Rosalie's Kingdom {OLD VERSION- INCOMPLETE}

Chapter 15

Rosalie woke up to see the sun significantly lower in the sky than she remembered. She stirred, hearing quiet chatter from the kitchen. Snoring lightly across the living room was Deidra, fast asleep in one of the chairs. "You're finally awake."

She smiled and glanced up at Corvin. Yawning and stretching like a cat, she sat up. "How long did I sleep?" she asked.

"About three hours," he shrugged. "I woke up after an hour, but you were so peaceful that I didn't want to wake you."

"You could've woken me up," she replied. "I wouldn't have bitten your head off or anything."

"Oh really? I tried to wake you up last tuesday and you threatened to shove my head in a blender," Corvin said sarcastically. "I'm not even sure what a blender is, but it sounds like something you should avoid sticking body parts in."

She blushed in embarrassment and stood up. "Where's Twila?" He pointed to the kitchen, standing up as well. Walking in, she saw Twila sitting on one of the empty counters, chatting about places she'd seen while Vida cooked.

"-there was this one village high in the mountains of Alesia that was so cut off from the rest of the world that they weren't on any maps. Of course, they had no idea about the tragedy of King Odilon and Queen Selene. It was quite a shock to them, as many had been staunch supporters of both. Rosalie," the cat said, nodding her way. "I trust you slept well?"

"Yea," Ro answered. "How old are you, anyway?"

"Four hundred and seventeen years old."

Ro's eyes went large. "You say that like it's normal."

Twila shrugged. "It is, for me," she said. "The Seelie Queen blessed me and eleven other cats with longevity. It was part of the pact years ago to have every member of the royal family protected and watched until they came of age. The first generation had been rendered...unfit to perform their duty as best they could, so each of them recommended a young cat to continue the honor of being protectors," the cat explained. "My grandmother was one of the first. I was recommended to the Queen when I was hardly twenty."

She held herself with a strong sense of pride, one well-earned if she had been a protector for nearly four hundred years. "You still have yet to actually tell me what a protector is, other than the obvious answer," Ro pointed out.

The cat narrowed her eyes at the girl. "All will be revealed in time," she answered cryptically, deciding that it was the perfect time to clean herself.

"Yea, when I'm on my deathbed," Ro grumbled. Vida chuckled at the third ranker's grouchy retort. "What are you cooking?"

"Food," was the noncommittal reply.

"Wow, so helpful," she said sarcastically. "Where is everybody, anyway? I don't hear Alicia yelling at Elwood outside."

"Thaddeus, Alicia, and Elwood went up to the city to explore," Corvin explained. "Bryon is sitting in his room reading, and Deidra is asleep in the living room. Since Vida is only making food for herself, I was thinking that we should go up to the city and look around."

Ro smiled. "That'd be nice. I want to get a feel for this whole vacation thing," she said.

"Sounds romantic," Vida teased. Ro blushed and turned to Twila.

"Are you gonna come with us?" she asked Twila. "The streets are probably still hot, but at least the sun will be setting soon." The cat paused in her cleaning to give Ro a deadpan stare. "Right, the whole 'I have to be with you at all times' thing. I'l letl you ride on my shoulders again." She walked down the hallway. "I'm gonna get changed then we can go up to the city," she called over her shoulder.