Tiny Means Cute

The babble of the brook and the murmur of the trees, as Asterid lazily draped herself over a rock to read in the sun, created a luxurious feeling. Just reading for a quarter of an hour was enough for all the stress to flow out of her. Her current book was one she has read multiple times, a good friend to come back to when she didn't have the time to get to know another. It was about a character very similar to her sister, in mentality and looks though not class, a bard who charmed and fought her way to a high position. Asterid smiled at the book as the protagonist encountered her first friend and companion.

"Greetings again, Princess Asterid. Who would have thought we'd meet again so soon."

Asterid, startled, looked up from her book, "Heikka-?" There's no way she wouldn't know his voice. But not seeing him, and this is the forest, how would he get to her secret spot?

"Ahem, down here, Princess." There was a movement in front of Asterid in the grass. "Here at your feet."

Asterid focused her eyes and saw a tiny, green, and bark patterned frog. "Tree frog?"

Heikka lifted his front foot then his back, trying to look at himself, "Is that what I am?"

"Yes? Though I'm certain last I saw you you were a human." Asterid's gaze was worried, then stern, "How'd you get here? Why are you a frog? Did the forest do it to you?"

Heikka's frog eyes widened and his head tilted, "The forest can do that?" He rippeted. "That's horrifying, but not what happened!"

Asterid closed her book and put it down in front of Heikka. "Well, if you go into the forest with bad intentions or if the forest doesn't like you, it does tend to do things to you."

Heikka hopped onto the book cover, "You don't seem too suspicious of whether or not I'm who I say I am."

Lifting the book carefully and placing it in her lap, Asterid pondered, "Well, you have your voice, and while I haven't met any magical creatures, I'm fairly certain none would try to speak to me in the form of a tree frog. Also this forest protects us, it wouldn't let anyone harmful meet me while we are on good terms."

"Huh." Heikka sat on the book in a typical frog way. "I guess that's why your kingdom has lasted as long as it has, when it's so full of riches."

Asterid, no longer able to keep it in, giggles, and pets Heikka from between his eyes to his back, "You are just so cute!"

With an outraged peep, then, "Excuse me?!" Heikka jumped off the book, leaping over her to land behind her on the rock. "Cute?" He huffed.

Asterid, startled, then turned around. "I'm sorry, but it's the truth." She shrugged, "Tiny and with those movements, heh." She smiled. "If the forest didn't turn you into a frog, what did?" Sitting politely and demurely, she waited for Heikka's story, as if she had never teased him.

With eyes narrowed dubiously, Heikka told her, "Just before exiting the forest, a witch accosted our party, and turned me into a frog. Afterwards she proclaimed me dead and fled." He paused. "Those who were with me only saw my clothes left upon my horse, so they have probably assumed she did. Since they split into two groups I can only imagine they went both back to Prasinos Castle and onward to Sikar to send a message to Oashisu Palace."

Asterid began to frown as Heikka spoke. "While I don't pretend to know all the political ramifications of your," she paused, shrugged, "death, it's not what worries me the most." She tapped her fingers against her cheek as she held her head in thought. "This witch you speak of most definitely held no ill intent. Cartazonos Forest doesn't like people with ill intent, they all unequivocally meet trouble before they are able to accomplish any of their goals." Asterid gazed at Heikka. "Her accomplishing her goal means that she came here, and did this for a good reason. You being able to find me, means that the forest is also trying to help you." Her fingers tap again.

"That means she was manipulated into coming into the forest." Heikka frowns as he watches her. "That doesn't change very much of what I've deduced about her actions."

"I think it should, though." Asterid stood up and picked up her book, dusting herself and it off. "It means that whoever sent her has a basic understanding of how this forest works. Only those who live in it, near it, or have fought it know that those with ill intent will be waylaid. This is both troublesome and worrying. Those who live near or in it wouldn't do this, because the forest would figure it out and they would be punished. I can only think it is someone from the outside, where the forest has no power." She reached out her hand to Heikka. "Shall we head back?"

Heikka stayed where he was. "You seem quite willing to believe me, even speak with me and help me? Why?" His head tilted again and narrowed his eyes, "You are talking more than the all the times we met these past few days. Do you even think it's possible to help me? I do not wish to be a curious pet of yours."

Asterid lowered her hand and put it on her hip. She gave him a skeptical look. "The few times we met you made it obvious you were more interested in my sister. Why would I waste my time trying to get your attention when you have already determined who you were going after? I definitely have better prospects and things to do than hold out waiting for you." Heikka abashedly looked to the side. Seeing a guilty looking frog amused Asterid and she softened. "I believe you because you're here, Cartazonos brought you to me. That is also why I'll help you. That is also why I do believe there is a way to help you." She held out her hand again, "Come on, I need to be getting back. Need to get back in time to get news of your death."

Heikka sighed, and it came out as a morose croak. He hopped onto her palm, then again onto her shoulder. "Where's your Smithy anyway?"

Asterid smiled wryly, and pointed to him, lazily sipping at the brook as he stood just at the eastern edge of the glen. "We'll walk out of the forest. It's too dense in here to ride properly."

As Asterid and Heikka snuck back into the castle, it was buzzing with worry and gossip. Asterid whispered, only Heikka hearing her, "Guess we came back after your news." She handed Smithy off to the stable hands and tried to make her way to her rooms unnoticed. Her sister, though, was just at the top of the back stairs to their wing.

"You really do need to stop running off the the forest everytime you can." Atkis frowned. "Is that a frog on your shoulder? Gross." She moved to the side to allow Asterid up. "We got a lot to deal with, and while you might've managed to make some time for yourself, I need you to take over some of my duties."

Asterid nodded. "Prince Heikka?"

Atkis gave her a look then a nod, "Yes, it's too bad really. He would've made a useful tool. Now he's a mess to clean up."

Heikka tried to blend in to Asterid's dress. With a slight glance to him, Asterid gave her sister a half smile, "Cold much? You guys seemed quite happy with each other."

Atkis laughed, was about to pat her sister's shoulder, then remembered Heikka, "He would've been a good catch! Not interested in politics, you know he said he wanted to start a business? Good bloodlines, on his father's and mother's side. Also ordinary looking so he'd be easy to control." She sighed, "Would definitely have made a good tool."

"Not partner?" Asterid shook her head, worrying for her sister's future.

"The politics that'd be involved in our relationship would make it inadvisable. Nothing but heart break for the both of us. I just need connections and eventually children." Atkis waved it off. "But this is beside the point, we have work to do, and I'm not going to be marrying a dead man." Atkis walked away, "Sky has all the things you need to do, see you later."

There was a moment of silence before Heikka quietly spoke, "Ouch."

Asterid chuckled and continued to her rooms to change. Once she got to them she asked Sky to prepare a habitat for Heikka, "It doesn't need to be a closed one, just a branch and a small dish of water." She left him on her desk in her sitting room before going to change. She chose a pale yellow day dress, hoping Heikka would just look like an ornament on her shoulder. Luckily, if he didn't move, he did.

The rest of the day went by in a flash as Asterid entertained and reassured the remaining guests, completed various household like duties, and changed again for the evening. As she made it to the salon in a maroon gown, news that Heikka's cousin Primi Teikoku had arrived at the castle. Heikka, now hiding in her hair pretending to be a flower accent, spoke softly to her, "Primi could've only gotten here so fast if he wasn't already in Sikar, which is strange. He is stationed under my uncle in the capitol." Asterid nodded minutely.

"Do you have any idea where he might be? I'd like to offer my condolences." Asterid asked the matron who informed her.

"Your Highness is kindness itself. Last I saw he was speaking with your sister and father." She gestured further into the salon.

Gracefully showing her thanks, Asterid moved further in to meet with her family and the other Prince of Indivedic. Seeing them, she had to comment, "He's more handsome than you." Heikka just croaked back. Primi had light brown hair and a heroic stature and demeanor. Wearing a spotless and impeccable military officer's uniform, he showed his respect to her family while still giving off a prideful bearing. As Asterid made her way to them she heard him speak. "I'm sorry for my sudden and unannounced visit, but I have to ask if you have any idea what could've happened to my cousin as he traveled through your forest."

Atkis smiled, looked to her father. Adamas replied, "As he was a guest, and all of us were quite pleased with him, I don't see why anyone wish to do him harm. The Cartazonos Forest is also a place that we, as a kingdom, have great respect for. None of my people would do anything to desecrate it."

Atkis added on, "I find it quite a revelation that anyone could be hurt in our forest. Only those who mean harm tend to meet it in our woods."

They finally noticed Asterid's presence and, after introductions, she gave her condolences, "I'm sorry for your loss, though we only met a few times over these past days, he seemed a good man. I'm just glad you could come so quickly to investigate how this happened."

Atkis and Primi gave Asterid a slow blink, as Adamas cocked his eyebrow, and looked at Primi. Atkis gave Asterid a speculative look, before looking to Primi.

With a small pause, Primi calmly gave an answer to their looks, "As a cousin, since it had been so long since Heikka had left the Empire on his journey for the Emperor, I decided to come meet him at the border. As I myself have not had much time or desire to, I also thought it would be interesting to hear of his travels first hand. As I made it to the border, news of his death reached me instead, and here I am."

Adamas nodded, "It is indeed an awful thing, to go to meet someone with expectations only to find out later that they are no longer there." He sighed.

Atkis and Asterid also expressed their sympathizes. The rest of the conversation was spent on pleasantries, and the rest of Asterid's evening progressed slowly, filled with hidden words and deliberate actions.

Asterid sprawled out on her couch in her sitting room, wrapped in her robe over her nightgown. Sky had left and Heikka was sitting on his new branch on her desk. "Would your cousin have access to previous campaigns or information about out kingdom's forest?"

"Yes, he would. So would my uncle, and any high ranking official in the Palace." Heikka watched wiggle her feet as they rested up on the ottoman. He ribbited and looked away. "What should we do about sleeping?"

Asterid stopped and looked at him, incredulous. "Obviously you're staying in here."

Heikka huffed and jumped to the back of the desk chair from his branch. "There's no way I'm sleeping on a branch like some animal."

Asterid held her head, "But you are a frog!"