GT Chapter Sixteen

While traveling, my choices were generally spur of the moment, or driven by little more than boredom and idle curiosity. It took me years to realize that in spite of all my adventures, I was still running away from home.

-Lady Chatterwick’s Journey

“What?” Maria sat down in the dirt abruptly, so shocked that already weak legs gave out. “I can’t… That’s not… I mean, my mother is allergic to cats.” It was true, but absolutely the lamest excuse she could possibly have thought of.

Griselda snorted. “As you say. Nonetheless, the answer to your predicament lies in your own home.” She licked the back of a paw, and stroked her whiskers. “Did Petunia tell you that the Felis court and your human court have long been, if not allies, at least friendly neighbors?”

Maria blinked, startled by both the information and the abrupt change of topic. She glanced behind her at her fuzzy friend, who was still cowering in the dirt, though she now had both paws over her nose and eyes. “I- No?”

Griselda managed a credible eye roll for an adult and stood, tail curling back and forth in slow, graceful S-shapes that made Maria’s kitten instincts itch to launch herself at it and bite. She pulled herself back with an effort, and met Griselda’s amused blue eyes.

Clenching her teeth, Maria managed to clarify. “No. She said her Grimalkin sent her there to spy on the royal family.”

The dark tail tip twitched in clear annoyance. “Well, that is one way of looking at it, I suppose. I won’t explain, as that is not yet your business, but I will say that the two families are close enough that when your mother and father married, the court of Felis sent a rather remarkable wedding gift.”

Apparently having decided that Tia was already sufficiently repentant, Griselda sat down in her spot again. “In the queen’s changing room, there is a mirror. Have you seen it?”

Maria blinked. Of course she’d seen it. It was the only dark thing in her mother’s personal space. Standing at an imposing six and a half feet tall, it was made of  ebony, with so many layers of intricately carved animals playing and fighting all over it that a young Maria had spent hours staring at it, while the queen tried on gown after gown. As she grew older, Maria had wondered that the thing was allowed to remain, since it was so utterly different from her mother’s usual delicate, golden aesthetic.

“I see you have,” the cat’s voice was dry. “That mirror is magical. When you look into it, it will help you see the truest essence of yourself. I am certain that if you and young Petunia both look into it at once, it will enable you to see the truth, and return to yourself.

“Now,” Griselda stood, and this time walked purposefully away from the two kittens. “Begone with you both. Petunia, you are not welcome in the court of Felis until you can walk in on two feet. Maria, this place is not for you. At least, not yet.” With that cryptic pronouncement, the elegant feline stalked into the darkness, vanishing as suddenly as she had appeared.

Silence stretched, until finally Tia’s paws slid apart and a single yellow eye peeked from between them. She whispered, “Is she gone?”

All of Maria’s breath left her in a huff, and she abruptly realized she had been holding it so long that black spots now danced in her vision. “Yes. I think. Who was that?” She seemed awfully knowledgeable for a guard.”

Tia gave her a strange look as she shakily climbed to her paws. “Couldn’t you tell? That was the Grimalkin.”

“What?” Maria plopped down in the dust. All she could think was that she had just been terribly, terribly rude to a head of state, and her father would never forgive her. “But, she… I thought… What was she doing here?”

Heaving a sigh, Tia began grooming the long fur of her sides. “At a guess, Tosep sent Tobias home when we disappeared. Search parties have probably been out looking for us ever since, and the Grimalkin has never been one to wait at home when there were things to be done.”

Maria was aghast. “Why didn’t you tell me that was likely to happen?”

Tia gave a very feline shrug. “I didn’t know for sure. Still don’t, really, but Tosep never does anything without informing the Grimalkin, so I’m sure he let her know we were missing somehow. It doesn’t really matter. Nothing matters, now.” She sounded glum, and her tail hung low behind her as she made her way to the little hollow they’d chosen to sleep in for the night.

Gone was the suppressed excitement that had buoyed their spirits as they realized they had nearly reached their goal. No, now they had to figure out how to go all the way back to their starting place. A low growl startled Maria, until she realized it was coming from her own throat. Tia was staring at her, yellow eyes wary.

“Argh! I just wish… I wish we’d known the mirror was the key! I mean, Mother’s dressing room is only a few minutes from where we met. I could have been human again before tea was over, and no one would ever even have known all this happened!” Maria’s claws flexed in the dirt involuntarily, and she glared down at them.

It took Tia a long time to answer, and when she did, her voice was sad. “I’m sorry, Maria. This is all my fault. If I hadn’t bitten you, you’d be in no worse trouble than skipping yet another one of your family functions. You certainly wouldn’t have been chased, trapped, drowned, and nearly died.”

Maria shook her head before making her unsteady way over to where Tia sat, hunched over with her tail tucked low. She licked her friend, tasting dust and fur, and wondered how it was that she no longer found this action strange or disgusting. “But I wouldn’t have met you, either. It would have been just another day of reading about adventure, while knowing that I would probably never have one of my own. And,” she hesitated before continuing softly, “I wouldn’t have known that my mother understands me far better than she lets on. And loves me anyway.”

Tia returned the lick, and leaned against Maria’s side. “She does. I don’t know why she doesn’t just tell you that it’s all right if you’re not like the others, but she really does love you.”

Tilting her head against her friend’s furry shoulder, Maria began to purr softly. “I’m sure your parents do, too. I think… I think maybe parents understand more than we think they do. I just wish they’d realize we aren’t little kids any more and talk to us.”

Tia nodded, and both kittens drifted to sleep, each thinking their own thoughts, together.

When Maria woke, it was to find that Tia was already up. She was in her human shape, wearing the improvised dress Marfa had made for her. When she saw that Maria was awake, she forced a smile, but she still looked tired and unhappy.

Maria stood, stretching, and was glad to discover that her body felt almost normal again. She was excited to get on the way, too, though she could tell by the longing glances Tia sent downstream that the other girl didn’t feel the same way.

“I’m sorry you won’t get to see your family,” Maria said, softly. “We can catch the coach back in Minitaw, though, and we know the hike isn’t too hard, though there’ll be more uphills on the way back. You’ll be back here in less than a week, which is shorter than you’d expected to be gone, right?”

Tia sniffed. “I know. I had just finally worked up the courage to tell my family, and now the Grimalkin wants me to walk into the court itself. Looking like this!” She wailed, tugging at her furry ears as her tail thrashed agitatedly behind her. “I’ll never be able to go home, now!”

Maria wound her body around and between her friend’s ankles, and Tia scooped her up, pressing her moist face into Maria’s fur. Maria squirmed, but forced herself to relax, purring gently. “It’ll be all right,” Maria said. “Do you… want me to come with you?”

Tia’s head popped up, and she blinked her eyes, startled. “What?”

“Do you want me to come with you? I mean, my mother and I, we,” Maria swallowed hard, feeling some of the fear that must be squeezing Tia’s heart, “need to talk. I don’t know what she’ll say, but I do know I don’t want to live like I have been. I don’t want to wear fancy dresses and go to parties where I barely know anyone. I don’t want to wear shoes that pinch my feet, and eat tiny canapes that look like flowers and taste like wood. I want to go somewhere!”

Her toes kneaded Tia’s arm agitatedly. “So I’ll tell her I want to go with you! If our courts have such a good relationship,” even though my parents have never mentioned anything about it before, she thought, “then surely she won’t mind if I come to visit. I’ll just come with you! That’ll give everyone something else to talk about, right?”

A smile broke through the clouds of Tia’s expression. “Yes. Okay. Would you really?”

Maria grinned, though the expression felt strange on a cat’s face. “Of course I will. It’ll give Mother some time to cool off, and I’ll be doing a proper princessly royal visit. I think it’s a perfect solution!”

Tia nodded, looking down at Maria with a huge smile. She leaned down and licked Maria’s head. “It’s a deal!” Then she made a face. “Ugh, why do you taste so bad?”

Maria laughed.