A Dreaded Arrangement

Aurelius frowned at that, pausing in what he was doing. "The dark wood? That is not good." He glanced again at the children and waited for them to leave before continuing. "If he's in the dark wood, he's in serious danger. The Dark Fae don't take kindly to humans or anything that isn't Dark Fae. I'm honestly surprised he has lasted this long." He gazed down at her, frowning still. "It will be difficult, but I can help him if I can find him. Do you wish me to find him? Is that your command?" He asked even though he knew the answer. Delphi was a kind soul. It was part of why he loved her so much. "He needs to be plucked from the lands as soon as possible. If left there for too long, the woods themselves will corrupt the mind. Human minds are especially weak to their magic."

Luca was sitting in a chair at her bedside, diligently watching over her and waiting for her to wake up. He had told her mother that he would look after her and he planned on it. As she stirred, he smiled at her and leaned towards her. "Your mother is away at the moment, visiting the Shadesongs. She asked me to look after you in her absence. I ran into her while on an errand to the infirmary. She asked me to watch over you in her absence and I agreed to the task. I wanted to return something of yours." He paused, watching her as she finally noticed the mask upon her lap. "You seemed quite fond of it and it seemed a waste to just leave it lying in the dirt. I reckoned that you might want it back. Speaking of the events of last night, how are you feeling after it? You've been sleeping for a while, I believe." He was obviously concerned about her. He was no longer wearing the white raven mask so his features were revealed to her. "Also, I'm honored that you remembered my name, my lady."

Ilayana was definitely stressed. It seemed that she could not escape family drama. She felt like she was going to burst from all of the tension in her body. It was difficult to remain smiling and be her bubbly self and she knew that Aire must have noticed. He always noticed the little things about her, the things she tried to hide. As if on cue, there was a knock at her door and she rose from the chair she was sitting in to walk over to the door and opened it to find the very man she was thinking of. "Aire, my love, I was just thinking about you." She was happy that she was allowed to be with him. In the past, she had been married to Taeral and didn't want to be a terrible wife and betray his loyalty even though he was often quite awful to her. With Aire, she could truly be herself.

"Yes, but I refuse to let my first husband off to such a dangerous quest alone...we must be prepared and I am too tired to think right now." She said as she laid back. She would have to think of a plan of action that would guarantee everyone's safety. She refused to put anyone in a dangerous position like she did when she lost her other husbands. No, she would be cunning this time and she would wait for the right moment, for now she went back into slumber to allow Aurelius to finish his work.

Isy smiled that Luca was so thoughtful to bring back her mask as she fondly picked it up and looked at it before back to him. "I...feel sore but compared to when they were cleaning my wounds last night which hurt a lot and took me forever to transform back, i feel a lot better. I'm so sorry you saw me like that last night..." She blushed slightly with an embarrassed look on her face before realizing her stutter was gone. Strange. It was gone too when she talked to him last night as well.

Aire pulled a beautiful bouquet of flowers from behind his back as he gave them to her with warm loving golden eyes. "My Queen, would you please come join me for lunch?" Aire smiled as he offered his arm to her so he could whisk her off to a romantic lunch. "You work too hard for your family, you must enjoy some peace." He winked at her before walking with her at his side. It didn't take him long to bring her to a private garden with a view of the ocean.

"You know, I always think back to the day when I fell in love with you. It was the day I helped you bring your son into the world while Taeral was off hunting. You were so strong, resilient, and you feared very little while you were doing this remarkable thing without him. I felt terrible yet I was elated to witness your strength which made you much more beautiful to me." Aire said as he held her hand to his lips and smiled at her brightly. "Everyday, i always fear the day I never got to tell you my true feelings and now that I am free too...it makes me want to cease every moment til my last with you..." He said as he stopped her by the view of the ocean before getting down on one knee. "Ilayana Miaharice, I am no king...I have not much money and I am nothing but a humble healer who loves you. Will you take me as I am and do me the honor of becoming my wife?" He asked as he pulled out a beautiful diamond ring forged into a silver flower with it in the center. Aire looked at her in hopes she would say yes to his proposal.

"I would work better alone, but I trust that you will choose fine companions to accompany me. For now, let us drop the matter and focus on getting you back into tip-top shape. Rest for now, my love." He bent to kiss her forehead, brushing his gloved hand against her cheek in affection before straightening to resume his work in restoring her energy while she slept. He would need to make preparations of his own. He had not been to the dark woods in quite some time and he needed to mentally prepare himself. Even a Fae as strong as him was still suspectible to the dark wood's ancient magic.

Luca smiled, pleased that she was happy that he had brought her mask back to her. "Yes, I do imagine." He chuckled quietly and gazed at her softly, admiration shining in his eyes. "You fought bravely, you know. You didn't even hesitate to throw yourself into that mess to protect your brother. That takes guts. And don't apologize. There's no need. I'm glad I got to see how strong you were, but I am sad that I wasn't able to intervene before you got hurt. Will you forgive me for not being quick enough to lend aid?" He asked, grabbing her hand and gently brushing his lips against her knuckle as he gazed at her intently.

Ilayana's eyes lit up at the sight of the flowers and she graciously accepted them, lifting them to her nose so that she could inhale their sweet scent. She loved flowers and Taeral had never given her any. "I would love to, Aire. But what did I say about calling me your queen? There's no need for titles between us, darling," She said, scolding him lightly but smiled nonetheless. She held the flowers in one hand, taking his arm with the other and followed him to wherever it was that he wanted to take her. "I do admit, my family can be quite stressful at times. Especially with this drama with Elayne and my son. It's so exhausting." She sighed, leaning happily against his side as they walked. "Oh, what a lovely view." She couldn't help but compliment the area he had brought her to.

She glanced at him as he began to talk about when he fell in love with her and she felt her heartbeat quicken, her cheeks flushing and making her feel like a young girl again. "It was difficult, delivering a child without a doting husband at my side, but it wasn't anything new. He wasn't there for any of the children's births. You would think he would be elated to have children, but no, he wanted to be by himself and hunt and whatever else it was that he did every time I went into labor." She scowled at the thought of Taeral, not missing him one bit. Her expression then softened as she gazed at him, taking comfort in his words. However, she was surprised when he got down on one knee before her. She couldn't help but gasp softly as he asked her to marry him and she dropped the bouqet, eyes tearing up with tears of happiness before she threw herself into his arms. "Of course, of course! It would make me the happiest to be by your side as your wife! I don't care about titles or money, I just want you." She cupped his cheeks with her hands and pulled him into a kiss.

Isy blushed was Luca kissed her hand as she was not used to this kind of attention but she didn't mind it. "N-n-no, I-I wasn't even th-thinking of it that way. I don't blame you, Luca." She blushed harder as she felt goosebumps on her skin with just the pleasure of his lips on her knuckles. She gently pulled away and was quite quiet and shy as she sipped her tea. "You are...quite a gentleman..." She said as her dark eyes gazed at him as her lips pressed against her cup, wishing her lips were pressed against his.

Aire was elated Ilayana agreed to marry him as he jumped up to meat her embrace. He chuckled happily and then sighed into her kiss. This was where he wanted to be, by her side always. "Also, I plan to retire... I want as much time with you as possible. I agreed to become a part time mentor but over all, I am yours forever." Aire smiled as he announced his retirement as head healer. "I want a life with you...maybe an extension of your family if you desired more children...." He smiled at her lovingly before kissing her.

"I am relieved that you forgive me." Luca smiled at her, not protesting when she pulled her hand out of his grip. He knew she was being shy and honestly, it was quite adorable. He was used to women throwing themselves at him. Royal ladies were so vicious in that department, but Isy was different. As much as he loved a confident woman, he also loved a woman who cared about her family and was willing to do anything to protect it. "I do try my best to be a gentleman, yes. My mother raised me to respect women and treat them well. After all, it is women that bear our children and cook our meals. Without women, we would lose that tender side and be, excuse my language, royally screwed." He chuckled, looking like he was going to say more but paused as someone made their presence known.

"Who are you?" Bjorn demanded, glowering at Luca. He had just finished mingling with his family and decided to check on his daughter. He had not expected her to be in the company of a man and alone with him to boot. This did not please him at all and he moved to stand protectively next to his daughter's bed. Luca stood up, raising his hands up in surrender. "Forgive me, my lord, but I was simply looking after her on the behest of her mother." He took a moment to study Bjorn, before understanding crossed his features. "You must be Bjorn Shadesong, her father. I assure you that I have been a gentleman in her presence. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Luca Ravenspell, oldest child of Lucille Ravenspell." Bjorn glowered. "I don't care who you are, just stay away from my daughter. I'm here now so you can leave."

Ilayana moved to wrap her arms around his neck, pressing her body against his. She pulled away from the kiss to look him in the eye, smiling at his words. "Oh, that makes me happy but are you sure? I know how much healing is a passion of yours and you're such a good healer. Did you have a replacement in mind?" She asked, curious. She then blushed slightly, a shy smile tugging at her lips. "I would love to make a family with you. It's been so long since I've held an infant in my arms that was my own. Vaeri and all of my other children are all grown up."

Isy giggled as Luca joked but then she looked nervously at her father. So mother must not have told father that Luca was watching over her. "Papa, please...Luca has been very nice to me..."Isy said as she fumbled with her hair nervously. She grabbed Bjron's hand and pouted at him, again amazed her stutter was gone but was too concerned with her fater and Luca.

"Ilayana, I never was more sure of anything in my life. I love you, I want you more than anything." Aire smiled as he hugged her tightly to him as she begun to ask questions. "I will be looking over those under me very closely when we go home." He smiled at her as he stroked her long air while his arm rested around her waist. "If it is a child you desire, I will gladly give you another when we marry." Aire grinned slightly as he enjoyed the idea of trying for a baby.

Luca noted that it seemed that Bjorn had inherited his mother's famous temper. No matter, he did not want to further agitate Isy's father if he could help it. He calmly stepped away from Isy's bed, lowering his hands. "Since my duty has been fulfilled, I shall take my leave. I would not want to intrude on some father-daughter time. Isy, I'm glad that you're feeling better. We will talk another time." He bowed before taking his leave. He was miffed that his time with Isy had been cut short, but he wasn't about to let that show on his face and further irritate Bjorn. Bjorn watched him go before turning his attention towards Isy. "I don't trust him."

Ilayana sighed happily and rested her head against his strong chest, closing her eyes. She was most content. "Well, if you're sure then I won't protest. I don't know if I could handle sharing you," She said, obviously joking as she opened her eyes and peeked up at him with a giggle. He made her feel young again and she loved it. She couldn't help the mischievous look at his words. "Why wait? We've done everything properly so far, why wait now?" She asked, teasing him though she was willing to wait if he insisted.

"B-b-but!" Isy frowned as Luca walked away and couldn't hide her annoyance in her father for ruining the moment between them. "Papa, you d-don't t-trust anyone..." She frowned and turned her head away as tears welled up from embarrassment from his actions. "Lu-L-Luca likes me...and he's th-th-THE first p-p-person who d-doesn't laugh at me for b-b-being a f-f-FREAK!" Isy said irritably as she struggled to speak again when Luca was gone. Sure, her family was supportive but some of Delphineas's children would laugh at her stutter or make rude remarks behind her back when they thought she wasn't looking. "M-m-men w-w-won't see m-me like Luca d-does. Even j-just tr-traveling here, people laughed at m-me! N-now y-you scar-scared the one p-person who doesn't laugh!" Isy said even more frustrated at her words getting harder to speak so she changed to sign language to him. "I want him! Please let me have someone in my life that cares for me like you have Mother. Apologize!" Isy signed to him as she looked at him with a hurt expression.

Aire smiled at her with a bashful expression. "Ilayana you know I would be breaking the Healer's code if I made love to you before stepping down." He reminded her gently as he cupped her face in one hand to look at him. "We've waited this long...let us wait until I step down and when we get married? It wont be long..." Aire smiled at her and pressed his lips to her forehead with a sigh. He knew she was tired of waiting but he was already breaking the healer's code by falling in love with her, He couldn't bear to break it any further than he had.

"That's not true. I trust your mother and a few other people," Bjorn said in protest, frowning at that comment. He made sure that Luca wasn't coming back before moving to sit down in the chair previously occupied by the white haired man. He could tell that he had really upset his daughter and now he felt bad. He leaned forward and took her hand in his own, frowning. "Isy, baby, you're not a freak." He hated it when she called herself a freak. It made him feel like a terrible parent for not protecting her well enough from the cruel words of others. "I'm sorry, Isy. I can see that he means a lot to you. I admit, I overreacted but I'm still a bit on edge being back in Avinora. I remember his mother is a good woman and she would never raise a son that wasn't a gentleman. If it would make you happy, I will apologize to him, okay? Please stop crying, my sweet girl," He said, moving from the chair to sit on the bed with her and gently wiped her tears away.

Ilayana pouted, not pleased that he was not denying her but she did understand his reasons. He was always a proper man and he wanted to do things by the book. She understood and accepted that about him. She had just hoped that she might convince him to break the rules a little bit, but no matter. She would wait as long as she needed. "Very well. I will continue to wait but I expect you to make up for it once we're married." She gave him a sly smile, before leaning up to kiss his lips again. "I love you, my sweet Aire. I have loved you for a long time. You have made me so happy. Happier than I have ever been. I'm so, so glad that we can finally be together."

It was morning of Callum's Coronation and Wedding as Callum made the last minute decision woth Lyra to combine the two events since it seemed only right. The people begun to call their wedding the Golden Wedding since it was unusual for a King to be crowned before the Wedding, even though a Queen was always crowned durring the wedding. Nonetheless everyone was excited for the wedding and even Elayne was more at ease with Lyra after realizing she was just nervous about the wedding. Elayne was still hesitant to be close to Lyra but at least she respected her more.

As the sun begun to rise, Elayne groaned and nuzzled into Zel's neck as she tried to hide from the sunlight to sleep more. His dark hair draped over her face and shielded the sun from her eyes. It was nice to sleep naked with Zel in her old tower and to not fear being caught with him. Of course their relationship was private from the public but she didn't have to fear Ailuin anymore. She then sighed as Belle cried out for someone to care for her. Elayne would take turns sleeping with Zel in the tower and sleeping with Ailuin so he could spend time with the children. Elayne groaned and stuffed her face in the pillow. "Your turn." She said to Zel as they took turns checking on the babies to make sure they were fine. Belle honestly just wanted attention and love as she begun to wail while Thalion and Aisling were still asleep.

Zelious was quite content that things seemed to be looking up for him. Elayne had told him all about how she had made peace with Ailuin and how his half-brother more or less accepted their relationship. It was good to know that he didn't have to hide his feelings for her. Honestly, Ailuin wasn't a bad guy and part of him had felt bad for establishing a relationship with Elayne, but his feelings for Elayne had clouded his mind and pushed that guilt away.

He was dozing when Elayne woke, obviously not wanting to get up. He stirred and then opened his eyes as Belle began to wail. He chuckled, used to the sound of a wailing child in the morning, even though it had been quite some time since his children had been babies. He tried not to allow the sadness to seep in at the thought of his deceased family and instead focused on getting up so that he could tend to Belle. He got up and stretched, moving to put on a pair of pants before heading to the crib.

He gazed down at Belle and reached down into the crib to pluck her up. He gently shushed her and held her close. "Hush, little one. I'm here now so no more fussing," He said gently, his tone loving as he gazed down at her with deep fondness. He loved Belle as if she were his own daughter. It was a shame that she wasn't, but that was fine.

Belle mumbled as she stretched her little arms up at him and giggled as Zel carried her. She played with his white and black hair and leaned into him for a hug. Elayne lifted her head and smiled at Zel as she watched him. He was such a good father and much more paternal than Ailuin in some ways. Ailuin was a good father too but he needed more guidance. Elayne figured though perhaps Zel was more nervous and clueless when his children were first born. She rolled over to sit up with a smirk at him, watching him be good father made her want to jump on his bones but they had no time. Elayne got up and threw on a silk robe. "I'm going to bathe before the children wake." She smirked at him before sauntering away in her robe. Belle was beginning to fall back asleep in his arms and cooing.

Zel bent to kiss her small head, smiling at her playing with his hair. She was such a cute little girl. He chuckled and moved to sit down on the bed, letting her sit on his lap. She was already growing. Fae children must grow at a faster rate than normal children. Though, Belle wasn't just human. She had elven blood in her as well as the fae and human blood. She really was a special little girl.

He could feel Elayne's gaze on him, obviously loving how he was with her children. He didn't care that they weren't his. He loved them, simply because they were hers. Not to mention, he also missed his children. "All right, I'll keep an eye on them." He winked at her before focusing his attention Belle as she began to doze.

Elayne didn't take too long in the bath before getting dressed in her family's house colors, black and red. She then pinned her hair up. Before walking into the room to see Belle sleeping in Zel's arms. "She loves you..." She smiled as the nursemaids walked in to help assist Elayne. She came to terms that she needed extra help with the children today but normally she would never agree to it. The two maids walked over to wake Thalion and Aisling up gently. "Are you going to behave at the Coronation with Ailuin?" Elayne asked Zel as she put on her family sigil of a dragon.

Zelious kept still as he allowed Belle to sleep in his arms, a gentle smile on his lips as he watched her sleep. He looked up when Elayne entered the room again, his blue gaze focusing on her. "You look beautiful, love. You're going to turn heads dressed like that." He couldn't help but want to ravish her but knew that there was no time. He then paused, tilting his head. "Am I really allowed to attend?" He asked, having gotten used to being a prisoner. At least Ailuin treated him better than his own father would have. "I will behave so long as he doesn't provoke me."

"Callum has invited you since you are known now as the elf who saved me and my children. Ailuin didn't love it but if you can behave then he promised to be civil. Remember, we're married...i have to be his wife and show affection. But i would love for you to be there. Just to see you..." She said with a sigh as she put on a little blush and crushed petals to paint her lips red. "You dont have to of course....it was silly." She sighed as she expected Zel might feel uncomfortable.

Zelious was impressed that Callum had invited him to the coronation. He wasn't keen on going as he wasn't a real social butterfly, but he could tell that it was important to her. He stood up and carefully handed Belle off to one of the maidservants and walked over to Elayne. He gently took her by the hand and brushed his lips across her knuckles. "It's important to you, so I'll be there. I promise to be on my best behavior, but I make no promises if anyone tries to antagonize me."

"Zel...behave." She winked at him as she stood up and pressed her lips to his. "You should dress...nicely." She smirked before instructing the nurse maidens to dress the triplets. They bowed to her and walked away with them in their arms to prepare for the ceremony. Elayne sighed tiredly as she sat down on the bed. "I feel much more lethargic with this pregnancy than the last." Elayne sighed and then hiccupped as flames burst out her mouth. Elayne looked at him wide eyed and covered her mouth in surprise. "Thats... Never happened before..." She giggled slightly.

"Dress nicely? I don't exactly have nice clothes. The nicest clothes that I had was the leather outfit that still has yet to be returned to me. I never really had a reason to have nice clothes after I was exiled, Elayne." He frowned at her, looking troubled about not having anything nice to wear. It wasn't like he could borrow anything from Ailuin, either. He was more broad shouldered than his half brother. Also more muscular.

He moved to sit down beside her, rubbing her back gently. However, he was caught off guard when she hiccuped and flames came out of her mouth. "Are you all right?!" He asked, quite concerned and worried she had burned her lips or something. But a quick examination showed that she was fine and he sighed in relief.

Elayne giggled at his concern and nodded. "Oh I'm fine. It must be a fae thing. Better than the time i woke up and found myself way more pregnant than intended. Luckily, i know how to control myself from developing too fast." Elayne smiled as she pulled him up from the bed and begun to lead him somewhere. "Close your eyes." She giggled as she stopped him and summoned a mannequin of the same build as him. She had designed an outfit especially for the ceremony for him and bit her lip as she worried if he would hate it. "Open them...what do you think?" She asked as she figeted with her fingers nervously.

"That must have been alarming." Zelious couldn't help but smile, chuckling at that. "I'm glad that you can figure out how to stop yourself from developing so fast, though." He allowed her to pull him up and look confused. He gave her a funny look but didn't protest and closed his eyes, allowing her to lead him somewhere. He opened his eyes when they came to a stop and looked at the outfit in front of him.

He eyed the silver and dark blue outfit before, taking in the detail and stepping forward to get a closer look. "This is really nice. Did you make this?" He asked, touched at the idea of her making him an outfit. "I really love it."

"Mhm...i know its simple and last minute but i wanted you to have a nice outfit for the occasion..." She blushed as he said he loved it. It made her feel warm inside to know he enjoyed her gift to him. "Go bathe and put them on...If you want i can do your hair..." She smiled at him before summoning the clothes off the mannequin and folded them in her hands as she passed them to him. Elayne returned to the vanity mirror to get ready.

"I would like that," He said with a smile, still touched by her sweet gesture. He hadn't expected her to do anything nice like this. In fact, he hadn't someone make him clothes since his wife was still alive. She wasn't as good as Elayne, but she had always tried her best. He hadn't minded wearing those clothes one bit and he would wear Elayne's as well.

He took the clothes and disappeared into the bathing chambers in order to take a bath. As much as he wanted to soak for a long time, he knew they were running on a tight schedule so he tried to finish as quickly as he could, making sure to wash his entire body and his hair. When he got out, he used his magic to help dry his hair, but still left it a little damp for her to work with. He then got dressed and was relieved to find that they fit perfectly. He came out, looking at her. "So, how do I look?"

Very handsome...blue and silver suits your complexion. Come sit..." She patted on the bed beside her. When he did, she begun to brush his long locks of black and white hair. She then took both front sieds of his hair and braided them back nicely. "Perfect, you look lovely...those maidens better keep their hands to themselves." She teased him and tan her fingers through his hair once more.

He moved to sit down beside her on the bed so that she could do something with his hair. His hair was turning more white, but there was still a lot of black left. It was about half and half at this point, the white streaking through. "Thank you, Elayne. I promise I won't flirt with any ladies, no matter how attractive they are because you are the most beautiful and the woman I love."