Asiya was few feets away from her well hidden cottage when she sensed something was terribly wrong. There was smoke coming from the direction of her house but that wasn't supposed to happen unless....
Asiya's heart skipped and immediately she started running towards the house throwing away the basket of food supplies she held in her hands. While she ran, she tried to think of what could possibly be the reason for the smoke. But no reason made sense. No good reason made sense.
She reached her house in time and her heart stopped at the sight she met. The house was burning and all the doors were ajar. Broken wooden furnitures were all over the place. The house looked wrecked like a tornado just ran through.
"No!" Her voice was a strangled whisper. "No!" She yelled loudly in disbelief,tears falling rapidly.
Without a second thought she ran into the burning house.
"Alden!" She yelled through the thick fire erupting inside her house. But there was no response.
Asiya didn't care if the fire burnt her to ashes. She didn't care if she was choked to death by the thick smoke. She only cared for one thing. To find her son. No matter where he was. She went deeper into the house, her eyes been blinded by smoke and tears that kept falling rapidly.
"Alden!" She shouted over and over again. No reply. It was too quiet. Too quiet. Asiya thought she might as well just die.
"Alden "she called weakly the sat other floor and started sobbing uncontrollably. Wondering how the found her her precious innocent son was probably dead. Those monsters!
She then hears a loud crash and she immediately stood up alarmed looking for the source of the sound.
"Alden! Its me mother is here! " She called uncertainly. Silence.
Asiya stood up quickly. The burning fire was already blistering her skin. She knew she wouldn't die from the fire. Fire hardly killed her kind. But it will certainly hurt her son.
"Mo-ther" it came as a weak whimper.
Asiya's eyes lit up. "Yes I'm here. Alden mother is here. Where are you? I shall come to you "
He didn't reply. With renewed urgency Asiya started looking around frantically. It was then she noticed the fire place up till the chimney wasn't burning. It was like an invisible shield was blocking off the fire from that area. She quickly ran and looked in the fire place. And there she saw him curled up like a ball. He wasn't hurt but he was very frightened. Asiya burst into tears as she picked up her son. Hugging his small frame tightly.
"Its alright my darling. Mother is here and you're okay." She whispered comforting him and herself.
She looked around the fire wrecked house and sighed. She braced herself and created a shield spell that protected the both of them as she carried him out of the house.
She stood waiting in the deserted road path looking ahead, while her son sat quietly few feets away from her. She kept glancing at him at intervals, while looking up to see if the expected person was coming.
She sighed in relief few minutes later when she heard the trotting of a horse. That made Alden to look at her.
She smiled reassuringly and said "Don't worry my darling. We'll find a new place to stay. We will be fine."
He nodded gently and she smiled. The Horse was nearer now. The rider was a young woman in soldier's uniform. She stopped beside Asiya and climbed down.
"Esme" Asiya said relieved and hugged her.
Esme studied her younger sister carefully then said "Asiya you're hurt." She then glanced at Alden who quickly avoided her eyes.
"It's not serious Esme." She pulled her a little farther from where Alden sat. Then said in a low voice "They found us. I don't know how. I hid properly this time but they found us. They set the house on fire but they set up a shield to protect Alden. "
Esme frowned" I knew it. Even before I received your signal,I was going to come find you. I told you this was bound to happen. Father gave the order. "
Asiya teared up."Help me . You have to help me, Esme. I can't bear to lose Alden. I must protect him at all cost."
Esme sighed and held Asiya's hands. "I wish I could. I tried talking to Father so many times but he won't listen. He has promised not to harm you but he can't tolerate the enemy." Saying that she glanced at Alden whom to her surprise was staring back at her with cool green eyes. Esme felt a chill in a body for a moment.
"He's not the enemy. He's my own child and I can't bear to part with him.He has nothing to do with my sins." Asiya protested
"He was born out of them"
" He is only a child. He can't be the one paying for his parents sins."
"We are demons, Asiya. Our greatest enemies are those who want us dead. His father is one of them. Asiya....."
"We can't be having this discussion now,Esme. We really can't. What I need is a way to get out of all of this. I made a mistake and I am paying for it. I lost everything didn't I? I just want to live peacefully with Alden away from all of this. Away from Demons and humans. I can give up on everything else apart from Alden so please don't try to convince me."
Esme fell silent for a while. When she spoke she spoke without emotions :
"Father has passed a verdict. If you don't return to glazed palace in two days you and the child would be killed on sight."
Asiya dropped Esme's hands like it was hot lava. She said in a strangled voice:"Today.....today was a warning?"
"Yes!" Answered Esme." Asiya you are the closest to me. Ever since mother passed away I've had just you. I can't bear to lose you." She held her hands again and cast a short look at Alden before facing her sister "Do away with the child and come back. You have a bright future ahead of you. Father is willing to forgive you. I will plead with him . Please ,sister please."
Asiya stared unblinking at Esme then shook her head slowly backing away.
"No. No Esme that would never happen! I don't need Forgiveness. I only want to be with my son peacefully! Is that too much to request? I am an unfilial daughter. I've accepted that. But the only future I have is with Alden. Sorry Esme. Sorry for dragging you into this. You won't understand. In the future you might. I have to go, sister. We will find our way."
She turned towards Alden and started walking to him. Esme suddenly knocked her unconscious with a spell. She quickly caught her before she could hit the floor.
Alden got up alarmed "Mother!" He looked at Esme in fright "What have you done with my mother ?" He asked running to where they stood .
Esme carefully lowered her sister to the floor and Alden knelt beside her and started sobbing "Mother! Mother please open your eyes mother don't sleep please wake up!"
Esme bent and held the little boy by his shoulders then said:" it's would be better for the both of you if I do this. You see,the demon king would kill your mother if she doesn't return back to the Demon realm in two days . He won't spare you either. You don't wish for that to happen do you?"
Alden shooked his head slowly:"Mother would protect me. She promised. She said that as long as we were together no harm shall come to us." He cried harder " please miss, don't hurt my Mother please wake her up "
Esme felt a little prick in her heart for what she was about to do but she convinced herself it was the best decision from both mother and son. The Demon king,their father was known to keep to his words. Even if Asiya tried running no matter where she ran to, he would find her. It had been difficult for her to keep running all this years now he found her he would surely find her again.
"I won't hurt your mother. She's my sister. In fact no one can hurt her." She reached out and raised his trembling chin looking into his glassy emerald eyes. "Except you"
Alden stopped crying "Me? I would never hurt mother. How could I? Please wake her up. We shall leave and not bother you anymore. "
Esme closed her eyes for a moment, thinking. She knew he was just a child. But he wasn't just any child. He was the child of a Demon princess a mystical master. Not just any mystical master a merciless Demon slaying one. Even though Asiya would never forgive her for what she was about to do she was ready to bear the consequences.
"Alden " She said slowly "Your mother shall always be in danger as long as you are together. You're not our kind. You are a human. And humans are always going to be a thorn in our flesh. Your mother made a mistake by having you and because of that she is hunted. But if you go away she will be safe and free to return to the Demon realm. Not as a fugitive. But as a respected princess."
Esme stopped to look at the boy who was trembling holding his mother tight sobbing softly.
"You have to let her go." She whispered "Only then would she be saved. The only mistake she ever made was having you"
Alden stayed like that for a while burying his face into his mother's frame. Esme waited patiently. When he looked at her he was dried eyed. Determined. And something else Esme couldn't lay her finger on. "Thank goodness he is leaving " She thought.
" I shall leave. I want mother to be safe and I don't her to worry about me anymore. "He looked scared once more "But where would I go?"
Esme looked at her sister's unconscious frame sadly and said:" Don't worry. Come I will take you. To where you should have been in the first place.