Chapter Twenty One: The Godmother

"Can you believe that Countess Sai didn't come with an escort?" a lavender handmaiden giggled to a periwinkle one, each carrying a fan in order to surround the king for the ball.

"I know," the blue feline said dramatically. "I believe she honestly thought that the Baron von Gikkingen was going to ask her. I mean, he had to bring someone, and everyone knows that she's been after him for years."

The purple cat giggled again as she and her friend rounded a corner.

However, if they had chosen to be silent and stay, they would have noticed how a certain unused curtain bulged in the middle, and a dark-cloaked human skulk out from behind it.

"Are you sure about the directions?" Haru whispered into the dusty crimson velvet.

"Absolutely. Think you can manage it, or would you rather I came?" Baron whispered back.

The human laughed softly and shook her head, remembering at the last second that he couldn't see the gesture before she passed him her dark cloak, since she wouldn't need it inside the castle. "I can handle it. You'll be here when I get back?"

"Of course. Now hurry!"

Haru nodded, and slipped away from the curtain, moving at a brisk pace.

Up ahead, she could hear the giggle of more girls moving toward her. The slim brunette looked both ways for a place to hide, her heart pounding in terror as the voices and paw steps came closer. But there was no way she could possibly disappear fast enough to escape notice.

Just before the girl cats came around the approaching corner, Haru swiped the huge glasses off of her face and put them in her pocket.

The giggling girls stopped short at seeing the human, their eyes growing huge as the golden girl smoothly glided past them, and slowly turned back to the servants, a rather confident smile on her lips.

"I beg your pardon, ladies," Haru said, pitching her voice lower than it usually went, just in case they recognized it at an inconvenient time. "Would you happen to know where I could fix my hair in privacy? It's an absolute disaster." She patted her perfect left braid in a dismayed manner, privately glad that she had paid attention to how her aristocratic employer spoke.

"Uh, keep going down this hallway," the darker cat squeaked, her eyes wide with a stunned admiration. "Third door on your right, my lady."

Haru smiled warmly, and nodded respectfully before continuing on her way. "You have my thanks."

After the slim brunette had walked a good distance from the servants and turned a corner, the two girls let out a light sigh of relief.

"Did you see that?" the lighter one asked her companion, who gave a dreamier sigh.

"I wish I had eyes like hers. How lovely…"

ooOoo

This would be the worst night of her life. After today, the Cat Prince would be affianced to the girl of his choice…

And she would be alone once more.

Yuki sighed sadly, clutching her meager meal of trout close in a desperate need for comfort as she walked the lonely hallway to her room, since the cook had dismissed her for the night out of compassion for the white cat's plight.

She should have been preparing herself for this day. How could she have been so gullible, to think that she would remain in Lune's life?

Her heart began to pound with a dull ache, making her close her eyes as a few crystal tears trailed down her furry cheeks. Her blue eyes, still so sad, were downcast when she finally stepped within her little room, and let the red curtain fall to its place behind her.

"Well, it's about time. I was about ready to go looking for you."

Yuki's head snapped up in shock to the one who had spoken.

There was a human in the Cat Kingdom! And judging from the looks of her, she was someone important. Almost like a magnet, the young white feline was drawn into those huge brown eyes that seemed to look right through her.

Whatever the slim human had seen in her must have been good, because she smiled, and stood up while brushing a few imaginary wrinkles from her glorious yellow skirt.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Miss Yuki. I've been looking forward to this for a couple weeks now."

"Who… who are you?" the light cat whispered.

The human woman's fine slim lips curved into a gentle smile as a light laugh escaped her throat. "My name isn't important, but you can call me your fairy godmother, if you wish."

Yuki laughed, and collapsed on her bed. "If only you had appeared a few years ago. I could have really used a godmother when my aunt turned me out on the streets."

"Sorry about that," the human said sympathetically. "But wasn't it better for the prince to come to your rescue?"

Yuki's heart began to ache once more. "Look, just what do you want from me?!" she demanded of the 'fairy godmother' that stood before her. "Isn't it enough that I'm going to lose Lune forever?!"

"There's something you can do about that, you know," the fair brunette said gently, sitting next to the white feline who gave a dismissing scoff.

"What, you mean go to the ball? It's a nice thought, but I'd be laughed out of the castle if I tried to go as a guest."

"The invitation was to all eligible girls in the kingdom, and you look eligible to me."

Yuki laughed again, stroking the pink ribbon around her neck. "Wearing just this to a royal ball? I wouldn't be allowed past the guards."

Her godmother laughed, a light golden sound that echoed throughout the humble room. "Is that all? I can fix that." The slim brunette started fishing around an unseen pocket of her skirt.

"What could you possibly have that can-" Yuki became cut off as the yellow-clad human clipped a silver brooch to the pink ribbon Lune had given her, and then took several steps back, a small smile on her lips.

As Yuki looked down to see the bauble, it began to glow with an inner light, and pulsate like a heart. Without warning, the glow of the brooch swallowed her whole, until she resembled a shining star.

While being bathed in the light, the white cat could feel something like a fine comb being run all over her fur, again and again as her maid's cap was disdainfully thrown away. In its place, ribbons the palest possible shade of blue shot out of the brooch and wrapped lovingly around her body until they stitched together to form a dress more beautiful than Yuki had ever hoped to wear. And it had pearls! How did the human possibly know her secret adoration of the simple gems?

When the light faded, Yuki was the equal of any girl attending the ball. The fairy godmother did an inspection from all sides as the feline maiden felt the skirt with one paw, completely stunned that it was a perfect fit.

"I thought you'd do justice to this dress. Any other complaints you'd like to tell me, before you go?" The slim brunette asked with a gentle smile.

"I… I…" the white cat stammered. "What if… Lune doesn't want me there?"

The human rolled her brown eyes, and gave the terrified feline a quick hug around the shoulders. "You'll never know if you sit in this room wondering 'what if' all night. Just remember, Yuki; I may have given you the dress, but the prince gave you this." She traced the pink ribbon that still graced the cat's slender neck. "Why don't you let him say his piece before you decide it for him?" With gentle hands, the human guided her feline charge towards the dusty curtain, and the ball on the other side.

Suddenly Yuki turned around and threw her arms around her godmother's neck in a fierce embrace. "Thank you so much," she whispered. "It's not going to disappear at midnight, is it?"

"No," the brunette laughed, hugging the feline back. "The dress is real, I assure you. Now run along and enjoy the party."

Yuki nodded happily, stealing one more hug before throwing the curtain back, and running down the hall as gracefully as she could manage, her heart finally light in her chest again.

ooOoo

Haru gave a huge sigh, after she was certain that Yuki was far down the hallway.

"There now," she muttered to herself while walking through the red curtain. "That turned out pretty well, I think." Smiling softly, the slim brunette started walking at a brisk pace back to where Baron was still hiding, and waiting. Haru felt a soft glow, imagining how pleased he would be with her for executing her mission so flawlessly. Emboldened, she increased her pace.

"There's got to be a decent girl in this kingdo-" a voice growled out before someone huge bumped into Haru from one of the curtains lining the impressive hallway. She cried out while landing hard on her side, hearing whoever it was stumble a bit before gaining his balance back.

"Hey!" a huge grey longhair howled, turning around one more time in order to glare at the girl he had bumped into. "Watch where you're… going?" His already huge mismatched eyes went even wider, staring at the girl who was sitting up, and staring back at him, the third eye inside the purple gem on the huge feline just as stunned as the real ones.

'This must be the Cat King Baron told me about. He has Lune's eyes. Is that gem supposed to be a crown?' Smiling nervously, she got to her feet and curtsied neatly, like one of her previous employers taught her to. "I apologize for the inconvenience, Your Majesty. I will strive to watch where I'm going more closely in the future," she said politely, pitching her voice slightly lower than usual again.

"That's perfectly fine, babe," the Cat King whispered, his tone slightly awed.

Haru inwardly groaned. Since when has 'babe' been part of a royal vocabulary?! She smiled once more and gave a polite curtsy, backing away respectfully. "Have a pleasant evening, Your Majesty."

"Hold it!" the king commanded, a strange gleam lighting up his eyes. "Have you met my son yet?" he asked slyly.

"Yes, Your Majesty. Twice. I fear I must take my leave now, or my escort will be most vexed with me." Haru gave one more polite curtsy, and made a run for it.

"Hey, wait!" the Cat King cried out desperately, making hot pursuit. "I wasn't done talking to you!"

'Too bad.' She grimaced while navigating a sharp corner, swinging on a spear that was being held up by an archaic suit of armor before slipping into the curtain where Baron was waiting for her.

The gentle gold and ivory feline swallowed a startled oath as his nanny suddenly threw herself into his arms, clinging to him as a familiar voice rang out through the hallway.

"You didn't even tell me your name!" the Cat King pined, pausing just in front of the curtain. Dimly, Baron could see the monarch's silhouette through the dusty velvet, accented by the hallway torches as he looked both ways frantically. Haru clung to him tighter, making her heart beat fearfully into his chest as he held her close, and waited patiently while stroking her soft hair soothingly.

'Has her hair always smelled like this?' Baron couldn't quite put a name to the scent, but it was pleasing enough for him to breathe expressly through his dark nose, in order to savor the girl's scent without letting her know what he was doing.

Finally, the Cat King stomped off. "She didn't even leave me a shoe," the feline monarch said mournfully, his voice fading away.

Baron sighed with relief, and looked down to ask Haru just what had happened. But just before words could issue forth, they turned to a thick jelly in his throat.

Wordlessly, he gazed into the girl's beautiful, fearful eyes.