The youngest princess

Talking to the clergy first is something the king and other royalty will understand. In fact it's something the king himself does when there's a delicate subject that both the nobles and clergy will have opinions about. But to see the nobles before the royal house? That would be skating on thin ice and you would need a grand excuse.

You planned your line of attack against the royal family during the winter and circumstances have not changed enough to present an obstacle. It's an old tradition in the kingdom that matters are not brought before the king directly unless they are dire emergencies. A pair of mad kings, only a few decades apart, seared that tradition into the fabric of the country. The result is more power for the royal heirs, close family and bastards - anything important is likely to be brought before them, allowing them to gain a small advantage.

Your chosen target is Lessia, the third and youngest daughter, the least valuable heir diplomatically and therefore the one allowed the greatest freedom. She's never liked you very much, but of the actual heirs she's the best option. The eldest son, Davris, will supposedly sleep with any pretty girl he can find. The younger son, Maran, is 15 years old. A sex addict and a teenager - they'll both love the catgirls as soon as they learn of them, but introducing the matter to their father will be the last thing on their minds.

The eldest daughter, Cerralla is away on a tour of estates. As expected she left as early in spring as she could. She loves the countryside and has spent the last two summers getting firsthand knowledge of her suitors by visiting them unexpectedly. So far she's caused the king to denounce one and grow cold to another, so whomever the new suitor is he must know what he's in for. It's not her decision, officially, but her father is powerful enough that she'll be able to marry a man she finds acceptable. Since she's the first in line to inherit that's good for the throne as well.

Yandelle, the middle daughter, is always entwined with the business of merchants in the city. She'd be a lovely choice, but she constantly uses her time with the king to plead the case of merchants and traders. Thanks to your trusted position you know that the king treats everything she says as though the words have been bought, rather ruining her usefulness to you.

Lessia is a rather odd one, even for a family with a generous dose of hereditary madness. She spends more time staring off into space than most scholars. You've only had reason to meet her a few times and even with the aid of magic you barely know her. She does see her father frequently, but rarely speaks with him on matters of politics.

You suspect that certain 'friends' she had as a young girl poisoned her ideas about companions and confidants. Having been used she decided not to trust and became a shut-in. She's detached herself from the world and cares more for the libraries and private royal parks than for power. Even her chambermaids are kept at arm's reach.

All this makes her the perfect choice, save for how difficult it was to arrange a quiet meeting with her. You needed to quietly get a catgirl close enough to meet her, so the palace and its hefty security was out of the question. The solution involved a large sum of money, even for you, and the best makers of optics and lenses in the city. Lessia loves the night sky and you predecessor built a lovely observatory. With two months of sweat and toil, aided at critical moments by your magic, the lens makers have provided the largest and most precise set of mirrors in the country. Your telescope is now a marvel and word has spread.

You have eager starwatching nobles offering to collaborate just for the chance to use your instrument to verify some discovery of theirs. The chance to name some fuzzy speck in the sky has never appealed to you, but it's bread and butter to some. You waited until the princess finally accepted your offer for a night in the observatory before arranging the meeting with the clergy. You had to cut things quite close - the very night of that successful meeting you welcome a set of carriages.

The princess is accompanied by guards and her maids, though everyone knows that here neither will be necessary. Only a fool would attack a mage at the seat of his power and with other mages able to test her later to verify your behavior only a fool of a mage would try to take advantage of a princess. You set the guards and maids up in a small guest lodge along with a feast and finer light wine than most of them are used to.

Lessia spends some time examining the telescope and you are pleased to see that her seeming dislike of you was either a facade or is suppressed this evening thanks to the mass of glass, wood and brass you've had built. You spend the first few hours letting her observe whatever she desires. Her knowledge of the heavens is encyclopedic. You know she'll be unhappy if you turn the subject to anything else, but around one in the morning you decide that it's time.

You offer to bring food and more wine and she agrees. You return with plates of cold meats, excellent wine and one of your shyest catgirls. She's 5'7", almost the same height and build as Lessia. She's got a lovely pair of firm B cup breasts, something else she and the princess share - though you can't speak for the softness of Lessia's attributes firsthand.

When Lessia turns from the telescope she nearly jumps out of her skin. Bethany's fine black fur puffs out and she hides behind you. When the princess regains her voice she asks, "What's that?"

"I'm Bethany," replies your catgirl, her voice trembling. She starts stroking her puffed-out tail, trying to bring it back under control.

"What did you do to her?" Lessia asks you, her tone filed with anger and worry.

"He saved me," whispers Bethany, fidgeting with the collar of her simple dress.

The look of utter confusion on the princess' face is priceless. Before she regains the power of speech you explain the story you've concocted about the catfolk's origins. At the same time Bethany edges forward, quite obviously looking Lessia up and down. When Lessia has absorbed it all she tips back the glass of wine she's been sipping since she arrived, gulping it down in one shot.

"How can I not have heard about them?" she asks, looking back at Bethany.

"I believe the church suppressed any records of them a few centuries ago. They probably didn't approve of the catfolk's ways, particularly when it comes to marriage." You explain the imbalance between male and female catfolk and how this necessitates less traditional ideas about family and marriage. Already nearing the end of her second glass Lessia nods to herself. This whole time Bethany has been getting closer to her, inch by inch as the princess looked back towards you. The two are only feet apart now. Lessia thanks you for introducing her to more of the world's wonders and then turns her attention to Bethany.

There's little Bethany can add to what you've already told Lessia, but once she's talking she calms down and, finally, sits down next to the princess and dares to touch her hand. Lessia responds in kind and soon they're touching each other's faces. Then Bethany - lacking any real sense of propriety - touches Lessia's breast and says, "Wow, they're just like mine!" You have to fight not to laugh.

The princess blushes, but she doesn't complain. Instead she asks if she can touch Bethany's tail. You sip the wine and smile to yourself. Your chosen catgirl seems to be getting along with the princess very well indeed. And your suspicion about Lessia - that her interests tilt more toward the feminine than the masculine - are likely correct. Or perhaps it's more complicated than that. She was quite interested by the catfolk's ideas about marriage.

The stars and telescope are forgotten. Over the next few hours Lessia learns how much catgirls enjoy having their ears and necks rubbed. Finally she asks you if she could see the other catfolk you've rescued. You lead her to the great hall, where most of your catgirls are sleeping. The princess steps softly among them, taking in the variety of fur coloration and the lithe, often naked bodies.

"It's just as you said," she whispers as she looks down at a heavily pregnant white-furred catgirl. "I'm sorry. I never took you for... I mean, I didn't expect..."

Before she can further twist her tongue in knots you say, "I understand. The king's archmage is a hard nosed killer who assassinates the king's enemies within the country and brings nature itself against his enemies without."

"Yes. I suppose it's much like the royal family. The heirs must behave a certain way - it's just expected."

"Exactly."

"What do you mean?" asks Bethany, looking confused. Lessia takes her hand again and explains what is expected of the royal family.

"That's kind of silly. Why can't you do what you want? You're still the same person, aren't you?"

Lessia laughs and gives Bethany a hug. To you she says, "Thank you. Thank you for saving them, thank you for showing them to me... and thank you for not being the kind of man I expected. I will speak to my father, we will help these people."

You tell her about your maneuvers with the clergy and your plans to bring nobles and merchants on-side. Lessia nods, pleased that she won't have to fight the church on this. She's also quite understanding when it comes to getting more factions involved to make sure no one can rally against the catgirls as evil or unnatural.

As the sun crests the horizon princess Lessia returns to her guards and retainers. With her is a woman, dressed in long skirts, wearing long gloves and a veil as is the tradition in some countries to the west. The princess keeps her close and orders the train of carriages back to the palace with haste. You are a bit sad to see her go. Her absent-mindedness and desire to be alone appear to have been crafted so that she had no need to deal with endless suitors. She's promised that she will get her father to give some of the catfolk land to work, probably in the north where there are few towns. Closer to home she's determined to have a few of them take up positions in the palace staff.

You expected to gain some support, but you've found quite a determined ally. The biggest surprise came when she asked to come back and visit. "The combination of stars and catgirls is too delightful for me to ignore," she said as she was leaving.