BEWITCHED!

FOREST

Hours after watching, Prince Aiden being taken away by his people, she came out of her hiding place, stared at the river for a while, then headed back to her little hut.

"Gaia?" Liviana walks into the small hut, where she and Gaia lives.

"Where have you been? I have had Bion look for you everywhere!"

"I had a little commotion in the market"

"What?"

"No, like a horse bumped into me and I lost the herbs and basket, also got attacked in the forest," She says, panting.

"That's why I said going out is dangerous"

"It's okay, I had a beautiful experience today, except" She remembered the old lady. "I met a lady in the market, two actually, ones old and ones young, they both knew me" she turned back to her.

"They knew you? of course, there are still witches and sorcerers who hide their powers to live a peaceful life"

"The old lady didn't seem like a witch neither did the younger one, she works as a chef in the palace kitchen, so she said"

"Lily, don't believe anything, could be a trap"

"The old lady said, my eyes are the source of my powers," she says in a lower tone. "What did she mean by that?" She says, rubbing her arms.

"What rubbish is that?" Gaia asks.

"I thought, she" she sighed, finding how to put her words together.

"Your eyes only became normal, nothing is the source of your powers" Gaia laughs, taking out the dishes.

"The other said she knew my mother, her mother was a friend to mine" She shrugged staring at her.

"Child! you're talking nonsense!"

"I hope so, the old lady gave me a necklace," she says, searching her body for it.

"You get Bion, he's wounded," Gaia says, her face turned cold, staring at her

"What?" Liviana furrowed her brows, "How come?"

"He went searching for you as I said! but was for hunting"

"Prince Aiden!" she ran upstairs, to where she and Bion sleeps.

"The Prince?" Gaia asked, dropping the plates.

She finds him laying on the ground, faced in another direction, he turned over to her blinking without words, his back was stained with blood.

"I'm sorry," She says, taking steps closer to him, she kneels placing his head on her legs.

"It's okay" He muttered.

"You can heal, why don't you"

"I would, it's a process," He says, taking his head off her legs, his eyes closed slowly

Liviana headed down, quietly to the dining.

"He's going to be fine, I treated him"

"I hope so"

"Viana?" Gaia taps her hand, smiling.

"Yes?"

"Don't you want to live like other people in the village, get a job and one day have a family"

"What? why?"

"Because, that's what your mother wanted for you, I can't keep you here alone, what if I don't exist anymore-"

"Yiayia" She got up, moving away from the table.

"Liviana you're twenty-four you are old enough to live and make decisions"

"But I am not ready"

"You don't have to, the young lady you met today, can help you if she was willing to do it before"

"You're sending me away?"

"No, I am taking you back to where you belong, should I tell you a story?"

"I don't want to" Tears rolled down her cheek "What would I do without you?"

"A lot, as I have always told you, you are destined for greatness!"

"No, I want to be here with you?"

"When I was you're age, I fell in love and had children," She says, holding her tears back as they gathered in her eyes. "But they disappeared,

"Are you sick?" She looked at her, her eyes were red and teary.

"No, but I would be here anytime you want to visit me you can, you're free to"

"But I don't want to leave"

"I would be here anytime you want to visit me," Gaia says. "You've been with me for the past twenty-four years, it's time to live your life, like every other beautiful girl would"

"Promise you would be here, anytime I come around?"

"I do,"

_______________________________

In a dark room, Aiden lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling, enjoying the patter of rain on the rooftop, the breeze of the rain smelt nice making him unable to sleep.

He rolls to and fro the bed, finally taking a deep long breath.

Every time he closed his eyes, Liviana popped into his head.

He thought, her beauty was incomprehensible, one he had never seen before, she was like the lady in his dreams.

"Goodness," he sighed. Aiden got up, picked up a black cloak and sneakily opened the door of his chamber.

He went into the stables and took a black horse heading out of the palace.

Just one more time he told himself, as he rode into the dark forest, in search of someone he had never seen only in his dreams, his eagerness to meet her again made him over-excited. He wasn't sure there was a possibility.

His horse passed the market Square, heading into the dark forest, right in front of the forest, he stopped staring at it.

He looked back, he was far from the palace, either he took a turn or he proceeded. This was the same forest he nearly got killed. He was here alone, not even armed.

"Heya!" he pushed forward, the gallops of his horse were slow and steady, his eyes met every branch, every tree trying to be extra careful, Aiden's heartbeat increased with every step he took.

"Hello?" He whispered, his voice echoed around him, the forest was quiet and peaceful, he felt every tree's breath and the cricket, the frogs and other sounds.

Finally, he arrived at the riverbank, and the sound of the frogs became louder. He smiles seeing a lady figure standing at the riverbank.

"I hoped to meet you again," He says, getting down from the horse, She turned over to him, he could barely see her face, the moon was covered with clouds from the sky.

He looked further to only find, a stick stuck into the ground.

"I know you're here!" He say, turning around, his voice echoed throughout the forest, the cricket chipping became louder instead, Aiden sighed.

He glanced around one more time, before hopping into the horse, "Heya!" He rode away, angrily.