Chapter 12 - Anya

"Someone has been murdering young women for the last couple of months."

Blazed sighed as the water slipped between her fingers.

"The guards still haven't found the person responsible. Well I should say they haven't really been looking for the person responsible." Blaze said slamming her fist into the water angrily.

She waited for the water to settle down before she continued on.

"I think one of the guards or more then one of them are responsible... but the Emperor doesn't seem to care." Blaze said with disgust in her voice.

"When I found you lying on the ground like that, my heart sunk to my stomach and I had thought he killed again but Jet said you were alive and I could breathe again."

The tears were streaming down her face when she looked up at me smiling.

"I was so relieved and happy that you were okay." She said wiping her eyes.

"I'm sorry you have to forgive me for being emotional," Blazed said laughing.

"No it's ok." I said a little speechless that she even cares this much about a stranger like me.

"Thank you for worrying about me it really means a lot and thank you for telling me for now on I'll be more cautious."

I told her grinning, "Well I don't know about you but I am done being is this over size tub." I said to Blaze sarcastically as I swam to the ledge of the tub. She giggle following behind me.

"Yeah now we need to head to the tea house before Jet bits our heads off for being late." Blaze said and all the anger disappeared from her eyes as if I imagined the whole thing.

"By the way before I forget you said an emperor rules this land right?" I asked Blaze who's smile disappeared the moment I brought up the emperor.

"Their are three countries with three emperors but please be careful mentioning our emperor. You don't want to be caught talking about him. It can cost you your head if your not careful." Blaze whispered paranoid looking around the bath house.

"Oh ok," I nod my head leaning close to her face. "He is like a king right? I'm guessing he is a bad guy?" I whispered to Blaze who seems to be uncomfortable talking about this subject.

"I don't know I never met him but he supposably around our age and from what I heard from the towns women he's gorgeous but very cruel to women." Blaze said darting her eyes around the room.

"My brother says he doesn't take his role as emperor seriously and that's why the guards do whatever they please but you didn't hear that from me." Blaze said stepping out the tub and grabbed two towels.

"Well isn't he kinda young to be ruling a nation? What about his parents?" I asked Blaze taking a towel from her as I stepped out of the tub.

"Rumor has it his father gone mad and murdered his mother and all of his concubines out of pure rage and killed himself when he realized what he had done." Blaze said drying off and slipping on her work dress. I stopped drying my hair looking up at Blaze.

"That's awful." I couldn't help but feel pity for the young emperor.

"Its just a rumor know one really knows what really happened everyone has their own version of what happened." Blaze said handing me a dress that looked similar to hers.

I took it from her eye balling the fabric. It feels and looks a table cloth. I couldn't help but cringe my nose at it.

It was long and it had to be the ugliest brown color dress I have ever seen but at least it wasn't dirty like the dress I seen her in yesterday.

"Thanks," I said trying to hid the disgust in my voice as slipped on the dress that hugged my chest and waist a little as it dragged across the floor.

"Its a little tight but it's the best I can do for now." Blaze said looking apologetic.

"No it's fine once I start moving around in it, it should stretch." I said smiling hoping she doesn't see through my fake smile. I looked at my reflection in the water. The dress doesn't look as bad on me as I thought it would.

"Alright lets go before Jet comes looking for us." Blaze said as she heads out of the bath house with the basket that had our dirty clothes and bathroom supplies in it.

"Ok I can do this, just serve some tea and food then afterwards I can look for some clues so I can get home. That shouldn't be to hard." I said reassuring myself.

"Did you say something?" Blaze asked looking at me from a distances.

"No I'm just talking to myself." I said to Blaze as I glimpse at myself one more time at my reflection in the water before I turned and headed into the unknown.