The Tiger Within Chapter 60

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 .
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"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 .