For the first time since my arrival, I slept until midday. Even Freya was awake and watched me get up and stretch. My performance of The Four Souls had exhausted me more mentally than physically. Thus, no muscles ached. As revenge for Freya's usual slow rising, I made a show of it, stretching each of my six limbs separately, followed by my tail. Only then was I ready.

"Big cat is ready?" She smiled at me. "Today, we will go and see a tailor."

"Yes, but breakfast first!" And I was out the door to get something from the kitchen, requesting room service. I told myself that I was actually helping them, as my room was closer to the kitchen than any of the dining halls. And while some poor soul in the kitchen was cutting quite a lot of vegetables for me, I went to empty my chamber pot and then had a quick wash in the stable. Not that it did much good, as my shirt still reeked of cinnamon.

When I returned, a large bowl and cutlery were on my table, along with a jug of herbal tea. And everything was delicious again, even Freya had a few bites.

Then I was finished. I was really eager too: "Let's going Tailor's," and pushed Freya's right hand away, which still had some of the pink sauce on it.

Caught red-handed, she licked her fingers clean. No way, Freya, and I pointed to the big bowl by the door where I used to clean my paws. She rolled her eyes but went there anyway. In the meantime, I put on my saddlebags with the fabrics and went outside.

When Freya came out I gave her my best smile and it worked. She smiled back. I waited for her to put her right hand on my back.

"I am very grateful that we are going together. I have never been to a tailor and my Kren is way too bad."

"But you went to the market without me yesterday."

"Dear Freya, I bought white and green fabrics. And you would have walked down because I had heard enough rumours. So I have to stop carrying you so close to the castle. And Larina was so excited."

"But I"

"You have me for today, I promise." Ok, maybe that was too strong. "I'm not going anywhere without you."

She beamed at me. Oh, Freya.

* * *

Finding a tailor turned out to be a much bigger challenge than expected. Usually, the lords and ladies had a personal tailor in their entourage. There was, of course, the garrison's tailor, who worked for the officers, and there were seamstresses for the soldiers' uniforms. But they would never have done anything for a woman. The servants usually sewed their own clothes or bartered for them. And there were seamstresses to mend tablecloths, cushions or linen. Again, not the usual choice to make a dress for a lady. While I would have trusted them, the head seamstress refused. She did, however, direct us to the clerics. The clerics had women in their ranks and their tunics, cowls and festive robes were made by their own tailors.

Neither Freya's nor my first choice. But going into town to order a shirt was beyond my financial reach until I found a way to earn an income as a lady. One that did not involve marriage, I joked. Freya was not amused.

We were spotted by a cleric as we entered the last courtyard. Freya explained our request. The brother looked a little sceptical but took us to a small, bare room and left. He returned shortly with two other clerics, an old man and a young woman. They also wore brown robes. And they refused, not on principle, but because they felt they lacked the experience to make even a simple shirt for the lady.

They did, however, invite us for a consolation fruit cake. The unknown green and orange berries were sour but very fruity.

* * *

Defeated, though well-fed, we returned to ask Larina. But her shirt was a groom's uniform, altered for her by one of the castle's seamstresses. The same who had refused my earlier request for a shirt. It seemed that the only tailor in the castle who would and could make a shirt for this lady was the non-existent one in my entourage.

"Perhaps you could get a seamstress to join your entourage for a day," Larina suggested.

"No money." I shook my head. "Not good working for smile only." Even if I could find one who would.

"Maybe you haven't smiled at the right person yet."

The right person, ha! Most of the servants fled if I got too friendly. Hard to be nice when you are a lady. Then it hit me, yes: "I smiling Count Radel!"

Freya hesitated. "Are you sure you want to ask a noble..."

"You speakinged him before Administrator came."

"Yes, of course, but."

Again her fear of the higher classes. Well, I wanted a shirt, so time for her to face them. I almost dragged her into the courtyard until she sighed and walked on her own. I asked the first servant to take us to Count Radel. The servants knew the current whereabouts of all the nobility, as they were expected to deliver messages and treats on a whim. Unfortunately, they used the servants' corridors, which were neither physically fit me nor appropriate for a lady. But the maids who cleaned the main corridors knew the way.

It was embarrassing for me to be so dependent on the servants for food and now for directions. And they felt uncomfortable guiding Lady Kiara around the castle like a child. Even if I could speak Kren more fluently, I doubt I could hold a normal conversation with a maid: The drawback of being a lady. So it was just bows and thank-yous and smiles. The latter I gave wholeheartedly and abundantly.

She also showed us a way from the second courtyard without any spiral staircase, just two straight flights of stairs that led directly to the third level with the temporary residences of the lower nobility. I bowed and thanked her again and invited her to stroke me. She blushed profusely, touched my fur a little, smiled and with a final bow fled into a servant's door.

I knocked on the high double door. A servant opened it. Before I could utter a garbled sentence, Freya stepped forward. "Lady Kiara of Earth to see Count Radel." I was surprised.

The servant bowed. "Please, come in." I only bowed slightly, as Freya almost shouted 'Stop! Stand up!' in mindspeak.

The servant was unsure how to treat this lady. Obviously, he could not offer me a chair. "If the lady would like to wait here, I will see if Count Radel is available," Freya translated for me and answered too, "Standing is fine with her."

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I nodded encouragingly and the still unconvinced servant went to announce my arrival.

Count Radel arrived almost immediately. "Lady Kiara, what a pleasure. Welcome to my humble abode." I grinned, thinking of my room next to the kitchen and how to describe it appropriately if this was 'humble'. I bowed, trying to trim the grin to a smile. "Thank you, Count Radel." I nudged Freya, who was once again about to lose her wits in front of the nobility, even though she had handled his servant with ease.

"Lady Kiara is looking for a tailor. She had bought fabrics, but there is no tailor in the castle." She spoke dryly and automatically, like a robot.

"Let me think and come in, please."

"Thank you," I bowed slightly and pushed Freya in. Tonight, I will really talk to her about her fears, I swore. "Please Freya, I need you."

Freya relaxed a little as we sat at a table drinking herbal tea. She dutifully explained my request but was still extremely reserved.

"Dear lady, as a man I could not offer you the service you requested. But may I suggest that you visit Dame Grendel." Even translating this, Freya turned pale again. "Who?" I asked, and to my shock, Freya just asked it out loud.

"Ah, yes," said Count Radel. "She is one of the oldest houses in Kren. Even my domain is technically part of her lands, although it is currently administered by the Baron of Karenland. But she is a nice old dame. And I think she would like a strong woman with an interesting history.

Poor Freya. "I'm very sorry to impose on you," I let her say, more for her sake than for mine.

"I would like to help. We can go over and see if she is busy. My dear lady, you are the most interesting person I have ever met in Krenburg. Healer Apprentice Freya, you are lucky to have travelled together". Freya even translated that, blushing and bowing. Count Radel had remembered her name. Somehow that eased her tension a little.

"Yes, go Dame Grendel," I said proudly, sure that I had not messed up the verbs this time.

"It's 'go to'," Freya said aloud before putting her hand over her mouth.

Count Radel just smiled. "I laud your tutor, Lady Kiara. Yes, let's pay her a visit."

* * *

Dame Grendel resided in the palace at the end of the last courtyard. So instead of turning right to the clerics, we went up the marble stairs to the entrance of the orange palace. The wooden door had a round glass window. And a doorbell, an iron rod. Count Radel made me ring it.

It was for show. We had been seen before, for the door opened a moment later.

Count Radel spoke, as he was the highest-ranking of us. "Count Radel of Karenburg and Lady Kiara of Earth would like an audience with Dame Grendel."

The servant bowed and pointed to the reception hall to the right of the entrance. Despite the warm weather and the open windows, a fire was burning in the fireplace. There was a vase of flowers on each of the three tables. We politely declined the offer of tea and cake. Although I would have been curious to see what fancy sweets they served here.

The reception hall had a fake window in the form of a mirror on the inside wall. I stepped in front of it and froze. Yes, it was somewhat my face. But those huge ears. I touched them in disbelief. They were like sails. I moved them as before and no. No matter if it felt natural. And then those big hands, bigger than my face. A wild, furry mane, more suited to a lion if not for the brown colour. A super wide nose, almost like a snout. As if someone had punched me in the face several times. Finally, my smile, the fangs! The yellow cat eyes did not help either. A hideous Kiara was staring back at me from the mirror.

My legs folded under me, my lower body collapsed on the floor, my upper half still upright, still staring at the hideous reflection. 'Within the human norm,' Freya had said. The only people who looked like that were either boxers working as bouncers or leading men in Beauty and the Beast. The male lead. "No!" I cried. Tears ran down my face.

I felt Freya's hand on my shoulder. "What happened?"

"Freya!" I croaked. "I'm a beast!"

She got down on her knees, blocking my view of the mirror, and hugged me. "No, you are my super-cute cat-squirrel Lady Kiara. Swifter than a horse, higher than a squirrel and prettier than a flower in the morning dew!"

"I'm so ugly," I cried, "don't lie!"

"You are not! You are the great Lady Kiara of Earth. You are better than a mere human. Come on, please stand up."

Count Radel came as close as he dared, obviously out of his depth in front of a crying lady.

Freya waved at him. "Please come, Count Radel, she has seen herself in a mirror for the first time." Freya took a deep breath. "Lady Kiara thinks she is an ugly beast!"

I sobbed louder again.

The count looked incredulously at me. "Never a mirror," he said but got serious and came over to me. "Lady Kiara, you are different. Neither a beast nor ugly, nobody thinks that. Give me your smile!" He stroked my back fur gently.

"No, I ugly beast. I not."

"Who is an ugly beast?" a new voice said. It had to be Dame Grendel.

Everyone bowed deeply, even I rose and bowed, tears still dripping from my face.

"What happened?" she asked.

Freya, yes, Freya replied, ignoring her fear of nobility. "Lady Kiara saw her face in a mirror for the first time since she came here."

Dame Grendel stood in front of me. "Make yourself comfortable dear!"

I understood without translation. Even if I didn't, the motherly undertone made the command clear. I looked at the smiling old lady. She handed me a handkerchief.

"I am sorry," I sniffed. "I not."

"My dear lady, if half of what I have heard about you were true, I would have a behemoth before me, a beast capable of crushing her foes and laughing on their graves." I shuddered at Freya's translation. "But I see a confused young lady here.

"Dame Grendel, sorry, I squirrel-cat beast," I bowed. "I speaking bad. Apprentice Healer Freya translating mindspeak. Freya speaking me." And bowed again.

"Yes, dear, I heard of it too." She looked at each of us. "Let us start again. Welcome to the palace. I am glad you found the time and courage to see me."

Oh, the word courage had the opposite effect on Freya. She stiffened again. "Count Radel, Lady Kiara and her entourage, please."

Freya needed a gentle nudge before she started to move. With each step, I was embarrassingly aware of the air moving around the tips of my oversized ears. Staring down at the huge paws treating the soft carpet did not help.

We walked three doors down the corridor to a smaller room with high windows facing outwards and no mirrors. Freya was trembling, I was in tears and Count Radel was likely having second thoughts about bringing us here.

Count Radel and Freya were seated side by side on a small bench opposite the windows. The dame led me into the middle of the room. I stood still, frozen like a frightened deer. She produced another handkerchief and wiped the tears from my face. Then she stroked my head hair. And then my ears. "They are very soft," she almost whispered. "A very nice feeling,' she whispered even more softly. Then she looked critically at my shirt. And went to stroke the fur on my back. My most reliable partner, it had not yet failed in its attraction. "So soft," she whispered. Finished with her inspection, she took a step back. "Dear lady, rest assured, I have witnessed worse."

"Dear dame, easy words, please."

Dame Grendel was not used to being interrupted and frowned. I smiled innocently, my second-best defence, and it worked.

"You have a lovely smile, dear." And then she frowned again. "But your shirt is in a sorry condition."

I bowed and walked back to Freya. She touched my tail and whispered to Count Radel. He finally spoke. "Dame Grendel, this is the reason for our visit. Lady Kiara has bought fabrics and would like a recommendation for a tailor."

I nodded, although I did not understand everything. "Yes, Dame Grendel. Only having one shirt."

"You only own one shirt?" Now Dame Grendel was on the verge of fainting. "You have not seen a mirror. You have only one shirt. And you are a lady?" She sat on a chair by a window. "That cannot be!"

Count Radel was also very uncomfortable with this. "She just arrived from the battlefield three days ago, and was promoted to Lady yesterday without"

"Count Radel, thank you." Of course, she knew.

I looked down. Being a lady had been fun so far. But this was getting ridiculous. I was not made to be a lady. I would rather sleep as a beast in the stable. I bowed. "I sorry for your time. I no lady good, I thinking me."

I bowed again and turned towards the door.

"Stop!" With a command like that, Dame Grendel could stop armies in their tracks. And make their generals apologise for the inconvenience. Poor frightened squirrel me was easy prey.

"You are a challenge. Come here."

I walked back to her as if on a leash. She gathered my torso again and then called out a name. A servant appeared and quickly disappeared after a few more words.

"Now for tea and cake!"

I was so close to saying 'Yes, Madam'.