The birds chirping was melodious to hear early in the morning, the light breeze and the thick fog around the woods. It was pretty cold. Huo woke up and covered Aqua with his robes. Aqua was in a deep sleep, holding on to him. He admired her lying there for some more time and planted a kiss on her forehead and on her lips. He let her rest for one more hour.
Huo woke Aqua later and handed her clothes to her. "I guess we should leave," he said to her.
"We should, as soon as possible, " she told him holding the robes up to cover herself. She was shy all of a sudden to be naked in the daylight. He smiled respecting it and turned away.
"Aiden knows this place, we better go before ideas dawn in his head," she said. The formation has been kept intact outside the tree house and not a soul had entered the woods so far. She felt relieved and dressed up quickly.
"I was wondering, whatever place I go I have the chance getting executed so," but Aqua stopped placing her fingers on his lips. He smiled and nodded at her.
"You listen to me, you, start your cultivation, don't hesitate, and follow me for now, I know where to go," he stared at her for a moment, admiring the views and her confidence to protect him, he loved it, but he was worried about it, about how to protect her. He knew ultimately this period of time to him with Aqua is the bonus period like a honeymoon amidst the dangerous times, before he loses his head once they reach the dead end. But for her relief he stopped talking about it.
'Where to?"
"The Beast Kingdom," she replied.
"What?" he was surprised. "Why The Beast Kingdom?"
"The Beast Kingdom owe me alot, ever since I was little, I have been looking after the current beast crown prince, who was born a sickle and used to be weak, my father used my crystals to improve his meridians and longevity of his life, in return they promised me they would do anything I ask them as a favour, I have not asked anything all these years," she explained in detail.
"Seriously?"
"Yes, I had to spend quarter of my childhood with him," she said and looked at him. She smiled bright as usual.
He pitied her for a moment though she was happy to have done it. "We will no longer let anybody exploit both of us, we are not anybody's store house, we have our own lives, we should show them that," he told her. "Is that alright to do? How can we let people rip us off, am happy we do favours but it is like letting people use it,"
"Are we the rebels now?" Aqua laughed. "I know we have been wronged many ways, let's ignore that all," Huo'er gave her a quick kiss controlling himself, taking his hands off her chest as it straight went there to not repeat what happened the previous night and helped her get ready quickly.
"Are you okay?" he asked her as they travelled to a different direction, looking gloomy and tired. He felt bad to have drained her energy but did not regret it.
"Am fine, I was just imagining about what could be happening you know, without us there,"
Fiona and Volca under King Dritan's instructions searching for us and your father trying his best to find you to take you back and probably the emperor right now would have ordered to punish you for covering me and kill me to vent his anger on his wife," he gave her the probable hints.
Aqua smiled and remained silent. "If not for my patents' love, I would have left way before, I didn't wish to be raised like a pig for slaughter," she broke the silence. "I don't remember having a single good day in my childhood days, always watched over, forced to study, remain inside the doors, never allowed to play, or get wounded afraid that i would waste my precious blood," she continued with her story. "They did take care of me, loved me much more than Milan recieved, but I was always envious of her. She didnt have to act well, put on a good show, or be composed with behaviour or anything. Where as I, I always had classes and trainings. But i started messing around, go missing and play around, and my parents got upset about it since emperor kept enquiring about me. To know whether am being tamed properly. Then one day pa called me and asked about how I wish to live for myself. When I did, he no longer pushed me, but instead sent me to school to train differently, it was promise made to me,"
"Tough live," he commented. Well for his story, since she already knew the kind of life he led he didn't have to explain anything to her. He just hugged her and consoled taking an oath in his mind to give a care free unbounded life in his mind. He wanted to give both of them such a life.
Soon, Huo and Aqua left the river banks and started travelling towards the Beast Kingdom. It took them a two days to reach the destination and they entered the gates going straight to the palace. The citizens were really surprising with their different levels of cultivation. Miranda could immediately sense her crystal in the far away, she identified the Prince just like that. They took the short cut to the palace and reminded Huo to lie low and not speak around much. The Beast Prince grew to be a fine man with her powers inside and is now the general who leads the Beasts Army. But what she saw as she reached the palace was least expected there. Huo let go of Aqua's hands and stood there shocked just like her.
'Oh no,' he gasped.