Anastasia blanched. Her stomach rolled on the inside and her chest tightened as air whooshed out. Bile rose in her throat and she got a sour taste in her mouth. Energy thrummed in her chest and her first thought was to kill Franco.

"I suggest that we kill the bitch here and-"

It was not even a second when Anastasia felt a gush of wind. Ileus had burst into shadows and in a fraction of a second he had attacked Franco.

Blades of shades flew in his direction. There was a bellow, followed by cries and yelps of pain. The aspen tree on which Franco was leaning, creaked a little. Suddenly a lot of blood sprayed on the snow and everyone scurried away. Anastasia gaped at the sight she saw next. Ileus had used Franco's sword to impale him on the tree. He had pierced it right in his heart and ripped his limbs from the torso only to throw them at the feet of others.

Her hands pressed her mouth as her stomach twisted into a knot in shock. The dark wizard was incredibly fast, incredibly... dark and strong. She noticed that his legs were not on the ground. He was floating, anger visible on his face. No wonder he was feared amongst Lore people.

"If Franco had been improper with me, I wouldn't have minded because I know how to deal with people like him. But his comment was for Anastasia and it was inappropriate. He shouldn't have humiliated her in such a base manner," he said in a disembodied cold voice that felt like chills. "She is going to be my wife and I will not bear anyone offending her." There was blood on his hands and clothes and some was splashed across his face. "I will not forgive anyone who tries to offend her, for that would mean that you have offended me!"

Ileus came back to his corporeal form and walked back to her. He shot a look at the other men and snarled, "Would anyone like to say more?"

While Haldir's expressions had stiffened considerably, the other men flinched. They looked at the ripped body of Franco and their heartbeats raced.

Aidan passed him his kerchief with which he wiped his hands clean with coldness that was spine-chilling. He looked at Anastasia and smoothed her hair. Then he knelt in front of her and took her hand in his again and squeezed it. "Why are you so shocked, love? That man got what he deserved. No one can say that to the woman I have chosen as my wife. You are going to be the crown princess." He looked at her intensely with his golden eyes. "And you are the most beautiful girl in this world."

She was speechless. Anastasia found herself staring at him with... admiration.

Haldir, who was sitting absolutely quiet throughout the incident, got up and said, "When and where do you plan to marry her?"

His reverie broke and his eyes went to Haldir. "I will wed her as soon as possible." He got up to sit beside her and took his hand to the small of her back as if he owned her.

"But you can't stay in Óraid now," Haldir pointed out. "You have to get out of this hamlet as soon as possible. Aed Ruad must have already dispatched a batch of his soldiers to come after you. This time I am sure he is going to send recruits that are not faes."

"I know that," Ileus scoffed.

"You can't even go to Draoidh or Silver Vales. I would suggest that you go to Aztec and stay in hiding with Brantley for a few days," suggested Haldir.

Ileus frowned. "Why can't I go to Draoidh? I will go there and make the matters clear to Mother and Father! I am not going to hide!"

"No, you are not going to make things more difficult for Adrianna! She is dealing with a lot of hatred already," Haldir snarled. "Also don't forget that Iona is her daughter and Anastasia is the cousin of the man who has kidnapped her. As a mother, she is not able to come to terms with the fact that her son will marry the woman, whose species she has hated for so many years."

"But this isn't Anastasia's fault," Ileus retorted.

Anastasia flinched. She had seen Iona in the sack when she was in her bedroom. She wanted to tell about her, scream about that knowledge but she just gulped it down. Now wasn't the time.

"This isn't her fault, but she is a mother and she is conflicted. For all she knows, you could have rejected Anastasia!"

"Impossible!" Ileus snapped.

Haldir took a deep breath and quietly said, "That's why you can't go back to Draoidh or Silver Vales. I would have suggested that you go to stay with Daryn, but I don't know if Anastasia would turn into shadows in the human world. It could affect her."

Ileus grunted with frustration. "I will not jeopardize Brantley's position at the moment. I know that he is in a vulnerable position. His kingdom isn't doing well, and the man is trying to save someone. Moreover he is in Ulfric now. I would have gone to Ulfric but the bloody place is charmed." He shook his head at Brantley's desperation to save his mate's mother. And the best part was that his mate wasn't even born yet. He looked at Anastasia and smiled. Ah, the matters of the heart. All he could think was... poor Brantley. "At least I have mine," he muttered with relief.

Haldir raised his hands up in the air and resigned. "I wish Lazarus was alive!"

"There is one option that I can think of," said Ileus, as his gaze went to Murtagh and his men who were still looking at Franco's mutilated body.

There was so much gore that even though Murtagh appeared calm, he was agitated on the inside but didn't participate in the conversation.

"Are we left with options?" Haldir smirked.