Chapter 9 – A Beginning
The bright radiance coating the world in light began to ebb leaving sparks in everyone's view.
Or maybe it really was actual glowing lights shining in the group's eyes.
At the magic cleared, Haru gasped at the picturesque scene before her.
Instead of the bleak winter landscape, a sapphire blue lake with the sun's rays glinting off its surface stretched endlessly with a wealth of wildflowers at its border. Four smaller lakes rested at the larger one's northern edge forming a unique cat's paw print from a bird's eye view.
"Welcome home, all of you."
A low voice greeted the assembly and a form dressed in jade green walked sedately towards them. All gathered around the still lit bonfire bowed low at the approach of their esteemed guest. Natori, Natoru, and the Cat King shrunk as low as they could.
"Sir, thank you. It's good to be back," Baron addressed the great being humbly as they all rose to their feet.
The prestigious being stroked his long beard. "Yes, despite the trouble, you all have managed to return to the Heavenly Kingdom and to even find your Twelfth."
Baron took her hand and guided her to stand beside him, "Your eminence, may I present to you Haru, from the mortal world. She has behaved admirably in the worse of circumstances and managed to show her true quality in face of it."
The girl could only blush at his admirable words.
The Jade Emperor, for it was that regal dignitary that stood before her, smiled gently at Haru's nervousness. "Indeed, I have watched you from my throne, Haru, and I am pleased with your good nature and generous heart. After the previous host left, we weren't sure who would fill the position. We'd all hoped it would be you. You are well deserving of your new title." His stately bearing and calm temperament reassured everyone within the group. With that blessing he nodded towards the others and departed on a soaring cloud.
The brunette, overwhelmed from the escape out of the princess' dungeon and meeting a deity from legend promptly passed out in Baron's arms.
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Soft murmuring voices drifted in her consciousness. She had never felt more comfortable than she had been in her life beneath a goose down blanket, one quite rich by its touch. The scent of tea filled the air. Slowly she opened her eyes only to see a roaring fire at the foot of a bed where she rested. In the corner of the brightly yellow papered room, whispering softly was a welcomed sight. Muta, Toto, Lune, and Yuki sat drinking tea. An angel food cake sat untouched on the antique table.
Haru's eyes shifted beside her to see Baron in a deep rose colored armchair holding her hand.
Toto piped up, "Well look who's awake. Baron wouldn't even move until you woke up, and Muta was so worried he couldn't even eat."
"Yeah, well she's awake now, so gimme." The large cat sliced a piece from the confection on the dining table, left the slice on the platter and plopped the uncut portion onto his plate. The others rolled his eyes at his antics.
Baron leaned over brushing a hand against her side. Haru hissed from the pain. In all of the excitement and adrenaline she had forgotten that she had been struck by the princess and the guards before, and Baron's eyes turned dark with fury now that he saw her so injured. The lights turned dim too for a second.
"Calm down, Baron," Lune tried to soothe him.
"How's he doing that?" Haru whispered.
Yuki took an iced cloth, placing it on her injury to Haru's relief. "We each have residences we can call upon. You're in Baron's now, and whenever he's angry the lights always flicker."
"You're hurt, Haru. They hurt you," the orange cat figure bit out.
She frowned. "It's my fault. If it wasn't for my silly aunt and cousin, the princess would have never known that I was getting the violets, strawberries and apples from you."
Baron scowled, "Don't say that. Any normal person would have been grateful for the gifts yet they only asked for more each time. You shouldn't have to pay for their foolishness."
"What are we going to do about them?" Haru questioned with urgency. The obsessed ruler was still out there, and her aunt and cousin could still blab about the secret.
"Oh, I wouldn't worry about them," Muta chuckled darkly. "We have it on personal guarantee that they'll never bother anyone again."
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The blonde regent pored fixatedly over a grand table in the middle of the war room. Across every inch of its surface were maps of every different corner of the world.
Where can they be? She thought furiously. They couldn't have disappeared off the face of the planet!
She had spent hours in the forest, half mad with the fact that the months could still be nearby. After realizing they were not, she was lost in the woods in the middle of a snowstorm. It was lucky her soldiers had banded together and found her lest she lose fingers and toes from frostbite. Curse those magical animals! So intent were her thoughts she barely heard a figure approaching.
A soft clack sounded within the silent room as a china plate was placed onto the wooden surface.
"Your majesty must eat something," a deep voice spoke.
The princess said nothing, not even bothering to look or acknowledge the servant in her presence.
The soft swish of jade green robes was the only noise before the room's door closed leaving the woman alone with her maps.
Taking another look at an older atlas, the woman continued to search for the veiled creatures.
Something did smell heavenly.
She looked up from her daze noticing an aroma of apples. Oh those must have been the ones the wretched girl had brought back with her. Insolent fool! The thought of the brunette escaping made the princess seethe with anger.
Whoever brought her the meal was certainly considerate of their ruler's predicament. The apples were even sliced and plated perfectly so she could still look over her charts while eating. She reached out with a slim hand and took one piece within her grasp.
Maybe the cats hid them in the mountains, she thought. She put her finger down to mark its place as she took a bite of the morsel in her other hand.
The princess paused in her thoughts, her finger slipping and losing her place as she chewed.
What had she been doing again? Oh yeah, searching for the months.
She retraced their potential path again as she took another mouthful.
These apples are certainly delicious she contemplated as she ate the entire slice. She must be hungrier than she thought. Slowly the princess methodically consumed each portion until the entire plate was bare.
Hours later, the royal advisor entered the grand war room intent on forcing the princess out once and for all. For far too long the woman had been preoccupied on the fanciful when she should have been helping her Kingdom and its people!
A confused blonde woman snapped out of her stupor at the great table.
"Excuse me," she addressed him meekly. "Do you know where I am? I seem to be lost."
Her royal advisor stuttered for a moment. Was this a test?
"You are in the royal palace."
The blonde's eyes flashed suddenly with conviction. "I see," then after a heart-stopping instant, the light extinguished like a candle. "Do you know who I am?"
The royal advisor could only gape in astonishment.
Two women found in a local village also were struck with complete memory loss. All three of them were shipped quietly away to the countryside, never to trouble anyone again, not even a mouse.
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The slim white feline patted Haru's hand sincerely, "Well since Haru almost paid with her life under the princess' punishments because she loved us all so much-"
Baron flinched at that statement but Yuki continued on.
"-that proved she was the perfect one to take the missing spot."
Haru frowned softly in bed. "I don't understand. I was just a placeholder. Anyone could have stood in that empty seat." She looked towards Baron for his patient answers.
Yuki stood, firmly shooing the other onlookers out of the room (to an irate Muta's protests). She gave the remaining pair a triumphant smile as she closed the door behind herself.
Baron stroked the recovering girl's cheek softly with a gloved hand, "No, Haru, only you could. We all suspected it. Tell me again what made you resist the princess' torture? What did you feel just before we transported to the Heavenly Kingdom?"
She thought hard about the whirlwind of thoughts she had had since her capture.
"Love, Baron. My love for you made me keep silent despite the Limbus grass, and in the circle when I realized my love for everyone else, I felt the power rise within me, but I don't understand!"
He chuckled and pressed his lips against her cheek to calm her.
The girl let out a luminescent blush, but held his gaze with her own.
"Haru, my dearest one. Think. Think of who represents each month and which one was missing."
She closed her eyes picturing every beloved person in her mind.
Toto was not the dark omen of endings but rather the month of December and its compassionate herald. Muta and his gluttonous figure personified October, the month of harvests, closely followed by the exuberant Chef Cat, who cooked everything to perfection in the time of November. Natori was the calm projection of a June morning, while Natoru was July's carefree admirer. The Elizabethan laughed so much like the schoolchildren's shouts in August as they played after their studies. Stormy grey April showers did bring May flowers, just as Lune who gave his bride, Yuki, a crown of flowers on her head. The Cat King, brimming with crazy, fanciful ideas, was just what was needed during the brand new year and a new month of January, while the Musician Cat, with contemplation, played a melancholic tune during the balmy evenings of September.
Baron, her wonderful sweet Baron, was the hope of spring and beauty of March, which left…
"February?" she whispered.
He leaned over and smiled at her, "And what comes in February?"
"Love," she murmured, and met him with a soft kiss.
Outside, around the great bonfire, a cat with an accordion played on, filling the air with a romantic waltz.
I picture the fairy kingdom as a cross between Howl and Sophie's flower meadow and the cat's pawprint lake.
Kudos on all of you who guessed that Haru would be the missing month!
This is probably the fastest story I've ever written. Thank you so much from everyone who reviewed.
See you all again soon.
Grignard