Chapter Nineteen: Understanding
Understanding is a two-way street.
-Eleanor Roosevelt
xxXxx
"All right, Haru; let's try it again," Baron implored.
She sighed, but nodded as she made one final adjustment to the book on her head. Then, with one hand on the banister, she slowly made her way down the long staircase.
"That's right; nice and slow," he encouraged, keeping an eye on her delicate feet as they peaked from underneath the hem of her skirt. "No one should be able to tell one footstep from another."
"But they know I have footsteps, so why hide the fact?" she asked, making the book shake again.
"We're not necessarily hiding it. It is more like..." Baron struggled to think of the right word to use.
She paused briefly to give him an amused smirk; one that made it harder for him to think. "More like…?"
"… Giving an illusion that everyone understands is false."
"Acting?"
"I suppose so. We both know that the palace is aware of what you are like. They'll know that this is only a farce."
Haru rolled her eyes, one hand just catching the book before it fell. "It just feels silly, to spend all this time perfecting a lie that no one's going to believe."
"As future princess of the Cat Kingdom, I'm afraid you're going to have to get used to perfecting lies that no one believes."
"I'm a terrible liar, Baron."
"I've noticed. A little more smoothly now," he urged her, since the book was starting to shake again.
Haru sighed, but slowed down a shade more as she reached the bottom of the grand staircase. "Not that grace and table manners are boring or anything, but when are we going to move on?"
The little kitten blinked twice. "I beg your pardon?"
"You know, to other things? Like politics?"
"Ah, politics are outside the princess' jurisdiction," he told her as gently as possible.
She stared at him in surprise. "Then what is my jurisdiction?"
"… Well, you get to attend social events at Lune's side, host a number of your own, have all the leisure time you could wish for, and then there is your duty to present Lune with an heir. Even organizing the servants is taken care of by the head housekeeper."
Haru stared at him in horror. "Please say you're trying to be funny," she whispered.
"No, I'm fairly certain that you would recognize a joke from me," he consoled, suddenly realizing that he had never tried humor in her presence before.
Come to think of it, when was the last time he was intentionally funny?
"Y-You mean, I'm being put through all this training… just to be an ornament?"
"Mere ornaments can't have children, Haru. That's one of the reasons I'm teaching you to read and write cat; there's a large library at the palace," he tried to comfort her. "I know you love reading, and you won't be able to play in salt water there."
She sank to sit at the bottom of the stairs, removing the book so that she could hold her head between her hands in horror. That strange dialect of hers started spewing from her mouth again; one long vocal demonstration of despair. It was the same as hearing her cry, and that was something Baron never wanted to hear again.
He sat next to her and patted her shoulder. "It won't be as bad as it sounds, Haru."
"How can you say that?" she whispered, her accent still poetic from her native tongue. "A lifetime of being on display like a doll, and having a baby with… with…" She started gagging before she could finish her sentence.
"Lune isn't a bad person," he reminded her.
"No, but… I'd like him a lot more if I didn't have to go through with this. Heck, if I could just get feelings for the guy, I could handle being an ornament. But…"
"You don't," Baron finished for her sadly.
"I don't," she agreed, shaking her head in sorrow. "This just isn't fair."
Baron's entire body crawled in horror, remembering when he had used the exact same phrase, next to the human ocean. He sighed sadly. "If life was fair, you would be a human, Lune would have married someone else, and I would be taller than you."
She gave him a look, and smiled sadly. "How would you know? Maybe if you hadn't gotten sick, I'd still be taller than you."
"I rather doubt that. The men in my family are sometimes accused of having tree genes. Were, I mean," he corrected himself in depression, remembering that he was now an orphan.
"Did they die?" Haru asked softly.
"My parents did, but…" his throat suddenly froze up, thinking about his brothers again.
Were they even alive? Were they the same as he remembered them, or were they full of regrets by now?
"But…?" Haru pressed, putting one hand on his shoulder to bring his mind back to the present.
He took in a shaky sudden breath, and blinked repeatedly. 'Why is it that Haru keeps reminding me of my past?' "Perhaps you're right; the usual lessons are becoming a shade boring," he said as he stood up, taking the book from her. "Let's go outside and try something new."
"That's not what we were talking about, Baron," she growled at him in irritation.
"I've had an idea about how to hone your dancing skills for some time, and today's a good day to test my theory," he continued in a semi-cheerful tone, hoping that she'll take the hint.
Haru pouted, but followed him out of a smaller side door, then out to his mulberry orchard.
When they were in sight of the trees, however, she started giggling. "You wouldn't have been taller than me, Baron."
"Yes I would have," he defended hotly. "My father was six feet five inches without his favorite top hat."
"But when I'm at my regular height, even Lune's as small as a baby compared to me, remember?"
He stopped in his tracks. "I didn't think about that," he admitted sheepishly, scratching one ear around his top hat in embarrassment. But his eyes were already on the ground within the orchard.
Haru walked forward and placed one hand on a mulberry tree; making several fallen branches snap in protest. "Why is there so much space between them?" she asked while gesturing into the orchard.
There was a good fifteen feet surrounding each tree.
"It's one of the peculiarities of mulberry trees. Each one needs adequate space and sunlight. Oh dear; I forgot my flute," he fretted, suddenly remembering why this lesson hadn't been on the schedule for a while. He kept forgetting to put his flute into the specially tailored pocket of his jacket.
"You play the flute?" Haru asked with interest.
"Yes, but I'm afraid that music will have to wait until tomorrow. Do you see all the branches on the ground?" he asked, gesturing to the thin sticks that had fallen from his precious trees.
Thank heaven the gardeners had been too busy to rake them up by now.
"It's a little hard to miss them. But I don't see how a bunch of sticks are going to make me less lethal on the dance floor."
"It's quite simple, Haru; we're going to play a game. I want you to walk around each of my trees without stepping on a single branch."
She looked at him incredulously.
"I haven't thought of a penalty if you should step on one, but I'm certain that I can think of something."
Haru guiltily looked down at the branches she had stepped on. "Do the ones I already broke count?"
"No, you have a clean slate for now. Feel free to begin, but remember your grace lessons," he implored her, wishing to see just what her skills were standing.
She had to break off the funny look she was giving him as she carefully stepped off of the broken branches; almost standing on tiptoes to avoid snapping any more. "You are definitely the weirdest tutor I've ever had, Baron."
"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" he asked while keeping an eye on her feet.
"When you consider the tutors I've had, it's a good thing," she admitted, slowly circling the one tree before moving to the next. "I mean, I'm pretty sure that Natori would have never thought of this method."
"He's a little set in his ways," Baron agreed, following her on the clear ground between the trees.
"Try a lot. He's such a stick in the mud!"
"I beg your pardon?"
"He's… stiff. Boring. Dull," Haru explained, flinching as a twig snapped.
"Ah. Yes, he is certainly those things. Please keep going, Haru; let's try a minimum of ten trees."
She nodded, flinching as another branch snapped. "It's a little hard to believe that he's Natoru's father. Aside from their names and the fact that they hate you, I never would have guessed they were related."
"I have assumed for years that Natoru takes after his mother," Baron admitted, secretly wondering what someone like Natori could have seen in a female version of Natoru.
Was it another arranged marriage? More than likely.
"If so, Natori deserved her. Hey, Baron? Why do they hate you?" she asked curiously, circling another tree while keeping her eyes on the ground.
"A number of reasons. Before I showed up, the king exclusively depended on Natori for advice."
Haru shuddered at the idea.
"But after I became the king's glorified errand cat, he started depending on me instead, even though I was only thirteen and he ignores my better advice on a frequent basis. The fact that I got the baronetcy instead of Natoru didn't help much, either."
Haru stopped in her tracks to stare at him, unintentionally breaking three more branches in the process. "You mean your dad wasn't a baron?"
"Oh no, he was a master of a vineyard, mulberry being the specialty. All of my mulberry trees are descended from my father's vineyard, which is why they're still so small." He patted the firm bark of the closest tree affectionately. "Although the king made me a baron, Natori still sees me as a filthy commoner, and does everything he can to remind me that I am not truly a noblecat."
Haru stared at him with delight. "So that's why you have your head on straight! You're not really one of them!"
He looked at her with surprise. "You thought I was from one of the old bloodlines?"
"Well, yeah!"
"Yes," he reminded her, familiar with the strange word by now.
"Fine. Yes, I thought you were born and bred in the aristocracy," she admitted as she resumed her exercise. "I assumed that you had your illness because of inbreeding."
"Most certainly not!" he protested angrily. "I am against inbreeding, no matter what problems the nobility thinks it solves!"
"That just bumped my opinion of you up a few more notches," she informed him with a grin, turning around in a complete circle twice, trying to find somewhere to put her foot. "So, if it wasn't inbreeding, what caused your illness?"
Baron looked down at his own feet, feeling a familiar ache. "It was genetic from my mother's side, and very rare. Most victims of hurimalthia die, but somehow I survived. There are days I wish I didn't, but the aftermath is that I look, sound, and feel like a sickly nine year old for the rest of my life, and that's if I don't exert myself too much and speed up my death."
Haru was now looking at him sadly, not noticing when she broke a few more branches. "Isn't there something that can be done? Magic of some kind?"
"Vulcan's grandfather informed me that there is a cure, but I won't be able to find it until I'm ready to use it; whatever that means," he responded glumly.
"Huh. You weren't kidding; firebirds really do talk in riddles."
"I know it's for our better good, but to be honest, I just want to be cured. I don't want to spend the next twenty four years of my life in this weak, aggravating, useless little body!" he was suddenly shouting; his tightly controlled frustration finally letting itself out for the world to see.
Or perhaps just the human girl. But before Baron knew it, Haru wasn't around a tree anymore. She was right in front of him, and kneeling down to give him a big hug.
"M-Miss Haru?" he choked out in surprise as she squeezed him gently.
Not fear. Not anymore, and she was still warm.
"You know, Baron; for having a useless body, you've sure made good use of it," she informed him with a warm smile. "I've spent time in a number of estates on the way here, and I've seen a few villages before yours. Do you know what? I'm more impressed with what you've done with your baronetcy than anything else in the kingdom."
Baron's jaw dropped in shock.
"If more noble cats were like you, or even just the king, this kingdom really would be a paradise. I'm sure that wherever your parents are in the afterlife, they are proud of you and what you've accomplished so far in your life." She smiled at him again, giving him another squeeze before standing up. "I'm looking forward to what you're capable of in a normal body when it happens, but don't put yourself down like that again. You're a pretty cool cat, even if you are travel-sized for convenience."
"… I'll assume that being cool is a good thing," he managed to say after regaining control of his frozen body.
"It's considered a pretty good compliment back home. It means the same as wonderful or amazing."
Baron's hide heated up underneath his fur, and he suddenly found it very difficult to keep his eyes on her, or even her feet as she resumed her tree circling exercise. He fought desperately to think of something to say, anything to say! "If… cool means wonderful in human slang," he said, struggling to keep his voice at a normal tone, "what does warm mean?"
"Sometimes that you're close to finding something. Hot means very physically attractive," she answered, shrugging a bit as she twirled around more branches, breaking one or two more in the process since he was distracting her. "I don't have the foggiest idea why we rename things like that, but the last thing any human's been accused of in at least centuries is consistency."
He had to fight back a chuckle at that. "Do all humans recognize this?"
"Of course not. That would lead to consistency."
Another laugh threatened to escape his control. "If that is so, why do you understand what the word means?"
"It's in the fairy tale books, right next to firebirds and Cat Kings," she replied impishly, her grin saying loud and clear that she was joking with him.
He smiled back at her, and, for just a moment in time… everything was perfect.
ooOoo
Later, after dinner and her history lesson in his study, Baron was walking up the stairs to his room. He felt very calm, even content about how the day had been executed. Although Haru had been distraught to learn about how little was truly expected of her, she was still doing well in her lessons. Truly, reading and writing were not subjects that the king ordered her progress in, but Baron figured that it was the least that he owed her so that she wouldn't get too bored with her life at the palace.
Now if he could just figure out a penalty for her snapping so many of the branches. He opened the door to his room, and closed it behind him as he mulled over his options. What could he make her do that was unpleasant enough to encourage her to do better without making her hate him?
"My lord."
Baron suddenly snapped to attention with a gasp, sharply turning to see his old steward in one of the high back chairs next to the fireplace. "Richard! Don't scare me like that!"
"My apologies, my lord." The old white cat stood up, his old bones cracking audibly. "But… why didn't you ever tell us that there's a cure for you?" he asked in an injured tone.
Baron suddenly froze as still as a statue. 'That's right. I've never told anyone before today.'
Someone had overheard his conversation with Haru?
Richard sighed, and walked closed enough to claim a warm hug of his own. "My lord, your people adore you completely. All of us wish nothing but the best for you, including a healthy body and long life. Why did you hide this from us?"
"… I'm not entirely certain," Baron confessed, squeezing the old steward back, even if his embrace wasn't quite as warm as Haru's. "I've tried to tell people before, but the words refused to come out. Perhaps I wished it to be a surprise, when it eventually happens."
"You didn't seem to have any trouble telling Lady Haru about it," Richard pointed out sternly.
"Yes. I wonder why it slipped out in her presence," he mused in confusion.
What was it about that girl that made him want to tell her anything and everything? Why did a small phrase from her evoke memories he had long thought buried?
"I think I have an idea, my lord," the old steward said hesitantly.
Baron looked up, and nodded for him to continue.
"You're becoming a little more attached to the Sea Maiden than what is right and proper," Richard tried to tell him in a gentle manner.
"I beg your pardon?" the kitten asked incredulously.
"I think… you're falling in love with her, if you haven't already."
Baron's jaw dropped. "What… her… me…?" he stuttered, frantically breaking free from the old cat's grasp so that he could take several steps back; his face feeling hotter than ever. "… That is ridiculous!" he finally managed to gasp. "She is destined to marry Prince Lune! My best friend, if you will recall!"
"I recall. Baron, I'm not the only one who's noticed that you get along with her better than the prince. Just about everyone in the baronetcy knows what's going on between you two, save for maybe the prince, but only because he's too lost in his own world."
"Nothing's going on," the little kitten insisted stubbornly. "She is the Sea Maiden, and I am her instructor. Vulcan even said that she won't be able to fulfill her destiny without my assistance."
Richard gave him a speculative look. "Were those his exact words?"
"If not, they were very close. Really, Richard; what you're suggesting is ridiculous, not to mention treasonous." Baron turned away to look at the hypnotizing flames, imagining his own funeral pyre. "If the king were to get the faintest notion of such a thing, it would be my death. Do you want that?"
"Never, my lord."
"Then please don't bring it up again. I mean… look at me," Baron whispered, holding his arms out so that Richard could see him better. "Even if I were to fall for Haru, do you really think that she would choose me in this condition over a prince? Even one that she barely likes?"
Richard looked him straight in the eye. "If you keep up with what I saw in the orchard and constantly overhear from your study, then yes."
The little kitten stared at his old friend, shocked by his frankness. 'He's been listening in? For how long?'
"What you look like is only one side of a relationship, and trust me, even the best-looking cat doesn't appear to be much in his last days. But what you're developing with Lady Haru is an emotional bond; that's something that's almost impossible to sever if left to strengthen for too long." Then the old white cat gave a long, sad sigh as he kneeled with difficulty to give his lord one more hug.
"Humbert, I know I'm not your father by any stretch of the imagination, but… I still care for you as I would if I had a son of my own. I can't stand the thought of you falling for a girl that's nearly made to order, only to be the best cat at her wedding to your best friend."
"It's not decided that I'll be the best cat," Baron mumbled under his breath uncharacteristically.
"I can't imagine Lune choosing anyone else, or allowing the king to choose someone other than you. Please, Baron; for her and your own sake, either keep your relationship with Lady Haru on a more professional level, or start searching for the cure before she weds."
"I've already been searching every book I can find for years, and nothing helps," Baron protested. "Besides, even if I were to find the cure, her fate is still tied to Lune's. It's destiny; completely outside of anyone's control."
Richard growled in irritation as he stood up with difficulty. "If that is so, shouldn't she feel at least a little bit of attraction to him by now?"
The little kitten tried to think of an answer to that. But none came.
"Please remember that everyone in your baronetcy loves you, and wants you to be healthy and happy someday soon. But unless you do something in the near future, neither you nor Haru will be able to recover from the heartache that you're setting the two of you up for. Sleep well, my lord," Richard wished him as he let himself out of the little lord's bed chamber.
Baron watched the door close, completely shocked by what his steward had suggested. He tried to think of an answer to the question, although he was now alone, but his thoughts remained as blank as a fresh piece of paper.
He managed to break free from his thoughts long enough to drag his little body to his favorite chair by the fireplace. He curled himself up in a nearby blanket, and stared into the hypnotizing flames.
"Why doesn't she feel anything for Lune?" he whispered to himself, completely puzzled by the question.
As far back as he could remember, his best friend was constantly having girls throw themselves at his feet, both figuratively and literally. He knew for a fact that if he hadn't fallen for Yuki, he could have had any girl in the kingdom; high or low born. At first Baron had been jealous over all the attention from fair maidens, but once he saw how vexing it was for the prince, he considered himself lucky to be spared from shallow gold-diggers.
Richard had a point, though. Haru was no social climber, and spared no opportunity to inform anyone that if there was only a way to escape the marriage without breaking her word, she would take it. But by now she had spent time with Lune, and understood that he was not like his father. He was handsome, strong, kind, and was reasonably clever. Even without the crown, any girl in the kingdom would be honored to be his wife.
Except Haru. She was trying to give him a chance, Baron could see it from the way she would occasionally try to converse with Lune at meals or in between her princess lessons. But the prince remained unresponsive to her attempts, which only succeeded in making her withdraw from him and…
Talk to Baron instead.
"This is absurd," he whispered to the dancing flames. "Just because we talk and spend more time together than she does with Lune doesn't mean she'll gain feelings for me."
'Isn't that all the reason in the world?' a rebellious voice in his head whispered.
"I. Am. A. Runt," Baron hissed, trying to silence the voice. "She deserves better."
That seemed to do the trick, because the voice did not speak again.
Perhaps Richard was right, and he was getting too attached to the Sea Maiden. But if he were to become more formal around her, Haru would immediately grow suspicious, and the last thing he wanted her to know about was his discussion with Richard. That, and he had started out trying to be formal around her, but it never seemed to last for very long. There was just something about Haru that-
"Stop that," he ordered himself sharply. "That's precisely why Richard's so worried."
To fall in love with Haru would not do at all. He had a bride of his own in store, and how was he supposed to explain to the girl when he figures out who she is that he has- might have- feelings for the legendary Sea Maiden, the wife of his best friend?
He would never betray Lune, nor would he subject Haru to such humiliation. He would be her friend, and nothing more. She needed a friend right now.
Baron ignored the little fact that she still had Yuki. As long as Haru took pleasure in his company, he wouldn't deprive her of it, or himself of her company. She was the first girl in a long time, if ever, that was willing to talk to him about anything and everything; barely able to restrain himself some days from telling her about his dysfunctional family and past. She was the first person that could see the good in any blend he concocted, no matter how bitter. If he didn't invent another tasty beverage that was only vaguely related to tea, he was discovering a potent stain remover, or perhaps a liquid that made windows shine better than mere wash water ever could. What did she call that stuff again? He couldn't remember; he'll have to ask her about that in the morning.
He bit back another laugh, thinking about the way that although Haru was always willing to try his blend, she was always careful to smell it first and take small sips now. But although she was taking precautions, he had to admit that he was grateful to finally have someone around that was always willing to try his blend and offer suggestions. Everyone else had only tried it once, and promptly spat the substance out, no matter which blend it was. He was grateful that Haru wasn't so easily discouraged.
Best of all, in his opinion, was her heart. How many people could go from despising him to willing to comfort him on his weak body in less than two months? Not to mention willing to 'chew out' a prince for carelessly risking his life? Lune truly had no idea how lucky he was, to be spending his life with Haru once he just gives her a chance!
But then Baron realized something that made him laugh out loud for the first time in he couldn't even remember how long.
Haru was another first for him. She had come up with the first non-offensive term for 'short'.
Travel-sized for convenience, indeed!