She placed her palm on his large ones and he clasped them together before leading her out of the castle's interior to where the gardens were.
Hazel could see a maze ahead of them and she found him leading her in that direction. Along the path to the maze, beautiful flowers bloom, they opened as they passed by letting a light glow. Hazel got lost staring at the flowers. They were similar to those that she had seen in the forest but the was something very different about the ones that she was looking at right now.
Taking a closer look at one of the flowers that emitted a purple glow, she saw something that looked like a figure inside and her eyes went wide.
"You have a good eye," Hazel heard the man whom she had momentarily forgotten about while watching the flowers bloom. "it is rare for strangers to see them when they are inside." He said stopping where the flower was and she stood next to him. "She is a fairy," he informed her.
Hazel watched as the flower bloomed and the fairy flew above it and turned to look at her. "The reason why the flowers glow is mostly because of the energy left behind by the fairies and even after they are gone, the afterglow remains."
"Are they many?" She asked looking at the tiny winged creature. "The fairies?"
"Not as much as they used to be." He replied and Hazel frowned a bit wondering why it was so.
With her hand that was on his arm, he led her away from there and they walked further toward the maze. "Hazel?" He called her name. Hazel looked up at him and found him looking at her. "Would you like to ask me anything?" He asked because she seemed very guarded and quiet as if trying hard not to provoke him but all he wanted was to hear her talk more. To hear her voice which was nothing less than a melody to his ears.
"I can?" Hazel asked in surprise. Still not able to understand why he was so nice to her when she was supposed to be a human sacrifice, he saved her and brought her to his Castle. She thought he brought her here as a servant but then he ordered two servants to serve her and now he was giving a private tour of the castle.
"Anything." He replied to her.
"Your Grace...."
"Call me Arzaan." He said cutting her words short. Hazel looked at him for a moment before understanding what he meant and she was even more shocked. "I am Arzaan Draxan," He repeated his name. "I would like you to address me by my name. I want to hear you call my name, Hazel." He said and waited in expectation.
" Do your people call you by your name?" She asked to be sure she wouldn't get into trouble for it.
"No," He answered her and stopped when they got to the entrance of the maze. "only you are allowed to do so."
"Why?" The question just shot out of her mouth without her knowing it. When she realized it, it was too late and he had heard her already. "I am..."
"Do not worry about that, my dear Hazel," He said with a gentle smile. "I did say you could ask whatever you wanted, didn't I?" Arzan said. His hand itched to her face. To move that stray strand of her that had fallen on her face and put it behind her ear but he remained himself and clenched his fist beside him. "Speak as freely as you want, Hazel." He assured her.
Hazel nodded even though she still did not understand why he was so nice to her. Now speaking of whys, she should probably ask him why he was so nice to her. She thought to herself.
"As for why you are the only one allowed, I will tell you, once we are inside," Arzan said he raised his hand free hand and placed it on her hand that was holding on to him. They started walking again heading inside the maze.
"Why are you nice to me?" She asked and he smiled at her. She saw him smile and widen why again. Yet another way and not a single answer.
"The answer is the same as that of your previous question, my Hazel." He said patting the back of her palm.
She nodded and then asked, "Where is this place?" She looked into the distance, where she had fallen on her arrival to this world.
"This is the realm of Arcadia," He answered her question. And she nodes again. One question was answered but another found its way into her mind.
"How often does the portal appear and bring people here?" She asked because wanted to know how often people had been killed or saved by him. It was weird but she wanted to know.
"It's been more than a millennia and the portals to other worlds have not opened especially one that leads to the human world." He answered again. He stared at her face and he could guess what she thinking. "If you are wondering why it opened, I would say it was so you could cross worlds."
"Why? What... do you mean?" she asked blinking her eyes in confusion.
"You were meant to come here," Arzan said. "You belong here with me." They had arrived at the middle of the maze and Hazel did not even realize how long they had walked and how they even got there.
His last words made her take a step away from him but she could not go fat as he had her hand in his grasp. He walked up to her again removing the gap between them.
He cupped her small face in his large palm as his lilac eyes stared into her big brown ones. "There is always a reason why everything happens the way they do, My Hazel, this time, it happened so you would come to me." He said and she looked as if she wanted to run from there but did not know how.