I’d never ridden on a dragon before, though I was glad Lars wasn’t a fellwyrm anymore. The now-smooth scales were far more pleasant than his old barbed spines.
“Hey!” the king cait sidhe called out to us. “Where do mew think you’re going?!”
The cait sidhe horde realized they were outclassed at the sight of Lars, scattering and fleeing. Plum hissed at them, urging them to keep their formation, but to no avail. Those who attempted to flee down crowded alleyways found their paths cut off by town guards.
We stopped to hover beside the colossal cat.
“Plum! Stop and listen to us!” I shouted.
“Please, Lord Plum!” Elizabeth pleaded.
The fur on Plum’s back rose confrontationally. “Nyah? Is that mew, pretty-boy prince?! And you, princess, why are you so white and glittery nyow?! This has nyothing to do with either of mew!”
“Of course it does!” I shouted back. “You came on my wedding day—no, this is my kingdom, that’s why! It’s my solemn duty to protect the citizenry and safeguard them from misery. That I swear on my name as crown prince and future king of Urhalla!”
If I didn’t do as much, Elizabeth would be miserable—and that would break my heart in turn.
“That’s why everything in this kingdom is my business!” I continued. “You won’t lay one paw on all the lovely people gathered here to celebrate us! Rather—I believe I can relieve your misery as well.”
“My meowsery?”
I nodded. “Mother sealed you away all those years ago so you might live.”
The King Cait Sidhe’s eyes flew open in shock.
Judging from what Mother said, its summoner had ordered it to kill her and Ricardo. That’s why she sealed it away, trapped and drained, until the geas compelling it faded. It would have been far easier to slay the monster, but she couldn’t bring herself to do such a thing.
“Go to Mother! Talk to her, and—”
“Oh, enough out of mew!!”
Plum’s massive purple body quivered, and I saw something in its eyes that spoke to me on a deeply personal level—a deep, desperate loneliness. It let out a low growl, unsheathing its massive claws. Lightning several times that of what we’d seen before sparked between the points like great electrical coils.
“GWEAAAAAAAAAARGH!!”
Lars let out a war cry and released a mighty fireball at the feline. The two magics clashed explosively, the gale-force wind from it sending every window in the street rattling in its frames. I wrapped my arms tightly around Elizabeth to ensure she wouldn’t fall.
“Are you all right?!” I shouted to her over the din.
She nodded, hand on her veil so it wouldn’t fly away. “Y-Yes, I believe so… The barrier you raised seems to be shielding us from the worst.”
Elizabeth seemed at relative ease despite the discomfort of the ride. That was Mother’s teachings at work—she believed that elegant posture came from core body strength.
“Just admit it, Plum!” I called.
“Enyough! Outta my way!!”
It released another crackling electrical attack, and Lars dodged the lethal claws by a mere hair’s breadth. The discharged lightning arced past us with the brilliance of a second sun, colliding with Mother’s barrier surrounding the palace. This time, however, the blow was enough to destroy the barrier entirely, leaving it defenseless.
Plum’s golden eyes gleamed. “Mariabel… I hate mew, Mariabel!!”
The feline unleashed a second burst of electricity indiscriminately in all directions. The bolts scorched the buildings and mansion rooftops all around us, and though Elizabeth’s water magic prevented any harm to the civilians at the titan’s feet, it was only a matter of time.
“Wait!” I shouted.
“Lord Plum, you mustn’t!” Elizabeth leaned closer to Lars. “Lord Lars, please take us closer to it!”
Lars flapped his mighty wings, drawing even closer to our opponent. As more lightning collided with my barrier, however, it cracked until it shattered altogether.
“Look out!” I shouted as a stray arc of lightning left a long, straggling char mark across Elizabeth’s veil.
She barely flinched, her gaze never drifting from Plum’s face.
“Lord Plum! Look at this!”
In her hand was the last thing I would’ve expected—a child’s picture book. The world seemed to hold its breath for a long moment.
Plum and I read the title aloud in unison. “Phantom Thief Mewlman…?”
I had to twist around a bit to see it, but there was no mistaking the book from Mother’s boutique.
“Her Majesty drew this in your image,” Elizabeth explained. “This cat is you.”
“Me?” Plum leaned in more closely, studying the cover carefully.
“Why do you have that with you?” I asked her confusedly.
“I hid it in Lord Lars’ basket. I was planning on showing Lord Plum in the event he came to our wedding.”
He wasn’t exactly there as a guest, but I was glad she had the foresight to pack the book. He’d stopped his assault for the moment, at least.
“Her Majesty made this when we were still children,” my bride explained. “She never forgot about you, not for an instant. I’ve no doubt she intended to befriend you as soon as you broke free of your seal.”
“Really? Are mew sure?”
Its wet nose twitched, and the fur on the back of its neck began to lower. Elizabeth flipped the book open, turning to the page where Mewlman returned to its life as a simple cait sidhe and curled up on its mistress’ lap.
“But I’ve returned to mewtilate Mariabel!” Plum protested. “Even she—”
“Mother has no desire to fight you now,” I asserted. “She claimed she forgot to strengthen your seal, but she would never make such a mistake, and that still wouldn’t account for the other circumstances. Mother knew I would run afoul of you.”
The present danger to the guests and townsfolk had to be unintentional, granted, but even then, she had the strength to shield the innocents from harm should the need arise. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’d already erected barriers—and as my gaze dropped to the ground, I saw the shimmering gleam of magical shields on either side of the main street.
Plum’s tail hooked in the air, whiskers bristling curiously. “That’s Mariabel’s meowna!”
So she’s helping us after all!
With the barriers in place, there was no danger of the cait sidhe harming the gathered crowds. The peasants, meanwhile, cheered and applauded what might’ve been the first display of magic they’d ever seen. Plum’s eyes scanned each happy face in the crowd in turn.
I turned back to the cat. “See? Nobody’s afraid of you.”
“Her Majesty values you dearly,” Elizabeth added.
“Mariabel… likes meow?”
I nodded. “Our being here is proof of that. If she truly saw you as a threat, she’d have ridden out and eliminated you long before I could do a thing.”
“M-Mew…”
Plum’s ears drooped, and the maelstrom of magic whipping about it died down. It finally seemed calm—more likely out of fear of Mother than genuine understanding, but results were results. Its purple fur faded into a calming blue as tears welled in its great, slitted eyes.
“B-But Mariabel never told meow,” it pouted. “What does she want from meow? Why’d she let meow come back at all?”
The tension left my shoulders as I realized it was being earnest. I couldn’t bring myself to hate Plum despite the hell it had put me through because we held the same fear. We were both terrified of not being accepted by the one we loved.