Happily Ever After?
the White Cat Sequel, Chapter 2
Introducing Rags to the Wizard's cats
Kassia and Adrian's cat, Rags, was terrified of the the giant cats that they had become, so Willie agreed to take him back to the Wizard's home. There she introduced him to his two cats....
"I brought you a new friend..."
"This is Rags..."
"He's going to be staying with you for a while..."
The Wizard's two cats were intrigued...
...and only too happy to have a new friend, especially such a cute little male....
"You all be good now..."
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"...as we have a lot of important work to do..."
Then she and the Wizard set to work....
Going Hunting
Back at Kassia and Adrian's castle, everyone had resigned themselves to the fact that they might stay as cats for some time, so it was best to just try and relax, and get back to as 'normal' a life as possible, doing the things they used to enjoy.
Which for Adrian meant going hunting.
Which for Adrian meant going hunting.
He had always enjoyed riding in the woods...
...constantly staying alert, in case he might spot some game.
The two guards that were his good friends, always came along....
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Now that they were cats, their senses seemed more heightened than ever.
"I smell rabbits....in that direction..."
And sure enough there they were....
"Kassia would love one of those for dinner!"
In the Garden
When Adrian was away, Kassia would spend a lot of time in the palace gardens...
"Everything is blooming so beautifully this year."
"And the scent is just heavenly."
Even though so much had changed at the moment....
At least the gardens stayed constant, and were a source of great joy to her.
Dinner on the Terrace
Adrian had returned from hunting, and found Kassia in the garden....
"I have a surprise for you..."
"Look...I caught your favourite today..."
"...and the Cook has prepared it for us. Along with some of your other favourite things....the way you liked them the first time you were a cat...."
"That is so sweet of you."
"I can't believe you remembered."
"This is so romantic..."
the Three Ravens
Back at the Wizard's home, he and Willie were busy trying to find a precedence for Kassia and Adrian's predicament....
"I can't find any record of a curse suddenly manifesting itself again years later...."
Then a lovely Princess arrived...
...accompanied by a Raven...
"I'm hoping you can help me..."
"This is my brother....or one of them."
"Years ago, our stepmother, who was actually a witch, cast a spell turning my three brothers into Ravens."
"It took me three years of total silence, not speaking a single word, while spinning and making them shirts out of nettles, in order to break the spell."
"But then, a few days ago, all three of them were suddenly transformed back into Ravens again..."
"I was hoping you could help...."
'So, this is your brother?"
"Yes. He's my youngest brother."
"The other two decided to go explore now that they could fly again."
The Raven grew restless....and started to fly about...
"Unfortunately, your brothers aren't the only ones re-affected by an old curse."
"So it might take us some time to try and figure out what's going on....and how to undo it"
the Frog Prince
A little while later, another Princess from another neighbouring kingdom arrived....
"My husband is a frog....again..." she muttered. "He was a frog back when I first met him. Actually, he was a prince who'd been enchanted."
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"Yes, I remember your story."
"I broke the spell with a kiss, and we married a year later."
"Well, a few days ago, I woke up and he was suddenly a frog.... again...." she wailed.
Willie offered her some tissues....
"I don't know what to do...." she sobbed...
"I tried kissing him....like last time....but it doesn't work."
"The only thing we know right now is that there's something strange going on, and your husband isn't the only one affected."
"Just try and keep him safe indoors until we can figure this out."
"...and return your husband back to his proper self."
"Thank you. I'll do my best..."
Asleep Again
No sooner had the Princess left, but a Prince from yet another neighbouring kingdom arrived...
...with two little girls....
"What can we do for you?"
"I'm Prince Phillip, and these are my two daughters...."
"My wife, their Mother, is the Princess who was the Sleeping Beauty."
"A few days ago, she fell asleep again....along with everyone else in the castle. Everyone except our daughters and me."
"Last time a kiss woke her up, but this time nothing. I tried enough times."
"Are these his eyes?"
"No, they're not..."
"Could you put them back, please?"
A Frustrated Father
While the Prince talked to the Wizard and Willie, his girls amused themselves.
"How do I look?"
"Girls!! What are you doing?!?"
"Nothing...."
"Take that off this minute!! And stop touching everything!"
"I'm at my wit's end. Everyone in the castle is asleep....their Mom, their nanny, all the maids and servants, the cook......everyone."
"It's just me and the girls, and I have to do everything, always watching out for all the unconscious people laying around...."
"The girls really miss their Mom. They see her laying there asleep, but she won't wake up."
"Even all the animals at home are asleep....including the girl's pets."
"So, I was hoping you could help."
"I know it isn't much comfort, but you aren't the only ones affected by whatever is going on. Willie and I are looking into it, trying to figure out what to do about it. But it may take some time."
Willie had been busy writing something, and handed Phillip the paper....
"Here's a list of some reputable daycare providers. I'm sure there will be a least one that can help you out in the meantime."
Taking a Break
After the Prince and his girls left, the Wizard and Willie sat down for some afternoon tea.
"It seems that whatever is going on is way more widespread than we first thought."
"It's like every evil curse that was broken in the past has returned."
"Yes, and it doesn't seem to matter that all those spells were cast by different people."
"It will be a challenge to try figure it out, and hopefully set everything right again."
* Continued in Chapter 2, part 2
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