Foul mood

"Should we go after him?" asked Matt as he looked at Annie waiting for a reply.

"No, let him go..." said Annie.

"They both said... a lot... let him cool down, and Maddie needs to cool down to" said Annie as she looked at Maddie who was silent, obviously hearing what they were saying, but instead chose to think about something else.

"Okay then" said Matt as personally he would have gone after Ollie, he didn't have to leave, this was only normal, friends often fought over contrasting ideas and beliefs, but it meant nothing important, because at the end of the day, they were still friends.

"Maddie, you know that he didn't mean to hurt you at all" said Annie as she touched Maddie's arm.

"Yes, he didn't, you were even the one who insisted that he tell you what he meant when he said that he didn't" said Matt as he was not going to pamper Maddie, he was going to be honest with her, she wanted the truth and she got the truth.

"Maddie, you know he didn't mean it, he's your friend, we all are" said Annie as Maddie said nothing.

"Yes, and friends fight all the time, you and Annie fight, me and you fight, even me and Annie fight, but that's besides the point, what's important is that we understand that we didn't mean it and we make up" said Matt as he was starting to get worried that Maddie wasn't responding at all, Ollie's words must have really hurt her for her to be this silent, it wasn't like her to be silent in any situation.

"Look Maddie, I know you are hurt, it's okay to feel hurt" said Annie as Maddie looked at her.

"Who said anything about being hurt?" she asked.

"I am perfectly fine, that blondie doesn't know what he's saying, he just has a big mouth" said Maddie.

"Maddie it's okay to feel hurt" repeated Annie again, she could see that Maddie wasn't focusing on the right thing right now, which was her feelings, she was shrugging them off like she usually did.

"I'm angry at that blondie" said Maddie.

"When are you ever not angry with him?" asked Matt as Maddie scoffed.

"This time it's for a good reason" said Maddie.

"And now he wants to act like the one who is offended, while I'm the one truly offended here" said Maddie.

"Well he can leave, good riddance to him, I hope he never comes back" said Maddie as she stood up and left the kitchen in a fit of rage as Annie sighed.

"We have a huge problem on our hands, nothing goes well when those two are against each other" said Matt as he shook her head.

"Ollie is fine, it's not him I'm worried about, it's Maddie" said Annie.

"As much as she doesn't like to admit it, Ollie told her the truth, if he thinks that way, imagine how many High Council members think like that as well?" asked Annie.

"Honestly, she's not angry at Ollie for what he said, she's angry at him because what he said is nothing but true" said Annie as she looked worried.

"Then what should we do?" asked Matt.

"We can't do anything... I'm sure Ollie will come around soon, I'm just worried about Maddie, she'll either shrug this off like it doesn't offend her, or pretend like nothing is wrong while she's still thinking about it" said Annie.

"This is Maddie we are talking about, she's tough, on the inside and out, I'm sure she will be fine" said Matt as he smiled in a bid to make Annie feel better.

"I really hope so Matt, I really hope so" said Annie as she sighed.

...

Ollie sighed as he stood in front of the huge white garden courtyard doors as he tried to calm down his emotions, he didn't want to raise alarm and he didn't want any questions.

Ollie stood there for a few more moments until he was sure that he looked normal, and only then did he open the double doors of courtyard as he walked into the beautiful garden filled with lush, green, vibrant plants and trees as he walked to his mother who was drinking tea in the middle of the courtyard.

"Good afternoon mother, sorry I am late" said Ollie as he gave his most sincere smile as he gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before proceeding to sit down across the white dining table from her.

"Mhmm good afternoon Ollie, it's fine, I was just enjoying my time in the garden, you know I only just realized that I don't come out here enough" said Christina with a smile as Ollie laughed.

"Have you been waiting long?" asked Ollie.

"Well just for thirty minutes, but I like it out here" said Christina.

"Have you eaten?" asked Ollie as Christina shook her head.

"No I was waiting for you" said Christina.

"Well I'm here now, let's change that" said Ollie as he smiled and waved his hand as they were served lunch in the white ceramic plates in front of them.

"Chicken and spaghetti one of my favourites" said Christina with a smile as Ollie smiled as she ate her food and he followed after her.

"So tell me, how was your day today Ollie?" asked Christina with a smile.

"Good mother" replied Ollie.

"Just good?" asked Christina with a raised eyebrow, usually Ollie always had more to say than just good, he always gave her tiny details of his day, which she loved to hear.

"Yes, nothing really important happened today" said Ollie.

"Is that so?" asked Christina as Ollie nodded.

"That's odd, because last I knew of, today was the day of Azazel's final trial, if you didn't mention it then it meant you weren't present" said Christina.

"I was" said Ollie.

"Then why didn't you mention it?" asked Christina.

"It slipped my mind mother, I apologize" said Ollie as Christina frowned.

"Alright, what is the matter Ollie?" asked Christina.

"Nothing is the matter mother" replied Ollie.

"You are lying to me, what happened today?" asked Christina.

"Nothing" replied Ollie as the frown on Christina's face got bigger.

"You are a horrible liar Ollie, you look all wrong and dejected, you are minimally slouching in your seat, and you aren't even eating like you used to, because Chicken and spaghetti is one of your favourites" said Christina as Ollie sighed.

"So what's the matter, you know you can talk to me? Maybe I can help you" said Christina.

"It's really nothing important mother, I assure it... it's irrelevant" said Ollie as Christina scoffed.

"You are just as stubborn as your father, I need to give birth to a daughter that will be like me" said Christina as she shook her head.

"Let me guess you had a fight... with your friends?" asked Christina as Ollie said nothing.

"No with Maddie" said Christina as she knew she was correct once she saw the sad look of acceptance on Ollie's face.

"How did you know it's with Maddie?" asked Christina.

"She's the only other person besides your father who can cause you to look so sad, usually you can handle a fight with anyone except those two" said Christina.

"So tell me what happened, let me see if I can help you fix it" said Christina as she smiled and Ollie sighed before telling his mother everything that happened.

"And that's what happened, that's why I'm so sad, we are fighting over something so... simple" said Ollie as he just felt bad.

"It's nothing something so simple Ollie, you indirectly insulted her mother" said Christina as she ate her lunch.

"How would you feel is someone insulted me that way?" asked Christina.

"I know you would stand up for me indefinitely, the same way she did for hers" said Christina.

"A word of advice my Ollie, you can never underestimate the role of a mother, whether present or not, mothers are important to their children and vice versa" said Christina.

"Maddie obviously has connected with her mother, and she will no doubt stand up for her" said Christina.

"Look Ollie, the thing is Maddie isn't upset with you for what you said, she's upset with you because you told her what everyone else believes and it also happens to be what you believe in as well, and that hurts her, she thought you would be different" said Christina.

"I am different, she's my friend, and I never wanted to hurt her" said Ollie.

"I know you didn't Ollie" said Christina.

"From a woman to another woman, the only way you fix this is by sincerely apologizing to her" said Christina.

"Give her some time to cool off, and once she has, apologize sincerely because I know you didn't mean to hurt her, and she knows it to" said Christina.

"Thank you mother, I feel so much better after talking to you" said Ollie as he smiled.

"Of course you do, mother's know best, always" said Christina as she smiled.

"You are free to go back to the Palace if you wish to speak to her now" said Christina as she smiled.

"I can??" asked Ollie in surprise as Christina nodded.

"But Father will be angry, he wants me present for dinner this evening with members of the High Council" said Ollie.

"Oh forget that, there are always dinners like that, you go fix what you need to" said Christina as Ollie stood up and smiled.

"Thank you mother, I love you" said Ollie as he smiled brightly and gave her a tight hug.

"I love you too my lovely Ollie, see you later" said Christina as she smiled and Ollie smiled before leaving quickly.

"Mom, you're back" said Annie while smiling as Lisa walked into she and Maddie's room.

"That I am, sorry we took so long, I bought some things from the market, I didn't know that there were any markets nearby" said Lisa as she laughed and Annie laughed.

"It just feels so good to be able to walk around freely with no fear at all, no several bodyguards, just us alone" said Lisa as she sighed in happiness.

"It's wonderful not to have to worry about Azazel anymore, If I feel this relieved I can only imagine how you feel" said Lisa as she smiled.

"I feel glad mom, very glad" replied Annie as she smiled and Lisa gave her a kiss on the forehead.

"Where's Maddie?" asked Lisa as she looked around the room and smiled.

"Oh well she went out, she should be back soon, I think she's in the garden" said Annie.

"From the way you sound I can tell that something's up, what's wrong? Are you and Maddie fighting?" asked Lisa with a frown.

"No it's not me and Maddie, it's Ollie and Maddie, he said something he shouldn't have about her mom and now she's upset, they both are" said Annie with a frown.

"Oh that's a shame, but I don't think Ollie meant it, he's a nice boy, he wouldn't say something unkind on purpose" said Lisa.

"I know, it's just that Maddie's really upset this time, and she won't admit it" said Annie.

"Oh love, you know how Maddie is, everyone is different, we all have different ways of coping, and not admitting to it might be Maddie's way, just give her time to cool down, she's not unreasonable" said Lisa as Annie nodded.

"Good, so I am going to get started on dinner now, you can join me if you want, or Maddie can come and taste" said Lisa as she laughed and Annie smiled as she left her room.

...

Maddie sighed as she walked through the hedge maze, she was sure that she was already lost, but she didn't care, she had magic after all, she would easily be able to find her way back.

In fact the reason Maddie decided to come here in the first place was because she wanted to be alone, with no distractions at all, she didn't want anyone to find her.

Maddie stopped walking as she waved her hand and designed a nice bench against the wall of the hedge maze out of the leaves as she sat down on it and sighed.

Maddie brought out her phone from her pocket as she unlocked it and muttered a spell under her breath as she enchanted her phone.

"Call mom" said Maddie as her phone made a beeping sound as the screen turned completely white before being overtaken by a dark screen with three dots continuously moving on it as it made a ringing sound until the ringing finally stopped and the image on her phone screen was changed from dark into Clove's image.

"Oh hi dear, I didn't expect you to call at this time" said Clove with a bright smile on her face as she held a clear rectangular piece of white crystal in which she could see Maddie's reflection.

"Hi mom, I didn't think I would be calling either..." said Maddie.

"Are you too busy to talk?" asked Maddie as she could hear some cluttering sounds coming from Clove's end.

"Oh nonsense, I'm never too busy for you dear, you should know that" said Clove as she smiled and she didn't know how much her words affected Maddie as she didn't show it.

"So dear, what's wrong? I can see that you are troubled" said Clove with a gentle smile on her face that made Maddie sigh, she always felt better when she saw the ever gentle smile on Clove's face.

"It's that stupid blondie!! He's so annoying, such an idiot!" said Maddie as she didn't bother holding back, after all Clove already knew how she could be.

Clove's eyes went wide when she heard all the words Maddie said, she didn't need anyone to tell her that Maddie was extremely angry right now.

"Alright, alright, Maddie, calm down and breath okay" said Clove as she needed Maddie to be calm, she couldn't help her if she was this agitated.

"But I can't calm down!" said Maddie.

"Maddie, breath please honey, calm down" said Clove as Maddie sighed and shook her head.

"That's it, long, calming breaths" said Clove as she smiled and Maddie took a deep breath.

"Good now tell me what's making you so agitated?" asked Clove.

"It's the stupid idiotic blondie" said Maddie but this time in a more calm tone, but it still sounded quite agitated.

"Prince Ollie? What did he do?" asked Clove.

"What didn't he do?" asked Maddie with a scoff.

"He came over speaking some nonsense" said Maddie.

"What nonsense?" asked Clove in confusion.

"He said... he said that they sent you away because they thought you would try to defend Azazel during his final trial" said Maddie as she sighed and looked at Clove who had a calm look on her face.

"I know..." replied Clove.

"But it's unfair, he and all of them to think of you that way, you are loyal to your realm, not to that stupid man Azazel!" said Maddie.

"Maddie calm down, you are getting agitated again" said Clove as she sighed.

"Look Maddie, I don't blame them, not at all, it's normal for them to think that way, after all, I am... I mean was his wife for a long time..." said Clove.

"I don't blame them for sending me away, I even think it was for the best" said Clove.

"But the only thing is that I disagree with them... I love Aza, there's no doubt about that... but I also love him enough to see that his ways were wrong, he truly does need to pay for all his crimes, and I won't say otherwise" said Clove.

"I know you won't mom" said Maddie as she sighed.

"Azazel's final trial was today" said Maddie.

"I know, Mira told me, his sentence is life imprisonment in the holds, he will be stripped of all his magic, and for three months of his sentence in the holds he will be locked up in the chamber of dolor" said Clove.

"It's not even up to half of what he deserves for all the things he did" said Maddie as Clove looked at her in worry but she decided not to question that.

"So tell me, what makes you so upset even though you know it's only normal for everyone to think that?" asked Clove.

"It might be everyone who thinks that, but I didn't expect that blondie to think like that as well..." said Maddie.

"He always claims to be our friend, but he's nothing but a liar" said Maddie as this time she didn't sound angry, but rather sad.

"Oh Maddie, you know he didn't mean it that way, he would never deliberately hurt you" said Clove with a smile as Maddie scoffed.

"Why does everyone keep saying that?? Why does everyone keep on defending him as if he's a saint??!" asked Maddie in annoyance.

"Maddison Martha Wolf, be honest with me and be completely honest, do you really think that Ollie would hurt anyone, much more less you his friend?" asked Clove.

"And don't you dare lie, because I am your mother I can tell when you are lying" said Clove as Maddie sighed.

"Fine, fine, he's a bright goody two shoes, is that what you want to hear?" asked Maddie with a scoff.

"That's close enough, try again" said Clove with a knowing look on her face.

"No... he wouldn't" admitted Maddie reluctantly. 

"You see, so you need to apologize to him" said Clove.

"Why do I have to apologize?" asked Maddie in confusion.

"Well because I know you sweetie, and you are not a gentle person, you were probably the one who forced him to say what he did to you" said Clove as Maddie scoffed.

"That's still no excuse for offending both me and you" said Maddie.

"Maddie be nice, Ollie is a nice person, he won't be upset with you" said Clove.

"I thought you would be on my side" said Maddie.

"Oh I'm always on your side Maddie, but that won't stop me from telling you the truth, because if I don't, who will?" asked Clove as Maddie sighed.

"So be the good girl I know you are and do the right thing, I know you can" said Clove with a loving smile on her face.

"Fine... I'll see what I can do" said Maddie as Clove just smiled.

"I love you mom..." said Maddie.

"I love you too Maddie, never doubt that okay?" asked Clove with a smile as Maddie nodded, no one could know how much she loved her mother, considering that they didn't start off having the best relationship.

But it just felt good to have someone to lean on, someone to rant to, someone to listen to you and just pamper you, sure Aunt Stella and Lisa were nice, but nothing could compare to the presence of a mother, and Maddie knew that first hand.

"Good, I have to go now, have a wonderful evening and say hi to everyone for me" said Clove as she smiled.

"I will mom, take care" said Maddie as she smiled brightly and ended the call as she sighed and stood up, it was getting dark, well she felt better now, she would probably try to talk to Ollie later... or maybe never... it would depend on how she felt tomorrow.

Maddie shook her head as she turned around and walked away, making her way back to the Palace.