55. Floating Memories

When Akshara was finally ready to depart from Frozen Crescent, she was surprised to see two majestic dragons in white and red. It mesmerised her to watch the dragon shape of her groom, Devrit Swiftwings.
Akshara trembled at going near any of the dragon forms. Dev looked at her in horror applied to her face and turned his dragon form into a wizard form with wings.
"Come on, I will carry you to the castle."
"Am I riding on your back?"
"It’s your choice to ride on my back in dragon form, or I can carry you in my arms in wizard form. What do you prefer?"
“Any flights or copters to the Ice Castle? (Both Dev and Ivan are puzzled at her statement) Any nearby train stations? (Same subtle looks were received) Or any cars or motorbikes to reach the castle?”
Dev asked her, “What are they? How do you know about them?”
“Those are mediums of transportation... I don’t know but it’s in here. (she pointed her head) what do you have for transport?”
“Me!” Dev opened his hands to welcome Akshara into his arms.
Akshara gulped and thought, "Carry me in his arms! Many ways to uplift my darkest desires, but his dragon form is horrible and it gives me only trembling. What to prefer?"
When Akshara was immersed in deeper thoughts, Dev took her in his arms, opened his wings, and said, "Hold on to me tightly, I may drop you over the mountain."
"Wait, what?” Akshara pleaded with him, "Please let me walk to reach the castle."
"Walk? Then it would take you three solid days and nights to reach the castle. Also, you will be welcomed by many hungry animals and mind rotten men would be wandering in the woods. Don’t worry; I will give you a safe landing. "
Dev, Akshara, and Ivan took their plight to the castle. They stopped by the waterfalls across the snow-covered mountains. Ivan Shirk jumped into the waterfall, causing some water to fall on Dev, who was standing with Akshara in his hands.
"Cold, cold, cold... Devil, you want to kill me?" Akshara yelled at him.
"My dear bride just looks at the aesthetic beauty of the waterfall," Dev told her while dropping her into the water directly from a few feet above the water level.
Soon after Akshara fell into the water, she got her previous memory of falling into the water and being rescued by a man. Akshara wide opened her eyes inside the water, and Dev dived into the water to take her up.
Akshara coughed heavily to swallow some water, and Dev immediately helped her. "I can help. Let me?"
Akshara nodded. Soon, Dev sealed her lips to take the water she swallowed and transferred some of his blood to make her immune to strengthen her human abilities.
Later, puzzled Akshara relished his smooch and heaved with every movement of his hands on her body. She wiggled in shyness, struggled with lust, and when Dev tried to part his lips, she pulled him back to resume his action of captivating her soul with his charms.
"My bliss... hold it."
"Let’s consider that we are in my dream."
"No need for a dream. I want to show my love in real life, but not here" Dev told her to control her emotions until they reached the castle. Akshara felt distressed at realising the dream and reality were one.
"Hey, are you scared of water?" Dev asked her while Akshara was still staring at him like she was seeing him for the first time.
"It’s you."
"What? Who?"
"I don’t know, I may have fallen in the water or something like that, and when I thought my life was going to end, I saw a man saving me. I remember his eyes."
Dev stood silent to listen to her. Akshara placed her palms on his cheeks and said, "It’s you, aren’t you?"
Dev nodded, and Akshara continued, "It’s you. I know your eyes. When I saw you for the first time, I got a feeling of familiarity. You rescued me."
"Let’s get back to the castle. The afternoon sun is almost set." Dev mentioned, showing the fading sun over the west mountain.
Akshara refused to come out of the water and told him, "I can’t come out of the water. I am soaked."
"So what? Come out, you are more immune to human flu."
"No, I mean, I am soaked, so as is my dress..."
"It’s normal for anyone’s dress to be wet when drenched or soaked in water. We don’t have all day. Come out quick."
Akshara got out of the water, covering her chest with her hands. The wet clothes stuck to her gorgeous body and revealed her beauty to Dev.
Dev was awestruck to witness her drenched beauty, “Beautiful! All mine!” and waved his hands to bring the dry cloth for her to change.
Akshara thanked with a question, "Thank you, but how am I supposed to change my dress here... that too... in your presence?"
Dev smirked at her and showed her the cave that was behind the waterfall to change her dress. Akshara requested of him, "Please turn back..."
"Does that seem necessary?"
"Of course, I want to, Devil, please..."
As soon as he turned away, Akshara rushed inside the cave. Before Akshara got inside, Dev made a bright spark that came into the cave to help her get changed as the cave was inaccessible to anyone. Akshara falls in love with Dev again and again.
"Devil..." She articulated his name and her amulet glowed, “Huh, there it goes, I don’t know how to turn off it.”
Before Akshara could come out of the cave, Dev gave her fresh fruits to ease her appetite, and she wondered, "How did you know I was hungry?"
“I know,” Dev replied and Akshara shared her food and Dev denied her, saying, "I want to eat graphs (looking into her eyes) I want to eat those red cherries (looking at her cheeks)"
Akshara wasn’t aware that he had mentioned her until she looked into his eyes. She covered her cheeks with her hands.
"I want to eat those lychees (his eyes drawn to her lips, and Akshara closed her lips) I want juicy..." Dev continued.
Akshara interrupted him, "Stop, Devil, I can’t hear it anymore. It’s cliché. I am getting goosebumps on hearing your description of my body parts."
"I am not describing you; I am just enlightening you about my tastes."
"I know you mentioned me... Good tactics! Anyway, thank you for saving me."
When both were ready to head back to the castle, Dev asked her, "Bliss, what you talked about with Ivan in the morning?"
Akshara hides her smile behind her sharp look. "Nothing. What did he tell you about me?"
"I am just asking..."
"I told him I don't like him and will do everything in my power to get him away from you." Akshara controlled her laughter severely.
"I am not a fool to believe your words," Dev remarked.
"He warned me about the allied kingdom’s rivalry for you to choose me, and warned me to be careful." Akshara was concerned about upsetting the peaceful kingship.
She added, "I don’t have any magic powers or war history. I don’t even win in verbal combat with the balloon lady in the ice cave bar. How am I going to save myself?”
"Come into my arms whenever you are in trouble. I will take care of you at any cost." Dev chuckled, "Now let's go back to the castle to meet our rivalry together."
"Where’s Ivan?"
"He might be in the castle by now with your luggage. Hold me tight." Dev informed her and unleashed his wings, carrying Akshara in his hands. “Those are my pet birds, not luggage.”