Over the next few days Crystal stayed in the wolf camp. She was well looked after and fed. She even able to take baby steps around her bed. The wolf king would often come back and on her. He had given up his camp for her to stay in and himself stayed in the adjacent . He was very polite and warm towards Crystal, but never out of the line. There was news an infiltration in the nearby valley. The king had to leave along with the soldiers. But
Crystal was not yet in the position to walk by herself. So the king instructed two of his trusted to stay back and take care of her.
" I will come back in a few days. Till then rest assured that they will take good care of you in my . "He looked up at Crystal with a spark in his eyes, " Crystal, I hope you recover well till
I am back. When I return, there is something in my heart that I would love to share with you. Till take good care of yourself. " He pressed her hands in his and kissed them.
Crystal felt a strange sensation sweep down and then up her spine. Her heart was pounding at uneven space. She had no idea what this feeling was. Though she had read in certain novels what love felt like, according to Crystal, the descriptions didn't quite match the . She thought it felt more like she was getting sick. Her stomach was having a fluttering . Her heart was about to come out of her chest. Her tongue was losing moisture and there like a put down her throat. She gulped as he let go of her hands and marched out.
When she had fled the waters, her only wish was to protect the innocent creature in front of her.
She knew she was endangering her life but it didn't matter to her as long as her soul was at .But now her heart was dancing to a new song. She didn't know how she should react.
She sat there staring at the door from where he had just left.
Days went by. By day she looked after herself. Did some little reading of the few books that left in the camp. The two guards brought food and fresh clothing for her everyday. She often ask them about the update at the front line. They would tell her whatever they would have. By night she would sit staring at the empty door, waiting. Every that passed through, every breeze that blew, reminded her of the missing person. She often breath heavily, sighing as the night would turn into the day.
A few days later, Crystal was sleeping soundly on the bed. She was breaking into a sweat as dreamt of the mer-witches chasing her. She flipped and tossed in her sleep and almost up in horror. Just before she was about to hit the cold hard ground, a pair of hands her over. She opened her eyes. And without realizing, she sprang on the person and him in a tight embrace.
"You are finally back. " She looked at him with joyful eyes, "do you have any idea how I have you? " She planted a kiss on his cheeks.
The wolf king was taken aback. Crystal too, immediately regretted her actions. But they were . There was no denying she had fallen head over heels for him. And she had no idea she could control it. Rescuing her from her own thoughts the wolf king offered, "Do you to go on a ride with me. You are from the human world. I bet you have seen the beauty of country. "
Crystal nodded, glad that she could shift the topic.
"Guards, prepare a carriage for the lady. " He yelled.
The two of them went ahead with their romantic break. The new terrain of the wolf kingdom and bewildered Crystal even more. She felt like she was living one of her favorite tales. When night came, they put on two separate camps, connected to each other. They fighting their own fire. Looking for their own food in the woods. Hunting games and ticking . They drank from the wild streams and splashed each other with its cold serene water.
" Crystal, tell me, what is it that you want the most in this world? " He asked her as they both sat their feet in the cold water of the stream.
"What I want most? " Crystal thought. The water tickling her body was awakening myriad of . She could feel her cheeks getting hotter and flushed. There were sparks following up every vein. Unable to control the heat building up in her body, Crystal jumped in the stream.
The water here wasn't like that of the southern seas, but it was water nevertheless. She left float as the current drove her down stream. The wolf king who was unaware of all these, only see Crystal falling in the stream and drifting in the current. Without hesitation he behind her and swam towards her in an attempt to save her. But her speed was too to keep up to. He kept swimming as fast as he could. It wouldn't have been easy for normal but him being a sturdy wolf, helped him to soon catch up as Crystal neared the near the waterfall. At this point he was no longer in control. Still he held onto Crystal, in an to save her. She laughed as she grabbed him back and pulled in against the flow. His seemed to have activated Crystal's basic instinct to mate as she was supposed to and in fit of list, she pulled him over on one of the boulders on the stream, and started kissing him .
*******
A deepened kiss
Crystal had been prepared for her mating cycle, just before she had run away. The hormones around her body were difficult to tame as it was. The person she had given her heart to, her bare chested didn't hell much to control her urges. She forgot time and space.
Forgot consequences and the future. All she wanted at that moment was to get lost in the man in front of her. Crystal, knowing very well that coupling between a wolf and a sea nymph never heard of, took the initiative to let her senses loose in her man's embrace. The wolf however was unaware of the circumstances. Though he had tried to maintain his decency boundaries in front of Crystal, it was evident he had a soft spot for her from the moment had met. When the nearly half naked Crystal threw herself on him, he no longer could hold back. The two steamy bodies collided with force as they called each other's name. They and mourned as the sky gradually changed color. The two forgot where they were, who be watching, and what the consequences of their act may be. All they could see at that was the person in front of them.
Later the wolf king carries Crystal back to their camp in his arms. She smiled and looked at him, he prepared food for her. She had never felt such happiness in her entire life. Life started to too perfect. The wolf king smiled back as he saw Crystal staring. He brought the food in of her and sat.
"Enjoy the food. " He asked her to eat up. " Tell me how you like it. It's my first time cooking for someone. I have only done it for myself before. " He said.
Crystal tasted it and said, " It's delicious. I love it. " And kissed him on the lips.
The king however didn't respond to her kiss. He looked like he was bothered by something. He his food down and turned towards Crystal , who looked at him with wide eyes. He took her in his and said, "Crystal, I didn't want what happened earlier to happen that way. I wanted first tell you everything and then... " But Crystal didn't let him finish his sentence. She thrust a of food in his mouth and hugged him. She was too ecstatic to even notice his worried .
"You should eat up too. I know you are strong but you need to regain your strength too, " She him at his chest and smiled jokingly. The king was lost for words.
"Crystal.What I want to say is very important. Please listen to me. " He urged.
But Crystal had already roamed away from the spot. She was staring at the star formation in the . The mer-witches were renowned for their stargazing knowledge. It was their field of .
"Do you know what those stars over there symbolize? " She asked him. He nodded his head meaning a no.
"Those are lovers, " She chirped, then added, " Like us. "
She turned to the other side, staring at the mountains, when the king pulled her and asked, at the stars she had just told were lovers, " What does that mean? "
" Oh that, that's the parting, " She said and turned back again to admire the mountains.
" Parting? Didn't you say those were lovers. Just one star fell and you say it's the parting? " He but by that time she was already chasing after the fireflies. The king shook his head went to join her.
The next morning, Crystal woke up to an empty tent. She looked around and said to herself,
"where did he go so early? "
She came out of the tent, rubbing her eyes. Two guards posted outside greeted her.
"My lady, our King was summoned. He had asked you to meet him at the palace. " They said asked her to get inside the carriage.
Crystal looked around and then happily went inside the carriage to embark on her journey. On way she thought about a million ways to tell him about her reality. She rehearsed time and , how she would greet his family when she would meet them. There were butterflies and having a party in her stomach. She could actually feel their flutter.
As the carriage drew closer, she saw there was a large crowd gathered at the entrance to the
Royal Palace. She had no idea what was going on. She looked here and there as the carriage inside the gates. She could only hear faint murmurs of ' it's a boy again',
'Yes, yes, another healthy prince was born. '
Crystal couldn't understand. The carriage stopped at the back entrance of the castle. She was inside by a maid waiting. Just as she looked puzzled here and there, she saw the world come to the Royal balcony, overlooking the gathered crowd. Crystal stopped mid track as looked up too.
Then beside the king, there emerged a beautiful lady, dressed in all red with a little white bundle hand.
The crowd immediately started chanting the slogan of " Hail the king, hail the queen, hail the prince, long live our Royal Family, long live the wolves, long live our tribe".
Crystal froze as she looked at her man standing with another woman by his side, along with child.
Something inside her was tearing apart. The sky above and the land below was disappearing . She almost lost her balance as the people around her rushed to her aid.
The commotion immediately attracted attention and the king turned too. He saw her tremble. He called her name out " Crystal" and ran to her rescue. But Crystal immediately her composure. Every eye was pinned on her as the king ran towards her. Crystal did hesitate this time. She ran as fast as her little legs could carry her, the king close in pursuit her.
She ran and ran, without looking where she was headed. She soon found herself at a dead end the edge of a cliff.
"Crystal.Please stop. Listen to me. Please give me a chance to explain. I wanted to tell you but didn't even let me. Please Crystal. I didn't want to hide anything from you. I had called you , to explain everything and announce to you my first consort. Crystal. "He pleaded.
But she was already glancing down the cliff and then looking back at him. There was a river down the cliff. Crystal didn't need to think twice before making the jump. She instantly at him and then sprang.
" Crystal. Nooooooooooooo. " The distraught king yelled after her. But she was already gone.
The king had the entire area combed. He sent out search parties for many months after her. But no result. Over time the king was able to get over her, but a prick in his heart remained.
Crystal on the other hand, morphed inside the water. She needed to breathe. She spent days that underwater. The vision of seeing him with another woman was engraved in her heart iron blades. She cried and cried, but the pain inside would simply not subside. At one point, had even contemplated ending her life, but that was the exact moment she realized she with child.
From that moment onwards, she lived for her baby, Mia. She made a new life for herself and her in the human world . Though over the years the pain had become ignorable, her love not died. Even though she had vowed never to tell Mia about her father, on her death bed couldn't resist the temptation of making the father-daughter reunion possible. She died an death for being out of the ocean for too long. Little did she know what kind of a awaited her precious child whom she had so protected and hidden carefully.