A New Territory

The duo continued their adventure, giving up on finding the exit. They walked to where their feet could take them, Anastasia began running when she saw that the trees were getting thinner, if you'd squint you could see an outline of a paved path. Finally, she ran with all her might and made it out off the dense forest.

"Hey, wait for me!" Bijou whined, he was hungry and tired; they were walking all morning. It was lunch time, so he didn't waste any time and latched around the child's ankle, looking like a fancy ankle bracelet.

The best thing in his current form, Bijou can switch into a smaller form, growing into ranges of sizes, but never bigger than his original size which was an equivalent to the size of an adult arm's length.

....

Anna skirted to a stop as she noticed a bit too late that she landed in an unwelcoming place. Fright took over her senses, making her move in an automatic motion, diving into the nearest bush, hiding away from the predators.

"Wait, what are you doing?!" Bijou groaned, and he took in the alarmed look on the child's face.

Anastasia shushed him, "Sssh! I don't think we are back home!"

"Huh?" The snake climbed up the brunette's shoulder, peeking his head over the bushes to see what set off the kid. His round head in an immediate motion dropped to the ground. Widened eyes were exchanged, "We should leave, like now!" Anastasia blue eyes wavered, it expressed how nervous she was feeling.

The snake's mouth was zipped, but he nodded and crept around her neck, imitating a thin choker, and whispered into her, "What were the chances to think that the forest would lead us to the lion's den,"

"You don't say," Anastasia said sarcastically, she looked over the bush again, there sitting in what seemed like the imperial's palace garden, in the middle of the flowers was a round, heavily adorned dining table.

Not in her whole life did she see a woman decorated with gold from her head to toe, what stood out to Anastasia was not the jewelries, but the cyanic wavy hair pulled up into an elegant updo, with her bangs falling gently over her forehead, swaying softly with cool breeze.

What the heck? How are the women so beautiful in this world. There was no single blemish on that pale face, it was so small, she was the second most beautiful person in the world, her heart ached as she remembered her mother's grace and delicate features on her death bed.

Her eyes followed the smooth movements, her thin finger circled around the tea cup's handle and she brought it up to her full lips, thick blue eyelashes batted delicately while sky blue eyes fluttered close in pleasure.

The way the lady carried herself felt suffocating, there was no flaw in her actions, that was a proper lady mannerism. Anastasia couldn't see herself following such etiquette, it would take her another reincarnation to master such graceful movements, and that was only drinking tea.

She shook her head, snapping her out of that weird trance, her eyes scanned over the area, the brunette's face gradually paled as she took in the sticky situation she was in.

The garden was heavily guarded by the knights, she took in the buff men in shining armor, then her eyes ran over the figures of two kids, who were sitting next to a-

"Bijou,"

"Kid, you better move your ass,"

"Bijou that-"

"If they catch us, there is no knowing to what they are going to do to us, most likely kill us, but the point is I can't protect you, I'm still recovering my strength!"

"Bijou!" She shouted in annoyance trying to get the attention of the panicked snake, for someone who claims to be a big, bad dragon. Bijou really was bad with dealing with stress, "WHAT?!" Bijou exploded in anger.

She pointed discreetly at the man who was having tea with two navy haired children, seated from a close proximity of the male specimen.

"Is that-"

"Yes, that bastard is your father, now that is out of the way can we get outta here?!"

Anastasia blocked the white noise, and brought all her attention to Kaiser, the emperor of this blessed nation, her father. Her eyes examined every corner off the navy haired man. She couldn't really see his facial feature, she was quite farway from the trio. From how heavily dressed the man was, Kaiser looked like he cares about how he looks. Judging from how his hair glistened under the sun, the man was fine. Blue eyes followed the large hands going through the child's hair, oh so gently as if it was a fragile thing. If she squinted hard enough, she could see that the man's lips were slightly turned upwards.

Anastasia groaned in despair.

"What? Did he sense our presence?" Bijou was now shitting his pants? Skin? Whatever, one of the two, "I don't think so," Anastasia mumbled.

"Then what is it!?!"

Her face pinched into a frown, a contemplating look on her eyes, "Why do all those arrogant mf have to be handsome? This is cheating!"