Chapter 3: Amelia Ironheart
First, he needed to sense the Innate Essence inside him. It wasn't that difficult, since it was very active right now, and would only go dormant once he was born. But he couldn't begin at that moment. From the conversation he had heard, a doctor would be arriving soon.
All this thinking had tired him out. His physical body was limiting his soul. He decided that he would begin after a short rest. Hopefully, the checkup would be over by the time he woke up. About half an hour after Nyx had drifted into slumber, the doctor had arrived. Except, she wasn't the one that his parents were expecting.
She looked like a woman in her 90s but no one could confirm her true age. She had deep green hair. Although wrinkles had appeared on her face, they didn't diminish her beauty in the slightest. The most bizarre thing was that despite her aged appearance, she exuded a vitality that far surpassed someone in their youth. She was standing in front of the Ironheart clan grounds.
As she walked towards the gate, she muttered under her breath, "To think that the little brat from back then is about to become a father. And he didn't even tell me." When she reached the gates, two guards stopped her.
"State your purpose!"
It looked like Bella's pregnancy had caused the whole clan to go on high alert. After all, she was the wife of the clan head. The woman didn't get offended by their actions as they were just doing their duty. Her ring flashed, and a black token appeared in her hand. She handed the token to one of the guards and said, "I'm here to see your Clan Head. Can you please inform him of my arrival?"
Her politeness caused the guard's expression to soften a little as he took the token and examined it. The token was octagonal in shape and had a grey heart carved on it. It was the symbol of their clan, the Iron Heart. He used a secret method as he injected his Anima Essence in it. It was the verification method of their clan tokens. Suddenly, the heart shaped carving emitted an amethyst light.
The guard's breath almost stopped as he stopped injecting his Anima Essence into the token and respectfully returned the token to the woman. He signalled the other guard to go inform the Clan Head of the woman's arrival. Looking at his partner's eyes, he understood that this woman, whoever she was, was an important guest. He hurried towards the Head Guard's office, as he didn't have the authority to meet the clan head as he wished.
Back at the gate, the remaining guard called for backup. As soon as two more guards arrived, he whispered something to them and led the woman inside. He led her to a moderate sized room. On the way, she was able to witness various clan members training. Inside, there were two sofas facing each other with a centre table in between them. Three maids were standing in a corner.
Although grandiose, the room felt strangely cosy. The guard faced the woman and said, "Please wait here, Madam. Our clan head will arrive soon. If you have any needs, you can tell the maids."
With that, he bowed and left. The woman had a smile that hinted her satisfaction on her face. She once again muttered under her breath, "At least he has managed the clan well. Still, it doesn't excuse him not telling me that Bella had become pregnant. Let's see what he has to say. If the reason doesn't satisfy me, I don't mind refreshing old memories for him."
While this was happening, the Head Guard was rushing toward the Iron Blood Hall. Only the Clan Head and the Council of Elders were allowed to enter as it was used to discuss important matters regarding the clan. If one entered without their explicit approval, they would be sentenced to death. To make matters worse, a meeting was already ongoing.
Still, the Head Guard risked his life as he barged into the hall.
"...tor is about to arrive so I will be ending..."
Everybody inside was surprised by the intruder. The Elders instantly glared at the Head Guard. John, the Head Guard, felt as if he was about to die. Xander, the Head of the Ironheart Clan, stared at him and noticed the urgency in his eyes. He motioned for the Elders to calm down and said, "John, for your sake, I hope that the reason you have barged in here is enough to save your life."
John instantly kneeled on one knee, his head down and his right fist on his heart as he said, "Glory to the Ironheart. My Lord, you may have my head but please let me relay this message first."
Xander looked at the kneeling man and realised that he was really ready to lay down his life. He secretly smiled, and said, "Proceed."
"My Lord, an important guest has arrived. She...she had an Ancestral Badge with her and she asked us to inform you of her arrival."
Hearing the words 'Ancestral Badge', Xander and all of the Elders stood up. Xander asked, "Are you sure it was an Ancestral Badge?"
"According to the guards at the gate, the Ironheart on the badge gave off an amethyst glow."
Xander hurriedly made his way towards John and asked, "Where is she now? The guards weren't rude to her in any way, were they?"
"No, My Lord. None of the guards offended her in any way. One of the guards escorted her to the Ruby Room. She is waiting for you there."
Xander hurriedly left for the Ruby Room after saying, "Great job. Third Elder, double the guards' salary for this month." All of the Elders except the Third Elder left the Iron Blood Hall. The Third Elder looked at John and motioned for him to stand up. He said, "You did a great job today, John. Had you waited for the meeting to be over, you would have lost your life."
John didn't mind giving his life to the Clan but that didn't mean that he wanted to die. He sighed in relief. Although he was curious about the identity of the guest, he knew when to be silent. Even then, some curiosity appeared on his face. The Third Elder looked at his curious face and chuckled.
"I know you're curious about her identity but I'm not at liberty to say much. All I can say is that her identity is something that you can't imagine."
With that, he walked out of the Iron Blood Hall, leaving a dumbfounded John behind. John went back to his office. He still had to give the good news to his subordinates.
In the Ruby Room, the green haired woman was sipping tea. Xander arrived at the door and entered the room. He motioned for the maids to leave and sat opposite the woman. The maids left after bowing once and closed the door on their way out. Xander and the woman stared at each other in silence. He appeared a little flustered. If any Ironheart clan member were to see him, they would be shocked that their Clan Head could make such a face.
He coughed twice and began, "So, ho-"
"Shut it, you little brat."
He instantly shut up and felt slightly relieved that he had sent the maids out, or else his reputation would have been completely ruined. The woman calmly sipped her tea as she looked at the mountain of a man in front of her. He was almost two meters tall and had muscles so big that even his loose clothes did little to hide them. It was almost comical to see someone like that with a flustered expression.
She put down the cup on the table and continued staring at him. With each minute that passed, Xander grew more and more embarrassed. After a few more minutes, she felt like it was enough and said, "I heard that Bella is pregnant."
Xander was about to reply but she continued, "To think that I had to hear that my own granddaughter-in-law is pregnant from someone else."
"Grandma let me ex-"
The woman interrupted him with a sigh. "I mean I should have expected it. Why would the fearsome Head of the Ironheart Clan tell anything to a frail old woman like myself?"
"Grandma, it is not like that. I just-"
"You just what?" An emerald vine suddenly appeared in her hand as she spoke. As soon as he saw that vine, Xander shivered. But he still continued, "I just didn't want to disturb you. After all, you are an Outer Elder in the Palace of Life. I thought that you were already busy as it is and didn't want to trouble you."
As he was speaking, Xander had subconsciously started looking at the floor, and his tone sounded like a wronged child. This reminded the woman of the times when he was a little kid and had done something wrong. She couldn't be angry at him after hearing the sincerity in his voice. She stood up and put her hand on his head.
"It's fine. I know that you only meant well. But you have to tell these things to me. Did you forget that I was the one who handled your mother's delivery? How could I not be here for my great grandchild? No matter how busy I am, family comes first. I already took a year long leave from the Palace. After all, I am the Head Outer Elder, Amelia Ironheart. The birth of my great grandchild is a big deal. Now take me to Bella. I will examine her myself."
He nodded and took her to Bella's room. Bella had just woken up. As soon as she saw Amelia, a smile blossomed on her face. She tried standing up but Amelia stopped her. She walked to the bed and hugged her. "Has the little brat been treating you well? If not, just tell me. I will teach him a lesson."
Bella laughed and said, "I will. How have you been, Grandma?"
"Well, I was about to go meet your Grandpa in the afterlife, but then I heard that you were pregnant, so I decided to stay."
"Grandma! How can you say that? You can't leave us before watching my child grow up." Bella's eyes had started watering, a result of her raging hormones. Amelia just hugged her again and consoled her. She then said, "I will be looking after you from now on."
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