Stylx couldn’t believe what has just happened to him in the cave, there were still a lot of unanswered questions in his heart. Weoss didn’t offer him the opportunity to clear those burning doubts in his mind, Coming down from the lofty mountain where the Eagles dropped him off, he felt somehow disappointed that his meeting with Weoss didn’t take that burden of curiosity off his mind. “ Gosh” he exclaimed as he missed his footing and painfully slid down some part of the mountain. ‘But come to think of it, He left assurances of ways to get Him and clear difficulties and doubts in his ruling, maybe he didn’t give him outright answers because He wanted him to be in close communication always and see the need to always have him around’’ he thought to himself as he sighed deeply and made his way into the woods

       Nephla heard sounds emanating from the royal room as she made her way silently towards it, it came as one trying to ease into the chambers. The guards heard this too but didn’t move as they have been instructed earlier by King Stylx not to enquire anytime they heard such sounds from his chambers. Nephla has had this sound on numerous occasions before but owing to the fact that she has been having some doubts on the recent hidden doings of the king and her supposed ‘husband’. ‘Hell no’ she said silently to herself as she made for the room not minding the consequences of her daring action.

       Meanwhile in the courtroom, there was a sudden calm as all battling parties retreated to their supposed seats after someone unexpectedly walked in. The once noisy gathering became so quiet that even the drop of a pin can be heard loudly at that instance. King Stylx walked silently to his throne as everyone watched uncertain of what the king next move will be. The knew fully well that they have desecrated the rule of quietness in the courtroom, something that King Stylx frowned at sternly. He sat with a deep sigh which increased the building tension in the room.

         Nephla could not still come to terms with what she saw and heard from Stylx. She kept shaking her head to keep her sanity and composure intact. “I mean who have seen Weoss before and lived ever since Jalib died?”. “Hope the tension of all the leadership routine has not started acting on Stylx negatively in his mental health?” She pondered more but decided to debunk it as she has never seen her husband the king affected mentally by issues that were more tasking than being the king of Onyx. She knew he needed her even though he hasn’t said anything about it to her but how will she come in as she herself needed help understanding all that have been going on in her marriage lately. Their little boy who normally comes in to force words out of him was far from them in the safety of the new Queen Buerb as he undergoes formal education. Stylx wasn’t even aware that she was carrying their second child as he hasn’t given her any concrete chance or time to bring his awareness to the happening. She had to be strong even though the present situation was becoming very much an unbearable burden for her. She sighed loudly and slumped to the scattered bed, it wasn’t the maid’s fault as Nephla had refused anyone from entering the royal room that morning.

        The council members were all striped to their briefs in the large courtroom as the soldiers got ready to use pain looking whips on their bare backs. King Stylx looked unmoved as they were are tied to their various seats of power. Even though the resisting ones were dealt blows and maltreated, he didn’t say a single word but simply stared on. Soon all the council members were securely tied, King Stylx whispered something into the ears of the army general, taking up the staff of authority, he walked silently out of the hall amidst the large cries of protests, pleas and mercy from the members. The army general sounded out the instructions of a hundred and twenty whips on each of the members back, each whipping soldier took position and at the wave of a wave by the general, they started whipping out at the helpless comrades. Nephla heard loud screams of pains across the palace and almost made for the chambers doors if not the sudden walking in of a dead looking Stylx who said nothing to her but simply crawled into the bed after taking off his clothing. She carefully crawled into the bed too neglecting the resounding sounds of pain that kept echoing but had somehow reduced once King Stylx shut the chambers doors. She knew she had to be extra careful with her actions now as they could either make her husband walk out on her as he always did each time she got him worked up or have Stylx clinging to her bosom like a helpless kid each time she melted him with her reassuring words. Stylx knew he had been unfair to his Nephla lately, he knew he needed her a lot these times but he didn’t want to bother her with such pressing issues again. He vividly remember sneaking up on her when she was reading the royal physician report on her last examination due to her loss of appetite, he knew his Nephla was expecting their second child even though she didn’t want to say anything about it. Almost immediately, he felt her hands on his shoulder, after some seconds of hesitations, he clung to her bosom, Nephla smiled as she gently took off the coat she wore and held him tightly to her body, she knew she had her but wasn’t going to take the chances of ruining this moment by any questioning or interrogating. King Stylx curled himself into Nephla’s tight embrace as she adjusted herself once again to cuddle him more tightly as he gently went to sleep. Nephla kissed him on the forehead and whispered gently to his ears “ I am always here for you my King”.

        The news about the punishment melted out to the council men soon filtered the streets, it was greeted with a lot of questions as many couldn’t believe that King Stylx was capable of such brutal act but seeing the sudden disappearing of the council men in the streets, public places and gatherings were enough proofs to drive in the claim. Majority loved the king for this as it shows that no one was above the punishing arms of his majesty. How could people who should be upholders of law and orders reduce themselves to being its perpetrators not even at their homes but in the royal courtroom, others believed that they should have been dealt with in the open for all to see but they all know their king even though was strict still accorded respect to others. Court gatherings was suspended for a fortnight to enable the council members work on their wounds as well as their attitudes, they were still provided with their normal payment quota as well as their guards. King Stylx held Nephla in his arms and stroke her hair gently, he stared deeply into her eyes as he saw the multitude of questions in them, who wouldn’t be after all she had heard and seen these couple of days from both him and the happenings in the courtroom. He kissed her gently, she pulled him back and he made to stand and kissed him deeply, he immediately knew what she wanted as he had denied her it for a while now, but how can he make love to her with all the questions hovering over them? He pulled her close and felt her cheeks in his hands, “when were you going to tell me about our baby that you are carrying?’ he asked as he craftily avoided her move to kiss him again, “when you were ready to tell me all that have been going lately with you” she replied as she attempted to raise her blouse that was almost off revealing her breasts. Stylx stopped her gently and took it to its former position, Nephla wasn’t going to let him get her that easy, as dumbfounded as she was finding out that he knew about her pregnancy, she tried as much as she could noy yo let him see it and acted like she was moved by it. This didn’t stop her from asking how he knew about it and why he didn’t confront her about it since and decided to keep it to himself. “You have forgotten that no throne, kingdom or task can stop me from knowing what goes on with you, before all these you have always been the most important thing that matters the most to me because I love you always my Nephla”