"Did she just die?" The king asked and the siren answers him because Akia can't.

"Why does she look- everyone has to go." The king said and the guards drag out the sirens. They attempt to pull Akia away but she won't budge. They tried lifting her but she begins crying and screaming.

"It's okay. Just leave her." The king said at last.

Akia stands still as the rest of the people leave.

She stares in awe as the king takes some ink and paper from the table.

Akia watched as he starts drawing very strange symbols with his fingers.

He finishes writing before putting his finger in his mouth and biting down on it. He's finger is bleeding, Akia is too shocked to react as the blood from his finger attempts to go back to the wound it'd oozed out off.

The king puts his hand on the wound and collects the blood before it closes. But before he could apply the blood to the paper it begins levitating drifting back towards the wound. Before the king could catch the droplet it's back in the wound and it's already sealing up again.

"Just this once. C'mon." He says to no one but himself. Before he extending a long nail running the nail down his wrist splitting it open.

"Just one drop." He says as blood starts pouring down his wrist.

The blood gets on the paper but just as it did it, it begins coming back up and into his wrist once more. Akia walks towards her mother's body, falling to the floor with the king.

"Can my blood help?" Akia asked

The king looks reluctant but takes her dainty hand to his mouth. It's wet warmth then a very quick prick of pain. The first drop touches his tongue. His whole body shivers in delight but he concentrates on the matter at hand.

He gently takes Akia's hand out of his mouth before putting it over the piece of paper. The blood drops from her hand into the sheet of paper. The markings on the paper illuminate in a dark red ink, similar to the color of the King's blood that had refused to spill and not at all as the droplet that had let the cut in Akia's hand.

The king placed a hand on the woman's forehead.

"Have you done this before?" Akia asked feeling nauseous, the king replies as he carries the woman's body into his lap.

"I only attempted one other time."

"Did you succeed?" Akia asked anxiety pricking her skin deeper into her nerves than the King's bite had.

"No."

"Are you going to succeed now?"

"Go outside- I need to concentrate." The king said placing his hands on the woman's forehead.

Akia listens this time. A part of her thinks that this is the end for her mother. Knows no one can escape death.

Yet she hopes the king would be able to do something anything, She's terrified of what it'd mean if he couldn't. What it'd mean for the rest of her family. She'd ruined so many of her family member's lives already. Taking away their mother, undoubtedly the head of their household. The bond of their existence.

She was never going to be forgiven for something like this. Even clast who had a bitter taste in his mother in concern to his parents. The hostility he has always held towards her wouldn't be enough to ignore that she'd died wrongfully.

Akia can't even cry, she can't relieve any sadness. It was way too potent to be expressed.

The door opens a couple moments later and the king steps out.

"She'll be okay. She needs to sleep for 13 days. She should wake up and be fine." The king said and Akia wants to say something but she doesn't know what to say. She doesn't feel any happiness about her mother's miracle.

"She wanted to kill the mother of your child. I saved her." The siren said and the king doesn't seem to be thankful or appreciative in the least.

"I know. She's a devil woman, her kind are capable of anything. But you a siren should never try to imitate any kind of civility over someone who knows better." The king said eyes blank towards the siren. The moment they shared behind them, sirens were naturally open creatures. They could fuck their worst enemy and still regard them as such.

Sexual Physicality was nothing to them.

"I saved her 3 times now all from the attack of devil women." The siren said and Akia stood up on wobbly legs.

She walks straight to the kitchen. The kitchen staff were making so many different dishes as they always do for dinner.

Her stomach growls, she's starving. Her nerves are somehow only making it worse. She's so hungry that she feels like she's going to fall down if she doesn't eat. She sees beans along with rice, April's favorite. It's in a huge pot. Cooling on the side and Akia sticks her hand in it. The maids scream out of fear for her hand being in such a hot dish. But Akia doesn't feel anything. She doesn't feel anything until she's swallowing copious amount of burning hot mixed rice and beans.

"Lady Akia-" an older maid that had changed her diaper said and Akia turns to her with cheeks full of rice. She stares for a moment before she looks away. The maid says nothing after just watches in silence as Akia ate like she hadn't eaten in years.

The king walks down the stairs with the siren and guards. He looks at Akia, fist full of rice about to shove into her tiny mouth and says nothing.

Akia stops eating dropping the rice in her hand. She walks towards him and wraps her arms around his waist.

"Thank you." She said shoving her face into his chest. It's only then when she starts to tear up. The hunger disappears leaving her only with the feeling of wretchedness.

The king only hums. Rubbing her neck gently with his large hands.

"You do understand that your mother isn't saved from her crimes, she'll still face the upmost punishment for trying to harm you."

"I understand... I just don't want her to die." Akia said feeling like an absolute fool.

"I hate this." She says, "I hate this so much." She continues. Gripping harder around the King's waist.

The king leaves after the guards come to take her mother, Akia refused to let go of him the whole time.

Akia goes to her old room. It's decorated by dried pressed floors and leaves and the best furs and silks. She lays down on her own bed and cuddles against the pillow.

She thinks about everything that has happened, she remembers Julius, remembers how her mother had asked her to lie about him.

Her heart sinks and dread fills her.

She hears the sound of wood being chopped out of the window. The steady rhythm of it soothes her nicely.

Akia looks down to see a shirtless man. Maybe a little older than her chopping wood.

"Hello?" She said standing near her window. The man looks up at her, he looks familiar but she can't place it.

"Hi" He says back and they stare at each other until recollection flashes on both of their faces.

"Everett?"

"Akia?, when did you return?" The man Everett said and Akia gasped looking at the boy she used to be friends with before she was proclaimed a woman and he a man and separated. Everett was mostly April's friend even back then. Akia was deemed too sensitive to play with them, whenever she tried she'd get hurt and cry and they'd get yelled at for it.

So instead they'd give Akia ridiculous jobs when they played knight. Akia would be made to sit on a high branch while they supposedly fought for her honor. Akia never minded, she just wanted to be included.

"Everett! What are you doing here?"

"I came to see April but I was told she was at the wall. I planned to take a break here before heading in that direction." Everett said and Akia is immediately saddened remembering that April had been exiled.

"Did you finally come to marry her?" Akia asked mostly as a joke. Their parents always wanted them to wed but both being wild in spirit never acknowledged their parents desires.

"April wouldn't want to marry me." Everett said.

"No?"

"No. We would never be lovers. I'm far too ahead of her league. She respects figures who hold more authority higher than hers."

"Do we know the same April?" Akia asked jokingly.

Akia walks down the stairs. She meets Everett at the bottom of the stairs and they wrapped their arms around each other.

"You look and smell incredible, you grew up so well." Everett said after pulling away from Akia.

"I'm fat now." Akia said patting her stomach.

"It looks good on you." Everett said and Akia heated up.

"You look incredible as well. You're so manly now." Akia said and it should've been a perfectly innocent compliment if her hormones weren't being skyrocketed by her pregnancy.

"You think?" Everett asked with a smirk on his face as he flexed.

"Definitely." Akia said shyly.

"So where's Lady Kenya, she was looking ill last I saw her. I went to get her some medicine." Everett said and Akia's mood dropped.

"She's going to the infirmary. They'll take better care of her there." Akia said and Everett nods.

They stand there talking effortlessly until Akia finally asked him something she'd been meaning to ask someone.

"Eve?" Akia called the boy by his old nickname.

"Hmm?"

"Can you teach me how to read please?" Akia asked and Everett immediately agreed.

"They didn't teach you until now?" Everett asked and Akia shook her head.

"Someone promised but I don't think they'd be up for it now if I asked."

"Of course I'll help kia."

" I always assumed you never wanted to learn." Everett asked taking Akia's hand in his as they walked to the study.

Akia took cautious steps while walking passed the area her mother's body had fallen.

They sit down on the floor Everett with a piece of paper in front of him, Akia to the side of him.

"I really need to learn very quickly."

Akia wanted to learn how to read so she could take the queen lessons. After she learned how to read she would read all of the books queens have to and prove herself worthy of the job and the king would have no other choice than to take her seriously.

Everett had started off with letters. Writing the alphabet on the piece of paper and getting Akia to follow along as he did.

He stares at Akia as she attempts to write with his hands holding hers, Guiding her.

"Is it just me or did you get even more beautiful than the last time I saw you?" Everett asked and Akia scoffs playfully.

"You were in the military. You don't really have much to compare to." Akia said trying to perfect an S.

"Nobody could ever compare to you."

Akia's heart lunges.