Not Really Cats, Your Highness

The herald blew his trumpet.

“Your Royal Highness, may I present the Crown Prince Wonwoo of the Eastern Lands and...and...”

You looked up impatiently from the book you were reading. "Yes?" you pressed the herald.

"...his...twelve cats, Your Highness.” The herald cleared his throat and bowed apologetically. "Forgive me for the delay. I was...quite astonished at his, er, furry entourage. And I was counting to make sure I got the, er, number right."

"Let him in," you said excitedly, suddenly forgetting the book you were reading. You got up from your chaise by the window and walked towards your throne. "I have heard that princes from the Eastern Kingdom are beautiful sights to behold, divinely ordained with wisdom! What could have brought him here? I was not told a prince would be requesting an audience with me."

The doors opened and in walked a tall, graceful man wearing the emblems of the Eastern Kingdom. Lean, with a solemn face and slanted, dark eyes that gazed intensely upon you, you watched in admiration as the prince made his way to you.

What a sight, indeed.

The rumors were true. Eastern Princes are, without a doubt, beautiful creatures.

But then came the meows.

Normally, royal visitors would bring gold, jewels and ambassadors with them. But parading pompously behind this handsome prince, instead of a respectable queue of officials and impressive treasures, were twelve cats, just like the herald announced, each very unique from the other, purring and meowing as they came near to the dais.

What an interesting audience I have before me today, you thought to yourself, amused and fascinated at the same time.

Someone cleared his throat, and you turned your eyes away from the cats. You stared into the obviously uncomfortable Prince.

"It is a pleasure to be able to see you in court, O Prince," you greeted him warmly. You waved a hand at the direction of the cats. "And, of course, your furry friends are welcome as well. Are they, er, gifts from your magnificent kingdom?"

"It is an honor to be here, Your Highness," said the Prince, bowing his head gracefully. "But lo, I am afraid these cats are not here for Your Highness's delight. I come on their behalf."

On their behalf? You stopped admiring the beautiful lilt and cadence of the Prince's voice, and scrutinized him carefully. He sounded troubled. "Speak on, dear Prince."

The Prince lifted up grieving eyes toward you. “Your Royal Highness, it has been very much proclaimed that you are the magical daughter of Their Majesties Rapunzel and Eugene. I came here because I know that you possess the power to help me with my plight.” The prince carefully picked up one cat and placed it at the foot of your throne.

“You see,” he began slowly, “these cats are…are…” he fidgeted. You tapped your fingers impatiently on an arm of your throne to goad him. Finally, he sighed. "...not really cats."

The last three words were pronounced in one almost unintelligible mumble, so you weren't sure if you heard him correctly. The tap, tap, tap of your fingers stopped. Your eyebrows drew up and you leaned forward. "Not really cats? What do you mean, my Prince?" With a careful eye, you inspected the cat before you. An orange tabby, plump and napping on the ground now. Cocking your head to the side, you commented rather innocuously, "This one looks like a proper cat to me."

"That is Seungkwan, You Royal Highness," Prince Wonwoo blurted out, his deep voice rising to an almost shrill pitch, "my...my brother," he finally said, his ears turning pink as he realized how silly he must have sounded.

You coughed, but you didn't mean it. You felt your face turn red from the unladylike show of astonishment, but you did your best to regally sit back in your throne. Relax, relax. "Brother?" you replied too brightly, before smiling and turning to the the herald helplessly. What is he saying?

"I know this must be hard to understand, Highness, but it is true. These cats--they are my family." Prince Wonwoo looked like he was about to faint--whether from embarrassment at the story he was telling or from worry, you could not tell. "They are all...my brothers."

Silence.

What. Did. He. Just. Say?

In your five years sitting on your throne, you've heard all sorts of silly things. But never of a prince proclaiming cats as his brothers.

Clang. The herald dropped his trumpet.

A cat meowed rather impetuously, as if agreeing with Prince Wonwoo’s confession.

Could it be true? You gripped at the armrests of your throne. “Well, of course, anything is possible nowadays,” you said, laughing uneasily, afraid of offending the poor prince. “But—”

“—I know that I sound like a lunatic, but it is the truth." The prince took a deep breath and began telling his story.

"Two days ago, a woman claiming to be the sister of Gothel the Witch cursed my brothers, trapping them inside the bodies of my pet cats. My father the King had refused to choose her in the place of our recently deceased mother, the late Queen of the Eastern Lands, and it must have angered her greatly.

"The only reason I was spared of this fate was because I was away on duty for the kingdom when my brothers were cursed. I only discovered what was done to them when one of them spoke to me. My father thought they had all just disappeared.” Wonwoo bent on one knee and patted a cat comfortingly. “This is our youngest brother, Prince Chan.” He turned lifted his eyes toward you again, pleading. “Please, good princess, do your magic. You can make the clock reverse, save what has been lost. I have faith that you can. You can bring back my family.”

You could not bring yourself to speak, but you had to. You stood up and answered the prince with an uncertain voice. "Your story baffles me, but who am I not to believe? With powerful magic, anything could be possible. Now," you stared at the orange tabby on the floor, "if you could please leave me with these cats--I must figure out a way to break this spell." You eyed Wonwoo rather suspiciously. "Otherwise, it could be another tall tale given in order to be granted an audience in my court. Please, leave now."

The Crown Prince had no choice but to obey. The herald picked up his trumpet and ushered Wonwoo out of the court.

Sighing, you dismissed everyone else and convinced yourself to at least consider the Crown Prince’s story. If it were true, then twelve princes were trapped in a curse!

You picked up a cat from the dozen in front of you and scratched behind its ears. “Oh, poor thing,” you cooed despite yourself, caressing the soft fur, “as much as I want to fully believe what was told me earlier, I still think that your master must be losing it.”

“He isn’t.”

You froze.

"W-what?"

The cat just talked.

“Kiss me, and you’ll find out,” it said in a voice that was—unmistakably—human. “C’mon. just like how Princess Tiana kissed her frog. You’ll see! Wonwoo wasn't lying. It's true. And, hey, you are magical! You can hear me, can't you? Understand what I'm saying? Maybe you can understand me because you are touching me.”

Surprised, you accidentally dropped the cat. A blinding flash emanated from you, careening straight into the cat who spoke to you. Bright light filled the whole chamber. Screaming, you fell on your feet, and watched as the cat was lifted up into the air and engulfed in light.

When the brightness had finally subsided, your eyes adjusted and you saw a man with brown hair, deadpan eyes, sporting an angelic smile and wearing the prescribed black and red uniform befitting a prince of the Eastern Lands. This cat-turned-guy bowed and helped you up. Slowly, you stood, disbelieving still, as you felt an electrifying sensation when his lips tenderly kissed your hand.

If he hadn't been so cocky while he spoke to you as a cat, you would have fallen head over heels for this man.

“Your Royal Highness, allow me to introduce myself,” he said in a mesmerizing, soothing voice. You felt yourself drown into his dark, dark eyes, much like Prince Wonwoo's. “I am Prince Jeonghan of the Eastern Lands, second son of the King and Queen, and brother of these felines who—”

Jeonghan was gesturing towards the other cats--

--who were now gone.

G o n e .

As in vanished.

Disappeared. The courtroom was empty except for you and Prince Jeonghan, whose gesturing hand was frozen in shock.

You eventually found your voice, struggling to keep a calm composure. “Well,” you said hoarsely, still gazing at Jeonghan, and then at the entrance as Prince Wonwoo stormed through the doors, “we have to find those cats.”