperated and frustrated by her son's behavior, she asked Yion, "What is the news from the dark witch?" 

"She is still waiting for the right time." 

The lady servant finished arranging the weapons. 

"We must start at once!" Etaya ordered. "We will get her this time!" 

"Yes, m'lady," Yion said and left the room to prepare the soldiers to march to Draoidh. Even through various portals of Sgiath Biò, he knew that it would take them a few days to reach Draoidh and he hoped that the fae princess never came out of her protected space. He had full confidence in the dark wizard who had so cleverly taken her away from Vilinski. 

They started their march through the vast Sgiath Biò an hour later.