78. Back to the Nest.

In the Ice castle,
When the blonde bride arrived in a crimson dress, every female in the room dropped their jaw and wondered at her colour-matching skills of Akshara. “Exuberant,” a bride in black hair complimented Akshara, “Now tell me what goes with my skin?” she told her with radiating voice along with some dominating attitude.
Akshara looked into the outfits and picked the fuchsia satin prom dress and gave it to the bride in black hair, “This elegant mermaid style gown along with the off-shoulder laced flowers would suit you best.”
The black-haired bride changed her outfit soon and her beauty radiated through the fuchsia-coloured satin prom dress. The red-haired bride asked Akshara, “How about I choose this golden yellow to suit my hair colour? what do you say... Uhm... how do I call you?”
“You can call me Axe, that’s my name,” Akshara told everyone.
“Axe?” the red-haired bride took the golden yellow and asked her, “How do I look like?”
“Uhm, princess, your hair colour is red-shaded, so it would be nice if you choose emerald green over golden yellow.”
“Emerald? I never think about that, I will try this for sure. And one more thing, you can call me Enerva, don’t call me princess.” The red-haired bride quickly changed her outfit to emerald green. She rushed to look at her in the large-sized mirror on the icy walls and sighed at her herself.
“I never thought of using green would enhance my beauty to the peak. I used only warm colours reflecting my hair shade.” Enerva hugged Akshara to let everyone wonder.
“Enerva, have you lost your brain to hug that maid, slave dungeon girl?” Nora shouted at Enerva, the red hair bride for showing her soft side to Akshara.
“In my kingdom, we treat everyone the same. There is no slave or maids, I treat everyone as my friends,” Enerva remarked and looked at Akshara for a while and turned to Nora to deliver her sarcastic words, “I think you don’t have the standard in treating people. I don’t blame you since you were raised as a warrior than a moral female.”
“You...!” Nora felt humiliated and wanted to kill the red bride at the moment. but Nora was stopped by the brunette bride, “Huh, fight outside you both. I need to get ready before the crown prince's arrival, (she addressed Akshara) hey you crossbar, come with me, dress me up.”
“My name is Axe not crossbar,” Akshara told her and followed the brunette bride while sharing her smile with Enerva. Akshara choose the golden-yellow satin dress to suit her brunette hair and waited for her arrival. When the brunette bride arrived, Akshara complemented her immediately, “Oh, princess, you look like a golden statue.”
“I know I am beautiful. Don’t just stand there, do my hair?” the brunette bride commanded Akshara. Akshara too did the same with a smile on her face. Nora picked the purple-coloured fabric and stood in front of Akshara, “What are you looking at?”
“I always found you in purple. You can add a little yellow undertone to the purple. It would suit you.” Akshara suggested while
Nora did the same and asked Akshara to do the hair. Akshara decorated Nora’s hair with yellow flowers to match her outfit. When almost all the brides were groomed, the announcement from dragon soldiers echoed through the air, “Hail fame illuminating majestic kingdom of Ayruzglow, Hail our legendary brave crown prince.”
The word ‘Crown Prince’ reflected over the ice walls of the castle and reached the chambers in the eastern wing. Akshara’s heart almost skipped a beat on hearing the crown prince’s arrival.
She was immersed in pleasure and her ecstasy elated to its peak. “My long wait is been over. Even though I can see and touch him in my dreams, feeling his embrace in real gives me eternal satisfaction in my soul. I wanted to inhale and feel his breath on me. I must run into his always-welcoming arms for me. He is here. Devil...!” she forgot herself on the preoccupied thoughts of Dev.
Nora noticed the happiness-filled face of Akshara. Nora bubbled in anger on watching her happiness and thought, “My nerves are popping out in anger on seeing her happiness. I won’t allow her to meet my Dev.”
one more bride is yet to dress up, she was identified with her hair shade which was ash-shaded.
The Ash-haired bride examined Akshara from top to bottom and pulled Akshara by hand. Akshara was puzzled about her action, “Princess, what are you doing?”
The ash hair bride didn’t respond to her question instead she called the other brides, “Nora, Rona, Ina, Ervy and Zer”
Akshara asked the ash bride, “Princess, is there any wrong with my choice of your outfit?”
“Nope, you choose me a turquoise blue gown, I am looking like an angel. It’s not about me, it's about you, Axy.” The ash-haired bride mentioned Akshara and shared her wide grin. In her grin, no one could decipher how cunning and wicked thoughts were hiding behind that.
All brides looked up to the brunette bride and come close to her, “What?” “Why did you call us, Avi?”
“She groomed you all, don’t you want to repay her aid?” Avika, the ash hair bride infuriated everyone with her damn question.
“What do you suggest?” Nora asked the ash hair bride with knitted eyebrows.
“Let's groom her!” Avika replied to everyone.
“What?” “No!” “She can’t be.” “She doesn’t deserve that.” “What a good idea!” an enthusiastic tone came from Enerva and everyone turned their eyes to her.
Enerva was shocked, “What? Isn’t that a good idea? We are here to represent our kingdom. But she is here to represent the crown prince.”
Enerva’s words passed sizzling flames of anger into every bride’s nerves, yet Enerva continued, “She should be the first bride in our parade.”
Everyone shared their eyes and agreed in unison. Nora picked the remaining fabrics from the queen’s offer and tore them into pieces. “What are you doing?” Enerva asked Nora in confusion.
“Don’t worry, I am making an exclusive combination to the exclusive bride of our crown prince,” Nora told her in a sarcastic tone with a cunning evil smile on her face.
Indigo could decipher Nora’s evil smile and informed Akshara, “Axe, you must go from here now. They are heading to humiliate you. Can’t you see that?”
“I know what they are up to,” Akshara replied in a much coolest tone.
“Then, WHY? Why do you...?” Indigo grabbed her shoulders and shook her to wake her up.
Akshara removed Indigo’s hands and told her, “Gaining trust and friendship isn’t an easier task. I am trying to earn their friendship, if my humiliation is the cost, then I am happy to pay that at any cost.”
“You surely are a brainless human. No wonder my lady is easily targeting you for taking the crown prince away from her.” Indigo lamented and left Akshara to stand in the corner of the chamber to watch their humiliation of Akshara.
“How can a person be acceptable to the uncivilized humiliation just to gain their friendship? The humans are born with extreme tolerance?” Indigo lamented to herself while watching Akshara’s bloomed face.