91. Moon bathing in Bay

The moon's cool rays bathed the bays of Crystal Forest, where Akshara's thoughts lay on the waves, eyes wide and riveted on the night sky. She floats like a feather on the water's surface.
With an emotionless gaze, she sprayed some water on her. Her thoughts were on Dev, and she desperately wanted him at her side. Her imagination replayed every intimate moment she'd had with him, making her sick of love.
A rustling sound was heard in the distance from the forests that transported Akshara to the world she was placed in. She rose from the water, a broad grin on her face, and said, "Devil!"
Her exotic eyes missed Dev, and she tilted her head here and there in the name of surprise to see where he was hiding. When she was alone in the bay, she resumed her graceful figure in the waters with a sorrowful look.
Akshara focused her attention on her ears, keenly observing everything in the bay. She could hear insects buzzing, frogs croaking, the wind whistling through the trees, and the odd rustling sound of leaves.
"I know you're hiding in there," Akshara said as her eyes searched the trees. "Devil, show yourself!" Her voice revealed the hidden, and the creature that had been lurking behind the trees to watch her bath became visible in the moon's beams.
Akshara would be thrilled if it were Dev, but all she saw was a massive grey wolf with prominent canine teeth. The enormous grey wolf had been observing her from the start and snarled at her. During her retreat, Akshara poured some water on the wolf to scare it away. But it grunted back loudly.
"I don’t want to be your dinner tonight; I have a boyfriend to attend to," Akshara pleaded with the wolf audibly. "Please go away. I am scared. "
The grey wolf withdrew from the bay and disappeared into the woods. "Well done, Axe," Akshara said, exhaling a breath of satisfaction. "You are skilled at communicating with beasts." Soon after, a male figure emerged from the trees, and Akshara rushed to get the ball of thread she needed to wrap something presentable, hoping it was Dev.
She was also incorrect this time. The man in front of her had wide shoulders and thick lower jawbones, as well as amber eyes. Akshara was much more terrified than she had been when she first seen the grey wolf. She stood with her legs firmly planted in the water. It was Karen Redclaws.
Her mind voiced loudly when her eyes were wide open fixed on him, "Whoa, who is this handsome man, who looks stunning in his appearance but not surpassing the charms of my devil."
"Are you going to stay?" Karen asked with great care over her, "He was worried that she might catch a cold"... in the waters for the rest of the night.
When his predictions came true, she sneezed for the first time after being frozen in ice castles for months. Akshara thought, "I don’t know why I found warmth and familiarity in his appearance and voice."
Karen spoke to him through his mind, "I terribly wanted to pull you out of the water immediately and embrace you in my arms, but I am confined from doing so since you lost your memories of me." I want our first impression to be special and memorable."
"Uh..." Akshara sneezed again and felt weird, and she expressed the same while coming out of the water. "It’s weird."
"What’s weird?" Karen asked her looking into her eyes. Akshara replied with so much questions aroused in her mind, "I’ve been in Ice castle for months, I never sneezed or catch cold. But this waters..."
Akshara paused immediately and asked him, "Wait, do I know you?"
Karen was shaken by her question and still maintained her temperament, "Why don’t you tell?"
Akshara arched her eyebrows in excitement and replied to him, "Honestly speaking, I found some familiarity in you... your voice. But I have poor memory, and I couldn’t recall my past. So why don’t you help me? "
Her words help me. He gave trembles to his heart and mind. He thought, "I am a fool to wander around when you are in grave danger." I shouldn’t have left your side in the Witch's Palace". He opened his mouth to answer her, "The past doesn’t matter when we can create something new."
Akshara was more confused by his statement and asked him the same, "So is that means, ‘Yes, I know you’ or ‘No, We Haven’t Met Before’?"
"You find it." Karen left her in the enigma of puzzles and walked to cover the inches of bay, hoping she would follow him.
Akshara followed him blindly and told him, "I can take it as' yes, I know 'you'."
She sneezed repeatedly behind him, and Karen closed his eyes tightly to control all his sensory organs in order to help her. His hands didn’t heed to his mind; they immediately removed the coat over his shoulder and handed it over to Akshara.
Akshara was shocked, "Thanks, but I have mine," saying she held the ball of thread to close to her heart and thought of thick furred coat. Soon her amulet brightened and coat appeared from nowhere to cover her.
"How did you do that?" Karen asked her and she replied, "With this thread ball."
Karen understood that she had been covered in the jinx of the white dragon wizard, Dev, and told her, "It’s okay." Wear this too; it will keep you warm. "
"I am fine." She said in a determined tone, and Karen left his furred coat on the floor, and soon his excitement faded and his legs scooted into the woods.
"Wait, I have a few questions for you?" Akshara tottered behind him. Karen stopped immediately concealing her anger and asked, "Ask me anything, but only if you are agreeing to come with me."
"Come with you?" Akshara’s brows knitted, "Where?"
"Where?" Karen questioned him with knitted brows, and Akshara explained to him, "Excuse me, sir, I met you only a few minutes ago, and don’t you think it’s a manly act to call a girl at night asking to come with you?"
"So, I got an impression of a pervert in your mind." Karen tipped her head and stared at her.
She replied, "What if you abduct me?" I can’t come with you. Soon my... (Akshara was puzzled about what word to fill in to address Dev).. my crown prince would come at any time searching for me. "
"So did your crown prince take you here for a grand welcome party?" Karen was so angry over Akshara whenever she mentioned Dev.
"Uh, he titled me within ice walls and I..." Akshara recalled her life in Ayruzglow in brief and felt bad about her memories.
"So your crown prince, didn’t you give you any welcome..." Karen asked her and she nodded her head negatively.
"But, he and I share eternal sweet love. I can feel that. " Akshara argued for Dev and Karen.
"I am not in the motive of abduction. I wanted to take you to a warmer place." Karen asked her again and again. Akshara was clear in her decision, "How can I come with you?"
"Not far, only a few yards." Karen tried to convince her, but Akshara was stubborn in her decision. He thought, "Huh, stubborn like always."
Akshara looked around and found that she had gone too far away from their shelter and worried for wild animals.
"Alright then, let me accompany you to your house or shelter or something where you and your crown prince are staying." Karen asked her with pleading amber eyes.
"Okay!" Akshara agreed immediately. "But you have to answer me."
"You still have no trust in me after spending a little valuable time with me?" Karen asked her.
"You can’t expect me to trust a stranger!" Akshara told him while she stepped on a stone and slid her feet.
Karen reached out to help her, but Akshara palmed him and helped herself. He sighed and told her, "Huh, you won’t trust any stray strangers even when you are in need of help?"
"I can help myself. I don’t want to hide behind anyone to protect myself. Akshara got to her feet and removed the twigs that were stringing her feet.
Karen got to her feet and wondered at her every glimpse. "Even after she forgot about herself, she didn’t give up her attitude. I’m impressed, Axe, but you are a captive of that cunning white dragon. How will I be able to make you aware of that?"
"Hey, what are you looking at?" Akshara asked Karen, who fixed her eyes on her. "What’s your name?" Akshara posted her first question, "How do people address you?"
"Karen Redclaws," he answered while offering his hand to Akshara.
Akshara crackled into horrific laughter yet denied his help, "What? Karen?"
She asked again and again, wiping her tears. Karen was too contented to look at her laughing flawless face, and he didn’t want to stop but couldn’t help himself.
"Why are you laughing?" he asked her.
"Sorry, I couldn’t help. Your name sounds girly." She cackled again.
Karen fixed his eyes on her, and soon a flashback hit his mind. In the flashback, both Karen and Akshara were young and playing in the backyard of her palace. The young Akshara called him, "Karen! Come and find me."
The young boy, Karen, sniffed her scent and found her easily. He remarked to her, "Why do you call me Karen? It sounds girly."
"It may sound whatever but I like to call you as Karen and you shouldn’t tell your full name to anyone ever." The young Akshara asked his promise and the young Karen did the same without any second thoughts.
The present Karen remembered his childhood days and told her, "It’s my girl."
"Sorry, what?" Akshara listened, controlling her laughter.
"My childhood friend named me..." Karen tried to explain but Akshara was impatient to hear him. She asked him, "What’s exactly is your name?"
"Karownoah Redclaws!"