Coxal couldn’t help but look around as she was led to the throne…room? This place didn’t seem to have many standing walls, let alone any ceilings. It almost looked like a ruin, if it weren’t for the bright, colorful changelings still living here. They finally made it to what appeared to be a clearing amid the broken structures, with a large, chair-shaped tree in the center of it. It was mostly empty, except for a tall, fuzzy creature who was talking to some changelings. Ocellus trotted up to him, motioning for Coxal to follow.  
“Prince Capper!” she called, “Its good to see you! Do you know where the King is?”  
The cat - Capper, apparently - turned and smiled at the two. “Oh hey, Ocellus! You just missed him, he and Gossamer are headed to the Crystal Empire. Why, what’s going on~~,” he turned to Coxal, curious, “and who might you be?”  
Coxal raised a brow at Capper’s casual tone, replying, “I need to talk to him. Uh, Dragon Lord Ember sent me here.” she felt awkward as the prince glanced at her, expression unreadable. “She says hi.”  
Capper’s eyes widened a little. “Oh! Well if Ember sent you, it must be important,” he paused, scratching his chin, “Alright, well, Thorax should be back within a day or two. In the meantime, you can stay here~~” One of the changelings he was talking too tugged on his cape, whispering in his ear for a moment. “Ah, yes. I forgot, I have some _{princely duties} to take care of. I’ll just be a moment! Don’t destroy anything while I’m gone!” With a wave of his paw, he turned and walked to another part of the Hive, leaving Ocellus and Coxal alone by the throne.
 
Several long moments passed before Ocellus piped up. “Prince Capper is an interesting fellow. Certainly a lot nicer and more relaxed than some other royals I’ve met.”
 
“……Why is your king married to a cat?”  
Ocellus stared forward and blinked before turning to Coxal. “What?”  
“How would a changeling and a cat even happen…?” Coxal was half talking to herself, her voice trailing off. Ocellus lightly tapped her on the arm.
 
“Don’t strain yourself figuring it out. Trust me, I don’t think anyone around here expected the King to fall in love with an Abyssian since they’re kinda rare around here. But he is quite charming, so it wasn’t too much of a surprise. Now keep following me, I think I know a good place for you to rest for the night!”