It was almost evening when Haldir came back. The court had been extra busy for the day. There had been several incidents in Level two and Level one.He returned home, went to check on his son and wife and then went back to the study.
In the evening, Anastasia had invited Theodir and Ilyana to the temple for a special ceremony and had said that it would be an honor if they could come to the temple. The people would be glad to see them both. While Theodir had agreed, Ilyana didn't. She wanted to keep a close watch on Inyanga and Ruvyn. She feigned a headache as an excuse to not go. Theodir didn't insist.
When Theodir had left, Ilyana took the opportunity to visit Inyanga. The two of them had such cold interactions ever since she had come that there had been minimal talk.
Inyanga was sitting in her room nursing Ruvyn when Ilyana stepped in. Seeing her in her room in the morning, Inyanga wasn't surprised. She had seen her in the morning on the balcony, watching her child intently. It boiled her blood, but Inyanga was wiser than getting into a petty brawl.
"How is my baby?" Ilyana crooned as soon as she entered the room.
Inyanga understood the meaning of her words, but she chose to ignore them. As suck Ruvyn was sleeping and she didn't want to disturb him. Instead, she looked at the two maids who were collecting Ruvyn's toys and keeping them in their place. The maids exited the room as if on an unsaid communication. As soon as they left, Ilyana went to sit at the foot of the bed with a smile on her lips and a shine in her eyes. The little child was almost sleeping, cuddled up against his mother's breast, clutching her chest with his tiny hands, as he sucked milk from her.
When Inyanga didn't reply, Ilyana said in a kind voice, "We are leaving in two days. Though you don't have any, if you like you can pack things for Ruvyn and I will take them with me."
Inyanga again ignored what she said and instead said, "Why haven't you chosen to have a baby? Or is it that you have a problem?" This was the first time she was being so acerbic to Ilyana, but she felt she was being pushed to the edge. She wasn't ready to give her child. It wasn't fair. Her anxieties of giving up her child were now edged with fear and bitterness for the elf kingdom and for Theodir and Ilyana. And that was what pushed her to be so acerbic.
Ilyana's eyes narrowed. Ever since she had come to Draoidh, Inyanga hadn't been so direct. In fact, she had never spoken so many words to her. And this time when she spoke, they were full of acrimony. The witch wasn't easy and she was too calm and controlled to be true. She had heard about Inyanga that she had become the queen of her kingdom at a very early age and that her people doted on her. Not only that, she was studying and was a university student, which meant that she was also dealing with humans. She studied Inyanga's features and wondered what it was that Haldir liked in her. Compared to her, she was far more accomplished and beautiful and belonged to the highest species of the Lore, just below the gods. And she dared to question her? At first, the witch's questions provoked her, but she checked her anger and replied, "It is very difficult for elves to conceive. Sometimes hundreds of years go by without the birth of a baby. And on top of that, a royal baby—well that's a rarity. You would be surprised that Theodir is almost seven hundred years older than Haldir. So, it's not me who hasn't chosen, it's just the way it is. You can say that I do have a problem." Ilyana chuckled on the inside as how deftly she answered Inyanga. She didn't tell a lie and she didn't give her away anything.
"I see," said Inyanga. "No wonder you people have absolutely no feelings that could relate to being a mother. If hundreds of years pass in between having babies, I am sure women in your kingdom forget what it is to be a mother, mostly because after the child has grown and is already an adult, the duties of being a mother or a father diminish a lot because adults can take care of themselves." She tsked. "I can understand now as to how easy it is for you to poach on other people's babies." She removed Ruvyn from her breast and buttoned her shirt and made him lie beside her. Then she covered him with a soft blue blanket and stroked his cheeks. Ruvyn's lips lifted in a smile even as he slept. She turned her head to look at Ilyana, who seemed to be having a tough time controlling her anger. "That makes me wonder, do you people have nursemaids in Evindal? There being no births in a long time…"
Ilyana once again checked the anger that was rising in her chest. She knew that if she let go of her anger, Inyanga was going to use it against her. The witch was looking for something that she could use against her, but she wouldn't give her a chance. "I understand that parting with Ruvyn is going to be very stressful and confusing for you," she said in a voice that hardly carried any empathy. "But I am not going to stand here and take insults upon elves or my kingdom. So, if you do that one more time, I will react."
Inyanga's skin heated as her fury rose. A vein in her temple throbbed as she straightened and stared at Ilyana with blazing eyes. Over the feeling that flushed her red, she smiled at Ilyana. "I have no intentions of insulting a kingdom, for I am a queen of my kingdom. However, I do question the ancient rules that part a child with his parents." She turned her gaze back to Ruvyn and tucked his blanket a little more. "Have you ever thought that if I reject Haldir as my mate, if I separate from him as his wife, you will have no control over my baby?" Slowly she turned to look at Ilyana whose face had gone pale at her words. "Think about that Ilyana. Once I reject Haldir, my child will remain mine." Even though Inyanga said these words, her heart was twisting on the inside. That word was disgusting. It was so wrong at so many levels.
"Oh! I didn't know that you could stoop to this level!" Ilyana retorted. "I thought you were a wise woman, being the queen of a kingdom and all," she mocked even as she felt that her chance was slipping with each passing second. "But then what can you expect from witches!" She got up to her feet. "Perhaps rejecting their mates is easy!" Saying that she stomped out of the room.. She met Haldir on the way. She stopped, crossed her arms and in a mocking voice said, "Your wife is planning on rejecting you!"
