Chapter Text
Once upon a time, in a faraway land, there was a large, bright, shining kingdom by the name of Soleil.
The king was ruled by the benevolent King Thomas, and his wife, Queen Allison, who had a young son, the little Prince Douglas, known as Dogday.
The royal family was beloved by their citizens, especially the prince, who was sweet, friendly, and happy, and made any room he was in brighter just by entering it.
Ever since he was born, the prince loved to read fairy stories, especially ones about love.
He loved to read and reread the stories of Cinderella, Snow white, and Rapunzel, and his dream was to one day fall in love, just like the beautiful princesses.
Even though he knew that since he was royalty, his marriage would most likely be arranged by his parents to support or strengthen diplomatic relations, whatever that means.
But little did he know, one day he would find true love.
~~~
Around the same time that Dogday was born, another critter was born on the other side of the kingdom, in the very edge of the village. A purple cat named Catnap, who was raised by his two mothers in a humble home there. (Who are critters in this au)
As a kitten, Catnap had always dreamed of becoming a knight like his mother, Catherina, after hearing so many stories of her adventures growing up. From taking on monsters, to going on quests to save lives, to bringing home lost treasures. She did so much, earning the title “The Angel”, as she was seen as a savior to all who were saved by her.
That is until she retired from knighthood to marry the love of her life, Daisy, and had a family with her, thus Catnap, and lived her own happily ever after.
So Catnap trained and he trained hard, spent his childhood studying and working in order to become a knight worthy enough to serve the royal family.
It wasn't long before his dream became a reality as Catnap became a knight's apprentice and started working at the Soleil castle.
And it wasn't very long before he fell in love at first sight with the prince, Dogday.
It was the prince’s 18th birthday, the king and queen were throwing him an extravagant ball, to celebrate his coming of age.
And all were invited to attend.
Catnap didn’t really think he deserved to attend such a lavish party, but he was convinced by his fellow knights to take that risk. Afterall, he’d never even seen the royal family face to face, so this could be an opportunity to finally meet them and make a good first impression.
~~~
It all happened so fast and suddenly. Here he was, in his best suit, taking in such a scenario that is the ballroom. It was big, glistening and he never saw this many people in his life. It was nearly overwhelming for him as he found himself alone when his friends, Hoppy and Kickin, left him to grab food from the buffet table. His ears twitched as they started a commotion already.
‘And these two are supposed to be knights?’ He thought, deadpanning as he watched the bunny and chicken fight over the last cake roll.
Then suddenly, he spotted him.
There, standing under the moonlight that shone through the window, was prince Dogday.
And he looked brighter and more glistening than the sun itself.
Catnap starred, barely remembering to bow along with the crowd as the prince descended from the stairs. Dogday smiled, politely waving to his subjects as he made his way to the foyer. Then, the music started again and the crowd started to mingle again, blocking Catnap's view of the prince.
But the cat stayed frozen in place, catching glimpses of the sunny dog talking and laughing with other critters. His eyes sparkled as he took in the sight of the prince. With his shining, clean fur, his fluffy ears, his bright smile and beautiful, cheerful eyes, he was like the sun itself.
Then, he was startled awake as he felt two sets of hands slam on his shoulders. If Hoppy and Kickin weren't holding him, he would've been on the ceiling.
“Hey Naps, are you okay?”
Hoppy asks, worried. “You looked kinda out of it.”
Catnap quickly shakes his head, trying to regain his bearings.
‘S-sorry, sorry…’ He signs softly. ‘I guess I just… got caught up in the moment.’
He tries to smile. ‘The atmosphere of this party is a little overwhelming, you know?’
“Are you sure?”
Kickin asks. “You were about to pass out.”
Catnap tries to think of an excuse.
‘Uh.. maybe I just need some fresh air…’
He signs, trying to walk away.
But secretly he was just hoping to get a better angle to spot the iridescent prince from.
He reaches a nearby window, thankfully open to keep up the ruse. He breathes a sigh of relief, actually taking in the fresh air, which was nice cause it was definitely needed. Then, he slowly glances back and sure enough, the prince looked even more exquisite in that angle too. He can see his full, smiling face as he laughs and converses with what seems to be two other royals.
The feline’s eyes sparkled again as he took in the patterns on the canine’s face, the way his crown fits on his head, above his ears, and the way he looked amazing and dapper in his suit. Catnap’s face heated as he took in the details of how lovely the prince is.
He sighs softly, smiling.
‘He’s so handsome… and so radiant…’
He thinks to himself.
‘I wish I could approach him, but I’d never have the courage to…’
He sighs sadly, glancing down.
‘It’s not like I'd ever be allowed to speak to any of the royals anyway… at least not without getting reprimanded…’
He takes a few deep breaths, watching the prince smile and laugh from afar.
~A few Hours Later~
The cat knight didn't even realize how long it had been as he watched the prince from afar. He can only hope he isn’t making himself look weird in front of a crowd of dukes and higher ups. It wasn't long before the gala was over and everyone slowly took their leave, including Dogday, in which he watches as the prince says his goodbyes with the king and queen heading upstairs.
Then, once again, he felt familiar hands on his shoulders again.
“Catnap! Dude, where were you?!”
Kickin’s loud and slightly annoying voice bounces off of Catnap’s eardrums.
“Yeah, where were you?”
Hoppy adds. “We were looking for you for like, the whole party!”
Catnap can only shrug, trying to act casual, ‘Just enjoying the party, that's all. Not my fault that neither of you can keep up with my stealth,’ he signs, making sure not a hint of what he was really doing came to light. The last thing he wants is for those two to tease him and call him a ‘stalker’.
They both glared at him in annoyance.
“Yeah, well, we definitely would have if THIS ONE would stop hogging all the spring rolls!” Hoppy exclaimed, pointing the finger at the chicken.
Kickin shrugs. “Well can you blame me?” he says with a giggle. “It’s not often we get to eat fresh royal food. Usually we’re stuck with the leftovers.”
Hoppy rolls her eyes. “Well you could have at least let me have HALF of one…”
Catnap smiles a bit, amused at their bickering.
As they bickered, he looked back to see the canine prince one last time and was saddened as he watched him ascend the stairs as the last of the guests left. He deeply sighed and turned to take his leave as well.
“Now, come on, you two,” he says, grabbing Kickin and Hoppy by their collars and starting to drag them to the exit, “we better get going too. We have early morning training tomorrow.” That statement caused his fellow knights to groan in protest.
Little did he know that he had just missed the fact that someone took a glance at him too. But only by a second.