Willow and her little friend

A Welcomed Surprise

She couldn't move. She could barely breathe. All she could do was stare into the empty abyss of the golden mask. She stood frozen as fear gripped her entire being. This was it. Her life was over. She had just disrespected and practically attacked the highest-ranking guard in all the boiling isles. "Stupid! Stupid!" She chastised herself in her head, still too afraid to speak aloud. Her mind desperately grasped for any solution in which she wasn't taken into custody. Her eyes turned misty when she couldn't find one. The golden guard wasn't known for his mercy. The Emperor even less so. The golden guard would arrest her and take her to the emperor, where she would most likely be petrified and used as an example of what happens when you defy the emperor. Her breathing quickened as her thoughts spiraled further. She's never gonna see her parents again. She won't be able to say goodbye. She just made a friend for the first time in years. They're gonna take her away forever. They were going to–

"So, you gonna put me down now or you just going to keep looking into my eyes?" A slightly annoyed voice snapped her out of her spiraling thoughts. It sounded significantly younger than she imagined. The voice caught her completely off guard. So off guard in fact that her control briefly slipped, causing the guard to yelp as he was unceremoniously dumped onto the ground in front of her. He quickly spun in the air, landing in a kneeling position with a loud thud and grunt. She quickly sputtered out as many apologies as she could think of. Ranging from "Sorry for grabbing you", to, "Sorry for looking at you without your permission". To say she was terrified would be an understatement.

Her words died in her mouth as the guard stood to his full height. He was shorter than she imagined. Granted, he was still nearly a full head taller than her. But from the stories she'd heard, she imagined an imposing figure equal to the emperor in height if not larger and just as old. As Willow searched her mind for answers, the guard turned and quickly went to retrieve his staff from the ground nearby. His shoulders were hunched, and she could just barely hear what she thought was grumbling. She couldn't hear what he was saying but she imagined it had something to do with her throwing his staff. She watched him anxiously as he began to inspect his staff for any damage. They both let out a sigh of relief when he found nothing to concerning. A few scratches could easily be ignored. After dusting it off, he sharply turned back towards her. She flinched slightly at the menacing aura the guard was putting out. Willow could feel her tail stiffen; it could sense the air of danger focused directly on herself. It wriggled about around her waist, attempting to strike out at whatever was the source of such danger. She flinched harshly when she heard his voice address her directly. "So, Willow, right? Do you want to explain why you attacked the highest-ranking guard on the aisle?"

Willow fell back as the Golden Guard flashed a burning red, disappearing and promptly reappearing directly in front of her. "I-I... I didn't..." She fumbled over her words. Any response fizzled away when she noticed the guard no longer looking at her. The cold dread from earlier crept back up as she followed his gaze. The guard eyed her waist cautiously, watching something writhe out from behind her waist. He looked back up, eyes meeting hers. After a moment of tense silence, the guard took a few steps back. He raised the staff behind his head, resting his arms. He slowly crouches in front of her. "Y'know if you don't want to say anything, I could have you arrested for refusing a direct order. From the Golden Guard himself, no less." He finished with a slight head tilt. He hoped this was enough to calm the frightened witch. He cringed to himself as what he said seemed to only worsen her fear of him. He quickly pushed down the guilt, instead focusing on the task at hand.

'Come on Willow, give me something.' He shuffled back slightly and dialed back the "Anger". 'Hopefully this helps'. He relaxed slightly as Willow seemed to respond to his attempts. Her breathing evening out and shoulders lowering from their previously tense state. Her tail also seemed to respond to his mini retreat. It was very clearly still on guard, if the striking pose it was in wasn't enough of a hint, but it had become less tense and much less spiny. He admired the tail for a moment. The smooth texture and navy-blue color of the tail matching her hair. The arrow point was pointed directly at him. He thought her tail was odd, but also endearing. He had never read anything like it. He almost asked out of reflex. "I didn't mean to attack you. Um, Sir" She quickly said. "My magic uhh..."