"Akina!" Dori cried out hugging her tight. She dropped to her knees but kept her hug intact.
Akina stroked Dori's golden hair as she sobbed. She looked up at the ceiling slightly panting from her run home. Many thoughts raced through her mind, she wanted to do the right thing- does this mean she'll have to leave and go to her mother or stay and live out her days as a maid, ignoring everything like it never happened?
Dori pulled back and looked up at her with watery eyes. In the dim lighting her bright blue irises were unmissable- they were almost glowing. Dori narrowed her eyes at Akina's expression. The adolescent looked away from the girl's gaze "I can't stay" she finally said quietly making Dori shudder on demand.
"What?" Dori choked out backing away from Akina.
She searched her face for an explanation before Akina spoke, "I have to go, something's happened and my mother needs me, I haven't got time to explain in full but please don't talk me out of this" she got up and walked past Dori. She opened her wardrobe and threw her few belongs into an old lavender coloured rucksack.
Dori turned to face her "what's so bad that you're about to walk out on me?!" She started clawing and tugging at Akina's arm to stop her from packing but was pushed off in an instant."Who cares about mothers?! We don't need them! What good are they!? We both grew up without them!" She yelled sitting on the floor with tears stinging at her eyes.
Seeing Akina not respond to her made her groan loudly, she began crawling towards her, "please Akina! We were fine weren't we?" She said trying to get her attention.
Akina paused and turned to look at Dori's tear stained face then knelt onto the floor and took her into a tight hug. Dori repeated in a whisper: "we were fine weren't we?"
Akina sat opposite her and squeezed her hands before taking a deep breath "we were...and we still are fine Dori."
The blonde girl looked up at her before burying her face into the hair that flowed over Akina's shoulder from her lengthy ponytail, "then what's changed?" she muffled. Akina smiled weakly, holding Dori away from her. She went to push loose hair strands out from the girl's face but got her hand slapped away.
"Dori you're either with me or against me, I won't try to change your mind, we both know that it's a waste of time, but before I go... can you keep a secret?" Akina whispered moving closer to Dori. She looked at the young princess who was frowning at her, displeased. "It won't make you cry I promise."
A brief moment had passed before Dori finally nodded, watching intensively as Akina closed her eyes in concentration. She breathed deeply and with every striking second that hovered along, Dori could sense boredom surfacing from within her.
Akina shot her eyes open. In the dim light they were glowing red. Dori became frozen in place- blinking hadn't made her eye lids bounce nor did a breath or sound leave her parted lips.
"Don't be afraid Dori. It's still me, Akina. The glowing eyes comes with the whole pixiescar thing."
Dori tore a look from Akina's torchlight eyes to the moving swan illustration on her arm and realised her fear had disappeared when she found herself giggling happily "wow! Its beautiful" she beamed, wiping a tear from her face, "I've always known pixiescars were real, I just didn't think I'd ever see one."
Akina's eyes softened seeing Dori play with the pixiescar, her thoughts were side tracked when the young girl looked up at her "I thought you should know Aki, you do mean a lot to me...I just hope your mum- just know that she'll never love you half as much as I do" She said in a whisper.
Akina smiled. She had a feeling Dori was holding back on whatever else she wanted to say but somehow she found herself quite glad. She got up and went back to packing while Dori stood also and watched, "you will come to the fairy festival, won't you?" she said firmly, switching back to her status of royalty as she took a few steps closer to Akina. "It'll be the last thing we'll do together, well until you come back... You are coming back right?"
"What makes you think your father will allow me back, Dori?" Akina sighed tightening her ponytail then turned to the girl.
"I'll cover for you" Dori replied quickly without a moment's hesitation. Akina looked at her in disbelief. The blonde child nodded with certainty, "Akina I will cover for you."
"I don't want you to get in trouble Dori" Akina said resting down her fully packed rucksack in her empty wardrobe. She ran her fingers over the markings she had once made when she first arrived at the palace. She looked deeper at what it said but she couldn't make it out. She wanted to reminiscence some more but being aware of time and the commitment she had always promised to fulfil, she sighed then turned slowly to Dori, "Fairy festival it is". Dori smiled widely and skipped down the hallway with Akina following behind her.
Lord Makaio stood at the bottom of the grand staircase "ready to go Dori?"
"Yep!" The little blonde girl announced hugging her dad. He laughed lightly looking down at his princess before moving his gaze up to Akina who was standing awkwardly a few steps up "and since you've been slacking most of the day, accompanying us to the fairy festival is far to generous. You must stay and clean" he said with finality.
Akina tightened her lips and simply nodded. How would he know she's been slacking if he was out all day? It didn't make any sense.
"No daddy! Akina is coming and as my personal guest!" The little blonde girl shouted stomping her left foot down, looking at her dad straight in the eye.
Lord Makaio was taken aback at his daughter's outburst. "Dori I don't appreciate being spoken to like this. She's your maid and her place is to work. You'll understand when you're older."
"What's to understand, Father?" Dori replied, "As you've just said Akina is my maid, and as a Princess shouldn't I be able to invite my most trusted?"
Akina was always stunned by the young girl's wistfulness but all the same she was a little fearful of her high-spirit. Dori was very persistent. After a while Lord Makaio gave in. Dori smiled widely at Akina who smiled back.
They took a gold coloured carriage down the sandy slope that linked their mountain palace to the festive village below. Akina sat opposite Dori and Lord Makaio watching them wave at members in the crowd and point at the festival decorations. Being surrounded by crowd she couldn't shake off the feeling of being watched. She scanned her eyes past the happy villagers and stopped at the trees behind them. she squinted her eyes, she could have sworn she saw a woman standing there.
Dori tapped her knee and smiled brightly at her "We're here!" She announced straightening her back and flipped her golden curls over her shoulders.
They were all given lanterns and sweet smelling treats from passing women. Then Akina and Dori had traditional facial make up done. "Looking good Akina" Dori winked as the woman applied some coloured eye gel around the princess' eyes. Akina looked at her finishing make over and at the symbols in-glazed in henna on the back o her palm then smiled back at Dori "back at you Dori-bella!"
The pair laughed then walked there way through the crowd back to the carriage where Lord Makaio was being served honey wrapped edibles and sweet bread by some young gypsy women. Akina rolled her eyes and giggled with Dori.
They had a lot of fun at the fairy festival that as soon as they returned to the palace Dori was out like a light. Akina walked to her room and stared at the packed rucksack in her wardrobe. Guess it was time for her to go. The night breeze was refreshing but the full moon outside was a bit chilling. She put on her rucksack and walked up to her dresser and started composing a letter for Dori:
'I'm sorry I couldn't say goodbye. I hope you won't be mad. I've left a present for you and I hope I'll get to see you again soon, thanks for everything, I love you. Akina.'
She took one last glance around her bedroom- where she had been living for as long as she could remember. then hopped onto her window ledge where she'd climb down on trees and begin her journey. To face her past and get those answers to the questions that have haunted her ever since she was a young child.
~
She knocked on the cottage door. The green eyed lady opened revealing a look of surprise. Akina straightened her posture, tightened her fist and narrowed her eyes at her, "I'm ready, tell me where she is."
YOU ARE READING
The Magic of a Pixie Scar
Fantasía'If you build up their trust they will give you their identity, but if you lose that trust, you'll know true loneliness...' Pixies are not all what they seem, they are as real as you and I. On this island they are many secrets and mysterious scars...
