The morning sun painted the treetops in soft amber as they set off on foot—mother and son, hand in hand, their hearts warm despite the path ahead.
They had walked only a little when the boy glanced up at Jwala and asked:
"Mom… do I have a dad?"
She blinked and was a bit confused, actually
"No, honey. Why do you ask?"
He looked thoughtful.
Jwala, with a feint smile, "Do you want a dad?"
"Do you want one?"
He grinned widely, his cheeks glowing with sunlight.
"Nope! I only need moms!" Her heart skipped a beat. That answer—so pure, so full of love—it melted something deep inside her.
But he wasn't done.
Actually, I don't want anyone else to love you, I mean, like only I can love you, something selfish like that.
"Did you ever love someone, Mom?" before I was born.
Jwala chuckled, amused by the innocent interrogation.
"Yes, I did."
"WHAAAAT—who was it?! Who was your crush?!"
She laughed again, teasing: "She is like another moon in the morning, her cold silver hair and icy cold eyes, and she is blazing sun in the night with burning crimson hair with blood red eyes, you can see her smile with your eyes closed and a powerful presence… I admired her so much."
He stopped walking, eyes wide with curiosity.
She? You mean you had a crush on a girl?
"Who?! Who is she, Mom?!"
She grinned mischievously. You actually met her, dear. "It's me, my son~"
"MOMMM! Are you making fun of me?!"
You had deep amethyst hair and crimson red eyes. Where did you get those ideas of silver hair and red hair? You are really making fun of me, hmmph ....
I can change my hair and eye colour if I want, you know.
She laughed, scooped him onto her back like when he was little, and started walking again through the ancient woods." Listen, son…" she began softly.
"I don't know, but every person when they meet me, their first and last emotion they feel is fear. But every man who saw me only saw strength—not the woman inside. They feared me. Approaching me was like courting death."
"So, no one ever tried to impress me. And I never cared... until I met you."
"You were the one who opened my heart again."
The boy stayed silent, letting the words sink in.
Then, he asked:
"What does a husband do?"
With a pensive smile, she said I don't know, maybe
"He gives his all to loved ones. Protects them. Loves them. No matter what."
The boy smiled widely and grinned.
Let me give you the honour of protecting you, Your Serenity.
"So be it, my little prince…" she whispered.
"Protect me with everything you've got."
They walked on like that—his questions playful, her answers wise—and eventually, he fell asleep on her back, his small hand clutching her shoulder. The sun sank into the horizon, and night befallen upon them.
Jwala whispered a name.
A wooden boat came out of nowhere, and it was sailing on air, rustic and small, just enough for a person and a helmsman. The Helmswoman sailing the boat had a Mermaid's features. She is singing really nicely, but she is already dead and alive at the same time; her song echoes with surging waves of water, falling leaves of the woods, and breezes of the night wind.
One that could travel through space and sky.
She boarded it, he was still sleeping soundly on her lap, and she pointed it toward their destination. The next morning.....
They landed on a blinding white landscape.
Icy winds howled across the South Pole, the temperature biting even the air itself. The boy wrapped himself in thick fur and shivered.
"Mom… where are we? It's so cold!"
Jwala looked ahead with calm, narrowed eyes.
"This place is called the White wastelands, my son..."
She pointed toward a massive icy cave, its entrance glowing with faint blue light.
"We're going to catch something awesome here."
The boy gulped, excitement and chill rising in equal measure.
And so, they stepped forward—into the frost... and into fate.
The icy wind howled behind them as they approached the mouth of the frosty cave.
Two towering ice pillars stood at the entrance—etched with runes in the ancient Sarpavana, their surface glowing faintly with a pale blue shimmer.
Jwala stepped forward without hesitation.
She placed her hand on one of the pillars and activated some kind of mechanism.
Two enormous serpents slithered from around the pillars, each coiling upward in perfect synchronicity. Their bodies intertwined as they twisted above the entrance, unlocking a hidden path carved into the heart of the glacier.
She stepped through the now-open passage.
The boy followed close, a chill running down his nose, and he felt too cold, really.
"Mom…" he whispered, "Is something here?"
Jwala didn't stop walking.
"Saki… are you there?" she called out softly.
From deeper within the cave, a presence stirred.
A powerful one.
The boy was waiting curiously for the thing that was coming towards them.
Something strong is coming…
And then—THUD.
A girl, clumsy and awkward, stumbled out of the mist. She looked to be around eighteen to twenty, wearing an oversized frost robe, tripping over her own feet.
She crashed to the ground face-first… then kneeled before Jwala.
"I—I mean, I said I'd kneel before you, right?! Here I am!!" Your Highness.
Jwala with you hasn't changed a bit.
"How's your research on plants coming along, Saki?"
"G-Good, Queen! Please come in!"
Inside the icy chamber, they were welcomed warmly.
The boy sat beside his mother and asked her, "Mom, she called you your highness, right? Right? Are you really a big and powerful queen who loves a low-key profile?
Jwala, with a mischievous smile, Of course not, sweetheart. I'm just some rich lady; she's my maid, actually.
He is eyeing the clumsy girl with a mix of curiosity and amusement now.
"So… who are you?" he asked.
She blinked, a bit flustered.
"Ah! I'm Saki! And you…?"
He smiled widely.
"I'm her son."
Saki froze. Her eyes went wide.
"HER… son?! The Queen's son?!"
"Yep!"
"W-Wow! I didn't know the Queen had a—! I mean—Hi!"
The young master of The Great Sarpanavana. She bowed to him and called the young master.
Just like he'd once bombarded his mom with questions, he now turned his full curiosity toward Saki:
"How old are you?"
"What's it like living in a cave?"
"Can you turn into a giant snake too??"
"Do you eat ice rats??"
"Do your fangs glow in the dark??"
"Do you eat snow?"
Jwala watched the two, a rare warmth in her expression.
The sun slowly faded. He ate heartily and slept peacefully.
Later "Are there others here?"
Saki nodded quickly.
"Y-Yes, Your Majesty! Many factions arrived a month ago. They're all waiting for the upcoming event…" Jwala's voice lowered.
"Any powerful ones?" Saki hesitated… then smiled nervously.
"None that could compare to you, Your Majesty."
Jwala's lips curved into a cold, knowing smile.
"Good.
Then this… is going to be no more fun."