As soon as the portal to The Realm Of Fantasy was closed, Christine was cut off from the magic that had been supporting her.  The blazing aura that had surrounded her went out like a light, and she was left in her normal appearance as world belief engulfed her and forced her into alignment.

     Suddenly she felt the weight of gravity and the weariness of strain.  This fell on her as something of a shock.  And, with a stunned expression, she fell backwards onto Vicki’s bed. 

     Vicki, now being whole and free of encumbrance, reached out to grab Christine as she fell and held her securely so that she would not slide off the bed and fall to the floor. 

     Meanwhile, the cameras remained trained on Christine, broadcasting live to the whole of the town, while the onlookers in the room stared on in shocked silence. 

     “Christine, are you alright?" asked Vicki, urgently. 

     “I’ll be fine,” said Christine, in an unconvincingly weak and wavering voice.  “I just need to rest a minute."

     Once again, Perry began plowing his way through the crowd to get to the other side of Kacey’s bed.  Dr. Reinhart and Sir Jon followed behind him in his wake. 

     Meanwhile, Vicki and Jenny helped Christine to lie down properly on the bed.  And, in doing so, Vicki thoughtlessly stood up, using her previously broken leg as if there had never been anything wrong with it. 

     As Perry and those following him arrived at the bed, the doctor noticed Vicki standing and glared at her angrily. 

     “Don’t put weight on that leg!" shouted Dr. Reinhart.  Then he looked at Lappina and ordered, “You there, rabbit girl, get her a chair, quickly."

     Lappina grabbed a chair and sat Vicki down in it. 

     “But my leg is fine, doctor,” Vicki protested. 

     “Let me be the judge of that after I’ve had a chance to examine you,” the doctor insisted. 

     Christine put a finger to her mouth and shushed him. 

     “Not so loud, doctor,” said Christine, still sounding very weak, but not seeming at all insecure.  “You’ll wake Kacey."

     In seeming bewilderment, the doctor turned around to look at Kacey.  She seemed to be sleeping peacefully, having no trouble at all breathing without the life support equipment. 

     “Christine,” asked Perry.  “Is Kacey likely to wake up soon?"

     “Any minute now,” she answered. 

     Perry then turned to the reporters and gathered onlookers, saying, “It will be very traumatic for Kacey if she wakes to find this room filled with strangers.  Please, will you all leave as quietly as you can?"

     The reporters looked at each other a moment, then as one shook their heads, gravely denying the request. 

     “Sorry,” said one of the reporters.  “This story is too important.  That girl is either going to wake up or die, and the survival of Suburbia is tied to her.  You can’t ask us to leave now."

     “He’s not asking,” said Sonny, authoritatively.  “I’m telling you.  Get out."

     Behind them, the reporters observed the onlookers complying with The Queen’s command - slowly and quietly emptying out the room.  It was apparent that they had no choice.  So they signed off their broadcasts and joined the exiting crowd. 

     “I’d like you to leave, too,” said Perry to Kacey’s parents. 

     “Why?" Kacey’s mother demanded.  “She’s our daughter.  Why shouldn’t we be here when she wakes up?"

     “Because, believe it or not, Kacey feels ill at ease around you,” said Perry.  “And things are going to be hard enough on her as it is."

     “And this filth from Webberton and Noir get to stay?" asked Kacey’s father, incredulously. 

     “Yes, they do,” said Perry.  “Because they’ve been here supporting Kacey.  They haven’t been whipping the town up into a frenzy trying to get her killed.  If you want to wait outside to see if she’ll ask for you later, that’s fine.  But I highly doubt that she will."

     “Alright,” said Kacey’s mother.  “We’ll go for now.  But we’re not through with you.  You stole our rights.  And somehow we’ll make you pay."

     Meanwhile, Dr. Reinhart seemed in a state of extreme agitation and confusion, not knowing which of the three girls to examine first in his anxiousness. 

     “Examine me first,” said Christine.  “Let Kacey sleep until she wakes up on her own."

     The doctor then proceeded to give Christine a thorough going over, but he could find no trace of her previous injuries.  Not even any scars.  And her lungs seemed to be completely healed as well. 

     “This is impossible,” said the doctor, in shocked wonderment.  “How could such severe injuries just disappear?"

     Christine waved the doctor to lean his ear closer to her.  Then she said softly to him, “Do you believe in magic?"

     The doctor looked at her reprovingly, as if he thought she was making fun of him.  But she just blinked and smiled innocently.  And he knew not what to make of her. 

     Seeing that Christine was anything but in need of his attention, the doctor rushed over to Vicki and examined her leg.  But, once again, he could find no trace of any injury. 

     He asked Vicki to gently stand up and tell him if she felt any pain at all.  Vicki complied, and then walked about a little, saying that she felt completely normal and free of even the slightest discomfort. 

     Leaving the doctor feeling at a total loss, Vicki walked over to Kacey’s bed and sat down beside her.  And Christine, feeling her energies returning, got up to join Vicki in watching over Kacey. 

     Jenny and Lappina also joined them - Jenny sitting beside Vicki on one side of the bed, and Lappina sitting beside Christine on the other side.  While Perry, Sir Jon and Sonny took seats near the foot of the bed. 

     “You all seem very calm,” the doctor remarked.  “Is this sort of thing normal in your lives?"

     “Nyot in mine,” said Jenny. 

     “Mine either,” said Lappina. 

     “I’m getting used to it,” said Vicki.  “Ever since Christine came into our lives, hardly a day has gone by that something magical hasn’t happened."

     “Who are you?" asked the doctor of Christine.  “What are you?"

     “Ask Sir Jon,” said Christine.  “I’m sure he’s much better at putting what I am into words."

     The doctor turned to Sir Jon, expectantly. 

     “Christine is .  .  .  from a distant branch of my family,” said Sir Jon.  “She is schooled in the healing techniques of the Omman faith - a magic oriented religion."

     “Really?" asked the doctor.  “And what town is it that practices this faith?"

     Sir Jon thought a moment and then said, “New Ashbury, don’t you think so, Perry?"

     “New Ashbury?" Perry queried. 

     “Certainly,” said Sir Jon.  “After all, the whole idea behind Ashbury was to live like animals.  And the Omman faith was the religion of animals.  Perhaps it’s the new ingredient that will make the old idea work.  And, surely it would please your fiancé."

     “A new Ashbury Town with Christine as it’s Queen,” said Perry, thoughtfully. 

     “Oh, come on,” said Christine.  “You’ve already got me lined up to be Queen Of Suburbia.  How can I be Queen of two towns?"

     “You can’t,” said Perry.  “You’d have to pass on being Queen Of Suburbia.  Which, of course, would mean I’d have to be Mayor, and Lappi would have to be Queen."

     “Oh, this is terrible,” sighed Lappina, emotionally.  “All I had to do was be honest with you.  I could have had everything I ever wanted."

     “You still can,” said Sir Jon. 

     “But I don’t deserve it,” said Lappina, tearfully.  “Not after what I did.  How can you reward me like this?"

     “Because you’ve earned a reward,” said Christine, taking Lappina’s hand to show her sincerity.  “I was watching.  I heard everything you said.  I know everything you did.  But I also saw you change.  We understand that you had a hard time in Noir, but you’re ready to embrace a new way of living now.  So we forgive you, and we welcome you to our family.  Isn’t that right, Miss Sonny?"

     “I suppose,” said Sonny, reluctantly.  “If nobody else is going to hold a grudge, why should I?"

     “New Ashbury,” said Perry to himself, as if the wheels of his creative ingenuity had been kicked into overdrive.  “I like it."

     “But do I have to be it’s Queen?" asked Christine, pleadingly.  “I have too many personal motivations to be a Queen.  Can’t I just be it’s priestess or something?"

     “Well, we at least need you to be one of its founding mothers,” said Perry.  “Aside from my parents you’re the only one who knows anything about this religion of animals."

     “Well, somebody had better explain it to me,” said Dr. Reinhart, impatiently.  “Where did this religion come from, and how does it work to effect healing?"

     “Sir Jon,” said Christine, at a loss.  “I don’t know what to tell him."

     Sir Jon asked Sonny for the note pad from her purse.  Then he wrote down an internet address, tore off the page and gave it to the doctor, saying, “On this site you can read all about the Omman religion.  You can even read its textbook there."

     “It’s a lot of reading, doctor,” Christine warned.  “But, Sir Jon, who on this planet maintains a web site about the Omman religion?"

     “Rocinantè, of course,” said Sir Jon.  Then he looked at the doctor crossly and said “Don’t ask."

     Kacey sighed and began to stir.  Everyone then hushed and focused their attention on her. 

     After a moment, Kacey opened her eyes.  No sooner had she open them than she realized something was amiss, and she immediately grew tense in her insecurity. 

     Fretfully she looked about her, realizing that she was in a strange place and surrounded by people, all of whom were not people she felt secure with. 

     “Wha .  .  .  What’s going on here?" asked Kacey, in a trembling voice. 

     “It’s a welcome back party,” said Christine.  “You’ve been away."

     “For three whole days,” Vicki added. 

     “Hello Kacey,” said Dr. Reinhart.  “Do you remember me?"

     “Yes, doctor, I remember you,” said Kacey, averting her gaze, shyly.  “I’ve known you since I was a little girl."

     “Do you remember what happened to you?" asked the doctor. 

     “I’m not sure,” said Kacey, looking down at herself.  “Was there a fire, or did I dream it?  I .  .  .  I thought I burned up."

     Kacey looked all about herself for injuries, and when she found none, she turned to Vicki and asked.  “Have I been unconscious for three days, or three years?"

     “It was only three days,” said Vicki.  “Christine was unconscious, too.  But when she came back she healed you.  She healed me, too.  Look, my leg’s as good as new."

     “Kacey, do you remember burning?" asked Dr. Reinhart. 

     “Yes,” said Kacey, thoughtfully.  “I remember being engulfed in flames."

     “Do you remember the pain?" asked the doctor, curiously. 

     “Pain?" said Kacey.  “What I felt went way beyond pain."

     “But you seem awfully calm for someone who’s been through such a trauma,” said the doctor, in a concerned tone. 

     “I dealt with her trauma while she was unconscious,” said Christine.  “She denied the fire’s ability to harm her.  And her subconscious still denies it.  That’s why she’s not afraid of the memory."

     “My goodness, Christine,” said Kacey, in wonderment.  “What wonderful powers you have over me."

     “No, Kacey,” said Christine.  “You had the power.  I just showed you how to use it.  It might not have been so easy if your family hadn’t migrated from a magic oriented town."

     “Kacey, are you in any pain at all right now?" asked the doctor. 

     “I .  .  .  I’m not in any pain,” said Kacey, unconvincingly. 

     “But you seem to be under stress,” the doctor observed. 

     “This is normal for me, doctor.  You know I’ve never been comfortable in hospitals,” said Kacey, casting about the room and taking note of Jenny.  “And .  .  .  and .  .  .  there are strangers here.  Who .  .  .  who is that?"

     Kacey averted her gaze from Jenny and found herself looking at Lappina, whom she also felt compelled to look away from.  So she fixed her eyes on Christine. 

     “You mean this lovely feline sitting beside me?" asked Christine, in a proud tone of voice. 

     Kacey nodded, nervously. 

     “This is my very good friend, Jennaballina,” said Christine, admiringly.  “She came to watch over me while I was unconscious."

     “The .  .  .  The .  .  .  Pa .  .  .  Pa .  .  .  Princess Of .  .  .  Web .  .  . b .  .  .  berton?" asked Kacey, as if utterly horrified, her lower lip trembling compulsively. 

     Jenny looked at Kacey, surprised at the utter terror the squirrel girl displayed. 

     “Meow,” said Jenny, plaintively.  “I won’t hurt you."

     “There’s no need to be afraid,” said Christine, soothingly.  “Jenny’s almost like a member of the family."

     “Christine,” Kacey cried, as if in fear of immanent death.  “They eat squirrels in Webberton."

     Instinctively, Kacey began looking around for a place to run, but she was in a strange hospital room, and she was surrounded on all sides by people, leaving her no quick path to flight. 

     As her anxiety quickly came to a boil, Kacey did the only other thing she could think of.  She flung herself into Christine’s arms and pleaded for protection through her wailing voice and gushing tears. 

     Christine tried to calm her, but Kacey’s fear of Jenny went much farther than her fear of everyday people whom she had no real reason to think would harm her.  Kacey simply could not bear to be in the presence of someone who looked on squirrels as food. 

     Perry, Sir Jon and Sonny also rushed to lend their support to Kacey and assure her that she was safe, but Kacey had lost all sense of rationality, and the doctor feared she would over stimulate herself into a state of paralysis if she could not be calmed. 

     The doctor pressed a button on the intercom and called for a nurse to hurry with a sedative. 

     Meanwhile, Jenny began feeling overwhelmed with emotion as well.  She didn’t understand why it should bother her so much that a rodent type was scared of her.  But it gradually crept over her that she did care.  She wanted to join the others in showing sympathy and support for the shy squirrel girl who was obviously very precious to Jenny’s new friends.  But she had not the right to do so.  Jenny had indeed eaten squirrels.  And suddenly a sense of guilt fell on her, worse than any emotional pain she had ever experienced in her life. 

     Jenny began to meow mournfully as tears spilled out of her eyes. 

     “I have to go,” she said, in a voice that was broken with emotion, as she wiped the tears from her eyes.  Then she looked at Kacey and said, plaintively, “I’m sorry.  I’m so, so sorry."

     Jenny then ran out of the room, crying loudly in long sorrowful meows as she went. 

     Perry instinctively moved to run after her, but he halted as his eyes fell on Lappina.  And he stood anxiously still, pleading with his eyes for the freedom to help his friend. 

     “Go on,” said Lappina.  “She’s my friend too now."

     Perry spared a moment to give Lappina an adoring smile before dashing out the door to follow the sound of Jenny’s voice. 

     The sound led Perry down the hall to a wash room that Jenny had apparently retreated into.  He tried the door knob and found she hadn’t locked it.  So he opened the door and went inside. 

     There he found Jenny leaning on the sink, completely at a loss to know what to do with herself in this unaccustomed state of emotional torment. 

     He put his hand on her shoulder, supportively.  And she looked up at him - her cat-like eyes swollen with redness. 

     Perry could hardly believe this was the same Jenny he had once loathed with a passion - the one that had so delighted in heartlessly torturing him and demeaning him in public. 

     She meowed at him plaintively in a way that caused pity to flow from his heart.  He opened his arms to her, offering shelter from whatever was paining her, and she slowly embraced him, still feeling uncertain about this new experience of having others voluntarily care for her.  But once she had her arms around him, she clung to him tightly.  For the sensation of emotional pain from within was far stranger to her than the feeling of receiving comfort from without. 

     Perry closed his arms around her and enfolded her lovingly, projecting his sympathy to comfort her, as she continued to meow sorrowfully. 

     “My poor little Jenny,” he said, as though comforting a crying child that he loved dearly.  “What pains you so?"

     Jenny tried to speak, but her words came out as a meow. 

     This struck her as curious and momentarily distracted her from her grief as she tried two more times to form words, but again found she could only meow. 

     Then, as the realization that she had become mute crept over her, Jenny began to cry even more mournfully than before, while she clung tightly to Perry as if he was the only thing keeping her afloat in a sea of despair. 

     Perry held her and petted her until she calmed down enough to listen to him.  Then he said, “You can’t talk, can you?"

     She shook her head, sadly.

     “Don’t be afraid,” he said soothingly.  “It’s just emotion straining your under developed larynx.  Once you calm down you’ll be able to talk again.  Meanwhile, you can project to me what’s bothering you."

     In the midst of her distress, Jenny did not take care in focusing her projection.  She simply opened her mind to Perry and assaulted him with her memories of all the times she had eaten pre-prepared and ethically disguised squirrel meat, as well as the full force of the guilt she now felt as she realized for the first time the true horror of the life she was forced to live in Webberton. 

     Only while she had been able to maintain her aristocratic airs could she protect her sanity by denying the reality of things.  But the closer she got to Perry and his friends, the more she realized that the ideology of felines being a separate and superior species was false.  She came from a society of murderers, and they had made a cannibal of her. 

     It only seemed to hurt her more that people like Perry and Sir Jon were willing to forgive her for this and offer her friendship.  She could not forgive herself, and she thought herself unworthy to live - let alone to be loved. 

     The projection hit Perry so hard that it shook and overwhelmed him.  The feeling of self-loathing she projected into him went right to his heart and began affecting his own genetic weakness. 

     Soon he was straining for breath - awed to find his compassion for a friend too weak to help him bear the weight of so much self torment. 

     Jenny cut off her projection the moment she realized Perry was in distress.  And now he was clinging to her for support.  Thus taking Jenny’s mind off of her own troubles. 

     After a while, both seemed to calm down and return to a state of near normalcy.  Their need to care for each other had grounded them and returned them to their usual states of being.  Though Jenny remained unable to speak. 

     “I think I’d better get you out of here,” said Perry.  “I’ll take you back to your hotel room so you can rest.  Would you like that?"

     Jenny nodded, gratefully. 

     Towing Jenny along with him, Perry went to the nearest phone and called his driver.  Then he led Jenny through the hospital until they came to the main entrance.  By the time they got there Perry’s limo was waiting for them. 

     Perry instructed the driver to go to his house.  When they arrived at The Rhoades Mansion, Perry left Jenny in the car, explaining that he needed to get something, and that he’d be right back. 

     He was not gone for more than three minutes, and when he returned to the limo he instructed the driver to drive on to the Miramar Hotel, which was where Jenny always stayed during her visits to Suburbia - that being the most expensive and classy hotel in the town.  Nothing less would serve the needs of a princess like Jenny. 

     Perry now carried with him a small box - the kind that was commonly used to hold jewelry.  Jenny looked at it curiously, as if to ask Perry what it was.  But he said he’d explain after they reached her hotel room. 

     Arriving at the hotel, the driver dropped Perry and Jenny off at the front entrance and then parked the limo to wait until Perry was ready to leave. 

     The driver was well accustomed to this sort of thing, knowing that Perry might be there for hours.  But he was paid well for this job that often involved little more than sitting and waiting.  And there was plenty of entertainment in the limo for him to pass the time with. 

     As they entered the elegantly constructed lobby of the Miramar, Jenny reached into her purse and handed Perry her key, as she was still unable to speak well enough to tell him her suite number. 

     Perry took the key and then put his arm around Jenny as he walked with her towards the elevator. 

     While they walked, Jenny reveled in the pleasant feeling she associated with having Perry treat her so kindly, as well as seeing him so at home in the posh atmosphere that was Jenny’s favored element.  And, though she knew he was now lost to her, she still clung to her old dream of winning the right to own him. 

     Riding up in the elevator, Jenny gratefully acquiesced as Perry pulled her close to him, inviting her to lean up against him.  She found his fur soft and inviting.  His scent was attractive and comforting.  Just being with him in this fashion made it difficult for Jenny to remember her troubles. 

     Meanwhile, the elevator operator, an attractive looking female brown bear dressed in an appropriate uniform for her job, did her best to fain blindness and lack of contempt for the affection The Prince Of Suburbia was displaying for The Princess Of Webberton. 

     Perry was well aware of the elevator operator’s contempt, but he did not acknowledge it for fear of returning Jenny to a state of agitation.  No doubt the elevator operator would take the first opportunity to call up the scandal rags and report what she had seen.  But there was nothing Perry could do to prevent that.  He knew pleading with her for sympathy and discretion would be a lost cause. 

     They arrived at the appropriate floor and walked the rest of the way to Jenny’s suite.  Perry opened the door with the key, and they went inside. 

     Perry looked around the suite, and once again found himself awed in spite of his experience. 

     “This is indeed a suite fit for a princess,” he remarked in wonder at the elaborate luxuriousness he found himself surrounded by.  It was obviously the best The Miramar had to offer, probably costing a month’s wages for one of his employees per day.  But, of course, Jenny could afford it.  And she had not been raised to practice restraint. 

     Jenny seemed to show pride in her gaudy taste, even though she still could not speak.  She gestured about the room, happily, as if to say this was her element, and she could not feel more comfortable in any other kind of surroundings. 

     Perry sat down on a luxuriously plush sofa and motioned with his hands for Jenny to join him. 

     Showing obvious surprise and delight, Jenny danced over to the sofa and sat down beside him. 

     Jenny had not expected this.  She had thought Perry’s engagement forbade him any kind of affectionate intimacy with her.  Yet this seemed to her a romantic invitation that she was quite eager for, even if it was terribly improper. 

     Gently Perry took hold of Jenny and pulled her back against him as he reclined on the sofa.  Happily Jenny let her body rest against him, finding his long soft fur and warm body the most luxurious of all cushions. 

     When Perry was sure Jenny was comfortable, he began massaging her shoulders and upper body.  And Jenny thought that seemed a rather peculiar way of initiating a yiffy encounter.  It was beyond her imagination that anyone would ever want to touch her so kindly for any other purpose than initiating an attempt at mating. 

     But she soon ceased to care about Perry’s motivation.  The massage he was giving her was making her feel too relaxed and comfortable for her to do anything but acquiesce and enjoy it.  After all, Perry wasn’t married yet.  If he wanted one more chance with her she wasn’t about to deny it to him. 

     Soon she noticed his fingers lingering about her neck.  And though she found this intensely pleasurable, it also put her in mind of how vulnerable she was.  She had resisted the power in Perry’s oversized hands before, and the thought crossed her mind that, should he be inclined to, Perry could snap her neck before she even knew something was amiss. 

     Still, she could not believe Perry would hurt her.  She had trust in him that she felt for no other living Cygnesian.  And, if ever she was going to die, she could think of no more pleasurable way to go.  So Jenny just abandoned herself into Perry’s care, and soon she was shamelessly purring in her contentment. 

     Eventually Jenny realized that she no longer felt the tightness in her throat.  She opened her mouth to speak and was greatly relieved when her words did not come out as meows. 

     “I .  .  .  I .  .  .  I can talk again,” she said, wonderingly.  “Is that what you’ve been doing - fixing my voice?"

     “Of course it is,” said Perry, playfully.  “What did you think I was doing, you naughty kitten?"

     “I thought you were being a nyaughty puppy,” said Jenny, with equal playfulness. 

     “Well,” said Perry, more seriously.  “Now that you can talk again, do you want to tell me about your little problem?"

     “What’s there to tell you that you couldn’t see in my projection?" asked Jenny, her happy mood abruptly subsiding.  “I felt compassion for that squirrel friend of yours.  I wanted to be her friend.  But when I saw how afraid she was of me, I realized I had nyo right.  She has every reason to be afraid of me.  I don’t knyow how many squirrels just like her I’ve eaten."

     “But you never killed any, did you?" asked Perry. 

     “With my own claws?" asked Jenny.  “Of course nyot.  Only a certain order of felines do the butchering in Webberton.  The rest of us nyever see where our meat comes from.  The wisest of us nyever travel beyond our town.  They nyever travel to other places where they might encounter the types of people we eat as food."

     “Is your rationale that flimsy?" asked Perry.  “Being aware of their food animals doesn’t seem to have bothered the elder race."

     “I don’t understand how they did it,” Jenny confessed, sadly.  “I don’t understand how the pure felines did it, either.  Perry, my constitution makes nyo sense to me.  How is killing other types of people supposed to make felines better?"

     “I suppose the only one who can really explain that is Christine,” said Perry, thoughtfully.  “She was there.  She knows.  You and I can only guess."

     “Your cousin really is an alien, isn’t she?" asked Jenny.  “You told me it was just an eccentric game she plays, but after what I saw in that hospital room .  .  ."

     “I know what you mean,” said Perry.  “Her powers seem to extend far beyond any concept of magic that exists on this planet.  I wonder if she’s come to save us."

     “Nyo one can save me,” Jenny sighed, unhappily.  “I can’t change my ways while I live in Webberton, and my mother won’t let me move unless I get myarried."

     “So get married then,” said Perry. 

     “Oh, who would want to myarry me?" asked Jenny, hopelessly.  “Every prince on this planet looks on me as a nightmare to be avoided at all costs.  Well, every prince except you."

     Perry chuckled softly and said, “Now that I can help you with."

     Perry gently sat Jenny up and she turned to face him as they sat together on the sofa.  Then he reached for the little box he had retrieved from his house and held it in front of himself. 

     “In this box I have something that will change your life,” said Perry, proudly.  “It’s something I invented just for you."

     “A gift for me?" asked Jenny, overcome by the unaccustomed feeling of receiving a gift that represented someone’s genuine affection for her. 

     Perry opened the little box while Jenny watched with intense anticipation. 

     Inside the box she beheld what looked like 20 small sparkling jewels, each seated in its own special recess, and each having a hole that was pointed upwards. 

     “Oh, my, what lovely jewels,” Jenny exclaimed, appreciatively.  “You knyow how I love accessories."

     “These aren’t just any accessories,” said Perry, proudly.  “These are functional accessories.  Allow me to demonstrate.  Your paw please, dear princess."

     Ecstatic with joy, Jenny eagerly placed her paw in Perry’s hand. 

     “Extend your claws please,” said Perry, and Jenny happily complied. 

     Then Jenny watched, her heart pounding with delight, as Perry placed a jewel on each of the claws on her right paw.  And then he did the same for her left. 

     “The others are for my feet, right?" she asked, her eyes sparkling with delight. 

     Perry nodded affectionately, and Jenny joyfully repositioned herself so she could place her feet in Perry’s lap.  Whereupon Perry lovingly placed the rest of the jewels on her claws. 

     As far as Jenny was concerned, Perry might just as well have been making love to her.  He was a prince, after all.  Someone of his status wouldn’t be expected to contentedly handle the feet of anyone, not even a princess, unless he was being forced to, or unless it was an act of love.  And since she wasn’t forcing him, she could only assume that he must have held deep love in his heart for her.