Chapter Text
Shifters come in every breed imaginable and from many different species. There are big cats and domestic cats. There are Lions, Lynx, and Tigers. There are Siamese, Maine Coons, and Burmese cats. Just as there are many races and cultures, there were many species of Shifter in Eleron.
But for some...there was a certain prejudice against certain species and breeds. For starters, there was a great mistrust for the so-called ‘wildcats’ of the species. It was a great divide between the domesticated breeds vs. the non-domesticated wild and big cat breeds.
The idea was that domesticated breeds were- by their very nature more suited to a ‘domesticated’ society, which was the highest form of civil society.
While wildcats and the big cat breeds were deemed unfit for ‘pleasant’ society, some believed that they tended to be extremely vicious and naturally more predatory than their domestic counterparts. That there was something innate about them that made them more inclined to their ‘natural instincts.’
It was changing in some parts of Eleron- sometimes by huge social and political upheaval. Some of that change had come after violent wars that upended the social order so that more equally built kingdoms could be built.
Although some thought these great changes were bad, and fear of social change had led to even harsher and stricter prejudice in some places.
Other kingdoms sought a peaceful solution, they listened to their wildcats population, and more liberal policies were introduced to integrate them into society more equally. So to avoid the path to war and social strife.
And yet, in other places, things hadn’t changed at all...
Many things have been said about the great Kingdom of Valencay. It was one of the oldest Shifter Kingdoms in all of Eleron.
But what most people understood about the Kingdom of Valencay was that there was no other kingdom quite like it. The Valencians lived in a world of their own. A sort of bubble compared to the rest of the world. Where everything was refined and grand, this corner of the world was teeming with scholars, merchants, and the best of the noble families. They often boasted of their great accomplishments in the arts and in academia.
But other things were quite clear about Valencay. Only certain people could be real Valencians, and everyone else was just pretending to be.
The social order was stringent here. Social mobility was low and outsiders were not welcomed. Wildcats were looked down upon, and even certain breeds of domesticated cats had some people turning their noses up.
True Valencians were the purest of purebreds.
Your designation of Alpha, Beta, or Omega could also determine your stature. Although there were fewer inequities when it came to what your secondary gender was. Alphas were looked upon as leaders and were afforded a few more privileges than the rest. While Omegas were seen as important to family life and held special roles when it came to breeding and the importance of keeping your bloodline pure.
Although, your secondary gender was not as important. In Valencay, your bloodline and the circumstances of your birth were more important and determined where you would fit into society. Not just anyone could be a true citizen of Valencay, after all.
And at the top of that social hierarchy was the beloved Royal family. The Takaba’s were one of the oldest and most well-respected Royal families in Eleron.
They were a Royal family in a Kingdom, untouched by the strife and war that had toppled kingdoms in recent history. And it was lucky for that because their people were unaccustomed to real war or strife. Although it was looking like that might change…and very soon even.
The Takaba’s bloodline could be traced for generations, and they took their bloodline very, very seriously. They were bred for perfection. Their beauty and grace were renowned across all of Eleron. The King and his Queen had been blessed with 9 princes and princesses.
The entirety of the family was praised highly in their kingdom. Their accomplishments were often celebrated in the capital. Most were adults now. A few of the older ones were even married and settled with children of their own.
The Royal family was the picturesque image of the perfect and beautiful, happy family. All with their own talents and special interests.
That is… all except…one.
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It was clear in the early days of his birth that he was not like the others in the litter. The last one born, the youngest and tiniest of the Royal family.
The runt of the litter.
All the others in the family, had the trademark Takaba golden coat- that was the pride of the Takaba family. But his was a decidedly paler - more cream-color than anything else.
They named him Akihito for his ‘brighter’ coat. A rather sweet and enduring name for the tiny, sickly Omega kitten.
Shifters retain their cat form in their first two years of life. It’s not until they are about two or three years of age that they can transform into their half-way forms, and then when they are about 12-14, they can transform to full-fledged humans. They go into their first heat or rut when they are 16-17 years old.
In those first two years of their life, health problems can persist, and they are most susceptible to problems. Their bodies in cat form are quite delicate, and kittens of that age can not produce heat independently.
But through it all, the little runt somehow managed to persistently stay alive against stacking odds.
The woman known as his mother was a Queen, so feeding or even caring for her kittens was not part of her duties anyway. Such work was handed to others, a fledge of nursemaids and governess who were in charge of the Royal Kittens. But it was clear that the little runt was treated worlds different than the others.
Instinctively, cat mothers know which of their kittens is the weakest. It's an old instinct, one where survival was the only objective. One weak, and sickly kitten could bring the whole litter down. So cat mothers tend to reject kittens in the early weeks after pregnancy if their goal is to survive.
But leaving a kitten to die in a civilized society was frowned upon. And so nothing was done officially. But in the weeks that followed his birth, it would soon become abundantly clear what they all thought of him. As if he was a blight to their very existence.
In the early days, bullying was very common. All the kittens of the litter were put together, and they’d all clamor up on top of him. Some of the older kittens were especially cruel, biting and stepping on him. The little kitten never seemed to be aware of their cruelty and always seemed to think they were just playing.
During feeding time, they’d all make sure there was no room for him while they lined up for their suckling feedings. And if he tried to get in on the feeding, they’d dive on top of him so that he’d get stuck underneath them. He’d miss a feeding or two because of that.
He was still of royal blood, so he was cared for by the many nursemaids who looked after all the Royal kittens. He’d receive supplemental feedings from elsewhere. And it was soon decided, it would be better if he was separated from the others for his own health.
By two years old, when all his other brothers and sister had transformed into their halfway form, he had not. And by three when he hadn’t either, it was more or less declared that he must have some sort of deformity that prevented him from fully transforming. He eventually transformed before his fourth birthday.
But by then, there was a gap in the education department. He was simply thrown in with the others his age despite the gap, and it likely only aided in widening it.
Akihito was always a very social boy from the beginning. And while his family mostly ignored him, he always found ways to be social. He was the favorite among the nursemaids and some of the other staff in the court.
They’d spoiled him rotten and played with him when he was a child. They’d give him treats and other things since they saw how his family members snubbed him. He had never lacked in the friend's department or in finding people who treated him like family.
Despite it all, he was growing in popularity with some of the courtiers and with the public at large. Everyone was curious about the little runt of the family. They didn’t see anything wrong with him.
He may have been different. But, the world was changing outside of Valencay, and in many ways, Akihito represented that. It's what made him so popular with many, who also felt they didn’t fit into a neatly packaged mold.
At a glance, he was only vaguely different than his brothers and sisters. He stood out compared to them with his almost white-blond colored hair instead of the traditional golden. He was short and petite in size, smaller than his brothers. He had the trademark baby blue eyes that all the Princes and Princesses of the Takaba line had.
And yet, he was very different from them. Especially his mannerism. And that made the difference far more apparent.
He did not have the grace and decorum that his brothers and sister had, especially of what was expected from Omega kittens.
Instead, Akihito was stubborn and brass. He was clumsy. He could not sit still for any long period of time. He had a love for food. He had quite a lot of opinions about things, and he could talk and talk for ages. And he was very enthusiastic about everything he undertook.
And for a time, it was fine that way. But as everyone started to grow up. The differences became more and more apparent.
His siblings had learned manners and etiquette. They had learned that to be a Takaba. One had to be refined and demure.
None of those qualities suited Akihito.
As he got older, it became harder and harder. He was silenced, punished, criticized, and scorned for his ‘uncouth’ behavior. He was mostly separated from his other siblings and didn't get to do the same things they were allowed to. Although he never seemed to realize their nasty remarks, or how they dismissed him. Nothing seemed to get the bubbly boy down.
But it all came to a head when the boy turned 12, and his siblings were all changing into their full human forms. But he was not.
13 and 14 rolled around, and still, he had not transformed. His ears and tail were still intact. And it became too much of an obvious deviation. A defection...
He had always been a point issue. An inconsistency in the perfect narrative the Royal family was trying to display.
Even when he lived in court with the family, he was always kept at arm's length from the rest of them. So they saw no difference if he was sent away, it would be easier for them. What you can not see can not bother you? Right?
And so he was sent away as if he didn’t exist.
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“Akihito!” Kiko called up the stairs. “Are you ready?” She mildly chastised.
“I’m coommmiinnnggg!!” He called, although he had been saying that for the last 10 minutes. But the cat boy finally appeared from his doors and flew down the stairs.
Kiko looked the boy up and down to make sure he had dressed suitably. You would have never known he was of royal blood, looking the way he does.
The boy always dressed very modestly and for comfort. And that wild blond hair of his could never be tamed. He dressed like a peasant sometimes, Kiko admitted.
It’s not as if they had any reason for fine clothing…Moreover, the fine silk and the embroidered waistcoats wouldn’t have done him much good out here.
He wore his tan-colored breeches and his favorite chocolate-colored cloak with a hood. His cream-colored tail peeked out from underneath it. The black boots he was wearing was likely the cause of all the wait. They were the tall kind of boots that took the extra effort to get into. The white linen- collared shirt he was wearing underneath looked nicely pressed and clean.
The two were going on a walk today. They were getting some special ingredients. Once Kiko gives the all alright, they turn and exit the cottage.
Calling it a cottage was a bit of a downplay of the house they lived in. Although to Kiko - it was a cottage compared to the huge castles and palaces in the Valencay capital, the ones with 100s of rooms, and fine art and tapestries lining the wall.
To be fair. It was much grander than a cottage, rather more a comfortable country estate. A 5 bedroom estate made of stone. It was very big and comfortable for the two of them.
Although it was an old dusty stone building, with creaky floorboards. In the rainy seasons, the roofs tended to leak. The interior was nicely decorated with antiques. It was cozy and comfortable. Wisteria grew on the house's outer walls, and it had a quaint and picturesque quality to it. It was certainly a charming house.
The house did sit on a hefty piece of property, about 50-acres of land. Most of which was farming land. But there were lovely trimmed gardens near the house, a herb, and a vegetable garden as well.
The walking trail the two always walked down had a valley of tall grass surrounding it. Wildflowers were abundant there, and there were forests and trees around too.
There were three other small cottages on the property. The workers and the other servants that lived on the grounds. There were the gardener’s family and the two farmers who worked on the land. One of the farmer's wife worked in the main house as a maid, and the gardener's wife was the cook. And today they were walking to see the cook, for some special ingredients they needed.
It was a lovely spring day, so as they walked, Akihito picked some of the flowers, and deposited him in a basket he was holding. He was preparing to make a bouquet of wildflowers, one he'd put in his room. He picked some white hemlock and some bluebells. There was also some lily of the valley that he picked to fill out his bouquet.
As they continued walking, they walked past a patch of grass where tons of violets were growing. Their relatively short stems meant they wouldn’t work with the larger bouquet, but he’d pick them anyway. Thinking that perhaps he'd make a separate bouquet for them, as they were his favorite.
When they arrived at the gardener's little cottage, the cook and her husband were waiting outside for Akihito. The boy's face lit up, his ears perked up as soon as he saw them. He ran over to greet them. He gave both of them big bear hugs, as he was quite an affectionate boy. Then he proceeded to show off his bouquet of wildflowers he had created.
“Why don’t you take some of the peonies that are in bloom by the main house? You could use that as a separate bouquet for your special day.” The Gardener suggested after he had been shown the bouquet of wildflowers.
The peonies were Akihito's favorite. But since they were bulbs and not wildflowers, and they grew in the main house garden. He could not pluck them without permission.
“Really? Can I?!” He asked, his blue eyes sparkling as he looked at Kiko for affirmation.
“Yes. I guess you can…” Kiko relented since the gardener had said it was alright.
The cook handed him over a bag of ingredients—a jar of honey and some ricotta cheese. An odd two ingredients but Kiko and Akihito were making a special cake. One where you sweeten the ricotta cheese with honey and make an old-timey recipe of cheesecake. Kiko makes a suggestion that they should use the violets he had just plucked as decoration for the cake. They’ll serve it all up with tea and some other treats. To which Akihito wholeheartedly agrees.
It was all for Akihito’s 18th birthday tomorrow, and they were making preparations for the day. The cheesecake and tea had become a customary birthday ritual.
They waved goodbye to the gardener and the cook, who wished him an early Happy Birthday since they would likely not get to see him too much tomorrow.
Kiko and Akihito headed back to the main house afterward and they put their flower collection in a vase. Akihito got out another vase, and they went back out to pick some of the peonies. He picked the light pink ones, the biggest ones he could find. And he put them all in a vase in the front hall, carefully placing each one in the vase so it looked like a tall pink poof ball.
The maid had been tidying up all day, and after he was finished the two went into the kitchen to make their ricotta cheesecake. And once it was done, they wrapped it up to keep it nice for tomorrow.
When they were done cleaning up some things in the kitchen, he went for a bath that had been prepared for him. A big porcelain bath was filled with warm water in the washroom, and he stepped inside. He usually argued when he had to take baths. But this time, he knew it was needed so there was no argument.
And when he stepped out, Kiko gave his hair a bit of trim with some scissors.
He pouted. “Why do I have to cut my hair!” he declared. He had always liked his hair a little bit on the longer side.
“Oh, you know why...you have to be in tip-top shape.” Kiko reminded him.
He made a sound like a reluctant whine but didn't protest any more than that.
Later on, that night, after dinner had been eaten. And the day had dwindled down to the evening. Did Akihito go to bed early for an early start tomorrow, and Kiko tucked him into bed and kissed him on the forehead.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Kiko said to him.
The boy had such a happy look on his face. He had a slight pink blush on him as he pulled the covers up. “Kiko...thank you for all your hard work. I’m very excited for my birthday day party tomorrow.”
“...Of course, Akihito…” Kiko responded tentatively. She ruffles his blond head and tucks him into bed, she blew out the candles as she left.
It was something he tended to say every year. But to her, the moment always struck her as...heart-wrenching...
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Almost everyone at court had been keenly aware of how the Royal family dismissed the youngest Omega prince. He was sent away from the capital at only fourteen years old.
They called him now- the exiled prince.
It was a rather fanciful nickname since he was not at all exiled.
He still lived in Valencay and was only a full day's carriage ride from the capital city. And it was true that the boy was admittedly very happy in the countryside. Much happier than he would have been if he had stayed in the capital.
He could do as he liked here. He could be carefree and not worry about breaking the rules or getting into trouble. Or make his family look bad by simply existing.
At 18, he still couldn’t fully control his transformation. While he had, somewhat, mastered transforming from cat to cat-boy. Although he sometimes still had the occasional lapse with that. Meanwhile, he could only hold his human form for a few hours.
And worse still, as an Omega, his entire existence was closely tied to his ability to breed. But at 18, he still hadn't had his first heat. It had been more than two years late. And it seemed like he might never get it.
But at least here in the countryside, he had some freedom to be who he wanted to.
The 50-acre land paid for itself. It was a sustainable way of living out here. Where you made your own bread with the wheat, grown on the land. The meat you ate, you had either raised yourself and fattened up, or you had hunted and killed for it.
Not that Akihito was doing any of the hard work. Although he did occasionally head to the farm and get the eggs from the chickens or milk the cows- that was mostly just for fun, though.
It was a nice stipend he lived off of, and he was generous and good to the workers who tended the farm and worked in the house. It was a comfortable simple lifestyle. He didn’t have to worry about food or truly want for anything.
But…there was no one here his own age, nor was he particullarly allowed to leave the grounds or go into the nearby village. Although they sometimes took a carriage up to the little nearby village, there was a small farmers market and a country store. They’d buy some things like clothing and other imported goods and foods when a special trader would come through town.
Most of the people that lived in this village were old ladies anyway, even older than Kiko.
It was a sleepy little town. And he had nothing to do and nobody to talk to.
Nobody in the village knew the boy in the house on the hill was the so-called exiled prince.
They all thought the exiled prince was living it up somewhere in a villa outside the capital, throwing parties every weekend. There were even other rumors that the exiled prince was traveling the world or was living it up somewhere in the Eastern Kingdom and had married some Pallas cat and therefore could not return home.
Little did they know he was in a countryside cottage and that he had never left home. Or that his closest friend was a middle-aged couple, who was his cook and gardener.
Kiko had once been a governess, from a respectable family and breed. She was a Japanese Bobtail breed and a beta. She had reached high heights at court. She had a prestigious job as the governess and nursemaid to the Royal kittens.
She had chosen to follow Akihito here. She had grown very fond of him since he was born. And while the Queen had complained, they were losing a great governess when she left. Kiko had not wanted to leave the boy to his own devices with a governess who didn’t know him. He needed more than just a governess, and she understood that.
So she left behind her life in the capital, and she never looked back.
She could not openly speak out against the Queen or the Royal family. A part of her was, on some level, was still loyal to them. And she certainly couldn’t make her qualms known to the boy, who after all this time was still trying his hardest to be the son he would never be to his family.
They would never accept him… That was abundantly clear.
But how could she tell him that? Despite everything, he still retained his bubbly and kind self and had never seemed to notice how deserted or alone he was. He always delighted in the littlest of things or gestures. He made the most out of his situation and stayed happy and positive.
How could she tell the boy that he was abandoned and forgotten? That his family had sent him here to live out the rest of his life, alone.
And yet, every year, he looked forward to his birthday. The one day of the year where all the stops would be pulled out, and it wasn’t even for his sake. It was because it was one day of the year he received a visitor: his mother, the Queen.
In the four years that Akihito had lived away from the capital, only his mother visited him. Once a year. On his birthday.
She was his only ever visitor. And every year, he eagerly looked forward to the short and obligatory visit from her.
It was nothing to be excited about, really. But how could she tell him that….
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The next morning Akihito barrelled out of bed in his pajamas, bright and early. He was far too excited.
He fixed the peonies in the front hall again, as he would do again and again all morning and into the afternoon before the queen arrived. He'd slightly rearranging them to look bigger and poofier. Then he dashed into the kitchen, which he shouldn’t have done because Kiko and the cook were working.
He wanted to finish up decorating the cheesecake. And so Kiko brought the cake out and put it out in the drawing-room for him to decorate.
“Don't go overboard with the flowers dear, let's just use them as a light accent,” Kiko advised.
He went a little overboard. As he always did.
But you could not fault him for his enthusiasm. He had a light breakfast of toast and jam as he decorated the cake. He’d be snacking all day on the party fare for the rest of the day. When he was finished, it was time to dress him.
Even while he lived in the countryside, he still had a few pieces of formal wear. Kiko always treated him to buy a new suit every year, specifically for his mother's visit so that he would look nice and on-trend. He had also grown bit by bit every year so he was also outgrowing some of his clothing.
He wore a matching suit that was a light peach color. The waistcoat had a high stiff collar and a colorful floral embroidery around the edges. His white, freshly pressed tunic underneath had frilly sleeves that peaked out under his cuff. He wore a light blue slash under his jacket, which designated himself as a member of the royal family. And he wore a slightly off-colored tan vest underneath that was buttoned up all the way to his collarbone. The tunic he wore underneath had lace ruffles in the front that peeked out of his vest and had a high neck collar.
Kiko combed his hair down, and he wore it partially slicked back. Although by the time his mother came, it would likely be as frizzy as it usually was. And when all was said and done, he really did look like a real little prince in moments like this, even with his cat tail and ears. He still looked picture perfect.
“You look very handsome,” Kiko said to him as they both looked in the mirror.
Once the boy was finished dressing, he did what he did every year- he sat on the windowsill in the dining room and waited for her carriage to arrive at the circle in front of the house.
The truth was, the only reason the Queen bothered to visit was because she spent the spring holiday in a hot spring just east of them. Akihito was conveniently on the way. She’d stop only for a short break, on her way to a week-long holiday she took every year around this time.
That was all she could spare her youngest child—tea time on his birthday.
It hadn’t mattered to the boy that she had skipped at least once or showed up a day or three late on multiple occasions. He loved it when she visited.
Last year it had been unfortunate, as he waited and waited all day by the window sill, and yet she hadn’t arrived. She only sent word a day later saying that matters of state had arisen, and it was decided last minute that she wouldn’t be going to her hot springs retreat this year. In the letter, as Kiko remembered it, she had hardly even mentioned the fact that it meant no visit for Akihito. The Queen had seemed more disappointed at her lack of a holiday then being able to see her son.
She had insisted in that letter that she’d come sometime in the summer instead. The boy waited and waited for another letter to arrive with news of her making the trip down, but it never came.
Akihito believed everything she said. Never once did he question her. Nor did he even seem to be upset with her or his family's dismissive attitude towards him.
Now, as he sat waiting on the window sill, Kiko wondered if it would be the same this year.
She had a tickling suspicion that last year was the start of the family, completely shutting off contact. Although she had actually received a letter from the Queen just last week, saying that she was preparing to make the trip this year and that she had news to bring.
Kiko wondered what news she would bring. It was probably news of one of Akihito’s siblings getting engaged or something of the like. Not that such news was that exciting. It’s not like Akihito was ever invited to the wedding, but she did have a way of gushing about her other children. Although the boy did like to hear about that kind of stuff, perhaps it made him feel like he was part of it all.
The Queen arrives on time. A messenger arrives to inform them the Queen will be arriving shortly, and they prepare for her arrival.
The maid, the cook, the gardener, and Kiko are all dressed suitably for the occasion. The staff have special uniforms for the ocassion, and they line themselves outside in the circle right in front of the house.
Kiko was dressed in a pastel mint green gown. Her bodice was a square neckline and had some simple ribbon trim to it. She had long thin sleeves that ended with a cuff and a short frill trim. She wore a simple ribbon choker around her neck and her greying hair was neatly set in an updo.
Akihito stood next to her while they watched a fanciful Royal carriage of black and gold turn into the circle. The carriage was followed with an entourage of security following on horseback from the front and from behind.
Akihito looked a little nervous. He was trying to keep himself perfectly straight, and he moved a piece of hair out of his face and tucked it behind his ear.
The carriage came to a stop right in front of them, and someone dismounted from their horse to opened the door of the carriage. The Queen stepped out, and got asisted down the step to the ground.
She looked as she always did. The eldest daughter of a high-ranking noble family turned Omega Queen. She had her golden blond hair and sparkling blue eyes. She still looked very young for her age. Her golden blond hair wrapped up neatly in an elaborate updo, with some feathers sticking out.
She wore a blue-grey military-style riding jacket with latches in the front. Her white tunic underneath went all the way up her neck and was trimmed with a delicate lace frill collar at the top. Her full skirt of matching color was large and billowy. And she wore a large black stylish hat on top of her voluminous updo.
She gave both Kiko and Akihito a soft smile as she stepped down gracefully. Kiko curtsied lowly, and Akihito lowered his head in a short bow to acknowledge his mother. While the servants that had been lined up nearby also bowed at their Queen.
“Hello, Hello!” She said leisurely, waving her hands in a signal for them all to straighten up. “Happy Birthday Akihito. 18 years old already.” She goes right up to Akihito and clutches his hand with her.
Akihito smiles lightly. He leans in and greets her with two quick cheek kisses on either side of her face. The air kisses was a common greeting between them, the minimal amount of contact they do.
“Hello, mum. It’s good to see you.” Akihito says. He’s trying very hard not to over show his excitement. “You look well. How was your journey?” He continues.
“It was fine. I always get so stiff after a long carriage ride.” She turns to Kiko and greets her, “Kiko. The house looks to be in order. I was admiring the flowers on our way up the drive. We have much to discuss, so let's go inside.” She gestures for everyone to re-enter the house, and another one of her entourage opens the door for everyone.
Akihito steps in first eagerly. “Mother, look at the peonies we had this year. I made a bouquet for you,” He proudly points out his bouquet of flowers, which he had fussing over all day.
Kiko had once been a lady-in-waiting for the Queen, and they had once been old friends. So while the Queen follows behind Akihito, she locks arms with Kiko, “Yes. Very pretty, dear.” She says dismissively. She hardly even looks up to see them since her attention is on speaking to Kiko, “You look very well, my dear. We have been missing you back at court.”
Kiko leads her into the drawing-room where the tea and finger sandwiches have already been laid out. Akihito follows sheepishly behind after the queen showed indifference towards his peonies.
“And you look as lovely as always, my Queen. I hope the capital is treating you well.” Kiko replies and escorts her to one of the main armchairs. Akihito sits on a couch next to her.
“Ugh, I swear the air in the castle is getting staler every year. It feels very refreshing to be out here in the country.” She says playfully dramatic.
“Maybe we could walk around the garden to get some more fresh air-” Akihito tries to chime in, but the queen cuts him off.
“Akihito dear, it’s rude to talk over people.” She says off-handedly, not even turning to look at her son.
Akihito looks down. His ears sink low. “Sorry, Mumma...” he mutters. While she continues on addressing Kiko.
The two talk some more and catch up. They talking about the court and the latest fashions, and whatever else idleness. Akihito seems to be staring at his shoes. He reminds himself every so often to sit up straighter. Sometimes he nods his head or looks like he has something to add but doesn’t want to cut in as that hadn't gone well for him last time, and he doesn't want to be perceived as rude.
But he is altogether left out of the conversation.
When finally, Kiko tactfully steers the conversation back around to Akihito.
They're conversation had turned towards some of the art on display in Gallerias in the capital. Kiko sees an opportunity, “You know Akihito has taken up painting himself.” Kiko gestures to the boy, a warm smile gracing her as he looks at Akihito.
The boy perks up, seeing his chance to enter in on the conversation, and he puts down his teacup on the table. “Yes. Kiko is teaching me. I am mostly just practicing with charcoal drawings right now. But we are gonna work with oils soon,” He says beamingly.
“Charcoal drawings…?” The queen repeats, her face a bit taken aback. She likely is imagining the mess caused from drawing with charcoal, the blacken hands and the soot on clothing. She takes a sip of her tea.
“We go out and have picnics out in the garden, and I’ve been practicing with it a lot. I do the charcoal drawings outside to sketch out, and then I bring it inside, and we color it inside. Kiko’s very good at it -” He stops himself realizing that he is rambling and speaking fast. And that usually gets him into trouble. “- I could send you...some when we finish them.” He starts up again, but slower.
“How interesting...drawing.” her voice trails off. She looks back over to Kiko, “Perhaps he should try something more suitable like cross-stitching? Embroidery?” she suggests, and then turns her head back to Akihito. “It teaches things like patience and diligence…”
Kiko stands up to get a tray of the sandwiches and places it in front of her. The queen sits up to have some of the sandwiches, and so too does Akihito.
“Y’know, Akihito, how some of your older siblings are wonderful at weaving and embroidery. Your older sister, Sakura, just embroidered the sweetest little singlet for Hana’s new baby.” She gushed about her other children.
“Hana’s pregnant?” Akihito questioned, his eyes widen as he had not heard the news his older sister was pregnant.
“Oh, yes. Of course, you haven’t heard? Isn’t it great news, the wedding was just earlier this year, but Hana’s already expecting? Her due date is sometime in October. Her husband is practically gushing with excitement about it. They’re already working on a nursery.”
“...Congratulations to her. I sent them a congratulatory letter for their wedding. I guess I will have to write to them again.” He says. It's not as if any of his siblings ever wrote back to the many letters and holiday greeting Akihito sent. But that was beside the point.
“Ah, yes. What else news is there to share?” The Queen thinks about it for a moment. “Well, Takeshi is engaged. They got engaged in March. They’re planning a winter wedding for sometime after the New Year.” She went on, and she takes another sandwich. “These are lovely, Kiko. I recognize your handiwork.” She stops to compliment Kiko’s cooking.
“Akihito helped make them as well,” Kiko added.
“Takeshi is getting married?” Akihito’s eyes widened. Takeshi was born in the same litter that Akihito was born into, the first born of the last litter, they were the same age.
“Do you remember Shika, you used to go to school with her? She’s actually a British Shorthair...but an attractive girl. We were all a little surprised. But they’ve been together for so long. I suppose it only makes it official to get engaged. We haven’t even had the engagement party yet. But your father and I are pleased with the match since her parents are good friends.”
“Yes. Thats right. I do remember Shika. I-I didn't know they were together. She was very pretty and...everyone liked her.” There is an extended pause as they both take another sip of tea. Akihito clears his throat. “H-how is Father…”
“Oh. He has been swamped these days. He’s working out all these highly sensitive political things.” She rubs her chin and shakes her head as if she disapproves. “He is starting to grey with everything that's going on. He should really take a break...”
Akihito only nods uneasily.
The Queen stood up, deciding to change the topic when she eyed the cheesecake sitting pretty on a raised platter. Perhaps she was sensitive enough to realize that mentioning Akihito’s father was a delicate situation, and it was best to move on.
“Let's have some cake. There’s something more I’d like to discuss.”
Kiko sits up and moves the cake in front of them.
“Kiko and I made this like we do every year. I-I picked these violets yesterday. I thought they’d look pretty on the cake.” Akihito, back to his eager self, shoots up from his seat to look at the cake as well.
The whole top was covered in fresh Violets, big and small. He had definitely gone overboard, but it did look rather charming and made the cake look colorful and cheery.
The queen gives a dry laugh. “Yes, it look fetching- A small piece for me, Kiko. I’m trying to watch my figure...you too, Akihito, only a small one.”
Akihito’s ears dipped a little upon hearing that. He did have a pension for a sweet tooth, and the cheesecake was his favorite. Kiko was a little bit more spearing with the “small” piece she cut for him. She would probably give him another slice later after the Queen left, to cheer him up.
They sat down again and ate the cake, and silence reigned for a few moments as they chewed. Akihito was careful not to snarf the whole plate down, so he could appear polite in front of his mother.
Once he was mostly done and swung a few sips of tea down with it, he asked his questions. “You said you wanted to discuss something?”
The Queen took one last bite of her cake before she placed it carefully down. Her face took a more serious note.
“Actually, the reason I am here is because we have something important to discuss.” The Queen starts. Akihito doesn't like her tone. Perhaps he is afraid of getting scolded. He clams up, and his face falls. She sighs before continuing. “Your father and I have talked it over and we've come to an agreement about what is best for your future.”
Akihito really didn't like the way the conversation was going, and his eyes flashed in worry.
“Akihito, have you heard of the neighboring kingdom, next to Valencay.” She continues.
“Y-yes. Sion. I have heard of it.” Akihito didn’t follow much politics, but he had learned the basics in school. Including about the neighboring kingdom of Sion.
Kiko perks up. Sion? She thinks. Something unsettling lurches in her stomach.
The neighboring kingdom was many 100 miles north from where they were now. Sion was a relatively large Kingdom, and one of the more powerful ones in Eleron.
There was once a Royal Family there, similar to the Takaba Royal family. They were all a beautiful and rare breed of Lilac Somali cat shifters. The history of Sion as a nation had for centuries followed that of Valencay....That is until more than half a century ago. Long before Akihito was alive, or even the Queen was alive.
There had been an uprising—the first of its kind in centuries.
According to the history books in Valencay, a pro-wildcat party that was anti-royalist raised itself to a populist political status. They wanted wildcats to have equal rights under the law, and they wanted a democratically elected council to be put in place.
When they didn’t get their way, after a decade of tension, violence erupted. It turned into a brutal civil war that waged for almost 6 years. The victors claimed themselves to be the new Royal line and implanted a democratically elected council. It was the first time in two centuries one of the major kingdoms in Eleron had been toppled and taken over. And not just by anyone, by wildcats.
They had savagely whipped out the former Royal family, along with many of the aristocratic families that had stayed loyal. In the first 20 years of the new reign after the Civil War, many loyalists were executed or brought to trial. They replaced the aristocrats of old, many of whom fled to Valencay, with wildcats of new families.
It had been the world turned upside down for everyone in Eleron. Some city-states, dukedoms, and even the other five major Kingdoms followed suit and modernized to integrate wildcat populations, or else they worked create laws that protected their rights. In hopes to also make a newly integrated society - one that was not done through violence.
And it was well known that Valencay was behind in that regard, and it had always made tensions with the Kingdom of Sion not great.
Obviously, that had been over 50 years ago, Sion had modernized and was known to welcome traders and commerce. They had fully integrated their society, and things like snobbery based on “breeds” had long been considered outdated.
However, it always had that rather dark history, and it followed them even now.
On top of that, they flexed their military prowess. They absorbed much smaller independent city-states, dukedoms, and neighboring republics and grew in power and size in the last 20 or so years. Many saw them as having a very aggressive imperialistic policy and of ambitiously expanding their kingdom.
In short, they simply had a reputation as being ambitious, assertive, cruel, which was in line with the many stereotypes and assumptions made about wildcats, especially in Valencey, where such stereotypes about wildcats being uncivilized and savage held even more weight.
In more recent news, Sion seemed to be flexing their military prowess in front of Valencay. They accused Valencey of breaking trade agreements, of Valencay sending spies to their lands. Tensions had risen to a new peak when more pressure had been put on Valencey to change their old fashion ways.
In the past year, there had even been rumors of war.
Those rumors were all but denied by the Royal Family, who said that tension between Sion and Valencay was nothing new.
All of this. Kiko was keenly aware of. And so too was the Queen.
Akihito less so. To him, Sion was just the country next door where there were a lot of wildcats.
“We are in the midst of having peace talks with them, and… it was brought up that an alliance might be made between our two countries... This is very important to us. It could finally mean an ease of tension, and potentially stop a dangerous escalation…” The Queen continues.
Kiko’s heart sinks deeper as if she knows the blow is coming.
“Akihito. Your father and I have set up an arranged marriage for you. One that will seal this treaty between our two lands.”
Kiko’s heart sank, and she closed her eyes. No.
She turned quickly to look at the boy. His face went from downright confused, and then the edges of his mouth started to turn upward slowly.
“REALLY?!” Akihito spouted out. His blue eyes suddenly sparkling, a delighted smile on his features. He could not hide his obvious animation upon hearing the news.
Of course, the naive boy would be happy upon hearing the news that his life was over.
This boy, who didn’t have a single real friend, was thrilled at the thought of doing something for the parents that had rejected him. Something that was, oh so cleverly, being framed in a way that would make him out as some kind of hero of Valencay.
A war averted. A peace treaty signed- and all Akihito had to do was sign his life over.
And he would do it. No doubt in Kiko’s mind that he’d be happy to do it. Of course, he wanted to make his parents proud. Of course, he wanted to leave this sleepy village behind. Of course, he wanted to have his happy ever after and get married, like all his brothers and sisters were.
Of course, he wanted to feel like he was part of the family that had always abandoned him.
And, of course, he had no idea that his family was sending him off to the wolf’s den.
Or rather... A Black Panther’s den.
Because i have a thing about PERIOD clothing and posting pictures..
Aki in his kitty form, for those that need reminding:
Aki looking fly in a peach suit:
Kiko looking Fly in her pastels:
The Takaba Royal family are Golden Persians like this here pretty one:
The queen also looking fly in her riding coat:
PREVIEW for next chapter: 🤔🤔 Who could it be, also looking fly 😉
If you noticed that all of these costumes are from Marie Antoinette (2006) then... you got me. I am a sucker for a look book