Maple was pacing her chamber as Aed Ruad sat across on a couch. He was looking out of the window towards the mountains where he could see the changing landscape. The mountains that were permanently covered in snow from almost eight years now, were showing brown and black jagged outcrops here and there. The ice was melting... fast. The weather of Vilinski depended a lot on the king's mood. And these days the king's mood was... good.

"There is no point in pacing the room back and forth Maple," he said in a calm, cold voice. Ever since Anastasia had escaped, it felt like a tight slap on his face. He had trusted that guard only because he stayed in the palace despite so many whippings from his sister. The man had proven to be precious and loyal. Later, Aed Ruad realized as to why he stayed even after all those tortures. His aim was to get Anastasia, to ruin his plan, to fracture his political ambitions. And the vokudlak ran away with his bride. He had cold-bloodedly murdered with his hands all those who ran after them but couldn't catch. The kingdom people were asking the reason to postpone his marriage. They had demanded to see their princess. The situation was turning from bad to worse.

Maple stopped in front of her reading desk and picked up a crystal doll. She flung it towards the wall at the opposite end. It shattered into thousands of small glass pieces. "How could Ráild be so careless? He should have attacked her! Immobilized her."

"Are you mad?" he replied as a muscle feathered in his jaw. "Anastasia's magic is suppressed. Attacking her could have meant that she might have died! We need her safely over here."

Maple picked up an oil lantern and threw it down on the floor. "I hate that bitch! You should have tied her forever or imprisoned her like her parents!" She stomped towards the door and then came back to her brother. "Allow me to go and get her back, Aed Ruad," she said in a menacing voice. "I will pull her by her hair and drag her to the kingdom. The bitch ran away just before the wedding." Her face flushed with fury. "And that too with Kaizan! Fuck the bastard!" She clutched the sides of her silk black gown to the extent that the fabric crinkled. "If I had known that it was Ileus who had disguised as Kaizan and entered Vilinski, I would have killed him!"

Aed Ruad gave her a stare. He rose to his feet, walked to her and said in a very quiet voice that made her shudder, "Do you remember the prophecy that mother told us about?" He brushed his fingers on her cheek.

"I do," she replied with trembling lips. "But that son of a bitch deserves to die. And I wouldn't have hesitated in killing him."

Aed Ruad raised his hand and slapped her hard across the cheek he was brushing lightly. Her eyes became wide as she fell on the floor at the impact. Her right wing trembled a little as if it wanted to flare, but it came to a rest.

"It was established that Ileus was Anastasia's mate. If he is killed, she would die too," he said in a voice so guttural that her mouth became dry. "We have to keep him alive. If we get Anastasia here and throw her in a prison, and leave Ileus out, then he will keep fighting to get her back. And that will be dangerous for us. If we get him alive and throw him in the prison along with Anastasia after I marry her, that would stop all our problems. They both will continue to live for as long as we rule." He extended his hand to her. She caught it with her shaky hands and he pulled her up. He tapped the side of her head. "Try to use your brains instead of being driven by your anger, Maple!"

Maple staggered back and said, "Won't you kill them?"

"Trust me sister, I am finding ways to kill them, but they are too popular with their people. Killing them just like that would mean another civic unrest," he gritted.

"Why don't you go and torture her parents? Cut Ian's finger and send it to Anastasia as a gift. It will scare her."

"What a fool you are!" he yelled. "Doesn't Anastasia know that her father can regenerate his finger or for that matter any other part of his body? For god's sake, that fae can regenerate his heart!" He recalled when he had gone to the celestial prison two days back to talk to Ian, but he couldn't. Both he and Áine had entered deep sleep mode. They were shackled in beams of lights and kept suspended in the air in high security prisons that were seven levels below the main palace. Over the past eight years, they had woken up once and that was when he was maiming Iskra. He was also aware of the fact that Ian had sensed that his daughter Anastasia had escaped. His mood had lifted and so the weather had become warmer. Ice had started melting. If this continued, other repercussions could take place... like glacier slides. And if that happened, it would be a weather catastrophe.

"Then allow me to go and get her," she said. "I know they are in Óraid. It will take me a minute to trap her and get her back!"

He felt like slapping her again. "You want to go and create unrest in Óraid and tell the whole world that Anastasia is there? Oh god, Maple, shut the fuck up!" He grabbed his hair in his fists as if trying to pull them out. "We have to do this as discreetly as possible."

She came and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Let me go there, brother," she said. "I am sure I can get her back. Ileus is no match to me. So if he tries to protect her, I will either capture him too or severely injure him."