Anya sat down out of disbelief. She didn't know how to respond to this news. Wasn't she already an adult? She has never known any other way of describing what adulthood looks like than that of the world she was raised in. She realized she didn't know a single thing about herself. Why didn't her parents say anything? Why haven't they come to find her?
Agatha sat down next to her and said, "at first I wasn't sure it was you princess. I thought that maybe you were a distant cousin. But after seeing your birthmark, I knew it was you. I used to be your mother's nursing nanny when she was young."
Anya looked at her wide-eyed and asked, "why didn't you say anything to me to begin with?" Agatha let out a sigh, "it was because you had no idea who you were. I thought may your parents kept this from you to protect you."
"From what?" Anya asked pleadingly as she got a little teary eyed. She felt lost for the first time. She grew up asking lots of questions because she liked feeling prepared, but this was the first time in a long time she felt helpless. Anya curled up in a ball like an armadillo. Agatha reached over to remove the strands of hairs from her face and said, "the royals had many enemies on the other world. They were afraid the beast people would be taken and the lands destroyed. Your mother told me how someone almost managed to follow her back when she went to visit siblings. She said that they kept disappearing without a trace. You were too young to control your changes and harbor your power. They couldn't leave you alone for fear that something bad would happen."
Anya was trying to process all the information that she was receiving from Agatha. It turns out that Agatha knew more than she led on, but she was probably still trying to respect her parents wishes.
"What does adulthood look like," Anya finally asked. Agatha smiled and said, "magical. You will have beautiful horns. Your eyes will look like jewels constantly glimmering and your markings will be rich in color. They will glow when you charge up and use your power."
"I'm going to have horns?" Anya asked, worried. She was going through a metamorphosis! It was something entirely different. Agatha noticed Anya's reaction and said, "the horns are the only thing you grow." It helped a little with keeping her nerves down. At least she wasn't going full beast mode. But how did her parents look normal in the other world? She asked herself. She looked at Agatha who appeared to have fallen asleep. Anya figured that she's probably tired from teaching, helped with the foxman and now acting like a nursing nanny for a human adult who happens to just hit puberty in this world.
Anya was also tired and she laid Agatha comfortably next to her while they both took naps. It was all so emotionally exhausting for her too. So a nap was important to recover her strength.
Anya saw her mother packing baby clothes and rushing to find other items. Then her father came in with the same worried expression. He also helped her pack and said, "the ritual is almost done. We must go and leave before the portal closes." her mother looked back and asked, "but are you sure there's no other way? Why don't we stay and close it so no one enters." Her father hugged her mother and kissed her forehead, "because if they have one of us, they can force the portal open. This way we can monitor from a distance than stay here. The beasts will be fine, we have done all we can to teach them. Now it's time to protect them. Then Agatha walked in with her face drenched in tears, "my Queen, everything is ready. No one will suspect they are in danger." Anya's mother handed her a key, "you are so loyal, I hope my daughter meets you some day and you can give her this for me. Please help her through the process, but if you don't live long enough to see her return before her age of transformation, have someone ready with this. I wish you well and a long life" Then a large white tiger arrived and said, "king, you have been betrayed. Someone showed a stranger the path to the portal. Anya's father looked at Anya's mother, "We need to go now. The stranger won't be able to open the gate from inside. He will be locked in. He won't live that long in our world without our powers to help increase his lifespan." They finished packing and Anya was lifted into the arms of her mother. Her mother's markings were bright beautiful colors. She closed her eyes and they began to fade. Then she pulled on her horns and they came off. She handed them to Agatha, "give these to my daughter, she will need them for the vault. Only she can activate it." Agatha retorted, "but my Queen, why can't you give them yourself?" She said with a frown, "because I'm currently being tracked. They suspect me, but they can't know for sure. My daughter won't show her adulthood form in the other world, it will be slowed down. If the portal is opened, she will come due to the pull. We must ensure she unlocks her full power before we return. It's the only way to keep us safe. We need the power of the trio."
"Yes my queen, I will do my best and I too hope I live long enough to see the princess return. I vow to keep this close to my heart and will guard it with my life," said Agatha as she tried not to cry again. It was obvious that Agatha loved Anya's mother very much. Her heart must've been breaking as she was seeing her leave to keep their world safe.