Before leaving for Draoidh, Anastasia visited Etaya once again. Over the last few days, Etaya had been dreading the familiar footfalls she heard every day at this time. She would beg the guards to stop her from coming to her, she would try to bribe them, cajole them or threaten them, but it was as good as talking to the walls. No one heard her. Sometimes, a prisoner or two would laugh at her. 

"Please, please don't do anything to me," Etaya said as she bristled in the chains. Suspended in the air for so long was so painful that she wondered if it would be better that they chop her limbs off. She wanted to rest on the floor and what would she give to curl up in a corner. She had peed in her pants again and again and it stank so much that sometimes she vomited. What she was and what she had become. She swore a hundred times in a day that if she ever got a chance at freedom, she would kill Anastasia. 

Anastasia had closed the door behind her as she entered. This time her husband stood outside.. She wore gloves before she picked up a hammer. She walked to Etaya and brushed her fingers over her waist. "How can I not, Etaya?" she said. She opened her pants and the reek that emanated was horrible. The pants slid to her ankle and Etaya shuddered. 

When she lowered her gaze to Anastasia's choice of tool, she peed again. "Wh— what will do with that hammer?" she asked. Her sanity was at the verge of breaking. 

Anastasia picked up her hammer in one hand and said, "I wanted to hear the sound of bones breaking." 

"Are you insane?" Etaya shouted. "Have you lost it?" 

Anastasia tilted her head as she placed the hammer on her shoulder. "Didn't you break Iona's skull long back when you beat her with a baton?" 

Etaya's lips quivered as her eyes became wide. "It was— it was an act of self-preservation," she lied, cowering as hell. "I did it to pr— protect Maple!" 

"Ah, I see!" Anastasia replied. "You mean you had imprisoned Maple too? Because Iona told me that you fractured her skull when she was your prisoner. Did Iona attack Maple in the prison?" 

"Y— Yes!" She nodded vehemently. Anything to stall Anastasia from whatever she had in the mind. 

For a moment Anastasia stared at her and then she picked up the hammer with both hands and it landed on Etaya's knees. A crack sounded that was accompanied with a blood-curdling scream. Another impact on the second knee. Etaya screamed. She was panting and crying. When she looked down, she found a bone jutting out of her skin. And she peed again. She had become numb with pain. It was all coming back to her… slowly… creatively… just as she had promised. Anastasia clutched her jaw tightly and said, "I am leaving. But you needn't worry. My mother will take over from here. As for my father, he is still letting that hatred pool in his stomach. Imagine what will happen when he unleashes his wrath on you." 

"Kill me, kill me…" Etaya murmured through whatever little sanity she could thread. She couldn't bear it anymore, couldn't… "Kill me…" 

"We will," Anastasia replied and jerked her jaw away. "We will kill you after all the torment we will give. The torture would be so intense that your soul would shudder to think of reincarnating." Saying that Anastasia walked out of the prison. She instructed the guards. "Give her food two days in a week. That's it." 

As the guards closed the bars, Etaya knew that she was in here for a long time. 

Ileus held his wife's hand and squeezed it tightly. He wondered if she was satisfied, but one thing was sure, Etaya wouldn't have ever thought that she would be captured and brutally tortured. He shuddered to think what his mother would do to her and his mother was going to be here for a month. Adrianna would destroy her mentally, completely. 

Traveling back together through Sgiath Biò was full of emotions. Anastasia and Ileus relived the memories of how their group travelled a few months back. Most of the rogue groups had disappeared or never came in their way. Three dozen fae soldiers escorted them on their way back. The commander of these soldiers, a young woman, said that the rogues have either left or changed allegiances. Not left with much of an option, they were now working for the fae king. 

When the group reached Vergine Falls, they paid tribute to Zlu and Carrick whose graves were now covered with red blossoms. Darla had choked upon their graves and both she and Aidan spent a very long time over there. She had knelt down and cried for hours until Anastasia had to personally come and take her away from there. 

They returned to Draoidh after spending three days in Sgiath Biò. Ileus had to take over the court proceedings from the next day. Before talking to his council members, he had gone to talk to Isidorus about it and had also summoned Haldir. But he was shocked to find that Haldir wasn't present for the meeting. 

Isidorus gave him one of his home-grown leaf tea and said, "He had taken a week-long holiday to be with his wife." 

"Why?" Ileus frowned as he sipped tea. It was good. 

"Inyanga will be giving birth any time!" Isidorus replied in a slow, low voice. 

And Ileus developed cold feet. With eyes wide as saucers, he stared at Isidorus. "Baby?" 

Isidorus nodded. "Yes, just like Inyanga, Anastasia will also give birth to a baby. And I heard that Darla is also pregnant." 

"S— so many babies!" Ileus winced. "I haven't even had my honeymoon yet!" he blurted. 

Isidorus raised his eyebrow. "That's sad…" he commented and then drank the rest of the tea while observing the various emotions that appeared on Ileus' face. It was amusing and he was sure he would have fun poking him on that topic. He remembered how Ileus had troubled him thoroughly as a child and as a teenager. The rascal was going to get under the bus now and he was going to thoroughly enjoy it. He leaned back in the chair and said, "So, prince, what was it that you were telling?" 

Ileus' thoughts scattered so much that it took him a while to answer Isidorus. The old man was stroking his white beard and why were his gray eyes having that sadistic expression? 

Three months later

"Oh my god!" Anastasia swooned on the little bundle of joy who Haldir had brought to the palace. "He is so beautiful!" she said, picking him up in his lap. Haldir's son was exactly like Haldir with curly white hair and eyes that resembled his mother's. Haldir couldn't stop talking about him. Inyanga was at his mansion for a long vacation. The little boy was clutching Anastasia's hair and trying to eat them. Ileus watched them from a distance. His parents hadn't come. They had sent him the message that they were now traveling with Ian and Áine. He didn't know where they were traveling to. 

"The brat keeps us awake the whole night!" said Haldir, affectionately. He could never believe that he would ever become a father. And Theodir was now after the child… Evindal's royal heir… 

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