a/n: thank you so much for 1k. a slightly long chapter.  

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The lady slowly turned around, facing them. They all cowered under her blazing gaze. Her cheeks tinted red, she slowly enunciated, "What did you say?" Avika and Aditya also stumbled backwards hitting a tree; as they watched her fingers coiling and uncoiling, making her seem like a ticking time bomb. Aditya gave a helpless look to Avika, saying, we can't run any farther away from this.

The pink lady trembled, as she stuttered, "K-kaia, we are sorry. B-but we can't remove their charms." Kaia took a step forward, her step threatening the pink lady to repeat it. She spoke slowly, "You dare refuse me?" Her finger pointed at the lady, her lips moving in a silent whisper as if she was going to blast her into pieces. Because, the pink lady instantly was on Kaia feat, as if begging for refusing her. Aditya's heart hammered, seeing the sight in-front of him; it reminded him of his condition at home. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to stop the tears which clouded his vision.

Avika, on the other hand, cursed Kaia under her breath, as she hated those who made others beg for mercy. Her anger boiled. Aditya clenched his fist until the pain shifted from his heart to his hands. Opening his eyes, he sighed, glad that no one looked at him. He saw the pink lady was uttering something, and Kaia was looking really mad. Her eyes twitched a lot, making her seem even more scary. Turning to Avika, he saw how angry she looked. Her hands, like his, were also tightly coiled but for totally different reasons. And kept tapping her legs like crazy.

Aditya murmured, low enough for only Avika to hear, "Don't do anything reckless. She can trample you under her feet, and simultaneously say cheese smiling at the camera." Avika's anger increased even more; she shot him a look but chose to remain silent. Still, she couldn't, as it reminded her of Naanai and how she always spoke up. Bouncing on her feet vigorously, she tried to control her emotions before she ended up doing anything reckless. Finally giving up to her urges, she moved forward and yelled, "That's pathetic. You cannot make people beg you to spare them."

Aditya cursed loudly, and grabbed her hands pulling her backwards, and hissed in her ears, "Don't. Do you want to leave this place in one piece or not?" Avika didn't know that sort people enjoy this sick torture. They are cruel, they love to make people beg, to make them dance on their fingertips. He wanted to say so much, but the words never left his mouth.

Avika really didn't get why he was so afraid of everything. Why he always chose to walk on eggshells. She yanked her hand hard from his grip and shot him another look. The lady—or Kaia— watched this interaction with a sly smirk on her face. But as soon as Avika turned to her, she regained her stoic composure and focused on the three others. She clutched the ends of her stick– which suddenly appeared out of nowhere— and said, "I am not Naanai, that you plead, and I will stop. I got a fair to run and going easy on people doesn't help my business."

The pink lady glared at Avika, her eyes widening enough to say, you are helping my case. The three others were also glaring at her. Even the dancing couple, barely kids, looked murderous. But Kaia words kept swirling in Aditya's mind. Avika was also thinking about it. He called her out, "You run the fair? Then why do you need them to remove c-charms?" He said, gesturing to everyone other than them. After a pause, he again asked, "Again, what are charms?"

Before the lady could explain them, the pink lady immediately blurted, looking helpless, "Please forgive us. But we can't remove them here. Since we didn't curse them, our charms won't work here. However, if you want you can take them to Queen's Landing. There is a chance we could remove the charms. Our powers are stronger there, and since The Night Fair is up and running, there is a chance we might actually be able to remove them." She looked up at Kaia, with hopeful eyes. Avika immediately realized what she was talking about, a faint memory tugging in her brain. Queen's Landing, she can't go there. She wanted to but she shouldn't. She--

Kaia kicked the pink lady in her shins, and said, "Are you bribing me, Devika? You know better than any of them that I, of all people, won't ever step in there." Avika let out a sigh of relief, wiping her clammy hands off her trousers. Aditya noticed her and said, "You've been there." Avika nodded no, and whispered, as the lady screamed something in some other language, probably maledictions, pointing the end of her stick on the pink lady who was lying on the ground, begging for her life, "No, but I have heard stories. It's a town that's bigger than any state in the world. Almost every sort of fantasy, mythical, and even creatures you imagined when you were kids, are there. But--"

"Revealing all secrets, are we?" Kaia said, grinning sardonically. The pink lady, or Devika, was now withering on the ground, as if in extreme pain. Her screams echoed around, making Aditya feel sick. He tore his gaze from the lady to Kaia, silently wishing she would rot in the pits of Tartarus. Gulping down, he tried to block the pain. Kaia didn't give her a glance. He tried to focus on Avika, who was now shaking with anger so bad. She yelled, pointing at the pink lady, (Aditya didn't dare to look) "Why do you keep doing this to her?"

Kaia replied, something heavy in her voice, "Not everyone is good, Avika. And she is an Elfelas, so as she comes under me, I can do anything I want. Plus, she is not even the actual Devika who works for the fair. She is withering because she is being forced to show her true form. You should have known all this." And then, she suddenly turned to Aditya and said, "You too, boy. Don't think that just because your grandfather didn't give any work or taught you anything, it means you get to sit idle." Aditya's cheeks turned crimson, and he wanted to shout the truth out loud, but he bit inside of his cheek, swallowing his thoughts down. He just muttered, "What are you to me, that I must listen to you?" Kaia as usual heard, him and started, "Your grandfather and--"

Avika blurted in between, cutting Kaia off, and said, pointing at Devika again, "How can you say that?"

"The tissues," Kaia immediately replied, "the tissues burned your cloak, which actually protected you from the fair, and Aditya's protection was transparent i.e., on skin, but as soon as he touched those tissues, and then you touched him, his protection was broken. These tissues are only found in Queen's Landing." Aditya immediately asked, "What were we being protected from? And what the hell exactly is Queen's Landing?"

"The fair and its curse." The lady replied, her tone slightly melomaniac. She ignored his second question. She turned around and pointed her stick at the other three people. Her skirts burned brightly, and then turned black. Their eyes widened slightly, and they quickly clapped their hands twice. Next moment, a swirling black tornado appeared out of nowhere. Aditya had to cover his eyes, its impact too strong.

Winds roared heavily, making it difficult for them to even stand. The tree leaves above them rustled loudly, a branch snapped, and the tents were almost blown away. However, even before the tornado could touch them, it disappeared. Just like how it appeared out of nowhere. It took all four of them, the fake pink lady and her associates. He heard Kaia mutter a string of curses, but he was too busy raking sand which had flown from all the directions, out of his clothes to say anything. Avika still looked mad, but also relieved as there were no more screams. The rest of the place was immaculate as before. Dark, pressing yet somehow still better than fair.

Avika muttered, brushing sand out of her hair, "Why does everyone keep going around in circles. We have no idea why we are here, who the hell are they,"—she said pointing at the place where the pink lady and others were— "yet everyone keeps telling us things as if we know. You say, you saved us, but from what? And I keep forgetting things, which is the most frustrating thing."

Kaia suddenly turned around, a malicious smile etched on her lips, "I will tell you everything. Including matters of your heart," and glanced at Aditya. Aditya looked confused, his gaze darting for Kaia to Avika who was turning red. Aditya raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. Avika blurted, "And?" Kaia's smile just increased, as the wind around them slowly died, "And what happened a few minutes ago." Her eyes again darted towards Aditya as if knowing his dirty secret. Aditya didn't dare to look in her eyes, silently wishing he was dead.

Kaia continued, the night taking a darker turn, both literally and figuratively, "But there will be a price. Are you both willing to pay?" Avika and Aditya silently exchanged glances. Kaia added, "Think carefully. Truth comes at a price, sometimes even higher than the truth itself." Aditya thought about everything. About what happened before he entered, his grandfather's dying wish, and before his thoughts ended up sending him into his dark place, he croaked, "Yes. We are." Avika murmured, looking abashed, "Are you sure?" Aditya nodded vigorously, though a small part of his heart was already regretting his hasty decision. Biting his lips, he tried to shut his thoughts down.

Kaia looked pleased with this new development. Or Aditya assumed so, as the flowers near him bloomed (yes, during the night) and a sweet fragrance spread throughout the area. The moon shone brighter, the flickering lights seemed less ominous, and even her expression seemed less scary.

She quickly said, as if suddenly fearing something, "The Night Fair was a sacrifice. A sacrifice to defy a million-year-old curse." Her voice was hushed, as if the fair could hear her. She continued, her eyes darting her and there continuously, "The Queen's Landing was cursed for being so harsh towards their citizens. They were forced to be perfect, all the time and for everything they did. So, their own people cursed the King that his plans for building a second town would surpass the first one. So much that they will forget the original one."

The air grew still, as if feeding off the Kaia's fear, whose eyebrows were lined with sweat. Aditya scratched his arms vigorously, irritation mixed with fear seeped into his bones. The flowers which bloomed were slowly closing, as Kaia continued, "The king was ashamed. So, he decided to build this fair as a sacrifice to people. That they will command it. In Queen's Landing, the traditions are weird. Instead of worshiping, god or goddess, they worship their own people." Her hands stilled, and suddenly she broke off, turning around. Sensing someone, she tried to put on a brave face, but her widened eyes were a clear indication that she feared the wrath of the unknown.

With a hesitant voice, and her stick ready, she continued, "But people refused to accept the fair and burnt it. The king was furious, but kept his mouth shut. A year later, the fair sprang up on its own. People flocked from far and wide, to see what had happened." Aditya saw something flicker in her eyes, something dark, as she continued, "But no one remembered what happened there. Rumors were flown, theories cracked, bets made. The best one yet is, the fair was cursed as a sacrifice for not being forgotten, so it takes its revenge by making people forget."

Avika immediately asked, fearing if she would ever know the entire truth. Kaia was growing edgier with passing seconds, her energy rubbing on both of them. She asked, "But what has that got to do with the touch curse you said?" Surprise flashed across Avika's face, shocked that she remembered it.

Kaia smiled wryly, and softly said, "The workers who decided to volunteer are also stuck. The catch? They make people do things they hate. The original Devika hates cooking, yet she is forced to serve. The tissues the other fake Devika gave you, made the touch curse transfer into um, see curse? I mean, instead of them touching you, you just see them, and you are cursed."

"Then a big man who was yelling at his child for lying, made you tell the truth. The dancing couple, they both have given up love. Yet, they both drive people mad through feelings of lust and love." Breaking off, she smirked looking at Avika. Then coming back to her stance, stoic and hiding fear which grappled her entire body, she said, "But those feelings diminish as soon as you leave the fair. But fair's original curse never leaves you. Even though it reduces with time, you still keep forgetting things."

Realization dawned upon Avika. When she asked Aditya why he didn't leave, she saw the lying guy. When she asked him if he wanted to eat, she saw Devika dipping something into something. All of that weird feelings passing through the heart, tingles shooting throughout her body, everything was fake. Freaking fake. She didn't know whether she should be disappointed or relieved. Before she could dwell on that Kaia rushed away from there. Snapping her head, she saw the guy who offered them orange drinks. He was bleeding purple, where his heart was supposed to be. His breath seemed labored, and orange-colored water droplets covered his forehead.  

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a/n: thoughts?

also, please let me know if anything was confusing. i will try my best to clear it up.