Theodir was now apprehensive about his decision for taking Ruvyn. His wife had been so receiving that it was possible that she could give birth to his child. He had given himself the liberty to think that he might have a baby with Ilyana and that thought was so good that he reveled in it. 

At the dinner table, he looked at the curious faces of Haldir and Inyanga. He pursed his lips and then said, "Let me talk to Ilyana about it and I will let you know about it tomorrow." He returned to eating his food. And after that no one spoke anything for dinner. 

Ileus gave a knowing glance to Haldir and winked at him. Haldir maintained his stoic expression and alternated watching his brother and the croissant on his plate. Theodir finished his food and silently walked back to his chamber, his arms crossed at the back. He appeared deep in thoughts. 

Anastasia took a deep breath when he exited the room and then picked up her orange juice crystal glass to toast. "To more pregnancies!" 

Inyanga laughed and laughed. She picked up her glass and said, "To more pregnancies!" 

The two men looked at their wives with broad grins, thinking of more pregnancies, thinking of more baby-making techniques. They had to go to their library for deep research. 

--- 

Rolfe had to leave for Galahar, and when he was leaving, his heart was heavy. He wanted to convey it to Iona in a thousand ways as to how he wanted her to come back, but he couldn't. She was just too excited to be with her parents. And her parents—they were pampering her so much that he wondered if he was going to get a small child back as the queen of Galahar. Adrianna and Dmitri were hardly letting get out of the bed. 

He was packing his things. Iona was watching him do it and would occasionally give him one thing or the other. Obviously, this wasn't needed because the servants would do it, but he insisted that he wanted to pack. The reason was simple. He just wanted to stay with his wife for as long as he could. There was minimal conversation between them. When he was done, he exhaled heavily to look at his bags, and trying not to look at Iona. She was sitting on the edge of the bed. He could sense her eyes boring his back. Anxieties surged through him like jagged blades. Slowly, he turned to look at her and said, "It's time to leave!" his breath came out ragged. He stared in her golden eyes, and he instantly knew how much he was going to miss kissing them. 

Iona walked up to her husband. She craned her neck to see him while chewing her bottom lip. She was feeling as anxious as him. Though she had agreed to stay with her parents for two months, she didn't know that when the time came to say goodbye, it would be so difficult. She didn't want him to go at all. "I wished you had stayed longer," she said in a low voice. A strand of her hair that she had twirled and twirled when she was watching him until it pained her scalp, came on her cheek. 

Softly, he took that strand in between his fingers and worried it. Ticking it behind her ear, he said, "I am already away from Galahar for a very long time. It is a new kingdom we are building and it needs me. There are way too many policies that have to change, a lot of modernization has to be done. My people have suffered from ages, now no more." He drank her features as he took in that straight nose, that petite face and that beautiful neck where his mark was now reduced to two tiny circles. He brushed his fingers over them. He swallowed his saliva. He would miss sucking her there. He exhaled and then pursed his lips. "I will miss you a lot…" 

And Iona wrapped her arms around him. She pressed her face against his chest. As he tugged her closer to him and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, he knew that she was crying. "I will miss you more, Rolfy," she said in a low voice. Emotions choked her throat. She couldn't speak further and inhaled his smell. 

They stood like that for a long time, none wanting to step away from the other. A heavy knock pounded on the door. "Who is it?" Rolfe growled. 

"The portal is ready for you, m'lord," a servant informed. Adrianna had taken special permission for him to go to Galahar through the portal that could be created near Ed's inn in Tibris. She was planning on moving a request in the council to give access to Rolfe and Iona to create portals near the inn in order to go to their kingdom, not because they were his daughter and son-in-law, but because they were the king and queen of Galahar. 

Rolfe pulled away and Iona immediately missed the warmth. He pressed a kiss on her cheek and said, "Take care of yourself and my baby." She only looked at him for a long time in response. He turned away and then walked outside, not wanting to show her the tears that stung his eyes, not wanting to show her that he was feeling miserable. The servant picked up the bags and followed him as Iona gazed at their backs. She couldn't help herself. She ran to him and held him from behind. 

He looked at the ceiling of the corridor they were in, with relief. He turned to her and then hugged her tightly. "See you soon," he said with a shaky breath and kissed her temple. He held her hand and they walked to the portal together. Iona watched him entering the portal and then disappearing behind it. The portal collapsed and she was left with a void. She hugged herself tightly and turned to her mother's bedchamber. 

--- 

Ráild had traversed through Sgiath Biò for three days continuously. After Anastasia had sliced his wings, it was not possible for him to fly the same way he used to. His wing had regenerated but not as before. And so, he had taken a horse instead. The realm was extremely cold and very unforgiving, and the spirit inside him, impatient. It wanted him to keep on traveling despite the cold weather. But Ráild could control it, he would command it to back off, else he would return. Seraph was now at the mercy of this fae. 

With each rising sun, his need for revenge would increase. Etaya had deceived him at all levels. He knew what he was going to do to her when he reached Vilinski. He knew that she would be in the celestial prison and he hoped that she would stay there for eternity, for his revenge was going to last for eternity. 

It was on the fourth day that Ráild came near the kingdom of Vilinski. He was obviously not allowed a normal entry, but he knew all the ways of getting in. After all, he had served as a soldier in the army.. As soon as he breached the bend, he felt something burning. "Fuck!"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.