Chapter 132: Water Palace and Trespasser

Milan attempted to open the ward day and night. She worked harder and got tired. She tried when the settlers in the woods were away or busy or while they were sleeping at nights trying not to alert them about what she was doing. She did not want them to think that she is abandoning them.

Aiden watched her work, he tried to come with ideas and what Shifu possibly could have done to temporarily weaken the power of the ward that would help the gods to walk through. He tried to recall several techniques from his memory that he has learned before. And Milan tired to come up with several powers of hers. She wondered if there is anything she is unaware of in her own body.

"What could it be?" She asked him who was busy with the thoughts. 

"We will find it," he said.

"But we are running out of time," she worried.

"Wait wait, calm down, be patient," he tried to put her at ease. "Did you use all the strength?" He questioned her.

"I did," she replied. 

"Then don't, " he advised her. "The more strength you give, the stronger the ward would grow into, so use less strength, and more intelligence," he tried to educate her. "What did feel like when we walked out of the barrier couple of hours back?" He asked her to ponder over their experiences. 

"It felt like we walked through.." she paused. "I don't know I didn't feel anything,' she said. "Did you?" She asked him back.

"Neither did I," he said and laughed. 

"Hey, be serious," she said and hit his arms. 

"Ouch," he made a sound. 

"Did you try the water techniques your masters taught you?" She asked him again. "Complex ones?" 

"Nothings works," he replied. "What about you?" She said nothing, falling into serious line of thoughts. 'How did my biological father walk in and out of the water when he used to live?' She thought. 'There were no records or news about how he opened, does that mean there are no special tricks?" Suddenly it occured to her. Milan turned into her true form of the nine tailed fox. Aiden stood there watching her. Her hideous form. Her beautiful self that she no longer has his while living. He smiled proudly. He was happy. For her. 

"I don't think I need to use powers, just hold my hand, stay close to me," she said to Aiden. He listened to her and took her hands. He walked closer and stood next to her. She extended her arms and put them through the invisible barrier applying a little amount of force to open it. Her hand passed through it. She walked forwards and pulled Aiden behind her and he got out along with her. She stood on her knees the moment she got out. The barrier closed once again. Aiden exhaled and looked around. 

"We really did come, so that's all it took?" He asked her. "Just walk through?" 

"I used have my energy, probably this is the reason why father was weak everytime he stepped out of the barrier and got killed," she took a guess. "Walking through the restricted barrier requires energy from the bead that protects the barrier, and only the fox can walk through it except the person who fixed it," she informed him what she had learned from the experience. "Let's rest and take off later in ten minutes," she said to him and sat cross legged on the ground doing a quick meditation. Her eyes were blue and tails still out. When he looked at them, Milan grew conscious of his presence.

Couple of minutes later, the two apparated and decided to visit the Water Palace before they left Water Realm. The reached the palace and stood in front of the tall gates. Apparently there was no one guarding the gates. Milan was surprised. 'Why is there no one?' She wondered. 'I remember well that Pa asked to keep the place well,' 

She walked forward and pushed open the gates. And as thought, there was no one inside either. The palace completely empty with nobody living around. Milan and Aiden stepped in.

She walked around the palace, to the pond, to the pavilion, and to the court. The hall was dark and full of dust. She looked at the empty throne where her father used to sit on before the officials and civilians making various decisions, policies and plan. She could see them all before her eyes. Her father accompanied by his mother, her sister and herself. Aiden assisting the King with official matters. Those busy days and the last speech her father made the last day before they were taken away for execution. Milan felt her blood boiling.

Aiden kept a hand on her shoulder pulling her back to reality as she stood looking around, hallucinating. She lighted all lamps and walked out swiftly. She then moved towards her tide palace. She opened the doors of her bed chamber. The grey and dusty room with cobwebs hanging around. She asked Aiden get out of the room and and cleaned everything quickly. She sighed and sat down on her bed. It felt too good to lie down on her bed. Aiden in the meanwhile set a ward around the palace to know if someone trespass. 

Milan rested for an hour while Aiden spent his time packing some weapons, medicines and clothes necessary for their travel. They are supposed to find Aqua soon who seem to be nowhere around the Water Realm. 

Milan got up when her stomach growled of hunger and walked to the kitchen in the palace to see if there is anything. Atleast wine. She ransacked the store room and all the large vessels that stored rice, dried fish, pickles, the ingredients, the wine cellar and the poultry farm behind the palace. The poultry was empty. But she luckily found some ginseng, spices, rice, dried fish, dried pullocks, and used some chilly pickle to prepare a meal. At the right time, Aiden came for her. She served him with rice, dried pullock soup and fried dried salmon and pickle. She also found some wine and poured him one tall glass of drink and took one for her. 

They settled down in the kitchen itself and had food with the help of candles she lit. He looked at her the moment he took the first mouthful of food. He coughed but controlled it.

"How is it?" She asked eagerly. He smiled. 

"Not bad," he lied. The soup was spicy and salty. The rice was overcooked, the fried fish was burnt a little and overall, it was not that edible. But the only good thing was the wine. The older it was and the better it tasted. He filled his tummy with lots of wine finished off eating quickly and stopped her from serving him anything. Then she began to eat. She looked at him. 

"Am sorry," she said and kept the food away. "You could have told me," she said looking ar him whi handed her peaches out of his pockets. She took them from him ate them to satisfy her hunger. He stared her as she drank the wine along. Milan could see it but pretended to not know. Her heart skipped a beat again. She bit the peach. But suddenly it rolled down her hands as it got pulled. Milan was pulled back by Aiden. He stopped her and he turned her around. 

"What are you doing?" She asked him in a low voice, surprised. 

"Doing what I should," he said and put his arms around her hips. Both sitting on the floor cross legged, opposite each other. He moved the hair out of her face. Her face was glowing even in the dim light. And he felt her heart pounding loud. He liked that. He loved that he made her feel this way. He moved closer. But she pushed him away, keeping her hands on his chest. "Don't," she said.

"Why?" He aksed for an explanation. 

"Because I don't want to be substitute, I don't want this kind of affection, I don't want to be played," she said frankly.

"You think I still don't have feelings for you and that I like your sister, you think am toying with you?" He asked her looking into her eyes. She said nothing at first. 

"Yes, how else should I think?" She asked back.

"Then I will show you and let you think whatever you want to today, I don't care if this is the right time or not," Aiden said. And lifted her in his arms. He apparated and walked towards the bed in Milan's chamber. He settled her down shutting the doors behind and he leaned over her. Milan blushed and couldn't believe that he was expressing his feelings for her. 

"Am warning you, my heart is no joke," she sad to him. 

"And that is the kind of want, I long for, I need now," he said and crashed his lips on hers. It was like a stat exploding in Milan's heart. The feelings and emotions that she had for over years being finally reciprocated by her love. He got on top, and deepened his kiss running his hand over her and holding her close. She looked at his hazel eyes for few seconds as she withdrew to catch up with her breath and it looked like he was filled with his own wide range of emotions. He then kissed her once again, as she worked her fingers on his robe, untying them. And that very moment, Aiden was alerted by an entry of a man into the palace. He felt the ward breaking. He sound Milan away and looked at the direction of the door. 

"What happened?' She asked him getting up along with him quickly.

"Somebody is in," he said and he drew his sword out walking towards the door quickly, putting his robes back on.