Kiri sat nervously as she sat under the scrutiny of a guard. She had been waiting for only a few minutes so far, but the wait felt more like hours. She tried to think back and remember if she had known this guard when she was a child. Though she tried to remember very hard, she found that most memories from here were cloudy at best. She spent the remainder of her wait trying to remember her mother's face also. Boy. She had missed out on so much because of an impulsive move. Of course, she had only been a child then. How come noone had come to find her? Was it because there had even then been so much unrest? She consoled her heart from the troubled feeling all of this was creating. At least she was reunited with her sister. Soon, she hoped she would receive the approval of the king. She hadn't thought for one moment to try to squeeze in without the blessing of the King. Deeper down still, she knew it had been a mistake to leave. When your King's blessing means so much to yourself, a lioness shouldn't have let herself be swept away in such foolishness.
It was after pondering the last batch of thoughts that the guard returned to tell her that her request for an audience was accepted. She smiled meekly as she stepped out to follow the guard to the spot where the King awaited her. She tried to calm her nerves. She felt both excited and terrified all at once.
