Dmitri watched how the muscles on Adrianna’s face became taut with tension. He could feel her anxiety. She was quivering on the inside. Haldir was an important person for the Wizard Kingdom and she depended a lot on him for her Kingdom’s safety. Dmitri puffed his cheeks and exhaled a long breath. “So what do you plan, Haldir?” he asked, holding his chin up. 

Haldir looked down at his toes. “I don’t know…” he said after a pause.

​​

The royal couple didn’t have the heart to dissuade him. It was his home that he wanted to return, to his people, to the place where his kind lived. He no longer had to hide his unusually handsome features, white long hair and pointy ears from anyone. 

Adrianna was very anxious internally but like a Queen she was, she didn’t stop him. “Let us know your final decision,” she said. 

“Okay,” he murmured. 

“What about the mission I had sent you for?” she asked with grit. 

“The man who my lover married is the third prince to the Crown and he is currently the representative of the Elven World in the Council. When I went to meet him, my lover was also there. It was an awkward moment but she could feel that I had found my mate and no longer had feelings for her. Finding your mate is rare because you can well imagine that I found mine here, in this world. How many of us even come out of our world?” Haldir stopped looking out of the window towards the snow-clad mountains. “I could feel her jealousy over this matter. Although I didn’t say anything and was very matter-of-fact, I did put forth my proposition in front of the third prince. He listened to it carefully but I suspect that his decision might be affected by his wife.”

Adrianna narrowed her eyes. She wondered why a married woman felt jealous about something that happened so long ago? That was outrageous and was it that she still harbored feelings for him. If that was the case, then her proposition might fall flat. She pressed her knuckles to her mouth as if thinking deeply. After a short moment of silence, she asked, “When is he coming here?”

“I hope by today evening,” said Haldir, not really sure. 

Adrianna nodded. She communicated Dmitri mentally, “Should we tell him about Yanga to Dmitri?” She was sure that he would refuse but his answer surprised her. 

“Of course!” he replied. 

Adrianna frowned. “Are you sure?” she affirmed her doubts.

“Yes Adri. He is your Military General. You have to tell him,” he assured her. 

Adrianna took in a deep breath and then narrated the encounter she had with Yanga. Haldor was shocked. His mouth fell open. “That was not the right thing to do my Queen,” his voice carried fear. “This carries a penalty and you may be expelled from the Council.” 

“I agree,” Dmitri replied. “But this was an act of self defense. If Adri hadn’t done it, we would have been dead by now.” 

“True, but she should have gathered help instead of doing it all alone,” Haldir was angry. “That way at least we would have got some witnesses to the incident.” 

Dmitri couldn’t refute that. Even he felt that Adrianna acted in haste. “We will see what happens next,” he growled. He didn’t like Haldir’s tone. 

“Yes, my King,” Haldir bowed. He understood that he had crossed his line this time. No matter how much he would do for his King and Queen, he would never be a part of their family or friends. He would always be their Military General and he would always be made to remember his position. “I am sorry, my Queen,” he said. 

Adrianna sighed. “Let’s just forget all about it and meet the next group,” she instructed. Ed had communicated to her through mind that the Faes were waiting for her in the inn’s main hall. They refused to come to her room. 

The three of them got up and went to the main hall. What they saw there was so surprising that they didn’t have words for it. Almost everyone had surrounded the two Faes out there. Adrianna made her way through the small crowd and found two most beautiful, almost angelic people, a man and a woman, sitting by the table with their wings folded and tucked at their back. Ed was sitting opposite to them with his mouth and eyes open like wide cornfields. 

Adrianna was hit by a bolt of lightning when she saw the two of the. She had never seen such beauty. Were they the new members? How come she never saw them earlier? She hadn’t even invited them. She was expecting the people from dark realms – the demons or the orcs. 

The male Fae smiled and got up from there. Like the perfect man he was, he pulled a chair for Adrianna and she sat almost mechanically. “H- hello?” she stuttered. By that Dmitri had come to her side. Even he was struck by their gorgeousness. They were wearing regal clothes, which spoke volumes about their heritage. 

The most striking feature of the couple was their pointy ears, which were even pointier than Haldir’s. They were both tall. The male Fae was taller than anyone else in the room while the female Fae was as tall as Dmitri. Adrianna felt like a dwarf in front of them. 

“I am the High Lord of the Winter Court.” The male Fae introduced himself with a bow, “And this is my wife.” 

The Tae female rose from her place and bowed to them. They returned the favor. It was simply mesmerizing. Adrianna’s gaze fell on her left arm that was covered with tattoos right up to her shoulders. A tiny insect was tattooed on her forearm, which flapped its wings much to Adrianna’s shock. The Fae female noticed her face and chuckled. Adrianna’s reverie broke and she looked up at her. What was even more captivating were her eyes. One was blue and the other was green. Adrianna blinked her eyes as if trying to reassure that she wasn’t dreaming. 

Ed got up and dispersed the crowd. Then he turned to them and said, “If it is okay, would you like to proceed with the meeting in my room?” He knew that everyone in the inn was now extremely interested in knowing about them or talking to them. 

“Sure,” The High Lord replied with a smile. 

The Fae couple was glowing. When The Fae Lady got up, Adrianna noticed that she was wearing loose clothes. That intrigued her all the more. Was she pregnant?

Upon reaching Ed’s room, their eyes fell on Ileus who had crawled and sat down next to Jun. He was now trying to climb her back. The Fae couple beamed at him. “Is that your son?” she asked. 

Adrianna nodded with a smile and picked him up. 

She came up to them. Ileus stared at her with his golden yellow eyes. She held his tiny hand and whispered, “Thank you for helping us fight the war.” Ileus looked at his mother coyly and then buried his head in her neck. 

“What war?” she asked. The mystery was thickening. How could her little child help them in a war? Confused as hell, she darted her gaze to Dmitri who was captivated by the looks of the female Fae and her companion. “Hopeless!” she shouted at him mentally but he disregarded her. 

Suddenly Adrianna remembered what Elder had said when she went to meet him in the Mountains of Tibris when she used to have an urge to drink blood – “Ileus has traveled through time and has gone to save the parents of his mate in the future.” 

Her heartbeat raced.