Reunion

Deep in the forest sat a young rabbit. Her clothes were torn, and she appeared to be injured. Rain fell heavily around her soaking the rabbit to the bone. The blue jewel upon her chest symbolled she was of royal descent. A princess far from home.

 A small burgundy colored book sat beside her. Pieces of sparkling gold protected its corners. The pages were open, but no words could be seen upon the paper except for a name, Astoria. It had remained undamaged from the rain, like a magic spell protected the book. 

Tears fell down the princesses’ face. Her wounds still fresh, she had found it hard to move and had collapsed where she was when the threat chasing her had vanished. It could still be close by, but she was too weak to get up and look around. It was of little concern to her now. The only thoughts racing through her head were if her companions Rudi and Leafa were okay. They had tried to protect her from the corruptions but there were too many. The crew split up to get away and had planned to rejoin once they were safe. 

Astoria had heard Leafa’s calls for help as she fled through the forest. She wanted to go back for her but there were too many corruptions on her tail. The tears fell faster from her face. Her mind kept thinking the worst, that Leafa hadn’t gotten away. 

She could feel the heat leaving her body while she laid in the mud, “This was it” she thought. All her struggles to get her home back and save her friends was all going to end here. Her eyes began to close, and she felt the world fade around her. The last thing she saw was a cloaked figure appearing through the trees.

Astoria awoke in a small cabin. It was pretty run down but looked to have recently been cleaned up. There was still plenty of work to be done but overall, it was cozy. She went to sit up and winced. She had forgotten about her wounds. Astoria looked herself over to check the damage but found herself to be bandaged up. She carefully swung her legs over the side of the bed and tried to get a better look around the cabin. Books and maps were laid out all over the place. Someone seemed to be using this place as a study. A noise was heard from the other side of the room. The princess readied herself. A white and pink ball of fur jumped on her lap. It took Astoria a moment to recognize this creature.
“Karma?” she whispered. Karma let out a happy chirp and snuggled into Astoria’s chest. A laugh of surprise and happiness came from her lips as she hugged Karma back. She had thought him to be dead. After the castle was attacked, she thought her, Rudi, and Leafa were the only ones to escape. A realization fell over her. If Karma was here, then maybe. 

It was a struggle, but Astoria got to her feet. She made her way across the room to what looked to be a kitchen. She stood in the doorway and there he was. Archie stood and the hearth waiting for the meal he was preparing. 

He looked up and saw the princess, “I’m glad to see you’re well child.” He gave her a warm smile. Astoria could feel the tears coming back to her. She ran to Archie and almost tackled him to the floor. She wailed in his arms out of pure relief. He was alive. Archie let out a small laugh and hugged her tight. He couldn’t imagine how hard things have been for her. It had been months since the attack on the castle and he worried where she and the others had gone. He had thought they were safe still until he found Astoria in the woods. 

Astoria’s sobs began to quiet down, and she let go of Archie, “Please Professor, Leafa and Rudi are still out there we need to go find them. I put them in so much danger. I’ll never forgive myself in something happened to them.” 

Archie smiled and patted her head, “No need to worry your highness, they’re safe and sound.” He pointed to another room off the kitchen, “They’re in there resting. You should be doing the same thing. Now back to bed with you.” A wave of relief washed over her. With the relief came the pain. She felt her legs give out under her. Archie caught her and carried her back to her room. He tucked her in and patted her head like he used to when she was little. She slowly fell back to sleep with a soft smile across her face. The room fell silent, and Astoria drifted off. Archie took Karma back to the kitchen to let the young princess rest. He worried for her. For this was not the end of her adventure, it was only the beginning.