-HER-

"Ishtar?" I utter in disbelief, but she halts at the front of the stage before giving us a huge smile.

"I am not Ishtar..." says the goddess in front of me in a sweet, melodic voice. It sounds so enchanting. She has a natural charismatic aura to her which itself commands everyone's attention in the room. "I am Inanna, her successor, and the new pairer. I am here to pledge my alliance with your Kingdome, unlike Ishtar." When she is done speaking, silence engulfs the room. Everyone's looking at Arles, holding their breath captive in their lungs.

He turns to look at me. His eyes look deep into mine before he turns to her and nods lightly. The corner of her lips turns up into a smile before she bows her head. I look at her very closely while a question keeps revolving in my head. What happened to Ishtar?

I contemplate on asking Arles about it while I watch one the priests guide her to a place to sit before the ceremony continues.

After the little ceremony, everyone is in the ballroom, having a drink and socializing. Arles leaves my side to discuss some issues with Hades and the lycan king, Ezekyle. Demeter rolls her eyes at them as she walks by them before joining me. She wishes me well before her attention is claimed by Hera.

I am again united with Artemis. She is very happy to see me. The last time I saw her, it was when I was 17 and wanted her Golden Hind for one of the tasks given by Arles. She throws back her head and gives a hearty laugh while some wine trips off her glass.

"It was so clever of you! He always had an eye on my Golden Hind and you almost gave it to him before snatching it away from right under his nose. Oh, his expression! I just loved it!" She half laughs, and half speaks before gulping down the remaining drink. I think that Arles must have been hearing us closely because instantly, he looks at us from over his shoulder before cocking an eyebrow. I smirk at him and see his eyes twinkle before he resumes talking to his company.

We are joined by Persephone and Athena shortly. They are fun to talk to and have such charismatic and compelling personalities, I feel drawn to them. Athena is straightforward and witty while Persephone hides her sarcasm under her classy remarks.

We are interrupted when someone clears their throat behind us. I turn around to find Inanna standing there with a wide smile on her lips. I freeze when my eyes meet her red ones and suddenly, I am reminded of Ishtar. She looks exactly like her, but her voice is different.

"If you don't mind then I'd love to talk to you alone," She speaks humbly but somehow, she sounds powerful. It seems more like a command which has me tipping my chin higher and turning around fully to face her directly.

"Sure," with that, we excuse ourselves and I lead her to one of the empty verandas just outside the ballroom.

"Ish- I mean, Inanna," I correct myself as I turn around to face her and hear what she has got to say. She smiles at me before, "Your highness, I am grateful to you for accepting me regardless of what my predecessor did. I am here to make up for the mistakes Ishtar made and improve the condition of my state." I nod at her as she pauses and looks at me before she continues again, "Right now, I don't have much to offer but all I am capable of giving to you is this small gift as a blessing." As she speaks her gaze goes down to my abdomen before she looks me back in the eyes.

"What is it?" I ask her curiously. She smiles wide at me before answering, "You'll find out in a couple of days," I stare at her as she smiles wider at me while I look at her in wonder.

"You look just like Ishtar," I didn't realize that I've said it out loud until her expression changes.

"Yes, we do look the same. We were twins. She banished me when she took the throne. I am back now," She explains as she looks past my shoulders and stares at the starry sky behind me. I nod lightly at her as the information she gave me sinks into my head.

"Where is she now?" I find myself asking. At this, she looks me in the eyes and tips her chin higher as she answers, "Right where she deserves to be," The regal hint to her voice makes my lips curl up into a satisfied smile.

"I like you," I tell her slyly.

When I go back inside with her, Arles is waiting for me. He eyes us both before stepping beside me and placing a possessive hand on the small of my back before he introduces me to more guests.

~

A couple of days have passed since the ceremony and everything is back to normal now. I am slowly starting to participate in all the court matters and getting to know Zaeris more and more. I do my best to share Arles' workload, but it never lessens. With each day, I couldn't agree more about the fact that running a kingdom is not very easy.

"How did you do it alone all these years?" I shriek in annoyance as I throw my hands up in the air before pulling my hair. We are sitting down with all the ministers and looking at some finance-related stuff concerning each field while Armelius is teaching me a new way to check some important bills. It's been almost an hour and I am still confused. I swear Armelius is messing with me.

Arles leans back in his chair and laughs before he opens his mouth to speak but I speak before he could, "No wonder why it was terrible here," All the ministers roar with laughter while Arles glares at me. I give him an ear to ear smile before we continue to work.

It's dinner and Arles and I have joined the ministers in the big dinner as usual. The dinner has commenced while the orchestra is playing soft music in the background.

"He's still missing," Arles comments and this makes me look at Haestus' empty seat beside Archander.

"No, he's back. Just resting in his wing," Archander informs.

"Resting for two days?" Armelius questions and Archander shrugs as he sips his soup. "He must be sick or somethin'."

"I'll see him tomorrow," Arles says sternly and something in his tone of voice suggests me that Haestus might be in trouble.

I am being pulled into a kiss as soon as we are back in our bedroom. The kiss is rough and demanding and I know why. He has had a long day and finally, he is getting some time to spend with me alone. I give in to his demands and let him lead.

"Done?" I tease when he pulls back to undo his shirt. His eyes darken before he is over me again but this time, the intensity of his need seems to have increased more because after a couple of moments I find myself pushing him back to let some oxygen in my lungs. Meanwhile, he is looking down at me with eyes hungry with desire. He is looking at me as if it's the first and last time we are together.

"Arles?" His name leaves my lips in a whisper. An unknown emotion flickers into his eyes before it disappears.

"I can't believe this," He utters as I rise my body on my elbows so that I am close to him. I search his eyes and try to reach to him through the bond. "Believe what?" I ask as I gently lay my hand on his cheek and continue to look him in the eyes. From this close, the little blue streaks in his silver eyes could be easily noticed. I could see myself reflected in the black of his eyes.

"I can't believe I got you," His heavy voice comes out as a gruff as if it's strained by his unexpressed emotions. His emotions are draining into me through the bond and it's when I realize that he has let all the guards down and it's only him in front of me. Unguarded and vulnerable. I have never seen him like this before.

I blink away my tears as I raise myself higher until my lips are pressed against his gently. This time it happens slowly. I wrap one of my arms around his neck as I deepen the kiss. It's gentle and intense at the same time.

"What did I do to deserve you?" His voice chimes against my ear as we lay in the dark after kissing. His question has my mind racing while my heart stops. I turn around to face him before the answer rolls out of my tongue, "You still loved me even when you didn't need me,"

"Not really. I'll always need you, Neffie even if you don't realize it. I need you like the moon needs the sun to lend it the light in the darkness. I need you like the earth needs the moon for its seas to rage big waves to wash away all its miseries. I need you like fire needs the water to put it out so that it doesn't burn everything down. I need you like a bird needs the sky to remind itself of the heights it could soar to. I need you and always want you," When he finishes speaking, I am in a trance, lost in his words and tangled in his deep emotions and I am afraid that I might be held captive by them forever.