Burning Scarlet

"Where are we Sage? Its so dark!" Fortune asked and Sage meowed in response. All of a sudden she started hearing footsteps approaching. "Someone's coming, quick hide!" she warned and hid under the blanket hoping whoever it was, wouldn't notice her.

It was a man. He put on the candles and made to take off his clothes when he noticed someone hiding under his blanket. He quickly drew out his sword for self-defense.

"Was that a blade?" Fortune asked Sage in a hushed tone and Sage shaked its head

"Who's there? I give you a chance to come out and face your death quickly!"The guy bargained but his words only inserted a bit of fear in the mind of his unknown opponent making them refuse to his request of 'surrender'

"As long as we don't make a sound, he won't go on and leave us alone right?" Fortune asked and Sage shrugged its furry shoulders under the blanket.

Seeing no one was coming out, the man advanced to his own measures and said

"Don't say I didn't warn you" with that he shoved his sword into the blanket but with the help of Fortunes quick reaction, they were able to avoid it. The blanket flew into the air.

"Hey what's the big idea?!?" Fortune yelled, holding Sage tightly to herself. "That thing could have killed someone" she snapped and the man watched her confused. Seeing he wasn't listening got her annoyed. "Hello? Can you hear me?" she barked furiously.

"Its...a girl!"The man said in realization. Surprised realization.

"Of course I'm a girl, what did you expect; some kind of assassin?" she asked obviously

"Perhaps you are!" he pointed the sword towards her and Sage flew from her grasp and hid behind her.

"Whoa, hold on to the reigns! Am a completely normal girl" Fortune said.

"Why should I believe a word you say?" he asked fully alert.

"Tch! Suit yourself! Am out of here, come on Sage let's go" she got down from bed but he wouldn't let her leave so easily.

"Wait, if you're not an assassin then how did you get into my chambers without being spotted by the guards outside?" he asked and she pointed at the ceiling. His gaze followed the direction she pointed at and saw the broken escape route.

"Somehow, I don't know how, we fell off from the sky and landed here. I can't figure out what happened so I think I'll go home and think. I can't let my grandpa over worry." Fortune picked up her bag and the book and sighed "And I didn't get to read this book yet!" she put it inside her bag and reached out for Sage. "Come on Sage!" Sage hopped on her and she caught her"Good girl!"

The rather confused man just stared at her as she walked towards the door. He had planned to just let her go but on seeing a full scale of her appearance and what she wore, he definitely did not approve.

"Stop right there!"he ordered and Fortune turned confused

"Why?"she asked and without hearing a reason she further asked "Are you some sort of commander?"

"I am not! I am rather the emperor and I have every right to command you" At that moment Fortune and Sage looked at the man completely perplexed and then exchanged glances. They started laughing hysterically.

"I demand to know what is so funny?" he snapped.

"You, the emperor?" she continued laughing

"Am I not worth the status in your eyes?" he asked confused.

"Dude, if you're the emperor then I'm queen Elizabeth the fifth, of England" She said and continued laughing making the situation more confusing for him to understand. Seeing this Fortune sobered up and decided to speak. "This is the 21st century, only a toddler would fall for that. That is if they have not grown wiser"

"You seem to have hit your head when you fell from the sky!" he said and Fortune frowned "We are barely in the 5th dynasty of the Song empire"

"Song empire? That sounds pretty old and from all the book I've read it seems to be the times from ancient China or was it Japan?" she contemplated and hit a conclusion. "Sage, we actually travelled back in time?"she asked but Safe only shrugged her shoulders. She glanced at the man and then around the room. "Oh! It all makes sense now but, how did we get this far?"

"Can I know what you are saying or are you cursing me behind my back, little girl?" he asked but at the mention of the word 'little' Fortune flared up.

"Who're you calling little?"she asked

"You! You are little!" he answered nonchalantly

"Am 17 years old, you are just 20, only 3 years older" she argued

"Am 25!" he said

"Exactly! You're just 9 years older than me!" She was too determined to be the Victor to notice that the difference was actually bigger than what she had imagined.

"You're 17 years old so soon?"

"What is that supposed to mean?" she asked with a fit of rage burning slowly in her eyes.

"You need to learn some manners little girl. If you are from around this region, which I can clearly see that you are not, I would have punished you for your leaking tongue!" he threatened

"Ooh, am so scared! You seem to be forgetting that if I was from around here, I wouldn't behave this way either!" she pointed out and smiled "So its settled, is it not?" she asked revealing her carefree attitude

"So since you're already here then I'll have to keep a close eye on you." he said with a concerned tone and Fortune caught it.

"Are you...concerned?" she asked with a suspicious look.

"Of course not! I just don't want any disruption over a strange girl with a cat in my kingdom, so as my guest its my responsibility, little girl"

"Stop calling me that!" she demanded

"Then what should I call you?" he asked politely

"I have a name, you know"she said

"Then what is your name?" he asked

"That's more like it. My name is Fortune, average high school girl owner of many books and ruler of my grandpa's farm and garden!" she winked and extended her hand for a hand shake. "You probably don't know what it means but from where I come from, when you meet a person for the first time you introduce yourselves and shake hands. Now you introduce yourself and shake my hand" she said politely

"I am Lixing Ji, Emperor of Song empire" he introduced himself and shaked her hand. Once they shaked, Lixing Ji got a glimpse of her sparkling scarlet eyes in the dark. "Burning scarlet!" he said subconsciously.

"Eh?"