𝒜 ℋℯ𝒶𝓇𝓉 ℴ𝒻 𝒮𝒸𝒶𝓁ℯ𝓈 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒮𝓉ℯℯ𝓁

Chapter Three - Ava

Chapter Three - Ava

The forest was unusually still tonight. The trees, usually swaying gently with the evening breeze, stood motionless under the pale light of the crescent moon. Shadows stretched across the forest floor, twisting and curling around the gnarled roots and stones that jutted out like forgotten relics of a bygone age. I kept my cloak drawn tight around me, though not for warmth. It wasn't the cold I feared; it was the weight of what I was about to do.

The King's letter still burned in my memory, its demands sinking deep into my bones. Two-hundred gold coins by the end of the month, or everything I had built, everything I had hidden away in this quiet human life, would be stripped from me. My little cottage, nestled between the towering oaks, my anonymity—gone. The King's men didn't care what your excuses were. If you couldn't pay, they would take it all. They would rip apart the fabric of my life, and they would find out what I truly was—a Moonlight Dragon, disguised in human form for years. If they discovered that truth, my life as I knew it would be over. They would hunt me.

So here I was, on my way to see Madam Luna.

The forest grew darker as I approached her dwelling, a strange hush hanging over the trees. An eerie stillness enveloped me, making each sound—a rustling leaf, a snapping twig—seem amplified, as if the woods themselves were holding their breath. I had never sought her out before, though I knew the stories. Everyone did. She was the fortune teller who could give you exactly what you needed most, or so the rumors said. But the cost—your last, most precious happy memory—was steep.

It wasn't a price I was eager to pay. That memory, of soaring through the night sky as a young dragon with my parents, was the last piece of my true self I had left. The thought of surrendering it sent shivers down my spine. And yet, what choice did I have? The King's demands were impossible, and the closer I got to Luna's cottage, the more desperate I felt.

I arrived at her small, crooked hut, its walls twisted and uneven as if the forest itself had grown around it, claiming it as part of its wild embrace. A soft glow seeped through the cracks of the wooden walls, flickering like a beacon in the dark. The door creaked open before I could knock, revealing a warm but slightly eerie light inside.

"Come in, Ava," came a voice from within, old and soft like a whisper on the wind. How she knew my name, I didn't question. Madam Luna always knew. I stepped inside, and there she was, seated by a low table, her piercing eyes watching me from beneath a veil of silver hair that glimmered like moonlight itself. The air was thick with the scent of incense, an intoxicating blend of sage and something sweet, wrapping around me like a comforting embrace.

"You seek something," she said, her voice low but firm, resonating with an ancient wisdom that made the hairs on my arms stand on end. "And you know the price."

I swallowed hard, feeling the weight of my decision, but I nodded, each movement feeling heavy with the gravity of what was to come. "The King is demanding more than I can pay. I need something—anything—that will stop them from taking everything from me."

Her gaze bore into me, searching my soul as if she could see through my human facade to the dragon lying just beneath. "What you need most, Ava, may not be what you expect."

Her words sent a shiver down my spine, igniting a flicker of doubt within me. "I'm willing to pay," I said, the thought of my memory slipping away already gnawing at me. "Just... give me what I need."

Madam Luna nodded, motioning for me to sit. I did, my heart pounding in my chest as she pulled a small, ornate bowl toward her, its surface decorated with intricate designs that seemed to shift and swirl under the dim light. The room was thick with the smell of incense and herbs, the air heavy with magic. She began to chant in a language I couldn't understand, her hands hovering over the bowl as the water inside began to ripple, catching the light in a mesmerizing dance.

I watched in silence, feeling a mix of awe and trepidation as the water shimmered and my most cherished memory surfaced—flying with my parents all of those years ago at the Dragon Festival, watching the night sky. I wanted to reach out and grab it, hold it close before it dissolved forever.

But as quickly as it had appeared, the image faded, dissolving into the ripples, the water returning to its still state as if it had never contained my memory at all. I felt a sharp pang of loss, like a dagger twisting in my heart. It was done. My last happy memory, the one that anchored me to who I really was, was gone. I felt a strange emptiness settle in my chest, but I forced myself to focus. What was done was done. Now, all that mattered was what Luna had to offer.

She slid a piece of parchment across the table. I stared at it, my heart pounding as I picked it up, my hands trembling slightly as I unfolded it.

To Ava,

You are hereby assigned to serve as a maid in the palace of Evervale, effective immediately.

I blinked, reading the words again, confusion settling in like a dense fog. A maid? In the palace? I had just given up the last part of my true self for this? My hands shook as I looked up at Madam Luna, searching for some glimmer of understanding in her enigmatic expression. "A maid? This is what I needed most?"

Madam Luna's gaze remained calm, unreadable, as she studied my reaction. "You came seeking a way to survive the King's demands. The palace is where you will find it."

"But... I don't understand," I said, my voice rising with frustration. "How does working in the palace help me? I'm a dragon! This... this can't be right."

She remained unfazed, her eyes never leaving mine, as if she were waiting for me to grasp the truth that was still hidden beneath the surface. "The palace is more than what it seems, Ava. You will meet people there who will change the course of your life. You will find your path, though it is not the one you expected."

I felt anger bubbling up inside me, the betrayal of my decision gnawing at me like a relentless beast. I had given up my most precious memory—my last connection to my true self—for a servant's position? I thought coming to her would give me something more—something that would solve my problems, not plunge me deeper into this human existence I could barely stand.

"How can being a maid help a dragon like me?" I asked, my voice breaking with the weight of my disappointment.

Madam Luna leaned forward slightly, her voice soft but firm, wrapping around me like a warm shawl. "Sometimes, what you need most is not the power of your past, but the opportunities of your present. Your life at the palace will open doors you cannot yet see."

I shook my head, pushing myself to my feet, a tempest of anger and confusion swirling inside me. "I don't understand. I gave up my last piece of happiness for this... for a job I never wanted."

She smiled faintly, a knowing look in her eyes, as if she held secrets that would take a lifetime to unfold. "In time, you will."

I stormed out of the cottage, the door slamming behind me with a finality that echoed through the stillness of the forest. The moon hung low in the sky, casting its cold light over the trees, illuminating the path ahead but offering no solace. The air felt different now, heavier, as if the world had shifted somehow. I clutched the letter in my hand, my mind racing. How could this be what I needed? How could serving as a maid in the palace solve anything?

With each step away from Madam Luna's cottage, I felt the weight of my decision crush down on me, a relentless pressure that made it hard to breathe. I had no idea what awaited me in the palace, what challenges lay ahead. And for the first time in a long time, I felt truly lost.

The path twisted through the forest, shadows creeping alongside me, whispering doubts and fears that I couldn't shake. What would happen if I couldn't hide my true identity? What if the King's men discovered my secret? Would they hunt me down like the beast I was, or worse, would they imprison me for my very existence?

I had no idea what to do next.