41. Warmth Comfort

Ivan stopped Dev who was wandering around the castle with his mind fully occupied with Akshara. “What?”
“I wanted to know what exactly happened during our fight with the witch.”
“Nothing... (He paused for a while and rolled his eyes) usual like always,” Dev responded quickly and moved to wander in his mind leaded way.
“Dev, then how the girl comes from witch palace to our kingdom’s territory?”
Dev stopped his legs and asked him, “What do you want? Don’t you have any other work in this biggest castle?”
Ivan did react any and so Dev continued, “I saw her running away from the castle, thinking she is a cunning witch, I abducted her.”
“That simple, then how did she lose her memory?”
“It's you, you told me to help her. I did, and now you are blaming me for saving her life.”
“I ask you to save her life, but I don’t say to ruin her life.”
“Ruin? Are you accusing me?”
“You ruined her life by abducting her to our kingdom; you purposely erased her memory and abandoned her in Frozen Crescent where females are seen as only pleasure-giving objects”
Dev’s facial reaction was changed slowly and he started to get the guilty conscious, “Err, Ivan stop.”
“Stop? why Dev, did your injustice to the innocent is stabbing you? Though you are a dragon, you are a wizard by nature, did your heart is decomposed into the mud?”
“Stop, Ivan, stop your blabbering,” Dev shouted to stop his accusations as his guilty feeling grew tremendously.
“I won’t Dev; you did enough injustice to her. But you haven’t stopped yet, you continue to ruin her life by growing affairs with her. You are crown prince to this kingdom, you can have many affairs as much as you want. I have no say.”
“Ivan! Why do you speak for that human girl? Are you growing any feeling for her?” Dev stopped Ivan who tried to move from that place after lashing his anger out.
“Oh, Dev stop, I have been worrying for you. You did injustice to someone, how am I supposed not to mention it. Dev, you are my friend, crown prince to this kingdom, future king to this Ayruzglow... I am not into her. I worry for her like what I do for Nora.”
Dev was elated with his words and convinced by Ivan. He patted on the shoulders Ivan and hurried to the Great Tower. “Dev, where now?”
Dev smiled at him before opening his wings, “To give her justice.”
*****
Dev landed in Frozen Crescent while the sun was about to bid farewell in the western sky and his iris blue eyes rummaged for Akshara. Akshara was in her short garments and thin light shaded fabric as she went last to the crystal room to makeover.
The corset last time she used to cover her mid part was torn by filthy drunken Ayruzians and she couldn’t find any equal garment to cover her slim revealing tummy. She got only high heels which weren’t enough to cover her long slim legs.
After cursing her destiny, she hardly prepared herself to serve in Frozen Crescent for her survival. She was directed to serve-on-table service than being at the table to serve who comes.
“It’s my worst day ever. Limited dress, serve-on-table service and excessive crowd are going to knock me out. Heaven, please show mercy on me. Tell me everything is my fantasy dreams just like Alice in wonderland do.” She thought.
Akshara was serving wine to the Ayruzians where some were teasing her by pulling her hair. She expressed her discomfort then and there which was seen in her facial expressions.
Dev stood in the corner of the Ice Cave Bar, only to look at Akshara. She moved on to the next table to serve, when she helped the empty glasses to fill with wine, one of the dragon men splashed the wine at her. Soon she was gathered around by many and all started to drench her in wine.
Akshara was too embarrassed to stand before as her dress was thin to reveal her body, when she tried to run she was blocked and teased. Dev could see her tears filled eyes and her feeble voice of pleading everyone.
Dev’s heart ached after seeing her as a slave in serving his people. “What have I done?”
“Ivan was right about her, what I have done to her is... She is suffering because of my misunderstanding her as one of them... witch and werewolves.” He decided, “She is my responsive. She is mine.”
Dev hurried to the spot where Akshara have been humiliated by Ayruzians. Everyone stopped their giggles and laughing after seeing their crown prince who stared at them while having a hand on his sword.
All people left the place and moved on; Akshara was trembled both in fear and chillness and Akshara screamed in fear ignoring Dev when he extended his hand to comfort her.
Her ignorant gesture on her face pierced the strong heart of Dev. “Why do I feel bad after watching her sufferings? I destroyed many lives to death on the battlefield, why I can’t stand before her tears?”
Akshara ran off the place towards the entrance pushing away Dev who comes before her. The guards on the entrance snatched Akshara while she tried to go beyond the limit, Dev followed her and gestured to the guards to let her out.
Akshara ran towards the path which was wide open like the sky. She had fallen on the ground after hitting her leg on a small piece of rock. She thought, “I wish to wake up dead.”
Tears fell on the ground when she found that she was still alive, “I haven’t died, please the god of death take me.”
She cried shouting at an empty area upon her death wish, she curdled the white sands of the sea close to her in a deep moan, “Please engulf me, and I wanted to be buried deep”. She lamented to the white sands.
Every single word she uttered were fallen on Dev’s ears clearly which made him soak in the deep sea of guilt. Akshara stood up when she hears heard the sound of waves.
“I wish the sound of waves to be real and I wanted to drown in the sea. Please don’t fake my death wish,” she said aloud and ran towards the sea as fast as she could.
Akshara jumped into the sea when tears rolled down her cheeks, Dev opened his wings ready to save her if she drowned. She didn’t move her limbs thinking her movement would bring her alive and make her body feel light to travel deeper into the sea.
Dev was worried about her mindset of dying in all means; he jumped into the sea to save her. He used his magic tricks to spot her in deeper waters; he caught her who was losing her consciousness.
Dev travelled to the surface carrying Akshara in his arms. He flew with her to the top of the nearby icy mountain in the Ayruzglow Kingdom. He laid her against the mossy rock inside the cave which was hidden behind the icy mountain.
He swayed and snapped his fingers to create the sparkles to produce some magic to change the atmosphere warmer against the icy atmosphere. The ice and icicles in the cave melted slowly and Akshara seemed to get her conscious when she felt the warmness in the ground.
She opened her partial eyes and examined the atmosphere, “Am I dead?”
“No!” Dev replied.
Akshara jolted to get up after hearing a male voice. “Who are you...? (Paused for a while) What are you?”
Dev transformed his shape into a white phoenix with his magic powers. Akshara was amazed at the phoenix in white colour and the mighty legend bird has been talking to her.
“You can speak?” Akshara asked Dev who was in phoenix form.
Dev replied, “Yes, I can if you wish”
“Talking bird? Whitey Phoenix! I can see everything as I am dead.” Akshara sighed.
“You aren’t dead. Not yet.”
“Then, where am I?”
“In a cave belongs to Ayruzglow kingdom.”
“Hmm... (sighed) I am not dead, why I am not dead, who saved me?”
“I saved you. How do you think you would die if you dive into the sea with the least depth?”
“Am I? But I wanted to die. You are phoenix I hope, burn me alive, scorch me with your powers. Please I don’t want to live.”
“You can’t kill yourself. You need to get approval from the supremacy of this Ayruzglow kingdom or Las Oajar or with my crown prince.”
“Why is the Lost jar is messing my life? Why do I need permission to die from them?”
“As you are under the control of our mighty Queen, everything in Ayruzglow is our queen’s responsible. So don’t bring any defame to queen or kingdom by your ill-advised activities.”
Akshara shrunk her face like a peanut and asked, “Am I free to wander everywhere in your kingdom or just have to return to the hell?”