Part 4

GAR'S APPOINTMENT

Several minutes later the doors of the ballroom were opened wide, but
instead of the normal parade of solders that accompanied The Tigress in all
public areas, only six of her honourguard entered.  Even then all but two
remained at the door. These two strode with her Majesty almost to us, but
about ten feet away they too stopped, leaving The Tigress to approach us
alone.

She was clad in her usual white cloak draped about her wings, and the
white dress that covered her torso to the knees. Only an inch taller than
her, I was dwarfed by her muscular build.  The large pads of her paws
sheathed razor claws capable of rending flesh like cobwebs, and slicing
bone like bread.  She approached, gave but a glance to me and the
frightened boy behind me, before she knelt beside her daughter.  Putting an
arm on her shoulder, The Tigress softly spoke.

"Tell me my child, why do you need me?  And why do you have such sorrow?"
the voice rippled down my spine and relaxed every muscle in my body.  Oh
that voice, I would surrender myself a thousand times for such a voice.  Even
the individual behind me relaxed to some degree.

The High Cub bowed before her mother, and as tears gushed forth and flowed
along the polished floor she confessed all. From the first meeting with
this boy, to the secret dates that progressed afterward, all the way to
their dance in this ballroom today, all was laid bare. Upon the
completion of her narration the young High Cub collapsed in her mother's
arms begging for mercy.

The eyes of the great Tigress were moist with emotion, even so she
continued with the task at hand.

"As yet you have not done anything legally wrong my child." The young one
looked up, eyes filled with hope. "But there are still some questions I
need to ask." The High Cub bit her lip, her fate and especially the fate of
her friend rested on her answers.

"Tell me, did you ever impart royal knowledge to this person?" A shake of
the head. No. "Did you ever use your standing on his behalf? Force a judge?
Buy him things on your Royal Account?" No. No. "Ever leave the palace to
visit him? Ever use guards to escort him?" All no.

"I have but one final question." The kitten looked on in expectation. "Did
you ever mate with him?" The shocked look on the child's face answered the
question.  Closing her eyes, The Tigress continued, "Very well, you have
done nothing wrong except to fall in love with someone you can never be
mate to. I think I shall allow you to continue to be friends with this
young male. The pain of having to know that you can never become mates
should be punishment enough." The High Cub collapsed to the floor muttering
her thanks.

"As for the boy," The Tigress proceeded, and both the children's eyes widened
in fear and anticipation. "His punishment while not fatal, will be a lot worse."

"Falchior!" At The Tigress' call, one of the two guards approached.
"Falchior, record and execute this boy's sentence.  As follows: He is to be
flogged in the usual manner for a citizen who enters the palace uninvited
(even though he was 'invited' by my daughter), then he is to be purchased as
a slave of the High Cub, and his family is to be informed and paid the
proper amount. Once a slave, he will be put in the service of the High Cub,
if he leaves her sight unbidden he is to be executed immediately.  He must
remain in her service until the day of his death. So I have said and
sealed that no one can change."

The young boy collapsed upon the completion of his sentence, sobbing
uncontrollably.  The Tigress herself went up to him and comforted him. "Rise boy,
I have dealt your punishment, now it is time for your reward."
With that she led the boy to where a very relieved High Cub was waiting.

"As for you, Gar." I cringed. "I found your handling of the situation to be
most admirable, I am re-appointing you as: Gar, Sole Honourguard and
Guardian of the High Cub."  She took her sword from her sheath.

"Kneel Gar, solder of the Third Flank of the Tiger's Fang." I did, what else could
I do?  She tapped each of my shoulders lightly, even so the sharp sword drew a
little blood.

The Tigress turned to her daughter. "My child, come, mark your
honourguard." My eyes widened as the young kitten walked hesitantly towards
me. She knew what to do.  Unsheathing her claws on her right paw, she held
my right paw with her left.  She took a deep breath, then plunged her claws
into my arm, making four straight furrows deep into the flesh stopping at
the wrist. She released my arm, and I clutched at it trying in vain to stop
the blood.  Moving my hand she quickly blew a hot flame onto my wounds sealing
them instantly (I have the scars to this day).  The Tigress then
finished the ceremony.

"Arise now: Gar Lunarfang, Sealed Honourguard and Caretaker of High Cub
Lunar.  She is your only master now, obey her every command even if it is unlawful
and means your death."  So I rose and looked toward my new
charge. "My liege," I said bowing before the High Cub, "I am yours."

"Your only other duty." The Tigress continued on a lighter note. "Is to
baby-sit these two young kittens and make sure they don't get into trouble."

My life significantly changed from that point, Lunar (she insisted I call
her that) had me outfitted in a new suit of armour.  Made magically from a
single pearl, the marvellous suit repelled almost all forms of attack. Then
there was my gift from The Tigress herself.  I was given a magical sword
that when in the presence of magic would amplify that force and use it to
inflict greater damage. I named it Light's Fang and keep it at my side even
now. Within a week my wounds on my arm had healed and I was in active duty
as Honourguard.

The young kitten (who's name I learned was J'arehk, pronounced Jack) did
not fare so well.  He was rather weak as I first suspected, and the
lashings almost killed him.  After his punishment, he was bought from his
family and taken to the royal estate.  This double blow would have killed
him if he had been any other slave, but as he was under the command (and
love) of the High Cub his was a much more bearable fate.  Instead of the
usual brand that was burned into most slaves, he instead had a gold bracer
fused around his right wrist and this was engraved with a brand instead.
Sensing his sorrow at the loss of his family, the High Cub's first command
to him was to take time off as a period of mourning. This he did, and when
he returned to us a week later he looked much more like the friend of
royalty that he was and very unlike a slave.

As part of my new duties I accompanied Lunar and her friend wherever they
went. Through them I got to see much more than I ever would have in my
career as a guard.  The High Cub had many social occasions to attend,
wether it was the opening of a new laboratory or the annual Guild games.  I had
to be at them all with her.  True to The Tigress' words I felt more
like a constant baby-sitter than a bodyguard.

Luckily my new armour was light and allowed freedom of movement, because
those two would sometimes make it a game to see if they could escape my
gaze for even a single second.  And while they never could, they sure
pressed me hard to keep up.  The favourite part of my job was Lunar's
weekly audience with her mother, J'arehk was often asked to wait outside
the room, but as her eternal vigilant I was to remain at her side.

The first time I stepped into the royal throne room I was struck dumb. The
room was perfectly circular, made it seems, out of huge slabs of flawless
black marble.  A circular black dais occupied the centre of the room.  All
around, The Tigress' honour guard stood watch, and there on the dais lit by
some magic white light from above, lounging on thick silk pillows, lay The
Tigress.

As we approached the rise in the middle of the room, she rose to meet us.
Coming forward, she embraced the High Cub in her arms and held her there
for a moment.  When The Tigress finally spoke she would always ask the same
question:

"Tell me my child, what have you done since last we met."  The young heir
would then answer, telling all that had happened during the last week. The
Tigress it seemed, rarely did anything on a whim or just for fun and as so,
had to experience things of this nature through the eyes of her daughter.
After the kitten's account of the week's events I was called upon to give
a similar account. Mine was usually less colourful and told more of the
technical aspects of what had happened, such as: who else had attended, what
were the security conditions like, was the High Cub ever in any
danger, ect.  Most of the time these were very much the same.

But as I was wandering around after the two lovecrazed kittens, far off in
space a race not of the federation of planets had decided that our pre-warp
but advanced society would make an easy conquest for expanding their
empire.