Maze

After his sudden exit from the room, Ava lost her sleep as her heart took a while to calm down. She was not aware that his behavior towards her will bother her to an extend that she would end up awake the whole night.

Ava laid down on the bed as it was still dark and had few hours for sun to rise. She tried to close her eyes praying sleep would finally reach them but when the moment her eyes closed an imagine of a certain person flash in front.

Jolting her eyes in a second, she heaved as if she had seen the person somewhere," Why does he looks so familiar?"

Looking outside the window, she heard the howling sound from outside. Getting up from the bed, she walked and opened the window when her eyes caught a light which blinked from far across the palace.

"Who is roaming in the forest at this hour" she remember the way from her home to the palace.

They had ride through the vast forest before they reach their destination. She could clearly remember how dark the road was and how she bumped every now and then due to the stones on the path.

She was about to close the window when she again heard the howling sound as if the animal was in pain...

"Someone is in pain" she muttered and sighed as she would not be able to help the poor soul to reduce its torment.

*******

Walking inside the dark forest, Coal tried to remember his way. He had been walking through the same road for god knows how many times.

"I remember I had taken other way. Why do I end up at the same spot" he muttered when he again came back to the same place from where he had started.

He was tired after travelling for so many day. His father had asked him to come back where he belong to, but he was not ready to go to the place where he had cut ties from.

He had promised his late wife to keep his daughter away from supernatural things, but his fathers words kept ringing in his head crumbling his promise.

Coal was again brought to the same place from where he had started to walk. He slumped his shoulder in tiredness looking at the moon above. The light which guided him inside this darkness but still he couldn't find the way.

He was trying to gather his breathe when he heard a footstep coming from behind. He stood still not making any move fearing if an wild animal would attack him,' Don't turn Coal' he chanted inside his mind not getting eager to look what horror was waiting behind.

As he was busy praying, the sound of the footstep stop making him doubts whether the animal just left and that's when he turned to see back after making sure the sound had completely stopped.

"Got you"

Like a flash of light a women stood in front of him making him startled at her sudden way of coming.

"Argh you silly girl.. why can't you come like a normal person" patting his beating heart which would have come out from his throat, Coal glared at the girl.

"Witches are not normal creatures brother.. did you forget this things living along with the humans" Sandra snapped her finger burning a small lit on her index finger.

"When are you going to grow up Sandra. I don't know how father is tolerating you"

Sandra was his younger sister who had same features like Coal but the only difference was in her hair. Her silver hair which looked like glitters shining over them.

Coal looked around again trying to select the way which would finally get him out from this dark forest when he heard his sister's annoyed voice.

"Yo still couldn't understand" she asked and he looked at her in confusion.

"Brother you are trapped here" she rotated her finger showing him the invisible shield that was covering the forest when reality struck hard on him.

" Argh!!!..That why I ended up in the same place again and again" he muttered watching the inside of the shield and then outside it.

"How did you got in then?" he asked his sister who was again busy firing small lit on her fingers...

"I have been following you" she walked towards the invisible shield and passed her hand through it opening it wide. Before Coal could say anything she beat to him.

"Come we need to get out before someone catches our presence here"

Following his sister's instruction, he walked out on the other side of the shield. Coal turn to look back and realized where he had ended up walking all these day..

"Azula ..." he muttered and watched Sandra nodding her head.

" They would have sucked your blood by know" Sandra had been following her fathers order and spying her brother through his travel.

She knew he was losing his powers and was barely able to use them. So not to get him in trouble she was silently protecting him. But her brother ended up landing to where the enemy where residing.

Hopefully she got him out from this Maze before he got caught by them.

"Don't you have any duties as the head of the witches" Coal had never turn back once he had left his land giving up his title but he kept eyes on his sister to make her learn chants and how to use her powers wisely. He wanted her to responsible to the people whom she served.

"Thanks to you I have been given the work to babysit you" she was not going to take his stern words. She loved him polite like he always use to be, but after he left she never saw him that happy and cheerful like before when they shared their childhood.

"You shouldn't put your life in danger" he said when her words felt like she was not liking the way he spoke to her.

"Then come back home and bring Ava too" she halted her steps and turn to look at her brother whose face harden at the mention of his daughter.

Sandra knew why he would get pissed whenever he heard them calling her name. But he can't erase what is mean to be nor he would try to divert herself from her duties..

"Don't put her in this mess. She is not going to enter there and nor do me.. The brother whom you knew is long gone, now the one here is only a father who wants to protect his daughter"

Coal had made his words clear whenever his father or his sister came to him asking him to get back, but the answer he gave was no..

"You can't always mask thing which she would eventually learn. You know her powers will surge up once she starts to mature"

Coal feared the day when she felt difference in her self. Till now she was not able to see any new things in her herself, but the things he saw in his daughter have cleared his doubts.

" I fear that day should not come" he muttered looking at his sister.

******

The sun had finally peeked through the clouds shining it light on the ground. Ava woke up with the bright light that fell on her face through the glass window.

"It's already bright" she mumbled in her sleepy voice and let out a yawn.

Ava trace her hand on the other side of the bed only to find it empty... Though she had slept late still she thought Dominic to return back to their room. But to her disappointment he didn't came back and that made her feel sad.

"Why was acting so distant the other night" she thought when Agatha came in for her duties.

"Agatha did Dominic return last night" she asked in curiosity hoping he would have came after she slept.

"No your highness, his Majesty slept in his chamber last night"

"His chamber?" she was more puzzled now. He had his separate room then why did he came to sleep with her.

"Yes your highness... the chamber is next to your chamber" she said.

"Should I prepare the bath your highness" she asked bring her out from her thoughts.

"Yes" she nodded and Agatha walked inside to complete the work.

"Why was he sleeping in his chamber and how come I didn't have a single clue about it" she frowned remembering how she waited the whole night just for him to get back, but the man slept soundly without bothering about her..

Ava got ready as Agatha made sure to make her look more elegant. She had tied her hair in bun putting a small crystal hairpin which matched with her attire. She was stun to see how her look changed with just the minimal makeup.

"You look beautiful your highness" Agatha moved back letting the queen to watch herself.

"Thank you"

Ava stood up from the stool and turn back when the door of her room opened and the two girls ran towards her.

"Aunt can we go for hunting today" both the girls jumped as they screamed in unison.

Listening to the girls Ava mod lighten up.

"Sure why not, but you will have to teach me" Ava was eager to learn something knew and hunting was something which she was going to try for the first time.

"Okay I will ask mother to let us leave under your guidance" Hope was happy that finally someone in the family agreed to them.

"But first lets fill our stomach.." Ava was hungry and before going for hunting she wanted to fill her tummy to concentrate on her prey.