The Emperor"s eyes moved to the treeline. "Rasha and Leor.." he called to the two large lions laying by the gates.The pair rose and stretched, coming to their Master"s call. Rasha was darker in color with a black main, but Leor was light tan and red. Each lion was impressive in its own right and greying slightly in the muzzle.
"Good boys, gather your prides and find the princess. Bring her home." he ordered both lions. They looked at him for a moment but then walked to her table in effort to catch her sent before roaring and heading off into the woods.
"Mally, you wait here. See if they come back. I am wondering if she went up to the Cold Palace missing her grandma." The Emperor added before walking off in that direction. Queen Fae panicked for a moment and stepped in his way. A cold reproachful aura flowed around her then. The queen froze unsure of what to say in response to those cold eyes. "Well?" he asked impatiently but a child tugged lightly at his sleeve to get his attention.
"Emperor we want to help find Little Miss too!" Prince Damar"s twins, Nathaniel and Daniel spoke in unison. Their cute little faces seemed truly concerned for their little sister.
The pair were nearly identical, and very few could tell the 8 year old pair appart. Except for Daniel"s eyes, they were both more green than his brothers pretty blues. They were the eldest Grandchildren and often took a lot of interest in their siblings. The Emperor beamed at both his grandsons, turning from the queen who took a deep breath. Her crisis averted by the two children.
"Well yes of course, my boys. We will all look for her." The Emperor a.s.sured them and turned to glance around. Soldiers had already been sent to check.outside the garden"s grounds and the guards never saw her reenter the palace. "But where to look?" he wondered aloud. The two boys seemed to think as well.
"I don"t want to Grandma. She should be punished for worrying everyone. Why should I go look for her?" a young male voice wined. The Emperor looked over, hearing his grandson speak so arrogantly. This was truly a side of Keen he had never seen before. Queen Kira quieted him, kneeling at his level, unaware of the Emperor"s eyes.
"Don"t talk that way. I am sure she will be dealt with well. I will see to it. However for now, grandfather is worried about her. Go look please." Queen Kira coaxed her grand son, but it was too late. The emperor strolled over, the twins following close behind.
"That"s alright. We don"t need someone insincere searching for the Princess. He will probably get lost as well, with his anger as a distraction. Prince Keen may go home. Prince Daniel and Prince Nathaniel and I will find her." he replied coolly. The Emperor didn"t give Queen or Grandson a chance to say a word before he swept away with the other two.
Nathaniel sensed his grandfather"s anger and frowned. "Maybe she"s by the koi pool? She likes the little water sprites dancing." he offered trying to calm the raging storm of anger swirling around the Emperor. The old man stopped for a moment and smiled at the twin.
"You know, she does, doesn"t she? That"s a great place to look." he praised the idea and led the two down the path, calling after Raina as they went.
Unfortunately, the path Raina had taken had not led her to that familiar pool, but toward a waterfall instead.
The waterfall was too deep into the jungle for Raina to have walked herself. Though she wasn"t aware of it, the Fairy had spirited them deeper into the woods while she had followed her. The fairy disappeared when she had realized her mistake. Upon the child turning away she had revealed the trinket on her ear.