Dartz pulled himself towards the shaking heap on the floor. She was breathing, but her eyes were deep with pain. Dartz sat up and pulled her on to his knee, stroking her hair.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He lowered his forehead on to hers.

"You didn't know." She was short of breath, and speaking hurt.

"I'll call the doctor."

"What can he do? I've got a sword through me!" She tried to laugh but wince.

Dartz tasted salt run in to the corner of his mouth, what had he done? He couldn't live without her! She was too important to him. She was his advisor, his wife, his friend. His love.

"I think there was... there was something in my food... green powder."

"Someone must have put a spell on you."

"It was probably him. Vandibr..."

"Don't say his name." Dartz turned away, letting her slide to the floor a little. "Why was he here? Is that why you left early?"

"Please..." Iona tried to reach his hand but he snatched it away.

"Do you love him?"

"No!" Iona wept, "I love you, I only love you! I've never loved anyone else!" Her tears broke from her eyes. Dartz moved back towards her and wiped them away with his thumb. He frowned to himself as he looked into her beautiful eyes, he loved her so much, he had to trust her. This could be his last time to trust her.

"I believe you." The resolve in his voice comforted Iona. She smiled lightly at him. She hated to see him cry.

"And you're going to live." He continued, hope rising in his voice, "And so is the baby."

She tried to pull herself up towards him. He laid his hand gently around her and lifted her up, so she lay on his lap, gazing into his eyes.

"Dartz..." She said.

"Yes?"

"The woman, who came to see if the baby was male or..."

Dartz gasped, "Her necklace."

"What?"

Dartz laid Iona on to the floor and ran to the jewellery box. Lifting its lid, the golden eye of the necklace stared up at him.

Never to wear it.

Dartz grabbed it and took it to Iona, "That woman was so young. Yet when she left, she began to wizen. The necklace will keep you young. And alive."

Iona shook her head, "No, I should not wear it!"

"You must!"

"No! I don't want to! She's been right so far, and I can't risk it." She said, falling backwards with her lack of strength. Arguing hurt, not just physically, but emotionally now. She needed him to be tender more than ever. She wanted his arms around her one last time.

Dartz frowned, "Don't die. I'll be back soon."

The banquet hall was in uproar, was it true? Who was that man? He was talking with Ironheart now. What was happening?

Chris was making her way through the forest of humans, trying to find a familiar face to explain it to her. She stood on to a chair, and then on to the table and scanned the hall.

There was thud. The door swung open.

Dartz staggered in, blood covering the white of his tunic where Iona had lay, his hands smothered in thick, red blood, the ends of his hair clumped in blood where he had let it hang on to his wife.

Chris screamed.

Dartz looked over at her, "Please, don't Chris. It's not what it looks lik..."

"Restrain him! He is a menace!" Ironheart stood , his command clattering through the room.

Some guards moved towards him, "If you dare touch you're king you're all like to die." He lowered his eyes, panic started to set in, his hand and authority was the only thing between him and a spear through him. "Cranzoak, I need Cranzoak."

The whole room was still, Chris shaking, staring at her blood-covered father. She was in such a state of shock that she couldn't even cry.

Cranzoak walked towards him, a green velvet cloak swinging behind him. "My lord?"

"I need your power."

Cranzoak bowed his head in agreement. His stone had told him something was wrong. And today was not a good day.

"People. I shall be back. I have encountered a crisis. It will be fixed. Do nothing until I get back."

He swept out the door, Cranzoak following close behind.

As the doors swung shut, the whole room erupted in to hysteria.

Ironheart made his way over to Chris, "You are no longer safe here my child. This man shall take you up to my quarters, and this shall be dealt with. I'm afraid as of today, both your parents are dead to you."

Vandibro swung Chris over his shoulder and carried her away. The room swung around her. The laughter had turned to panic, and she didn't know who anyone was, not really. For the first time since her father had overthrown Ironheart, she was truly, truly scared. Mummy used to tell me, she thought, The Dragon Knights will protect me.

Ironheart sat in Dartz's throne. "As an emergency measure, I think it only logical to declare me Prince Regent."

"My lord," a noble said, "We do not know the full story yet, we should wait until..."

"Until my son has hidden all the evidence? No. I declare myself Prince Regent. Atlantis is under my rule once again. I obviously made a terrible mistake in abdicating, and I shall never put Atlantis in such danger again."

Cranzoak was ushered in to the room by Dartz. "She's on the floor."

Cranzoak looked at her, then back to Dartz, "And what do you want me to do, my lord?"

"I thought that would be obvious. I want you to heal her."

Cranzoak knelt down by her and took out a large brown book, a moon on its cover and the star of the Orichalcos below. He began to turn the pages.

"Iona?"

"Yes..." Her voice was a mere whisper.

"What happened here?"

"I can tell you that." said Dartz. "She was a beast, A huge brown, beast. I thought that the man hiding in our bed was her, and so I ran her through, trying to protect her. It wasn't until she began to turn back I realised it was her."

Iona nodded in agreement.

"This sounds greatly like the work of the Orichalcos. A spell, made by crushing stone and the victim taking it. I know no one who would have a reason for this." Cranzoak looked down, "You have another pain?"

"Yes..." She gasped, breathlessly. "I think my contractions have started."

Cranzoak grabbed the sword hilt and pulled it from her body. Blood started to flow like a waterfall down her.

"I know what I'm doing." Cranzoak cut in before Dartz could speak his mind. "I have to enchant the wounds. By some feat of genius you've missed her lungs."

Cranzoak held the stone close to Iona's wound, muttering strange enchantments. Iona screamed, the pain throbbing through her. She thrashed violently. Dartz tried to move towards her, but Cranzoak shot his arm out defensively.

"The wound's too deep. The magic won't heal it." He began to mutter another enchantment rolling the stone in his hands. His eyes snapped open, "Dartz. The baby's soul."

"What?"

"The enchantment. The spell that turned your wife in to that thing. It's removed the child's soul. The Orichalcos can do that. I have no idea how though, not even I am that advanced."

Dartz's breathing started to grow heavier. "What can I do?"

"Capture a new soul. But you don't have time. No one can live without a soul. He would be in a permanent coma."

Iona grabbed Dartz's hand. "Save it. Please. Do something." The blood was pouring down her, and in turn, onto Dartz, weaving its way between his strands of blue hair, and seeping in to the white of his tunic. It didn't matter to him. What mattered was her wishes. What mattered was her.

Dartz looked at Cranzoak, defiance and certainty filling his face, he was not a man to be crossed now, "Freeze time."

"I can't. I have no idea how. I am not that advanced."

"THEN WHAT USE ARE YOU?" Dartz screamed, grabbing the book away from him and whacking him round the head with it. He opened it and looked through. He stopped. The image showed a woman, lying serenely with the sun on her left and the moon on her right, and a sun dial shining at the bottom.

"This is it."

"You will never be able to read it."

Dartz turned on him and grabbed his throat. "Give me your amulet."

"No. It's not safe. Your wife is as good as dead." Cranzoak said, "I'm sorry."

Dartz's anger flared up inside him, "You were the one who ripped the sword out of her, this is YOUR DOING!" He ripped the green star off of Cranzoak and hung it around his neck. "Don't go anywhere."

Dartz held the amulet over Iona and looked at the spell, "Anztay, Mauraudheh, Kilnk, Ananlak, Mayubuz." He whispered.

Cranzoak stared as Dartz's green eye flickered, he repeated, the Orichalcos glowing, a strange green aura hovering around Iona, the blood flow stopping, her eyes closing, her breathing slowing. "Dartz..." Her weak voice murmured, as she drifted in to a deep sleep.

Dartz opened his eyes and looked at her. He took her pulse. "She's alive." He breathed.

Cranzoak stared, "You have the power. How have you the power? You can't keep her like that. You have no amulet of your own. You have not been trained."

Dartz picked Iona up and took her over to his bed, "I appear to have an amulet around my neck, and I have a book on the floor. I think there is a box in your bag that belongs to me, with a raw stone in, and I think I am the King."

"They are all my own items." Cranzoak warned, "You should not change their alliance."

"Too late." Dartz whispered, picking up the blood ridden sword, "I shall learn the art of the Orichalcos," He pushed the sword into Cranzoak's stomach, "And I shall do it myself."

Cranzoak did not struggle, he stood there. "A mistake. You have made a mistake."

Dartz narrowed his eyes, "I make no mistakes." He drew the sword out, letting Cranzoak fall to the floor.

The door opened, a guard standing there. As he saw the bloody state of the room, he stared. "The Queen is dead?"

"No. She is sleeping. He is dead."

The guard stepped back nervously. "Ironheart has taken over as

Prince Regent, you are to come with me to the dungeons, as you are no longer our king."

Dartz raised his eyebrows, pointing the sword at the guard, "Get out."

The guard lost his nerve and practically fell out the door.

Dartz closed it, and sat on the edge of his bed looking at his wife, peaceful. He stroked her hair, and leaning down, he lightly kissed her forehead. Curling himself around her, he let his tears flow gently into her hair, and he stayed like that all night.

A/N: Hello my dear Atlanteans! I hope you have enjoyed this latest chapter, and I hope it was satisfying for all! It's hard not writing Iona any more, she was a gem of a character to write, but you shall see how my story unfolds next Tuesday, as Ironheart continues to sit on his throne of lies. I'm also sorry this chapter was shorter than previous, but I didn't want to overload you after The Last Dance chapter. But anyway, dear readers! On my profile, you shall find a Christmas Gift offering. I'd really like to write some Christmas stories, so give me a PM if you want one. Read the profile first though!

Lots of love and fanfic happiness, RanulfFlambard4