The event of the Elven King and the King of Nordvek sitting in the same room sharing chit-chat was one of those improbable events presaging the end of the world as we know it, or at the very least, heralded a new age of history. Given the bitterness of the last war with the Green Elves, it was nothing short of a miracle. Uncle Sven and Storm Eagle had to pry Duke Valgard and Uncle Proud Elk apart before they ended up in a fistfight. That was a little tense, but when the two old warriors resisted words of tact, Father Garshom conjured a torrent of cold water to fall on both of them. They behaved after that. It took two days to dry out the carpets.

Then King Stephano made his peace with Storm Eagle.

"To be truthful," Stephano eyed the soaking-wet Proud Elk and Duke Valgard, "I can't decide whether to be angry with you. I was looking at my son Andray just now, and I can barely recognize him from the wreckage of the boy who barely survived that terrible fire. He's amazing, and most important, he looks like he's happy. Happiness is a rare commodity for a royal."

"Your boy is a good egg, Stephano," Storm Eagle stretched out his long legs. "Fuzzy rescued him from the men hired to murder him. My daughter found the two of them living in a cave at the base of the Great Escarpment. She brought them to Elvenhome, and I adopted your boy, so he would at least have a safe place to grow up. I'm not going to apologize for snatching your heir. He wasn't able to defend himself when he was twelve. Now at sixteen, he could easily take out a small army on his own. What I don't understand is why you didn't have him trained as a mage. It would have been a good move for a Crown Prince with just one leg."

"Ah, that," Stephano shook his head. "Well, it's too late now because he is a mage. The prophecy that the Hermitess of the Shrine at Zill proclaimed at Andray's birth came to pass despite our trying to prevent it."

"There was a prophecy, and you tried to stop destiny from happening?" Storm Eagle gave Stephano a look of disbelief. "You know that never works."

Stephano sighed, "Yeah, I should have known better."

The pause of silence that followed eventually eroded Storm Eagle's patience, "Well, out with it, you miserable round ear of a ruler. What was the prophecy?"

Stephano grinned at his little victory, and then his face grew grim. "At Andray's birth, the Hermitess said that Andray would be a great mage; however, half of the royal women of Nordvek would perish, a quarter would come to a bad end, and the remainder would face a terrible grief."

"Ouch," Storm Eagle looked at Stephano with sympathy.

"I know," Stephano sighed. "My beloved Eleanor died of the Sweating Fever. My eldest child Sophie died protecting Andray from the fire that killed her. My sweet Griselda, who I thought would mend the hole in my heart and be a good mother to my two orphaned children, fooled me down to my toes with a vile betrayal. And my youngest daughter has lived a nightmare under Griselda's damaging care and now must watch her mother be condemned for treason."

"So you thought that if you kept Andray away from magic, you could duck the foretold fate," Storm Eagle just shook his head. "Prophesies are terrible things, Stephano, and you can't outrun the real ones."

I had been lying on the floor all this time, so tired I didn't even want to go up the stairs. I think I was waiting for Owl to come and take me to wherever my boy was sleeping. I knew Cat would say something about it, and Owl would come and get me. In the meanwhile, I was content to eavesdrop. I found the whole prophecy thing fascinating, and it answered the questions I had after hearing Duke Sven mention it back when we were traveling to Whiffleblatt together.

"Are you asleep, Fuzzy?" Storm Eagle asked. I heard people walk into the room. I hoped Owl was one of them.

*Yes, I am definitely asleep.*

"Hungry at all?"

*How could I possibly be hungry if I'm asleep, silly Elf King?*

"I'm so sorry, Aisha," Storm Eagle said. "It looks like you brought those cubes of raw venison in vain. Fuzzy says she's asleep."

"After all the trouble that Deer Foot and I went through to find venison this early in the day," the voice of Aisha, with her exotic accent, sighed. "Well, Mother Deer Foot, what should we do so the venison won't go to waste? I suppose we could donate the meat to the hospital run by the Order of Matadee's Hands."

I'm not sure how it happened since I was officially asleep, but I found myself in front of Suhkeena Aisha with my mouth wide open.

"I thought you were asleep, Fuzzy? Aisha smiled. She wasn't like Cat Rider with her smiles. Aisha's smiles conveyed intrigue and hints of dark conspiracies, secret trysts between forbidden lovers, and wild adventures in stunning but deadly locales.

*I am asleep,* I assured her. *The smell of meat triggers my bad habit of sleepwalking. You can only cure it by feeding me venison.* I opened my mouth wider, hoping for some of that meat.

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I woke to the sound of the 9 a.m. tolling of the great bell at the temple, followed by the carillon playing Princess Sophie's favorite carillon song, "I have lost my way without you."

It was a lovely tune played on the tuned bells of the carillon with that persistent tolling of the low D twice a measure adding a bittersweet touch of longing. I wondered what she had been like and not for the first time. Cat seldom spoke about her because it made him depressed. He must have loved her very much.

Cat left the guest room we shared and didn’t wake me. He did that sometimes when he thought I needed the rest. He forgets how much stamina I have. He wasn't around to put the riding pad back on me, so I grabbed it and headed downstairs to find someone to help me put it on. It wasn't the sort of day to go out into a human city without some sign that I was part of society and not some random wild animal.

I found Proud Elk talking with King Stephano in that first sitting room on the ground floor we used last night. Other than those two, there was only a door attendant, and the rest of the Bishop's Palace appeared empty. I guessed the staff had been sent to help with the rescue efforts.

The King looked all dressed up with nowhere to go. The sapphire blue full-length houppelande hid how thin he was right now. He had an old-fashioned brimmed cap on his head of grey velvet.

Proud Elk contrasted with the King with his everyday green deerskin tunic. The older elf had a lovely black eye in the early stages of darkening, suggesting there was possibly a good tale behind the shiner. I padded up to him and placed the riding pad on his lap.

*Please, Uncle Proud Elk?* I remained standing so he could get the straps arranged. *Do you know where my boy went?*

"He was down about half an hour ago," the old elf started fussing with the straps. "He said he couldn't sleep, so he went to help search for fire survivors."

"Now I feel twice as bad for not being out there," Stephano sighed.

I looked at the King with my magic eye. He has neither strength nor stamina left in him.

*You should be resting. You have yet to recover your health. Dawn wasn't that long ago. You should still be in bed. You can't have slept at all. It's only nine.*

"I'm their King, Lady Fuzzy. Even as little as being seen can be an encouragement. I should be out there," he frowned and looked at the carpet. "Also, I just spent the last four years as a captive in my own bedroom. Do you think I want to go back to bed right now with my Queen under arrest and my palace a ruin?"

*Then follow me out to the square and be seen. If you're too unsteady to walk that far, borrow my back, and I can take you there. Uncle, could you follow with a chair for the King?*

"Storm Eagle assigned me to keep an eye on him, so of course, I will." Proud Elk finished the last buckle on the riding pad and stood up. "Let me get a skin of something to drink first, and I'll be right back." He left for the innards of the Bishop's Palace in his long-legged stride.

I instructed the King on how to get on the riding pad and arrange the stirrup strap, which was a little short for him, but he managed. By then, Proud Elk was back with two wine skins and two wooden cups. The three of us strolled out into the square to see the effort to find survivors.

Cat was in the middle of it, though I was happy to see he was planted in a chair at a small table, using the scrying crystal. He was in the yellow doublet he wore last night. The houppelande was missing. Instead, he was wearing one of Willam's green army tabards with the three grapevines of Nordvek embroidered in yellow. Willam stood behind him with an identical tabard, notebook, and pencil.

A second table was set up about ten yards away, which was a nexus of movement. At the center of it was the Sahkeena, in a plain grey work dress and full apron. She was wearing that funny conical hat with the multitude of veils hanging off it. In her shadow was a stodgy looking older-woman attendant in Zimlakan dress and an equal number of veils. The woman had the sort of face that discouraged inappropriate suitors. Next to her was a Zimlakan soldier bodyguard. The wraps of white cloth that made up the man's onion hat were trimmed with cloth of gold.

Sahkeena Aisha appeared to be directing logistics for activity on the square. As we approached, Cat had dictated something to Willam. Willam took the information to Aisha. Aisha studied and then directed people to form a party. She sent to the ruin of the north half of the palace. What had looked like a crowd milling around were groups of different specialty workers waiting to be deployed: a handful of mages to help excavate and rescue, guardsmen, and volunteers as labor, clergy, and volunteers to handle post-rescue tasks like providing shelter and food.

Proud Elk put the King’s chair next to Cat, who was resting upright in his chair with his eyes closed.

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Willam made a deep and prompt bow, "My Lord Father." He straightened up and fixed a dubious eye on Stephano, "Are you feeling well enough to be out of bed, Father?"

Cat was out of his chair before the King could stop him, an action he started too late to stop his oldest son. Cat made his own deep bow, "Good morning, my Lord Father. Are you feeling any better?"

"You don't have to get up, Andray," Stephano was visibly disturbed. "Take care of your leg first."

My boy took out the smile and used it on his father, "It’s fine, Father. It's a perfectly good leg and strong since it has to do the work of two. May I please have your leave to sit back down?"

Stephano was gaping. Then he collected himself, "Please be seated, and for the record, you do not need to ask me for leave to sit ever again."

The smile got more sincere, "But I will, you know. Doing all the etiquette motions I can is important. It’s just a leg I’m missing, not my heart, nor my will, nor my respect for you, nor all the things I can do with just the way I am."

That little speech left the King speechless.

Cat sat down and studied his father, "You saw the me that I was six years ago, half-blind, with burns that became scars, unable to walk or use my left arm. Of course, you saw everything I could never be and could never do. You saw me as someone diminished, and you grieved for what I had lost."

"Yes, I have some significant limitations, but that's all they are to me. Everyone has limitations, but people everywhere get by because of what they can do, and they work around the things they can't do." Cat tilted his head and studied his gobsmacked father, "Might not be a bad idea to stop gaping, Dad, because there are certainly a fair number of flies out, and one might find you."

Cat changed his focus to me, "I thought you'd sleep all morning. Can you take over the scrying for people in the rubble who are still alive? I can feel survivors are still in there, but I could use a little breather."

*You need to ask, boy, who should still be in bed?*

"Sorry, Fuzzy. I kept thinking of all the people who might still be in the wreckage while I was comfortable in my bed, and it kept me from sleeping."

There wasn’t much I could say in reply to that. I just nuzzled my snout against his arm and purred at him.

That first day after the fire was when everything pivoted for my boy, King Stephano, Father Garshom, and many others. By the end of the day, Andray's place in the world was set if he wanted to be the King or if he wanted to walk away from that role.

Sitting King Stephano down at the table next to Andray and Willam was one of those tiny acts of serendipity that brought an avalanche of rewards. The guild masters of the tailors, mercers, and carters were some of those who visited the command nexus for the rescue effort at the palace and temple. Those three came to offer whatever support they could provide, talking their way through the perimeter of guards to keep the spectators from getting in the way.

Once through the perimeter, they saw their King sitting with both of his sons. After they paid their homage to their King, they met and were able to observe my boy as he used his formidable skills as a mage to find survivors in the ruins of the palace and to guide the rescuers to the right places. They also saw how well Willam and my boy got along, and they observed Willam’s protectiveness and admiration for his older sibling.

It was soon all over the city that the King was alive and well enough to observe the rescue efforts along with both his sons, who were actively involved in finding survivors of the fire. Soon after the three guild masters departed, a growing stream of Tammerhof dignitaries found their way to the square to greet their King and meet the missing Crown Prince.

I gained my own appreciation of how Stephano’s presence made a difference. As soon as he sat down, all the guards, temple personnel, and volunteers were catalyzed onto a higher plain of purpose and morale. Their King, who was obviously still not well, was there to bless their efforts with his attendance and attention. He could have stayed in bed, but instead, he left his sick room to encourage them.

By the simple act of sitting in the square that day, everyone knew that their exertions were valued by the highest in the land. No contribution was too small to be ignored by Stephano. I could see that from the smile and the thanks he gave to the little boy who volunteered to carry food and drink to the rescue workers when that child brought the King some water. I observed the approval and appraisal in Cat’s eyes as he absorbed that lesson from his father.

Of the many introductions, the hardest one came in the middle of the afternoon. Countess Estella de Teep arrived with Princess Aricia. The Countess had lost her hearing from the explosion. The healer she saw at the hospital run by the Hands of Matadee assured her that her ears would heal and her hearing would return soon, but for now, she had a pad of paper and pencils so people could write down what they wanted to say to her.

Aricia was clearly attached to the Countess and shyly hid, partially obscured by the Countess’s skirts. At twelve, she shared the Nordvek family's inclination toward being tall. She was already almost as tall as Cat. I didn't miss Cat's sigh of resignation when he realized his little sister would be much taller than he was.

She was shy when greeting her father and kept stealing glances at this older brother she barely remembered. Her first greeting with Cat was awkward, and the conversation stalled immediately about the ritual exchange of "I am well – how are you?"

Then Cat grinned, "Aricia, there’s someone I want you to meet." That actually got me to sit up.

"Yes," she said with some worry creeping into her voice. "And who might that be?"

"Get up, lazy cat," he applied the toe of his boot to my behind where I had laid down for a nap. "Say hello to my sister, Aricia."

I got up slowly and poked the back of her hand with my wet nose, *Hello, Aricia. I’m Fuzzy.* She gasped, and her face went pale.

*I'm quite harmless, but I could be dangerous if you neglect to scratch between my ears or under my chin. Blackmail is acceptable so long as I'm the recipient.* I rubbed my nose along her skirt and purred. I made sure to lean.

"You can talk?" The way she put both hands on her cheeks in astonishment was adorable.

"Lady Fuzzy is a spirit beast, Aricia," King Stephano broke into the conversation, seeing how difficult it was for his daughter. "She goes wherever your brother Andray goes. She's the first spirit beast to appear in Nordvek in over five hundred years."

"Are you my brother's pet?" she asked, clueless about my dislike of being mistaken for a pet.

*No, Andray is my pet. One day, I found him in the forest and took him home with me.* I gave Cat a dubious look. *He takes a lot of work to keep fed and out of trouble.*

"Seriously?" she gave me a look that said she knew I was trying to trick her.

*Well, I did find him in my forest, and I did take him home with me, but it was the Green Elves who offered us some shelter over the winter, and after that, we stayed, especially since they offered to teach your brother and me how to do magic.*

"Magic," she frowned in disapproval. "I don’t think mages are very good people."

"Oh dear," Cat remarked, "that could be a problem since we are both mages. We'll have to move back in with the elves, Fuzzy, when we're done here."

"Wait," she gave Cat a long disbelieving look, "were you serious about living with elves?"

"Aricia," Cat looked disappointed at her doubt, "I lived with elves long enough that I even talk like one."

"So that’s why you talk funny," she accused.

"Now, I would say that your brother talks like any other elf, and you're the one who talks funny," Roaming Wren remarked, walking up behind her. Wren looked the part of a Greenwood elf in her elkskin tunic and deer skin hosen. She was two heads taller than Aricia.

"My brother is not an elf, and I don't talk funny," Aricia bristled a little. "Why are all the elves wearing cat masks?"

"Because of your brother," Wren smiled. "He's part of my adventuring group, and we decided that because he wears a mask, we would all wear masks while outside of the Greenwood. And your brother is legally an elf. The Elf King officially adopted him. That makes him my brother, too, because I'm the Elf King’s youngest daughter."

"My brother went adventuring with you? Really?" Aricia showed some genuine interest. "That sounds like so much fun, getting to travel for two whole years and go wherever you want. Oh, I'm jealous."

"It is quite dangerous," Wren looked stern. "Most elvish adventuring parties take work as caravan guards or armed escorts. My brother's party died in an attack, all except for him, and he was left for dead. Our party decided to join the hunting guild instead because that's where your brother's talents are best aligned. Even so, Fuzzy was badly hurt on our first hunting job, and your brother missed being killed by a wyvern only because your brother Willam pushed him out of the way in time.

Aricia turned admiring eyes on Willam, who blushed under the scrutiny. "Seconds later," Willam shifted from one foot to another, "Andray pulled me out of the way of the same wyvern and then killed it."

Aricia turned now-admiring eyes to Cat, "You killed a wyvern?"

My boy nodded modestly, "Yes, it was the second wyvern I killed. I invented a spell that works on wyverns and would probably work on any of the great monsters, but the cost of casting it is prohibitive. I don’t want to cast it ever again."

"You’ve killed two wyverns?" Stephano’s shock was written all over his face.

"Willam’s ballistae have taken down four," Cat pointed out to his father.

The rumor that the crippled Crown Prince was a mage and a successful wyvern hunter was all over the city within hours.

"Well, it’s a good thing you’re home now and don’t need to pursue such dangerous endeavors anymore," Stephano remarked, looking impressed with his oldest son and also relieved.

"Father," Cat said in a quiet voice, "I want to finish my two years of adventuring with the Black Cat Hunting Party. It’s important to me."

"I want to go too," Willam interjected, looking hopeful.

"You can’t, Willam," Cat apologized. "You’re not legally an elf."

"Neither of you is going anywhere," King Stephano declared. "We have much to do here, and I will need you both to help. If you're done searching for survivors, why don't you start by telling me why elves and Zimlakan soldiers are in my capital?"

The next two weeks were chaotic. So many things changed. Father Garshom regained his seat as Bishop of Tammerhof. The former bishop, Geralt de Ramnerburg, died of pneumonia on his naked and barefoot walk back to Nordvek. Blue Fox became officially engaged to Sahkeena Aisha but would finish his second year of adventuring with the Black Cat Hunters. The King divorced Queen Griselda and put her under house arrest, but her fate was left up in the air due to diplomatic maneuvering by Osterius. The goblins negotiated a new trade treaty with Nordvek. Zimlakuliku and Nordvek agreed to build a canal together to create a navigable water route between the four kingdoms along the Green River.

Poor Willam discovered that under Elven law, he was legally considered a "far brother" of Wren's since Wren and Cat were siblings by adoption. Despite the lack of a blood tie, he was a close relative of Wren's from an elf's point of view and was barred from ever marrying her.

When all the foreign types returned home, and matters calmed down in Tammerhof, Cat and I took a stroll around the square one evening until we came upon the rolled-up flying carpet. I didn't ask Cat why we were walking while he carried his backpack with his hunting gear. After I unrolled the carpet, we were off. It took Cat an hour to locate the rest of our hunting group. Cat assured me he left his human father a note.

I did not argue with him over running off to finish his adventure. I believe he needed to do this so he could move on from this portion of his life. Cat did not like to leave things uncompleted. It was against his nature. He always finished what he started. He started his two-year adventure, and he would finish it too. He also needed more time to say goodbye to his elven family, who saved him when he most needed it.

He would not leave his elven family behind. He now had a flying carpet and could visit Elvenhome in less than two hours. I'm sure that is why Storm Eagle had given Cat the carpet, so he could stay in touch with this boy who became part of his family.

As for me, I was content. I had the three things in life that I needed: good food, a warm, dry place to sleep, and my boy to keep me company.