44. A pair of hunting eyes

The icicles of the Frozen Crescent have shivered in the high-level frequency made from the source of loud music and the screaming sound of people gathered in there to celebrate their Crown prince’s victory over the king of the raven wizard.
Ayruzians were well-known for their celebrations with wine. The wine falls of the Frozen Crescent were overflowed with the joy of receiving many wine drinkers. Ayruzians’ wine drinkers blessed Dev for throwing such a grandeur party of masquerade.
The entire Ayruzglow was indulged in the celebration, somewhere in the corner of Frozen Crescent, Akshara who was talking with her pet birds, heard the loud noise of celebrating, her birds shivered in such loud frequency. She caressed them in her hands and kept them in their cage.
Ruko came to their room and found Akshara with her pet birds, "What are you doing here, Aren't you supposed to be enjoying the celebration that was thrown by our crown prince?"
Akshara turned her head away from Ruko and replied, "I am not interested, Ruko. I don't want to see him. He is haunting me in my dreams too. After hearing you, I no longer fancy him?"
Ruko answered her in dismay, "You must face him with courage. Don't be a coward. Get up, Axe... Mother ordered every barmaid to join this shift, as many Ayruzians are arriving, we are lacking barmaids... Come on... Dress up"
Akshara replied with an irritating mind, "If I am not present there, no one is going to find me. Please help me, Ruko. Ask everyone to join, not me. Ruko, you know my situation... (sigh) Just pretend you don’t see me today."
Ruko convinced her, "As I know about your situation, I am telling you to join. No one has a word against our crown prince. Otherwise, we will be facing the biggest issue in Las Oajar. Help us, Axe"
Akshara yelled at her situation, "What is this damn thing called Lost Jar... Doing my work only to survive not to enjoy... (Take a deep breath to accept the situation) I am doing it for you and Madame Anura… Am I clear, Ruko?"
Ruko explained, "No one knows what's our destiny beholds for us unless we travel forward."
Akshara got on her feet placed the cage near her bed and marched with much frustration to the crystal room with a reply to Ruko, "My destiny beholds nothing but a tragedy."
Akshara passed Ruko with a frowning face while Ruko grabbed the hands of Akshara and mentioned, “Don’t forget to wear a mask…”
Akshara asked through her tightly sealed teeth, “What’s that for?”
Ruko has worn a smile on her face and replied, “It’s a masquerade party”
******
The information about the masquerade party was spread in the air like a fire in the forest and kingdom of Ayruzglow. Everyone wanted to join the party thrown by their Crown prince. Not only to enjoy but to have a glimpse of the Crown prince who was a legend in everyone’s eyes.
Back in the ice castle of Ayruzglow, the news spread from ear to ear and finally reached the ears of Indigo, a loyal maid of Nora. Soon after she heard the news, she hurried her way to unload the news from her mind to Nora the night fury.
Nora who always wanted to impress Dev with her performance on the battlefield was getting ready for her training. Indigo interrupted her and informed the news about the masquerade party.
"My lady, change your dress..." Indigo informed Nora.
Nora replied, "Why would I? What's the matter...?" asked Indigo while tugging her hand into the gloves inserting her legs into training shoes and knotting her waist with a sword strap.
Indigo replied, "My lady, don't you know, our crown prince throws a masquerade party to celebrate his victory over the defeat of the King of Raven Wizard."
Nora jumped in joy, "Oh... How nice... That’s why he hurried in this morning... I thought he ignored me… he is not to be blamed, I am a fool,” turned towards Indigo, "...Where it is held...?"
Indigo replied by scratching her head, "Frozen-Crescent, maybe."
The happiness was applied on the pretty face of Nora vanished to hear the venue of the masquerade party and screamed in shock, "Frozen-Crescent!?! Why there... Oh… Not again... It’s fine... I will go there to protect my prince from the evil eye-sight of any other women"
Indigo insisted Nora, “My lady… Maybe our prince wants to confess his love, so he arranged a grand masquerade party. Only for you, he is concerned about you, otherwise, why does he want to throw a party all of a sudden… Don’t miss this opportunity”
Nora replied in a sly tone, “If he doesn’t confess, I will confess him. After the moon passed tonight, He will be mine… “
******
Akshara was getting ready in the crystal room; she doesn't find any dress that fits her as it was all taken by other females in Frozen Crescent. After rummaging the entire crystal room, finally, she found a dress hanging just for her to pick up.
It was a short prom strapless off-shoulder sequin of wine coloured dress which was designed especially for Akshara from Dev and he told Madame Anura to make sure that Akshara to outfit the dress he made.
Before approaching Akshara to convince her to attend the masquerade party, Ruko went to the crystal room to remove all the dresses in there and hung only the particular dress gifted for Akshara from the crown prince.
Akshara prepared a matching mask to cover her eyes and trailed towards the hall of the Frozen Crescent with guts to face her destiny.
*****
The warrior werewolves headed by Karen, the beta prince of Ukada passed the secret cave of the mighty river Fairy Tears and halted for a while. Everyone scattered around the shore to find the shelter for them to halt.
Karen walked in the opposite direction of the river flowing and found a crescent-shaped pendant. He knelt on the shore, to hold the pendent and cried by holding it. Zohan placed his hand on the shoulder of Karen to console him.
“My lord?”
Karen stood up with leaking eyes and turned to speak his mind, “Zohan, I am sure my Axe is here. See this (Karen showed him the crescent-shaped pendant), I gave her this.”
Zohan showed his concern, “My lord. Worry not. The pendant’s presence indicates we are ahead of our success. She must be alive.”
Karen knitted his eyebrows while holding the pendant close to his heart, “Happy to hear, but how can you say this?”
“My lord, the pendant is pure… out of the blood. She must not have hurt or maybe she must have survived.” Zohan replied while snorting deeply.
Karen too snorted to find the smell of Akshara, he exhaled in distress, “It’s unclear, the pendant is here but I can’t sense her smell. What would have happened to her?”
Zohan replied Karen, “We will soon find that out. Have hope, My lord”
Karen tugged the pendant in his pockets and headed to the woods near the shore of the river Fairy Tears.
*****
The warrior werewolves wandered around the woods and found the people of Ayruzians heading in one particular direction. One of Karen’s warrior werewolves, tend to ask one. “Where are you heading?”
One of the Ayruzian told them, “Are you new here? (The werewolf warrior nodded) In this direction, there is heaven. Heaven is named Frozen Crescent. Heaven has a wide waterfall. Our crown prince is throwing us a party over the victory of Raven wizard king, witch and filthy werewolves.”
Soon after the drunken Ayruzian told the information, one of the warrior werewolves hurried to inform his beta prince, Karen Redclaws.
“My lord, there is a placed called Frozen Crescent, they say the place has winefall and they are celebrating their victory over defeating us.”
Karen’s temple bulged after hearing the news, “Celebrating after abducting my love? (The warrior werewolves were ready to attack) I first go in there, wait for my signal.”
Karen told every one of his warriors and headed to Frozen Crescent. He ordered everyone to stay outside until he gave a signal to come in. Karen and Zohan marched towards the entrance of the Frozen Crescent. The guards at the entrance informed them to wear masks as it was a masquerade party.
“Mask? However, I can find my Axe with her smell.” Karen told to him and tore a piece of his cloth and wore it on his head.
Zohan somehow prepared the mask and entered the Frozen Crescent. Karen with a heavy heart and thrilling feel entered the cave - bar with much expectation to find his love, Akshara.
Now, the dual pairs of eyes were in search of Akshara. The one was Dev, who arranged for a grand masquerade party only to see his heart-throbbed beauty. Another one was Karen, who reached the Frozen Crescent from his faraway northland of Ukada upon many struggles only to find his love. Both of them were searching for Akshara.
Dev carefully swallowed every drop of wine from his glass with his scanning eyes continued for Akshara, while Karen looked at every female only to find the familiarity of Akshara along with his sense of smell.
Both the men stood in opposite directions to each other while Nora the night fury who just now entered stood adjacent to them.
Karen mistakenly grabbed Nora’s hand, thinking Akshara in his mind. Nora felt pain in his hold as that hand was already damaged by Karen in the past before the war with Igikran broke out.
Both Nora and Karen could not find each other as they were in their mortal forms. But Nora was ragged in fury when her hand was grabbed by a man and automatically she lifted another hand to slap him as her reflexive action.
Zohan saw the action of Nora and stopped her from attacking Karen. “Miss, behave before you act.”
Nora replied to Zohan, "You filthy animal... How dare you touch my hands? Do you know who I am...?"
Zohan said to Nora, "Miss! Mind your language... My lord mistakenly grabbed your hands thinking you were the person. I will apologize for him..."
Nora answered Zohan, "Who are you...? Your lord's mind is corrupted just like your appearance... You bastards... Get your hell out of my way..."
Zohan was ferocious by her words and moved towards her to teach her a lesson but he was stopped by Karen.
Karen said, "Zohan... No... You are talking with a woman. So you have to mind your manners. Maybe her elders didn't teach her how to behave in public... It’s fine... It’s her problem... We don't come for this... It’s my fault to grab her hands mistakenly, let me ask her my apologies."
Zohan pleaded with Karen, "My lord, why do you want to apologize... Let me cut her tongue for you..."
Nora tossed a look of anger towards Zohan and Karen, "It is you who grabbed my hands... You don't even feel sorry for that instead you want to cut my tongue... Behave like a Man"
Karen interrupted, "Miss... I apologise to you… Zohan... Stop. We don't come for this..."
Nora cursed them and moved towards Dev who was sipping his wine. Even though Nora was dressed like a goddess, she was not enough to grab the attention of Dev. She managed to sit near him after grabbing her wine glass.
Nora smiled at him to grab his attention, Dev wasn’t curious in her look. He just nodded his head and tossed Nora with wine, “Without you, I couldn’t win the battles… You are great…”
Nora was expecting rather different words from him, but she felt elated by his words and thought keenly while sipping the wines from her glass, “It’s not what I expected but I… it’s fine as long as I am with you. So you can take your time to let your heart out.”
Dev took his gaze away from Nora and his eyes caught the image of Akshara who was approaching in his direction with the wine bottle who was wearing the stunning dress he offered.
*****