When Baron and Toto had returned from their research trip in the Cat Kingdom, Baron eager to share with Kokoro what he had learned, he found a panicking Muta. The large cat was running around in circles on the cobbled street.

"Muta?" he called down, holding the brim of his silk hat. "What are you doing down there?"

Muta looked up, his eyes wide. "Baron! The girl... she's gone!"

Baron almost fell off of Toto, but quickly regained his composure. "What happened?"

"I was sleepin' on the chair when she started yellin' at me and callin' me a fatso, and by then those fairies were carrying her away. I tried to keep up, but they left the Refuge and I lost sight of 'em."

The arm around his package tensed and the hand clutching his cane tightened, but that was the only thing that gave away Baron's suddenly foul mood. "Did you see which way they went?" he asked, looking down at his panting friend.

"East! There's a forest right outside the city there! I bet that's where they took her!"

Toto didn't need any instruction. He immediately took off in that direction, Baron clinging to his hat.

As Toto soared through the skies, Baron went over everything Lune had told him when he had asked the Cat King what he knew of fairies…

~*~

"Your Majesty, what can you tell me about fairies?"

To say Lune was surprised was an understatement. Lune was so shocked that he almost dropped his teacup, but his wife, Queen Yuki, caught it before it shattered on the floor.

Lune wiped his mouth as Baron took a sip of his own tea. "Why on earth would you want to know about fairies?" he asked. "I understand I am indebted to the Cat Bureau for the last time we met, but please… fairies?"

Baron nodded in understanding. "Yes, Muta and Toto were skeptical when I first made the statement as well, but Your Majesty, you must understand that this is urgent business. Someone is in danger."

"Who? Baron, what's going on?"

Baron sighed and set his cup down. "A young girl has come to me and asked for my assistance. It seems she found a mysterious stone in a river, and now angry fairies are chasing her and demanding she give it back."

Lune's paws tightened on his teacup. "Where is she?" he asked.

"Muta is watching her. I left her at the Bureau, because it seemed that the fairies couldn't enter the Refuge and spirit her away. Before I return, I need to find out everything I can about them and the stone she found."

"What did the stone look like?" Yuki asked as she refilled all three of their cups.

"It was about this big," he held out his arms to show, "and it was a deep green, like an emerald. Inside the stone, there were little flecks of gold. I couldn't find it anywhere in any of my geology books."

While Baron had been explaining, Lune had stood up and strode to a bookshelf. He tugged out an ancient, leather-bound book.

Lune began flipping through the book. "I don't know much about the fairy kingdom, or the fairy that rules them," he said, turning the dusty pages. "I do know their kingdom is located in a forest east of your Refuge, and that most people can't see them. Just children and animals, mostly. I also know a fairy named Esmeralda rules them, and she has two sons."

"What does she look like?"

Lune shrugged. "I only met her once, when I was still a kitten. She and my father were good friends. I remember she had long brown hair, and red eyes. Oh, and she had red wings as well. All fairies with royalty in their blood have red wings. That's about all I can… aha! Here it is!"

"What dear?" Yuki asked as both she and Baron leaned forward.

Lune pointed at a picture in the book. "The rock Baron described, I found it. According to the book, it's a very rare mineral called Amedite. I wondered why it sounded so familiar, and now I remember why!"

Baron smiled. He knew asking Lune was a good idea.

Lune continued. "Father had ordered a stone from Herathia, a kingdom much further south than this one, and it was supposed to be the jewel in my crown for when I took the throne. But the cat that was supposed to deliver it to me arrived three weeks after my coronation, said he was ambushed and the stone was stolen. He said all he could remember was that tiny people chased him." He closed the book, glancing up to meet the pairs of eyes gazing at him, one intense green and the other a much softer blue. "My guess is that those fairies stole it, then dropped it in the river, where your girl found it."

Baron jumped up. "That's it!" he exclaimed.

"Your Majesties!" All three cats looked to the door and saw a small brown cat with floppy ears come in, holding a scroll. "This just arrived from the Fairy Kingdom," he said, handing the scroll to Yuki.

Yuki broke the red wax seal and began reading the scroll. "Lune, we were just invited to a ball Queen Esmeralda is throwing. Her younger son just became engaged, and they're celebrating the engagement tonight."

Lune frowned. "I don't understand that woman," he grumbled. "First she ambushes one of my messengers and steals my crown jewel, and now she wants me to go and celebrate her son's engagement. I don't even know her son."

An idea suddenly sparked in the cat figurine's head, and a wide smile spread across his face. "Mind if I make a suggestion?"

~*~

Baron clutched the package King Lune had given him tighter to his chest. He had no doubts in his plan; what worried him was the name of the Fairy Prince's fiancée. He hoped it wasn't Kokoro. Why would the queen let her son become engaged to a human who was causing an awful amount of turmoil in her kingdom?

But Baron wasn't a fairy, so he wouldn't know.

"Baron! I see it!" Baron looked past Toto's feathers and saw what the crow was gesturing at. Ahead of them were several trees that were faintly glowing. They were riddled with knotholes, and out of every one gold light poured into the dark forest.

Baron pointed to the largest, and brightest, one. "Fly to that one," he said. "If this queen is as vain as I suspect, she must live there. With our luck, she may be holding the ball here as well."

"Right," Toto replied, swooping down and landing on a branch outside a square of light. Baron hopped down and dusted off his jacket. While he did so, he glanced into the hole and saw two fairies inside. One had daffodil-yellow hair; the other's the color of a ripe strawberry. The redhead was standing in front of a floor-length mirror while the other fairy stood behind her. He ducked down. Must be preparing for the ball, he thought as he looked down at the package again.

He turned to look at Toto. "I have to go change," he whispered to the crow. "Stay here until I come back."

Toto nodded, and Baron hooked his cane over the branch and swung down to a lower one. He pulled the string and the brown paper fell away, revealing his costume for the night. He glanced back up at the square of light. Don't worry Kokoro, he thought determinedly, I promise that I'll take you home.

~*~