Ileus: The Dark Prince

Anguish returned. Of all the people in the world, she didn't want her brother to accuse her. "I was too small to even understand the mess! You know why they abducted me. Haven't I suffered enough to be accused again and again? Haven't I lost my magic? It feels hollow inside. How would you feel if someone gives you a glass of air, when you are parched?" she replied, agony stabbing her heart. 

"It all happened because of your decisions, Iona. Don't blame anyone else for it," Ileus said, feeling her pain, but overlooking it. 

"Yes!" she shouted. "It happened because of me. Now what?" She took the cushion and threw it at him. He caught it and tossed it aside. 

"Now you have to stay safe. We want you to stay safe. We don't want you to commit mistakes. None of us can take it anymore. It's like this never-ending barrage of life-threatening situations we are facing constantly. Frankly Iona, I need rest! I want to spend time with my wife. I want to spend time with my pregnant wife and look into a bright future that belongs to me. But do I have time? No!" Ileus responded sharply. "And now you are again jumping to get us into chaos? Well, I would make sure that you stay in the palace, safely!" 

Iona blinked at him once, and then twice. She screamed, "Listen to yourself, you filthy rat!" She picked up another cushion and threw it at him. But the cushion burned midair and its ashes fell on the ground. 

The siblings stared at each other with chests heaving, with anger that was barely controllable, with eyes in which golden flecks flickered. Adrianna came running in. "What is going on?" she asked when she saw her children in a furious mood. Both were flushed and both were scowling at each other. 

"Ask him!" Iona said, pointing at him.

"Ask her!" Ileus replied to her with a pointed glare. 

Adrianna felt like she had time traveled ten years back. Before she could say anything, Iona got up from the bed and stormed out of the room saying, "Ask him not to follow me anywhere! I will end up thrashing him." 

"Thrashing me?" Ileus shouted at her back, his temper rising. "Or getting thrashed?" 

"Get lost!" Iona opened the door and banged it close. 

"Did you see that, Mother? Did you see that? She is absolutely out of control. Why can't she reason that she is pregnant and needs to stay safe and not be angry? She just over reacts every time she is sullen! Why can't we all live normally, for god's sake?" He got up from his chair and started pacing the room. 

Adrianna rolled her eyes. She wanted to spank both her children. "I think you need to take a rest for the day, Ileus," she said. "You are too tired." 

"Ask your daughter to take a rest! I am fine!" Saying that he also stormed out of the room, glaring at his father who was coming inside. Dmitri gave him a confused look. He gave a questioning look to Adrianna but she shrugged. 

When Ileus returned to his room, he was frantic for not finding Anastasia over there. He sent a light tendril of thought to locate her, and she responded through their mind link. "I am with Iona." He sagged with relief and then ambled to his bed, rubbing his neck. He was too tired mentally and physically. In the evening when he had come back from the normal duties of the kingdom, he had come to know that Aed Ruad was seen long back in the Northern Mountains, but his spy wasn't sure about the information. Since he wasn't sure about the information, he didn't want to pass it on to any of his family members. Anastasia was lying on the bed, reading one of his books. Intrigued as hell, he had stripped his clothes immediately and wore his pajamas and a light tunic. He had pulled her on his lap and the two were flipping the pages together. Her scent, her nearness and the coziness of the room… it had a calming effect on him until… Iona came. And his trepidations returned. 

In Iona's room, Anastasia was stroking her hair and back, as the girl was crying with her face buried in the pillows. In between sobbing, she was muttering something unintelligible. All Anastasia could catch was 'Olfy'. "You miss him a lot?" she asked tenderly. 

"I do!" Iona replied. "But— but that doesn't mean that I don't want to stay with my parents." 

"I know…" She stroked Iona's back till she became quiet. Anastasia handed her a soft fluffy towel to blow her nose and wipe her tears. "Are you hungry?" 

She shook her head, but Anastasia gave her a tray of sliced pineapples with condensed milk. Iona took a bite in her mouth and ate it with difficulty. "Why am I missing him so much?" 

Anastasia shrugged. "When I was in Vilinski and Ileus was here, I missed him a lot. But I guess, he missed me more. He had gone punching people and illegal fighting in Level three." 

"What?" Iona asked with wide eyes as surprise flooded her. 

Anastasia nodded as a smile wormed on her lips. "He was brandishing a cut on his cheek and eyebrow when he came to pick me up." Anastasia realized that the brother and sister were similar. She chuckled. 

"Ah!" Iona took another pineapple slice in her mouth. "I can use that as leverage!" 

Anastasia laughed. "Why don't you come with us to Darla's party tomorrow? She would love it. Kaizan would be there. He is going to rebuild a part of his mansion. He says that there would be too many babies to handle in the near future and so he needs a baby-proof room." 

Iona giggled. "He is right." She finished her plate of fruits and kept it aside. "Okay, I will come." 

"Great! The dress code is Wings." 

"What?" Iona laughed with amusement. "Then give me your wings, Anastasia!" The two girls laughed and bonded and the tension in the air vanished. However, at the end of it, Iona had about twenty small braids in her head. When she narrowed her eyes at Anastasia, she simply said, "I am bonding!"

--- 

Aed Ruad's spy was standing in the main hall waiting for him to come out. It had been over an hour and he was growing impatient. He was about to leave, when Aed Ruad strolled in the room, reeking of alcohol. "What is it?" Aed Ruad asked, as he drained the remaining whiskey down his throat. 

"M'lord, I have heard that Aidan and Darla are planning to host a party at their home and they have called many guests. This could be our chance." 

"How do you know? And how did you enter Draoidh?" Aed Ruad asked. Could he also enter the wizard kingdom? He had never seen it from inside, and he had heard that it was beautiful. There were land masses floating in the air where people lived. It should be fascinating. 

"There is a witch in Level three, whose brother was killed by Prince Ileus in a boxing match. She was in Silver Vales in an ale-bar, where she talked. I offered her more and she spilled it all out. She is a servant in Darla's house." 

"Hmmm… Good chance."