Chapter Eight: Anticipation
When things mean a great deal to you, exciting anticipation just isn't safe.
-Dodie Smith
xxXxx
As the first ray of dawn broke through the curtains, it shone brightly against the cold stone floor.
Reluctantly, Baron opened his eyes, and yawned as he sat up from bed. He slipped on a pair of slippers, and stretched once before going to his wardrobe. He sometimes had to be quite careful about how he opened it, since Toto could awaken at the slightest sound.
But, seeing as it was late summer, his dear friend was sleeping outside for now.
Within minutes, he was dressed in his favorite shade of grey; a shade he almost perpetually wore so that he could keep wearing his beloved top hat. Baron set his prized possession between the ears, and tried to avoid looking at the small mirror hanging from the wardrobe door until he could shut it.
He failed. The little kitten scowled at his reflection, which was more than happy to scowl right back at him.
The doctor that had pronounced his fate at the age of nine was slightly off in saying that he would always look like a child. Although his body was as small and frail as ever, his eyes had an intelligence and wisdom that most adults could only wish for.
Finally Baron sighed, and looked away while shutting the wardrobe. "Eleven years," he muttered miserably, his voice still that of a child.
It had been eleven long years since he had been promised a cure. He knew all he had to do was keep his patience, but… he just wanted to be cured. The little kitten was beyond tired of waiting.
Still, he had little choice but to keep waiting and to keep himself too busy to think about the weak little body he was stuck in. Most of the time it worked, but early in the mornings, or late at night before slumber, he would remember, and his heart would begin the familiar ache.
Surprisingly, Richard met him halfway down the stairs, taking them at a furious pace. "My… lord," he gasped. "The… Count DeLarouche… is here."
Baron stared at him in shock. "So early? I thought he was going to come sometime this afternoon."
"As did I, but he is currently in the drawing room, and he looks very worried. May I?" he asked nervously.
Baron twitched, and nervously looked out a nearby window. It was early. Hardly anyone would be up at this hour to see it. "Don't trip," he ordered, allowing the steward to sweep him into his arms and run down the stairs again.
Richard's step had slowed over time, but he was still swifter than his master. As the steward carried him down the hallways and final set of stairs, the little lord once again cursed his weak little body. If he were only healthier, Richard and the others wouldn't need to keep carrying him whenever he tired too soon, or have to worry about becoming tired.
Within minutes, they were outside the drawing room, and Richard was gasping a bit as he set Baron on his feet.
"Why don't you sit down and rest a bit? You're not as young as you used to be," Baron reminded him as he urged the old steward into a comfortable chair.
"No, I suppose not," he panted, leaning into the chair thankfully. "You'd best greet the count, my lord."
Baron nodded, and drew back the curtain. "Good morning, Geraldo."
The old grey cat pacing in front of the fireplace looked up, a tired smile crossing his face. "Good morning, Baron. I hope I didn't wake you with my haste."
"Nothing of the sort; I've always been an early riser," Baron comforted him while urging him to take a seat. "Would you like some tea?"
The count gave him a wary look. "Is it the blend you've been working on?"
"No, I haven't had time to make a batch today," the little kitten comforted, remembering the last time the count had sampled a blend of his tea.
It was a continuing experiment, and he had yet to find a taste that suited him, or anyone else.
"Then yes," the count sighed thankfully.
Baron reached over and pulled on a long rope, knowing that the cooks in the kitchen would understand what he wanted at this hour. "Now then; what was this pressing business you spoke of in your letter yesterday?"
"… It's terrible," the old count murmured softly, closing his eyes in pain. "You know about that hurricane that passed through last week?"
Baron nodded somberly.
"It decimated my wharf. I don't know how yours is."
"It's not much better, but I think we can get the place repaired before winter sets in," the little lord managed to say with confidence.
The count leaned back in his chair, and sighed tiredly. "I truly envy your luck with the mulberry business. I wish I hadn't invested everything in my fishercats. Many of them died in the storm, and those that didn't are badly injured."
"Do you wish to borrow money?" Baron asked worriedly. "I know you will honor a loan."
"No, although I thank you for the offer. Actually, I was thinking of a transaction, of sorts," he said very cautiously, as if he were about to step into a fire.
The little kitten cocked his head at the older noblecat. "I still think those gold curtains are garish, Geraldo."
The old count laughed. "To be perfectly frank, so do I, but they were just perfect for dress material for my Louise, when she came of age." Then he sighed again. "I'll get down to my point, Baron; I'm offering you my daughter's hand in marriage for any and all assistance you can give me."
Baron's jaw dropped in shock. He hadn't been expecting such an offer.
"If you'll recall, Louise is a stunning beauty, and does breath-taking embroidery," Geraldo said almost desperately. "She's also an excellent dancer, and has a singing voice to envy-"
"My friend," the little kitten interrupted sadly.
The count looked at him with silent, hopeful eyes.
"You are indeed blessed with a beautiful and talented daughter. However, it would be unwise for me to take a wife, considering my physical condition." He spread his small arms out for emphasis. "After all, have I grown a single inch since our first meeting?"
Geraldo sighed. "That you have not. Still, even though you are… ill, I thought you might appreciate the company of a beautiful lady. I'm certain that you must feel lonely at times."
Baron's heart ached, thinking about a very certain lady. Although she had white fur like the count's daughter did, the one he wanted was not Louise DeLarouche.
Frankly, Louise was a gossip-monger, and he was having enough trouble with rumors as things were. She may have been an opposite, but she was no match for him.
"While that might be true, I do not think it would be fair to any lady to marry me unless a cure is found for my ailment. Therefore, I must decline your offer, but I will provide all the assistance I can-"
"My lord!" Adam suddenly gasped, making the tall curtain billow as he ran in. "A messenger from the palace just arrived for you. He says it's urgent!"
Baron sighed, and tipped his hat to the count as he stood up. "I thought the time was getting close for another errand. I'm sorry to leave you so soon, Geraldo, but you understand."
"Of course I do. Good luck with your next task," the count wished with a slightly amused smile.
"Thank you. Enjoy your tea when it comes," Baron wished him as he exited the drawing room.
Ever since retrieving Vulcan from the Avian Kingdom, the king had depended on him for any strange or difficult tasks that happened to come up. Although Baron found his confidence in him flattering, he couldn't help but wish that the king trusted him a little less.
"Richard, I'll need you to provide Count DeLarouche with as much assistance as we can give him. Be sure to keep a record; I'll want to look over it when I get back," Baron asked his steward as he walked past the resting cat.
"I will immediately set on it, my lord," he promised, standing up as he did so.
Baron gave him a warm smile as he turned a corner, and looked up at the butler. "Did the messenger mention what was so urgent, Adam?"
"He didn't, but he seemed very excited about something. Exhausted, perhaps, but excited. I think this one might be one of your better tasks," Adam tried to say cheerfully.
Baron sighed. "I hope so. Traveling in winter is positively miserable."
"Especially up there, where you can't escape the wind," Adam added with a shudder. "I honestly don't understand how you have been able to ride Toto for all these years."
Baron shrugged as they entered the main hall. "Every pleasure has its price. Hello, Roger," he greeted the panting cat resting in a chair.
The familiar messenger grinned at him, the action somewhat more crazed than usual. "Hello, Baron. The king needs you to go to him as soon as possible."
The little kitten cocked his head in amusement. "Not even a note this time?"
"The king didn't want to waste any time! Please, go to your bird, and make all haste to the palace!"
"Is someone dying?" Baron asked sickly.
"No, but hurry! You will be glad you did!"
ooOoo
'Glad that I came? Did someone discover a cure for me?' Baron thought excitedly as Toto raced through the air.
"Well, at least they're not catching us at the dead of winter again," Toto said cheerfully as the golden sun caressed their backs. "That time last year was positively miserable."
"My thoughts exactly. However, I can't remember a messenger being that excited before."
"Neither can I," Toto agreed, going into a downward spiral.
The palace beneath them seemed the same as ever. However, the two servants that grabbed him as soon as he dismounted Toto were not normal.
"Hey! Be careful with him!" Toto cawed angrily as the two servants lifted Baron over their heads and ran for the palace.
"Sorry about this, but the king wants to see you as soon as possible," one of the servants apologized as they ran through the hallways and staircases.
'At least they're good enough to not make me run the whole way,' Baron noted as they passed through the hallways and staircase.
Natori still tried to make him run, whenever he was sent to wait for the little lord.
But then he saw something that made his blood run cold.
In a side hallway, he saw Yuki staring at him as the servants ran past. She had grown into quite a beauty over the past eleven years, once again making his heart ache with regret. Seeing her was usually enough to put him in a good, if somewhat melancholic, mood. But even from this distance, he could see the fathomless grief in her beautiful eyes.
Something was terribly wrong.
The servants that were carrying him put him down and announced him in a loud voice.
"The Baron von Gikkingen has arrived, your majesty!"
"Then send him in!" the king demanded excitedly.
With an overwhelming sense of foreboding, Baron walked past the curtain as one of the servants opened it for him.
What was inside did little to ease the sudden feeling. Natori and Natoru were glaring at him hatefully, but by now, Baron was used to that. The king looked unbearably excited, but…
Lune was wearing the same hopeless expression as Yuki. He literally looked like his entire world had turned to ashes. He had grown well in the past years, nearly twice the height of Baron now. Thankfully, they didn't allow such a detail to undermine their friendship.
Out of everyone in the room, only Vulcan looked completely calm. The growing firebird trumpeted once in happiness, and flew to Baron to give him a warm, feathery hug. Even he was taller than Baron by now, although nowhere near as tall as he would be, one day.
Baron managed a smile for him as he slipped a few choice mulberries into the long, golden beak. "Your majesty," he said as Vulcan withdrew so he could bow.
"There's no time for that, Baron; something incredible has happened!" the king said excitedly, dragging him upright and making him cross the room to a large glass sphere.
"May I ask what is going on?" Baron asked worriedly, as the king made him sit on a couch facing the sphere.
"You'll soon see what's going on," the king gloated, patting the glass sphere. "Do you know what this is, my good Baron?"
"The largest bauble I've ever seen?"
"It's more than that. It's taken my court magicians five years to make this for me, but it worked! This crystal ball can lock onto any location or person anywhere, as long as I have something from what I want to watch. Oh, and by anywhere, I do mean anywhere."
Baron stared at his monarch incredulously. "I was ordered to come here as soon as possible so that you could show off this trinket?"
"Watch your tongue!" Natori snapped at him.
"That's enough out of you, Natori," the king growled at him as he pulled out a slim silvery brick, and started pressing the surface all over it as a slight tinkling sound was heard. Then he pressed one of Lune's military medals against the brick, and aimed it at the sphere. "It's not just the crystal ball I wanted to show off, Baron. There's something that happened last week that you will not believe unless you see it with your own eyes! It's nothing short of miraculous!"
Baron cast a worried look at Lune as he sat next to him. Now that he was even closer, Lune looked worse than ever, as if he hadn't slept or smiled in days. Baron desperately wanted to ask what was wrong, but couldn't as long as he was near the others.
A strange sound began to come from the crystal ball, making Baron suppress a hiss. The sphere seemed to fill with a silvery mist, and sounds began to come from it.
After what felt like eternity, the mist cleared.
It revealed an image of Lune, walking down a street as he looked around himself in wonder.
Now, such an image shouldn't have been all that strange. However, what immediately set Baron on his guard was that he didn't recognize the street, or the grey stone that made up the road and buildings. There were also huge metal things on wheels that roared up and down the large roads, almost like rabbit-less carriages that spewed smoke.
That, and there was the fact that Lune was walking on all fours, and on paws!
"You went to the Human Kingdom?" Baron gasped to his best friend.
Lune flinched from the accusation, but did nothing to refute it.
"I still wish you'd tell me what you were doing there, son," the king pouted, commanding the little kitten's attention again. "But that's enough for now. Baron, I want you to stay silent, and watch what happened last week during Lune's visit to the Human Kingdom."
Baron nodded, although his thoughts were close to chaotic. What could Lune have been thinking, to have gone there?
The Lune in the sphere was still wearing his white military uniform, although his legs had bent the wrong shape to keep the pants or shoes. He padded his way down the street, flinching a bit every time a human walked a little too close to him. Thankfully, they were all too happy to ignore him, although there were a few curious stares.
Baron was amazed to see just how much taller humans were than cat kind. Yes, he had seen many illustrations comparing cat height to human height in his studies, but it wasn't the same as seeing the difference for himself. It would have taken anywhere between three to five cats to equal the height of some of those creatures!
That, and the humans were dressed in a style that his books had not made mention of. A vast majority of them wore pants, even the women, although he spotted some in skirts that did almost nothing to hide their long legs.
Baron shuddered from the sight; it was disgusting to see all that bare hide!
Lune kept looking around him as he padded down the road, looking at this building and that one with disgust. "I should have asked Baron to come with me; I can't read this human garbage!" he muttered to himself.
"You passed a café right there, and that one was a hardware store. That one looks like a craft shop, and-"
"Must you?" Lune snapped uncharacteristically. "It's a little after the fact, now."
Baron stared at his friend in shock. Lune had never taken that tone with him before. A slight movement of the curtain caught his eye, making him dare to sneak a peek.
Yuki was coming in on silent feet, bearing tea on a silver tray. With haunted eyes, she set the tray on the table behind the couch, and started quietly pouring into several teacups.
Baron forced his attention back to the crystal ball, thankful that neither the king nor the advisors had noticed his small distraction.
It was for the best.
Vulcan worked his elegant head under Baron's arm in a plea for attention. Distractedly, the little kitten ran his hands over the long feathery neck, still marveling at the warmth emitted as Vulcan made contented sounds.
The sun was starting to set in the Human Kingdom, casting the surrounding area into the shadows. By then the prince was footsore, and scratching his ear with frustration. "For crying out loud! Where am I supposed to find-"
He never got a chance to finish his sentence. From the open back of one of the metal things with wheels, a human suddenly jumped out, and slammed a large rough sack over him.
Baron gasped in horror.
"Did you get him?" another human asked from inside the metal contraption, suddenly getting up so that he could be seen.
"How dare you! Let me go!" Lune demanded as the human male turned the sack upside down and knotted the top.
"Yeah, I got him," he smirked, running around the metal thing to open up one side and slip in. "Let's burn some rubber; we're late! Oh, be quiet in there!" he snapped, hitting the sack when Lune started protesting again.
"How on earth did you get away from those monsters?" Baron asked his friend in a shaky voice.
"Just watch the sphere, and you'll find out," Natoru told him in an offensive manner.
Baron gave him an annoyed look and turned his attention back to the crystal ball.
The metal thing they were in roared to life, and started speeding down the long grey road. It made a few turns, revealing a large grey ocean bordering the strange town, and the call of strange birds as they hovered over the water for fish.
"Food, where's the food?"
"Food for me!"
"Food, food, food…"
"That has to be one of the more foolish breeds of bird," Baron muttered under his breath.
"If you think seagulls are silly, be grateful you'll never meet a chicken," Vulcan whispered to him with a smirk, rubbing his elegant head over the kitten's frail chest.
Baron bit back a laugh, and returned his attention to the crystal ball.
The metal thing carrying the humans and Lune raced a small distance from the village, and followed a dirt road up a mountain. The strange contraption had to go slower as it endlessly traveled up the road, since there were starting to be a lot of trees closing in, and one needed to be a bit more careful.
At last, there was a small clearing, one that opened up to reveal a beautiful view of the ocean, with the trees perfectly parted to frame the sight.
There was already one of the metal things pulled to the side, so the one with Lune pulled up next to it and stopped roaring.
"You're late," one human male snapped at the driver, loading more wood into a circle of stones. "It's lucky the girls are, too."
"Sorry about that; cats were strangely scarce today," the catnapper apologized as he shook the bag to stop Lune from weeping in fright. "We're probably not the only ones pranking cats today; this one's dressed up like a general."
"What?" the first human asked, obviously the leader. But then he shook it off, and started pouring water over the woodpile from a large red container. "Halloween's still a good three months away. Why dress up a cat?"
"Who knows? Either way, our other guest of honor won't care, right?" the second human countered with a snicker.
The leader laughed, and set the red container aside. "Too true. If nothing else, this will prove at least a few of the rumors true or false. Does anyone care if I put on some music?"
"Nah. But what if the rumors are false?" one human male asked, shaking the bag again to make Lune stop crying 'let me out!'
The one who had controlled the metal thing burst out laughing. "No chance of that; Hannah told me last week when they traveled to California for the surfing competition, the car broke down. Yoshi-san stole away for a few minutes after seeing a cat, and came back knowing where there was a gas station they could get help at, in an area she's never been in before."
Baron's stomach clenched in dread. No. It couldn't be!
No, of course not. The name was all wrong.
Lune, however, was starting to hyperventilate.
By then, the leader had pulled out a huge black box, and connected a much smaller box to it. Then he started playing with it in a manner similar to how the king activated the crystal ball.
A haunting sound began to come from the ball, one that, although clearly music, it wasn't a kind that Baron recognized.
The leader smiled in satisfaction, cracking his back as he started singing with someone that wasn't there, although a deep voice was clearly audible.
"You remind me of the babe," he said, pointing at the one holding Lune's bag.
"What babe?" he asked like he already knew the answer.
"The babe with the power."
"What power?" the other one asked slyly as he lit a match.
"The power of voodoo."
"Who do?" the one holding Lune asked as he tossed Lune aside to also light a match.
"You do," the leader smirked as he lit a match of his own.
"Do what?" the other two asked in sync with each other.
"Remind me of the babe!" the leader proclaimed as he threw his match at the soaked wood; his companions doing the same.
Baron pounced out of his seat with a surprised hiss as the pile of wood exploded into flames.
A bonfire! Just like his nightmares! The three human males even started dancing around it like in his dreams.
"I saw my baby, crying hard as babe could cry. What could I do? My baby's smile had gone, and left my baby blue. Nobody knew!" the leader sang along with the unseen voice.
"Easy, there," Vulcan laughed, using his huge wings to push the kitten back into his seat. "We haven't gotten to the best part."
"I'm terrified to find out what's going to happen next," Baron said in a strained voice, hugging Vulcan's elegant neck in terror.
Although the firebird was less than half his age, Vulcan made soft crooning noises to help soothe him.
"Dance, magic dance! Dance, magic dance; put that spell on me! Jump, magic jump! Jump, magic jump! Jump, magic jump; put that magic jump on me. Slap that baby, make him free!" the leader sang out, his two followers echoing his every word.
'That sounds painful for whatever baby they're talking about.' It was then that Baron thought about how terrible it had to be for Lune to relive this. He stole a look at the crown prince, and flinched.
Lune wasn't fairing much better. Tears of pain were running down his face, and he had both of his hands firmly over his ears as he hummed loudly, trying to drown out the strangely hypnotic song.
Yuki first offered a cup to the king, who nonchalantly drank it all in one gulp and handed her the cup again so that he could keep his attention on the crystal ball. His expression was dark and angry, as he glared at the dancing humans. However, there was a smug smirk on his face, one that almost looked ominous.
Then Yuki offered Lune a cup of tea, temporarily erasing her grief. This was probably to ensure that no one would know of the deep bond between her and the prince.
But Baron knew. He had known it from the first time he saw Lune look at her, all those years ago. He tried looking away, but couldn't.
Lune looked up at her, and gave a weak smile as he accepted the cup. She almost allowed herself to smile at him, but forced herself to turn away and offer Baron a different cup of tea.
He took it, trying to ignore the ache in his own heart. Even if the beautiful servant hadn't been in love with the prince, his best friend, for years, she would never have looked at him the way he wanted her to.
There was now a different kind of pain in her eyes as she looked at him. He could see affection, yes… but that of a friend. A friend that knew he wanted more than friendship.
Baron tore his eyes away from hers and began sipping his catnip tea, suddenly grateful for the hypnotic song the human males were singing. It provided a welcome distraction from the way his heart was howling in agony.
"Dance, magic dance! Dance, magic dance; slap that baby, make him free!"
About then, a smaller metal thing drove up, and came to rest next beside the other two. However, this strange contraption had no top, so one could clearly see that it was filled with three human females.
"You played Magic Dance without us?" one girl pouted as she played around with a strange wheel in front of her, making the metal thing stop in its tracks.
"We can always play it again, Helen," the leader consoled her, breaking free of the song in an instant and grinning in a rather foolish manner.
"You'd better, Jack; you know it's my favorite song," Helen told him in a firm voice as all the females hopped out of the metal thing.
"It's my fault we're late," one girl said apologetically. "I needed to finish up some chores before coming, and they didn't want to come up here without me."
Baron's mouth nearly dropped to the floor in shock.
The human who had spoken was… different, compared to the other humans that the crystal had shown.
She was skinny, though not the thinnest of all the humans present. Her dark brown hair was straight and long; actually brushing against her hips! Another strange thing about her was that she was the only one wearing enough clothing to cover all of her hide, except her hands, neck, and face. Baron strongly approved of that.
But the number one thing that marked her different from the other humans, were her eyes. They were large, rounded, and seemed to be filled with warm, liquid caramel. There was no guile in those hypnotic eyes; within them lurked a kind, gentle soul.
Baron frantically tried to connect eyes with Yuki, who had just finished passing Natoru and Natori their tea, and was bringing forward a bowl of the beverage for Vulcan, who had grown to like tea.
As she kneeled down to set the bowl of tea on the ground, she looked up into his eyes again; letting her fear be shown. But this time, there was an undercurrent of deep love and adoration as she snuck a peek at the crystal ball, and the human girl stretching her limbs gratefully against the side of the metal thing.
Yuki had never described her human's appearance, but… Baron knew who she was. He didn't know how he knew; he just knew.
"Chicky?" he mouthed incredulously.
xxXxx
'Magic Dance' is sung by David Bowie for the movie Labyrinth. Both the movie and the soundtrack are epic, and highly recommended.