The king had completely forgotten about the siren the moment he left Akia's chambers. He was overwhelmed with a feeling of dread, so much so that his heart was wrenched in fear and need for atonement. Although this feelings were not towards Akia but the queen.

If Akia descended towards the throne as the queen mother the queen would lose her mind and Then the king would've broken about every promise He gave the queen. He couldn't live with himself if he hurt her. She was the only family he had left. The one person who was with him through the war and worst the banishment of his family.

She'd held the king for hours as he tried not to sob as the lost child that he was. She had cried for him, she'd wrapped him up tightly and swore she'd take all the pain away if he just let her hold him.

The king feels his heart swell up painfully. It tightens, he places a hand on his chest.

Perhaps he didn't have an attraction towards the queen. He would allow that to be said. The problem might've not even been her body but rather her and the bond they share being so strong that they didn't need to have sex to be fulfilled in someway, at least not together anyway.

The king could sit besides the queen all day in silence and not a moment would go by when he'd crave for something. He wouldn't need, wouldn't want. He'd just be.

Because she knew him in and out it was easy to not feel alone with her. Because she loved him like she was his mother and simultaneously his friend and lover, he was never afraid he'd do something hideous morally enough to drive her away. She'd never leave, never not love him.

she'd promised him after he'd come back from war with bloodshot eyes and dried blood on every inch of his skin with no wounds. She'd promised never to see him as anyone other than the person she first met as he trembled in fear at his own reflection.

So despite how many heads the king had made roll, to the queen he was still the prince that had saved her from her prison.

In exchange the king had promised her his kingdom and himself. Perhaps it may have been too much to offer someone but back then his negotiation skills lacked in every manner.

Akia fills him up with lust and dread. There's a deep wanting for her he feels inside him. It's strong, and yet the guilt of having hurt her keeps him away. It acts as kind of a symptom repressor for the lust.

Akia stealing a title he'd one day wanted to bless his queen with despite the fact that she was never able to conceive a human like child was something he couldn't allow to happen.

Around the castle people already addressed the queen as such. she has never outwardly acknowledged it but the title sure made her a little giddy.

the king turns to face Akia's chambers, he lets his mind swim away from him into a very dark place.

He thinks he could hurt the girl into getting that thought out of her head. Perhaps being cruel would deter the girl from the throne. He could steal her voice, keep it in a bottle till she's more worried about her mutism than she is about a title. He was part witch,he could conjure up a spell that'd do just that.

His magic was very unstable and because magic in itself is toxic to the mind it probably wouldn't stop there.

Using magic was like a drug for witches. Once you start you never want to stop. It over takes your mind gives you an unnatural power over others leaving them vulnerable and making you more susceptible to your darkest desires.

He was already a very powerful man. Using magic now would only anger the earth. The earth was an evil bitch when it was angry.

Besides, the dread of hurting the girl some more might finally kill him from the inside.

He could use his siren to immobilize her. Wouldn't be painful either just put some venom in her and she wouldn't be able to move her legs, he could paralysis her. A disability would disable any appointment of any royal title.

All he needed was to kiss her and release some venom.

Although he's not sure how it'd effect the baby and he wasn't sure if he was willing to risk it.

Besides once you use siren powers the siren becomes hungry and once you feed as a siren you'll never stop.

You become so consumed with hunger that you stop seeing people as anything more than a meal.

He snatches the beads holding his hair up and releases the locs.

Feeling himself breath easier haven't released his hair from the tight bun.

Akia had no right, she was not educated enough to hold the title, she doesn't have training and her even mentioning wanting to be nominated to a position such as that although rightfully hers would be laughed at.

She wasn't meant for power, she was at most a wife, if someone was enchanted enough by her beauty for that. A bed maid really, the only reason she wasn't was because of her high blood.

She had nothing aside from beauty and tenderness to offer.

Nothing that would lead the court to accept her nomination.

The king let out a sigh of relief.

There were precautions for this kind of thing, he should trust his kingdom.

They weren't going to put a fool in charge just because she has the generic unremarkable ability to give birth.

The sun king comes only from royal lineage. If this king didn't create him another surely would've.

She's not special.

Regardless he should make sure that everyone knew that the position of queen mother was for his queen alone. He'd announce it tomorrow during the pageant.

Akia woke up feeling incredible. She felt like she'd slept on a cloud.

She had ordered the guards to bring her Mina who was supposed to service the queen on said day. The guards had come back with Mina behind them to Akia's surprise.

Mina helped her wash her face and she brushed her own mouth. Akia noticed that Mina wasn't in a good mood.

Her eyes remained on the floor as she helped Akia would her morning routine.

"Is everything okay?" Akia asked and Mina nods but then shakes her head.

"I-I saw something." She said and Akia turns around despite Mina trying to tie her dress.

"What was it?" Akia asked and Mina shook her head.

"I shouldn't say." She said gently turning Akia around.

"If it's bothering you you should talk about it."

"I think our majesty the queen might be a witch." Mina said and Akia spun around and almost hit her.

"Do you want to be beheaded?!" Akia asked her hand still raised against her friend, her only friend in the castle. Her friend who'd stay once Eleanor was gone.

Mina flinches, cowers in front of her.

"You can't ever, Ever repeat those words. Do you hear me?!" Akia's voice booms like never before. Mina nods meekly.

"I'm sorry I shouldn't have raised my hand or my voice at you." Akia apologized.

"But our king is ruthless, despite what he'd fooled himself into believing. He'd do anything to protect his kingdom. He wouldn't let you live for another minute after you uttered those words in his presence. He'd take you away from me and I'm afraid I can't do this without you. I need you."

"But the queen, she isn't to be trusted."

"Nonsense Mina. That is none of our concern. You keep your head down and you do as you're told. Besides it's all temporary." Akia said and Mina is a little astonished.

She couldn't believe Akia was speaking like this, like she'd grown up overnight.

"Yes my lady." Mina said biting her lip. She wasn't sure what caused Akia's sudden growth spurt but the fact that her dress no longer zipped easily in the back gave her a clue.

"Keep it to yourself for now. When I ask it from you, speak your truth." Akia said brushing her dainty dark brown hands under Mina's lifeless pale skin.

"I understand my lady."

"You are such a beautiful girl Mina, if you ever desire something more than this I'll do my best to make it so."

Mina was confused, why was Akia speaking like she wasn't brought here to be a womb for the queen. A spread sex organ aside from the barren one that the king already had.

"Are you going to ask the king for my freedom?" Mina asked desiring some clarification.

"No, I'm going to grant you your freedom when the time is right. As for right now though, you have to help me in any possible way that you can. We must ascend from this."

"Lady Kenya are you feeling alright?, you've been through so much I-"

"I feel different, better. More in control." Akia said before patting her stomach.

"everything, I can feel everything. I think it's the baby. It's like being able to feel the energy from the sun and the earth all at once. Hold my hand Mina." Akia said extending her hand to Mina who stood there with her mouth half gaped. She puts her hand on Akia's softer one. She wraps her fingers around Akia's and then a gasped left her lips.

She starts breathing heavily, a strange warm energy shoots through her allowing her to feel truly utterly whole for the first time in her empty life.

Akia untangles their fingers and mina almost loses her balance.

"What was that?" She asked and Akia smiled.

"You're the first one aside from myself to feel the sun king."

"That's him?" Mina asked still struggling to catch her breath.

"That's him, pretty mina." Akia said.

"That's how you feel all the time now?" Mina asked and Akia nodded.

"No wonder." Mina said.

They stand there in silence for a moment before Akia pulls up her braids into an updo. They are about a week old and the bath house maiden would probably request to take them down soon but Akia liked the way they looked loose like this.

"Can I hold your hand again?" Mina asked, she's shy and her cheeks are flooded with warmth as she asked.

Akia drops her braids and extends her hand. No energy shoots through Mina this time but that wasn't what she wanted from the action anyways. She was more than satisfied with just the soft chubby hand in hers.

Akia walks out the door of her chambers, she feels the sun on her skin almost immediately. She baths in the warmth.

Her eyes are shut tightly as she twirls wanting every part of her body to feel the same amount of warmth.

"What is the meaning of this?" It was the queen's voice, it held so much distaste but Akia could tell deep down it was just fear.

Akia thinks she should be afraid.

"Good morning your majesty." Akia said venom behind the greeting. Even her bow was lacking in effort.

"There's a royal fitting being done. If you plan on attending the pageant tonight you must be there." The queen said and then they stare at each other.

Akia finds it so strange that she used to cower in the presence of the queen when really she was just a poor malnourished child in pretty royal robes. The woman with the red hair turns around and the 12 maids who follow her everywhere join a straight line and walk around until the form 2 lines behind her.

"Your majesty?" Akia said and the queen stops.

"I've gain a couple pounds being pregnant and all, I hope that won't be a problem." Akia said and hoped it burned the queen. Hoped it reminded of why she was here. Why she was insufficient in the first place.

"You gained weight?, I didn't notice. You've always been big to me." The queen said and the maids behind her snickered.

"I guess my parents just always took care of me. You know they say that a chubby child is the sign of a loving household."

Akia said just to rub it in even more. The queen's own mother had poisoned her and if that wasn't an indication of a terrible home life she wasn't sure what would be.

"Plus I'm a lot more fun to hold."

The queen walked away after that, the maids behind her struggled to keep to her pace.

Akia continues soaking in the sun.

The queen is walking back and forward in front of Ophelia. The moon goddess who'd promised her a healthy powerful child in exchange for her devotion.

"S-she." The queen hasn't stuttered in so long, not since she was a child. The last time she stuttered she was slapped a cross the face by her mother so hard she'd gone blind for a couple seconds.

"She's so smug. A chubby child? Loving home?" She was struggling to keep her hands out of her mouth the desperate need to bite on her finger nails were increasing by the minute.

"You're the queen, Marilyn. You're the most powerful woman in this entire kingdom and you're heading towards a break down because a child said you were thin. " Ophelia sounded irritated. She looked exhausted. Tiredness was evident even in her posture.

"She spoke about her illegitimate pregnancy, she was mocking me."

"So hang her. I don't really care."

"Are you sure?, are you sure that this baby won't fail like the others?" The queen asked and Ophelia sigh.

"I am the mother of the moon. I can make a human child out of dust and sand. What makes you think I wouldn't be able to create life where life is meant to be created from. In any case, all your other children were hardly failure. In my kingdom they would've thrived." Ophelia said.

"Is there a way to kill her naturally?" The queen asked and Ophelia raised her eyebrow.

"If Akia drank the same poison you made me, would it destroy the sun king like it did my child?" The queen asked and Ophelia thinks about it.

"What I gave you was toxic to your human system and it was killing you from inside making your inside unsuitable for your child causing it to die, that child's womb is protected by the elixir of life. Meaning even if you managed to kill her she'd rot but her womb wouldn't. However, it's a myth that you can't kill the sun king."

"Let's do it." The queen said quickly.

Ophelia raised and eyebrow and chuckled.

"All you need is the King's venom."

The queen is once more reminded that her husband is a monster.

"He won't ever just give it to me. He doesn't even know that I know what he is."

"Surely you don't think I have the time of day to solve all your problems for you."

The queen is quiet and Ophelia signed.

"Use The knightlac."

"Can't we use another siren's venom?,The king has never fed as a siren what if he doesn't have venom."

"That's a lie, your king has fucked and feed as an immoral leech. He just may not favor your taste."

"Why him?" The queen asked.

"The sun king wouldn't immediately reject the poison, he would know it's his father's essence and accept it without a fight. Once it's inside the elixir bubble. It'll kill the child from inside, if not kill weaken and he'll die during child birth."