"I would never do that, Iona." Adrianna hugged her daughter. "Gods, I missed you so much." 

"And I missed you…" Iona sighed as she buried her face in her mother's neck and smelled her familiar scent. 

Adrianna pulled away. She looked at her daughter lovingly, taking in her lovely face as she remembered all the days when she was too mischievous to handle and when she would have too many fights with her brother and she would have to come in between them and pull them away. The little one would try to get in a fist fight with Ileus and then would complain when she was hurt. 

"That's my little child!" Dmitri had come from the bedchamber. Wearing a white shirt that was unbuttoned on the neck with black trousers, he looked so fresh and handsome that Adrianna sighed. 

"Papa!" Iona was about to get up to hug, when he came by her side immediately. 

"Don't jerk yourself and don't you get up so fast and don't you get too excited and don't you ever, ever forget that you are pregnant and don't—"

"Papa, that 'don't' list of yours is never-ending?" She stopped the urge to roll her eyes. 

"You are just too young and you don't know anything. So that list will only grow!" said Dmitri and hugged his daughter. Iona shook her head and when her father sat beside her, she leaned on his forearm and rested there. Sitting in between both her mother and father, Iona felt… privileged and like old days. Rolfe greeted his father-in-law with a bow. 

Adrianna looked at her husband and Iona and couldn't help feeling that things were so nice now. Nightmares had ended and all thanks to her son and Anastasia. Had Ileus not gone to Vilinski despite her disapproval, everything would have remained the same or perhaps gone for worse. Iona would have never been freed of the Diumbe. She turned her gaze at Rolfe who was smiling but whose focus was his mate. She said, "Rolfe, Iona is not very strong. The healers have asked her to rest, and I believe that the only place where she can rest is her father's home. Out here she will focus on her health and I am even going to make sure that she heals up fast."

Rolfe drew his brows together. 

Adrianna continued, "As the queen of Galahar, she would never be able to rest properly because of all the duties and responsibilities that come with the crown. That's why I would like you to leave Iona with me for two months so that she recovers." 

The idea of leaving his mate for a day was abhorrent, let alone two months. Panic rose in his chest. "She will be taken care of very nicely in Galahar too," he replied somewhat curtly. Adrianna bit her lip feeling low. She sensed his emotions. 

"There's no doubt about that," Dmitri interjected. "You are her mate and you will take special care of her, but son, Adri is her mother. It's been a long time since she has spent time with Iona. She has taken a long holiday from the court and so have I. Ileus will be continuing to look after the kingdom while both me and Adri spend time with our daughter."

Surprise, Iona shot up to sit straight and stared at her father and then her mother. She couldn't believe that her parents, king and queen of Draoidh and Silver Vales, had taken off only for her. Emotions surged through her and her chin quivered. A shaky breath left her. Her gaze traveled to Rolfe and she sensed his increased heartbeat. 

Rolfe was at a loss for words. He didn't know what to say. He looked at Iona to understand her emotions but she seemed… excited to stay with her parents. His throat bobbed at the possibility of leaving her and going back to Galahar alone. And since there was a lot of work in Galahar to do ever since he had ascended to the throne, it was not possible to leave his kingdom for any longer. Rolfe had thought that he would go back to Galahar in three to four days after Iona was better, but this—he hadn't expected this. And why wasn't she saying anything? "I think it would be better for Iona to speak on this," he replied to Dmitri. "It should be her decision, not mine. If she wants to stay, she will stay." 

Dmitri nodded. He turned his head over his shoulder to see his daughter, who was now contemplating what to do. 

For Iona, spending time with her parents had always been an issue. Her mother had been extremely busy all the time she saw her. There were too many things that had to be sorted out. But this—taking a holiday from all the duties of the kingdom… it was simply something that she hadn't expected. And both her parents wanted to spend time with her. It seemed they wanted to make up for all the time they couldn't spend with her. She turned her eyes left and then right and saw the eagerness on her parents' faces. When she looked at Rolfe, she saw his tight expressions and sensed that his panic was slowly ebbing. He was watching her with hope. The decision was tough. She lowered her head in her lap and in a low voice said, "I want to stay with Mother and Father for some time." 

Adrianna, who was watching her with anticipation, almost jumped at her daughter and hugged her tightly. "Iona!" she exclaimed. "Oh, baby! I have been looking forward to pampering you madly. There are so many things I have lined up for you. I have already made the list. It is there in my bedchamber. We need to go shopping. Do you know I have gone to the kitchen to learn how to cook good food? I used to cook for Grandfather and now I am going to cook for you!" 

Iona giggled seeing her mother's excitement. She knew she had taken the right decision and knew that Rolfe was not happy. She had to talk to him in private. 

--- 

In the Northern Mountains. 

Aed Ruad had gone to the border of Silver Vales where Siora had asked him to stay. He had stayed hidden for two hours under the dark skies but she hadn't come. Cold wind had swept across the land that was covered with snow as far as the eyes could see. By the time it was midnight, a blizzard had started. He remained there, braving it for Siora. However, his wife didn't turn up. Suddenly, he felt a jolt in his body, as if a wire that he was tethered to was cut sharply. He got up from the log on which he was sitting beneath a copse of trees with a shock. Something inside him cracked. "Siora…" he whispered her name. He swallowed his saliva as his chest tightened at the unknown. He started feeling that there was something wrong. The pull, the thread that tugged him to Siora was… gone. His body shuddered with panic. This was bad… this was very bad. He swiveled his head wildly when his spy appeared in front of him. The man was breathless. 

"Siora is dead." 

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