~~A/N: I hope you like this. This is my first stab at writing a CATSfic. Please tell me if I've stuffed something up big time and I'll try to fix it. This may seem a bit clichéd, but I like it. If you don't… sucks to you. By the way, if you don't like the lack of Mistofelees or others, don't worry. They'll be here. In the meantime, enjoy, and please remember to REVIEW!!!

By the way: I own nothing. Bugger. They all belong to RUG, unfortunately. Wish I could own some of them… ah well.~~

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King Deuteronomy paced his throne room anxiously. The old king was waiting for news of his eldest son, Prince Munkustrap. The prince had gone to rid his kingdom of a fierce and terrifying beast, leaving behind his brother, Prince Tugger, his betrothed, Princess Demeter, and his beloved younger sister, Princess Victoria. His brother had begged to go with him, but Prince Munkustrap insisted he stay behind, so that, 'If I do not return, our father shall not have lost both his sons at once," he had explained before departing. He had taken with him only his page, Skimbleshanks, and squire, Tumblebrutus.

That had been two weeks ago. The king sighed as his page, Plato, entered. "Any news of my son?" he asked the page. Plato shook his head.

"None, sire." The king sighed again.

"When will we hear of him?"

"None can tell, your majesty," came a new voice as the king's advisor, Macavity, entered. Deuteronomy sat down on his throne.

"Prince Tugger told me that if we do not hear anything in the next week, he is going out to look for him," Plato informed the king.

"No!" Deuteronomy said firmly. "I will not lose my other son as well!"

"We do not know that Prince Munkustrap is dead," Macavity soothed.

"Nor do we know if he is alive!" the king countered. He rubbed his eyes wearily. "Where are my children?" he asked.

"Prince Tugger is sparring with Sir Alonzo, and Princess Victoria is praying with Princess Demeter in the chapel, sire," Plato said.

"We are here now Father," Victoria said as she came in with Demeter.

 "Before you ask, there is no news," the king said.

"My brother is alive," Victoria said firmly. "He will come back to us." Deuteronomy smiled sadly.

"I wish I shared your faith, daughter." Demeter squeezed her paw gently.

"He promised me he would return," she said softly. "And I have to believe he shall." A great gong sounded through the castle. The king rose and offered his arms to the princesses.

"Come. Let us to dinner. Hopefully tomorrow we will have better news."

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The king was woken at midnight by the frantic shaking of his page, Plato.

"What is it? What is it?" The king sat up, his old bones complaining, and glared at his page. "This had better be good."

"It is sire! Prince Munkustrap has returned!"

Deuteronomy was out of bed in a second. Throwing a dressing gown on over his nightshirt he followed Plato down to the torch-lit courtyard. He pushed his way to the front of the crowd and confronted the sight of a bruised and bleeding Skimbleshanks and Tumblebrutus lifting a wounded body down from his horse. They laid the figure down on a stretcher brought down from the castle infirmary and the king was shocked to see his eldest son lying there, gaunt and pale, with blood from a wound in his side matting his silver and black fur. He gently touched his son's face when frantic shrieking interrupted him.

Demeter came racing towards him followed closely by Victoria, both anxious to see the prince. Demeter burst into tears when she saw her beloved, bathing his thin body with her tears. She held on to Victoria, also in tears.

Tugger dashed in, hot on the heels of Plato. He dropped down beside his brother and began lifting him up to take him to the infirmary but was stopped by Jennyanydots, one of the castle maids. She murmured something, not wishing to disturb the wounded prince. Tugger nodded, and laid the prince back down and instead grabbed one end of the stretcher, Plato seizing the other.

"What happened?" the king demanded of Skimbleshanks. The page opened his mouth to answer, but the doctors interrupted.

"Sire they need medical attention. The questioning can wait. We need to get them to the infirmary." The king looked set to argue, but changed his mind and nodded. The doctors, Tantomile and Coripticat, immediately began barking out orders, and the three were whisked away to the infirmary. The princesses, wiping their tears, each laid a paw in Deuteronomy's shoulders.

There was movement in the shadows: Macavity, the king's advisor. Watching the remainder of the flurry in the courtyard, he scowled. *He wasn't supposed to come back alive!* he thought angrily. *Very well. I'll just have to take Plan B. It'll just take a bit longer than I'd like.* Pasting a smile on his face he approached the king and princesses. "Praise the Everlasting Cat that the prince has returned!" he said to the king. Deuteronomy looked up with a tired smile.

"Yes he is back, but sore wounded. I must go and see what the doctors have to say."

Macavity saw the perfect opportunity to begin Plan B. "Your majesty, as you know I have some small knowledge of magic and if you wish I can brew a potion that could help the prince's recovery."

To Princess Victoria, this statement did not quite ring true. Macavity seemed a little too eager to brew that potion. She didn't trust him. Yet she kept silent. The king nodded. "Anything that can be done to help my son must be done. Go and brew it, then bring it to the infirmary."

The advisor nodded. "It will need to brew overnight sire. I will bring it to the prince as soon as it is done." He bowed and vanished back the way he came. Deuteronomy sighed and stood up slowly.

"Come my daughters. We can do no more tonight." The three retired to bed.

Meanwhile, up in his chambers, Macavity called his right hand man, Durian. The black and brown tabby slinked in, his customary sneer on his face. Macavity stalked around his chamber, scowling. "The prince wasn't supposed to come back alive! That beast was supposed to have killed him!"

"Mayhap Prince Munkustrap is stronger than you thought," Durian said. Macavity whirled to face him.

"Maybe. But not for much longer. I have told that old fool that I can brew a potion to help save the prince's life. But in reality, the potion shall slowly poison him. Day by day, dose by dose he shall become weaker. Eventually he will die, and I shall convince the king that he died of his wounds. Then I shall dispose of Prince Tugger… I think he shall be ambushed by bandits… then I shall marry Princess Victoria and become king, once Deuteronomy has been taken care of."     

"What of the Princess Demeter?" Durian asked.

"I have not decided yet," Macavity replied, then an evil grin washed over his face. "If you really want her, then after Munkustrap is dead, you can marry her." Durian smiled. "Now," his boss continued, "We have work to do."

~~A/N: Well!  Chapter one done. I hope you liked it. Chapter Two will be coming soon if I get enough reviews…

By the way: Macavity's henchcat, Durian: a durian is actually an Indonesian fruit, that when you cut it open, STINKS!!! It is supposed to 'taste like Heaven, smell like Hell.' *smirks* I thought it rather appropriate. Don't worry, everyone will eventually appear. Now, please REVIEW!!! They are food for my soul!