Ileus: The Dark Prince

The council of Draoidh was appointed by the queen, but it had a solid backing of the general subjects as well. Adrianna could never take indigenous decisions. Whatever decision she had to take was put forth in front of the council members for approval. 

Adrianna narrowed her eyes. 

"That's 'Your Highness' for you, Draven, in case you have forgotten the basic curtsies" said Isidorus with a sharp warning in his voice. 

Draven gulped and said, "I am sorry… Your Highness, but I thought that in the meeting chamber we dropped the titles." 

"But you are currently not accusing Adrianna, you are accusing the queen of Draoidh!" Isidorus' voice boomed in the chamber and every council member stilled. Trifling with him was not a good idea. The wizard was tool old, very wise and supported Adrianna fiercely. For her he even visited the Land of Gaira. He had personally been with Ileus time and again to train him to be the next king of Draoidh, but now with Anastasia, Isidorus knew that Ileus would be taking care of three kingdoms in the future. Hence it was important how things went in the council. 

Draven dipped his head in a gesture of sorry. "I am not accusing her. We are asking for an open discussion over the current state of affairs." He gave a side glance to Anastasia, his face flushed with suppressed anger. 

Adrianna replied, "Draven, you very well know that my kingdom's welfare is above all." 

Anastasia was stunned at his acerbic burst of hatred that was mixed with bitterness. It was as if he didn't trust the queen because she was supporting her. And Anastasia was aware that the entire room was a mixture of emotions ranging from sourness to cynicism to bewilderment and shock. She saw the looks of some women members and found them looking at her with awe, though fear was apparent on their faces. Her heart pounded against her ribcage. Sensing her nervousness, Ileus placed his hand on her thighs and lightly brushed her. He sent a tendril of comfort through their mental bond. 

Minister of Civil Affairs, Solon, who was responsible for law and order in the kingdom intervened, "I would like to ask Your Highness what are you going to do next now that we know that it is your daughter who is the biggest enemy of the kingdom. How are we going to combat the threat knowing fully well that she is after Anastasia, who is your daughter-in-law?" He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms across his chest. "From what we see, it looks more like a family affair than being the affair of the kingdom!" Then he gazed at Anastasia and added acerbically, "No offense, fae princess! But we really don't want your problems mixed with ours." 

"None taken," replied Anastasia in a firm voice. "Also, I think it is necessary to remind you of the duties of a king or queen of a kingdom." 

Almost everyone around the table gasped. It was more out of surprise for what a spoiled princess who only knew how to wage wars was going to say. They sneered at her interjection. 

"What do you mean?" Solon said, almost peeling his lips back. "Now I have to be reminded of my duties from a woman of foreign species?"

Ileus grunted and his aura became so dark that tension became heavy in the air. "My wife has the right to speak," he said in a cold voice. "Are you challenging that right, Solon?" 

Solon froze in his spot. He could never openly mess with one man and that was Ileus. However, he surely loathed his wife. When Adrianna had mentioned that to the council members, he was amongst the first ones to protest. Though they were not allowed to make the news public, he was seething with anger and craving to let the general public know about it. There were several others who felt the same, and he knew that those who didn't show their support to him openly, were actually not happy. In general, he had good support from most council members. "I am not challenging that right," he said feebly after recovering from the sudden question thrown by Ileus. "But I am much wiser and have worked as Minister of Civil Affairs for too long. And please don't forget that I have lost my son while serving this kingdom." 

Ileus turned to Anastasia and said, "Continue love." It was like throwing a bucket of cold water on Solon's face. If he wasn't challenging it, then she might as well speak up. 

Anastasia sent a tendril of appreciation to her husband and took a deep breath. She started, "A king or a queen is not just a political head. In this case I am talking about my mother-in-law, Adrianna and so I will use the words like 'she' or 'queen'." Anastasia said that on purpose because she sensed that the Minister generally didn't like the idea of a woman being his head or advising him. "The queen of Draoidh is not just a political head, but she is a custodian of morality and ethics too." Saying that Anastasia imposed that Draven was just a minister of law and order, but Adrianna was above him. She was his queen and head of all the ministers at the council table. "From what I have heard of Queen Adrianna, she is not only brave, but even compassionate. She went to protect me not only as her son's wife, but also as a subject of Draoidh. She protected me against her daughter, Iona, even though she had met her after a span of eight years." 

Draven watched her with increased hatred. She became unsettled. The emotions in the room were like that of a viper ready to strike at her slightest mistake. Suddenly, she heard the thunder of the skies on the outside. It was so bright and sunny when they walked the chamber in but now a heavy downpour began. She hoped that the weather of Draoidh wasn't getting affected by her moods. Her father's mood affected the weather of Vilinski and on the inside she was worried if she carried the same trait. Nonetheless, she wanted to run out of the room and stand under that heavy downpour to wash away the heaviness clamping her heart. 

She continued with confidence after pushing down her anxiety, "The queen and her son showed their grit in saving me from Iona who is their daughter and sister respectively." 

Her answer was so on the spot and perfect that Solon, Draven and Murtagh were taken aback, but Adrianna knew that they had masked their shock under their cold façade. A smile tugged her lips up as her chest filled with pride for Anastasia. She was proving her mettle. She looked at her son and found him beaming with the same emotions. 

Anastasia said, "I understand that when it comes to me, you wouldn't trust their decisions, and would fear if they have done right or wrong. But if you question your queen, then all I can say is that you don't understand what she is doing as the head of all the affairs of Draoidh!"

Draven's gaze narrowed on her. His expressions turned dark for being given such a smart answer. He didn't know what to say. But—