FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

"Defense calls to the stand the accused-" A faint whisper raced through the courtroom as the audience members buzzed with excitement to see the accused man. Their eyes darted towards where he sat, hovering over him as he slowly stood, eyes stooped low as he headed towards the small stand.

In the judge's seat, raised high above everyone else in the courtroom out of proper respect sat the king himself, acting as judge for this capitol offense. His long black robes contrasted sharply to the bright shade of golden yellow of his mane poofing out from his face, almost obscuring his deep set, wise gaze that cast out calmly across the courtroom.

Seated to his side, barely containing a look of deeply suffering boredom sat the prince, Lion-O. His mane blazed a brilliant orangey red compared to his father's subdued furs. His eyes copied to direction of the judging king's, but were glazed and distant. Yet, he followed the actions of the court.

"Wow, calling the man himself to the stand... seems risky." He thought to himself, idly musing instead of really considering the crime. He hadn't wanted to come here today after all, but he'd been coerced into coming. "You must attend to your princely duties!" He heard echoing in his mind as he plopped into the hard wooden seat to sit for hours on end as the case dragged on. Such a serious case demanded a lengthy, developed trial to ensure a fair chance.

He had to constantly fight the urge to plonk his elbow down onto the table and rest his chin into his palm, but he could only imagine how that'd be perceived. So, instead he had to continue actively raising his chin to reinvigorate his attention to the case as the accused man himself took to the stand.

"How old is Miss Shelle?" The prosecutor asked, fixing his gaze onto the accused man, whose eyes shied away from the fiercely staring crowd.

"Sixteen," He responded bluntly, already knowing where the line of questioning was going. It was the same questions over and over again with each person who took the stand. The man had been charged with a sexual offense for sexually engaging with someone under the legal age.

"What's really the difference between 16 and 17?" Lion-O thought to himself, knowing that the legal age in Thundera was 17 years. However, sexual crimes were taken with the most serious consideration to limit sex crimes which had too long gone ignored in the long past.

"What is the age of consent in Thundera?"

"Seventeen." The same dull voice. He sounded beaten down, tired. The audience still buzzed with disgruntled anger.

"Were you aware that Miss Shelle was under the age of consent at the time?"

"Yes, but what's the difference-"

"Sir, we are only looking for the response to the question presented. So, you were aware that Miss Shelle was 16 and under the age of consent when you engaged in sexual relations with her?"

"We were in love! I wasn't a predator!"

"But you were aware that you were breaking the laws of this city?"

"Order!" The king smashed a fist again his heavy oak desk. His voice echoed through the air, instantly sending the thrum of silence through the space. However, even silently, the judgement from the audience and prosecutor alike still bore down on the accused man.

"Sentence will be set for life imprisonment and castration in case of parole." With another thunk of his gavel, the case was closed and the guards rose up to grab the criminal, hosting him between them and dragging him towards the door.

"H-how is that fair?" Lion-O thought to himself, staring out at the courtroom with wide eyes. The man's testimony had been minimal at best, they'd asked nothing of the context of the relationship, but listening to the earlier testimonies the relationship seemed innocent.

"I first saw them together at market. She sold things at a farm stand. I believe they met there. That's the first time I saw them together, he bought something from her and they must have continued contact-"

"I saw them together in the mid town square having a picnic. I witness them kissing there-"

"He visited her at the house. We saw him enter and didn't exit for hours, but as neighbors we didn't want to expect the worst-"

Each testimony had been saddled with judgement, never just the facts; but no one had stood up for him, though they certainly didn't allow him the saw emotion in his responses when he spoke of his love.

"His whole life gone..." Lion-O thought with a disbelieving wonder. "Gone because he fell in love and didn't wait a year."

"Son-" The deep, throaty voice of his father suddenly broke the prince from his thoughtful musing. He looked up to see the court room had emptied out, the defendant's sobbing mother the last one helped out from her seat and led into the hall. As the door finally slammed shut leaving just the king, prince, and their guards the king lion patted his son's shoulder. "So, son. Summarize for me the case."

Lion-O fought the twitch in his eyes as they tried to roll back with impatience. "Defendant conducted sexual relations with Miss Shelle despite her age being 16 years of age, under the legal age of consent. State prosecuted based on community evidence of the relationship brought to our attention."

"Good." The man gave nod of his head, making his thick mane crease against his chest. "Now, why was the sentence the most fair decision?"

Lion-O just blinked. "Fair? It wasn't fair at all. He didn't hurt anyone, but he's going to be mutilated, locked away-"

"How dare you!?" The king's eyes popped open wide, briefly glancing to his guards with horror at them having witnessed his son's statement. "Get out of my sight!" The elder lion stormed past, sending Lion-O up to his room with a thundering disgrace.

"Stupid father..." Lion-O muttered, heading towards his bedroom well across the oversized castle where everything was housed from official halls for holding court, offices for the many scripts and workers, and then their personal homes and work spaces. His feet knew the familiar path, so his eyes just wandered around within his mind, not even tracking the halls as he passed through them.

"How can a man be set to a lifeless life just because of a law? How does that one law understand all situations? All contexts?" His head shook, one hand rushing up to run through his mane into his hair with anxious fidgeting. "Why do we waste a whole day in court if we are just to stick to black and white laws? Wouldn't it be better to analyze each case? Find the intentions? The emotional damage- or rather, the lacking of such!"

Lion-O threw out a hand from his hair, frustration bubbling over inside of him only to hear a sudden clatter of metal on the cool tiled floors.

"Oh! Heavens!" The ting and tang of the metal edges of the platter rocking back and forth, further spreading everything that had been balanced atop it. Lion-O swiveled around, his eyes going wide at the glint of the silver as it tumbled through the air, seemingly in slow motion before the metallic waterfall all clattered onto the ground.

"I am so sorry!" The prince blurted, throwing his hands into the air, but unsure what to do with them afterwards so he just waved them uselessly around.

"Oh... No! It's okay, Y-your highness!" The young feline lowered onto the smooth flooring, tipping her tray back onto its small legs. One by one, she started to carefully place each dish onto it. "I wasn't paying close enough attention."

"No, no." Lion-O shook his head, dropping down onto his own knees beside her, noticing how her hair spilled into her face and hid it from him. "I wasn't watching. I'm a bit in my head today."

He paused, trying once more to capture a glimpse at her face as she met his eyes. Her lips gave a twitch, curling into the faintest shape of a smile before her hair obscured his vision once again. "No worries, Your majesty. I'll clean it up right away."

"Hey, it's okay. You don't have to call me that. I'm just a regular guy." Lion-O smiled again, trying to soothe the worried feline. She obviously had been drilled into her place as a servant in the palace. "She's so young for that!" He marveled, momentarily running his gaze down her form as though sizing her up as he tried to estimate what her age could be.

"She's got to be 15? Maybe 16?" He mused to himself. "And she's already spending her time hauling around dishes?" Something struck him as exceptionally sad at this realization. His own privilege seemed to come into blatant focus.

"What would I have been doing at 15 in the middle of the day? I suppose it wasn't all relaxing... but it wasn't this." His nose twitched, a curled up expression pinching his lips for a moment.

"Here! Let me help!" He blurted, starting to randomly grab the dishes and pile them onto the tray, much to the young feline's dismay. She didn't know what to do! That was her prince! She couldn't tell him no, yet if anyone saw him doing her work for her, she's be in such trouble!

"Oh! Sir! I couldn't let you! I-I-"

"Hush." He flashed her another grin, catching her out from behind her veil of bangs for the first time as she stared back at him. He caught the sparkle of her bright eyes and the dimpled shape of her shy smile. "You're not going to get in any trouble. It was my fault. So I'll help. It's okay."

He piled up the tray, rising to his feet next. The girl stuck out her arms, waiting for him to pass the tray over so she could continue with her chores, instead he pulled it to his chest. "Come on. I'll carry these for you to the kitchen and then, if you don't mind, you can make me something to eat? I'm starved after trial."

The girl seemed to give a squeak, utterly unsure how to act in this moment, but she took to his side, walking foot to foot as they started off towards the kitchen at the end of the long hall. With each of his single steps, she had to take two to keep up.

As he noticed, he slowed down so she actually sped up past him. "There's no rush! We've got all afternoon." He caught her eyes again smiling.

"Anyways, you know who I am, but what's your name?"

"Oh!" The feline gasped, seemingly shocked that he wanted to know. "I-I'm Kit."

******

"That was... the best grilled cheese of my life!" Lion-O laughed, grinning with cheesy strings dangling from his front fangs at the shy Kit, who sat across from him in his royal sitting room.

"It's one of my favorites too.. That's probably why I'm so okay at making them..." Kit said, still shy, but she'd begun opening up as they walked together. Now, they found themselves losing track of the day's lingering light as the giggled over toasty bread and oozing cheese.

"Oh! I-I have to go!" Kit gasped, catching sight of the moon outside Lion-O's large windows. "I have so much still to do!"

Lion-O felt himself actually droop at the realization that she was leaving. "Oh, well..." He hesitated a moment, faltering as he tried to find a reason for her to come back. "Can you make me another sandwich for lunch tomorrow?"

Kit lingered at the door, fully meeting his eyes as a smile curled her lips. "Yes. Of course, your majesty."

******

And so, she returned the next day. She returned with a tray of homemade grilled cheeses and a vate of warm, flavored milk.

"Wow, this is delicious!" Lion-O gasped, drinking down the warm beverage in between crunching bites of the perfectly toasted sandwich.

"It's what my mother always made for me when I couldn't sleep..."

Then, she returned the next day with her grandmother's pumpkin soup.

"You're so amazing in the kitchen! How did you learn all of this?"

The following day she returned with her personal poetry and an empty tray as a prop for her role as a servant.

When she returned the final day of the week, she didn't bring anything and she fled to his room at the end of the hall in the cover of the dimming light of dust.

"You wouldn't believe what happened today!" She blurted, bursting into his door. Lion-O lit up, recognizing her as the best part of his day.

For the rest of the month, a habit developed at the close of each day. They rushed together in the privacy of Lion-O's room, spilling out the detail of their days to each other.

As weeks past, they began to share their day sitting side by side in front of his massive stone fireplace.

"I think I could get used to a life like this..." Lion-O sighed, leaning into the girl's side with a happy purr rumbling in his chest.

"Yeah?" She responded, grinning. "Well, you might have to."

After a month, they found the night passing as they lay side by side, whispering across the surface of his pillow instead.

"Do you ever think about what would have happened if you'd never bumped into me?" Kit whispered, voice quiet.

"I try not to..." Lion-O grinned across the dim light. "That sounds much to scary to think about."

Finally, they find themselves no longer talking at night- at least not with words. Lion-O doesn't even remember her age, her status, their differences. He just remembered the warmth of her short furs tickling against his own and the rush of heat her body beside him in bed brought.

For the first time in his life, Lion-O felt peace. He drifted through his days, no longer complaining against his stints in the courthouse or sitting throne, instead he just consented to his duties and awaited his blissful nights with Kit.

"Son!" The king sounded boomed, jolting Lion-O out of his daydreaming zone as he suddenly jerked to attention at the massive table where the royal family had been holding tea, though apparently everyone had now left. He hadn't noticed. "You've been doing such a good job finally rising to your role as prince! I'm proud of you!"

A breath of relief left the feline. "God, I thought that was going a totally different direction-"

"As reward, I think it's time we found you a wife and got you started on an heir! I'm sure you're about ready for that!" The king laughed with a jostle of his rolly-polly belly. Then, he clapped his hands and the doors at the end of the dining hall threw open. "Come on in, girls!"

Lion-O watched with growing horror as a line of his female cousins strutted out into the room, each waving at him. Their long gowns covered most of their bodies, but it didn't obscure the blatant attempts to tempt him, tossing their hair to the side to expose a thin line of their bare shoulders or bending in a bow to dip their cleavage into view- though woman always curtsied, not bowed.

"Father! No!" Lion-O rose from the table, shaking his head. "I will not marry now, and certainly none of my cousins!"

"Son! The royal blood is best kept pure! Besides, they are wonderful ladies and you're needed to make our heir!"

"No! I will not!" Lion-O repeated, turning and storming out of the room, muttering under his breath as he went.

******

"He wants to marry one of my cousins... Just.. pick one, marry them, and bed them-" Lion-O snarled with distaste, only to feel the comforting touch of Kit's fingers stroking across his head.

"Shh, love. You said no, surely he will re-consider after that."

"It's my father. Of course he will not!" Lion-O retorted, looking at the younger feline with bright eyes. "I don't want to marry them though, Kit. You know I love you." He took her cheek into his broad palm, pulling her in close as his lips lightly pressed to her own.

"I kno-"

A sudden clatter sounded as the door to Lion-O's private chambers was hauled open. Thankfully, the sturdy wood provided enough weight that Kit had time to skitter over to the side of the bed, smooth down her dress, and pick up Lion-O's bed pan, though it was empty.

"Lion-O!" A voice chirped, Rubitia, one of his cousins renowned for her fiery red coat and named for such. "After you left, your father gave me the honor of being your wi-" Her eyes had suddenly landed on the young servant girl, visibly less coiffed than most servants, especially private bedroom maids, would be.

"Who are you?" She demanded, voice suddenly harsh as her dark eyes narrowed down on the young girl.

"I-I was just checking on Majesty Lion-O's bedroom before the evening feel, to ensure he had a most comforting rest, My Lady." Kit ducked her head, hiding in the same way she had when Lion-O had first tumbled into her in the hall. He felt a pang of remorse, forcing her to repeat to demeaning act once again.

"It's not customary for a servant to make herself seen, why didn't you clean earlier when Lion-O was at supper? Are you sneaking off for an afternoon romp somewhere like a common tart?" The older feline scoffed, turning her gaze to Lion-O. "We must get you a more savory bedroom attendant. This one is no good." With a wave of her hand, she dismissed Kit who fled into the hallway, leaving the prince alone with his future bride.

"Now, alone at last-" Rubitia purred, her voice coming out low and sultry. "Tell me, you must be excited to finally be free to bed a woman."

Lion-O opened his mouth, searching for words but still reeling at the scene of what had just happened. So close to discovery, they'd only narrowly avoiding being caught, and now his father had promised him to Rubitia? It was too much to take in.

"Honestly... I'm exhausted. I cannot uphold this conversation right now. Can we meet again tomorrow... after I've spoken with my father?" Lion-O asked, though his firm voice implied the question mark was only a courtesy.

"Of course, my lord. There's much preparations to be done. You'll need your rest." With a small bow, giving him a sample of her downy white cleavage, she skipped away into the hall.

******

"You will marry her. You will produce an heir! You are a prince! You have a duty!" And so ended Lion-O's negotiations with his father.

"Fine, I'll just stretch out the planning into eternity, but I will not marry that woman-" He thought to himself, bitterly glaring at the ground.

******

"Kit, this is a big deal..." Lion-O let out a long sigh.

"I know. I know." The young girl smiled up at him, shifting in his lap as a challenge for his ability to focus the blood of his body in his brain. "But you just need a little bit of relaxation."

"Kit..." The rest of his words fell away as her persuasion found success.

However, the pleasure between them came to a halt as the door to his bedroom threw open again, this time with a thundering force that left them no time to respond. "I knew it!" Rubitia blurted, throwing her nail through the air like an arrow as she pointed at the two, caught in the most criminal of moments.

"I knew you were bedding that underaged tart." Rubitia started to grin, showing off a mouth of dagger-like fangs. "To fuck a servant is bad enough... But with a child-"

"She is not-" Lion-O blurted, but a sharp look silenced him.

"The courts will see her as a child. And see you as a predator. That is..." She paused for a moment, relishing the power of her newfound knowledge of him. "That is unless you suck it up and marry me."

******

"I see you've accepted your duties now, son." The king boomed, his voice constantly filling the room he sat in with it's echoing volume. "I'll be delighted to see the wedding come Spring, when we can host it on the royal lawn."

Lion-O's stomach sunk, hearing the date set in stone. Every act that brought them closer to the wedding twisting the knife in his gut further, emptying him out. Each color adding to their scheme, each finalized table of guest seating, each decision about designs was just another inch closer to cinching his life in chains to the monstrous lioness.

Rushing from the dining hall, Lion-O's spirit lifts only slightly. For a single hour in each day, Rubitia is strangely absent from the castle. He firmly believes she spends this time gathering intel on everyone in the kingdom so she can blackmail people at will, but for his its bliss. It's the only time he can see Kit.

He hurries into his office space which is littered with scrolls about ordering flowers from local farmers and sending out couriers with invitations to other lands, but for an hour Kit brings him his tea and they talk as she goes through the motions of serving.

"Kit, your face brings me the single reprieve of my day!" He gasped, smiling at her, but her face is tight. "What is it?"

"I'm pregnant."

"Y-you're what?" Lion-O's eyes went wide and his face went slack. Part of his mind, a naive section, felt a fluttering sensation of delight. A child was something he'd always longed to have, someone who would understand his youthful spirit. But, he knew that a child would never be safe in their current situation.

"I'm going to leave Thundera." Kit said, solemnly, not even pouring his tea. "I've got enough to buy a donkey. I'm going to ride for Selena by the coast."

"You cannot! It's not safe for a lone cat outside the walls- especially a young girl!" Lion-O shuddered to think what would become of her!

"No, we must do something. We can tell me father, carefully, with lies to fill in every gap. Kings always have concubines... It's not a glamorous title, but you'd be alive...and you'd be taken care of." Lion-O grimaced, hating the plan even as he pitched it but knowing that such a life was far better to being flogged and tossed into the dungeon as punishment for seducing the crown prince. The king would never take Lion-O to court for bedding an underaged feline, it'd be terrible for the reputation of the royal family. Instead, Kit would pay for their crimes together, and it wouldn't be pretty.

"With some creativity... and lots of lying. I think I can pull its off."

******

"He knocked up that tart!" Rubitia, rummaging through Lion-O's office had captured the entire conversation. She hissed from within the closet where she'd spent hours already gleaming all she could from their conversations, learning of the royal families lives, taking notes to control her entire network of family once she'd been crowned the royal wife of the prince and a princess due for the throne of queen. "That's enough! That servant slut must be rooted out!"

Storming out of the room and down the hall, the lioness fled to the king's private quarters, bursting in. "Your son has been bedding a servant and she's with child! Your first heir will be a bastard!"

"That cannot be!" The king gasped, hurriedly slamming the door behind the young woman and ushering her into the room. "Who is the girl?"

"I..uh..." For the first time, the lioness faltered in her plot. "She's a feline... a bit drab... maybe a housecat? Probably a calico... or stripey?" Her mouth went slack.

"All of this and you don't know her name!? How will I find out who she is then?" The king's voice thundered out around the dumbstruck lioness. "Get out of her! Send someone to fetch my son!"

******

"Who is she?" The lion king shouted, standing over a defiant Lion-O. His spittle sprayed out, littering Lion-O's mane with droplets of angry saliva as he stared, steely eyed back at his father.

"I will not tell you!"

"You will. You will tell her or you will be punished."

"Fine. But you will not hurt her. You'll never hurt her." Lion-O bared his teeth in a firm stance. "Maybe if you hadn't given me such a stupid wife, you'd already know!"

"Insolent brat!" The king swung his hand down, smacking Lion-O bluntly across a cheek. "If you think I won't take a whip to you, you are wrong!"

"Do it! Take a whip to me! Do whatever you want. You're not taking away the one thing in this miserable life that means anything!"

******

With each whistling fall of the whip, Lion-O saws Kit's face. He saw her glowing smile, not hidden from behind her veil of hair. Her saw her shying back from everyone, something he realized now was the exact reason that Rubitia, the evil lioness, would never know who she was. She never truly saw her. Only Lion-O did. And only he saw her in his mind, smiling and laughing for him as the whip fell.

******

"Kit! What are you doing here?" Lion-O hissed through the thick iron bars that sealed him off from the world and instead locked him inside the dull, grungy dungeon like a common criminal. His back still stung, red licking lines from the whip's tasting laid out glowing on his bare back. His fur had muted the blows only so much, instead only emphasizing the tracks where the burned marks would stand.

The young feline only smiled, her bright yellow eyes seeming to glow like a hopeful light in the darkness of the dungeon.

"You shouldn't be here. We cannot be together. Never again. I cannot have you caught. I will not be the reason that your life is ruined." Lion-O winced, pained at the thought of what he'd already done. She was with child, she'd be marked a young slut which would severely lower her class. Servants with young babies are not allowed in the castle for they are seen to have too much distraction. She'd be tossed out, sent to work for some socialite family- or worse.

"I still love you." Kit whispered, bending down to sit beside the bars of his cell. Her eyes glowed out against the backdrop of the dim, lifeless dungeon. Lion-O stared at her, suddenly feeling the urge to memorize every detail of her face so he could keep it with him forever whether he spent that time in a cell of literal metal and bars or metaphorical imprisonment married to Rubitia.

Her hair wasn't actually very long, but she wore the darker bangs across her face, easily shifted to cover her eyes and identity. Her eyes reminded him of the moon, that he hadn't seen for nearly a day since his father had thrown his fit. Her fur was so unique, he marveled at it. She had creamy base fur, but with a darkening tone that wrapped around her eyes to deepen the focus in on the bright hue. She had a sparkling life in her eyes.

"Your eyes... are just so, so beautiful..." Lion-O sighed, sliding one of his hands through the bars and gently running his fingertips down her silken cheek.

"Don't talk like you're going to die or something..." Kit retorted to him. Her eyes sharpened on him, fixing onto him with their shining glow.

"We're not going to see each other anymore, Kit. My father can't realize who you are... It'd be the end of us just the same... and it'd ruin your life."

Kit just pressed her lips together. She said nothing, just slid her hand through the bars and held his cheeks, rubbing up into his hair as he let out a long sigh and tried to memorize the moment.

******

"Lion-O's given up on everything!" Kit muttered as she rushed out of the dungeon before the sun rose. She left him finally after he'd slipped to sleep to her softly humming. "That lioness has some flaw... something that'd keep her from Lion-O. I just have to find it."

******

Careful not to get too close to her, Kit started to shift her duties to overlap with Lady Rubitia until she learned where the lioness spent her secret hour of each day. Every day in the late afternoon, when Lion-O and Wilykit used to meet for their secret teas, Rubitia slipped into the basement to meet with the kingdom's arsonist, a man typically reserved for the harshest battles as a strategist for how to use fire.

"What use could she have for him?" The girl thought, figuring out how to enter his chambers through the servant doors. Then, she carefully fitted her slender body into his closet in between a few tasks so it'd be like she just slipped out, just as she sucked in a silent breath, Rubitia entered.

"Well, it's going perfectly. The prince is still locked up. At court today, they'll be so many peasants around, there'll be no way to know who knocked over a torch to cause the explosion..."

The feline almost gasped aloud, but she held her tongue, listening for as many details as she could gather before she slipped out when the older woman left, then she raced towards the king's court.

"Your Majesty!" She blurted, throwing open the doors. All the eyes in the room suddenly rushed to her. She felt a million eyes suddenly locked onto her face, but she puffed up her chest and didn't lose her fire. "Sir! Rubitia and the Kingdom Arsonist are plotting an assassination! There's explosives in her somewhere! Please! Run!"

The guards around him exploded into action, ushering the king away. The visitors to court ran out of the front doors with no guidance, nearly pummeling over Kit herself before a guard came and ushered her up towards the king's chamber.

As everyone fled, more guards checked through the room, finding the rigged torch that was set to "fall" and set off a series of triggered explosions centered around the king's chair.

"Sir!" A guard, bursting into the room where the king, his guards, and Kit all sat in stiff silence. "We've found the mentioned explosives. The girl was correct. Rubitia and the arsonist have been taken to the dungeon."

"What's your name, girl?" The king asked, fixing his eyes on her.

"Wilykit!" She responded, standing with a small dip of a bow to him. The king himself rose as well, stepping forward to take her hand. "You have saved my life today. You have preserved the king of our kingdom!"

She puffed up her chest again, lifting her chin with pride. "Finally! I have gotten rid of that nasty lion!" She thought to herself, a fresh rush filling her body with a buzzing energy.

"So, name your reward and if it is within me power, I will grant it!" The king's voice boomed, filling the room filled with guards and gathered personnel. Kit's eyes went wide, she hadn't expected this offer. She'd only planned to get rid of the lioness's constant trouble-making.

"You are so kind!" Kit stated, trying to preface the instant urge she knew she wanted.

"Yes, yes! Name your reward, girl! No formalities!"

"As you wish," she took a breath, raising her chin up higher. "I ask for Prince Lion-O's hand in marriage."

"Hah!" A bark of laughter exploded from the king's lips in a burst before he continued with a rolling laugh. "Oh...Oh hoh..." Slowly, his laugh petered off. "That's impossible."

"Why? I'm an eligible young woman. I am marrying age-"

"You cannot be more than 16!" The king interjected, throwing up his hands.

"And brides have been promised at lesser ages! Especially within the royal family!"

"It is much too grand. He is promised-"

"To a criminal. Lady Rubitia was the one who attempted to kill you, which, as I remember I stopped. How can anything be too grand when balanced against life or death?"

"Why should I marry a perfect stranger to my son?"

"I have proven my loyalty to your family. I could have approached Rubitia when I heard her plot and offered to help for reward of power when she moved into power in your stead. I would probably have moved further up the rankings with that move, but I am, and forever have been, loyal to your name. I have always admired the prince. I am a strong, hardworking woman. I will never be a docile lady wife, which is exactly what Thundera deserves. No wife should be useless at a war table nor should she usurp her husband. I have proven my dedication and worth, what hasn't been proven is your strictness to your word."

With that, she fell silent. She let the room suck away the air while the king took in her fiery speech. Then, with a short chuckle, he nodded. "I respect a young woman who acts on her principles and demands her due. You shall have my son's hand!"

"Fetch my son from the dungeon! He has learned his lesson, I hope, for his new bride's sake!" The king looked Kit over. "And take the girl to the ladies, have her fitted quickly for something and freshened. She should meet her fiance looking her best." With a wink, the king pushed out into the hall, leaving Kit to the swarm of helpful servants who knew the young girl, at least distinctly, and were buzzing to see her stock in life so elevated.

Following the king out the door rushed the group of guards set to release Lion-O and similarly prepare him for the unveiling. From his place in the dungeon, he knew nothing of what had been happening in the castle on the floors high above him.

******

"Oh, my lady. You look beautiful!" The ladies cooed at Kit as she turned to see herself in the full mirror. They'd helped her bathe, washing away every ounce of sweat and dust from her fur and truly polishing it to its full shine. The water had been hot, nearly scalding and she relished in the pleasure of it. Then, they'd taken to her hair with curlers, pressing them into voluminous shapes that hugged the curves of the girl's angular face. Her eyes had been carefully rimmed in ash, sketching their large shape to further emphasize their glow before she'd stepped into a flowing gown in a glimmering golden shade, to match her striking eyes. Small moons were embroidered around the hem. "Oh, Lion-O will be so amazed..." She thought, remembering his words in the dungeon. He'd lost hope, but Kit would never see such a moment arise for herself.

"Come, sweet girl. Your prince is waiting..."

******

"Father, I don't understand. Someone saved you from assassination? I have a new bride?" Lion-O had been poked and prodded, scrubbed and combed, straightened and ironed into a finely pressed outfit free of the dungeon's grime while his father filled him in on short bursts of the happenings.

"Please, tell me again what happened. You keep leaving things out. How will I know if this girl is even better than Rubitia? She was an attempted murderer, you don't have a good track recor-"

The main doors to the hall had swung open, framing Wilykit as she stepped into full view in front of Lion-O and the king himself. She strode forward, the heavy gown seeming to slow her to theatrical speed as she walked towards her new fiance.

He moved towards her, meeting her halfway. He nearly scooped her into his arms with delight, but remembered at the last minute that he'd never met her- as far as everyone knew. "My lady..." he said instead, his voice hitching in his throat. "You are truly a sight. I couldn't be happier to have you for my bride."

Wilykit just smiled, taking his arm and taking her place beside him at the head of the room.

******

"I still don't understand. How did you do this?" Lion-O was bemused, confused, and excited at all the girl had done. He kept bombarding her with fresh questions, trying to understand her bravery and luck. As he spoke, his hands took to her sides. He stroked up the smooth fur that coated her thin body. She felt so soft, so welcoming after his nights without her both in the dungeon and while Rubitia had been controlling him. He couldn't wrap his head around this shift. He'd been so set in his lot, abandoning the one part of his life that filled him with actual delight.

"Shhh.. Calm yourself, love. None of that matters now." She grabbed his hand, pulling it to her stomach. Nothing had yet changed, but the gesture reminded him of how much they'd truly gained. She hadn't just saved him from a loveless marriage, hadn't just saved him from the dungeon. She'd given him a life, their life. His fingers pressed in her soft stomach, gently starting to rub over the shape until he curled his fingers around her side and drew her into his arms. She curled up into him, pressing her cheek into the crook of her shoulder kissing to his neck so her breath tickled to his fur. "What matters is that we are together and will be... forever and a day now. No harm will come to you, or me, or our child."

Lion-O grinned, bending over her and lightly pressing his lips to her forehead in a tender kiss. "We might even live happily ever after..."

******

"I, as the girl's primary caregiver in the absence of her birth parents, give my permission for her to marry before the legal age!" The king thundered, filling the courtroom with his voice once more- finally with good news.

The audience began to clap, adding to the rising noise of excitement. Everyone loved a royal wedding, but the royal wedding of Lion-O had been long awaited and even distant peasants had heard of the happy couple.

"I pronounce, with all the power of the land, that Lion-O, the royal prince of Thundera, and Wily Kit, the savior of king himself, to have their royal wedding under my permission and power tomorrow's eve so not another day can pass without their flourishing love being truly celebrated!"

The wedding commenced. Everyone in the castle attended, filling the entire chamber of the court. Wilykit wore a flowing gown with threads of gold through the white so she glimmered as she strode down towards Lion-O who could barely contain his emotion at seeing a reality in front of him he never believed to be possible.

As they took hands at the center stage, he nearly lost himself staring into her eyes. "I promise to love you... every day of my life. I promise to do battle whether on a field or in everyday life, with the sole act of protecting you and our life together. I pledge myself to you, Kit. I'll never let you down, never let anything dull the light in your beautiful eyes," he murmured, turning his vows into a nearly private promise before their rings were exchanged and Kit flung her arms around him.

"And I, Wilykit, pledge myself in return. I promise to fight any battle beside you proudly. I promise to challenge you and never to let you falter. I promise my faith to you, my faith in your ability, your courage, and your kindness. I promise to love you every day as I love you now, or more, but never less."

"I pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride."

With that first true kiss, the first kiss with an audience, without the secrets of their previous relationship they were freed. Lion-O hugged her close, wrapped his furred arms around her entire body and kiss her with all his might.

Then, the cheers of the audience enveloped them, accepting them, accepting their love for the purity it had. They strode down the aisle, pelted by fluttering rose petals as they headed out towards their feast, only the first celebratory dinner to come within the year...

******

When Luna was born, no one noticed how early the small girl should have been- counting days from their wedding night. She was born with a glowing aura of health and shimmering blonde fur around her entire body. "Her mother's so full of life, her daughter is too early or not!" The nurse remarked, turning with nothing but admiration and love for their future queen. As a royal, Kit had been a gift to the servants. She called for more hirings, better quarters, and more respect all around. Thundera had never been a bad place to be a peasant, but under her guidance it only improved.

Together, she and Lion-O spent every second together. She sat beside him in court, trained beside him in the yard, and strolled with him through the kingdom. Suddenly, Lion-O's duties weren't chores at all.

Though they loved and cherished each day together, their nights were always most special of all. In the dim light of their bedroom, with the bassinet cradling young Luna just to the side of their bed, they spilled silken covers and furs over top of them and cuddled in the golden glow of the shining moon. Then, they shared their day.

"I almost missed it when..."

"I couldn't believe that he..."

"Luna is truly beautiful, isn't she? Did you see how she yawned?"

They shared kisses over the surface of their pillows and held hands beneath the covers. No longer was their relationships full of strife, full of struggle, it was only filled with the golden warm light of the moon.