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Once upon a time there lived a royal family of felines in a fine old castle on a high green hill. There was King Kalijah, Queen Querulous, and their three daughters, Princesses Prissy, Prudence and Phaedra. All of the royal family had short fur, except for Phaedra, the youngest, because she had been adopted from another kingdom, the kingdom of Phar, when she was a baby.
Phaedra had furry long, silvery hair that shimmered in the sunlight and made her half-sisfurs, Prissy and Prudence, furry jealous. Also, she was the favorite of her papa the King, because of her sweet and generous ways. Her half-sisfurs were not particularly sweet and tended to be selfish.
One day King Kalijah rode forth to battle, along with his Knights of the Oval Stool, the finest legion of warriors in all the kingdoms. They had gone to battle against King Phar, the furry kingdom that Phaedra herself had been born in! Days and weeks went by, and they did not return. The Queen grew quite as querulous as her name, and all of the royal family became more and more worried as time went on.
Sometimes being fearful or worried brings out the worst in felines, and that is exactly what happened. The Queen and the half-sisfurs of Phaedra all began to blame her and denounce her when the King did not return. And before Phaedra realized she might be in danger from her own family, the Guards had come and thrown her into a high stone tower. There she languished for many months, and still the King had not returned. He and the Knights of the Oval Stool were given up for lost.
Winter came upon the kingdom, and it was furry cold in the stone tower where Phaedra was imprisoned. Once a day she was brought some grain, spoiled meat and water, and she had nothing else to eat. Because the tower was so high, it had an open arched window at the top with a wide ledge of slippery stone. Phaedra would look out over the kingdom during the short, cold hours of daylight and cry her heart out. She missed her papa, the King, so much, and she didn't know what to do about her hopeless situation. If she had tried to leap to the frozen ground, she would have broken all her legs. She grew pale and thin, but she kept her long silvery hair in perfect order.
When Spring came and the days were warmer, Phaedra crept out on the stone ledge to sit in the sunlight and weep. She knew by then she would nefur be rescued from her cruel fate. But one day she heard a thumping on the ground, and looked down to see a strange, ragged little feline in a pointy red hat. She was so lonely, she called down to him and asked who he was.
"My name is Rumples" the little feline replied. "I saw your silver hair shining in the sunlight from far away. Why are you imprisoned in that tower?"
"My own family put me here", she answered sadly. "When my papa the King was lost, they blamed me because... well, it's a long story."
Rumples' mouth fell open. "Your papa is the King?" he screamed, and added "Wait here."
"Wait here?!" Phaedra muttered as he ran away. "What else can I do?" She went to sit against a curved wall, for round towers have no corners, and sobbed herself to sleep. Soon she lay among the thick poufs of silvery hair that been collecting against the wall all winter, and dreamed her favorite dream, that a Knight in silver armor would ride up and rescue her. She woke with a start, thinking "and how would that ever happen? Not even the fine horse of a Knight can climb a stone tower."
Then she heard the thumping sound again and went to the window. There was Rumples, with a sly little grin. "Throw down your silver hair to me, Princess," he screamed. Couldn't that feline do anything but scream?
"And just how am I supposed to do that?" she asked him. "My silver hair is attached!"
"You've been in the tower a long time", he screamed back."Look in the corners."
"There are no corners....." she began, and then she looked. She'd had no idea such a huge number of silvery poufs of hair had accumulated in there. But what good were they?
"Hurry! Hurry!" the little feline screamed from down on the ground. And as long as Phaedra had nothing else to do that day, she began doing as she was bid. Pile after pile of silvery poufs she carried to the window and watched as they floated down. "Hurry!" he screamed again, "Before a breeze comes up and ruins my plan!"
Soon there was a pile of poufs on the ground three times as tall as Rumples, who busily darted about arranging it into a big high pillow. Phaedra stepped out onto the ledge to watch him, with the late afternoon sunlight shining full on her fur and in her eyes.
"There now!" screamed Rumples. "I've made you a pillow! Jump!"
"Jump!?" Phaedra screamed herself. "I can't!"
Rumples looked up at her, and then over his shoulder. A fine Knight on a gallant horse was approaching, all in silver armor with a red plume on his helmet. Sir Phair, his beloved master, from the Kingdom of Phar. The kingdom where, even now, Phaedra's papa and the Knights of the Oval Stool awaited word of the success of Sir Phair's mission. The most beautiful princess in this kingdom for his bride was the price to release King Kalijah and his Knights. For Sir Phair was also the most beloved Knight of King Phar.
Phaedra, having caught a glimpse of the Knight in silver, thought she must be dreaming again. Still, she hesitated. Rumples climbed into the huge pillow of hair and laid down. "Jump on me," he told her more quietly. "I'll break your fall." The fine Knight, upon hearing that, and seeing the shining Phaedra on the ledge, galloped forward. And Phaedra jumped. Whooosh! The pillow with Rumples in it was rising up to meet her. She would have fainted at the jolt, but she heard Rumples scream "Ouch!"
"Oh, dear! You sweet, kind thing! Are you all right?" she asked him, and kissed the top of his head.
"I'm okay", whispered Rumples with a silly grin, as they both rolled off the pillow. "My Princess, this is my Knight."
Sir Phair dismounted, took off his silver helmet with the red plume, and looked into the eyes of Phaedra. This Knight is from the wrong kingdom, she was thinking, as her eyes locked with his. But she fell immediately in love. And so did Sir Phair.
When Sir Phair arrived back at the Kingdom of Phar with Phaedra, they were married that furry day. Phaedra's papa embraced her, asked her if she was happy, and could see that she was. Then he and the Knights of the Oval Stool rode home to their own kingdom. There was peace between the two kingdoms, although I'm not sure how much peace King Kalijah's family had when he returned.
And they all lived happily ever after.