The Fiery Princess

<[Her past 4: Disappeared ?..]>

The time had passed for the Smith family and Nya's birthday too.

The party was full of joy and happiness for the little girl and her family.

Some days passed, and Dr. Saunders had decided to come pay a visit to the family.

While Kaya and Nya were sat in the courtyard playing, the 3 adults were sat outside around a table, in front of the shop talking and laughing together, each of them having a cup of tea in hand.

"Oh, Saunders ! That made me think, you still didn't hang our portrait in your museum. Why is that ?" Maya asked.

"Well I've been really busy lately and I completely forgot about it !"
He explained laughing.

"In fact, I think today's the perfect time !
I will hang it on when I get back if everything goes as planned and i don't forget it again." He said laughing with Ray and Maya before drinking his tea.

Saunders then turned his head to see from afar the sisters laugh as they were playing with a yellow butterfly flying around.

"Your kids grew up so much by the way." He said turning his head back to the parents in front of him.

"Yeah, time pass too fast for my taste. I can't believe my baby girl already has 3 years old." Ray said while Maya put a hand on his shoulder while she was still up with the tea set in her other hand.

"They are growing up, Ray." She smiled at him before they both turned again towards the girls.
"And we will be there to watch them grow up, together."

Suddenly, it was silent.
Maya turned her head back towards Saunders to see that his cup was empty.

"Oh ! You've already finished. Wait a second, let me re-serve you some tea." She said putting his cup on a platter before walking towards the teapot near them.

After filling his cup, she went back next to her husband before screetching the platter towards Saunders.

But just then, he quickly got up and hit the platter out of Maya's hands, hurting her arm on the same time.

Maya quickly grabbed her arm where she got hit while Ray rushed on her side.

"Maya ! You're okay ?" He said before turning his head towards Saunders.
"What was that for Saunders ?!"

The man was standing, emotionless, staring at the couple.
He then started to smile creepily before laughing.

His laugh scared Ray and Maya, had he lost his mind ?

"Aaah.. It's so funny how you look serious when you say that your daughters are going to grow up together when you seperated my brother from me." Saunders said to the confusion of Ray and Maya.

"What do you mean ?" Maya asked.

Saunders then began to lead his hand towards his brown beard before completely ripping it off revealing his identity as Maya and Ray gasped in shock.

"It's nice to see you once again Ray and Maya."

"Krux ?!" Both screamed.

"But how ?.. You threw yourself in the vortex !.. You should be lost in time with Acronix !" Ray said.

"Ah.. yeah. Well surprise ! I didn't got lost in time unlike my brother. But that doesn't really matter right now." He said before pulling out a sword while Ray and Maya took a step back, Ray still holding Maya as she was holding her injured arm.

"What do you want from us." Maya said with a dry tone.

"All I want is you're talent as blacksmiths. You both are gonna work for me."

"Or what ? You don't have your powers anymore. You can't force us to work for you." Ray said and Saund.. I mean, Krux chuckled.

"Are you sure about that ?" He said pointing his sword towards the courtyard and both the parents realised he was pointing at the girls who didn't know at all what was going on back there.

"You wouldn't." Ray said angrily.

"Oh but I absolutely can Ray. With all this time passed with you two, I know you both would do anything to keep your girls safe. That's why you haven't told them about your powers, am I right ?" He said grinning as he saw both of the parents stay silent.

Maya was staring around for anything that she could use but Krux spotted her and knew she was trying to do.

"Ah, ah, ah. I wouldn't do that if I were you Maya. Unless you want to see my sword in your daughter's head ?
Mmmh, who should I aim.. Kaya ? Or Nya ?" He said swinging his sword towards the courtyard before jumping on the table and point his sword below Maya's throat making Ray stop moving.

"You know that I know very well how to aim, so you better stop searching for an escape. Am I understood ?"

Maya threw a look at Ray to see him nod saddly. She then looked back at Krux before slowly and carefully nodding.

Krux smile before he took the sword back from in front of her throat to place it in front of them both instead.

"We will follow you, just, don't do anything to the girls. They are innocent in all this." Maya said after she catched her breath.

"You took the right choice." He said grinning once again fully knowing that they didn't had a choice anyway.

"Now get up, and I suggest you don't make a sound.
We do not want to traumatize the kids by seeing both of their parents dead now don't we ?" Krux said laughing before Maya and Ray got up and began to walk with Krux behind them.

While walking, Maya stared at Kaya and Nya laughing and smiling together.
She wanted to hug them, one last time, if It's the last time she sees them.
And without realising, she slowly began to walk towards them with her arms open but got immediatly stopped by Krux who put his sword on her way.

Ray then got behind her and put his hand behind her back as she began to cry silently while they continued walking.

The more they were getting away from their house, the more they couldn't hear the laughs of their girls, the more their hearts tightened until they had completely left.
Leaving the poor two little girls on their own from now on.

"You can be happy though, now your daughters are gonna grow up together. It will be just without their dear parents." Krux said laughing while Ray turned towards Maya.

"...When Nya was born, Kaya said she would always protect her, you remember ?" Ray asked and Maya slowly lifted her head towards him before she nodded.

"Kaya will protect Nya, and Nya will protect Kaya, I'm sure of it.
I trust both of them. They will both be okay. I trust them." Ray said taking Maya closer against him as she nodded.
"I'm sure we will see them again one day. I'm sure of it." He said trying to reassure Maya but also trying to reassure himself in the process.

1170 words.