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GrandNECRONOM1998, thank you so much! I try my best to make my chapters well structured.

Disclaimer: I do not own Dogtanian. Not at all!

Now, let's resume our story!


A Royal Summons


Gavin sighed happily as he and Dogtania walked down the street towards the Muskehound Headquarters. 'Planchette's really good at cleaning and cooking,' He thought to himself, remembering how she'd helped Juliette's uncle with dinner last night. 'And she's quite polite. She's always called us madame and monsieur every time we've spoken over the past three days she's been Dogtania's servant.'

"So, what do you want to do today Dogtania?" He asked her as they got closer and closer to the Headquarters.

"I'm not sure, Gavin," She replied honestly with a shrug. "I'm sure we can think of something to do," She continued as they reached the gates and walked up to the Headquarters.

"I hope so," he replied as they entered the building and spotted Porthas. "Hi Porthas."

"Hello Gavin, hello Dogtania," Porthas said upon spotting them come inside. "It's good to see you. Gavin, Monsieur Treville would like to see you at once," She continued.

"Did he say what for?" He asked her with curiosity.

"No, not at all," Porthas replied with a shake of her head.

"Well then, I better head on up there," he said, before he turned to Dogtania. "I'll be right back Dogtania." He then kissed her lovingly on the cheek, before he headed upstairs to Monsieur Treville's chamber, while Dogtania stood there, her face becoming cherry red.

When he arrived at the doors, he pushed them open and stuck his head in. "Monsieur Treville, you wanted to see me?" he asked the man, who was sitting at a nice desk.

"Yes, Monsieur Gavin," Treville replied, prompting Gavin to step in and shut the door behind him, taking off his hood once it was shut. "Earlier today, I received a message from the Royal Palace," he continued as he pulled out a rolled-up piece of paper and opened it. "You have been summoned to the Palace by Her Royal Highness Queen Anne."

"The Queen?!" Gavin said with surprise.

"Yes, the Queen," Treville replied with a nod as he looked at the message again. "I don't know what you did to catch her attention, but she wants you to come to the Palace as soon as possible."

"A-A-Alright," Gavin said with a nod.

"Take this with you, and show the guardsmen the seal on it so that you may enter the Palace," Treville said as he handed the rolled-up paper to him, which had the Royal Seal on it. Said seal consisted of King Louis XIII sitting on his throne with a set of scales in his hands along with his crown on his head and two swords crossed underneath his feet. "And be on your best behavior. Do not do anything that would sully the Muskehounds!"

"Yes sir!" Gavin replied firmly with a bow.

"Good. You are now dismissed," Treville said to him, prompting him to nod, before he headed to the door and left. Once he was gone, Treville sighed. "Why does she want to see Monsieur Gavin?" He muttered to himself for the tenth time, the question having been on his mind ever since he'd gotten the message.

'Sweet Kami! She wants to see me?!' Gavin thought to himself as he hurried down the stairs. 'Why?!' He then spotted Dogtania, who was talking with Athos, Aramis, and Porthas, and hurried over to her. "Hey Dogtania," he said to her, catching her and everyone else's attention.

"Hey Gavin," She replied. "Why'd Monsieur Treville want to see you?"

"He got a message from the Palace requesting me," He replied as he held up the paper to show them the seal on it. "That's all I will say. I gotta go. I will see you later guys," He continued before he took off running towards the front doors, while the others stared at him with surprise.

"He's going to the Palace?!" Athos said with wide eyes as he reached the doors and opened them, before he ran out, putting on his hood as he went. "Whatever for?!"

"I don't know," Aramis replied as they stared at the doors. "Hopefully he will tell us when he gets back."

"Yeah, I hope so!" Dogtania added with a nod, curiosity welling up inside all four of them.


"I'm almost there!" He said as he ran towards the Palace as fast as he could. "Just a little more."

A couple minutes later, he slowed down to a walk, and started to breathe heavily, having just sprinted the whole way there. "Man *Pant* what *pant* a run," He said as he walked towards the gate guardsmen, taking off his hood as he did so. "I'm here *pant* to see the Queen," he said to them as he held up the paper, showing them the paper.

"Hmmmm, alright," One of the guardsmen said after staring at the seal for a couple minutes, making sure it was authentic. "Show that to a servant inside the Palace, and they'll tell you where to go."

"Thank you, monsieur," He replied with a smile and bow, before he headed through the open gates towards the palace.

'I wonder why the Queen wants to see him?' The two guards thought as they stood there, unaware that Gavin was thinking the same thing.

"Okay then, I'm here," He muttered as he walked up to the palace steps and headed up them. Then, he spotted a servant standing nearby. "Excuse me monsieur," he asked the servant, heading over to him. "I'm here to see the Queen. Where do I go to meet her?" he continued as he showed the servant the Royal Seal.

"Hmm, right this way monsieur," The servant said after looking at the seal for a couple seconds, before he turned around and started to walk away. "The Queen is expecting you."

"Yes sir. Thank you, monsieur," Gavin replied as he followed the man down the hall.

A few minutes later, the servant and Gavin arrived at a closed door, which the servant then opened, before he stepped inside, gesturing for Gavin to remain in the hall.

"Your Highness, he has arrived," Gavin heard the servant say in the room.

"Wonderful! Send him in immediately!" He heard Queen Anne say happily.

"Sir, you may now come in," The servant said to him, prompting him to go into the room.

As soon as he stepped into the room, his eyes widened with recognition. It was the same room he'd been in a few days ago, when he'd played on the piano.

"Ah, I'm so happy you came, Monsieur Gavin," Queen Anne said, catching his attention. She was sitting on the sofa, and wearing a light orange dress that had a ruffle white collar around her neck, white cuffs around her wrists, and a large skirt that covered her feet.

"I will always come when called, Your Highness," He replied with a bow.

"Charles, you are dismissed for now," She said to the servant, who bowed. "Only interrupt us if I am needed for something important."

"Yes, Your Highness," The servant replied, before he headed out of the room and shut the door behind him. Once it was shut, she turned to Gavin again, her smile remaining on her face.

"It is so good to see you Monsieur Gavin," She said to him happily. "How are you doing?"

"I am doing fine, Your Highness," Gavin replied. "So, I'm assuming you've summoned me to play some more music?" He asked her as he looked at the piano.

"Why yes, I did," Queen Anne said with a nod. "If you don't mind, that is."

"I don't mind at all, Your Highness," Gavin replied, before he headed over to the piano and sat down. "Would you like me to start now?"

"Yes please, monsieur," She said with a nod, prompting him to take off his gloves and set them to the side.

"Alright then," He replied, before he popped his knuckles and set his fingers on the keys. He then played a short scale, before he spoke again. "Here's the first piece. I call it 'The Meadow.'" He then started to play the piece. (Play Twilight-The Meadow.)

As his hands gently pressed the keys, Queen Anne's smile remained on her face. 'It's such a gentle song,' She thought to herself. 'So relaxing.' She could picture this music playing in a meadow.

As he played, a smile appeared on his face. 'Man this song sounds even better on the piano than it did on the clavichord,' He thought to himself happily. 'Much better!'

He continued to play the piece for a few minutes, before he pressed the last keys, and lowered his hands. He then turned to Queen Anne and bowed, while she clapped several times with a large smile.

"Wonderful, monsieur! Wonderful!" She said happily. "That was such a lovely piece!"

"Why thank you, Your Highness," he replied with a smile. "I'm glad you liked it."

"Where did you learn it?" She asked him.

"Well, I actually made the song," He replied, surprising her. "I never wrote actual music for it. I just took how I felt when in a nice meadow and put them into song."

"You wrote it?!" Queen Anne said with shock, prompting him to nod.

"Yes, Your Highness," He replied. "I did."

"That's-that's amazing!" She said, an awed look appearing on her face.

"Yeah, I guess it is," he replied with a shrug. "So, would you like me to play you another song?"

"Yes please, monsieur!" Queen Anne said eagerly.

"Alright then, mademoiselle," He replied, before he turned and set his fingers on the keys. "This one is called 'Perfect,' and is about a man seeing perfection in the love of his life." He then started to play the keys and sing.

"I found a love for me

Darling, just dive right in and follow my lead

Well, I found a girl, beautiful and sweet

Oh, I never knew you were the someone waiting for me.

'Cause we were just kids when we fell in love

Not knowing what it was

I will not give you up this time

But darling, just kiss me slow

Your heart is all I own

And in your eyes, you're holding mine

Baby, I'm dancing in the dark

With you between my arms

Barefoot on the grass

Listening to our favourite song

When you said you looked a mess

I whispered underneath my breath

But you heard it,

Darling, you look perfect tonight

Well, I found a woman, stronger than anyone I know

She shares my dreams, I hope that someday I'll share her home

I found a love to carry more than just my secrets

To carry love, to carry children of our own

We are still kids but we're so in love

Fighting against all odds

I know we'll be alright this time

Darling, just hold my hand

Be my girl, I'll be your man

I see my future in your eyes

Baby, I'm dancing in the dark

With you between my arms

Barefoot on the grass

Listening to our favourite song

When I saw you in that dress

Looking so beautiful

I don't deserve this

Darling, you look perfect tonight

No, no, no

Baby, I'm dancing in the dark

With you between my arms

Barefoot on the grass

Listening to our favourite song

I have faith in what I see

Now I know I have met an angel in person

And she looks perfect

I don't deserve this

You look perfect tonight."

Gavin had a large smile on his face as he finished singing and playing the piano, having thought of Dogtania and Juliette as he'd performed. 'Man, I should sing that to them sometime,' he thought as he removed his hands from the keys. 'I'm sure they'd love it!'

"Lovely!" Queen Anne said, sounding a bit emotional. "So very lovely!" She continued as she wiped a tear from her right eye.

"Thank you, Your Highness," Gavin replied. "Would you like me to play some more?"

"Yes please, Monsieur Gavin," Queen Anne said with a nod.

"Alright then," He replied with a smile, before he turned and started to play the piano again. "This piece is called 'Memories.'" (Look up Habana Music's Top 30 Piano Covers Popular Songs 2020 on Youtube. It's the very first piece played.)

And for the next few hours, Gavin played her various songs such as "River Flows in You," "Tomorrow's Song," and "Moon River." He even did a repeat performance of "All of Me," and sang it as well.

As he finished singing "All of Me," the queen clapped again happily. "Oh! You are such a great singer!" She said, making him blush a bit. "If you weren't training to be a Muskehound, you could be a wonderful bard."

"Oh, thank you, Your Majesty," He replied as he turned to her. "That means a lot."

"It's the truth," Queen Anne said, before a curious look appeared on her face. "Tell me, did you practice a lot on the clavichord?"

"Eh, somewhat," He replied. "There's only one in the entire village, and I could only play it every other week or so."

"Why's that?"

At that, he sighed. "For two reasons, Your Highness. Number one, other children were learning to play on it. And number two," he said, sighing again. "Because of my looks."

"'Your…looks?'" She repeated with surprise.

"Yes, my looks," he said with a nod. "Because of my looks, I was considered the village oddity, or freak. I was teased by the kids, and I wasn't given as many opportunities like the other children either. Other kids got to play the clavichord and practice it for a few hours a couple days a week. I only got to practice for one hour on one day a week."

"Oh my! That sounds awful!" Queen Anne replied.

"It wasn't fun," Gavin said with a sigh. "But Dogtania and her family, as well as an older couple who had taken me in and helped raise me, never called me a freak, or treated me any differently."

"Oh good!" Queen Anne said with a smile.

"Yeah, it was quite good," Gavin replied with a nod as he glanced out the window. "I've grown used to the nicknames and name-calling. If it happened today, I'd just ignore them, or chuckle."

"Good for you," Queen Anne said, her smile remaining on her face and growing a little bit. "Now then, Juliette told me something quite interesting yesterday."

"What'd she tell you?" He asked her, trying to think of what Juliette could have told the queen.

"She said that you just got a girlfriend, and that your girlfriend is none other than your best friend Dogtania," She replied. "Is that true?"

At that, Gavin's face turned red. "Um, yes, Your Highness," he said with a nod. 'Why did she tell her that?!' He thought to himself with confusion. "That is true."

"Wonderful!" She said happily, which confused him even more. "It's good to hear that you've found love."

"Um, thank you, Your Highness," he replied, still quite confused as to why she was so happy for him.

Queen Anne then hummed again as another thought occurred to her. "Tell me, what other skills do you have besides playing instruments, singing, and sword fighting?" She asked him with curiosity on her face.

"Well, I can also dance, clean, cook, and sew," He replied. "Dogtania's mother helped me learn most of the stuff. And Dogtania's father would let me read the books he owned at times."

"I see," Queen Anne said. 'So, that's why he's so much more intelligent and skilled than he looks,' She thought to herself. 'It makes perfect sense.' "Thank you for answering me, Monsieur Gavin," She replied with a smile as she stood up, prompting him to do the same. "And thank you for playing such wonderful music."

"You are welcome, Your Highness," Gavin said as he bowed to her.

"I hope I can summon you again soon," She continued with a smile. "You are dismissed for now."

"Thank you, Your Highness," Gavin replied as he grabbed his gloves and put them on. "I hope I can return as well. Goodbye." He then left the room, and started to make his way down the hallway, while Queen Anne sighed, her smile remaining on her face.

"What a polite and kind young man," She said before she left the room, thinking about Gavin as she walked down the hallway in the opposite direction. "I can't wait to have him come back over."


"Well, that was fun and interesting," Gavin muttered as he walked back towards the Muskehound Headquarters, having left the gates of the Palace several minutes ago and put his hood on. "I wonder how soon she'll summon me again?" He continued, before he started to walk through a small farmer's market.

As he walked through it, he noticed a couple walking nearby, holding each other lovingly as they went, and he realized something. 'Hey, Dogtania and I haven't been on a date yet,' He thought, coming to a stop in the street, before he got an idea. 'Maybe we could have a date this afternoon,' He continued, before nodding. 'Yeah, that sounds like a good idea.'

He then turned and headed over to a couple stands, before he bought some things and then left, deciding to make a quick stop at Juliette's house before he went back to Headquarters.


A few minutes later…

"Now then, where's Dogtania?" He muttered as he approached the Muskehound Headquarters and walked through the gates, before he spotted her talking with Athos, Aramis, and Porthas. "There she is," he said quietly before he walked over to them. "Hey guys!" he continued, catching their attention.

"Gavin!" Dogtania said with a smile upon seeing him approach. "You're back!"

"Yep!" Gavin replied with a nod as he reached them.

"So, why were you needed at the Palace, Gavin?" Porthas asked him with a curious look on her face.

"Oh, the Queen wanted to hear me play an instrument and sing to her," Gavin replied, making their eyes widen with surprise.

"The Queen?!" They all said with shock.

"Shhhh!" Gavin shushed them as he looked around to see if anyone was listening to them. Fortunately, no one else was around. "Yes, I was summoned by the Queen. She's quite nice," He continued with a smile.

"She wanted to see you?!" Athos said with surprise. "Why?"

"To sing and play an instrument," He replied, repeating what he'd said earlier. "It was quite fun. She really liked the songs I did."

"What?!" The four said with surprise.

"I'll tell you all more about it later," Gavin continued as he gently took Dogtania's hand. "But right now, Dogtania and I have something to do. We will see you tomorrow."

"What?" Dogtania asked him as he turned and started to lead her away from the others, who were staring at him with shock and surprise. "What are we doing?"

"A date," he replied, making her face turn bright red.

"A 'd-d-date?'" She repeated while blushing.

"Yes, a date," He said with a nod. "We haven't been on one yet, and I figured today was perfect for us to do one."

"Oh my!" Dogtania replied as he led her down the street. 'A date?! So exciting!' She thought to herself. 'I wonder what he has in mind?'

About twenty minutes later, they reached a small clearing in the nearby forest outside the city, and the two of them sat down on a small log that looked over a small pond.

"Here we are," he said as he reached over and set the large bag he'd been carrying with him before them, before he started to dig inside it. A couple seconds later, he pulled out a large loaf of bread, some meat, cheese, and some lettuce. "Enjoy," He continued as he made her a sandwich and handed it to her before he made his own.

"Thank you," She replied with a smile before she started to eat the sandwich, with him eating his as well as they looked out at the small pond, which had a couple frogs in it that were croaking a bit. 'This is nice,' She thought as they ate. 'Just the two of us in this nice little clearing.'

"So, Dogtania, what'd you talk about with Athos and the others?" he asked her as he finished a bite and took another.

"Oh, they wanted to know about you," She replied as she took another bite. "Like what you were, how old you were, and so on."

"I see," Gavin said with a nod as he ate. "I'm not surprised. You answer all their questions?"

"Yep!" Dogtania replied with a firm nod, although she thought to herself 'Well, not every question,' as Athos had asked her a couple questions about Gavin that had made her blush fiercely. She then turned to him with a curious look. "Hey Gavin. Why did the Queen want to hear you sing and play music for her?"

"Oh, that," Gavin said, having momentarily forgotten he'd told her and the others that particular bombshell. "You know how we explored the Palace recently? Well, I found an instrument and couldn't resist playing on it, and I got caught by the Queen. Fortunately, she was very pleased by my playing, so I didn't get in trouble. She actually wanted me to play more, but I needed to find you guys, so I told her I couldn't."

"Wow!" Dogtania said with surprise on her face as she finished up her sandwich. "That's amazing!"

"Yeah, it is," he replied. "That's why she summoned me to the Palace today. She wanted to hear more. And in fact, I will probably be summoned again, based on how much she loves my singing and playing."

"Really?!"

"Really," he said with a nod, before he noticed she'd finished eating. "So, how was the food?" He asked her, changing the subject.

"Oh, it was good Gavin," She replied as she pat her belly. "Really good."

"Good," he said happily. "I figured our first date should be something simple, so you wouldn't be overwhelmed."

"Aw, you're so thoughtful Gavin," She replied with a smile.

"I try," He said, before he leaned over and kissed her on the lips, making her eyes widen and cheeks burn hot with an intense blush. "I love you Dogtania," he continued as he pulled her close to him and kept his arm around her as he looked out at the pond, while she blushed even more.

"I love you Gavin," She replied as she sat there, her head resting against his side as they looked out at the pond. 'This was a perfect first date,' She thought with a smile. 'I can't wait to see what other ideas he comes up with for future dates.'

And with that, the two continued to sit there for several more minutes, before they got up and left the clearing, holding hands as they headed back to the city.


Well, this was an interesting chapter!

Can't wait to write more!

I do not own "Perfect." Ed Sheeran does.

Nor do I own "The Meadow." It is owned by Alexandre Desplat.

Please leave a review!

So, I have some bad news for my readers. You use, I am graduating this semester, and will be moving back to live with my parents. I'll be living with them while taking some more core courses and then applying to grad school, and hopefully then I can move out of their house, but I can't say for certain. So, I will be going on a very long hiatus. NOT A PERMANENT ONE. It'll probably be a couple of years before I return to this site or the other sites I'm on. I won't abandon my stories, or you guys.

This is PuzzleMaster1998 here, signing off!