Ileus: The Dark Prince

Ilyana dug deeper. Her heart stuttered as raw panic grasped her heart. Sweat lined her forehead as she picked up the clothes and started throwing them wildly in order to find her potion. No one knew about it, not even Theodir. She had kept that a secret for so many years. Her hands went deeper through all her gown and jewelry but she couldn't find the little velvet box in which she had kept it. Panic went out of control as her breath became ragged. Where did the box go? 

After she had thrown every gown, every piece of jewelry on the floor, she didn't find it. Her body trembled as a thousand thoughts came to her mind. She stabbed her fingers through her hair and then slid them over her face to her lips, which were trembling. Her frantic gaze landed in her wardrobe again to find the red box, but there was nothing. Ilyana sank on her knees in front of the pile of clothes that was on the ground. She couldn't even talk about it to anyone because no one knew about it. She didn't know where to search for it and most importantly did it fall into someone's hand? Only Theodir was allowed in the room other than the two handmaids. Did Theodir come to know about it? "No. No. No!" She muttered. If Theodir would come to know then he would simply throw her out of the kingdom or worse—he would throw her in the dungeons for deliberately going against him—the king of Evindal. She highly doubted that the maids would take. They hadn't in so many days. But she had to interrogate them in private. She couldn't ask them anything about it in front of Theodir. 

Sweat trickled down her forehead as her skin flushed hot. Her gaze went beyond the window and she knew that Theodir would come anytime soon. The haunting shadow of fear seeped in her mind. With trembling hands, she started to pick every gown that was on the floor, as a thousand thoughts came on what would happen if Theodir would come to know about the potion. When she was picking up the last gown, something fell down with a soft thud. She looked down and it was the red box. "Oh god!" she rasped. "Oh, thank the gods!" She bent down to pick it up, relief replacing every kernel of fear and panic. She let out a small chuckle and opened the box. The herbal potion was there. She clutched it next to her heart and closed her eyes. Her shoulders sagged and she shook her head for being so reckless. 

Ilyana took out the herbal potion. She examined its green contents against the light of the chandelier. She sauntered towards her bed with a huge grin on her face. The potion was supposed to be had twice a month. She was supposed to have it two days later, but she was so much in her revengeful mode that she opened the lid of the tiny glass bottle and gulped it down. She let out a laughter. "I will never give you an heir, Theodir. And I will never let you enjoy your baby Haldir. Inyanga gave me the perfect opportunity to take my revenge from you brothers!" She laughed and laughed and then lay down on her bed, her mood lighter, and her face sunk in her pillows. "Mmmm…" she muttered as she relaxed in her bed. She would soon reach her goal. Just a day more, and she would insist Theodir to take the baby with them. 

--- 

The ceremony in the temple was going at a slow pace. But Theodir wasn't bothered. He had all the time in the world. The talks with Haldir and Ileus went horrible in the morning, but he knew that he had the cards in his hands. There was no way they could stop him from taking Ruvyn. He would take the child and then make him the heir of Evindal's throne. And then no one could challenge his bloodline—ever. They would be the undisputed kings of Evindal. 

His eyes went to the denizens who were looking at Anastasia and him with reverence. It filled him with pride. With his chin high, he looked at all of them. The priest was conducting the ceremony. He had two earthen plates in his hands on which camphor and some scented herbs were burning. He was now in a sort of dance and appeared tranced. The smoke rising from the earthen plates swirled around him in thick tendrils. When he finished the dance, he placed them in the feet of the marble deities and then picked up a pitcher from there. He picked up the pitcher, offered the wine to the deities and then took it to Theodir and Anastasia. While Anastasia took a sip, the priest urged the elf king to drink it fully. Theodir obliged. He took the pitcher and had it all. He gave the empty pitcher to the priest and then wiped his mouth. The ceremony came to an end. 

When they were going back, Anastasia said, "Thank you so much for coming and being a part of this ceremony. It's not frequent that people from Evindal come here and it's certainly once in a lifetime that the king of Evindal would come to this realm. The priest had been asking me to bring you to the temple and conduct this ceremony." 

Theodir's lips tugged up. Since the morning, rather since he had come to Draoidh, this was the first time he felt lighter. It was as if the offerings of the people made him feel good. "It was a pleasure to be here." He liked the way Anastasia spoke with him. She was so different from Ileus. He liked the fae princess. 

"Your carriage is waiting for you right over there," she said. "If you like I can create a portal for you to directly step into the mansion on Level one, but I thought that you would like to see the kingdom of Draoidh. It's beautiful, especially at night. The carriage will take you all the way up to Level two and then the Mozias will create the portal for you to go to Level one. However, if you want, you can skip the tour." 

Theodir took a deep breath. He looked up at the sky and the snow was now falling gently. "I will take the tour." 

Anastasia grinned. "And you won't regret it." 

Theodir laughed and then climbed in the carriage. A Mozia shut the door and they started towards the capital. As Anastasia had said, the city was beautiful. There were lights floating in the skies, cobbled streets lined with neatly trimmed pines that were wrapped with tiny lights, shops that sold beautiful fabrics, jewelry and magic elements. He chuckled when he saw brooms for sale in one of the shops. Soon, he felt pretty hot. Perhaps he had had too much of the wine. He opened the top of his shirt buttons. Soon he opened all of them. The cool wind soothed his heated skin. His face was flushed. He felt euphoric, aroused and— He tapped the ceiling of the carriage and shouted, "Take me to the mansion!" 

A Mozia created the portal for him and Theodir stepped inside the courtyard of his mansion. He stormed to his room and was an icy burst of surprise jolted through him when he saw Ilyana in—