The Princess's Guardian

8

On my second day since arriving a planet called Oppenheim, one of Mayor Redstrokes's maids knock on the door in the morning to wake us up. I find that my lioness instincts are on high alert the entire night and can't help the snarl of warning at the poor maid. 

Sunny is the kinder one between the two of us as she politely reject the maid's offer to prepare her bath and other duties relating to tending a lady. I'm pretty sure she's aware that I'm so not comfortable with Sunny being anyone. 

Gosh, am I really that clingy?

I whimper in apology when Sunny starts to pick out the outfit in a small suitcase that she's been travelling with. Sunny smiles at me sleepily and pats my head as she walk past me to the bathroom. 

I let out a loud yawn and jump onto the bench by the window to witness the sunrise. Out of curiosity, I hone my now superior hearing to know what's happening in this Mansion. I can hear the Royal Guards talking about the itinerary to the palace, the Mayoress instructing the chef to prepare more red meat for me, and the Mayor's two kids crawling just outside of Sunny's door. 

Judging by how young I think they look, they're probably little troublemakers who are just waiting to prank someone. I make up my mind and turn to face the door instead of the beautiful view of a different sun. 

I am not wrong to anticipate two little foxes attempting to unlock the door, which makes a loud clicking noise. I can hear those two freeze before proceeding to open the door. 

Kids are so weird. Why do they do things to land themselves in trouble?

I lazily walk towards the door and sit in front of the door, waiting for them to open and come in. The two little foxes freeze at the sight of me and gulp noticeably in nervousness. 

"Good lion-y?" the red tiny fox try to win me over.

I tilt my head to one side and rumble in displeasure. 

"I knew this was a bad idea," the brown female fox starts to cry in stress. "I told you that Guardians are dangerous! We're gonna die!"

I roll my eyes and stand up, making the two foxes squeak in fear. I growl sharply to shut them up while stalking towards them like a true predator. Just when I think they both are going to bolt, I grab the red furred troublemaker by the neck with my mouth and gently twist him around to lie completely on his back with one of my paws holding him down. Before the brown fox can scream for help or fear, I lick the little red fox below me until he laughs and pleads for me to stop.

"What's going on here?" Sunny's sharp voice halts the tiny fox's laughter. I immediately let him go and smile at my work. The fox's face is completely drenched in my saliva. That should teach him not to get into more trouble. 

"We're sorry, Princess," the brown fox says, not meeting the eyes of Sunny or mine. "My brother wanted to play a prank and entered your room without your permission. Your Guardian stops him by... licking his face."

I smirk in victory at the red fox's embarrassment. The Mayoress come into the scene shortly after and apologises constantly to me and Sunny for her children's antics, which Sunny forgives. They are kids, after all. The Royal Guards are apparently not as amused as they chastised the two kids for their immature behaviour. 

Sunny, on the other hand, seems to be more amused than angry. I'm pretty sure she doesn't mind the kids hanging around since she's been stressing out lately. It also seems that my playful behaviour towards the kids surprise Sunny. 

Sunny offers to give me a bath, which I accept with a nod. With my lioness body, I have to rely on Sunny to clean me since I've not bathe in the last 2 days and I feel absolutely dirty. It doesn't help that I nearly died yesterday. I look down at my healed front paw and remember the Hellpod's venom that blackened my old human hand. If it wasn't for Sunny, I would have been dead...

Sunny is surprisingly good at cleaning me as she hums some songs that I recognise. She is a big fan of Sara Bareilles so I am not surprised to know some of the songs she hummed. Once Sunny towels me down and brushes my fur, I can't help the loud purrs escaping my throat which makes Sunny giggle in delight.

I swear, I'm acting more and more like a house pet than a scary predator whenever I'm around Sunny.

Once we are back on the road, she told me that most Guardians tend to be overprotective over their royals and would not be as kind as I was. I shrug at her. Kids are kids. If an adult were to attempt what they did, I wouldn't have been as lenient. The Royal Guards tend to give me some space since Guardians prefer the companionship of their royals. Apparently I'm the only odd case.

The more I hear about Guardians in general, the more uptight I think all Guardians are. They are trained to be some sort of stern protectors that only care about the royals' safety and more like a super soldier than an actual person with feelings. 

Oh well, I can only make speculations until I meet the other two Guardians. 

By the time it's lunchtime, we finally reach the palace. I notice that there are more humans and Gueses in the capital city as compared to the town we stayed in this morning. There is a crowd of a mix of people who welcomes their long lost Princess with parades and music on. Sunny waves at all of them while I stare at the scenery in front of me. 

It feels so strange to be so far away from the town I grew up in. This whole journey makes me feel like I am in a Narnia dream because of talking trees and animals. 

Once we enter the palace grounds and the gates close to not let any of the crowd in, the Royal Guards situate themselves to control the excited crowd who is trying to catch glimpse of me. Apparently news of Sunny choosing me as a Guardian is better than Sunny being home.

Sir Udenter opens the carriage. Once again, I am the first to climb down and face the royal family. Sunny's parents, the King and Queen, stand side-by-side anticipating their daughter's return. The moment Sunny climbs down, the Queen basically glide through the short distance and hug her daughter. I hear the Queen's sniffles and Sunny comforting her. 

"Oh, Sunny! I miss you so much!" the Queen whispers, failing to stop her sobs. "You were nearly killed!"

"It's okay, mother, I'm okay," Sunny whispers back. 

The King has an emotionless expression until Sunny comes over and hugs her father, which shatters his Kingly facade. The King's Guardian now stands next to the King as a lion, staring me down. The Queen's Guardian, on the other hand, is a majestic eagle sitting on a perch, also trying to figure me out. Somehow, I know that they are Guardians and not ordinary Animus. My new instincts are on alert yet sense no danger. 

"Come in," the Queen says, looking at Sunny and then at me. "Let's talk with lunch served."

Feeling out of place, I follow the royal families into the palace that resembles a castle. Perhaps it's a good thing that I can't communicate as the nervousness chokes me up.