Red's Demise

No Harm, No Feline

Red

"Are you kidding me!" Ingrid's voice hissed as her brown eyes snapped to the animal at my hip. "As if you aren't scary enough now you have a leopard following you around?" There was a slight shake in her voice as she took in the sight of my new companion. 

MK - to his defense - just stood and lazily considered the princess. 

Her guards were wide-eyed and seemed unsure what they were supposed to do, so they took to just nervously shifting. One of them took a step forward, as if to step in front of the princess, and earned the stare of my companion.  He forgot all bravado and backed up. 

"Is it dangerous?" Ingrid implored as one of her legs took a hesitant step forward. I could tell she was feeling the same urge that I had after I met him. She wanted to pet him. 

"Yes," I teased and smirked as she immediately backed up and retracted the hand she had started to hold out. "But not to you," I added as her eyes snapped to me. 

MK glanced up at me with a look of humor dancing in his navy blue eyes. Apparently, he enjoyed a good jest as much as I did. 

"May I?" She asked before stepping forward again. 

I nodded and watched as she reached out a - barely noticeable - shaky hand and lightly patted the top of his head. MK stood there and accepted the pets, but he didn't lean into it or purr like he had when I had petted him earlier. 

After she reached her limit of danger she stepped back again and MK resumed his position next to me while still intimidating the guards surrounding the princess. 

"So to what do I owe the pleasure of seeing you again too?" Ingrid asked, her royal mask back in place as she straightened her spine and folded her hands in front of her. 

I shrugged and waited for her to fill in the silence. 

"Don't tell me you have come just to hang out with me?" Ingrid balked. 

I faked a bashful look and didn't miss the almost gleeful look that passed Ingrid's face. For whatever reason, she was happy that I came to see her. Her shoulders straightened and I couldn't help but feel that Ingrid got a strange sense of power from me being around. As if I needed her presence. 

"Very well then, I suppose I won't be needing as many guards with me now that you are here," Ingrid pondered as she turned to her posse.

A smirk crossed my face at her words. Even Ingrid knew that if I was here to kill her then there was nothing four feeble guards could do about it. I was glad to see she didn't beat around the bush. 

"But your Highness, The Queen has requested that ther-"

Ingrid cut off the words of the guard with a simple raise of her hand. "If Her Majesty has a problem with my decision then she can take it up with me herself. I have no need for you at this moment," Short, simple, and to the point. She truly was destined to be a monarch. 

The guard looked as if he wanted to argue but decided against it. With a simple nod, he and the other three guards marched away. 

The princess turned around and wore a bright smile as she clapped her hands. "Now, what kind of trouble shall we get into?" She stated rhetorically. 

It was the look in her eyes that sparked a reminder of when we were young. It was strange really how easily those memories came flooding back. 

The times when we would run through the kitchen and snatch any and every snack we could before embarking on frivolous adventures between the walls of the library.