Anything For You
Chapter 99

~STILL IN THE SAME BUSHES~

Estella had still been plopping over the rusty and stony jungle floor, with her knees getting rubbed by it occasionally, but she didn't even flinch because this pain was nothing compared with the heart-ache that she had been going through right now, after witnessing her both parents dead in front of her eyes. And the most painful thing was that, she wasn't able to do anything. She was just in her memories, the places her parents visited in the past.

Evanora was not able to do anything, besides standing there dumbfounded. She was able to feel the pain, grief and sadness that Estella was experiencing because she had too lost all her loved ones in this never-ending race of time and survival in the cruel world. She had lost her parents in the hands of a war that broke out years or decades ago, who dies while protecting her. Her only crush, her love, who was a common man, too died, because her was just a mortal human and her witch powers back then weren't enough to keep him alive.

But now, she was powerful and strong enough to keep anybody alive, for a longer time. Still, she needed some powers to be more powerful and strong so that nobody could ever take what was hers, and nobody would ever dare to mess with, Evanora, The Witch. But witnessing Estella, her heart softened a bit. In that split second, she thought of not being greedy and let this poor girl go. But the another second, all her sanity was pushed into a very deepest corner of her unconscious mind, because she couldn't be weak. People are weak, that's why they came to her for help. If she turned weak, how would she be able to conquer what she had always wanted to. Hence, composing herself once again, she wiped the faint tear lines over her cheeks and patted over Estella's shoulder, gesturing her to get up and leave, as the purpose of their visit here was fulfilled.

"Estella, it's time to leave now. We can't stay here for longer times. Remember, it's your own subconscious mind that we are invading in, and it will affect your conscious mind too, if anything went wrong here." She tried to be as gentle and polite as possible. According to her, this was the only thing she could do for this girl. But the girl ahead had some other plans. Hence, she demanded something else,

"Evanora, before leaving I want to visit my house again. My mother died in front of my eyes back then. I want to see her for one last time, please."

Estella's poor and sad gaze was piercing her heart and hence, she just nodded and clinked her fingers to get to the place. Reaching there, both the ladies noticed a little version of Estella, probably 6-7 years old, sitting in the Balcony of her house, with her mother's body in her arms. While her tears were rolling down her big, round and innocent child eyes, sobbing hard and urging her mother to say something and talk to her. The lady in her arms wasn't dead completely, but was in a pathetic state. She spoke stuttering, "Ba... Baby.... Be brave, .... After .... Mother is gone. Don't .... Don't be sad. Mother will be.... Watching you always. And .... Protect yourself.... From the .... King of ... nearby kingdom. He ... he .... Ki...." Before she could complete her words, her soul left her body. But the strange thing was, her body didn't turn ashen as her husband.

Estella was indeed a child, but a very smart one. Her eyes were glistening with tears, her voice was struck in her own throat, as if she had lost the ability to speak, and move. But her eyes had a shining, a shining that contained hope and expectations. She retreated her hands from her mother's body, amd in the second moment, the queen turned into a beautiful blue snake, which was unfortunately a dead one by now.

Estella took her dead body in her hands and kept her over a raised spot in the same balcony, hidden from all the eyes, and sat down besides mumbling,

"Mother, I ... promise to be a good child. And ... I will protect myself from the king. I ... will find father too, and then... then .. we will bring you back too. We will ... will be living happily then."

Watching all these things, Evanora was amazed, and asked,

"I met your mother decades ago. But she didn't have you then. She was a very good lady, and she helped me a lot in my bad times. So, to repay her, I taught her some spells. I guess she must have taught you some too." Estella nodded blankly, not knowing why Evanora was putting up this topic suddenly. Or she was trying to calm her!! When Evanora noticed that Estella was still lost, she continued,

"Both of us have lost our family, and loved ones. Me, in the hands of war, and you because of a misunderstanding of that king. But, whatever had happened, we can't change the past. The most important thing is to make peace with your last, and accept your fate. It's the only way to survive. I guess we were fated to meet. That's why you are here with me today."

She patted over Estella's shoulders and made her relaxed and calm, even more calmer than before. This poor child had suffered a lot. When they were busy talking there, the scenario changed and now Estella's memory world had changed a lot. She was now standing outsides an ages old cave, which looked dangerous from the outside. Evanora couldn't decipher what was happening, because to her Estella used to live in her old house, then what about this cave?

She had casted magic in such a way that until they find everything in Estella's past, they won't be stepping out of the memory world. If they were here now standing in front of a cave, that too in the middle of a barren area, a deserted place, then it means somehow, it too was connected to Estella's past.

Stepping further, Estella didn't gaze even once towards the witch and entered the cave without any prior notice, as if she was most comfortable here. Her face had the calm and homely expressions, as if she had always belonged to this place. Evanora couldn't understand this. But on reaching the inside, she was beyond shocked. It was the same old house of Estella's parents, the same house where they had lived their wonderful days, where Estella spent her whole childhood, where her mother died in her arms. The witch's gaze swept over all the corners of that cave looking for something, and she found it immediately. A smile crept over her lips, and she looked through the covered place. Under the cover was placed, Estella's dead mother's snake body. She had preserved her well, thinking that one day when she would get all the answers of her questions, she would cremate her with all the rituals. And now since, she got to know everything, she was contended and relaxed. But there was something different this time, which Estella wasn't aware of, but Evanora was.

Estella took her dead body in her hands and kept her over a raised spot in the same balcony, hidden from all the eyes, and sat down besides mumbling,

Looking over the stones placed here and there, Evanora sat down resting her back with one of the walls looking at Estella for explanation. Estella faintly smiled and told,

"After mother's death, I was left all alone here, in spite of the people of snake clan always backing me up. Since I was the queen, so they worshipped me and I had to grant their wishes. The people, humans of some tribes also worships snakes as their gods. So, I had no option but to visit them time to time, but nothing comforted me ever. I always missed mother and father, their love, their warmth. Hence, I never thought of leaving this house."

She walked over to the place where she had kept her mother's dead body and sat down besides it narrating further,

"Without family, you have nothing and you are nothing. My heart and my life were deserted, like this place. I was living, and I mastered some spells which mother taught me. But I always missed them to guide me. Since they were former king and queen, and I was their only child, so, I was given all the responsibilities. But I just wanted to be with my parents."

"Then, how come this house, which used to be so beautiful and near to your heart, turned into a cave? And what about the outside place. It was so fresh and lively, but it is now deserted and barren!!!" Evanora couldn't help but ask her. She was being curious. Estella took a deep sigh and swiped her hand in air, leaving the Sitting Evanora surprised to be now seated over a In antic chair kept in a beautifully arranged balcony of the same house. Noticing her questioning gaze, Estella went on,

"Since this place belonged to Snake-king and queen, it was alive with them. But with their departure, this place also lost its soul. And it became deserted now. People use to call it "The Forbidden Land" now. And I wasn't that much powerful to secure the whole territory, so I just kept this house going. But, because it's in the middle of nowhere, so I had to keep it hidden."

"Hmm...!" The witch just hummed and before they both could utter anything else to each other, the whole scenery changed and now they both were back to the room, sitting over their respective place with hands kept on the same crystal ball with eyes closed. When they opened their eyes, they found themselves back to the reality, out of the memory world. Estella was still trying to process things, when Evanora hastily concealed something under her sleeves and then chanted a spell with the speed of light, making it to disappear, without getting any attention from the snake-girl ahead her, smiling faintly.

Estella stood up, and bowed down to express her gratitude, saying,

"You helped me a lot today. Whatever you wish to have, just let me know. I will surely compile with that."

Evanora hauled up and the crystal ball went back to its original place. She approached Estella, and said caressing her cheeks slightly,

"I will get it. I have to think about it. It's so much for today already. Go back and have some rest. But don't forget that, whatever happened, was destined to happen. You, me or anyone else, couldn't do anything in that. So, just make with your past."