Puss's Boots - Chapter 1

Orlando was barely nineteen when he suddenly found himself the head of his house. He was still more a boy than a man, but, now, he was the sole man left alive in his family. And he had a sister – his youngest sister and twin – who needed him to provide for her. Except that they had nothing; all that they owned had been destroyed in the fire that had claimed the lives of their parents and other siblings. So now Orlando and Dione, the last remaining members of their once large and happy family, sat on what was left of their front steps and tried to determine their next move.

But they were not completely alone.

A large, rather odd-looking cat sat only a few feet away from Orlando, watching him intently. Dione noticed him first and begged Orlando to allow her to give him a lick of milk to cool him off from the heat of the summer day. Even though their store of food was barely enough to last them for the week, Orlando saw the need in the poor creature’s eyes and consented, not willing to allow any living thing to suffer if he could help it. So they took an early lunch and willingly gave up a good sized portion of their food to the strange cat, and, after the meal was finished and good size of their supplies with it, the true surprise of the cat was revealed.

“I thank you, Lord Gloria, for your generosity.” spoke the cat. The twins were shocked to hear the words that were spoken by the cat as these the ancient forms of Magic were, supposedly, lost in their country, especially since the dark spell placed on the current king’s great-grandfather.

“Yes, young lord and lady, you heard me correctly; you fed me, cared for me, and, now, I will repay the favour. Do as I say, young ones, and I will bring you fortune, honour, and, perhaps most importantly, even happiness and safety. To thank you for your generosity, I can offer you more than thrice what your parents had, and all you have to do is to buy me the clothes of a man and feed me your own food.”

A glance was shared between the siblings, and Orlando agreed to the cat’s demands. He knew that the chances of the cat saving their future was slim, but he would do anything to protect Dione and, hopefully, see her happy and married to someone rich and with power enough to protect and care for her. So that very day Orlando, with the last of their once great fortune, left to buy a suit of clothes, complete with a child’s pair of boots. That night they ate the next-to-last portion of their food and slept in the remains of the once comfortable house.

The next day, early in the morning, the cat, who was dubbed by Dione as ‘Puss,’ left for the estate of the Master Detective over ten leagues away; this woman, a powerful noblewoman – Lady Heightmyer by name – was favoured greatly for her cunning and intelligence but renowned for her gentle and protective nature. Once there, Puss arranged a meeting with Lady Heightmyer’s butler and offered rich gifts if he could introduce his Lord Gloria to her. At first, the butler was amazed by the talking cat, but he remembered the busy schedule that Lady Heightmyer had and refused the cat entry.

That was, until Puss revealed a ruby the size of a man’s fist; it was a pure ruby too, no imperfections. The butler’s tone quickly changed seeing the power the magical cat held, and the cat was admitted to speak with the lady. He spoke to the lord of his foreign master and his beautiful, young, and quite unmarried mistress; both of whom were lost far from home several leagues away. That caught the noblewoman’s attention – for she was not only concerned about the plight of two lost visitors to their kingdom but also was in search of a companion for herself and found the cat’s description of the lady to be facinating, and she requested a second visit, complete with a portrait of the beautiful young lady. For now though, she granted the use of her winter house, close enough to the town where Orlando and Dione lived to easily ride there by nightfall, and sent Puss with word for preparations to be sent to the estate.

By midday, Puss had returned to his master and informed the two that they were to report to the winter estate of Lady Heightmyer. By the time they arrived it was nearing nightfall, and a feast had been laid out for the siblings. The housekeeper, upon seeing the condition of what she thought were traveling clothes, forced Orlando into the clothes of Lady Heightmyer – who preferred the men’s fashion of breeches and coats over gowns that would limit her mobility and function – and Dione into those of the woman’s late mother. There, in a rich estate, wearing rich, if old fashioned, clothing, the true beauty of the siblings shone.

The newly minted Lady Gloria’s gently rounded figure could truly shine in the long, silk, off-the-shoulder evening gown. Her ebony tresses spilled over her narrow neck and down to curl down around her slender waist. The silk dress matched her midnight coloured eyes and highlighted her ever-pale skin. Instead of taking advantage of the late Lady Heightmyer’s jewellery box, Dione wore only two pieces of jewellery: her mother’s silver locket, which contained a lock of both hers and their father’s hair, and the sapphire ring that her father had brought back for her as a birthday gift on one of his trips. As for her brother, the rich clothes did nothing but swallow his slender form – as slender as his sister’s – for Lady Heightmyer was broader and taller than Orlando.

The twin’s father had been a successful merchant, and their mother had spent her days raising five children and overseeing the two servants that the family had kept part-time. They hadn’t been rich per-say, but the family lived in a large house outside of the town and wanted for nothing. Now, with the death of their parents and the burning of the house, the two remaining children were penniless.

But their luck had changed; true to his word, Puss had gotten them residence in a lord’s winter home and new, richer clothing. Food, too, was plentiful, and the siblings ate well. But, they did not forget the unique cat, nor did they neglect him. Dione fed Puss the best scraps of fish from her own hand, and Orlando made sure to leave him a dish of fine crème before they retired to sleep.

But Puss did not sleep. He instead used his own brand of old, long forgotten Magic to go to Dione’s bed and paint a portrait of her exact likeness. He did not even have to exaggerate her face to make the piece captivating and was well pleased with the result. This painting would ensure that Lady Heightmyer would meet with the siblings in the weeks that followed. Smiling the cunning smile that only a cat could, Puss exited the room as quietly as he entered and went instead to the woman’s brother’s.

Orlando was equally as stunning as his sister, but his beauty was of a different nature. He was tall where she was short, only his blue-black hair was worn shorter than Dione’s, but not by much. It fell to dust just the top of his shoulders. His eyes were midnight blue, the same as her’s, but it was not only in physicality that they were similar: their kind and gentle natures, their quick minds, and their love of both music and dance as well as books and art were identical. Now, dressed simply in breeched and a long shirt, his hair tied back; his father’s locket was plainly visible around his throat.

Puss stared silently for another few moments before turning and sliding into the pitch black night