Chapter 712 Adrianna and Dmitri
Anastasia and Iona walked through the gardens all the way to the king and queen's wing in the palace with their sons tucked on their hips. Alexander and Ryne were watching each other as their mothers talked pretty quietly.
Anastasia caressed Ryne's head and said, "I can see two soft buds over there."
Iona chuckled. "This boy is growing fast and trust me I am going to have my hands full once he starts crawling. Ugh! He appears so calm now, but why do I have this feeling that he would be a trouble!"
Anastasia shook her head. "The second ones are always much naughtier than the first ones."
"You mean Nikolai is a lamb in front of this little one?" asked Iona as she gazed fondly at Alexander whose golden eyes were still locked with Ryne's green ones.
"What?" Anastasia laughed. "Nikolai is a different level of a scoundrel. Just like his father. This one, on the other hand, watches everyone like a hawk and I am sure keeps cooking schemes in his head."
They reached the breezeway that led to the main rooms of the king and queen.
"And just what are you telling about my grandchildren?" A voice from the side garden came, making them snap their heads.
Dmitri emerged with shears in his hands. Both the boys exclaimed and spread their arms to reach their grandfather. "Daaaa!" Alexander squealed. When Ryne saw him, he too squealed like him. "Daaa!" And both of them started contending as to who will reach in Dmitri's arms first. Dmitri understood his grandsons better than others. He took them both in his strong arms on either side. The boys became quiet and continued their staring match.
"My god!" Dmitri said proudly with a big grin. "They are so handsome. The family traits are strong. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree."
Adrianna, who had rushed out when she listened to the kids squealing, rolled her eyes. "Yes, that's what I am worried about," she mentioned. "All of you are born peacocks!"
Iona burst out laughing as Anastasia shook her head once more and Dmitri only harrumphed. Iona hurried to hug her mother. It had been so long. Adrianna had spent a long time with her daughter after she rescued her from Etaya's clutches just so that she could make up for the lost time. But whenever she met Iona, it seemed like she should have spent more time. Her daughter had suffered so much that Adrianna thought she would die with this guilt of not being able to protect her. "How is my baby?" Adrianna said as she tightly hugged her daughter.
"I am doing good!" Iona said with a shine in her eyes.
Adrianna looked behind her. "Where are Lena and Nikolai?"
"Ah! Lena wanted to go to meet Ruvyn first and so Nikolai tagged along!" Iona replied, waving her hand dismissively in the air.
"I see." Adrianna held her hand and tugged her inside. She saw how Dmitri was talking to his grandsons. The trip looked so good that she thought of calling the royal painter and getting a portrait made with three of them. More ideas came. She wanted Dmitri, Ileus, Rolfe, Nikolai and Ryne in one portrait. Then how could she leave her daughter and daughter-in-law? What about Lena? Suddenly, she grinned. Her family had increased so beautifully. Warmth expanded in the chest. She was the luckiest woman of the Lore.
She went to sit on the couch as the girls followed her.
In their bedchamber, they had already made a place for the kids to play. It was a secluded corner which was surrounded with spells. Sometimes, Dmitri removed the lockets from Nikolai and Alexander's necks that the Elders had given only to see how much their magic matured. Dmitri led both his grandsons over there but he didn't remove the locket from Alexander's neck because Ryne was with them. As soon as the boys were in the corner, they squealed and attacked the toys to play with. It was as if both of them didn't need any help.
Dmitri sat on a chair and watched them as pride swelled in his chest.
"So, for how long are you going to be here?" Adrianna asked. "Because I hope you are staying for Camxenhai."
"Mother..." Iona pulled her feet up and put her head in her mother's lap. "You know I can't."
"It's just two weeks away Iona," Adrianna insisted. "You can always spare that much time, can't you?" The Camxenhai festival was celebrated marking the onset of winters in the kingdom. "Moreover, it would be Alexander's first birthday."
"How about I come for that day only? Lena's formal education has started, mother," Iona informed. "And Rolfe is very strict about it." She felt guilty.
"What?" Adrianna jerked her head back. "She is only six!"
"I know! I have been pointing that out to Rolfe and he only said that demon babies get started soon!" She rolled her eyes. "He takes it so seriously that I often see him going and training her."
"Rolfe is mad!" Adrianna retorted. "How dare he be so strict with my grandkids?" If it would be for her, she was going to leave them to their own volition and let them study when they wanted.
"Well, he is here with me. You can always talk to him," Iona replied with a smile and then closed her eyes. It was so good to be in her mother's lap that it was like a lullaby. "And I missed you so much," she mumbled.
"And I missed you..." Adrianna said lovingly. "How are your studies going on? When did you visit Dawn and Daryn last?"
"I haven't visited them after Ryne was born," Iona said with a blush forming on her cheeks. She had halted her studies midway when Ryne was born.
"Makes sense," Adrianna replied. "You should take a year off and then resume."
"That's the plan." Iona recalled how many buildings she had helped with designing in Galahar over the past six years. And the way her husband encouraged her, it was heart-warming.
Anastasia watched how Adrianna stroked Iona's head gently and she remembered her mother. She sighed deeply and lowered her eyes. She wanted to visit Vilinski and also meet Kerr and her parents. Kerr was five years old now and her mother Áine sent her a letter along with his portrait mentioning how mischievous he had become.
Adrianna continued to stroke Iona's hair and soon her daughter fell off to sleep. She placed a cushion beneath her head and joined her husband, who was completely entranced by his grandsons. "Enjoying it?" she asked, as she leaned in to kiss his cheek.
"Totally," he said with a smile. When she sat next to him, he squeezed her hands in his and said, "Sometimes I feel that if your father hadn't sent you for that battle against me, this would have never happened." He pointed at Alexander and Ryne.
She giggled. "You would have still sniffed me out, wolf."
He curled his arms around her as she rested her head on his shoulder. "That's just about right. I would have found a way to come after you."
"And what if I had married Niiya?"
A dangerous growl emanated from his chest. "I would have killed Niiya!"
"Calm down, sweetheart," she smacked his chest.
"Don't you say that again!" He gripped her hard.
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