Creation's Lament Chapter Five: The Disastrous Dance
A few months later, at the holiday celebration the Cat King was holding at the palace, Haru was sitting uncomfortably next to Lune, his father grinning smugly on the other side of the prince. The fish that had been placed before the Creation seemed to stare dumbly at her, possibly wondering why she hadn't taken a bite yet. Haru was never fond of sushi, and was privately glad that she didn't have to eat more than a few polite nibbles.
The fancy yellow dress the Cat King had ordered for Haru was a style that she had never worn before, the feline monarch thinking that Naoko's kimonos were too simple for a royal celebration. Through the corner of her eye, she watched a certain white cat pour drinks for all the guests, her heart swelling with sympathy.
'Yuki, how I wish you were sitting here instead of me.' She may have been able to hold her own at these kind of functions, but she didn't really enjoy them. It was different than being stared at by people that thought you were just a carved piece of wood instead of a real person. Well, sort of real, but it was still a bit unnerving how everyone wouldn't stop staring, having never seen a Creation before her. The Cat King nudged his son pointedly as the musicians started a soft ballad. He caught the hint, and turned to the brown cat at his side.
"Would you like to dance, Haru?"
She blinked, having never done the activity before.
"Um, sure."
Her fingers wrapped around the offered paw, and the prince led her to the center of the ballroom. Feeling a bit self-conscious, Lune put one paw on her waist and raised the one holding her hand. To Haru's defense, it was her first dance, so the first three times she stepped on Lune's hind feet could be excused. What couldn't be excused was that by the time the music had ended, Lune was groaning in pain from his partner's lack of rhythm and almost brutal footsteps.
The Creation distanced herself from him by a solid three feet of space, an extremely apologetic look on her face as she watched two guards come up and help Lune to his feet. All the other guests were staring at her in horror. If there hadn't been music, they would have sworn that Haru was trying to kill the prince by kicking him to death.
"I swear I didn't mean it, I'm sorry."
He managed a grin at her as the guards carried him to the infirmary, all forgiven. Too embarrassed to stay, she ran out a separate curtain as the king called out for her to stay, and nearly flew out of the castle to her hut. When she was finally within the confines of her home, she huddled herself into a corner and cried into her arms, not caring if she ruined the fancy dress.
'If nothing else, the king should now understand why Lune will apparently lose interest in me.' She felt a gentle paw on her shoulder, and looked up into Yuki's understanding gaze. Sobbing, she wrapped her arms around the white cat and squeezed.
"I swear I wasn't trying to hurt him."
Yuki rubbed her back soothingly while making calming noises.
"Up until the fourth time you kicked him, I thought you were being terrible on purpose, so the king would see that you wouldn't be a good bride for Lune, but after that, it was overkill."
Haru managed a laugh through her sobs, clinging to Yuki like a lost child.
'It's strange. I'm probably older than the Cat King, but I still look and act like a scared little girl. Do all Creations go through this kind of crisis?' Haru wiped away her tears, and smiled at her comforter.
"Father made me to be a daughter, clearly not a dancer. I'll just keep a healthy distance from the activity in the future."
Yuki nodded and grinned.
"Maybe now the King will listen to Lune's protests."
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The Cat Prince winced slightly as the doctor slathered more bruise ointment on his legs for the beating they had gone through. He wished that Haru had warned him that her dancing was 'meowsy'. The king billowed through the curtain to check on his heir.
"Son, how are you feeling?"
Lune laughed weakly.
"I could be better. How's Haru?"
The king shook his head sadly.
"She ran out, probably to her hut. She was very distressed to have caused you pain."
The prince smiled, knowing that much is true. She cared for him, and he cared for her. Just not the way his father wished them to.
"Father, I must make a confession."
The king looked at him, and the prince took a long steadying breath as the doctors finished wrapping his legs up.
"I have courted Miss Haru as you have requested, but I must confess; I don't wish to marry her."
The king snorted in disgust.
"Are you really going to let a babe like that go just because she has two left feet?"
Lune took another breath to steady his nerves.
"Actually, I decided that beforehand; I was just trying to find a soft way to tell you."
"What about Haru's feelings? What would she say about you leading her on like this?"
"Miss Haru agrees with me that a relationship like this can't work. I am mortal, and she isn't. Long after I'm dead from old age, she'll look the same as she does today. And she's confessed that she may not be able to give me an heir, since she was born of wood. We're friends, Father. Nothing more."
The king stared at his son in astonishment.
"An heir… I didn't think about that."
Seeing a place to stand in the argument, Lune continued.
"Another thing I've been wanting to tell you. I'm already in love with someone else. A real cat, one with beauty and intelligence that can stay by my side, give me an heir and age with me. Someone mortal. Someone that can lift my spirits no matter what, and a lifetime with her would seem as fast as a second. Please, give me permission to court her."
The king was staring off into space, the shock of what his son had told silencing all thoughts, save for one.
"Where is this cat?"
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Haru had long changed into her favorite blue kimono for the extra comfort, taking care with the dress to take it back to the castle later. She and Yuki were sitting in companionable silence until they heard a shout. Recognizing Lune's voice, the white cat jumped to the window opening to look around for him. She pulled back when she saw that the king was with him.
"It's all right, Yuki! I told Father!"
The blue eyed cat cried with relief as she shot from Haru's home into the arms of her prince, the king carefully looking her over.
'Hmm, not bad. I can see why Lune would fall for her, but over Haru?' He looked up the hill towards her little hut. She was standing in the opening, smiling beautifully at the happy couple like a proud matron. Another thought clicked in the Cat King's mind.
'Since I'm the one that finds her attractive, and I already have an heir, there's really no reason for me not to court Haru. She's probably closer to my age anyway.' Puffing out his chest a bit to make himself look more muscular, he marched up to the tiny hut. She smiled politely at him before turning her attention back to the prince and his chosen bride.
"I hear you don't love my son."
She shrugged.
"I do, but not in a romantic way. He's a lot happier with Yuki."
The king had no choice but to agree, his heir now sweeping the white cat off her feet, bruises forgotten for the present.
"What about me?"
She stared at him, confused at the question.
"Do you love me?"
She cocked her head at him, wondering where he was going with this.
"I respect you as the cat ruler, but that's about it."
He fell over in disbelief, his heart stinging horribly. The Creation tilted her head at him again, wondering what his problem was.