Niran watched with sheer shock as Ayk walked into the throne hall majestically.
"My king."
"Your Majesty."
The noble guests stood up and bowed to him while he nodded in response and sat on the silver throne with a flourish of his cloak.
"May the court begin."
"Your Majesty, another family has lost its lives to the mysterious disease."
"Family, you say?"
"All 4 of them."
Ayk's face winced hearing it but his posture didn't even flinch.
"Till now, it's about one fourth of our town's whole population gone. Deceased because of the disease." A noble stated, clearly worried.
"It's getting intense, your Majesty."
"We have to do something about the Manons, my king. These catastrophes would have not happened if it wasn't them in the first place." A noble women spoke with so much fury in her voice.
"Our first priority is our people, Lady Dolunay. We have to stop this disease from further spread." Ayk said, his fist tightening around the arm holds of the throne, his voice in a sudden low whisper, "The Manons will face the cacodemon in me."
"Manons? It was there in Dad's Research too." Niran thought, "what's going on here?"
"But how? It's not reacting to your powers and the Garden of Goddess is cursed! If only any of these were helping to us...."
"Mother Arabella is seeking a way to break the curse on our garden. I'm sure she will. Until then, don't let loose. Isolate the people with the disease. Take necessary measures to look after them. Make sure no one leaves past our city leyline. And Rhys...."
"My King?"
"We are leaving for a cavalcade, get the horses read-"
"What about that Intruder?"
Everyone turned to a lady in red, whose sitting in the front, arms crossed, eyes scrutinizing Ayk.
"Are they talking about me?" Niran blinked.
"Are you going to leave that matter hanging, Aytigin?"
Murmurs rose while Ayk looked at the lady, contemplating.
"That lady looks suspicious" Niran thought, "She gives off slytherin vibes."
"Your Majesty, is it true that the intruder is from other realm?"
"Is she the chosen one, My king?"
"Did the Queen chose her, My king?"
"You don't concern yourself about the interpoler. She'll be sent back to her world at once." Ayk spoke with a resolve, getting up, "I'll leave to my town ride now. May the court dismiss."
"Uh-oh" Niran hid behind the column as Ayk strided fiercely out of the hall, followed by the nobles.
Rhys came out atlast and Niran pounced before him, grabbing his hands.
"HOLY-"
"Rhys! I want to ask you something. Come with me."
"I told you before, don't ghost anyone! I felt my heart jump out of my body!"
Niran dragged Rhys into a nearby room, "So tell, Ayk is actually Aytigin Lucius Fallon, the present King of Fallons?"
"Yes." He nodded.
"And, there's another clan called the Manons?"
"Yes."
"Are they cursed?"
"Yes, they are cursed by our Goddess because of their greediness. But, after all these years, they have found a way to direct their curse to us, spreading a disease that has no cure-"
"Stop. Stop. Is there any other clan apart from you two?"
"Yes. They are-"
"Are they the Wrens?"
Rhys looked surprised, "Yes. How do you know them?"
Wheels started turning inside Niran's head. She felt few things falling in place.
"Oh my god," She gasped. "Dad....It's no myth." She turned to a confused Rhys.
"Are you all the 'Descendants of the Moon'?"
"Yes we are." Rhys nodded.
"Rhys!"
Ayk stormed inside the room, his deadly eyes falling on Niran.
"We have to send this outcast to her world at once! We have enough trouble already!" He turned to the knight nearby, "Inform Mother Arabella about my visit and tell her to make arrangements for any rituals needed to send this lady home."
"I appreciate the spontaneous efforts, your Majesty." Niran dipped into a fake curtsy, "It would have been nice if you did it at first."
Ayk's fist came in to ball while Rhys gently slapped it to ease him.
"Why the anger thou, Follower of Lucian Fallon?"
Ayk and Rhys froze, looking at Niran.
"How do you know our ancestor's name?"
"Oh I know more," Niran chuckled, "Isn't he the elder brother of Erebus Manon? So you and the Manons are related, aren't you?"
Ayk's eyes blazed with fire, "Do. Not. Say. That."
"Why not?" Niran shrugged, "Why would you fight your family members? What's there for you to gain? Can't you make peace with them and be happy again?"
"GODDAMN PEACE!" Ayk threw his cloak on the floor, the brooch in it making a loud 'clink' while hitting.
"I could rip their hearts out of their bodies with bare hands and throw it as feast to my hounds." Ayk's breath was ragged, his chest heaving up and down as he let out all the anger pent-up in him.
"First, they cursed the magical garden of the Goddess, killed my Father and Mother, now killing my people with an incurable disease. YOU WANT ME TO MAKE PEACE WITH THOSE SCOUNDRELS?! NOT IN ANY WORLD!"
Rhys hugged Ayk, "Aykie, stop. She'll be scared," he patted Ayk's back, "We'll get over this, don't worry yourself."
Niran watched all these things silently, "Then, why didn't you?"
Rhys and Ayk turned to her, "What?"
"If they have done so much why didn't you rip their hearts off as you told?"
"Niran, please, stop. Let's talk about it afterwards. Ayk , we are going to be late for our cavalcade. Come."
"Are you scared of war?"
Ayk stopped short, his shoulders tensing up.
"Tell me, Aytigin Lucius Fallon, I mean, your Majesty, why are you hestitating to wage a war?"
"Niran! I said Stop!" Rhys shouted, stopping Ayk from turning around, "Guards! Take lady Niran to Mother Arabella at once!"
"Scared of War?" Ayk muttered, "scared of War, you say?" He pushed Rhys aside and walked towards Niran who were surrounded by guards.
"If I were you, The Manons would have been reduced to ashes by now" Niran's eyes fought with Ayk's, terror and lethal pooling in their irises, "No one leaves alive after messing up my loved ones."
"Guards! Take her away! RIGHT NOW!"
Ayk was ready to pounce on Niran when Rhys held him back and the knights dragged her away.
"Leave me Rhys! Let me snap her neck!"
"She doesn't know anything! Stop!"
"Your Majesty"
A knight came in and bowed, "Mother Arabella is here to see you."
"Please let her in."
Rhys brushed Ayk's cloth with his hands and both bowed as an old lady entered the room. She wore a Crescent charm around her sagging neck, her golden robe gathering in loose folds around her skinny body.
"Mother Arabella"
"May the moon guide you to victory"
She lifted both guys and smiled, "I heard you needed to meet me. I too wanted tell something I found."
"What's it Mother?"
"Your needs first, son."
"A girl has entered our realm and people believe she's been summoned by my Mother, the Queen. But, she's clearly not capable of helping us in any way and she wants to go home. We need to send her back to her world."
"You cannot send her back."
"What? Why?"
"Let me tell you what I found."
"Please, mother."
"Remember what I predicted about saving the Fallons?"
Rhys and Ayk leaned in closer, intrigued.
"Your mother, Aytigin, had left to her afterlife so long back, unable to summon help."
"What?" Ayk gasped.
"Then, What about Niran?" Rhys asked, surprised, "how did she come here then?"
"The Chosen one, as I predicted, has come to our realm, sons!" Mother Arabella threw her hands up wide, her eyes gleaming with a new found hope
Ayk and Rhys looked at eachother confused.
"Only she can decide if she should go back."
"How does she possess such power?"
Mother Arabella turned to look at a shocked Ayk and Rhys, smiling
"She's summoned by Our Goddess, VERENA. "