The leaf and the wind

The town

Gideon: WHAT THE F*CK IS THAT?

Annie jumped when she woke up. Her hair was disheveled, she had a stamp of the pillow on her face, and a trickle of drool on the corner of her mouth. "Wha?" she mumbled.

He rushed out of the walk-in closet where she had stored the contents of her bags and suitcases. She sighed when she understood what he meant and let her head fall back to the pillow before lifting it up again because of the wetness of her drool on the sheets. She wiped her mouth and yawned, hugging Mr. Bear against her heart.

Annie: These are my friends. I brought some from home. I'm doing research on them. What were you doing... ( She yawned mid-sentence) ...in there anyway?

Gideon: Friends? These are not friends, okay? There are...

Annie: Stop screaming; it's only six in the morning.

He crouched next to the bed to meet her eyes. His brows were raised, his eyes were wide, and his lips were slightly crooked on one side.

Gideon: Those are venomous, dangerous creatures and RATS! I don't want an infestation in my castle!

Annie: Yes, I'm aware of that. Listen, you don't have to worry about them; they are in their little home, and they are happy there. The rats are just to feed Screech. If any of them get out, I'm sure he'll eat them before you're infested. I need to pee.

She stood and stumbled until she reached the bathroom. He kept talking and worrying through the bathroom door, but she ignored him. When her gaze met her reflection, she frowned. "Oh my, he saw me like that?" She brushed her hair and her teeth, cleaned her face, and jumped in the shower for a quick clean. She let out a couple of tears, strangely missing her own shower at home that had trouble running hot water. Once she was done, she realized she had not taken any clothes with her, so she grabbed the towel-like robe hanging on the door and let herself out. Seeing her wet body surrounded by the short robe silenced him. She noticed he was about to leave, but he walked toward her like a golden retriever wagging its tail. He embraced her tightly, inhaling her scent by burying his face in the curve of her neck, and asked if he could kiss her.

Annie: I'll let you know, all right? Where are you going? You're leaving me here? What am I supposed to do?

Gideon let out a frustrated groan before telling her to do whatever she wanted and left the room, slamming the door. "So childish."

However, her heart warmed when she saw Mr. Bear on the bed. Somehow, the King reminded her of Nathan with his continuous outbursts. Her eyes landed on the couch where the mighty King slept to give her some privacy. She smiled. He was a big-mouthed, hot-headed man, but he respected her nonetheless. She did tell him she could sleep on the couch, but he aggressively snatched the blanket and pillow she had in her hands to prepare the sofa before throwing her semi-gently on the bed. "I'm the king, I decide! You sleep here!" He shouted. She giggled and wrote letters to her pack, her mom, the kids, and Nathan to let them know she was fine.

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She opened her room door and was surprised to find a big man standing right in front of it. He was wearing a fancy suit, and something about him made her feel a bit uneasy, like he might be trouble. His long, gray hair was tied back neatly, giving him a polished look. The serious expression on his face, with his lips turned down at the corners, made him seem authoritative and maybe a bit intimidating. He had a freshly groomed gray beard that added to his overall imposing appearance. When he stepped aside to let her pass, she thanked him awkwardly and continued down the hallway.

A few steps later, she heard footsteps behind her and turned around to see the man following her at a respectful distance.

Annie: Oh my godess. Are you going to follow me everywhere?

The man nodded, and she burst into laughter. The King had assigned someone to protect her, and she could not believe it. Initially feeling a bit offended, she remembered that she might be the future queen, and queens often had their own bodyguards. She turned toward him again.

Annie: You'll need more casual clothes than this. And what happened if I need to fart? Like loudly. Would you leave the room?

He gave no answer. The annoyance showing at the twitching corner of his lips made her mischievously smile as she explored the castle. After getting lost a couple of times, she finally found the main door, which was impressive. She ran outside and kept running through the wind until she reached the main street, where a myriad of people surrounded her, eager to meet her. She felt exhilarated. The prospect of meeting so many people excited her, and she spent almost the whole day bonding and talking to the population.

Her next destination was the kindergarten, and upon entering, she met the little kids in town. The lady in charge, Rachel, was more than happy to introduce her to the kids. They were immediately drawn to her, and she played with them just as she did in her previous pack. However, she noticed Rachel crying while looking at them. Curious, Annie walked toward her. She explained that she was the first potential queen to come and meet the people with such kindness.

Annie: What? What did they do before?

Rachel: They usually just stayed in the castle. Our present King was not always like this. A few years back, he was a sweet man, but something changed him. I know he's taking care of us from above, and I don't understand why he turned out this way. His father really... Oh, my apologies. I should not.

Annie tried to convince her to share more, but she refused. It was not her place to bad-mouth the royal family, and if the King heard her, he would probably be enraged. But she did tell her that if anyone could heal the King's broken heart, it would be her. She left confused.

After a while, Annie walked toward the thick forest. She took off her shoes, almost setting foot in it, but a strong hand grasped her wrist. It was her bodyguard, and she had completely forgotten about him.

He sternly cautioned her that the forest was not safe for humans. Ignoring his concern, she scoffed and gracefully maneuvered between the trees to escape him. Retrieving a sketchbook from her backpack, she began to wander. It did not take long before she encountered a mysterious creature. Initially resembling a snake, upon closer inspection, she noticed paws with delicate blue feathers and a dragon-like head. It was a Dynasty Dragon—small, seemingly harmless, yet potentially dangerous if their habitat were threatened. The creature lifted its little head to sniff her scent. Unconsciously, she spoke in another language, captivating the creature, which cuddled up to her. She sketched it in her book, documenting everything she discovered. Later on, her bodyguard found her and insisted that he did not feel comfortable with her exploring the mystical forest.

Annie, however, was drawn to it, unable to ignore its allure. Despite her bodyguard's increasing worry, she assured him that everything would be fine.

Simultaneously, a black snake with a thin yellow line bit her with an unknown rapidity and tangled itself around her arm. The man, now even more concerned, panicked, while she remained in awe.

Annie: Oh wow! What is this one?

Bodyguard: A Sun Needle snake, your highness! One of the deadliest in the valley! We don't have an anti-venom yet. I'm dead.

Annie: You don't? Leave it to me, pocket dog.

Despite her crouching to find another one, the man grabbed her and escorted her back to the castle, so the doctor could attend to her. A short, straight gray and brown-haired man showed up. His wide eyes were deep in their sockets, and his thin lips formed an "o" when he noticed the black and yellow snake wrapped tightly around his future queen's arm. She, however, stood from the bed, her movements calm and composed, and gracefully grabbed a glass beaker from the counter.

From her bag, she pulled out some sort of latex cover, a practiced routine in her hands, and expertly placed it over the glass, securing it with a thin thread. The room was filled with a tense silence as she also retrieved a plastic box, similar to those used by children to catch frogs or insects. With confident and deliberate movements, she pinched the head of the snake, unwrapped it from her arm, and gently placed it in the box, tightly locking it.

In contrast, the man and the others in the room seemed more panicked and bewildered, their eyes darting between the snake, the box, and the future queen.

Annie: Thank you for the beaker; I'll bring it back later!

And just like that, she left, leaving the whole staff aghast.

Doctor: She should be dead by now... What happened?

The bodyguard shrugged and hurried after her. Despite his attempts to bring her back to the medical center, she kept threatening him with her "death box." He then went straight to his King.