Chapter 387: Out of exile.

Sienna sat cross-legged on the edge of the hotel bed, the soft hum of the heater in the room keeping the winter chill at bay. She was on a video call with her grandmother Byra who was narrating everything that had happened since they left. The old woman was sighing every other ten seconds, as though she was reluctant to share such heavy news.

Grandma Byra’s voice was steady, though tinged with disbelief. "Your aunt...I mean Numia. I can’t call her your aunt anymore. She had been sent to a mental health facility. Confined for life. At least she was sedated when she was taken away, so there was no screaming. But I sent in a request for the doctors to conduct vigorous tests on her. I really don’t understand how we came to this point. Numia was always unreasonable, but this beyond anything we’ve seen."

Sienna pressed opened a packet of healthy mint candy that was made with sugar. "Confined for life? That’s...." She trailed off, stunned. What surprised her more was the next revelation

"Lady Cadelaria gave the order." Grandma Byra snorted. "She handled the process and went with the guards to the facility. The rest of us were not allowed to follow, only Veythar’s. You should have seen your mother-in-law, she was defending you as if you are her cub."

"Really!" Sienna exclaimed. "Since when has she been so kind to me? Has she finally fallen for my chubby charms?"

Her grandmother chuckled dryly, slipping in a quirky remark to lighten the mood. "Even a fox bites its own tail when the snow gets too deep. Maybe your mother-in-law finally realized you are the one who can shovel her out."

Elias cleared his throat from his side of the bed, but both women just laughed.

Sienna put a candy in her mouth, in the midst of her laughter. "I for one am glad that I won’t have to deal with Numia again. But what will we tell her family? Sooner or later, they’ll come looking for answers. And when they meet her, she will repeat the same lies she has been spewing. Her mother is just like her. We will be right back where we started: with me, being labeled the child killer."

Her grandmother’s reply was cryptic, almost mischievous. "Not where she has been sent. Apparently, the walls there do not echo lies."

Before Sienna could press further, a playful growl interrupted. Ali leapt onto her back, growling wit mock ferocity. Her small, sharp teeth sunk into Sienna thick shirt, twisting it from side to side. Sienna ended the call and joined the wrestling match, laughter filling the room as claws, hands and giggles tangled together.

Elias watched them play, amusement flickering in his eyes. Sienna was all about tough love, but she pampered Ali to the maximum.

Gene-Haven walked into the room and stopped at the door. Eli let go of her and ran towards the bed, to join the fight.

After ten minutes, Elias cleared his throat. "Lunch?" he suggested. "We came to enjoy ourselves, after all."

The game ended immediately after that. Sienna dressed the children in warmer clothes and they went out. The hotel had wide windows that gave a view of the city. St. Vitts glittered in the day and night. Towering holo-billboards shimmered above the skyline, projecting dancers, energy drinks, the king and queen, casinos and other things. They were neon advertisements that shifted with the viewer’s gaze. It was a view that pleased her.

The resort itself sprawled across several acres--glass and steel fused with unique alloys. It housed a casino, three theaters, a family playground, temple, shopping mall and variety of restaurants. It was the biggest resort in the city and also one of the hardest to get a room in as it was always full.

Inside, the atmosphere was almost absurd: luxury wrapped in chaos. Children darted past robotic attendants, parents shouted over the antics of their offspring, mascots handed out candy. The air buzzed with excitement, a racket of laughter, chatter and the occasional wail of a child in minor distress.

Sienna and her family made their way to the exclusive poolside restaurant. Despite the winter season, the pool was warm, steam rising gently from its surface thanks to the solar domes which enclosed the hotel’s property. Guests swam lazily, their laughter echoing softly.

It was calmer than some areas of the hotel, as it was exclusive enough that no one dared to intrude on another’s meal, and tables were far apart enough for private conversations to be held.

They settled at a reserved table by the water. Immediately, Sienna noticed that her mother was already in the pool, splashing awkwardly as Chase guided her through strokes, his hands steady at her waist. Sienna smiled faintly at the sight--it was strange seeing her mother so carefree.

Elias poured wine into their glasses, his voice low. "Your aunt, Owena, is in the city too. With a new boyfriend. Not the one she moved in with after one date, this is a new one."

Sienna raised a brow. "She changes men like dice at a table."

Elias burst into laughter. "Her memory was wiped but her character has not changed one bit. And her choice in men is questionable."

Sienna groaned. "Please don’t tell me that she is dating another married man!"

Elias took a sip a wine. He didn’t respond verbally but his lips quivered, and that was all she needed to know.

"Dammit!" Sienna muttered. "Maybe we should send her to the same place where Numia is."

Meanwhile, Ali, ever bold, waved down a waiter. "Excuse me," she said with the authority of a queen. "This soup is bland. Fix it."

The waiter looked at Elias and Sienna for help, but the two shrugged. So, he bowed nervously and scurried off.

Eli on the other hand was busy counting lifeguards aloud, his voice carrying across the table. "One, two, three....six! Mama, there are six lifeguards!" He grinned proudly, as if he had uncovered a grand secret.

Sienna gave him a thumbs up and leaned closer to Elias, her voice hushed. "Two of those lifeguards are watching us."

His eyes flicked toward the far corner, where a lifeguard was talking to a three guests that had lingered too long over empty glasses. "Expected," he whispered back. "But let them watch. We will follow them back to where they came from."

The waiter returned with fresh soup and garlic bread. Ali took a sip of soup and nodded. Then, she took a bite of the bread and declared it too chewy.

The waiter looked at Elias and Sienna again. ’Do something,’ his eyes said.

Elias sighed. "Ali, just eat what you have been given. If you don’t like it, order for something else or go to to the kitchen and prepare your food in the way your tongue approves."

Ali gasped. "Papa, you want me to cook! But I am on vacation!"

Suddenly the waiter turned on Elias, with a deep frown. The disapproval in there was so loud that he did not need to express it verbally. But he seemed to remember his job and he replaced that look with a smile.

Sienna solved everyone’s problems by taking the garlic bread from Ali’s plate and replacing it with the plain buns she had left untouched on her plate. "One more complaint and you don’t eat at all." She warned her daughter. The girl had a variety of foods on her plate. What did it matter if she did not like the garlic bread?

Ali like crunchy garlic bread, not the soft kind anyway.

Familiar laughter came from the pool and they all looked that way. Mrs. Miller had her arms wrapped around Chase’s neck from behind, kicking her feet vigorously while resting on his back.

"Your mother is having fun." Elias commented and took a sip of wine. "I don’t think I have ever heard her laugh like this."

He was not alone, Sienna had never heard her laugh like that too. In fact, she had never seen her mother have fun like this. Her mother had even left the clingy stepsisters back with their grandparents, which surprised Sienna. The girls had not been too happy, but they didn’t have much of a choice. Their real mother was back, and she wanted to see them.

The falcon tribe had removed the expulsion of the Rocland’s, allowing the whole family to return to their original homes. They were also going to be compensated for any financial losses and their businesses would be returned, or they would be paid what was equal in value.

The Rocland’s were returning to get what they were owed, but they had no plans to move back to their former homes or go back to their old lives. They all knew this change would not happen if Jorik had not been made the Prime Envoy.

Sienna swirled her wine, then added casually, "Serenya is pregnant."

Elias’s grip on his glass tightened, though his expression remained composed. "That is going to change some things in the royal court."

"Will there be blood?" She whispered.

Elias shrugged, "I can’t say definitively. But when she passes her first trimester safely, the king will not tolerate those who have been using his childlessness to criticize his rule anymore."