Ken walked throughout his now sparkling home with a satisfied smile on his face. Him and a few of his companions had spent the last few weeks diligently cleaning every nook and cranny, and now all that hard work had paid off. Repairing broken wooden frames, scrubbing every inch of the place, fixing the back yard, and many other things had taken time and money.
While Ken, the mice, and a few of the rats had been working on the home, the rest of the rat crew had been out gathering more coins and some valuables that Ken had been able to sell. The gang of rats had done so well in fact, that Ken was able to pay for a year's worth of rent in one go with some money still left over.
He wasn't rich by any means, but he at least had a home and some very reliable companions now. Now able to regularly bathe and buy some new clothes, Ken had felt like a new man. His previously long and matted hair was no longer dirty white, but now held a vibrant and attention-grabbing shine.
His old clothes had been replaced with something more presentable. The reaction from people he interacted with lately was dramatically different than just a mere month ago. He no longer received looks of contempt and weariness. Now, he received warm smiles and friendly greetings. He had even caught a girl or two shooting him looks he couldn't decipher. While he was still short and a bit scrawny, he had a boyish charm that seemed to grab one's attention.
Ken wasn't the only one who had gone through a change. The two mice and the rats had been a bit standoffish at first, but over the weeks they seemed to grow more comfortable with each other, even cracking light hearted jokes and playing around throughout the house and yard.
As Ken finally made it back to the living room, he noticed Dex standing next to the front door facing the wall. "Forty seven…forty eight…forty nine…fifty!" Dex spun on his paws and began scanning the room.
"Are you guys playing hide and seek again?" Ken asked with a smile. Dex nodded quickly, "Yeah! But the others are too good at it and I'm always found first! I'll be sure to find everyone on my own this time!" With that, the white mouse took off to another room. Ken chuckled as he watched the mouse leave. Dex was a bit shy when they first met, but with the addition of more friends, the mouse had grown a lot more confident.
"Have fun guys!" Ken called out as he opened the front door, "I'm going to grab some groceries. I'll be back soon!" Not waiting for a reply, he walked outside into the cool morning air.
With a pep in his step, Ken began to make his way to the nearest market square.
///
"Greetings, King Elric," Wes kneeled along with the rest of the delegation. Wes, a panther kin currently in charge of the envoy, was placed slightly ahead of everyone in his group. Behind him were a few other advisors to King Titus, along with Lina who kneeled next to Giselle, one of King Titus' many daughters.
"You may rise," the young king spoke. Wes and the other beastkin rose, taking in the sight of the king. Lina studied the young man for a moment. King Elric was only halfway through his twenties, with golden blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. The man held an air of authority around him, but not one of arrogance.
Elric was the eldest of the previous king's children, being twenty five. Next in line was his brother Orthum who was twenty three, and then the youngest being Serine who was nineteen. But since Serine was a woman, her chance for the throne was slim to none, even more so with being the youngest.
Wes had noticed that while he had addressed the human king in their own language, Elric had responded to him in the beast folks, catching the much older panther kin off guard. Wes' image of Elric was already in a positive light since he had called back his forces that his father had deployed, which in turn caused the war to end. Then the human king had started to talk about peace and a potential alliance between the two kingdoms, which had not happened since the start of both countries.
"I hope your journey has not been too troublesome for you and your people," Elric continued with a smile. His dazzling features could swoon the hearts of almost any woman, and his expression seemed sincerely friendly.
"It has been a pleasure traveling through your beautiful Kingdom, your Majesty," Wes smiled back.
"Thank you. I hope to one day see the beauty of your country one day as well. I have heard the mountains and the valleys between are truly a wonderful sight."
"We hope we can make that possible for you one day, your Majesty." Wes bowed again.
Lina stood next to Giselle, not particularly interested in the conversation between the King and Wes. Her mind was thinking about that damned brat again. She couldn't wait to get her hands on him and pummel his secrets out of him.
"Are you thinking about that boy again?" Giselle whispered with a sly smile. Lina had grown up with many of Titus' children and was friends to many of them, but Giselle was closest to her age, and she felt like the two of them were practically sisters.
During Lina's short return to her capital, and then the subsequent trip back to the human one, she had rambled on and on about a strange human boy that had escaped her clutches. Giselle knew all too well how much Lina loved to have answers for everything, and she could see how much the situation had frustrated the fox girl.
"I still can't believe he took off from me! He's lucky I was trying to keep a low profile, otherwise I would have used my magic to catch him!" Lina whispered with a huff. "Oh? Is he that cute that you just can't get him out of your mind even with the attractive King currently in front of us?" Giselle teased.
Lina's face became red as heat warmed her cheeks, "That is not why I'm thinking about him! He's just some dirty street rat who was rude. He has something strange about him and I'm going to figure it out!" Lina whispered loudly, catching the attention of a few members of the delegation.
Lina's mouth shut instantly when she noticed the attention on her, and Giselle tried to stifle the laugh that threatened to erupt.
Wes and King Elric's conversation abruptly halted as the two noticed the very flustered fox girl and the snickering lion girl.
"Well," Elric turned his attention back to Wes with a smile still on his pretty face, "It has been a long journey for you and your people. Why don't you all turn in for the night and we can resume our conversation in the morning. I will have some servants show you and your people to the quarters you all will be staying in."
"Of course, your Majesty," Wes replied with a bow, "It is our honor to receive such hospitality."
Elric waved his hand dismissively, "It is of no concern. This is the least I can do since you are the ones who made the journey. Feel free to do what you wish; my home is your home. I will have the guards notified of your appearance and that you are welcome to come and go from the castle as you wish during your stay."
"We are truly grateful, your Majesty," Wes said with another bow.
Shortly after, Wes and the delegation were escorted out of the throne room as servants soon began to show the delegates what rooms they would be staying in during their time at the castle.
Giselle and Lina had ended up in rooms right next to each other. After unpacking a few items and taking a bath in the private bathroom connected to her room, Lina knocked on the door to the princess's room.
The door opened, revealing the beautiful blonde woman who currently had on a golden silk night dress. "Can I stay here with you?" Lina asked meekly. It wasn't often that the fiery fox girl was shy like this, and Giselle couldn't help but smile to herself.
"Wanting to sleep together like we did when we were kids?" Giselle teased. Lina nodded as she looked to the ground. Not wanting to tease her friend anymore, Giselle quickly pulled the fox girl into the room and onto her bed. The two women quickly got underneath the sheets and began to talk to one another, telling stories of their childhood and a multitude of different things.
It had been a while since the two girls had done something like this, and they had unknowingly stayed up for quite some time, giggling and such until the tiredness from their journey caught up. Holding on to each other, the two women fell into a deep sleep.