"Blood sacrifices?" Elyon choked out before she could stop herself. Of all her time learning under her brother and being the ruler of Meridian, before advocating, she had never heard of this practice. Then again she had not learned much of the old myths and legends before returning to live on Earth.

Sensing her discomfort, Phobos gently patted Elyon's shoulder. "Don't worry Elyon, it is an old practice that died out long before the old religion died. Besides, no one was ever killed for this sacrifice. If I remember correctly, the practice of Bloodletting was used on Earth until the twentieth century." Despite his calm voice and reasoning, Elyon still felt unnerved. It also did not help that Will's interest was piqued.

"Why would the goddess Inaska need a blood sacrifice? Does it have something to do with her statue being destroyed?"

"No, silly. Has Phobos not taught you anything of the old religion?" to that, Will only shook her head at Myra and she became a little more annoyed at her husband. If she weren't in the middle of an unknown kingdom and Elyon wasn't there, she would have given her husband a piece of her mind. Myra only smiled at Will's response before continuing.

"Well, it has to do with a legend surrounding the goddess Inaska and her loyalty to her family." Myra then turned to the statue and gently brushed off some dust off its' surface as a mother would to a child that had gotten lost in an old library. "Back when the old gods ruled the world and king Oro was still a child, all the tribes gathered to celebrate the anniversary of Solas and her human husband. There was a lot of celebration and a lot of drink. All were celebrating the joyous occasion, except for one; the leader of the Cebo tribe. The Cebo tribe lived where modern-day Claudan exists. The leader was named Cerobo and he might have had a bit too much to drink or he was simply venting his frustrations that he didn't get a chance to marry Solas, which it is we'll never know. Anyhow, after many drinks, he began to spout one demeaning line after another at the happy couple. At first, no one paid him much attention; he boasted that his tribe held the greatest amount of land, but all knew that the land was settled by his ancestors. Then he bragged that he was the richest tribe leader, but he must have forgotten that all his wealth was gathered by his father. Then he spoke about his accomplishments in battle but neglected to tell that all these battles were just ceremonial jousting battles. Then he boasted that he was married to the most beautiful woman in all the lands, but never mentioned that the marriage was arranged to keep his position as tribe leader. All the guests either ignored him or chuckled at Cerobo's attempts to appear superior."

"What does any of this have to do with the blood sacrifices?" asked Will, her pregnancy hormones making her more impatient than she already was by nature.

"I was just about to get to that point." Replied Myra without turning away from the ruined statue. "All seemed well until Cerobo began to insult Solas, by claiming she wasn't a good woman because all she could give her husband was a single child while his wife gifted him ten. Now, the only one who was there the day Solas gave birth to Oro was the goddess Inaska and only she knew that Solas nearly died that day. Solas tried to keep her sister calm, but Inaska would not stand for such insolence from a mere mortal who had no accomplishments to his name. Before Solas or any of the other gods and goddesses could stop her, Inaska attacked Cerobo's family. She swept up his wife first and ripped her to pieces before descending upon each of his ten children and tearing them to shreds. Cerobo, instead of fighting the goddess or trying to protect his children from her wrath, fled to his tribe and sent his soldiers to defend him. When faced with the Cebo soldiers, Inaska gave them a choice; either surrender their leader to her or be judged as his equals." Myra then looked over her shoulder at the royals and paused for dramatic effect; she had to suppress a grin when she saw how both Elyon and Will hung on every word of her's. Her cousin, however, frowned and gestured for her to continue.

"Well, Cerobo threatened to have the soldiers executed if they didn't fulfill their sworn duties to him. When the soldiers didn't back down, Inaska tore them to shreds and soaked the ground with their blood. The citizens of Cebo prayed and begged the goddess to forgive their leader, but their pleas fell on deaf ears; not even the other gods could stop their sibling. Finally, Cerobo begged Oro to stop his mad aunt. Oro thought for a moment before coming up with a solution that could quench Inaska's thirst for blood. He ordered the remaining citizens of Cebo to fill twelve barrels with a mixture of alcohol, blood, and Valerian root. Once the barrels were filled to the brim with this mixture, they were placed outside the leader's hut. The smell of the blood outside the leader's hut lured Inaska close and, without hesitation, the goddess drank each barrel empty until not a single drop was left. Soon, the effects of the valerian root took effect and Inaska fell into a deep sleep. Once asleep, Oro bound his aunt with golden rope and waited for the goddess to awaken. Once the goddess awoke, she cursed and spat at her captors, demanding that she'd be freed and Cerobo laid before her feet. Oro, in response, simply hit his godly aunt over her head with a large branch. This branch later became the Meridian Royal scepter that served the family until it was lost during the Rose Wars. Oro kept hitting his aunt over the head until she surrendered her desire to kill Cerobo. In exchange for sparing the leader of Cebo, Inaska demanded a blood sacrifice each month from the tribe to be brought to her state in the Temple. Thus, each month, the leader of the Cebo tribe gave a few drops of their blood to the temple; the blood was then mixed with alcohol and valerian root and given to the goddess." With a contempt smile, Myra turned to her audience, "And that is the history to the blood sacrifices of Inaska. Any questions?"

Will lightly elbowed her husband in the side, smirked, and whispered. "does Inaska's temper remind you of a certain someone?"

"Yes," replied Phobos and returned his wife's grin. "It reminds me of you."

XXXXX

After returning to the castle, Will felt more tired and annoyed at her husband than before. All she wanted to do was lay down and pretend the world did not exist; furthermore, she never wanted to see a Wind Stallion ever again. On their return from the ruins of the temple, one of the stallions bucked and refused to move, making the ride bumpier than the one that brought them to Ero. Perhaps she could convince Phobos to teleport them from Ero back to Meridian if she played up her pregnancy morning sickness. Instead of being allowed to retreat to her room, the moment the group returned to the castle, Elyon and Will were swept away by Myra and led to Queen Seras's private study where the retired Queen had been chatting and drinking tea with Orube this entire time; leaving Phobos to be led to king Pegan's quarters by a servant.

Once Will was seated, a steaming cup of tea was pressed into her hands by Seras, who smiled brightly at the young Meridian Queen. "So, I presume Myra showed you the temple ruins. How did you enjoy the trip? I hope it wasn't too rough."

It was clear to Will by the way the Queen was studying her body and how only Isabella, Myra, Korinthia, and Elyon were offered alcoholic beverages, that Orube must have accidentally mentioned the pregnancy to Seras and the retired queen was trying to work the subject organically into the discussion. Hesitantly, Will attempted to answer, "Well, the ruins were very interesting, and I wish Phobos had bothered to teach Elyon and I more about the mythology of this world. It does sound like quite the adventure; if anything, it reminds me of the Norse and Egyptian mythology found in my world."

"And the ride with the Wind Stallions didn't upset you too much?" The Queen repeated and Will felt like a bug caught in a corner. She had no idea how much Orube had told Seras and she still wanted to keep the pregnancy a secret for as long as possible. Will chanced a glance at Orube, who glanced back with a look that was a mixture of apologetic remorse and confusion.

"The ride was a bit rough, but all is well." Replied Will just as Myra took a sip of her liquor.

"Mother, one of the stallions refused to move, but the other managed to do the work of two just fine. Why are you interrogating our guest like this?"

"Will's bodyguard mentioned that she'd not only protect Will but any children she'll have in the coming future. Now, mother thinks there'll be a Meridian heir within the year." Replied Isabella as she tickled her daughter's belly, causing the infant to cue and giggle. "With her pregnancy, my daughter's birthday, and Korinthia's impending marriage I think mother's mind is set on children and only children."

"Oh, I am sure Will and Phobos would have said something if they were expecting. It isn't like royals to keep these things a secret from their people." Scoffed Myra and Elyon turned to Will with a wicket smile only an Escanor could perfect.

"Yes, Myra is right. Surely you and my brother wouldn't keep things like this a secret from us." The subject was still a sore spot for Elyon and the kick she gave her brother did little to satiate her anger towards Will.

"Um well…" Will wasn't sure what to say, she felt as though she was trapped in a corner. Orube hadn't said anything about her pregnancy, but Seras was an experienced woman and could probably tell the signs by now; all she wanted or needed was confirmation.

"Oh for crying out loud, Will." Elyon's patience had finally worn thin. Seras probably already knew and so did Kandakar, it would only make life easier for everyone if everyone knew. "Just tell them already!"

For a moment, no one spoke and all eyes were on Will. Now there was no need to keep the secret anymore; there might have been a chance to divert the topic, but not anymore. Slowly, the smile that had dropped during Elyon's outburst returned to Seras's lips and, before Will could react, the retired Queen enveloped Will in a warm and tight hug. In a soft and gitty voice, she cued. "I am so happy for you. How far along are you?"

"Not too far. Only a few weeks; at most two months. We planned on keeping it a secret for a bit longer, but it seems everyone found out anyway." Replied Will as she was trying to regain her breath from the Queen's tight hug. On the other side of the small coffee table, Korinthia turned to her oldest sister with a grumpy pout.

"You should be ashamed of yourself." Her voice was slightly nasally and too high pitched, reminding Elyon of a porcelain doll with a voice box inside.

"Why should I? I had no idea she was with child when I took her to the ruins." Replied Myra, without the slightest feeling of regret.

"You still should have considered it a possibility." Korinthia continued, now with her fists pressed against her hips. "You never think things through. One day that is going to be the end of you."

"You are just jealous that I took our cousins to the temple ruins and not you!"

"Both of you, stop it." Snapped Isabella, lightly rocking her daughter in her arms, who had gotten upset by the nearby arguing. "Myra, you should have considered it a possibility that two newlyweds would be expecting a baby within the year. Korinthia, last time you were asked if you wanted to see the ruins, you refused and opted to have another dress fitted for your meeting with your fiancé; if you wanted to see the ruins so badly, then you should have said something. I am sure Myra would have gladly taken you to see them." Her crystal blue eyes then turned to Will. "I am happy for you and Phobos, but you should have announced it sooner. As a royal, you owe it to your people and your extended family to keep them informed. If the people knew, they would try their best to improve security and make the kingdom a safer place for the baby. If you are worried about any backlash because of Phobos's past, then why not announce it here?"

"Announce my pregnancy here? Are you sure about that?" Will felt taken aback. This weekend was meant to celebrate Elizabeth's birthday.

"Absolutely, we can announce it tomorrow at my daughter's birthday. What could be a greater gift for both kingdoms than to celebrate the again of one royal and the conception of another?"

"Hate to break it to you, Queen Isabella, but where I am from that is considered extremely rude. Your daughter's birthday should be all about her, I wouldn't feel comfortable taking attention away from your daughter's special day." Replied Will, feeling her face turning strawberry red.

"And here, such announcements are quite common and honorable." Countered Seras with a giggle. "However, if you are still unsure about it, why don't you and your husband talk about it and come to a conclusion that would suit both of you. I know we would be honored, but if it makes you uncomfortable, then we won't force you to anything."

Author's Note:

I feel horrible for not posting anything in months. My internship seems to eat more time than I thought. I managed to write this chapter in three nights, but it took a lot out of me. I will continue this story to the end because it will lead into future stories, but its' completion will take longer than I thought. Again, I am very sorry.