Rose and Greg were walking through the grounds outside the castle. After watching the sunset together, they walked and talked and all the while their feelings for each other grew. So much so, that Greg was starting to worry less about what was said at dinner and enjoyed his time with the princess.
Before them was a splendid walkway with hedges with roses of every color and fragrant, and, at the edge of the castle ground limits, was a large fountain with a statue of the princess Rose Quartz in the center of the water. The moonlight against the water gave an almost enchanting look to the fountain and its center structure.
"Wow," Greg said in admiration, "It's amazing."
"It's nice and it makes father happy," Rose said. Although, the tone in her voice seemed less enthusiastic than Greg.
"You don't like it?" Greg asked.
"Well, I don't want to complain, but I think it's a bit... much," Rose confessed. "My father had several sculptors work on it and some of them got hurt in the process and... I don't know, a part of me feels rather guilty about it."
"I'm sorry about that. But at least it shows you care."
Rose chuckled. "That's true. It still amazes me you managed to find an artist for that painting of me. How did you manage that?"
"Oh, uh... I had Amethyst take care of that. She's really helpful that way."
Unnoticed, Greg's very helpful cat, had finally caught up with the two and had something very special for the couple strapped to her back.
"You're lucky to have such a dear companion. My father won't even let me have a dog. Says they're too common for a princess."
"Maybe it's for the best. Amethyst isn't a fan of dogs believe it or not."
Rose chuckled again. "You're hilarious Sir Universe." Then she cleared her voice. "I must confess though, we've talked about your cat plenty yet I know very little about you and your own realm."
Greg gulped. "Maybe that's a good thing." He sat on the edge of the fountain.
"What do you mean?" Rose asked and she sat next to him.
"Because-... I-" Greg was interrupted when he felt a poke on his hip. When he looked around he saw his guitar sitting by him on the dirt. He picks it up. "How did this get-... Amethyst."
Rose saw the instrument. "Sir Universe, you play?" she smiled.
"Uh, yeah. I don't suppose you want to hear something." Greg said glad for the save.
"I would like that very much."
Greg tuned his guitar, the princess waited patiently, and Amethyst hid behind a tree and watched.
Greg sang~
"Do you believe in destiny?
Close your eyes and leave the rest to me
Do you believe in fantasy?
I have to when it's right in front of me, oh~"
The princess listened to his words with stars in his eye. Greg liked that she seemed to enjoy it but a weight grew in his chest.
"What are you doing here, in the real world?
What are you doing here, so close I could touch you
What are you doing here, and what are... you doing... to-~"
Greg's words faltered from his mouth and he couldn't bring himself to finish the rest. "I can't do this." He said.
Rose blinked a few times in confusion. "Can't do what?"
"Dodge the questions, keep the truth from you, distract you. Princess, I need to be honest with you even if it'll cost me my head."
"Uh oh," the lavender cat mumbled to herself. Amethyst grew worried but didn't move from her hiding spot.
"Count Universe?"
"That's a good place to start. First, my name isn't Universe, it's DeMayo. Greg DeMayo. And I'm-..." He shook. "I'm not really a Count. I'm a miller's son."
The princess said nothing in response but stared at him as he fell to his knees and bowed lowly.
"I beg you for forgiveness. I didn't want to deceive you any longer or cause any more trouble than I already have. I thought you started to like me and... well, I really like you. A lot. But you're a princess and you should be with a prince, not some wannabe musician. I don't want to keep you from what you really want."
A quiet moment passed before Greg felt a hand on his shoulder and, with his face still to the ground, he slowly opened his eyes.
"That might be problematic." Said the princess.
"Princess?" Greg mustered up the courage to lift his head and when he did, he saw the princess's smiling face.
"You're what I really want," Rose said happily.
Amethyst let out a breath in relief from her hiding spot when she suddenly heard a snapping branch. Cats have sensitive hearing and Amethyst's hearing was on point when she heard the sound of low growling and her fur stood on end.
"But princess..." Greg muttered.
"Please." She said helping Greg stand up again. When he was on his feet she continued. "Greg, I knew for a while now that you weren't really a nobleman."
Greg felt a shiver in his body when she said his name. "What? How?" Greg asked.
"Your hands," Rose explained as she brought Greg's hands up and took off the gloves. She rubbed a thumb against his palm. "Granted I didn't know you were a miller, but your hands are calloused with blisters and cuts. These are definitely not the hands of a man who spends his days in luxury. I knew it the moment I handed you my handkerchief at the river."
"But if you knew why didn't you say anything?" Greg asked.
"Honestly, I just wanted to see what would happen," Rose confessed as she let Greg's hand go. "I thought you being charming and courteous was just an act and I planned to tell my father after this walk. But when you confessed to me just now, I realized that I..." The princess trailed off when she spotted a pair of glowing yellow eyes flashing in the shadows behind Greg.
"Princess?" Greg asked. He turned his head around to see.
Suddenly, there was a growl, then it sprang from the shadows. It was a large, orange, red striped cat. She was twice the size of Amethyst, with amber eyes, sharp teeth, and a yellow diamond-shaped mark over her nose. She pounced at the humans but a flash of purple caught the orange cat mid-air and pushed her away. The orange cat and Amethyst faced each other, hissing, teeth bared, fur standing on end. Both on all fours and pupils narrowed. The orange cat pounced first and bit Amethyst's ear. Amethyst retaliated and swiped at the orange cat. Soon, the fighting became a blur of orange and lavender. Cats whining, claw swiping, and dust flying around them.
Meanwhile, the humans watched, the princess feeling helpless.
Rose's eyes watered with tears. "Greg, do something, please." She pleaded.
"What can I do?" Greg asked.
"Please, she could die," Rose begged.
The orange cat caught Amethyst by the neck with her teeth and she threw her into the fountain. Amethyst quickly paddled out of the water and landed in a plop back on the dirt. She lied down on her back and when she looked up she saw those yellow eyes again.
The monstrous cat stared down at Amethyst until she saw the dark purple star on her chest. Her amber eyes widened before she looked back at Amethyst and backed away. The cat's lips parted slowly, "yo... you're... Ame-." Came a gruff voice.
Amethyst shivered while the orange cat looked at her but when she heard her speak, Amethyst froze. "W-what?" she asked.
The orange cat spoke again, "Y-you're a-...Amethyst."
Amethyst eyes widen and she flipped around and slowly rose. "You can talk too?"
The orange cat didn't get a chance to answer when she was suddenly struck by Greg's guitar on her head and she fell to the floor, unconscious.
Amethyst's eyes went wide from shock.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Greg apologies before dropping his guitar.
Rose hurried over and gathered Amethyst into her arms. She wiped the stunned cat with her handkerchief. "Oh Amethyst, are you okay?" Rose asked.
"Yeah, did she hurt you?" Greg asked.
Amethyst shook her head and then looked at Greg. "What the what did you do that for!?" Amethyst exclaimed. "You could've killed her,"
"I'm sorry I panicked," Greg answered. "She could have killed you."
"She almost did but then she started talkin' to me," Amethyst explained.
"You mean she meowed at you?" Rose asked.
"No no. I mean she talked to me... Or tried to. Like how I talk to you guys." Amethyst jumped out of the princess's embrace, shook off any residual water off her fur, and pawed towards the orange one. Amethyst lifted the other cat's head. "She's still breathin'," Amethyst said.
"Princess?" came a male voice in the distance.
"The guards," Rose said.
"Princess," Amethyst said. "Please, don't let them take her away."
"What?" said Greg and Rose.
"Please, I think this cat is like me. I want to talk to her some more."
"But Amethyst, she tried to attack us and she hurt you," Rose said.
"I'm fine, it's just a few scratches. Please, princess let me talk to her. At least let me find out where she came from." Amethyst pleaded. Her eyes went big and watery.
"Princess!" came Holly Blue Agate's voice along with the sound of footsteps.
Rose looked back and forth between Amethyst and the upcoming guards. "What can we do? We can't just carry her into the castle."
Amethyst thought hard until her eyes sparkled like stars. "I have an idea." She said.
A few minutes later three guards and Holly Blue marched towards the princess's fountain.
"I'm sure I heard the noises coming from here," Holly said.
Just then, Rose appeared from behind a hedge. She cleared her throat. "H-Holly... what are you doing here?" she asked smiling widely.
Holly blinked. "Princess... Gracious, what happened to your dress? It's covered with mud."
Rose looked down and saw her chest area, where she held Amethyst after the fight, covered with dirt. "Oh, this? I... uh... tripped." She answered.
Holly raised an eyebrow at that. "You tripped?" she asked incredulously.
Rose nodded. "Yes, I got a little distracted and well."
"Princess," came Greg's voice. He stumbled from behind Rose.
"Count Universe," Holly addressed.
"Present," Greg said raising his hand.
"What were you doing just now... and where is your jacket?"
"I- I left it in my room. I felt a little hot so I took it off before leaving with the princess." He explained.
Both Rose and Greg smiled as Holly eyed them suspiciously... but it passed, "Well, I hope neither of you are hurt. We heard noises."
"Well, I heard nothing," Rose said smiling. "And I for one would really like to get to my room and change."
"Yes, and so would I," Greg said. "I'll see you tomorrow your highness. Good night." He gave a quick bow before walking past the guards and Holly.
"Good night sir," Rose said before he walked away. "All right everyone, let's get back to the castle."
"Very well your highness," Holly said.
Obeying the princess's orders, the guards and the headmistress strolled back to the castle.
A while later
Greg breathed heavily as he tossed the tied up bed sheet over his balcony railing after tying the end to the bars. He watched it fall to the ground and tighten as it reached the bottom. Amethyst must have caught it.
Suddenly Greg felt a hand on his shoulder and he nearly jumped. He turned around and saw the princess.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," Rose said in a whisper.
"Oh, Rose. How did you get here?" Greg asked.
"Secret door behind the drapery. It's usually used by servants." Rose explained.
Just then Greg felt two tugs from the sheets. Greg and Rose grabbed the makeshift rope and started pulling.
"I've never done anything like this before," Rose said. "Sneak in cats into the castle. Is it weird that I'm excited?"
"Not at all," Greg answered smiling.
"Greg, I wanted to tell you before that I thought it was good of you to tell me the truth. I thought you deceitful before but it turns out you're a good man after all."
"Thank you, your highness."
"I feel the need to ask you though, what are you going to do now? My father expects to see your castle tomorrow and I'm just going to guess that you don't really have one."
Greg continued to pull the sheets as he shook his head. "Amethyst said she'll find a way before tomorrow. I trust her enough to know she'll think of something."
"For your sake, I hope you're right. I'd hate to see you leave this world so suddenly."
Greg gulped. "Me too."
Another while later
J-9XB's head was still sore and her body felt like lead as she slowly regains consciousness. It took a while for her eyes to focus and she felt something heavy covering her back. At first, she saw a purple blob in front of her until she blinked and saw Amethyst looking back at her.
"Hey, sleeping beauty," Amethyst said smiling.
They were outside on the balcony with the door closed and only with moonlight over their heads. Luckily they both had nocturnal vision as well.
"You," J-9XB hissed. The orange cat tried to get up but found that she was restrained. She turned her head around and found herself on a large pillow and with a blanket on her back.
"Try not to struggle," Amethyst suggested as she lifted the blanket slightly to show two belts strapped around the orange cat's body. She was tethered to the pillow, preventing her from getting up or moving her legs. "You're not in trouble, I just wanna talk. You can talk, just like me, right?"
J-9XB stopped struggling and she looked up at Amethyst. "What does... that matter?" she asked slowly.
"It matters a lot to me." Amethyst sat on her behind in front of the orange cat. "I'd never met another cat that could talk like me. Heck, I've never met other cats."
The orange striped cat looked at Amethyst with a surprised expression. "You haven't-... how? How do you not know? How did you escape?" she asked.
"Well, I-... what do you mean escape?" Amethyst asked.
"How did you escape... from... the dwarves?"
"Uh dude, I've never met any dwarves. I was raised in a mill, by millers, in the country." Amethyst explained. The orange cat said nothing but simply looked at Amethyst like she had a second head. Amethyst groaned. "Look, let's take this from the top. What's your name?" she said.
Slowly coming out of her shock, the orange cat answered, "The dwarves call me J-9XB. But my real name is Jasper."
"Jasper," Amethyst repeated. "Okay, Jasper, where did you come from and why did you come here?"
"I came from the castle of the ogre... by the Quartz mountain. I'm here because they want me to kill the princess Rose Quartz." Jasper explained. She started to struggle again. "Where is she!?"
Now it was Amethyst's turn to look surprised. "Wha... Seriously?" she asked.
"Yeah. And if I don't do it tonight, my sisters will suffer along with your sisters."
Amethyst blinked in confusion. "My sisters?" she asked.
"Yeah... Oh yeah, you don't know. Well get this through your head..., you aren't the only amethyst cat but soon you will be... Unless the dwarves or ogre find you."
If Amethyst heard what Jasper said, she didn't show it. The lavender cat looked down and held her head in her paws in disbelief. 'I thought I was the only one. Could I really have sisters?' she thought.
"Hey, runt, hello?" the orange cat said, trying to get her attention. Jasper tried to move her paw but it was stuck under her belly. Then she meowed loudly.
This seemed to bring Amethyst out of her thought and she used her paws to close Jasper's mouth. "Keep it down, will ya' or you'll get us both in trouble." The lavender cat admonished. "Now I'm gonna take my paw off your face and free you but I want'a to promise me you won't fight me or attack anybody. Blink twice if you promise."
The striped cat gave a short growl at first but ultimately conceded by blinking twice. Amethyst held her end of the deal and released the other cat from her restraint. Jasper noticed the slight dampness of her fur and shook herself, the blanket slipped off.
"Why was I wet?" Jasper questioned the lavender cat.
"Oh, yeah. Well, you kinda smelled earlier so we... cleaned you up while you were out cold." Amethyst answered sheepishly.
The striped cat blinked twice in confusion. "You knock me out, bring me closer to the castle, give me a bath, and strapped me down just to talk to me. What kind of cat are you? Why haven't you killed me or throw me in a cage?"
"Whoa dude, I don't kill anyone, least of all another cat, that's already down. Also, I told you, you're not in trouble. I just... I don't know. I wanted ta' meet you."
Jasper looked down for a moment. "There were rumors about the cat that got away. Some think she was a ruthless fighter who fought off the dwarves and escaped. That she was the biggest, most powerful, and most terrifying of them all."
Amethyst felt her ego boost up as Jasper talked on.
The stripped looked back up at the other cat. "Clearly, those rumors were exaggerated." She said bluntly.
And just like that, the ego build-up deflated and was replaced with disdain. "I'll admit I'm no bruiser but I'm a pretty big deal against the mice back at the mill." She said.
"Well, we're not at the mill, are we?" Jasper countered.
"Okay okay, whatever," Amethyst said listlessly. "Look, I obvious' can't let you hurt the princess. I need her alive and healthy so she can marry my friend Greg. He's the guy who was with the princess when you tried to attack earlier. He's also the one who knocked ya' out."
"Oh, so he's the one I have to thank for this headache," Jasper said rubbing her head with her paw.
"And for the bath and helping lift your giant-self up this balcony," Amethyst added.
The striped cat rolled her eyes. "I hate to burst your bubble runt, but I need to finish the job or else."
"Yeah about that. Say you did get the princess, then what? They want ya' to drag her back to where ever?"
"Don't be dense. They just wanted me to do the job and that's it. The annoying dwarf said that the ogre would know if I had succeeded or not and if I don't, I'll be hunted down and dragged back to the castle before morning."
Amethyst listened until she heard something that piqued her interest. "Castle? What kind of castle?" she asked intrigued.
"I've barely seen any of it over the years but I do know that it is a big castle. I've only seen it from the outside once and I know it's somewhere by the Quartz mountains. Didn't you hear what I said?"
Amethyst eyes sparkled as an idea formed in her mind and she smiled widely. "A castle... a big castle... by the mountains..."
"Okay..." Jasper commented weirded out by Amethyst's happy expression. She waved her red paw over Amethyst's face. "Hello, is anybody in there? Hello?"
The lavender cat shook her head and swatted the red paw away from her face. The stars in her eyes were gone but the toothy smile was still on her face. "Hold that thought," Amethyst said before she dashed for the balcony door and opened it quickly.
The sound of the slamming door aroused Greg from his sleep on the mattress. He muddled before his cat jumped on his stomach. He coughed, "A-Amethyst what happened?" he asked.
Amethyst shook her head while she was standing on his stomach and she said, smiling. "Great news dude. I've found us a castle!"
